Of Not so Friendly Strangers, Deformed Camp-side Killers, and Uncle Sleazo Deranged Tales

New York-based Lucky Cerruti is one of the up-and-coming directors in the underground horror scene. Since 2019 the theatre actor turned director/ writer/producer/editor has helmed three (near) features. The staying-in-someone-else’s horror of Kindness Of Strangers, slasher-meets-deranged creature feature of Freak, and most recently 2022’s Uncle Sleazo's Toxic and Terrifying T.V. Hour- which stands as one of the better and varied horror anthologies I’ve seen in recent years. Lucky kindly agreed to give us an email interview- talking about how he first got into film, each of his films, and what’s next for this talented horror filmmaker.

M[m]: Please talk about your earliest film memories? And was there one horror film that had a big impact on you?

Lucky: I grew up loving movies, as I think most people do. They were just such an escape for me. I was a very scared kid so I naturally gravitated to horror. I liked the control of watching a horror movie and being able to shut it off if I wanted to. The whole experience really captivated me. I remember going to a video store and wanting to rent House on Haunted Hill with Vincent Price, but instead came home with The Last House On The Left. I was way too young to handle that, but I loved it. It’s been my whole life since then.

 

M[m]:  When did you get interested in making your own films begin? And please talk through your first steps into filmmaking?

Lucky: I never had any dreams of becoming a filmmaker. It always seemed so out of reach. I grew up in a small town and didn’t know anyone even remotely involved in film. I grew up an actor and thought that’s what I wanted to do. But you learn really fast that being an actor means being told “no” a million times. So with the help of some friends, we just started making our own stuff. And someone had to direct so I had to bite the bullet and try. My filmmaking trajectory feels completely accidental.

 

M[m]: You talk about starting off as an actor- could you discuss this a little?. Was it stage or screen-based?

Lucky: It was stage-based. My first show ever was when I was 5 and I was in my first professional production when I was 10. I was never interested in sports or anything like that and thankfully there were a lot of chances to get involved with theater at a young age where I grew up so it just made sense. It was a huge part of my life for a long time.

 

M[m]: Do you have any favourite memorable roles from your time on stage? Do you still act on stage now? And have you had any film or TV roles?

Lucky: Funny enough, the first time I ever got paid to act was when I was 10. It was an adaptation of a children’s book called Bunnicula, about a vampire rabbit. I played one of the sons of the family who had the rabbit. And the guy who played my dog is named Kent Streed. 15 years later, I cast Kent in FREAK as Mr. Crenshaw. A crazy full-circle moment. I don’t act anymore. I’ll do a cameo here and there in DVP stuff but that’s it.

 

M[m]: Your directional debut was 2019’s Staying in a Strangers House horror film Kindness of Strangers. Could you tell us a little bit about how this film came about?

Lucky: KoS was the first real Dead Vision production. We were making goofy shorts on the weekends with friends but this was the first one with a schedule and shot list and all that. We were trying to do it right. I had stayed in an Air BnB for the first time a little before I wrote it and felt really creeped out, so when it came time to find a contained story for our first serious project, I thought that was a good place to start.

 

M[m]: All of your work is released by Dead Vision Productions- please talk about how it came about?. And who is behind it?

Lucky: Dead Vision was born out of just wanting to make our own shit. When I moved to NYC, I still thought I wanted to be an actor, but that grind is absolutely dependent on other people’s opinion of you and you wait for their permission to do what you want to do. That never sat well with me. So me and two of my friends started DVP. Once it got a little more serious, the other guys dipped. The core team now is me, Matt Sorensen and Leslie Dame. Dear friends and collaborators. But really, it’s whoever is around to make cool shit.

 

M[m]: You mentioned moving to NYC- when did this happen? And where were you before that?

Lucky: I moved to NYC in 2016. Before that I was in college at Berklee in Boston.

 

M[m]: Dead Vision Productions are spreading their wings about more- putting out work of other directors. What’s lined up down the line release-wise for the company?

Lucky: The distribution titles are some of my favorite projects the DVP does. Our releasing wing, Dead Vision Releasing, has had a really great year. We take a page out of the TROMA book and I’m super proud to get underground movies out there. Next year we’ll be taking a step back from releasing to focus on our next in-house production, but I’m sure some great titles will come down the pipe. Stay tuned for those

 

 

M[m]: Kindness of Strangers features some fairly decent acting. And this follows through with the two other films I’ve seen of your Freak & Uncle Sleazo's Toxic and Terrifying T.V. Hour. Could discuss how you go about selecting/ sourcing your actors?

Lucky: I know nothing about filmmaking. I’m learning as I go, but still have a lot I don’t know anything about. But I do know about acting, so every time I go into a project I’m like “if this movie sucks at a technical level, at least the acting is gonna be halfway decent” so yeah acting has always been super important to me. Growing up an actor myself, I know a lot of other really solid actors so I’ve been able to pull a lot of friends without having to really do a lot of traditional casting. It helps to keep the original spirit of Dead Vision alive, just making cool shit with my friends.

 

M[m]: Kindness of Strangers features a good mix of building atmosphere/ tension & some effective gore. I believe the effects were done by James Bell- who also worked on Freak. How did you start working with him?

Lucky: I had seen James Bell’s film TANTRUM at a film festival in Syracuse in 2015 and it really blew my head off. It was really the first time that I saw that people with no budget and no studio and no resources can still make amazing art. That was super impactful for me. We kept in touch and I saw him take off as an amazing SFX artist. So when it came time to find some FX for KoS, it was a no-brainer. I love working with him.

 

M[m]: On Kindness of Strangers you're listed as the director, writer, editor, executive producer and score creator. Which do you enjoy doing most? And I guess each has its own challenges/ issues?

Lucky:I think I enjoy editing the most. It’s like a puzzle that’s really fun to solve. And that’s really where the movie comes into existence as people will see it. And yes all aspects has a lot of challenges. Especially with such low budgets and resources. But that’s sort of the fun. It’s problem-solving.

 

M[m]: Your second film was Freak. Please talk a little bit about how this came about? And where was it shot?

Lucky: Freak was where everything changed for me. The two guys who I formed Dead Vision with had left, and I was unsure if it was going to continue. But when COVID shut the world down, I thought I had nothing else to lose so let’s try to make another movie. I teamed up with my dear friends Matt Sorensen and Leslie Dame and it came together so well. I wrote it fast and we shot it in 16 days. Just a group of friends out in the woods getting bloody. It was amazing. We shot it upstate NY. The natural beauty really ups the production value.

 

M[m]: Your next project was the collab doc Gorenography- please talk about how this came about?. And has this had a digital or physical release yet?

Lucky: After Freak came out, I was asked if I wanted to shoot an interview and a short gore reel for this doc about underground splatter filmmakers. I don’t consider myself a “splatter” or “gore” filmmaker but I guess Freak is a little bloody so I said why not. A lot of friends were also interviewed so I’m in good company. It’s also like 3 hours long. It’s a fun doc. Dead Vision did put out a run of DVDs but they are out of print now. As far as I know, it’s available to stream on TromaNOW!

 

M[m]: Your next venture was Symbolicus Vol 2- which sees you collaborating with other directors. I’m guessing it's an anthology? Could you discuss your part in the film?

Lucky: I had met Marcus Koch a while back and we’ve always kept in touch through Facebook or whatever. One day, I saw he was working on an anthology called Symbolicus with all of these really cool filmmakers. A part of me was kinda jealous and I was like “maybe one day I’ll be asked to do something cool like that” but I was neck-deep in editing Freak so I didn’t think much of it. A little while later, Marcus announced that he was expanding Symbolicus to 3 volumes, and then I got the call. It was really cool. The short is really odd and like nothing else I’ve done before. I’m proud of how it came together. It was only me. No one else touched that short. It was a weird experiment. But super fun.

 

M[m]:  Your most recent production is Uncle Sleazo's Toxic and Terrifying T.V. Hour. Which really is your most impressive creation thus far. As it’s a three-story anthology- with wrap wrap-around story. With each segment been quite different, and with the first one you even film in black and white. How long did it take to write, film, and edit the film?

Lucky: We worked on Sleazo for about a year and a half. It was so much work. We took lots of breaks. We would shoot a segment or commercial and I’d go away to edit it and then we’d do it all again. I’m very proud of that movie. We’re working on a Sleazo Christmas Special. So we’ll see what happens with that.

 

M[m]:  A Sleazo Christmas Special would be great….any hints on stories yet, or anything else?

Lucky: It’s VERY early in development so nothing is written or even planned really. But we’re working on it for sure. I’m not ready to be done with Sleazo yet.

 

M[m]: Where did you find the actor who played Uncle Sleazo?

Lucky: His name is Jordan Hornstien and he’s another theatre actor I’ve worked with for years. He’s amazing. We pretty much wrote it for him.

 

M[m]: What are you working on at the moment?

Lucky: I’m working on a bunch. Mostly the follow-up to Freak, which I hope to shoot next year. But I always have stuff going on.

 

M[m]: Any hints on what to expect from the follow-up to Freak?

Lucky: Freak 2 will be bigger and better, more blood and more kills. And a deeper look into Arthur’s childhood. That’s all I can say for now, but I’m very excited about it.

 

Big thanks to Lucky for his time & efforts with the interview. Drop by here for all things Lucky & Dead Vision Productions https://www.deadvisionproductions.com/