JOHN KARYUS
• George’s Intervention /SuperCroc/Bioslime/ Silent
Night, Zombie Night / Edges of Darkness / The Life of Lucky
Cucumber / The Day the Earth Stopped /The Trek / Death
Racers / 100 Million BC / Deadwater / Smoking Laws / My
Wife and My Dead Wife /The Unfortunate / Pledge of
Allegiance / Freakshow / Nancy Ray Smiggen’s Family Tree
and the Majic Extravaganza /Poultrygeist: Night of the
Chicken Dead/Lord Of The Dead
1) So, Do you prefer IN Front of the camera, Or BEHIND the
camera ?
I prefer in FRONT of the camera, but I have worked extensively both in front and behind. Working behind the camera led me to work in front. When I was at film school, I acted in almost every movie there because of my odd looks and willingness to do it. When my first professional gig as a grip came about, the director asked me to play a role. I didn’t think that much of it, until a few years later I ended up at a party with a bunch of career actors, and found out my resume was like 10 times longer than theirs, and I had gotten a ton of roles without having to audition. I didn’t realize this was so odd…until I saw how they reacted. It was that moment that I knew it, “I guess I am an actor…because I did what they had such a hard time doing without that much effort…”
2) Comedy or Horror, Which is harder to pull off ?
Most of the stuff I have done is both comedy and horror, so they are linked in that way. Troma and what not. Technically, horror is a tougher genre to pull off. There are a lot of effects, which need to not only be made but shot in a certain way. Stuff can get real messy really quick. I find the toughest thing about comedy is not repeating myself. Doing something funny once is hilarious…doing it again…not so much. Unless the repetition is the joke of course. It a tough balancing act.
3) Mockbusters, A good idea or bad ?
I don’t know what to think about the Mockbusters. I’m in a few of them. Sometimes they come out good. The best one I am in is probably “Death Racers” directed by Roy Knyrim and starring The Insane Clown Posse. I am a huge fan of Roy’s previous movie “Demons at the Door” and ICP…so this was really exciting to me, being a part of that madness. More humor was allowed into that film as well. The Mockbusters can be tolerable when they have a sense of humor to them.
4) Best of “The Kar”, On/Off the set ?
Heh. Not quite sure what this question is about! I would say always show up ready to shoot whatever a director throws at me, the weirder the better. Off set I am a huge movie buff, and always hang around watching movies and talking to people about movies.
5) Worst of “The Kar” ?
I am always playing pranks, and was once arrested for making prank phone calls. I got off with community service and nothing on my record…so all is good.
6) One Sentence Descriptions…
C. Thomas Howell – An underrated actor, should be working at the level he was in his teens.
Insane Clown Posse – Insane Juggalo MADNESS!!!
Sean Cain – A great guy whose movies should be seen more, and he has a great haircut!
Lloyd Kaufman – A demented force of nature, an artist in the truest sense.
Victoria DeMare – A scream queen of the future!
7) Which are you ,’Crimson’ Or ‘Clover’ in “The
Trek”, Any funny stories ?
I am “Clover,” the female creature in “The Trek.” There are a LOT of funny stories to do with that movie. There are always funny stories when you shoot a movie so profoundly low budget. Probably the funniest moment came on the second day of shooting. There was an area of fake blood and broken sticks and stuff from the night before, and some guys were looking at it. Oh boy we thought… We went up to these guys and explained this wasn’t real, and it was from the horror movie we were making. One guy perked up, and got real excited. He was an actor, and it turns out he was
Gerry Bednob from “The 40 Year Old Virgin” fame!!
8) Favorite role ? Movie ?
This is a tough one, and hard to narrow down. Probably still the opening scene in “Poultrygeist.” Working with Lloyd Kaufman was a dream come true, and to have the goriest, most offensive death in the movie? Needless to say my mind is still blow. This film is also very easy to find, so many people have seen it. Most people who recognize me, recognize me from that.
Like most actors in the b-movie world, my best work is very hard to track down. While it might not be my “best” per-say, I improved a very personal film called “Nancy Ray Smiggen’s Family Tree and the Majik Extravaganza” directly after shooting “Poultrygeist.” Director Doug Markuson Jr., FX Guy Dave Molloy and myself used left over props, blood and effects from the Troma shoot, and fueled by post-partum with Troma insanity, shot an improved movie. You can see it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5GzyRRXmP4 All I can say is sleep deprivation does the weirdest things to people.
And in a near impossible movie to find, Mike DiPaolo’s “Mother,” I play the lead role based on the granddaddy of serial killers Ed Gein. This is a serious movie for once, and actually is genuinely disturbing. A tough task these days. Its all mood and atmosphere. You can get this one here: http://www.blackcatcinema.com/films/mother/index.html
9) MYSPACE, A good idea ?
MySpace is a great idea!!! You can promote your movies and all that jazz, as well as stay in touch with guys you went to high school with!! I’ve had a blast on MySpace for the past 5 or 6 years. There’s never a shortage of weird jokes being sent around on there either!!
10) FAMOUS Last Words for your audience ?
Keep watching those flicks, and keep farting!!!!!!
The Glamourous Karyus !
GUESTAR 