Gilbert Interviews a Zombie from Witches' Blood

                                                                            

Yes, my little zombie snacks, I got an interview with a zombie. Well, not exactly a zombie, but a woman who played a zombie in the horror film directed and produced by Ryan Scott Weber, called Witches’ Blood. I had the pleasure of interviewing Ryan and actor Joe Parascand on the movie, but how many chances do you have to interview one of the not so dearly departed zombies. Joining me today is Leah Gelber-DeCicco.

                                                                   

 

Well, not exactly a zombie, but a woman who played a zombie in the horror film directed and produced by Ryan Scott Weber, called Witches’ Blood. I had the pleasure of interviewing Ryan and actor Joe Parascand on the movie, but how many chances do you have to interview one of the not so dearly departed zombies. Joining me today is Leah Gelber-DeCicco.

Marie Gilbert: “Hi Leah. I’m so happy that you’re a guest on my blog today and that you can give us some insight on what it’s like to be a zombie in a movie. Could you tell us a little bit about yourself and what prompted you to be a zombie?                                                                              

Leah Gelber-DeCicco: Well, I was raised in a small town and have lived here ever since. Since I was nineteen, I’ve worked many jobs over the years in the retail and restaurant industry; going back and forth from being a stay at home mom of two daughters, Frances and Angela. But, in the last few months I found myself wanting to do exciting things; doing something different. I started going to Comic-Cons and conventions where they have celebrities, and the first one I went to was Wizard World with my husband, Frank, this past June in Brooklyn New York. My husband and I got to meet Norman Reedus and we got his autograph and his picture.

                                                                            

Marie Gilbert: Oh my God!  You met Norman Reedus? I love him.

Leah Gelber-DeCicco: Yes, he is awesome and a real sweetie. I’ll tell you what happened. We were there to have our picture taken and hopefully have it autographed, but the people doing the pictures had messed up and it was time for Norman Reedus to leave the area. When he realized that we were upset because of the mix-up, Norman walked back and said, “Don’t worry about it and God bless you.” He went back to the booth so we could get his autograph. I met Anthony Michael Hall and had a picture taken with him. The convention also offered a panel with questions and answers and I was able to talk to Henry Winkler (the Fonz) and he gave great advice on helping me raise my eleven year old on helping her reach her hopes and dreams. I even had a chance to speak with Stan Lee.

Marie Gilbert: Nice!

Leah Gelber-DeCicco: Yes, but I didn’t get to ask the question I wanted to ask. The girl before me asked that question first. My mother, youngest daughter and I got to see the newest preview of The Wolverine with Hugh Jackman and we got his autograph and a picture of him with my daughter, Frances, on my not so smart, phone.

Marie Gilbert: So how did you get the part for a zombie?

Leah Gelber-DeCicco: My very good friend Robin MacArthur told me about the Zombie Walk that they have at Asbury Park. After the Zombie walk there was an after party Asbury Park Lanes and that’s how I met Edward X Young. At the after party they were having contests on the stage and Edward Young was at the bar and we began talking. He told me he was an actor and I asked if there was ever any chance of me being a zombie or something. I love that stuff. He said he would see what he could do. He gave me his information and we became Facebook friends.

Marie Gilbert: So, who was the actual person who contacted you for the part?

Leah Gelber-DeCicco: I’m not sure if it was Edward Young or one of his friends, but I saw a post on how they needed people to play zombies in a film and to contact Stephen Ohlarik. We had to meet at Bernardsville, N.J. on a Friday night.

Marie Gilbert: So how did they get you ready for the part?

Leah Gelber-DeCicco: A gentleman called Dennis Carter Jr., who I didn’t realize I’d already met at the Zombie Walk, did my makeup. We had to sign a release form because we had to fall on the ground after we were shot. The ground was hard and I don’t have a high pain tolerance, so I asked the people in charge if I could be a crawling zombie. I figured if I’m a crawling zombie I wouldn’t have far to fall.

Marie Gilbert: Were you given outfits, or did you have to use your own clothing?

Leah Gelber-DeCicco: I went to a garage sale and bought clothing that I wouldn’t mind if the shoes or clothing were messed up with dirt or fake blood. I have a pair of navy blue sneakers that I used for the Zombie Walk and for this film and I call them my ‘zombie shoes’. I won’t use them for anything else.

Marie Gilbert: You’ll save them for your future zombie roles? Laughing

Leah Gelber-DeCicco: Laughing…Yes and it’s no problem because they’re already wreaked.

Marie Gilbert: Did you meet Joe Parascand on the set?

                                                                                   

 

Leah Gelber-DeCicco: Yes, I did and in fact, he shot me.

 

Marie Gilbert: So, Joe Parascand was the one who shot you? Laughing

Leah Gelber-DeCicco: Laughing, yes, he was Sheriff Tom and he shot me and killed me. Some people when they’re playing zombies they make growling and moaning sounds, but I didn’t make a sound I just moved my mouth like I wanted to eat someone. We were there for hours, but we had so much fun. It was really cold and I was joking around pretending that I was Rose from the Titanic.

Marie Gilbert: This does sound like a lot of fun.

Leah Gelber-DeCicco: As much fun as I had playing a zombie, I always wanted to play the part of someone who screams in a movie and if they ever need someone who can scream then that would be me. I’m a good screamer. Growing up, I was a bit of a nerd, didn’t have a lot of good relationships with boyfriends, and I wrote a poem called “Ugly Duckling” and it was published in an anthology called A Break in the Clouds. I met my true love right out of high school in 1992 and we got married in 1999. He’s a truck driver and I’m a stay at home mom.

Marie Gilbert: If the opportunity comes up, would you want to become an extra on upcoming films or commercials?

Leah Gelber-DeCicco: Oh yes, I would love it as long as it doesn’t interfere with my eleven year old. I would have loved to have my daughter accompanied me that night I played a zombie, but she has asthma, it was cold and we didn’t start until after five. I wasn’t sure if there were sex scenes in the script. You have to be careful when you have children.

                                                                    

Marie Gilbert: Do you kept in touch with the other people who played zombies that night?

Leah Gelber-DeCicco: Oh yes, I keep in touch with Dennis Carter Jr. who was a zombie.

Marie Gilbert: So, the makeup guy was also a zombie. Neat! Marie is laughing.

Leah Gelber-DeCicco: Laughing. Yes, the makeup guy was also a zombie.

Marie Gilbert: Do you keep in touch with the main actors?

Leah Gelber-DeCicco: Yes, with Dennis, Stephen, Edward, Ryan and a few others. They’re all my facebook friends.

Marie Gilbert: A lot of great films are being made more and more by Independent Film Companies and I’m so excited that we have so many talented young directors and producers coming into their own. What is your opinion of Ryan Scott Weber, Joe Parascand and the other stars of Witches’ Blood? Were they fun to work with?

Leah Gelber-DeCicco: They were fun to work with and very nice. God bless them, because I never knew how hard it truly was to do a movie. We were out there for hours and it was cold and dark. You know…at one point a train passed us, and we were wondering if they saw the bodies and the zombies.

Marie Gilbert: I can only imagine what they thought was going on. Thank you so much for sharing your story with me and my readers, Leah.

Leah Gelber-DeCicco: I am so happy that you accommodated me and took the time to hear about my part in the movie. It was just a small part in that one movie, but you took the time to listen. There is one more thing.  My younger daughter’s friends now think I’m cool and want to hang out with me and her. My daughter had a class Christmas party that I had promised to attend, but I was recovering from a recent surgery and afraid that I would not be able to keep my promise. My daughter had told all her friends about my being a zombie in a film; her classmates were very excited to hear about it. Even though I was still in pain and had trouble walking, I went and, seeing the smile on my daughter’s face made it all worthwhile. To experience that moment is one of the most gratifying things you can experience in your life, especially as a mom.

                                                                         

Well, my little zombie snacks, I hoped you enjoyed this interview with Leah Gelber-DeCicco and maybe we’ll see her in other movies. I promise to have more blogs about zombies and the people who play them. Stay safe; run fast.

 

  

 

Actor Joe Parascand Visits Gilbert Curiosities

                                                    

I’m honored to have a special guest on my blog today. Joe Parascand has not only produced movies, but stars in them too. I met Joe through mutual friends who own and design fabulous Steampunk clothing. Their site is www.Steampworks.com. They told me about Joe and that he was one of the actors in a new type of zombie movie called The Soulless. You can find the interview I did with The Soulless Director and Producer, Christopher Eilenstine on Biff Bam Pop.  But today we’re going to ask Joe about his character Sheriff Tom.

Marie Gilbert: Joe, I’m so happy to have you as a guest and I guess my first question is how you came up with the character Sheriff Tom and who did you base this character on?

                                                                        

                                                     

 

 

Joe Parascand: Sheriff Tom is Ryan Scott Weber’s creation (as is Mary Horror) – I just brought him to life. I just thought of him (going by Ryan’s great script) as a Clint Eastwood type who’s on the wrong side of the law (at least most of the time)- a guy who’s got a very high opinion of himself and doesn’t like being crossed.

                                                                             

Marie Gilbert: When did the character, Sheriff Tom, first appear on the movie screen? Which film? Tell us how you developed the character for each film and is he more Governor (David Morrissey) or Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln)?

Joe Parascand: First, Sheriff Tom was a villain in the first film of the trilogy called Mary Horror. Then he evolved into more of a maniac out for revenge against Mary Horror by the end of that first film and finally into a monster in both Sheriff Tom vs the Zombies and Witches’ Blood. In the latter 2 films, however, he became more of an anti-hero.

Second, I have never watched The Walking Dead so I have no idea as to how the Governor let alone any of their other characters behaves on that show-so I would not compare Sheriff Tom to any of them.

                                                                

                                                                                                                                               

Marie Gilbert: You’ve just finished working with Director Ryan Scott Weber on Witches’ Blood, what role did Sheriff Tom play in that film?

Joe Parascand: Like in Sheriff Tom vs the Zombies, part 2 of Mary Horror trilogy, Sheriff Tom is back as a monster and doing his own killing. As the Mary Horror character, herself, is now back in the flesh for the final film of the trilogy called Witches’ Blood, Mary has stolen the spell book from Sheriff Tom and it’s now up to the Sheriff both to retrieve the spell book as well as to stop Mary who, with the book, could become unstoppable. Without providing spoilers, some nice twists and turns as well as a wonderful climax make Witches’ Blood the fitting ending to a great trilogy.

                                                                           

Marie Gilbert: Will we be seeing more of Sheriff Tom in future films?

Joe Parascand: It looks like Witches’ Blood will be the last film featuring Sheriff Tom Walker. You could also see him in Season 1 of Zombies Incorporated, a comedy TV Series (DVDs have been up for sale since October 2013) which takes place prior (time-wise) to the films of Mary Horror trilogy and in Season 2 of the same series if it were to be shot in 2014.

                                                                                                                     

Marie Gilbert: If people are interested in seeing Mary Horror or Sheriff Tom vs the Zombies, where is it showing or is it on DVD?

                                                                   

Joe Parascand:  Here is the site where they can order DVDs for Mary Horror, Sheriff Tom vs the Zombies, and Season 1 of Zombies Incorporated http://weberpicturesstore.bigcartel.com

Thank you, Joe Parascand, for visiting with me and my followers. It was a pleasure having you as a guest and learning about you and your character, Sheriff Tom Walker and, to all my followers, keep your eye on a rising star and check out the films mentioned on this blog.

Director Ryan Scott Weber Talks about Witches Blood

                                                             

                                                                                                                                                                          

Marie Gilbert: Ryan I’m so excited to have you as a guest on my blog. Tell us a little bit about Witches Blood. How is this movie different from Mary Horror?

                                                                          

Ryan Scott Weber: Witches Blood is the third and final movie of the Mary Horror trilogy. Mary Horror was mostly about Mary and her struggles with the spell book, and the sequel Sheriff Tom Vs. the Zombies was about the Sheriff and his struggles with the evil book. Witches Blood is about them both trying to claim the book and make it their own while left over zombies are in the way.

                                                             

Marie Gilbert: Can you tell us about the cast for Witches Blood?

Ryan Scott Weber: The Witches Blood cast is a group of the most talented actors in New Jersey. Joe Parascand stands out as well as Kim Graf giving the best lead performances I’ve seen in my films. There are so many great actors in the film, I can’t name them all, but some that come to mind are Kristen Accardi, Randy Memoli, Edward X. Young, John Link, Brian Meehan, Stephen Ohlarik, Jessica Montana, Kayt Supple, Jessica Mulchay, Jason Jackson, Patrick Turner, Therese Crowley and the List goes on! My cast always works hard and without them, we could not make these movies as high quality as they are for the little money we have. They are dedicated to their craft.

Marie Gilbert: Is your Mary Horror or Witches Blood anything like American Horror Story’s season 3, Coven?

Ryan Scott Weber: IDK cause I haven’t seen season 3. I have seen season 1. It seems like a high quality show. When you’re always making films, sometimes, you don’t have time to watch everything that’s out there.

                                                            

Marie Gilbert: Are there zombies featured in Witches Blood? If so, what part do they play as pertaining to the witch story?

                                                               

Ryan Scott Weber: There are Many ZOMBIES!! Well it really started in Mary Horror. Mary herself was a zombie of some sorts when she came back from the dead. It really happened though in Sheriff Tom Vs. the Zombies when the spell was unleashed in the movie turning everyone into zombies. Even though the spell was lifted, there remains zombies and I like to call them the leftovers; they are not as nice as the ones in Sheriff Tom. They serve many purposes in this one. They are just plain evil this time.

Marie Gilbert: You play Billy Lloyd in several of your films. Is it difficult to be one of the actors on set while also directing a film? Is Billy a main character in Witches Blood?
                                                                              

Ryan Scott Weber: It is difficult, but it’s also a lot of fun. As a director you have to multi-task. You have 50 questions thrown at you at once and still have to concentrate on what you’re trying to direct. I also did the lighting this time as well as all the camera work. It was many jobs but I enjoy them all. Acting is just fun for me. I love being in front of the camera and getting to be a part of the cast. I work very hard to make sure I don’t suck as an actor. I do like to go off my own script all the time and improvise, and throw the rest of the cast off. I have been taking on more acting to improve and broaden my experience as an actor.

                                                                     

Marie Gilbert: You’ve also directed “Zombies Incorporated” for Television. Will you be doing more episodes and when can we expect to see this show? I hope soon; I love zombies.

Ryan Scott Weber: We shot 8 episodes last summer for season one and it was a blast and also a challenge. We filmed an episode in one day and directing was a big challenge and also the camera work. Cause it’s shot reality style, we can only show what the camera is seeing so it was fun to do a different format. It brought me back to my short film days. Everyone worked so hard to make it great and I get the most emails about that show then with the films. We will be shooting season 2 in the summer/fall of 2014, once my next film is done that I hope to start shooting in May.

Marie Gilbert: Tell us about the Sheriff Tom Vs. the Zombies movie and sequel, and you working with Joe Parascand?

                                                                     

Ryan Scott Weber: Sheriff Tom Vs. the Zombies was such a big undertaking. I was trying to make a film for little money look like a big budget blockbuster. The only way to make that happen was to have Joe be the lead. Joe is the best actor in New Jersey. He also is the nicest man in New Jersey but only when he isn’t wearing the eye patch, ha. He gets totally into his characters and gives it his all, cause he loves what he does. A little of Joe is in Sheriff Tom too and I wanted it that way. He brought the character to another level. Sheriff Tom has become a staple at all the Horror cons around the east coast. I couldn’t do it without him. He is also a great friend. He has given all his time, energy and even money to help things happen. He is the best person to have beside you for your film.

Marie Gilbert: Where do you find the biggest supporters of Independent Films?

                                                                                                                                                                              

Ryan Scott Weber: At the Horror Conventions. I love going to them. I’ve been a horror fan since I was little and been going to these cons since 1997, so to be a part of it now is amazing. I have to thank Kevin Clement who is Mr. Chiller on the Chiller Theatre con. He saw my film Mary Horror and loved it, and ever since he has been so supportive; letting me show my films at this amazing con. There is nothing like Chiller and I’m glad I can be part of it. We have gained so many great fans from that con. I just love meeting people. I make the movies for the fans. Half the death scenes in Sheriff Tom are what fans told me they wanted to see happen in a horror film.

Marie Gilbert: Thank you Ryan for being a guest on my blog and for my readers, you can find Ryan Scott Weber’s films on these sites:

www.weberpicturesstore.bigcartel.com

www.weberpicturescompany.com

www.sherifftomvsthezombie.com

www.maryhorror.com

https://www.facebook.com/SheriffTomVsTheZombies

https://www.facebook.com/WitchesBlood

https://www.facebook.com/zombiesinctv

https://www.facebook.com/MaryHorror

https://www.facebook.com/thelegendofzeke