Dinger: How old were you when you first realized that horror was for you?

Ryan: My love for horror started at a very young age, I was 8 or 9. I use to watch all of the old Universal Monster movies and that led me to reading “Famous Monsters”, then onto “Fangoria” which really ignited my taste for gore and horror movies. My Grandfather was always making sure I had all the issues of Fangoria in my collection. He’s go to all the comic book stores in Edmonton, Alberta, which is in Canada and write down the issue numbers that they had. We cross reference until we had every issue. He was the best! My Father also loved horror and sci-fi. He would talk about “Alien” and “The Thing” which made me really want to see those movies. He tried to take me to “Conan the Barbarian” but they wouldn’t let kids in, even with adults! My dad was like “My Son has seen “Halloween” and you won’t let us in?!” My Grandmother’s good friend Betty was also key to my interest in true crime real life horror. Betty always had “True Detective” magazines which I would look at and read. The covers of those pulp style mags from the late 70’s, early 80’s really influenced my interest in serial killers and their crimes.

Dinger: With your very, very long list of film projects you have worked on (a lot of them are some of my favorites), you have influenced many people. Do you have any influences of your own?

Ryan: I’m totally inspired by the masters. Lucio Fulci, Dario Argento, John Carpenter, Wes Craven, Tobe Hooper, Ruggero Deodato and of course David Cronenberg who is to this day a huge influence. “Live Feed” had a “Videodrome” feel to it for sure! I watched “History of Violence” again and it reaffirmed to me that David Cronenberg is a cinematic genius who keeps his writing/directing skills sharp as a razorblade with each movie he makes.

Dinger: Of all the film projects you have worked on, do you have any favorites or very memorable moments?

Ryan: Going to Rome to do Jon Voight’s make-up as “Pope John Paul II” was a dream come true. The city and the people were beautiful! I worked with an amazing artist, Jeff Goodwin, who actually did “Blue Velvet” and made that famous ear crawling with ants. Jeff’s wife was actually working for Ruggero Deodato as a First Assistant Director on Italian television at the same time we were doing The Pope movie and her Father is Enzo Castellari of 1990: Bronx Warriors fame. So needless to say, Jeff and I had a lot to talk about. I managed to stop by the famous horror store “Profondo Rosso” when I was in Rome. The whole thing felt like a dream to me. I didn’t want to leave. Of course, David Cronenberg’s “eXistenZ” was amazing to work on. Being a part of an iconic director’s work is always memorable.

Dinger: As a master special effects artist and a very accomplished director, if given the choice, which do you prefer?

Ryan: I prefer writing and directing more so for quite a few reasons. Firstly, the chemicals that you work with in make-up effects can prove hazardous over time. I’ve spent 15 years making creatures and dead bodies. I always tried to be aware of the chemicals and wear respirators, etc…but the material can still get into your body through your skin, the fumes, etc….I’ve gone to where I’ve wanted to go with making creatures and dead bodies. It’s been a great career and I don’t have any regrets but making my own movies is just way more satisfying than making stuff for other people, who usually have no clue as to all the blood sweat and tears that goes into making their effects. I like all aspects of film-making. Everything from the sound mixing to the camera moves. Visual FX have also gotten into my blood. When done right, CGI can really make its mark in a movie. I use to hate computer effects in movies but I became more open-minded and started to appreciate the talent that goes into it. It’s very similar to make-up effects but you won’t get cancer rendering in Photoshop!

Dinger: By doing effects for your own films, does that save you a good deal of money? If so, do you apply that extra money to other aspects of the film?

Ryan: Totally! We do it all in house and at cost. My girlfriend, Michelle, is actually keying up the make-up effects build for my next movie “Gutterballs”, which is loaded with gore but also will have some visual effects. It’s the first time I’m getting my hands wet with CGI so I’m very excited. I like to spend the money where it counts. Good sound and good transfers, doing extra stuff like the “Behind the Blood: The Making of Live Feed” and getting it onto the DVD. I try to make the product worthy of a purchase. I have the most amazing fan base and the sales of “Live Feed” were way beyond what anyone thought could be. I want to thank every horror fan who bought or rented “Live Feed”. You guys are helping me make “Gutterballs”!! I don’t think my hardcore fans and most extreme horror fans will be disappointed with the result.

Dinger: You have run your company, Flesh and Fantasy Inc. for a very long time and have done amazing things. At what point did you decide to start Plotdigger Films with your father Roy Nicholson?

Ryan: My short film “Torched” was the beginning of Plotdigger Films but my Father and I both had written in the past and we had actually penned a creature feature called “The Dig” back in 2003. It is very similar to “The Descent” or “The Cave”. We tried to get funding but to no avail. The scripts we had may have been too ambitious at the time for us to fully realize. Even my first script of “Torched” was too grandiose to actually get off the ground but instead of shelving it, “Torched” was re-written by Vince D’Amato in a fashion that we could do it on the cheap in a couple of days. Just to see how it would turn out. It was an experiment of sorts. 4000 bucks, 4 days and a 40 page script. We did it and I have to thank my good friends at www.creepysixfilms.com Vince D’Amato and the rest of the gang for helping me achieve such a nasty little picture. Creepy Six also was heavily involved in “Live Feed”, right from pre-production on through to editing and mastering. Vince is one of my Best friends and I’m happy to see that their original version of Vampires Vs. Zombies called “Carmilla” is getting a brand spankin’ new release totally Uncut and chock full of extras.

Dinger: Now that you also have Plotdigger Films, are you still as active with Flesh and Fantasy Inc.?

Ryan: I still do make-up effect gigs here and there. Fun stuff that I pick and choose. I like to design creatures and do the effects with just my Girlfriend Michelle nowadays. I use to have 25 guys working for me but I realized over time, it’s not quantity but instead quality. I like to do the fx hands on and it took me a few years to get my effects career to where I could handle everything with just one assistant who then became my Girlfriend, then my partner. It’s the best thing that has happened for Flesh and Fantasy Inc. I just did a feature called “Lochness Terror”, a really gory creature feature and there was a ton of make-up effects, puppets, bodies, prosthetics, etc…and it was just Michelle and I doing everything. If it had been a few years ago, I would’ve had like 8 to 10 guys on that job. But you eventually realize that to get the satisfaction that you had getting into the business, you have to do it yourself. So I did. “Lochness Terror” and it was the most fun I’ve ever had doing fx and it was just my lady and I. Mind you, doing the effects for “Live Feed” was fun as hell to!

Dinger: When I first saw your film Torched, I was blown away. I found it a masterpiece in short film. I loved it. What was the story behind it? I thought it had a very original storyline. How did you come up with the storyline?

Ryan: “Torched” harkens back to the rape/revenge genre that I love. A woman getting her just revenge is what “Torched” is all about. I like the males to be tormented in my movies more so than the females. If you look at “Torched” and “Live Feed”, you’ll see the female characters as the strong leads. I hate movies where women are just pretty fodder for the frenzied killer. I think men have gotten off far too easy in movies so I’m here to shake it up a bit with my stuff. Hence the cock and ball torture. I like making people squirm. Getting back to “Torched”, one of my Best friend’s and my sound designer/composer for all my stuff, Patrick Coble, came up with some very interesting torture scenarios for a movie. To this day, Pat and I have a two man metal band together called “Snuff Maximus”. All of our songs are about horror movies and serial killers. Anyways, through the course of writing a bunch of songs, we came up with plots for movies, etc…one of them being “Torched”. I went ahead and made the short a couple of years later. I wanted to do something in the vein of “Ms.45” and “I Spit On Your Grave”. “Torched” just got an official release via www.braindamagefilms.com on a DVD anthology entitled “Hell Hath No Fury”. It’s totally UNCUT as well. There are some other great short films on “Hell Hath…” in the same revenge style. I did the make-up effects for those ones. “Hell Hath No Fury” was a great collaboration between Creepy Six Films and Plotdigger Films. 

Dinger: Your newest film, Live Feed, has generated a lot of anticipation and excitement and has just recently been released. There's a lot of buzz about the brutality and blood and gore. Were you happy with the final outcome and how fans are receiving the film?

Ryan: Overall I’m happy with the reviews and internet talk about “Live Feed” but it does seem to have become a love it or hate it movie. It all boils down to what the viewer’s expectations are. The first reviews were calling “Live Feed” a “Hostel” rip-off, but then people found out that “Live Feed” was announced and made before “Hostel”, so it wasn’t so bad. But people then thought it would look like and have the million dollar production values of a “Hostel” or “Saw” type movie. That’s where things go sideways with certain viewers and horror fans. “Live Feed” is what one would call a “micro-budgeted feature film”. My Father and I produced “Live Feed” it was a movie made for very little money. We pulled in a lot of favors and assembled a really great cast and crew but it was my first feature film. It shows. It shows I’m learning. But I’m really happy with “Live Feed”. It is a sadistic and brutal movie that is a commentary on today’s culture of violence and racism. I made my point with it, which was, say the wrong thing to the wrong person and you may end up as chop suey! 

Dinger: Is there any particular actor/actress and director you would really like to work with in the future?

Ryan: I would like to work with a few genre stars. William Sanderson from “Fight For Your Life” and Michael Moriarty “The Stuff” have come close to working with me but their agents screwed the deals up. As for directors, I’d like to co-direct something with my friends at www.creepysixfilms.com again. They’re a blast to work with and my best friends as well.

Dinger: This may sound a little off the wall, but do you have any particular favorite films and bands/singer?

Ryan: I listen to my friend’s bands like “Macabre” and “Necrophagia”, “Ravenous” and “SNFU”. I also listen to old school rap and 80’s music. I like soundtracks and music by Howard Shore, the Cronenberg scores are wicked. I like Italian horror soundtracks and most synth stuff from the 70’s and 80’s. Of late I listen to “Zombi”, wicked two-piece band out the US that brings that old school Italian synth horror stuff back full force. I listen to metal like “Lamb of God”, “Raging Speedhorn” and “Dark Funeral” as well as “Dying Fetus” and “Marduk”. Black metal and death metal, old school thrash like “DRI” and “The Accused”. I also like old school punk like “Bad Brains” and “NoMeansNo”. I’m all over the map when it comes to music. My own band “Snuff Maximus” is another creative outlet for me, its electronic murder and mayhem with all the music done by my best friend and “Live Feed” composer Patrick Coble. Brilliant guy who can play many different instruments. A musical genius in my books. He’s scoring “Gutterballs” as well. I’m very excited he’s onboard.

Dinger: Recently you have severed ties with Nick Polumbo and the Fearmongers project. Was this due to Nick's actions on Fangoria Radio, or was that just the boiling point? Was there more to the story?

Ryan: I’ll keep this short. I like MSP; it was a great slasher flick that became the most hated movie out there. Partly due to internet spamming and Nick’s attitude towards haters. I think he has a future in film and I will see “Frigid” when it comes out. As for our past friendship and business dealings, it’s done and there’s nothing more to say.

Dinger: I’m sure you're a very busy guy between Flesh and Fantasy Inc. and Plotdigger Films. Can you take us through a typical day in the life of Ryan Nicholson?

Ryan: I'm a night owl that watches old school horror movies and 70's cop movies until the wee hours of the morning.  I get a couple of hours of sleep then wake up to business as usual which is spending way too much time on the computer before I go into the studio with my girlfriend and partner Michelle to see what's going on.  If we're working on a job, we'll put in some time before heading home to hang-out with my son.  I try and write every night as well, I have multiple scripts on the go in various stages of completion.  When I'm done writing for the night, its back to watching exploitation movies and hardcore horror until I fall asleep.  When I wake up, it all repeats itself, similar to that movie "Groundhog Day" but different in the sense that this is what I want to do.  I'm my own boss and make my own schedule but its work nonetheless. 

Dinger: Do you have any future projects coming up that you can talk about?

Ryan: Gutterballs!! We’re in prep and start shooting this Summer for an early 2008 release. It’s going to bring a whole new level of sadistic violence and bloodshed to the screen. Its balls-out in all aspects and for fans of “Live Feed”, they will not be disappointed. I’ve grown as a writer/director and hope to bring what I’ve learned to the table. I have a great cast and crew assembled and it will be fun as hell. I can’t wait to get the ball rolling. Wah wah wa…bada bing! We also have the token zombie movie in the works, “Done to Death”, zombie hookers turning tricks into zombies!! Very sick stuff with a great sex scene between a bull and a zombie that leads us to a very fucking sick creature that switches it up from the typical zombie movie to a creature movie as well. This one will push the envelope when it comes to zombie movies. It’s more or less about STD’s and unsafe sex. We plan on shooting in the Fall. I’m co-directing a DVD called “Bloodsick” with none other than my demon bro Killjoy of “Necrophagia”. We shoot this twisted as fuck ultra-violent beyond snuff/torture movie sometime in the near future. It will put any and all pseudo-snuff movies to the test. Let the sickness begin! 

Dinger: Do you have any advice for anyone trying to get into the horror industry?

Ryan: Grow a thick skin because there are so many armchair critics and haters out there that think they can do better and they’ve never picked up a camcorder!! It’s brutal but when you put something out wide release, you should be prepared for all kinds of reviews, good, bad, mean-spirited to downright insulting. But don’t let it get you down. You can’t please all of the people all of the time. If I can make one person’s night entertaining with my movies, I’ve done my job. I’m not out for mass appeal; I just like making sick shit for myself and my fans.

Dinger: For the fans that would like to purchase your films, where can they pick up a copy?

Ryan: They can order the Unrated “Live Feed” from www.amazon.com and most online DVD sellers carry it as well. If you do order the DVD, I want to thank-you in advance for helping me continue to make the sickest shit I can conjure up!