The
Arrow interviews Steve Barton
(“Uncle Creepy”)
THE
HORROR CHANNEL
is a 24-hour
digital cable network dedicated solely to the horror genre
that will be accessible to all of us come October 2004. Arrow had
the chance to talk with Steve “Uncle Creepy“ Barton, the
Channel’s Relations Manager and here’s what he had to say about the
future channel.
Arrow:
What’s your favorite horror movie?
UNCLE
CREEPY: The original Night of the Living Dead. Interesting
story behind that…I had this giant B&W
console TV in our living room. I used to sneak out there once I
heard my parents snoring. Always a night owl I guess. Anyway, I flip
on the tube, and there’s a newscast about having to get to rescue
stations because the dead were returning to life! I was horrified! I
ran into my parents’ room to tell them we had to go! They thought
I was dreaming. I took ’em into the living room to see the TV
news, and what was on? NOTLD. I caught quite the ass
whipping, but as I lay there, butt throbbing from the spanking, I
realized that I was totally terrified, yet completely safe. A
roller coaster feeling. A love affair was born. I’ve been
chasing that feeling again my entire life.
ARROW:
How did the idea of putting out a horror channel come about?
UNCLE
CREEPY: The Horror Channel is the brainchild of our CEO Nicholas
Psaltos. Nick had been wanting to start his own company for a
long time, but he wasn’t sure if I wanted to do a film company or a
cable network, so he talked to everyone that he could within and
outside of the industry to find out what had not been done. His
friend, who happens to be a big horror fan and convention-goer,
pointed out that there was no horror channel. Nick, a horror fan
himself, then did some research and realized there is a real
opportunity here because the fans just don’t have access to the
kind of programming they want to see. Horror fans are the type of
people who go to great lengths to participate in this stuff. It’s
incredible. There’s nothing quite like it. All of us at The
Horror Channel are so happy to be a part of a project that will
unite the genre. You could call it a cottage industry, but it’s a
lot bigger than just a cottage — more like a big haunted house.
ARROW:
When will The Horror Channel be upon us?
UNCLE
CREEPY: The Channel will be launching in October of 2004 — just
in time for Halloween. I couldn’t think of a better time of
year for this to happen! It just seems so right!
ARROW:
What kind of lineup — in terms of films– will The Channel cover?
UNCLE
CREEPY: While I am not at liberty to say just yet what the
lineup of films will be, I can tell you that the fans will be very
pleased. We plan to cover everything from the classics of
yester-fear to the new blood being splashed across cinema screens.
We’re going to focus a lot on independent films. There are a
lot of talented filmmakers out there that up until now haven’t had
an avenue to get their work out there. Back in the 70’s and 80’s
a John Carpenter could get his films shown on some theatre screens.
It’s much harder now for the filmmaker as times have drastically
changed.
You
never know where the next star is going to start shining from, and
we hope The Horror Channel will be that place. Another one of our
focuses will be foreign horror films. There are some really great
things happening in the industry all over the world right now. Some
great films are out there that up until now the fans have only read
about in places like FANGORIA and RUE MORGUE. Either that or
they’d have to scour the Internet and have these films imported at
simply ludicrous prices. There’s stuff out there that you
cannot just go to BlockBuster or Hollywood to rent. We want to make
such things readily available for the horror fan.
ARROW:
Will there be TV shows or films specially made for The Channel?
UNCLE
CREEPY: Yes, in fact there will be, but that’s kind of down
the line for us. Our main concern right now is acquiring film
libraries. However, that’s not to say that you won’t be
seeing any original programming in Year 1.
ARROW:
Will The Channel cover all forms of horror mediums (such as books,
video games…what not)
UNCLE
CREEPY: Absolutely! We want this to be an all-encompassing trip
for the horror fan. That means focusing not only on movies and
TV shows but also on music, genre gaming, books, lifestyle, etc…
ARROW:
How can one go about accessing The Horror Channel?
UNCLE
CREEPY: It’s up to the fans to demand their THC! Remember when
MTV first launched and had that “I want my MTV” slogan? We
need a similar type of grass-roots campaign because even now, so
many years later, it still works. We need the fans to call their
cable companies and tell them, “The Horror Channel is coming in
October, and I want it. I’d like to finally have something that is
worth the money I pay you people each month.” And keep calling. If
you think that you’re calling too many times, call twice more. Keep
screaming for it. Scream for The Horror Channel! After
a while they’ll realize that there is a demand for it, and they’ll
pick us up if they haven’t already. That’s really all anybody needs
to do to get access to The Channel.
ARROW:
What will differentiate The Horror Channel from say “Scream TV”?
UNCLE
CREEPY: I cannot speak for ScreamTV. What I can do is
promise that we will go to any lengths necessary to make sure that
the horror fans’ needs are addressed. We live by the slogan
that we are a channel made by fans for fans, and we take that very
seriously. After all, who better than a fan to know how to
serve a fan?
ARROW:
Are you guys planning to lock (or already have) the privilege of
premiering genre films on The Channel?
UNCLE
CREEPY: Again, I can’t divulge too much, but that’s
certainly part of our grand scheme! Pretty exciting, no? We
have a lot of today’s top genre personalities on board with us. Just
off the top of my head . . . Guillermo Del Toro, Eli Roth, Rob
Zombie, John Carpenter, Tobe Hooper, Wes Craven. Just about all
of the horror luminaries. Go to our website at www.horrorchannel.com
and check out the “About Us” section. That will speak
volumes to the fans when they see who is involved. It will also give
you a good idea of the type of programming you can expect and the
types of good things we will provide.
ARROW:
What age demographic would you say The Horror Channel is aimed at
and how do you intend to please that niche? Please tell me you’ll
have some hot chicks hosting…
UNCLE
CREEPY: We’re looking to target all fans — old and young.
Fans of the classics, slashers, ghost stories, vampires, you name
it. We aim to bring every single horror fan out there all that
they have ever dreamed of. We’re going to show our films
uninterrupted and unedited. If the fans want “hot chicks”
hosting, they’ll get that. The bottom line is that it’s up
to you, the fans. Visit our website. There are forums
there…join them and tell us what you want to see. Get
involved. Be part of horror history. The time is now, and
it all starts here.
Mucho
thanks and brewskies to Steve
“Uncle Creepy“ Barton for dropping by and giving us the heads up
on the Channel. Come October 2004 we might have a new KICK ASS way
to get our genre fix. Mark your calendars!
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