Rich Robinson is a Young Upstart Making his Mark on the Horror Genre.

Rich Robinson, co-writer and co-director of Warner Home Video's March 2007 release Marcus (with Bob Hardison) has come a long way since his first creation of a feature-film using a Sony digital Camcorder at the tender age of 19. “That was a humiliating experience”, said Robinson, “I realized that I needed to learn the craft”. Into the North Carolina School of the Arts he went.

The stint in film school led to Rich Robinson meeting and talking with George A. Romero. “I got to pitch a script to him in the Summer of 2000. He thought it was great and asked how he could help. I told him that if he would lend his name to the project it would help a lot.” That project is Sharing Joy and Sorrow which is structured on The Brothers Grimm fairy tales. That project is on the horizon.

The most immediate follow-up to the recent release of Marcus, however, is a horror movie titled Sweetwater Creek where the female members of a dysfunctional family kill the father figure, and then go through auditions of potential replacement suitors with violent results. “I am a big fan of old school horror”, said Robinson. "Marcus has influences from Hitchcock’s Frenzy and Polansky’s Repulsion, but Sweetwater Creek is influenced more by The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” Rich Robinson seems to have a “thing” for horrifically dysfunctional families.

The inside scoop on Sweetwater Creek, by the way, is that my favorite horror actress Melissa Bacelar is doing a video audition for Robinson. “Melissa is a cool chick and she is considering working with us on this project. It would be a great stretch for her and really call upon her acting abilities” Robinson revealed.

All of these projects are hot on the heels of the 2007 DVD release of Marcus by Warner Home Video.  Marcus was created for a mere $60,000 and sales and rentals are heating up rapidly.

Best-Horror-Movies.com was presented with the opportunity to talk with Rich Robinson via telephone from his home in North Carolina.  Since Marcus, Rich Robinson’s first feature film, is having such success I asked him to share with me the steps involved in making a horror movie. I wanted all the steps, from conception to major distribution, and asked Robinson to use Marcus as an example. The result of that discussion is the following “how-to” guide to aspiring movie-makers everywhere.

How to Make a Horror Movie, by Rich Robinson

The idea is, of course, the beginning point in any creative process. “We wanted to tell a story where the characters were so mean to each other…tension so thick that there is no room to breath” said Robinson.

• Know the Budget.

Rich Robinson and his partner started out trying to get funding from studios for their story idea. That didn’t pan out. “We got tired of running around to the studios trying to option our work”, said Robinson, “and decided to come up with the money ourselves. We primarily relied on family and friends to help with the budget.”

• Know Your Location.

“My family and I moved back to North Carolina.”, said Robinson, “I knew that I wanted to film here.”

• Construct a Script.

“We started by deciding how we wanted to generate audience interest and what the pay-off for the audience would be”, explained Robinson, “and we constructed the script based on that (plus the other planning elements).”

• Rehearse if Possible.

“The rehearsal allowed us time to explore the material”, Robinson explained, “and made it possible for us to finish the film with a 12 day shoot. Marcus became much darker through rehearsal than originally planned.”

• Use Focus Groups.

“We used focus groups to get reactions to different editing cuts” said Rich Robinson. “It helped a lot”.

• Have a Great Score.

“George Shaw did a fantastic job with the score on Marcus” said Robinson. “The music set the appropriate mood and really made the whole thing come together.”

At this point there is a finished product in hand. What’s next? How do you get the film to those that will distribute it to the local Blockbuster? “We went on the festival circuit”, said Robinson. “Festivals get 3300 submissions a year so you really don’t do the festivals to get distribution but for P.R. We were lucky enough to get write-ups in some major magazines and media.”

The exposure, along with the fact that Marcus is a great flick, resulted in some attention by Warner Home Video and a major DVD release. Sounds easy, huh?

With the rising success of Marcus and two more projects in the works one would think that Rich Robinson has his plate full. Hardly. “I have a solo project that will be presented at the San Diego Comic-Con (Comic book convention). It’s called Juniper Falls and it’s about some kids that suspect that their new neighbor may be a super-hero. It turns out that he is a super villain and the kids decide to fight him.” Sounds cool.

Rich Robinson is an excitable guy with a lot of talent. He also seems to have excellent taste in friends judging by the extreme creativity apparent in those he partners with. BHM will follow the progress of Rich and his upcoming projects with great interest, and we will keep everyone in the loop as we go.

In the mean time I’ve got a good idea for a horror movie and now that I have a roadmap the sky’s the limit. Thanks Rich.  Questions or comments about Rich Robinson? Contact us!

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