This list was restricted to movies I've seen more than once. A lot of good films didn't make the cut, simply because I haven't re-watched them yet.

10. The Burbs

9. Battle Royale

8. Dead Alive

7. The Orphanage

6. Evil Dead II

5. Bad Taste

4. The Descent

3. The Thing

2. Shaun of the Dead

1. Oldboy

This list was provided by independent horror director Jesse Blanchard. For more info on Jesse, check out his exclusive interview right here at The Horror Shack. Also, make sure to check out two of his short films, Space Bugs and Run For Your Life, in our Indie Horror Theater.

Today, the Horror Shack sits down with independent film-maker Jesse Blanchard, director and writer of Space Bugs, Run For Your Life, and The Brothers.

H.S: First, I would like to thank you for taking the time to allow me to interview you.
Jesse: Hey no problem. This is a first for me, so I'm pretty excited.

H.S: My first question is, how did you get into filmmaking?
Jesse: I was in theater my whole life, but got into film as a way to more consistently pay the bills. Then film stuck.

H.S: So you got your start in theater. Are you currently going to school for this?
Jesse: No. I've never been to a film class. I'm self-taught.

H.S: Do you have any influences? I noticed a bit of Raimi Vision in Space Bugs.
Jesse: Absolutely. I watched Drag Me To Hell in the theaters and loved it so much I went back and re-watched all his stuff. The Bug POV was a direct rip-off (obviously,) but it's also an ingenious way to have a monster without having to build one.

H.S: Do you have any other influences? 
Jesse: For Space Bugs, the other direct influence was Edgar Wright. I tried to do as many of his wipe transitions as I could. And of course, Sal Bass and Hitchcock are the end credits. Which I directly copied from a sweet video I saw on youtube.

H.S: How do you come up with your ideas for films?
Jesse: They come from everywhere. Right now, I have too many ideas to do. It's kind of a bummer, but my shorts take about three months to make and at that rate I can't make them all. I always say that everybody has a million good ideas and that's never the problem; Execution is the problem.

H.S: I heard that your short "Run For Your Life," was entered into Romero's Diary of The Dead Contest. Can you tell me more about that?
Jesse: Yeah, basically, I heard Romero was doing an open call for Zombie shorts. The way it worked was, about 250 or so films were entered, the top 20 were passed along to him, and he chose his favorite 5. Those got put on Diary of the Dead as a bonus feature. I was especially surprised because he hates running zombies...and that's all ours do; Run.

H.S: Did you receive any contact from Romero himself?
Jesse: No. These kinds of contests are done completely through myspace/miramax/other corporation

H.S: Bet that was a bit of a bummer. But, you still got picked by the man himself and had your work shown to the whole world. How does that feel?
Jesse: It feels great. It's so hard to get your work seen, so having that kind of validation is just incredible.

H.S: Now that you are being viewed by the mainstream, do you have any more plans for horror movies?
Jesse: Yes, yes, Yes! I've got two films and a bunch of shorts that I am VERY excited about I've got two shorts that I'm working on now. One is definite horror, the other is more District 9 style. Both are going to be shot in 3D. This is a build up to Chompers 3D that I will film next summer. Then if everything goes perfect (which it won't,) I've got a plan for a film with a budget that is like a life-dream project for me.

H.S: Can you tell us a bit about it, or is it a hush hush project?
Jesse:: Sure, it's so far out. It will be like 13th Warrior meets The Thing. A group of men who will have to take one of their own on a long journey because he is infected with a nasty, nasty virus. They are Viking types. Only speak in a dead language. I've already started writing it and I just can't wait to film it.

H.S: Sounds Awesome. Are you going to try to find a company that will pick it up like Ghost House, or will it be an independent release?
Jesse: You know, I don't know. Distribution is changing so quickly, it's impossible to say what it will look like four years from now. The good news is, I feel very confident that I can make this picture profitable because I can make it so cheaply. That's been the real benefit of making the Space Bugs/Run For Your Life's the practice at making something leanly.

H.S: I can see how that is a plus in the film business.
Jesse: For sure. I think of it as a craft. And any craft takes a lot of practice.


Be sure to check out both Space Bugs and Run For Your Life in The Horror Shack's Indie Horror Theater.