S2E11: “An Unexpected Journey”

11/29/22 • 40 min

Hobbits aren’t the only creatures making unexpected journeys.

Doing this podcast has been the ultimate unexpected journey. It all started when when the Dads From The Crypt interviewed me for an episode of their podcast. The moment Jason Stein – one of the dads – told me the group’s franchise – reviewing Crypt episodes and giving parenting advice – they had me. And I thoroughly enjoyed the interview. When Jason asked if I’d be interested in sitting for another interview – about “Bordello of Blood” – I told him: “Jason, the story of Bordello’s tortured making is bigger than just one interview. Why, it’s a whole podcast unto itself!” And that’s how it started – this ultimate unexpected journey. Nine months later, the world has changed – entirely for the positive!

That’s the most delicious irony! Making Bordello Of Blood changed my life entirely in negative ways. That making a podcast about Bordello would have the opposite effect? Man, who is writing this insanity?

Long Live The Fediverse!

Speaking of bonkers – how bonkers is it that Elon Musk is murdering Twitter? The good news is that he turned us all onto the fediverse. It’s really the fediverse and Mastodon that I’m thinking about as I republish Season One, Episode One of this podcast – the one that started it all.

There are eerie parallels between Elon Musk wrecking Twitter and Joel Silver carelessly wrecking the second Tales From The Crypt feature film. It’s very uncomfortable when circumstances beyond your control take over your life and happiness. Ultimately, Gil and I were powerless to save ourselves or our movie just as most Twitter users are powerless to save Twitter.

But, whereas Twitter will not have a happy ending, Gil and I are having one. We owe it all to this podcast.

Thank You Clark Collis & EW!

A couple of things we want to mention here. First – a huge thank you to to our audience. We’re nothing without ya! We also want to thank entertainment journalist Clark Collis and Entertainment Weekly. Clark interviewed Gil and I and then published a review of our podcast. He said some very kind things about it including that we’re “The Best Film Podcast of 2022”.

Thank you, Clark Collis, for the very kind words.

The Live Table Read For Charity

One last thing. On Saturday, December 17, 2022 at noon pacific time, we’re holding A LIVE TABLE READ FOR CHARITY. We’ll be reading the script for “Dead Easy”. Lost for all these years, this is the script we took with us to New Orleans. it’s also the script we took home with us after Joel told the production to come home from New Orleans because Universal Pictures (our studio) was pulling the plug.

The charity in question is the Motion Picture Home – a fabulous facility that takes care of film people in need. Your donation receipt will be your ticket to the reading. Please check back here or at our Patreon page for details.

So much has changed since we started doing this podcast! For one thing, Gil and I are working together again – on a project we’re very excited about. We’re having a blast writing it and can’t wait to put it out there into the world. A monster in search of love.

Some things never change. And some unexpected journeys are worth whatever it takes to travel them.

Hobbits aren’t the only creatures making unexpected journeys.

Long Live The Fediverse!

But, whereas Twitter will not have a happy ending, Gil and I are having one. We owe it all to this podcast.

Thank You Clark Collis & EW!

Thank you, Clark Collis, for the very kind words.

The Live Table Read For Charity

Some things never change. And some unexpected journeys are worth whatever it takes to travel them.

Previous Episode

S2E10: “Hanging Out W Alan & Gil”

Alan & Gil hanging out with the Crypt Keeper

In this episode, Gil and I invite you to hang out with us and shoot the shit. But – before we forget (and while we have your attention) – please join us Saturday December 17 at NOON Pacific time for a “TABLE READ FOR CHARITY”. The MOTION PICTURE HOME (run by the Motion Picture Television Fund) is a great, worthwhile charity. They take care of film folk in need. We’ll be table reading “Dead Easy” – the script for the second “Tales From The Crypt” movie that never happened. “Bordello Of Blood” happened instead.

Crypt’s Early Days

One of the joys of doing Crypt was getting to work with some really big stars. They really do breathe rarified air. What’s it like working at that level for the very first time? That’s one of the stories Alan will tell about working with Michael J. Fox who directed “The Trap” the first Crypt episode Gil and Alan produced. At the end of the day, it’s about the show – nothing else. Everyone’s as good as their work. Stars become co-workers and partners in crime.

“Rust” & Film Set Safety

No one should ever die on a movie or TV set. No one should ever get hurt. But, definitely no one should ever die. The “Rust” tragedy won’t ever end for the people involved. It should never have happened. Gil especially is obsessive about set safety. On “Freddy’s Nightmares”, we did numerous fire gags. On Crypt, we did lots of gun gags. It’s inconceivable that live ammo gets to any film set. How the hell did it get to the “Rust” set?

How Many Takes Is Too Many?

We’ll close it all out with a story about German director Uli Edell. When he directed the “Came The Dawn” episode, he established a record that has gone unbroken: he went 37 takes into a scene before Gil raced out to the set to stop him personally. We expected directors to get three or four takes of scenes. Five at the very most. Thirty-seven posed a huge problem!

So – pull up a chair (if you’re not already sitting) and “sit a spell”. Gil and I are shootin’ the shit. And there’s lots!

Next Episode

S2E12: “Buried Bodies”

Wanna know how to break into the move and TV biz? Know where all the bodies are buried. In order to do that, you have to be in on the burying process. If you’re not leading the body-burying op, you must be assisting. In Hollywood, those people – the ones willing to bury the bodies with ya – those are the people you want on your team. In this episode of The How NOT To Make A Movie Podcast, we chat with our friend Ed Tapia (producer of “All American Homecoming” – second highest rated show on the CW). Back in the day, Ed was our assistant on “Tales From The Crypt” and “Demon Knight” and “Bordello Of Blood” and a bunch of other projects. Did Ed know where all the bodies were buried? Yeah – because Ed helped us bury them.

Geeking Out

Ed’s story could be a TV series unto itself. He’s a latter day Alger Hiss (boy, did I just age myself). He’s one of those guys who makes the sum greater than its parts. And, if you want to know how to break into show business (or into anything about which you’re passionate), take Ed’s story to heart. He went from being a great assistant to being a great producer in his own right.

Ed describes himself as a film geek. “American Graffiti” was the film that got under his skin. It compelled him. He’d spend whole days at the movies, buying one ticket and watching three or four. He loved movies. Now, he wanted to make them, too. Ed tells how he found his way to Tales From The Crypt and how joining our team changed his life.

Ed joining Gil and I changed our lives, too. It made our team better. Well, it did until we collectively slammed into “Bordello Of Blood” (or until Bordello slammed into us). However many buried bodies there were up till then? It was nothing compared to the pile making Bordello produced.

We cover a lot of ground in this one and drop some very cool names – everyone from Johnny Carson to Stan Lee to Quentin Tarantino to Timothy Hutton (he’s one of Ed’s idols – and Ed got to work with Tim on “American Crime” and loved the experience). There’s more than just bodies buried here – there’s gold!