Interview by Chris Summerfield
Yes folks it is time we went Under the Spotlight again with the legendary horror filmmaker from Massachusetts, Geno McGahee. A film he wrote, THE HAUNTING OF LA LLORONA was just released on Amazon Prime and immediately took top spot for most popular films released and has been getting great feedback. The film was directed by Dennis Devine, produced by David Sterling with the Executive Producer, Gregory Hatanaka.
Geno, welcome again to Under the Spotlight. May I first start by thanking you for taking the time to complete this interview as I am fully aware you are extremely busy with working for Cinema Epoch and your journalism work within the field of Boxing, as well as your continued writing projects.
CS: May I first start by asking about a movie in which you wrote and was just released on Amazon Prime, titled, THE HAUNTING OF LA LLORONA. How did this movie come about?
I work for Cinema Epoch as the Acquisitions Manager and an opportunity came about to write a horror film that Gregory Hatanaka, the owner of the company was producing, along with David Sterling. I am a writer first. That’s what I consider myself above filmmaker or anything else. I love film and I love the process, but my talent is writing. I was asked if I’d be interested in writing about La Llorona and I was sort of familiar with the story and the legend and I found the project very interesting.
I went back and forth with the Director, Devine, and our visions were really one in the same. I was more than pleased to see the final version, which was just put on Prime, handled so well. I have had other screenplays of mine produced by other groups that were just terribly done and embarrassing really, but this was done as good as it could have been and that is due greatly to the team that came together to make it.
CS: Interesting for the fact you will not be directing the movie, why is this and does it make you anxious for the fact you won’t have total control over your work?
I’m totally fine with writing and allowing capable hands to bring it to life. I knew that the group I was working with had the same intentions as me. This film, from all sides, was made to be a quality horror film. It’s not a knock off of the other La Llorona film. This is our story and I think it’s a really good film that will resonate with the horror fans. Everything was done carefully and the cast was chosen very well. My screenplay was in absolute good hands from start to finish.
CS: Regards the director Dennis Devine, what can you tell us about him and how you guys got together?
Dennis has been around the game a long time. He has directed so many horror films and it was great news to hear that he was taking the role of the Director. David Sterling, one of the producers, brought him in and knew he was the right guy for the role. I was sure that they chose the right guy when I heard it. When I saw the completed, it was confirmed that Dennis was the guy that needed to run the show during filming.
CS: Regards the producers, Gregory Hatanaka and David Sterling what can you tell us about these guys?
Gregory Hatanaka owns Cinema Epoch and is a great filmmaker in his own right, making some tremendous films like REVENGE OF THE SAMURAI COP, CAGED BEAUTY, MAD COWGIRL, and many more. Hatanaka and I go back a few years and have worked together for quite some time. He has great vision and business sense. I’m fortunate he’s involved with the project to such a degree. David Sterling just pumps out horror films. He was one of those producers that, when I was younger and frequented the video stores, that I would seek out. I still have several sets of films that he produced in the 1990s. He knows the horror game and loves it. Sterling was a great person to have involved because of his history and love of the game.
CS: I believe you have just completed an anthology in which was an idea of your daughters, what can you tell us about this and how the idea came about for your daughter?
I just finished the screenplay. My 8-year-old daughter, Juliette, started showing a lot of interest in my film work and in horror in general. She would ask me questions about Jason Voorhees and Leatherface. She started coming up with ideas to help me and I found them more and more interesting. I like making anthologies. They are fun and quick to make and my other two SCARY TALES and HALLOWEEN TALES were pretty good successes. This one with my daughter isn’t about financial gain or anything. This is about taking my daughter’s ideas and making them come to life and to have this project together.
CS: Does your daughter have a hunger for the movie industry just like her father?
She does and she’s a storyteller by nature. I’m not sure if she will go into it when she’s older, but for now, it’s something that she’s showing a great interest in. Whatever she does do when she grows up, I’m rather convinced that it will be something creative. She can sing and write…so her options are rather open. I look forward to seeing how she grows as a person and where she elects to go.
CS: Regards aspiring young actors, writers and directors, what would be your advice to them as they start on the journey within the movie industry as it can be brutal and sure has its ups and downs?
You have to go into it without great expectations. It’s sort of like buying a lottery ticket. You could have a winner but there are a lot of losers. The current market isn’t great for film with the piracy and continual changes in the digital market. You have to make a film because you love film. You have to act because you love to act. It’s about the love and, like anything else, persistence is the key. You have to have a thick skin, learn from experiences, and forge on. The key in film as it is in life isn’t as much talent as it is drive. If you just keep going, eventually you will get somewhere.
CS: As regards your journey within the industry in which has been many years, how do you feel it has progressed so far and can you give us any future plans or aspirations in which you have?
I think that my journey has been one of continual learning and progression. It has opened my eyes to the nature of people and especially so in this industry. My goals have changed over the years as I get older and I’ve learned to cherish the moments and enjoy the ride, allowing the projects to go as they go and be happy with their success and not to beat myself up if they don’t do as well as I’d hoped. My future plans are to just keep producing and writing. As far as aspirations, I would like to hit one out of the park. I’m very happy with THE HAUNTING OF LA LLORONA and the money put behind it and the efforts of all involved. I think we can build on it and keep moving forward. So, I guess the best way to put it at this point is to say that I’m content where I’ve been and there was a time when my goal was just to get distribution for my first two films and I said that I would be happy after that. So, I’m going to be happy and just play it out and see where it goes. If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.
CS: What is your opinion of the current horror market, and are there any upcoming releases you are excited about?
I’m looking forward to the new IT and I think that the current horror market is a mixed bag, really. I still find myself watching horror films from the 1970s because it’s hard to find the magic in new ones. I have Amazon Prime and they have a lot of horror titles that are newer and it just seems that a lot of filmmakers don’t get it. That goes for the big screen as well. There was a time when I would impulse buy a horror DVD of a new release and I’d usually do OK, but nowadays, I don’t take the risk. I might just be an old man that screams “they don’t make them like they did in my day” but it’s how I feel, although there have been some pleasant surprises and some good ones coming up. GET OUT was good for the genre. It showed that you can tell a story, give political commentary without shoving it down your throat, and satisfy the horror fans. That’s why it was so popular. Horror fans are like any other fans. They don’t like to be insulted. A clever and quality horror film will resonate.
CS: Thank you for taking the time to complete, yet another interview with us… Good luck with the new movie, THE HAUNTING OF LA LLORNA.
Thanks much.
