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| Burnout Central Interview (By Justin Powell) |
1-How did you get into the Webmaster game; I mean how did John Fallon become "The Arrow?"
ARROW: By fluke really, it fell into my lap.
My good friend Berge Garabedian (aka JoBlo) knew of my fondness for the horror
genre, knew that I had experience in journalism (I hosted a French variety TV
show for one season here in Canada) and also knew that I could hold my own
writing skills wise. One day out of the blue he rang me up and asked me if I
would like to run a horror section on his site JoBlo’s Movie Emporium.
I said yes thinking it would be a kool way to
keep my writing fresh, the title “Arrow In The Head” immediately came to mind,
I tossed it his way, he dug it and I hopped on board. It all happened very
fast. Within 2 months the site picked up like a bat out of hell. I never
thought the site would become this popular. I’ve sent out more autographed
pictures to fans because of the work I do on “Arrow” than through the 7 years
I’ve been acting. It still blows my mind.
2-Now I consider Arrow In The
Head to be the best horror review site on the net. From one Webmaster to the
other-what qualities do you look for in a horror flick that sets it apart from
the rest?
ARROW: Thanks for the props dude. What
qualities do I look for in a genre film? Well, I’m what I like to call a “style
whore”, meaning I really appreciate a director that takes a polished approach
to his visuals. Argento, Soavi, Lynch, Fincher are all favs of mine. If a film
can move me in any way through its directing, its content or its scares, then
it’s a winner to me. I also love horror movies that step outside the norm and
dare to be upsetting. Hot chicks always help too.
3-Which reviews are easier for you to write? The good, the bad, or the so/so.
Arrow: The good and the bad ones are the easiest
one’s to dish out for me. But when I have to venture in so/so land, it takes me
a bit more time to bang the review out. It’s easier to praise or murder a movie
for me than being stuck in the middle with it.
4-How long have you been acting and
at what age did decide to get into the entertainment biz?
Arrow: I knew I wanted to be in the movie biz from a
very early age (like 10), it’s always been my main goal. I’ve been acting for
about 6-7 years. I’ve been a professional screenwriter for a year and half now
(meaning I got paid to write) and directing is around the corner.
I can safely say that the last couple of
years have been the most fulfilling for me business wise. Initially when I came
into the biz, I was younger, had a big chip on my shoulders and had read way
too many Mickey Rourke biographies. I though that
acting like an asshole made me a “real” actor. Well I was wrong. I killed a few
contacts due to my rambunctious behavior on set.
Today through maturity and experience I’ve tossed
aside the “bad boy” posturing and handle my business very professionally. If I
knew then what I know now, I’d be closer to my ultimate goal. To anybody that
wants to get in the biz, I say this: Contacts come first, PR skills come second
and talent comes last. It took me a long time to fully grasp that; I thought it
was the other way around!
5-Has being "The Arrow" helped you get any work?
Arrow: I did get some work from being “The Arrow”. I met Ron Ford through the site and wound up starring in Deadly Scavengers (coming out straight to Video/DVD this year) and I also acted as a consultant for an LA based TV station that are developing their own horror movie channel. My involvement might go deeper than consultant once the channel hits the waves, there’s talk going around. We’ll see…
The
biggest kicker though was having my long time favorite screenwriter “Eric Red”
contacting me. He’s given me solid advice in regards to screenwriting/directing
and I can’t thank him enough for it. I never thought that one day one of my
idols would be giving me pointers. What a trip! The site has given me the
opportunity to talk shop with lots of the people I admired as I was growing up
and I’ll always be grateful for that.
6-Tell us about The Red Hours,
which you wrote. What kind of movie is it and will you act in and/or direct it
too?
ARROW: The Red Hours is a hallucinogenic horror ride
that uses the rave scene as its springboard. Basically I took all of the themes
that you would find in the rave culture and put a horror twist to them. The
film also tackles many current and controversial social issues, addresses the
illusion of love and displays chainsaw mayhem galore. I’m aiming for a trippy;
no holds barred punch in the horror head that will entertain the viewers but at
the same time will also make them think.
I am signed on to direct the picture, the
budget is 10 million dollars so far (it might go up) and we’re presently
approaching name talent to star in the film. So far we’ve casted one
gorgeous/talented female star, had a hunky Pearl Harbor
actor’s Agent hang up on us when they found out the budget was only 10 million
and had an actress who’s mostly known for playing a lesbian in a critically
praised film turn the film down saying: I have never seen such a large amount of
sex and violence in one script. I took that as a compliment.
The casting process is the longest part of
getting a film off the ground, especially when you’re going for big names and
the script is pretty edgy. Some name actors are reading the script at the
moment…my fingers are crossed. Once the main players are all locked I’ll let
everybody know who they are. As for me playing in it…I thought about it but
since this my directorial debut and it s a big budget for me (10 million…what
the fuck am I going to do with all that?) I decided to stay behind the camera.
I will have a cameo in it though. You can read the film’s synopsis here:
http://www3.sympatico.ca/chewie102/redhours.html
7-What genre filmmakers/films
influence you?
ARROW: Dario Argento is my all time fav
director and his visual style is a big influence on me. Screenwriting wise,
Eric Red is my biggest inspiration, I still think to this day that The Hitcher
is one of the finest genre scripts ever written. As for films that marked me: Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Suspiria,
BW2 Book Of Shadows (sue me), The Crow, Halloween, The Hitcher, Near Dark,
Requiem For A Dream and Cemetery Man to name a few.
8-How much longer do you see
yourself doing the website?
ARROW: For as long as I can juggle it with my
other projects and my social life. To be honest I never wanted to be a
“critic”. I actually often ask myself: how did I become a critic again? Funny
how life works sometimes.I think I can contribute more to
the genre through acting, writing and directing but I do dig working on the
site and love the fans. The day that I see I can’t give the site the attention
it deserves or that it stops being fun is the day that I will quit.
9-What does the future hold for
The Arrow and John Fallon?
ARROW: Well I and everybody
involved with The Red Hours believe that it will raise lots of heads and get me
lots of attention. We all feel that it will launch my directing career; I guess
that remains to be seen. Acting wise I have a film with Michael Madsen and
Daniel Baldwin that I’m slated to co-star in. The film got delayed and went
through tough times but it recently jumped back on track. Screenwriting wise I
am now looking into obtaining the right to write a sequel to an already popular
and established genre franchise. I’m hustling that at the moment. And of course
there’s always Arrow In The Head, which I will continue to work on and do my
best to deliver the bloody goods. But the big thing to lookout for is really
The Red Hours. Having the opportunity to contribute to a genre that I totally
love is quite a buzz for me. I think a lot of folks will be shocked and taken
aback with the film. Now if I can only find a way around the dreaded MPAA…I
smell an eventual war…
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