Case Study: The making of Volumes of Blood: Horror Stories

VOBHS Setting up a scene

Date: 29 Jan. 2018
Case Study: The Making of Volumes of Blood: Horror Stories
Filmmaker: P.J. Starks

indieactivity: What is your film about?
P.J. Starks: It’s called Volumes of Blood: Horror Stories, it’s a horror anthology which reveals the horrible atrocities that have taken place over time in an old Victorian home. VOBHS is the sequel to Volumes of Blood, which took place almost entirely in a public library. This film, while also a standalone picture, continues a much larger overall narrative that unfolds over the course of three films. Franchise creator P.J. Starks loosely based the concept for VOBHS on his own journey while trying to buy a home.

Volumes of Blood if now available on Amazon Prime

indieactivity: Tell us about the festival run, marketing and sales?
P.J. Starks: In 2017 VOBHS screened across the US and in Canada at various festivals; taking home Best Horror Feature at Tri-Cities International Film Fest, the Audience Choice Award at the MayDay Film Fest, Best Experimental Film at the Bloody Horror International Film Festival and Best Horror Anthology at Fright Night Film Festival.

The film has garnered over 60+ reviews garnering critical praise and been featured on 80 or more horror sites, vlogs and blogs including Bloody-Disgusting, Arrow in the Head, Dread Central, Horror Society, Pop Horror and more. Ain’t It Cool news said VOBHS was, “superior to most anthologies.” Fangoria called it, “hands down the most entertaining anthology in years”, and Blumhouse declared it was a “cult hit franchise.” The film was distributed through Petri Entertainment’s genre arm Dark Cuts Entertainment and is available on DVD, Blu ray and video on demand thru Amazon, iTunes, Vudu, VHX and Google Play.

Volumes of Blood: Horror Stories

indieactivity: Dramatic Feature
Director: Sean Blevins, John William Holt, Jon Maynard, Nathan Thomas Milliner, Justin M. Seaman, James Treakle
Producers: P.J. Starks, Eric Huskisson, Devin Taylor and David Justice
Budget: $23,000
Financing: Sponsorship through Product Placement
Production: It was the first production under the Blood Moon Pictures banner
Shooting Format: DSLR
Screening Format: Anamorphic Widescreen
World Premiere: October 29^th, 2016
Award: Best Horror Feature – Tri-Cities International Film Fest; Audience Choice Award – MayDay Film Fest; Best Experimental Film – Bloody Horror International Film Festival; Best Horror Anthology – Fright Night Film Festival
Website: www.volumesofblood.com; www.facebook.com/VOBanthology; www.twitter.com/volumesofblood; www.instagram.com/volumesofblood

indieactivity: Give the full official synopsis for your film?
P.J. Starks: A couple plans to purchase an old home, but would like one last tour before the closing. They’re guided around the estate by a creepy realtor that may have more in store than they bargained for. Searching floor by floor, they begin to discover the remnants of its sordid and terrifying past… A popular 80’s franchise gets a modern upgrade, but at what price? On Halloween night a teen left home alone meets a trick or treater that wants more than just candy.

Sean Blevins on making the anthology Volumes of Blood: Horror Stories

A door to door insurance salesman makes a Thanksgiving house call with monstrous consequences. Andrew and Sara are happily married and plan on spending some quality time together, but something sinister has other plans for their evening. Carol’s Christmas Eve turns into a fight for survival when a vengeful stranger isn’t feeling the holiday spirit. Lastly, a birthday party turns bloody when some unexpected guests drop by at the wrong time. Seven interwoven tales of terror, how many stories does your house have?

Feeding Time – Day 1 – Saturday

indieactivity: Development & Financing?
P.J. Starks: The film was a direct reaction to the unexpected success of the first Volumes of Blood and was put into development in November of 2015. The overall concept was created by producer P.J. Starks, with the individual story concepts being developed and written by P.J. Starks, Nathan Thomas Milliner, Sean Blevins and Jason Turner. The script was fine-tuned while all production elements were organized and set in place with production starting in March of 2016. Financing was secured via product placement secured through sponsorship dollars and then incorporated as organically as possible throughout the film.

indieactivity: Production?
P.J. Starks: The film was scheduled to only film on weekends, so all actors, crew and especially directors coming from out of town could allot the needed time to film each sequence. Individual deadlines for filming began on Friday evening and each sequence was film entirely over a single three-day period with a few exceptions due to special effects needs. The film needed to be completed by the set premiere date of October 29th, 2016 so each sequence needed to be entirely edited by October 12th. There was some give and take to make sure the segments were completed in a timely fashion but also looked their very best.

John William Holt reveals inside of Volumes of Blood: Horror Stories

The film lensed almost entirely at an old Victorian home here in Owensboro, except for the Haters sequence filmed at the Malco theatre and a crew members home, Trick or Treat was filmed at a different house doubling as a neighbouring home, Feeding Time was film in an entirely different house that doubled as a dining room set and attic set and then cut to made like it was filmed in the same Victorian home and Murder Death Killer was filmed at a nearby warehouse. The very first cut was finished in early October of 2016 and then later re-edited in February of 2017 for additional color grading and removing fluff from the film before it’s full festival run.

indieactivity: Festival Preparation & Strategy?
P.J. Starks: The film only saw a small festival run as it was being more prepped for distribution rather than film screenings, though it did have a decent run at several festivals and conventions such as HorrorHound, ScareFest, Shock Stock, Legless Corpse Film Fest and Requiem Fear Fest.

indieactivity: The Release?
P.J. Starks: The film premiered at the Owensboro Convention Center to an audience of over 400. It eventually secured distribution through Petri Entertainment/Dark Cuts Entertainment and released on DVD and Blu ray in August of 2017 with a subsequent VOD release in September of 2017.

indieactivity: Advice from the Filmmaker?
P.J. Starks: Producing a feature film is and can be a logistical nightmare. Your hand is in every department. It’s very involved and sacrifices in your personal life must be made. However, once the process is finished and you’re sitting on a completed film, there’s no more satisfying or rewarding feeling in the world. It’s the kind of accomplishment that isn’t something everyone can do. You gain experience. You gain a network of peers. It helps motivate you towards the next production and teaches what not to do the next go around. The hardest part is getting up and doing it. If you have a dream, then make it a reality. Stop talking about making movies, get out there. Put pen to paper. Put a camera in your hand. Find your drive and feed your passion for visual storytelling.