The Arrow talks Dead Shadows

John Fallon, AKA The Arrow of Arrow in the Head, is no stranger to The Basement. He was our first interview on the show and introduced us to his kick ass action flick Deaden, which we reviewed on our Season One finale.

When the man isn't reviewing movies or making movies, he's acting in them. And he's co-starring in the upcoming French tentacle horror film Dead Shadows, which recently wrapped production in Paris. Being the cool guy that he is, John took a few moments to chat with yours truly about his role in the film and what it's all about.

Read on for the print interview, and The Arrow will be talking about Dead Shadows on the show in the weeks ahead.

How did you become involved with the film Dead Shadows? What drew you to the project?

I met producer/director David Cholewa a couple of times in Cannes in the past; we hit it off and kept in touch over the years. So when he got his first feature off the ground, he approached me for one of the key supporting roles. I read the script, dug it, I liked their offer, acting in French excited me, and yes, the idea of staying in Paris for a month and a half appealed to me as well, being that I had never been there. So off I went!

Describe your character in this film? What part does he play in the story?

My character's name is John (yeah am stretching with this part...lol), he's a loner type, a guy that's seen a lot of messed up stuff in his life, and he is pretty much a misanthrope when we meet him in the movie. He's very good at one thing though; kicking ass. So once hell on earth goes down; he finds himself in his element and is almost happy about it; he finally has a positive purpose. That’s the way I played it anyways. So he winds up taking the young hero of the story (Chris, played by Fabian Wolfrom) under his wing and becomes a big brother/father figure to him.

What's the film about in a nutshell?

The film is mainly set in a high rise. Halley's Comet passes over the earth, people start to act oddly aggressive and eventually mutate into... “I won’t tell”. The young hero of the story, Chris, tags up with my character (John the gun taunting tenant) and they try to get out of there alive. 

What's it like working on what appears to be a big effects movie? Fun? Tedious?

Lots of waiting around for makeup to be applied and for set ups to be ready to go, but fun none the less. Hurry up and wait is a rule that applies to every shoot, effects heavy or not.

The concept art for this looks incredible. How'd the finished project turn out in your opinion?

Don't know, haven't seen the finished project yet, hence I can’t comment at the moment. But yeah, that concept art was badass and I hope the film does it justice.

If I'm correct, this is your second role in a horror film after 100 Feet. Is this a genre you want to act in more or would you like to do more action flicks like Deaden?

Pure horror? More like fourth, but I don't blame ya for scratching your nuts and missing me in Alone in the Dark and SAW 2. By rule of thumb though; if the project is good and the role is worthwhile, am there, no matter the genre. I do have a particular fondness for action oriented roles though, be it in action flicks, sci fi or horror. They're so much fun to do and I feel very comfortable doing them. With that; I'd kill to be in a Western...one day…

How did you enjoy working in Paris? Unrelated to movie news, but is the night life as awesome as it sounds?

I enjoyed it. Of course, just like any set; you had great people and some random a-holes thinking they're all that and a bag of dicks. I love ego driven peeps man, folks who let it go to their heads to mask blatant insecurities… always good for a laugh. The city itself was beautiful, the night life was “okay” nothing I hadn't seen before and the shoot itself had its ups and its downs like pretty much every other shoot I've been on. It should be said that they smoke like freaking chimneys down there. It reminded me of North America in the 80's. Cancer doesn’t scare the French. Respect! On the whole though it was an experience I cherish, I hope to work there again and am looking forward to seeing how the film turns out.

The French certainly make kick ass horror movies. Why do you think that's the case?

Maybe because they're so angry that their country doesn't respect them for doing so, hence it comes out in the movies. That's one thing I learned while there; the masses don't respect genre films. They like their dramas, art films and comedies but horror movies? It's shit to them. Films like Martyrs, Inside, Frontier(s) were celebrated internationally but ignored in France itself. I found that fascinating, a parallel to what's happening in Quebec as well when it come to genre films. What’s the old saying? “You’re never a prophet in your home town.” Exactlly! Thanks for having me guys!