Ad-supported streamer Tubi quickly became a favorite among fans of obscure films and creators alike. But with so many choices, how do you find that deeply buried gem? On today’s Tubi Spotlight, we’ll be talking to Newt Wallen about his movies Bigfoot Exorcist and Scissors!
Background
Ada: What movie made you fall in love with movies?
Newt: Star Wars, I think, was the hook. But Batman 89 is where I started to read all I could read. I wanted to know who everyone was behind the scenes. I knew who Tim Burton was from Pee Wee[‘s Playhouse] and [Michael] Keaton from Mr Mom and, [Jack] Nicholson from Witches of Eastwick. But I wanted to know who designed the car, the suit, and the sets. I was consuming Stalog and Fangoria. That led to every movie I saw, trying to learn all I could. This was all before the internet
Ada: What tape did you always want to rent at the video store but couldn’t?
Newt: For as non liberal as my parents were. They were very open with stuff we rented. And yeah, of course, I was drawn to things like Ghoulies with that toilet cover, or [Michael] Berryman’s head on the Hills Have Eyes cover. As long as we did not repeat any bad words, or talk about gore in school, to where the teachers would call home. My brother and I knew the score and played along. But we saw it all, slashers, etc. Those video store days taught me more about film than film school did.
Ada: When and how did you first get involved with making films?
Newt: Was writing scripts since I was really young. We had a Super 8 camera and a VHS recorder. I was always writing and directing the kids in the neighborhood. But in 2004, I had a script called DIE LAUGHING that got me invited to LA for a writers’ retreat. Nothing came of it. So I went home looking to do SOMETHING, and that is where we kinda got involved with YouTube in 09.
Early Work
Ada: A lot of your early work is in web series and online content. How well did the skills you built there translate to making feature-length films?
Newt: Very helpful, script to screen, keeping a budget, a schedule, tailoring expectations, dealing with egos. Swamp Zombies 2 is really the 1st time I ever got to use every skill in trying to hold that together and make sure it had a beginning, a middle, and an end
Ada: When and why did you move from acting to writing?
Newt: I will do whatever, act, write, produce, direct. I just love being involved with storytelling. So within reason. I put myself out there. Some directors let me adlib, which is always fun. I made up all my lines in XXXMAS. My whole goal was just to keep making the cast laugh, and blow takes
A Learning Process
Ada: The opening sequence to Bigfoot Exorcist is your second directorial effort after some segments in Midnight Show. Is there anything you learned from your previous films that helped you out with your upcoming films, Amityville Pool Toy Massacre and Sucks 2 Suck?
Newt: Midnight Show was supposed to be a quick thing, and it dragged on for 15 years. It was done and ready, but unfortunately, my former girlfriend and producing partner threatened me (even though I had signed legal releases), so I deleted all the stuff those guys were in and started all over. But before Bigfoot Exorcist. I did a ton of other stuff. Some sadly will never see the light of day (again, cause my previous crew), but Donald Farmer is always cool and asked me to write and shoot the opening.
Then that went well, so he offered me Shark Exorcist 2, and then Blood Bitch Baby, Amityville Aliens, and Darbies Scream House. There are ones I just wrote like, Debbie Does Demons, etc. All good practice and all projects that came out and are on Tubi and got Blu-ray releases. Then Fallon [Maressa], who did all of those with me, had this idea for Sucks, so I shaped up her outline, and we shot a bunch. Then, Pool Toy came along, which was a script I wrote back in 2016. I like behind the camera. I like listening to people read crap I wrote
Ada: Do you prefer to act in the films you direct?
Newt: Depends on the project. Actually, no, depends on who is involved.
Inspiration
Ada: What inspired the script for Scissors?
Newt: Robbie [Lopez] from Crude cinema, who I wrote Blood Cult, Strange Toys, River Beauty with, came to me and said these guys in LA have a budget, have an outline, have these set locations. Can we flesh it out? So I saw it as an opportunity to do an American Giallo. A bit of Crusin, some 8MM, a bit of George C Scotts’ HARD CORE. My last draft, cause I think I did 4, was 1000 percent different than what they shot. Which was a bummer cause its the most mature, more messed up thing I ever wrote.
Ada: The plot of Scissors focuses on a killer targeting the LGBTQ+ community. Bigfoot Exorcist also has a lesbian couple as central characters. Is LGBTQ+ inclusion something that is being done intentionally?
Newt: Not to my knowledge. Scissors, they told me, was going to focus on LBGTQ community. As a straight guy, I wanted to make sure I did not offend anyone. I have nothing but love and respect. But for the most part, it’s usually just when you write characters for super low-budget, quick things, you try to add some sorta wrinkle or something so they can be characters. Not just 1-dimensional red shirts. Hit record and kill ’em off
Tubi & Physical Media
Ada: Is your work hosted on other streaming platforms? If so, how does your experience with Tubi compare to the others?
Newt: We have stuff on Tubi, Swamp Zombies 2, and Debbie Does Demons, both do well there. Scissors was originally an Amazon Prime exclusive. Fawsome I think is the other one. I don’t know, I don’t really ever see any money from this stuff. I tend to give my rights away to the people who did makeup or acted or whatever to compensate them for their talents when the budget is tight. That way, they are rewarded on the back end.
Ada: How do you feel about still doing physical media releases as an independent director?
Newt: I wanna own everything I’m credited in. I wanna look at my shelf and think I am making 13-year-old me proud. Dreaming of making trashy B movies. Years later, look at the trashy B movies I did.
What’s Next?
Ada: What projects do you have coming up?
Newt: Amityville Pool Toy Massacre comes out this summer. Did some audio commentary tracks for Visual Vengeance. Acting in a flick called THE MOVIE LIFE in May. I acted in Scream Queen Weenie Roast from Donald Farmer, that hits this summer. My comic should be out eventually. Pool Toy 2 is written. I acted in a giallo called MY BLADE IS YOUR SALVATION for James Dean, who directed me in XXXMAS. And most likely directing a mummy flick for High Times magazine in the fall.
We’d like to thank Newt Wallen for their time today. Be sure to check out Bigfoot Exorcist and Scissors now streaming on Tubi!
