Interview with Indie Filmmaker Josh Vargas
The Dhampir was lucky enough to snag an interview with yet another up-and-coming Texan filmmaker. This member of the so-called “Texas Blood” pack is none other than filmmaker Josh Vargas, who has recently wrapped on his upcoming horror exploitation flick Sway.
The Dhampir: Sway is your first film, what exactly is it about?
Josh Vargas: Sway is about a really bad night for a bunch of really bad people. It is a bizarre and disturbing tale of a pair of backwoods flesh peddlers, three sexually-sadistic serial killing brothers, and a family of religiously fanatical psychopaths who all get more than they bargain for when they all three target a young man suffering from schizophrenia who has more than a few skeletons in his closet.
The Dhampir: Interesting. How did the story come about?
Josh Vargas: It’s kind of funny, actually. Sway is one of the bastard children of Texas Frightmare 2006. I had went there 2 days after a short film I did called, Cradle, had just premiered at the Alamo Drafthouse here in Houston. I ended up meeting Jayson Champion there. I was talking to him about how fired up I was to get a feature rolling and how I wanted to make it really bizarre and as disturbing as humanly possible. He got pretty pumped and wanted to help, so once I got back to Houston we tossed around some ideas. One thing I knew that I DID NOT want to do is be your basic “stupid kids wind up doing stupid shit and getting their stupid asses killed,” kind of film. I wanted to do a film where EVERYONE kind of had a sick side to them. I also wanted to make a film that wasn’t so basic as far as the way we told the story. I wanted to tell it from 4 different perspectives but do it parallel as opposed to breaking it up in segments. Jay helped flesh out a lot of the characters.
The Dhampir: So traditional horror doesn’t interest you?
Josh Vargas: I love horror and all aspects of it from traditional, to the really fucked up stuff, to the experimental, to the really cheesy…all of it. I just wanted to make something that was different. It’s my first film, so I figured it to be strong in all aspects. I didn’t want to make another Hostel-esque “let’s tie them to a chair and empty the second isle at Home Depot into their face,” I wanted the story, characters, acting, and everything to be intense and far out.
The Dhampir: Just based on the trailer, it looks as though it could get the label “Torture Porn” does this concern you at all?
Josh Vargas: Not really. I could see how one would be under that assumption, but it couldn’t be further from the truth. Some of the “torture porn” stuff is fun to watch, particularly with a bunch of feeble minded people who jump out of their seats every time a character in the movie sneezes, but it’s not something I would invest my time, money, and sanity into. I actually am really anticipating watching it with an audience for the first time to see the reactions. People who are expecting “torture porn” are going to be in for quite a shock.
The Dhampir: Good. I for one do not enjoy “TP”. Where did you get the title for Sway and how does it apply to the film?
Josh Vargas: The word, “SWAY” in reference to the title means a dominating force or state of chaos. I thought it fit well and sounded nifty.
The Dhampir: You, your friends and fellow filmmakers refer to yourselves as “Degenerates.” Why?
Josh Vargas: Because we are, goddammit!! LOL! Just kidding, kind of. Basically because the one thing I could hope to accomplish out of all of my filmmaking endeavors is to be a pain in the ass of Hollywood horror. I hate how horror is being treated now days. The studios look at the fans like a bunch of drones who are going to buy whatever ridiculous shit they can stick a WB kid’s name on. I couldn’t be anymore against Hollywood filmmaking and, in their eyes, we are degenerates. We do every single thing you’re not supposed to do in a horror film. Free thinkers are dangerous.
The Dhampir: Like the director demonstrating how to give a blow job?
Josh Vargas: LOL!! Fuck yeah!! If directing films were easy, everyone would fucking do it!! Sometimes you literally have to humble yourself to humiliation to get it right. My biggest influences above all are my peers. Mel [House], Stacy [Davidson] (read interview), [Tony] Brownrigg (read interview) and Parrish [Randall] (read interview) are all really great guys and are fucking awesome at what they do. When you see what the indie guys have to go through to get their films made, it’s inspiring because you KNOW they have got to love what they do in order to put their selves through that kind of madness. I am, however, a fan of some of the new guys like Adam Green and Mike Mendez, or ANYTHING Alex Aja does. The man that made me want to start making films, however, was David Lynch. Wild At Heart fucked me up for days. Oh, and Rob Zombie is awesome, I don’t care what anyone says.
The Dhampir: Speaking of Brownrigg, Randall, House and Davidson, you fall into that group of “Texas Horror” filmmakers. I believe you’re the youngest of that group. Have you consulted any of them and how do you feel about being part of what Parrish refers to as the “Texas Blood”?
Josh Vargas: As far as how I feel about being a part of “Texas Blood,” I am DAMN PROUD of it!! I could not ever dream of being a part of a more talented or diverse group of people!! As for being the youngest, yeah, I’m kind of like the dirty little bastard of the group and they have all lent me useful advice at some point, particularly Stacy and Mel, who live here in Houston. I’ve yakked Stacy’s ear off a few times when shit was going crazy and he would tell me some crazy story from DOTD [Domain of the Damned] and everything would be cool. I had an actress drop out 2nd day of shooting because she was afraid of mosquitoes, so Mel put me in touch with his incredibly awesome/super bad-ass wife, Melanie, who filled the role magnificently. So it’s awesome to have that kind of help when need be.
The Dhampir: Cool. What’s your favorite horror film, if you had to nail down one?
Josh Vargas: Favorite horror film would have to be the original TCM [Texas Chain Saw Massacre], hands down. There hasn’t been another film with that sort of raw intensity in quite sometime.
The Dhampir: You previewed a clip at TFW [Texas Frightmare Weekend]. I saw it and it got a pretty good reaction. What did that say to you?
Josh Vargas: That was amazing!! It told me to keep my ass in gear and get this damn film done. If just ONE fan had reacted like that, it would have been enough, but with that kind of reaction it makes everything worth it, no matter how crazy the filmmaking process can get. It definitely lit a fire under my ass and I will do my best not to let anyone down.
The Dhampir: Rumor has it that filming has wrapped. True or false?
Josh Vargas: Yes. Principle photography has wrapped. I have a few pick-up shots I gotta get and I’m beefing up a certain FX shot, but that’s really about it.
The Dhampir: So how long would you estimate until you can get your distribution plan together?
Josh Vargas: I’m not sure. I haven’t thought that far ahead. I know for a fact it will be viewable by the next TFW. We’re working on it, but being that we’re aiming for NC-17, it might be difficult.
The Dhampir: Ok, so were you and your crew all first timers?
Josh Vargas: Pretty much. We had all, for the most part, worked together before on Cradle, as well as various other shorts and music vids. I love working with them as opposed to a typical “film crew” where you have ego’s flaring everywhere and there’s 50 different names for an electric socket. From my producers, who have been so damn supportive of every act of lunacy I’ve thrown at them, all the way down to my key grip, Ben, who is a one man army and even took on an acting role because things got crazy. These guys give 100% constantly, even if they’re unsure of what I’m doing. As a director, you couldn’t ask for more. Plus, they feed me booze after shooting.
The Dhampir: Who was your “go to” guy/gal on set?
Josh Vargas: That would be either (Producers) John and Justin, or Ben, depending on the problem. Like I said, these guys are beyond supportive and have totally kicked ass. I couldn’t ask for/ don’t want to work with another crew.
The Dhampir: Explain this quote “Also, my dream in life is to beat a red-headed fat kid with a flaming mail box.”
Josh Vargas: I was trashed!
The Dhampir: So what’s on the burners for upcoming projects?
Josh Vargas: I have a few things I’m looking at, but not totally decided on anything at the moment. I know after Sway, my only concern is taking a break and spending some time with my son. I don’t want to just jump on anything.
The Dhampir: Is there anything you’d like to add, comments, shout-outs, anything?
Josh Vargas: Yeah, if John Carpenter is reading this, he still owes me $16 for the remake of The Fog. I could be a dick and ask for those 2 hours of my life back, but I figure ticket price is civil. I also wanna say to the fans out there who are supporting us, thank you!! Thank you very much!! If it wasn’t for every single solitaire one of you, I’d have given up by now. That you for allowing me to do what I love to do!
The Dhampir: Thank you for your time Mr. Vargas and I hope that all you do is a success!
Sway on Myspace
Josh Vargas on Myspace
Check a 2 minute, behind-the-scenes documentary for Sway:
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