Interview by Geno McGahee
Independent film is a tough business and the horror genre has taken a lot of hits with the continued purging of titles and limitations placed upon it by the streaming networks. For a filmmaker in this situation, marketing is the most important thing to a great degree and that gave birth to Marketing Macabre, a business created by Michael Joy, a man no stranger to horror and filmmaking and one that saw a void in the business that needed to be filled.
Scared Stiff sat down with Michael Joy to discuss his journey and the independent film business and get his thoughts about the direction of film and the impact he has made.
GM: What initially got you into horror movies?
It probably goes back to when I was a young boy watching Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein. It might be safe to say that the horror was my first true love. I remember Saturday afternoons in the 70’s watching Dr. Shock on WPHL-17 where I really discovered the roots of the genre. The original 1933 King Kong was a Thanksgiving tradition shown on WOR channel 9 for many years. To this day, Kong and eating turkey go and hand and hand for the holidays. Some of my earliest influences are The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Car, Piranha, and of course Jaws.
GM: What sparked this idea to become a promotional company for horror film producers?
In 2008, I decided to apply my horror fandom to practical use when I started writing for Horrornews.net. A few short years later, I was operations manager for Horrornews.net and Pandora’s box had been opened. I was living and breathing monsters and mayhem. In 2016, I entered the world of film distribution working as Director of Marketing & Sales for Artsploitation Films. During my years of working with third party publicity companies, I discovered that there was a need that was not being met and that’s when I decided to create, Marketing Macabre. My new publicity company would meet the need to provide marketing for the independent horror genre filmmaker at an affordable price. I wanted to put together marketing plans that would be affordable for any budget project, from low budget to micro budget to no budget at all.
GM: What benefits does your company provide for indie filmmakers and what has been your overall experiences been running it?
Marketing Macabre started out with press releases that specifically went out to horror media outlets. Our goal was to get horror products in front of horror audiences. This is still our focus and our main goal when helping horror filmmakers and horror related businesses. But our benefits to filmmakers continue to increase, and our other marketing options include Banner Ads, Exclusive Interviews, Top Ten Lists, and Commercials Ads on New Release DVDs. We are currently putting together Commercial Ad Packages for a variety of Cable TV Networks. This is all super exciting and I’m having the best time of my life helping indie horror find its audience.
GM: Have you thought about branching out into other genres when it comes to promotion?
Horror will always be our focus, but I would love to help other genres looking for that cross over audience. There is a large cross over when it comes to professional wrestling and heavy metal. I would love to help bridge that gap.
GM: You’ve run the gambit when it comes to filmmaking. What position do you prefer? Writing? Directing? Producing?
It’s a fantastic puzzle and when it all comes together, there is nothing better. I’m having a wonderful time right now on the producing end of the spectrum. I have two films coming out in the next few months that I’ve produced, Mario Cerrito’s “Human Hibachi 2” and Ash Hamilton’s “Holes In The Sky”. They are fantastic projects and I’ll have big news on both of them in the coming weeks. I’m currently working with Thomas Walton and Jared Safier on “Camp of Terror” set to star Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp). I’m also about to have a huge announcement regarding “The House In The Pines” that I’m producing with Mario Cerrito and John DiRenzo with director Mick Strawn (Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master) and FX master, Nick Benson (Tremors, The Blob).
GM: Why do you think the major streaming networks are basically purging all indie horror films but keeping other genres?
We’re living in this weird time of cancel culture. It doesn’t surprise me. Horror has always been the red headed step child of cinema. We’ve overcome the odds in the past and we’ll overcome again. You’re always going to have people that don’t see the value of independent horror. Obviously, we are seeing those short sighted individuals in some of the streaming services now.
GM: Making money in the indie horror game isn’t typical with the low payouts of streaming. What do you consider the magic formula to achieve success in a crowded field with such difficulties?
It’s the Wild West right now. The landscape has completely changed over the last several years and everyone is struggling to find their spot. As an indie filmmaker, you can’t rely on a sales agent or a distributor to be the answer to your dreams. They might be doing a great job, but there’s always room for marketing help. It’s my mission to provide that help and maybe make some magic.
GM: Any final comments?
I would just like to offer a helping hand to anyone who needs assistance in production, marketing, or distribution. I’m always looking for strategic partners on all levels. Feel free to reach out to me at joyhorror@msn.com
