A long-running creator in the indie scene, Mike Sankovich has accomplished a slew of impressive aspects in his career using what he can to accomplish his desire for filmmaking. Now, in honor of the crowdfunding launch for his upcoming film "Campout Nightmare: Resurrecting the Slaughter," I talk with him about the history of the franchise and what he expects from the project.
Me: Hello and thank you for taking the time to do this. First off, were you always into genre films growing up? What films specifically got you into watching horror movies?
Mike Sankovich: I’ve been into horror for as long as I can remember. When I was 5, I watched the original Nightmare on Elm Street with my cousins, and it scared me, but that started my love for the genre. After that, I went to Friday the 13th 2-4, but when I first saw the original Halloween when I was 6, that sealed the deal. Since then, Halloween has been my favorite franchise and the one that scared me the most, especially when I was younger.
Me: When did you first discover a passion for filmmaking? Were you always interested in the creative arts growing up?
MS: For obvious reasons, sports were never going to be my thing, haha, so I always leaned more to the creative side of things. Playing with friends, when I was younger, mostly consisted of re-enacting scenes from Friday the 13th and Halloween films. I would direct my friends because, in most cases, they weren’t allowed to see the unedited movies, and I was at the video store every weekend renting them over and over, so they were ingrained in my brain.
Then, I got a Fisher-Price camcorder for Christmas in 1987. It recorded 10 mins of very grainy black and white video with audio on each side on a blank audio cassette. That was the first step that got me to where I am now.
In the Summer of 1988, I made the original Campout Nightmare. It was me with a few friends in my backyard. There really wasn’t much camping in it, so I’m not sure why I want with that title. The premise was that a few friends go to a club and do battle with vampires. I was a big fan of The Lost Boys and Near Dark, so I’m sure that’s where the vampire angle came from. Two weeks later, we did the sequel, which was my character and his friend going camping for the weekend. There still wasn’t much there in terms of story, although we did use napkins and crayons to attempt to storyboard.
In 1989, with Part 3, we upgraded to an actual camcorder, and Jim Hyde Jr., who played Thorn in the series originally, wrote the script. This was the beginning of the series going in a slasher direction. We shot it in one night in about 3 hours. My mother directed it, and I was really proud of it because, for the first time, it felt real. It was then that I knew I wanted to make movies. I was hooked.
Me: While being diagnosed with cerebral palsy, how does living with this condition affect your ability to be a creator?
MS: There are different degrees of CP and, luckily, I have a fairly mild case that only affects my balance and fine motor skills. I do remember when I told my mother I wanted to act, she said that there wasn’t much work for disabled actors and that it would be better if I focused on writing or directing. Having the conversation was kind of discouraging. By that time, I had written Campout Nightmare 3 & 4 with Jim, and even though I am disabled, I’ve never written my characters that way. I’ve always intended to be the strong, protector-like character in the vein of Dr. Loomis, even though it doesn’t always come across on screen; that's how it’s intended, so in a way, I’m trying to illustrate that, even with a disability, I can play a strong character.
Me: As a main force in the underground series "Campout Nightmare" that dates back to the 80s, what does this mean to you personally?
MS: This series started my filmmaking journey. There’s been ups and downs with it, but without it, I wouldn’t be here, and without John Rhoades and many others, I wouldn’t have the opportunity to take this next step in the journey that will hopefully lead to more. I’ve always kind of written off the earlier ones as kid stuff, but reflecting on them now, I can’t do that because at least I did something. I worked with whatever was available, and for better or worse, this is what came out of it. Were they all good? Not necessarily, but the effort and the heart are there. Even if people can’t see it. This installment has been in development since 2014. Dealing with family issues is the main reason it’s taken so long to get here, but I also feel that it gave the story time to evolve into something deeply personal. I’m not sure if John realized it as he was writing the script, but my character in the film is struggling much like I have over the last few years personally, so it means a lot for me to finally be able to get this out there and finally tell the story the way it’s always played out in my head, the way I always intended it to be!
Me: With you now crowdfunding a sequel called "Campout Nightmare: Resurrecting the Slaughter," what was the early life of the project like? What made now the right time to get a campaign for the project together?
MS: In 2011, I was going to do a remake, which didn’t come to fruition. In 2014, I decided to do a straight-up sequel to the sixth one, and over the course of the next ten years, that script went through at least five drafts between myself, John Rhoades, and Avery McReynolds. It wasn’t until my mother’s death, in March 2024, that I started pushing to move forward with the project. I had been my mother’s primary caregiver since December 2013, and that was a 24/7 job for the next ten years. During that time, I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to get into filmmaking again, but now that I have the time, I don’t want to let the opportunity pass me by. I honestly did not want to crowdfund. I definitely don’t feel like I have the social media following to generate much from it, which is the main reason I went with GoFundMe instead of Kickstarter or Seed & Spark, etc. I am trying to put myself out there more, so hopefully that helps.
Me: Where did the inspiration for the film come from? Were there any unique stories about its conception?
MS: In 2024, when I started really pushing for the film, we talked about doing the sequel differently. Most people haven’t seen the rest of the series, and legacy sequels are kind of the thing now, so John solved the puzzle of how to make a legacy sequel to an underground film series that very few people have seen and make it into something that will resonate with a wider audience. Honestly, I wasn’t sure how he’d do it, but John wrote a script that is a standalone story but also uses key elements from the other films in the series, so if you’ve seen them, you’ll get it, but if you haven’t, it doesn’t detract from the overall story.
Me: With a cast of experienced and talented indie actors, how'd you settle on the cast getting involved in the film? What characteristics did you look for with each performer that they brought to the table that helped bring the production to light?
MS: We were very impressed with all of the auditions we received for the film, and casting was extremely difficult, and we had to make very tough choices. That was different for me because with all my other films, I just used whichever of my friends wanted to play a part, regardless of whether they were right for it or not, so this was refreshing. Ultimately, though, we were able to find people who really embodied the spirit of the characters, and we feel will bring that through in their performances.
Me: With a large glut of slasher throwback films made in recent years, what do you plan to achieve to help it stand out from those other films?
MS: I’m sure I’m not the only one to say this, but this film feels different. I don’t think you’ve seen a killer like this before. There is great character development, so you care about who you’re seeing onscreen and what is happening to them. There’s a realism to this that I haven’t seen in most throwback films, and I’m hoping that audiences will feel the same. I will say to anyone who has seen the previous films in the series that this is completely different and I feel will actually surprise people.
Me: How do you keep your creative spirit flowing?
MS: Right now, it’s the potential that I see in this film and my hope for the future that is really keeping the creative juices flowing. John is already writing what we hope to go on to after this. There are definitely other films that I’d like to make as well, but I also see this series continuing in one way or another.
Me: Lastly, with the project just launched on GoFundMe, what can you tell us about that, as well as anything else coming up you'd wish to tell our readers about?
MS: I’m hoping that people take notice of it and help support independent film at its most raw and real. Also, if anyone would like to be a financial partner, they can reach me via email or Facebook. I’m still in the podcast space as well, so check out thehorrornetwork.net or rabbitinredpodcastnetwork.com for that. Thank you for this opportunity, Don. I greatly appreciate it and your time!
GoFundMe Link:
The Rest Of The Campout Nightmare Series Is Available On Blu-ray Here:
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