CHEAP SCARES: HOW A “NO-BUDGET” STUDIO KILLS IT
By Jeremy Nguyen
In a world where Hollywood studios spend 30 million on a haunted house movie, there is a company doing it for less than their monthly phone bill. Meet Ghost Machine Pictures, an LA start-up founded by Brandon Walker and Ashley Park.
Inspired by the power of today’s inexpensive technology, Walker took a no-excuses approach to directing his first feature film, STAY. A movie that has been dubbed “Project Runway meets Paranormal Activity,” STAY world premiered on GOSTBOX.com on April 6th before releasing to a wider audience on Amazon Prime.
STAY collected 20,000 minutes streamed on its opening day thanks to coverage from influential genre outlets such as Rue Morgue and HNN. When asked about his business strategy, Walker elaborated.
“What we’re doing isn’t new. Roger Corman has been breaking the Hollywood mold since the 1950’s. Today we have the advantage of smaller equipment and access to a worldwide audience online. With that said, if you don’t have a story to tell, the whole exercise is pointless. Competition is fiercer than ever before.”
What is new, is the attention Ghost Machine Pictures pays to its ultra-niche approach. Determined to deliver big scares on tiny budgets, Walker said this:
“It’s important to know your audience… I love the paranormal genre and want to serve that built-in fan base. I also keep in mind that movies can easily cost more than they are worth in the market. This factor influenced my decision to shoot our first film with an iPhone. In a business defined by gatekeeping, I say start where you are, use what is available, and pour your heart into making something that interests you. If you do that, you will live to fight another day.”
Fighting another day is something Ghost Machine Pictures plans to do. According to HNN, the nano-budget studio plans to release three to four pictures in the next 16 months. Poster art is already available for two films in the upcoming slate.
First is Double, a psycho-paranormal picture in the K-horror tradition. From a script by Emmy Award-winner Brandon Walker, Double explores the terrifying nature of self-discovery.
Next is Cold Storage, a film about a problematic corpse in a delicate state of preservation. With each drip, a local medical examiner gets closer to knowing a horrifying truth.
According to Walker, there are several other pictures in pre-production.
“We want to release a handful of smartly-budgeted films in a relatively short period of time. Our projects focus on paranormal themes and will be produced in a highly efficient manner.”
When asked about the future of his company, Walker concluded:
“It’s about producing creative films that rise above their budgetary limitations. We want to establish our own position in the marketplace by shepherding tiny films from script to screen.”