littlemes Saw this at a festival last year, looking forward to its DVD release in '07. It's all about the struggle, really, and if you're an in-the-trenches, do it yourself indie filmmaker you'll absolutely appreciate it. But it's worth checking out even if you are NOT making films. The struggle to push through the odds and reach a goal is one every viewer can relate to, and the group of artists focused on is always entertaining to watch.The director focuses on several people in various stages of production in their low or lower-budgeted horror films, and speaks to some key industry folk(Tony Timpone from Fangoria, Sid Haig, Joe Bob Briggs, HG Lewis and others) for perspective. What's cool about this documentary is it has its own distinct personality, it tells its story clearly but with its own visual flourish that most docs don't even attempt. It's got a central vision and a warm heart that shines through it, it never goes off on tangents. I was into it from the great opening sequence where a young boy puts on his monster makeup and joins his friends in making their first creature epic in the backyard, with their little film cameras.American Movie fans will get to check out what Mark Borchardt has been up to since "Coven", and you'll see up and coming directors like Dave Gebroe sweat through a grueling day of shooting on "Zombie Honeymoon"(which turned out great). Very inspiring and worth checking out, looking forward to part II.

horrormag Indeed, this is a good movie. In fact, it's downright refreshing. The decision by filmmaker Christopher P Garetano to focus his film on the new breed of horror movie makers was truly an inspired one. And by "new breed" I don't mean the likes of Eli Roth, Rob Zombie or Alexandre Aja. I'm talking about guys like Ron Atkins, David Stagnari and Mark Borchardt. Who? Exactly, these are the grassroots filmmakers, the guys the general movie-going faithful don't even know – save for maybe Borchardt who was the subject of the 1999 film 'American Movie'.Director Garetano skillfully inter-cuts lively moments of a handful of these "new breed" filmmakers struggling to get their flicks made with clips and sound-bites from classic films of a sadly bygone era. Seeing newspaper one-sheets and hearing radio spots for old films like 'Torso', 'Last House On The Left' and 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' brought a nice nostalgic touch to the film, and it's hard not to want to pick-up a handy-cam and join these fellas in their plight to make the next low budget masterpiece.Most of the guys spotlighted in this doc come across as likable, everyday kids who just want to make something different – something anti-establishment, anti-Hollywood…maybe even something a little bit dangerous; kudos to them all! The doc is also peppered with small interview clips from the likes of Sid Haig, Joe Bob Briggs and the master of no-budget spat-fests himself, Mr. Hershell Gordon Lewis who all give their take on what it takes to make it in the world of horror cinema. The general consensus seems to be this: entertain people. Hallelujah!

martinreliision Christopher P. Garetano/Horror Business By Owen Keehnen of RacksandRazors.comLong Island based filmmaker Chris Garetano is known to many horror fans as the founding editor and driving force behind ARE YOU GOING? (www.areyougoingmovie.com) -- a zine focusing on all things relating to Indie Horror film-making. He's also made several film shorts -- one of which (INSIDE) was featured in the 2004 Fangoria Blood Drive series. Chris' latest project though may well be his crowning achievement. It's a fascinating documentary called HORROR BUSINESS. The movie covers the careers of five up-and-coming horror-movie loving directors – Mark Borchardt ('Coven'), Ron Atkins ('Necromaniac'), Dave Stagnari ('Catharsis'), John Gora ('Chirpy'), and Brian Singleton. It's a fascinating look behind the filmmakers and what drives them (and us) in this ongoing, crazy, and unshakable love of the genre. Watching this documentary it's also clear that the man at the helm of the HORROR BUSINESS has an equally deep and compelling love of horror.

gsevenpsycho Writing for Rogue Cinema has been a bit of an eye opener for me. I have to admit that, in the past, I've always watched movies and either enjoyed them, or didn't, without much thought to what went into the making of the movie itself. Well, in the past year or two, I've had my eyes opened as to the time and effort it takes to make even the smallest of movies and there's a movie out now that will help everyone to understand the independent film maker and what it takes to make a movie on your own, it's called Horror Business.Horror Business is a documentary that follows three filmmakers as they make their latest projects. The first Mark Borchardt is filming a movie called Scare Me, a horror story about an author battling evil. Horror Business follows Mark as he gets started writing and filming the movie and it's a great glimpse into the world of independent film, as Mark tells his mother that because she's given him money, she's a defacto executive producer on his film, and the behind the scenes footage of the filming is informative too, when the person who was supposed to run the camera doesn't show up, Mark calls on an extra who's run a camera before to do the filming for the night, explaining that the more experience you have in the film industry the more likely it is that you'll get to work if you find yourself on a movie set, which seems to be true!Next is Ron Atkins, a Las Vegas filmmaker who's filming his latest movie, Sins Of Government, a story that revolves around our government really being run by alien reptiles that have taken human form. Ron is a complete commando filmmaker, taking adversity in stride. His philosophy seems to be, just keep filming! Last, but not least, is David Stagnari, a New York film maker, who's film Catharsis seems to be the most 'artsy' of the lot, if that's indeed a word.The word of the day in all of the productions seen in Horror Business is 'work'. As an average moviegoer, you really don't get an idea of what goes into the making even a low budget movie. There are no dressing rooms, there are no divas, there's just a lot of people with a common vision who are working hard to get that vision on film, working twelve hours a day or more with little or no pay, these movies are truly labors of love and you really get to see that in Horror Business.If you've ever wondered about a person who would spend his time and hard earned money just to make a movie, or if you're one of those people whose currently saving their money with a vision in mind, Horror Business is for you. Chris Garetano's movie is a truly honest look at the independent film making process and the people behind and in front of the cameras. After seeing this, you'll never watch another low budget movie in the same way again, and that's a good thing. Horror Business is one of the best documentaries I've ever seen and whether you love horror movies or just movies in general, this will give you an idea of how much work can go into a movie and the love that film makers feel for their projects. It's called Horror Business and it's worth the time and effort you'll spend in finding it! Head on over to Horror Business Movie.com to get it today! And so, until next time when I'll tell you about my documentary, I'm going behind the scenes of a bakery, not because I think it'll be a good movie, just because I like the donuts, remember that the best movies are bad movies. Posted on Monday, May 01