Larry Rosen [Interview]

Hello Folks! Day 16 is upon us, and we are so happy to be able to share some words from a man who lives and breaths filmmaking! In all aspects of the job, The great Larry Rosen as seen and done it all. He has a massive body of work not only in the world of horror, but a great deal within the community. He has released some of the finest indie horror films you can find over the last decade, whether it be as a producer, writer, director, all of the above really. He has even directed some of our favorite folks in the world of horror like Genoveva Rossi! He is a man with a wide range of talent and we are so excited to have him join our beloved Horror themed family for this month, our Month of Horror.

So Folks, please enjoy some wonderful words from the brilliant Larry Rosen!

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What inspired you to get into the world of entertainment and filmmaking? Was it an early aspiration you can always remember having since your youth, or did you just find yourself in this world one day?

 

When I was a kid, I would watch at least 10 films per week. So I always had an interest in filmmaking. In college, I started writing, having had a few pieces published. Then into my twenties, I combined my writing and interest in filmmaking, to start making films.

What was your first paid gig in the world of entertainment? And were there any kind of lessons learned from this project that still affect your work today?

 

My first paid gig was in a horror short film. I was hired as an actor, then ended up pitching in on crew. I’ve always felt that learning was a lifelong process. This helped enhance my philosophy as I watched and learned from the crew I was helping. It also helped with my belief that people can wear multiple hats on a film set and sometimes need to.

In your own personal opinion, what do you believe it is that makes the horror genre special? What sets it apart from other genres you have worked in?

 

Horror is one of the most fun genres to work in. You are trying to create a scare or something that will affect your audience. It has less limitations than most genres, because you can have extreme gore, or use loud screams, or no sound, and still work towards that goal. You also have the most freedom to play with emotions and snap between them. In a drama or comedy, if you went from happy to scared at the flick of a light switch, you’d lose the audience. In horror, it will keep them at the edge of their seat.

My favorite part of filmmaking is casting and pre-production. I love meeting actors and finding the right fits for the roles. Then planning for the film shoot, getting everything ready, preparing to create this world that comes from your mind, is invigorating. In terms of jobs on a set, I also like doing the special FX makeup, especially playing with blood. If I had to stick to only one job for a film, it might be writing, because ideas always pop in my head and I love to create a world from them.

While it isn’t very scary, it would be Scream. Because it incorporates humor within tense situations. They utilize the jump scare, red herrings, and telling you who the killer is to throw you off.

Do you have any plans for this coming Halloween? And fun traditions that you try to stick to every year?

This coming Halloween, probably going to go to horror movies at the park (outdoor horror screening). I don’t have any traditions that I follow.

I direct and act in a lot of horror films. However, I just starred in a romantic comedy feature which is making its way around the festival circuit. I also am in discussions to go into pre-production on a horror/killer in the woods feature.

What was the last thing that scared the hell out of you?

 

I was doing a film where I get slashed with a machete. In the stunt, the actress hits me in the chest at full speed with a real machete. As the machete hit me, I thought the safety board cracked and had a moment of “what was I thinking?” Luckily it did not crack and the stunt went off without a hitch.

I just found out today that one of my features I directed will be screening theatrically.