Tony Newton Talks Creepypasta and More

28th October 201831st October 2022 KJ McDougall 1 Comment

We chatted with indie horror auteur and all around lovely chap Tony Newton about Schlock Films, Troma, VHS tapes, a new CreepyPasta movie, and the life of being an obsessed horror fan.

So you have production company called Schlock films, I think the title seems a bit self explanatory but can you tell us a bit about your company and the movies you make?

I run Vestra Pictures, BodyBag Films and Schlock films, Schlock films is more recent, I plan to use that as a banner for all the B-Movies etc, that I’m going to be working on, I adore schlock and B movies!

I love Ed Wood films, and old black and white horror films, I’m obsessed with them!

I love Troma Entertainment they have inspired me to make films and work on projects, I have Grindsploitation parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and Grindsploitation 666, Clownsploitation, Toxic Schlock, Conspiracy X, 12 Slays of Christmas and O’ Bloody Night all distributed through Troma Entertainment!

What got you started in horror movies?

I started out writing horror short stories as kid, them in my teens I would always write screenplays just for kicks would write spec film scripts, still got tons piled up! and I then became a ghost writer and script doctor on a few projects over the last ten plus years, it was my love of horror films that spurred me on to get into indie filmmaking and the horror film scene, since then I have written horror films for a good few different productions, and created horror anthology films and VHS documentaries, I also write horror books.

I write daily mainly horror film scripts and VHS, trash cinema and B movie reviews and also write horror books, I’m working on a horror poem collection now and The Zombie Rule Book and #I’m Zombie both zombie books are out now via Cosmic Egg Books.

I’m obsessed with horror films to the point where basically everything in my life revolves around horror. I watch Horror films every chance I get, I listen to horror soundtracks and have an obsession with the band Goblin, the Suspiria soundtrack is the most played album in my house! I collect skulls, I think at the this point in time I have more skulls than a graveyard. My latest venture is creating a cabinet of curiosities so basically anything creepy ranging from Dolls heads to Mummified fairies to Cthulhu statues, old rocks, vampire killing kits and old medical equipment, apart from that I collect horror VHS tapes and vintage horror toys and play horror movies on VHS and super 8!

I’m obsessed with schlock horror and B movies so much so that one of my film companies is now called Schlock films, I also own Vestra Pictures and BodyBag Films.

I love the medium of film for telling stories I don’t think anything else comes close.

I watched the Evil Dead when I was 5 years old, my parents won a VCR player in the early to mid eighties, so every night they would rent the latest video nasty to cult classics like Friday the 13th film series, all the Nightmare on Elm street films, watching horror films at a young age literally makes you get scared, you experience real terror and fear, you wouldn’t need explain to a rationally thinking 19 year old that Freddy Krueger wasn’t going to kill you in your sleep but to a 10 year boy it’s a different story!. I think I had more sleepless nights thanks to that git Freddy than anything else. A Nightmare on Elm street changed the rules this was a film you watched that made even the act of sleeping unsafe territory.

IMDb shows you as a writer, producer and director. Which aspect of film making do you find most rewarding?

I love all aspects, though I adore writing and I write every chance I can, I find it so relaxing, sitting down with Goblin or a film soundtrack on while creating other worlds or creating horror monsters, or ideas!

What do you have that is coming out soon?

Myself and friend and collaborator Sam Mason Bell have Halloween hell Night which will be out for Halloween keep posted @TonyNewton1 for updates on the Halloween themed horror anthology that will have a limited free release via You Tube.

Virus of the Dead will be coming out soon via Wild Eye Releasing early next year which I’m excited about!

Welcome to Hell came out on Amazon Prime and DVD in the US last week, it’s a horror anthology film full of horror tales!

VHS LIVES: Undead Format the VHS documentary part 2 is being released on DVD on Feb 12th 2019 I think it just went in pre-order today!

What have you got in the works right now that you’re excited about?

I’m excited to work more on the CreepyPasta Horror Anthology, I’m Working on a BigFoot Horror Anthology Film and a Video Nasty documentary at present!

We actualyl heard about the CreeptyPasta anthology movie, can you tell us a bit about that?

Myself Vestra Pictures and Trash Arts are looking forward to start working on CreepyPasta this month. CreepyPasta is a horror film anthology featuring CreepPasta short horror films. I’ve written a creepypasta short Film and Sam Mason Bell of Trash Arts will be shooting it this week, The film will feature all new original, creepypasta short films and full of shocks and scares, this will be an original take on the creeppasta not rehashing old ones, It was fun coming up with my own creepypasta..let’s just see if creepypasta goes Viral!

CreepyPasta The Movie will be out next year!

(check out the end of the interview to learn how to submit your own short film for consideration!)

Something I ask every person, what is something you are really geeky about (outside of horror movies/your work) What are you passionate about?

I love comics, and film in general, I’m obsessed with music, I’m a huge Rock and 80’s synth music nut and collect VHS and Vinyl records, I think I’m a geek in general!

I have noticed that VHS pops up a lot is some of your work. That seems to be a medium that you have a connection with.

VHS Lives! It’s pretty cool to be saying that in 2018, VHS is having a resurgence in a big way, there have always been collectors of VHS since the early days, there have been collectors that got rid of VHS when DVD and Blu-Ray hit and then went back to collecting most of the films they once owned on VHS. People are starting to collect VHS cassettes now due to nostalgia, people collect because VHS is a part of our childhood and these are like antiques they are not only holding their money but they are growing in value by the day as there are a limited amount of these VHS tapes in circulation, most charity/op shops stopped taking VHS tapes around ten years ago, here in the UK and most of the VHS cassettes end up in the skip.

There are people collecting VHS in 2018 and why the hell not!, VHS is so damn cool, these new collectors even teenagers and kids are collecting to build their own VHS memories and experiencing films on VHS for the first time collecting the awesome cover art, the big boxes the ex rental tapes. VHS are a thing of beauty much like vinyl records, they are having a comeback. Over the last year the prices for second hand VHS tapes have skyrocketed, with more and more collectors trying to build their dream VHS collection having to pay the extra dollar well a bit more than a dollar!

I’m in ore at the prices VHS tapes are commanding! I really need to get me one of those time machines! I would go straight back to the early 80’s and buy up copies of the original video nasties and cult horror VHS tapes that’s for sure!

The number of VHS collectors are growing by the day, which is great as more and more people discover and re-discover this amazing format which is VHS!.

Holding a big box ex-rental VHS tape is pure heaven, it sends you back to the VHS heyday, when you would walk around the mom and pop video store and stand for hours just looking at the cover art full of blood, babes, chainsaws and serial killers!

VHS is the best format there ever was for watching old horror movies, when you play a cult horror movie you get crackles, tracking issues, flickering it’s like you are watching a film in a drive in theater in the comfort of your own home!

Tony Newton thank you very much!

Alright future horror legends this is your chance to have your work featured in the CreepyPasta film.

Vestra pictures and Trash Arts want YOUR creepypasta short film for this upcoming anthology!

We’re looking for 10 of the scariest, most inventive and mind-blowing short films to delve into the nightmare world of creepypasta – user-created horror tales, myths and legends which have dominated the web with terrifying boogeymen, mysterious sightings and unexplained phenomena – copied, pasted and shared around the globe, blurring lines between reality and fiction, creating one of the fastest-growing forms of storytelling in the past decade.

Any filmmaker can participate for a chance to see their short film included in this anthology – just by following the guidelines listed below and submitting their work no later than NOVEMBER 2, 2018.

Also, because creepypasta stories themselves spread fast, we’ve decided to make this anthology available as soon as possible to eager viewers: the 10 winning films will premiere On Demand, in real-time, as a feature anthology in late December 2018.

Now for the rules of the game:

• Qualifying films must be between 5 and 7 minutes in length.

• You must create your own original story and characters. As much as we love to read about viral icons like Slenderman, Jeff the Killer and the Russian Sleep Experiment, we’re looking for new and original tales of terror – not retellings of old material. Use your imagination and give the world new, original nightmares of your own creation!

• All music and video used in your film must be free from copyright – unless you have received written permission from the rights holders.

• Go for horror-centric themes only – no comedy or parody films.

• Do not include title cards or end credits – instead, include a text version in email form with your submission. We will include these credits in the film’s end-title sequence.

• No real-life acts of violence or other crimes (including animal cruelty) can be shown. We are creating a fictional world of horror to frighten and entertain – not making a snuff film!

Send your submissions to Tony@SchlockFilms.com via WeTransfer.com or Vimeo.com. You can also email Tony at the same address if you have any questions about the contest.

Best of luck to you… now go out there and prepare to shock the web!