“Austin has such a robust, ingrained filmmaking community that, when combined with SXSW, Fantastic Fest and the Alamo Drafthouse, was the driving factor for me relocating here back in 2011,” Aaron B. Koontz tell us during a chat about his Camera Obscura in theaters on June 9th and on VOD and Digital HD on June 13th. “I wanted to get my feet wet in a smaller community before the inevitable L.A. move and Austin has proven to be a perfect place for that endeavor. So much so, that it gets harder and harder to picture ever leaving here.
“Most when thinking of Austin Filmmakers immediately go to the usual suspects of Robert Rodriguez, Richard Linklater, Terrance Malick and David Gordon Green, and for good measure,” he explained before reciting his personal favorites, adding, “But they also have inspired an entirely new generation of Directors that I have looked up to since my Texas arrival that includes Kat Candler, David Zellner, Jeff Nichols and Andrew Bujalski. I though, want to highlight another sub-sect here, the Austin Genre filmmaker. Almost two years ago I started a small support group, an AA for filmmakers really, that was focused on Genre Directors in Austin. Since that time members of that group have gone on to create some of the most dynamic Horror and Genre products in recent memory. Four of the names on my list, come from that group.
“In no particular order, here are my top 5 Austin-based horror filmmakers:”
Benjamin Moody – Ben got started editing for GameTrailers.com and went on to do a number of short film spoofs of popular games like “Skyrim” and “Mass Effect”. In 2015 Ben and his Producer/Wife, Rachel Moody, embarked on a low-budget, character-study slasher, Last Girl Standing (available on VOD). Which might seem like an odd pairing but when you see how beautifully Ben pulls this off, it quickly is evident the talent we are working with here. I am stoked to say that I will be working with Ben on his next project as well, a Martial Arts Survival Horror film called Bar Fight that is going to really show the world how talented this Moody couple is.
Chris McInroy – As a UT grad, Chris has been making various short films and commercial products since 2002. Over the past 3 years though, Chris has separated himself from the field Writing and Directing two of the best Horror-Comedy shorts in the country: 2014’s Bad Guy #2 and 2016’s Death Metal, which went on to play at over 100 festivals worldwide including Fantasia, Fantastic Fest and Sitges. Chris is currently in post for his most ambitious and bloodiest short yet, We Summoned a Demon which should hit festivals this fall.
Steven DeGennaro – A veteran in the Austin Filmmaking scene, Steven was best known as the go to Sound Mixer for various commercial, short and feature productions. But in 2014 he set out to make his feature Directorial debut, the ambitious Meta Horror-Comedy Found Footage 3D and since their premiere at Bruce Campbell’s Horror Fest (where they won the Jury Award), everyone has been talking about, and rightfully so, this absolute gem of a film. Details on distribution are not known at this time but this will surely make its way to you, and soon, so be on the lookout.
Phillip Guzman – As a photographer and filmmaker, Phillip has made a name for himself in Central Texas as a fearless and creative Director, willing to tackle interesting and complex subject matters. His most recent Directing effort was no different with the creepy, atmospheric Horror/Thriller Dead Awake (now on VOD), written by Final Destination creator Jeffrey Reddick, featuring genre icons like Jocelyn Donahue and Brea Grant. His next project, a Horror feature about a sleep deprivation study gone wrong, 200 Hours, is currently in post-production and prepping a festival run.
Owen Edgerton – Owen is Austin royalty for many of us here. He is a renowned author, with a recent Horror screenplay of his making the coveted Blood List. A comedian, commonly working with the comedy troupe Master Pancake which is the Alamo Drafthouse’s version of Mystery Science Theater 3k, Owen can be commonly seen hosting the now legendary Debates for the annual Genre bash, Fantastic Fest, which if you are not familiar with, I encourage you to come visit us this September for a taste of this weird greatness. I though want to highlight Owen’s feature Directorial Debut, the moody, psychological body-horror film Follow starring Noah Segan. This is one of those overlooked gems that I think deserves more love.
Bonus Pick: Jeff Ray – Although it may be a stretch to call the beautiful works of this soon to be household name “Horror”, there are sensibilities to Jeff’s style that scream genre. Whether it was his shocking, survival-story viral video for Sigur Ros or his gritty, noir short Where the Red Fox Lies, you can see the inspiration here that is part Jeff Nichols and part John Carpenter. Currently, Jeff is in the final stages of a feature length script for his aforementioned short, about a tormented young woman suffering from spontaneous combustion, which I will be Producing.
Sigur Ros Video:
Chiller Films will the release Camera Obscura in theaters on June 9th and on VOD and Digital HD on June 13th, Bloody Disgusting learned. We’ve been provided with an exclusive new clip from the film that marks the theatrical directing debut Aaron B. Koontz. In it, some tooth pain turns into horror as a man begins to lose all of his teeth. Next to spiders, this is my worst nightmare…
In ‘Camera Obscura’, a veteran war photographer with PTSD sees imminent deaths in his developed photos, questioning his already fragile sanity and putting the lives of those he loves in danger.
The cast includes Christopher Denham (Billions, Argo), Nadja Bobyleva (Bridge of Spies), Catherine Curtin (Stranger Things, Orange is the New Black), Chase Williamson (SiREN, Beyond the Gates) and Noah Segan (The Mind’s Eye, Tales of Halloween).
Camera Obscura is produced by Aaron B. Koontz, Andrew van den Houten (All Cheerleaders Die, The Woman) and Amir Zbeda (Area 51, Paranormal Activity) and is executive produced by Justin Smith (SIREN, The Boy).
