Last Updated on July 28, 2021
The Arrow
interviews Mike Costanza
Having
enjoyed and respected “The Collingswood Story”
(which for some reason no distributor
has picked up yet– PEOPLE WAKE UP!) and the talent behind it, I decided to
contact the man with the plan, writer/director and all around kool
muchacho Michael Costanza to
get some insight into the dude behind the camera and the film itself.
Here’s what he spat my way…
ARROW: What’s
your favorite horror movie?
MIKE:
If I had to name
an all time favorite it’d have to be HALLOWEEN (and, of course,
PSYCHO) but most recently MAY, DOG SOLDIERS, and THE EYE.
ARROW: Who would
you say were or are your major horror influences?
Polanski, Tobe Hooper and Hitchcock.
ARROW: What
prompted you to write “The Collingswood Story”? What was the trigger
that sprung the tale and the webcam idea in your head?
I had made some
short films that did well at the festivals (Sundance, Cannes) and
tried my damnedest to get some other projects off the ground but
couldn’t. I never could sit still for too long anyway so I
decided if anything was ever going to happen I’d have to do just do
it myself. I wrote the script, auditioned the actors, and shot
COLLINGSWOOD in about ten days. But with literally no budget
I had to think of a
concept that would be hyper cost effective, but more importantly I
wanted to do something that hadn’t
been done yet. I was getting turned off by the genre which
definitely needed new blood pumped into it. So I came up with an idea to have an entire
film viewed through webcams.
ARROW:
May I ask how much the budget was
and how you financed the film? Was it through private investors,
your own wallet? What not?
COLLINGSWOOD was shot for 10 grand, however post-production was five
times as much. The film
was financed by myself, and yes, “private investors”. (I.E.
friends and family…who have all put a contract
out on me and my dog unless I pay them back.)
ARROW: What were the more
challenging aspects of the shoot?
Usually the
shooting for me is a breeze. I obsessively plan everything out in
advance and have solid rehearsals so we’re all on the same page. There’s too much that will go wrong anyway no matter how much you
plan but you’re one step ahead of it all if you’ve done your
homework. The most challenging aspect was making the actors think
that the webcam concept was going to work. No webcams were ever
used in the film. It’s all in the editing that you believe the
private conversations, the madness and the terror are happening in
real time.
ARROW:
How many actresses did you audition for the part of Rebecca? What
was it about Stephanie Dees that made you say: that’s the one?
Ah, Stephanie…what
a gifted actress, extremely attractive, sexy, one of the nicest
girls I’ve ever meet. I only saw 6 actresses but as soon as
Stephanie read I knew she was the one. She had the innocence, the
natural quality I needed, and was clearly far more talented than the
others that read for Rebecca. (Funny you should ask me that because
I recently watched the COLLINGSWOOD auditions tape which I had not
seen since they were shot. What a trip to see Stephanie reading with
all the “Johns” I went through. I’d love to add some of them to the
Special Features if there’s another edition of the DVD. They’re
fucking hilarious!)
ARROW: Where is the film now in
terms of distribution?
Melee, a subsidiary of Dreamworks,
was in the process of making an offer however Universal bought them
out along with Dreamworks Records. So all new acquisitions have
been put on hold. Oddly enough, I was just approached by a company
that would like to do a Japanese version of the film. Given the
concept and the story, I think it could actually work. But
COLLINGSWOOD has surpassed my wildest dreams in terms of the
reaction from horror fans and from genre reviewers. Shivers
Magazine made it their feature article – over the studio made horror
films! Since when does a film with no distribution get so much
attention? And the film still manages to receive rave reviews and
is about to play in festivals. With so much positive feedback from
all around the globe it’s bizarre that a distributor
doesn’t pick
up on
it.
ARROW: If successful
financially, would you ever consider doing a sequel or do you want to
move on?
I think the idea of
a prequel for the first half of the story would be really cool, for
a look I’d shoot it on high con B&W and scratch up the image a bit.
I’d expose the origin of the cult from France and the gruesome
history of Alan Tashi – whose name is actually an anagram. That
would play out during the rest of story, taking place where the
first COLLINGSWOOD left off.
ARROW: What’s next on your plate
as a writer/director? I’ve been hearing about “Puff” through the
grapevine. Is it a horror film?
PUFF is actually a
dark, sexual, coming of age story along the lines of a 21 GRAMS. It
has attracted some big names and a negative pick up from Fox. I
intend to shoot it very explicitly. So now watch PUFF get an X
rating. Proud of me now mom? I made a PORN film!
ARROW: Has the
business aspect of filmmaking ever put you off the whole process a
bit or kind of killed your enthusiasm in regards to what you do?
At times, fuck
yeah. But I ain’t going away baby. I love what I do and no one is
going to stop this brat from doing what he loves to do.
ARROW:
Any advice for
all the budding filmmakers out there?
MIKE:
Yes. Take time on
your script. Make sure it is as tight as possible. When your film is
finished submit it to every festival you can. Just remember for
every door slammed in your face another will be slammed on your
finger. Just keep on truckin, as they say. Stay dedicated and it
will happen. Trust me. One more thing, just wanted
to say it was great meeting you in person when you jetted to L.A. and I gotta
tell you, you’re one genuine, talented, passionate dude. Thanks for
the interview John!
kind words man, I appreciate it, you’re a groovy mofo yourself. Keep
keeping it real bro!
I’d like to thank Mike for the interview and would like to wish him
luck in his future endeavors. Keep slugging away, Mike!
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