Filmmaker Taylor Ri’chard was born and raised in Louisiana, but when it came time to follow his passion for creating horror movies, he followed it straight to Atlanta.
“I anticipated what was going to happen in Louisiana with the tax credits, so I decided to film in the Atlanta area,” he tells Backstage. “The Final Project,” Ri’chard’s found-footage thriller, was shot and cast locally and has helped launch a promising career in psychological horror. “I wanted to invest back into Atlanta because I live here now and wanted to build the relationships that will benefit me going forward.”
He’s not the only one. Along with big-budget horror projects like AMC’s “The Walking Dead” and the CW’s “The Vampire Diaries,” indie filmmakers are flocking to the Peach State and its excellent tax incentives and camera-ready locations. “Ever since my mother took me to see the original ‘King Kong’ when I was probably 5 years old, I’ve been obsessed with horror and exploitation films,” says director James Bickert. “Eventually, I decided to make a film on my own terms and retain all the rights.” That project, “Frankenstein Created Bikers,” became a cult favorite among Georgian cinephiles after Bickert self-produced his vision—distributor be damned.
“There are no rules, which is very appealing,” he adds. “I’m always doing something crazy, like blowing up a car or covering an attractive woman wearing a Richard Nixon mask in blood and giving her a machine gun.”
Georgia also plays host to several thriving horror film festivals and fan-favorite conventions; in the lead-up to Halloween, events like HorrorQuest, the Atlanta Horror Film Festival, and the Buried Alive Film Fest invite horror enthusiasts and artists to celebrate the genre (the latter gives out awards known as Splitzies—a mounted face being torn in two by a chainsaw).
READ: “Go Underground With These 4 Atlanta Film Fests”
Unlike the larger and more established filmmaking industries in Los Angeles, New York City, and elsewhere, Georgia’s burgeoning, it’s-a-small-world entertainment community makes it attractive not only to genre filmmakers, but to actors at every career level. Bickert discovered local talent and gave them leading roles in “Frankenstein Created Bikers” based entirely on word of mouth from collaborators. And as Ri’chard says of casting “The Final Project,” “I wasn’t looking for seasoned actors with accolades and know-how. I wanted people that were still finding their way.”
Blake Myers, festival director of Buried Alive, says horror is a great way for such actors to build on-camera credits and break into the industry. “We’ve gotten so many filmmakers and actors together that didn’t know each other before, and they go on to make other projects. That’s what it’s all about: everyone gaining new connections with each other.
“Be in your friends’ films and meet people,” advises Myers. “Every strange thing an independent filmmaker asks you to do, see it as a challenge. It may not be the greatest idea or the best movie, but when the actor pulls off something that’s ridiculous, he gets more respect from people. You never know who you’re going to be doing something stupid for that may be doing something really great in five years. You hustle through the hard-to-do jobs until you find the good stuff. You can’t just sit around and wait for that great role to show up.”
Georgian artists, take note: You’re sitting on a gold mine of opportunity. As for horror filmmakers looking for your big break—you may want to consider a move!
Ready to begin? Check out our Atlanta audition listings!