Interview:
Don Coscarelli,
author,
"True Indie:
Life and Death in Filmmaking"
![]() In his memoir "True Indie: Life and Death in Filmmaking," Don Coscarelli recounts his career as a writer/director/producer who has strived for more than four decades to remain faithful to his artistic vision while fighting for every dollar he puts into the low-budget films that has made his a genre icon. The book chronicles the making of the two dramas that launched his career while he was still barely out of his teens (1975's Jim the World's Greatest and 1976's Kenny & Company), the invaluable lessons of working in independent cinema that he would carry with him through the decades, and the establishment of a repertory of actors (Angus Scrimm, Reggie Banister, and Michael Baldwin) that are closely associated with his films. Coscarelli delves deep into his subsequent turn to genre filmmaking that was informed by his lifelong love of horror. He is open about his experiences launching and continuing the Phantasm franchise, the unforeseen events that led to his removal from The Beastmaster, and the arduous efforts to self-distribute Bubba Ho-Tep. He also does not shy away from discussing the projects that were never meant to be (his version of the Stephen King adaptation Silver Bullet, Phantasm 1999, Bubba Nosferatu). Coscarelli also devotes chapters in his memoir to 1989’s Survival Quest, his 2005 Masters of Horror entry Incident On and Off a Mountain Road, and 2013’s John Dies at the End, the most recent film he directed. He even offers his tips to aspiring filmmakers. "True Indie: Life and Death in Filmmaking" is now available in bookstores and online. Don Coscarelli will host a screening of Phantasm at 7 p.m. Oct. 3 at the Alamo Ritz and will sign copes of his book following the post-screening Q&A. Aired: Oct. 4, 2018 Web sites: https://www.facebook.com/DonCoscarelli/ http://phantasm.com https://drafthouse.com/austin/show/phantasm-with-don-coscarelli-live |
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