Interview by Geno McGahee
In a time of a pandemic, several filmmakers have risen from the madness and produced films that bring a new feel and approach to the production all together. Rich Mallery is a Writer/Director that has not quarantined himself from film and has used his artistic vision to create several films. Most recently, SINFUL was released on Amazon Prime and Vimeo and it has been gaining a lot of steam.
Mallery quickly showed his talent in the long-awaited SAMURAI COP: DEADLY VENGEANCE, co-writing. He would go onto writing, producing and directing SOCIOPATHIA, a horror film that proved intelligent and stylish. Mallery made his mark and he’s not resting. He is going full speed ahead with an impressive list of films that are being produced or have been produced that we can look for in the near future.
Scared Stiff had the opportunity to sit down with Mallery to discuss his career, filming during the coronavirus and more…
GM: SINFUL was just released. Can you tell us about it and what inspired you to write it?
The inspiration came out of quarantine and how so many people have been afraid to leave their homes. I thought about what would happen if you physically couldn’t leave; if you couldn’t ever go outside again. I imagined being trapped in my home with another person and what that claustrophobia could do to us. How long would it take for all of our secrets to come out? What if I had a terrible secret that I had to keep from my partner? I pictured how that guilt could just eat away at my insides; how it could manifest in terrifying ways, driving both of us to tear each other apart. People have such delicate psyches. We are capable of some horrifying things if we’re pushed too far, even towards the ones we love.
GM: You were both producer and director for this film. Do you find it a better situation to have that control, guiding the film as you envisioned from the writing of the screenplay?
I usually have a very specific vision for the films I’m lucky enough to direct so absolutely. When you’re writing you’re visualizing how you want everything to look, but you can’t always put that exactly on the page. Having enough creative control to be able to express things the way I intended is exciting to me. So far I’ve been lucky to work with people who have been aligned with my vision and trust me to take them to the dark places I need them to go.
GM: What do you prefer, the writing or the directing?
I enjoy it all, but my preference is to direct. There’s something about being on set and making an idea become a reality. Writing will always be a passion of mine, but directing really allows me to create the film that’s playing in my head. But I love being hands on throughout the entire process. I even enjoy editing somewhat, although that might just be me being a control freak.
GM: Filming during the coronavirus is a big obstacle to get around. How was your experience working during this time and how difficult was it?
COVID forced us to think about the filming in a more strategic way. The virus was its own character which definitely limited us in terms of how much we could do and how many people we could involve. However, having a bare bones crew forced us to work smart and allowed us to move quickly. We didn’t have the luxury of waiting on make-up or set ups to be perfect. But everyone involved came to set prepared and ready to go. Nicole D’Angelo and Christina Lo really dedicated themselves to getting their characters right so that when we were rolling, they nailed it on take 1 most times. We also made sure to only shoot what we needed, so that no one was on set more than necessary. Every shot we used in some way. Nothing really hit the cutting room floor. But although we were hyper focused on safety, this was the most relaxed set I’ve ever been on by far. Working this way made filmmaking fun in a way I hadn’t experienced.
GM: Another film that you’ve recently written is DARLING NIKKI. Can you talk about that and what the audience should expect?
Expect a lot of madness. This movie is going to be out of this world. Picture Alice in Wonderland if it was written by someone in a mental institution. I unfortunately can’t take all the credit though. Gregory Hatanaka and Nicole D’Angelo wrote the first few drafts of the script so it’s mostly their ideas. I came in later and put my spin on what was already a wild script.
GM: You really got on the map with SAMURAI COP 2, a film that you co-wrote. Co-writing can be a difficult proposition. How was your experience co-writing this film? What were the ups and what were the downs?
SAMURAI COP 2 was something I was not prepared for. Everything about that production was insane and there were constant rewrites due to the millions of things that went wrong each day. There will be a doc released at some point ENTER THE SAMURAI which will show some of that madness. Although I heard a lot of footage we shot for that was accidentally destroyed which doesn’t surprise me considering the mayhem of that shoot. But to answer your question, co-writing for this one worked differently than a normal collaboration. I wrote the first few drafts of the script based on Gregory Hatanaka’s treatment. Then Gregory and Tony Young took over and put their spin on it. Once I handed my script off to them, I moved more into a producer role and they developed a lot of what you see in the finished film. I jumped in with an assist from time to time on set doing scene rewrites though, when I wasn’t dealing with things like the police or a fire.
I jumped in with an assist on set from time to time with scene rewrites.
GM: THE HUNTED and THE TOUCH OF HER FLESH are both in pre-production. What can you tell us about these productions and when are they set to film?
When the stay at home order happened we were about three weeks away from starting production on THE HUNTED which was a huge letdown. Unfortunately we had to put that on hold until things get back under control and we can shoot it safely, but that is the project I am most psyched to dive back into. Picture Eyes Wide Shut with a LGBTQ and BDSM angle. It’s going to blow your mind. TOUCH OF HER FLESH, I’m not so sure as there are a few other projects that I think are going to take precedence over that one. When we get to it though, it’s going to be insane if we can pull it off the way I want. TOUCH is very 70’s exploitation which is a genre close to my heart. I’m also in pre-production on a film COVEN that I’m hoping we can get to early next year. Picture a home invasion thriller with demonic witches. That one is going to be a non stop thrill ride and I can’t wait to unleash it. I’m always writing, so I have stacks of scripts ready to go once we can all get back to work.
GM: In a world of streaming, being a filmmaker can be difficult. With a mixture of monopolies like Amazon and Netflix dictating payouts to piracy rampant, what have you found to be the best path to success in the business and where do you see it going in the next ten years?
This is a tough one. Honestly, I don’t really know. It’s so difficult for smaller films to make enough money to be sustainable. Sure you can put your movie on Amazon and make a few cents per view, but making your film stand out is challenging. Unless you have money to do real marketing, the only way to make any kind of waves is if the people involved are relentless on social media. You’d be surprised how many actors/actresses don’t promote their own movies. I think people sometimes are just expecting everyone else to do it. But if you don’t promote, trust me, no one’s going to see your movie. Which means we can’t keep making them, which means you won’t get cast again. Even if you’re lucky enough to get on Netflix or some other streaming service, after the first two weeks, your movie is buried. You have to keep the machine going, keep getting the awareness out. I can’t stress it enough.
GM: You’ve mentioned that your obsession with film started at an early age. What film sparked this obsession? Can you name the moment when you said that this was for you?
I remember after seeing Ghostbusters, I story-boarded a rip off movie about a trio of exterminators who try to take down these giant insects that are invading Manhattan. I used to act out the scenes in my backyard using sticks for weapons. I’m not sure I wanted to make movies exactly; I think I just wanted to be Bill Murray. Or Chevy Chase in Caddyshack. My 7-year-old self was all about comedies like that. But once I saw Halloween, it was game over. All my attention went to horror and I devoured everything.
GM: Where can the people go to learn more about your ongoing film journey?
I post updates on Twitter from time to time. @richmallery
GM: Do you have any final comments?
If you want to see a different type of horror film, something you haven’t seen before, check out SINFUL now on Amazon Prime. We need you to support movies like that so we can keep making them.
