November’s Son, My Heart is Broken …
An Interview with Jason Paul Collum

Interview by Rhonda Baughman

Meeting Collum, through actress Brinke Stevens in Chicago many moons ago, would prove I not only have great friends who introduce me to their great friends – but that occasionally the universe works for me rather than against me. Collum would include me in his retrospective on the Slumber Party Massacre series, when I was just a young writer, and I will always be thankful to him for the credit. And he was just so cute! I thought … oh …. perhaps there will be adorable young writers we could create … together … and then I found out the truth …

Rhonda: Now that the 'Son' films are complete - do you plan to take a rest?  I suspect not, so what's in the oven?

Collum: Well, not OCTOBER MOON 3, I can tell you that much. I have three scripts (a straight slasher, a gay slasher, a straight vampire and a straight documentary) which I'll start whoring out to producers towards the end of April once NOVEMBER SON is completely out of my hair. Also have a few book projects which are sort in the middle of completion. My A.D.D. is kicking in pretty bad. If I don't finish a writing project within a month I lose interest quickly. So that's my summer 2009 goal... finish two of the three books. I begin an "acting" gig for the next two weeks (April 2009) for the new horror flick DOZERS by Don Adams. I'll be playing one of the "Dozers," living people who exhibit a zombie like state after getting hooked on a new kind of narcotic. It has a lot a B movie celebs in it, so check it out!!!
 
Rhonda: What artists/creators do you currently find inspirational?

Collum: Honestly... none. I really don't pay much attention anymore. I used to obsess over entertainment news shows and mags like US WEEKLY and PEOPLE, but that's all died off a lot for me over the past few years. I think making NOVEMBER SON really broke my spirit and interest in a lot of that stuff. Now I'm just concentrating on getting my stuff made and making a legit living at it. I'll take that back one step. I'm still inspired by Fangoria magazine and I'm still inspired by J.R. Bookwalter, even though he kind of hates the business right now. He's still my mentor whether he likes it or not.
 
Rhonda: Who would you love to work with?

Collum: Oye! That's a long list. Nobody really new to the scene...with the exception of Tiffany Shepis and Joe Zaso, both of whom actually have been around for some time. Others have been around for quite a while. Pamela Susan Shoop (HALLOWEEN II), Debra DeLiso (THE SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE), director Ron Oliver (PROM NIGHT III), director Sam Irvin (GUILTY AS CHARGED), Julie Brown (EARTH GIRLS ARE EASY), Cassandra Petersen (Elvira)...plus all of my regular cast like Brinke Stevens and Judith O'Dea, et al. - Oh...and I'd love to sleep with Zac Efron. I don't want to date him... just see him naked and...does that make me a dirty old man?
 
Rhonda: (laughing) Hardly. He is hot. Feel like bitching about anything? From the weather to a pet peeve - this is the spot ...

Collum: I went through this extremely severe depression over the last several years, but as I've come out of it, I'm finding I'm becoming REALLY mellow on everything, both good and bad. My two grievances right now are the economy (means nobody wants to invest in movies) because the media is freaking people out so much THAT's the reason no one is spending money; and second is all the grief Obama is getting. Hello! Can you people give the man a chance. It took YEARS to fuck everything up in the country. How is he supposed to fix it in 4 months?! We let the last chump dick around for two terms and waited until the end to say "Hmmm... Something's not right..." Now we want it all fixed TODAY. I'm giving the new fella two years - yes TWO FREAKIN' YEARS to prove himself. I think that's more realistic. Chill the fuck out and lend him some support. 

(That felt really good to get off my chest...Thanks, Rhonda...)
 
Rhonda: You are most welcome. I like this side of you, too. Read: I am tingly. What do you say to female fans now that their dreams of banging you like a bunny have been hopelessly shattered?

Collum: Something tells me that line of hopefuls wasn't a long one. I've been told I look like one of those guys on AMERICAN IDOL (Danny Gocke or Josh or something... I don't watch the show) or the older brother on the WONDER YEARS, so hey, they can go after one of them... PLUS, there's always my favorite and most common comparison - Andy Dick. Oh yeah...you lucky ladies have a good shot at that one...
 
Rhonda: Whew, uh gotta say you are much more attractive than Dick. What do you do when you're not conquering filmland?

Collum: Not a whole lot anymore. I've been shacked up with a pretty bitchin' fella for 5 years now, and in turn have become really lame. Many nights at the wine bar, or the martini bar, or the... bar bar...or just sitting at home looking at online porn...pretty exciting stuff.
   
Rhonda: If you had one chance to filibuster at an open session of Congress, what would you like to talk about?

Collum: In addition to question #4? Well, I guess I'd like to bitch slap anyone responsible for allowing the public school system to get so insanely out of control. Whomever turned control over to the students vs. the teachers who have no say thanks to judges and parents who don't put blame where it should be and slap additional shit out of teens who don't know how to sit down in their desks and shut the fuck up, showing their teachers just a moment of respect...yeah... a few more laws bringing that system back to where it was before the nerd teens of the 70s and 80s took control of the school boards and are now unknowingly enacting their stupid revenge... Hey, I went to catholic school where your ass got beat if you talked back to a teacher or a nun...then got beat again when your parents found out... Now THAT is how to raise children...

Okay, back to movies...
 
Rhonda: Still tingly over here … If you could mentor/take someone under your wing - who would it be and what would you tell them?

Collum: I can't really name anyone here. So many "kids" contact me to read their scripts and want me to produce them. I always have to turn them down, which makes me feel really shitty, but I struggle to get producers/investors to look at my own scripts, so there's not a whole lot I can do for another screenwriter.

For some positive advice, just keep at it. Go to film conventions, contact your fave producers on Facebook and ask questions. Find out what agents they might recommend. I don't think handing them a script in person ever really works. Find another route. Don't send your script to Wes Craven. Send it to his son, Jonathan. Join IMDBPro - it's expensive ($100 per year), but can give you some genuinely good leads. Don't go for the president of the company...find someone lower on the scale, like an assistant, and single them out... make them feel important. Their boss probably doesn't. If they like it, you'll have a better chance at the president eventually reading it.

Finally, be realistic about life and career. Yes, there's a chance that you'll luck into meeting the right people and making a living at filmmaking. HOWEVER, there's a better chance it's going to take some time to achieve that goal. Be willing to make financial sacrifices. Be willing to work for free to make those contacts. Try not to live off your parents too long beyond your 30th birthday. Still, ALWAYS believe that you CAN do it...someday that dream will come true. Keeping a goal for the future, something to live for, is always your best option.