A multifaceted genre figurehead who caters to various aspects of the genre, including film, TV, book and comic book publishing as well as focusing on outside-the-norm genre productions, Reyna Young has certainly created a niche for herself with all manner of genre creative prowess. Now, in honor of Women in Horror Month, I talk with her about her company Last Doorway Productions, their creative output and the overall content she produces.
Me: Hello and thank you for taking the time to do this. First off, were you into genre films growing up? What films specifically got you into watching horror movies?
Reyna Young: My father used to wake me up late at night on Saturdays to watch Tales from the Darkside and Monsters with him, that’s the earliest of horror I remember. I also was quickly into horror books, any type of horror children’s books; I love and still do love them. Then after that I snuck into my father’s VHS collection and grabbed John Carpenter’s Halloween at around 7 or 8 years old, from there I was obsessed. After that, all I wanted to do was watch horror and more horror. Don’t get me wrong I do watch all kinds of movies though; whenever I’m sick in bed I watch musicals. Next to Halloween, my all-time favorite film is Dirty Dancing.
Me: What was the inspiration to start your company, Last Doorway Productions?
RY: My first year of college I was acting in my friend's indie films he was making but he never finished them, only started them. I told myself I could do this, so I wrote a thirty-page script, bought a little mini DV camera and cast actors and shot my first short film. It wasn’t very good but I was proud of myself for doing it, from there I had the directing bug, it’s what I wanted to do. I began to read books on film making and from there created Last Doorway Productions. Being a huge Twilight Zone fan I wanted the name to be something cool like that so I came up with Last Doorway.
Me: As they tend to focus on numerous aspects of genre media, how did you decide on the varied focus of the company?
RY: I wanted to create content from stories I’ve written since I was younger, I have so many ideas and things I wanted to accomplish with this company and I feel I have been on the right track with it. My main focus is to write, direct and produce. Yes, I love to act and that is a bonus at times but I want to create original content, I feel with all the remakes that go on, there’s a lack for originality and I love to write stories that are different and unique.
Me: With projects under the company including film festivals, genre-themed proms and whole conventions, do you use films as inspirations or come up with ideas on your own?
RY: We have actually put a stop to doing events in order for me to focus on creating stories. I love to come up with crazy ideas and go from there. Sometimes being busy with multiple projects I get too busy to write every day but I have been making an effort to spread out my time through the day so I can get some scripts written. So far I have four fresh scripts ready to go. I love coming up with ideas from dreams I have and also my surroundings, I tend to watch a lot when it comes to my surroundings so I come up with stories from people I meet and see sometimes.
Me: Do you enjoy having several projects in production at once? What do you do to stay focused on each product?
RY: I actually do love having multiple projects going at once, I’m not sure why, but I do. It does run me into the ground but I love it. My husband, on the other hand, doesn’t, he always wants to focus on one thing at a time and for some reason, I can’t. I’m not sure how I stay focused, I just do, once I finish one project and continue with another I find a way to create something else. LOL - it’s a bad habit I guess but I just love staying busy. But again it can be hard because I suffer from insomnia anyway so the lack of sleep catches up with me.
Me: You also have a book line called Monsters. What can you tell us about that line of titles?
RY: I grew up with Goosebumps and still love to read them, I’ve always wanted to create my own series like Goosebumps so I created Monsters. I named the series after my favorite show I watched when I was little I mentioned earlier Monsters. (My dad used to wake me up Saturday nights to watch) I couldn’t think of a more fitting name. Right Now my tenth book is about to come out for it and it has taken a mind of its own, I didn’t think it would be a big deal, I just thought I’d write some and see how it went but I get some great feedback from kids who read them. I’m not sure how many I’ll write but for now, I can see myself doing fifty of those books.
Me: How do you determine which is the proper forum for your stories having both a book line and comic book series through the company?
RY: My Movie Massacre comic books I have going on through Scattered Comics is way more adult-themed. What I do is host the comic that’s been created by indie comic artists and give them the opportunity to get their stories out there. I love working with Jason Dube on those, they’re so much fun. I try to make sure I have enough content for kids with my Book series and for adults with my comic books, balancing the two hasn’t been too difficult at all.
Me: You're also a horror hostess, Miss Misery. What's the mindset like to get into character for her? Is she completely different from your regular life?
RY: I’ve always been a goth girl, I grew up on Elvira, my character isn’t too much farfetched from myself. I do try to keep them separate for certain things but I am very much in love with horror, Elvis, strange and unusual things and I love horror films. Being Miss Misery is a dream come true, I feel like she’s come a long way and in the future deserves her own movie, to be honest, it’s something I have been pondering.
Me: The studio has also produced several genre titles like Monster of Golden Gate, Doll Murder Spree and Forgotten Tales. What can you tell us about these titles?
RY: I host the old public domain films for Movie Massacre and wanted to create something different to host so we decided to film our own Monster movie in San Francisco and then once it was completely finished we mailed them out to other hosts to host. Forgotten Tales was an anthology film I wrote a year before I began filming it, I had wanted to do an anthology film for a while and saw an opportunity to do it after meeting several of the actors who are in it. I had so much fun on that set and cannot wait to do another one. For Doll Murder Spree I decided to do a low budget grindhouse film, I saw it as an opportunity to play a psycho killer and I must say it was so much fun I might do another one, not sure yet. The next film I have been editing is more of a ghost story. That’s all I can say about it for now.
Me: Do you find yourself improving with each film you create? What would you say is your style and approach to these titles?
RY: Yes! I feel I get better with anything I film, I learn a lot with every set I’m on and get super excited each time I’m on set. With every film I write, produce and Direct, I get better each time with the way I want to direct and the techniques I use and how I want things. I do read and study a lot too so it helps to read books about your favorite directors and learn from them. I learned early on my style is more of suspense than gore; I’ve always been a huge Hitchcock fan so studying him is always fascinating for me.
Me: What are you working on now in any capacity that you'd like to share with our readers?
RY: Right now I am working on a horror anthology book featuring short stories by women, editing my fifth feature film and prepping for my next. Writing another novel and continuing with my Monsters Book series.
Me: Lastly, being that this is Women in Horror Month, what special message do you have for any women out there looking to join in the industry in any capacity as you are one yourself? Thank you again for your time!
RY: I say go for it, whether you’d like to be in front of or in back of the camera, don’t let anyone hold you back from what you would like to accomplish in the industry. Also, learn everything, when I first started taking it seriously, I read everything and learned as much as I could, from using a camera to editing. Learn everything you can and never let anyone tell you, you can’t do something. If I would have listened to people I wouldn’t be where I am today.
Thank you so much for having me.
This interview ran as part of our month-long Women in Horror Month celebration. Click the banner below to check out the interviews and reviews we've conducted for the event:
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