A frequent guest in previous Women in Horror Month spotlights, I'm pleased to welcome Lowrie Fawley back again to talk about her upcoming work with The Magic of Horror Film Festival and film projects with Rogue Chimera Films.
Me: Hello and thank you for returning! Among the many things you’ve accomplished since last we spoke is the continued expansion of The Magic of Horror Festival. What are some of the festival’s plans for the upcoming edition?
Lowrie Fawley: We are focusing on making the overall experience of the festival even MORE fun for both the audience and the filmmakers. We have added TWO new categories for Virginia-based films and micro-budgeted films.
We also have a special contest called “Give Us Your Worst” where we will spotlight a film that the filmmaker sees as their “failure” that led to their growth and give them a chance to share what they learned from the experience.
This year we are planning to have food available at the festival so attendees can grab a bite between film blocks and continue to mix, mingle and make connections without having to leave the venue.
Me: With the pandemic having upended plans the previous years, what are you most looking forward to this year?
LF: I think in 2022 we started to get back to normal but audience numbers were still lower than we would have liked. Hopefully in 2023 people will feel safer returning to larger gatherings and will welcome the chance to mingle in person again.
Me: What type of plans or traditions from previous versions of the festival are looking forward to continuing again?
LF: The “Audience Choice” award is always a crowd favorite, so that will be continuing. We will be giving out the popular skeleton trophy again this year. In 2022 we added a professional photographer on site for red carpet pictures and that was well-received, so we will be doing that again this year as well.
Me: Being a part of the festival as deeply as you are, what makes your job the most rewarding after these iterations?
LF: I love to hear the feedback from the filmmakers, to watch them share their trophy pictures online, and to follow their films to see where they go next so we can support them by sharing their achievements on social media. Once a film has been screened at our fest, it is a part of our family. We keep an eye out for when these films are distributed and continue to help promote them just as we would our own films throughout the years. We’re still promoting our alumni films from as far back as 2016.
Me: Beyond these factors, what else can you provide for us about the festival interested parties might want to know about?
LF: We are small but mighty, and we want to bring horror filmmakers and fans together as a community. Richmond is a great place to visit, too, if you are coming from out of state. We even have GWAR Bar here for some late-night-themed munchies!
We have plans in the future to add another festival to our line-up so that we can accept even more films! So we recently started a Patreon page for people who would like to help support the festival. Of course, we offer some cool perks for our patrons, such as being part of a jury panel to decide the winner of a special contest and sponsoring one of the trophies we hand out at the festival. Our Patreon page is at https://www.patreon.com/RogueChimeraFilms.
Me: In addition to the festival, you’re also involved heavily with the upcoming film “Trail of Doom” through your studio Rogue Chimera Films. What can you tell us about the film?
LF: Trail of Doom is a feature film that we shot last May. It’s a bit different than our usual style and very Meta.
Me: Where did the inspiration for the film come from? Were there any unique stories about its conception?
LF: I love this question! It’s a funny story, really. We had planned to shoot a short film in partnership with another company – we had the crew in place and ready to go – and their part of the financing fell through while we were holding auditions and they had to back out.
There was no way that Rogue Chimera could finance that project ourselves, but our crew had scheduled time out of their other jobs and we didn’t want to leave them hanging. So we thought “what can we do in a week?” Well, Shiva (my partner in Rogue Chimera Films and MOH as well as our resident writer and director) said “Hey, I think we can shoot a feature.” Crazy idea in that short time frame, right?
We went “found footage” style and the script was often more of a suggestion than a bible. We got one of our favorite actors (Mel Heflin), who was in Japan at the time, to do some voice-over work for it. Most of the crew members also played characters in the film, so we all shared the different duties (kind of 48hr film style!). To fill out the rest of the cast, we brought in some fresh faces that had auditioned for the original project, and we also got James Mitchell (from IMPACT! Wresting) to join the cast.
What we ended up with was a horror comedy about the making of an indie horror film where everything goes to hell without a handbasket! The film is full of references to things that most filmmakers will completely understand as well as things that a general horror audience will laugh at as well. I don’t want to give away the easter eggs, but there are more of them than I can count!
Me: As you play Samantha Decker in the film, what can you tell us about your character? Was acting in a found-footage film a different type of challenge for you?
LF: Sam is the harried producer who copes with the constant problems by downing coffee at an alarming rate…essentially, she is ME in so many ways!
I think the challenges were mostly in making sure that when we had a transition or a cut there were clear reasons for it and it made sense. Doing the bloody scenes was fun because with found-footage style the camera “sees” everything. That made doing the special effects, especially in one scene, a challenge.
But the fun of it was being able to improvise on set, playing fast and loose with the dialogue when the ideas came to us but remaining cognizant of the fact that the voice of Mara, the character behind the camera, was being recorded later so we had to make sure that we always got the cue lines correct and never spoke “on top” of Mara.
Me: What was the set like while shooting the film? How did the cast and crew react to the type of film being made?
LF: We had a blast! It was just fun, but things did go wrong sometimes.
On the first day, Walter and I were put in charge of audio and we forget to stop the recorder between takes. Our audio editor, Garith, had to listen to eight hours of scenes mixed with lots of random on-set chatter.
There was also a super-windy day that inspired a few ad-libs while we tried to play beat the storm. But we all know each other, and it was just a chance for us to get creative together and make a film.
Me: Do you recall having any odd or funny on-set stories about yourself or any of the other cast/crew members?
LF: I think the day that nobody who was on set is ever going to forget was when we had a bunch of black racer snakes show up. At first, they were just slithering around, and since they aren’t dangerous no one was concerned. But then they decided to start mating right in front of us! I think we’re the only production in the country that literally had to take a break because there was a snake orgy happening on the set.
Me: What type of updates about its potential release can you give?
LF: It’s being screened in festivals now and we keep everyone posted on where they can see it on both our website (www.RogueChimeraFilms.com) and on our social media.
Me: What else are you working on that you'd like to share with our readers?
LF: Right now, I am focused on getting the 2023 festival squared away and looking for new things to make it better. Trail of Doom started its festival run as well, and I’m looking forward to seeing how different audiences react to it.
We’re also going to be working on an anthology film this year that should be a lot of fun.
Me: Lastly, being that this is our Women in Horror Movement, 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!
LF: Just DO IT!
The horror community can be daunting as there are still those “old boys club” pockets that can be a bit misogynistic. But the community of horror people who are welcoming and open-minded is much stronger than ever and much more vibrant. Go out there and write, act, produce, direct, and film for the final girls who turn the tables in the end, or for the female psycho killers (we need more of these in my opinion!). Whatever you want to do, just jump right in…. and don’t mind the blood!
This interview ran as part of our 2023 Women in Horror Month celebrations. Click the banner below to check out the rest of our month-long celebrations including various reviews and interviews:
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