Interview with Horror Film Veteran and Author Jude S. Walko

Jude S. Walko Interview

Jude S. Walko

1.     Thank you so much for joining me! For those who don’t know you, could you please introduce yourself?

Hi Nico, my name is Jude S. Walko and I am a nearly 30 year veteran of the film

business. I am a Producer’s Guild of America producer, a Screen Actor’s Guild Actor, a

screenplay writer and a member of the Horror Writer’s Association, as well as the

International Animated Film Association. Those are just fancy ways of saying I’m super

creative.

2.     Without giving away any spoilers, could you please tell us a bit about your book The Unhallowed Horseman?

Absolutely! Here’s a brief summary.

In a town enamored with its Unhallowed Horseman legend, a distraught teenage boy

must come to terms with his personal demons, and perhaps the Horseman himself.

Set on All Hallows’ Eve, psychological thriller The Unhallowed Horseman takes place

against the backdrop of a seemingly peaceful, picturesque American small town with an

iconic past. The story follows Vincent, a distraught and troubled high schooler, and his

descent into the demons that plague his mind. Some things about the town and its

inhabitants aren’t quite as they seem. Generations of families have been living there with

a deep and dark secret, one on the verge of reincarnating itself once again.

With the help of his newfound love for classmate Lorraine, Vincent navigates the

treacherous obstacles in his life. Whether it be the overbearing no-holds-barred sheriff,

his tempestuous mother, or the holier-than-thou townsfolk, Vincent seems to be under

constant bombardment from prying eyes. What's more, Lorraine's overprotective father,

Deputy Constance, suspects Vincent of having committed some heinous crimes.

Only after uncovering the town's history does Vincent begin to unravel its complex

mystery and that of the people living there, including his own ancestors. Can he solve the

mystery in time to save the people he truly loves, or will he, like others before him, fall

prey to an age-old curse passed down through the centuries. The town prepares for the

return of a killer legend, while one young man prepares to take on his innermost demons.

The Unhallowed Horseman is a contemporary reimagining based on characters in the

American classic "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" by Washington Irving, the Father of

American Literature.

3.     What inspired this book?

I was a big fan of the original story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” growing up. I look at

it now as kind of a primer into my horror and gothic sensibilities of today. I remember

every Halloween the story would resurface again and you would get the unequivocal

creepy-cool feeling of the haunting season, even as kids.

As I grew older, I leaned hard into classic literature and one Halloween season as an adult

I read all of Washington Irving’s and Edgar Allan Poe’s creek writings. Those readings

inspired me to write the screenplay version that eventually got fleshed out into the book,

nearly a decade later.

4.     Could you please tell us a little about your movie The Incantation?


Sure! It’s also a bit of a witchy cultish movie. It’s a story about a young American woman

named Lucy Bellerose (played by the amazing Sam Valentine). She goes on a trip to

France, for her Great Uncle’s funeral, and while there meets some rather unsavory

characters including Dean Cain (former Superman) and myself.

After researching the area, and her family, as well as the massive castle she’s staying in,

she learns of the areas dark past and their dealing with witchcraft, the occult and even

devil worship.

It’s akin to “Rosemary’s Baby” in a way, but it’s not very graphic or gory. More of a

psychological thrill ride in some beautiful locations.
 

5.     Um…how did you get Dean Cain attached to the project??! 😊

I produced a film Dean acted in way back in 2008 in Austin, Texas called “Circle of

Pain”. Dean had some scheduling conflicts come up last minute and with the help of

some kind crew, I managed to get him out early to a much more lucrative job.

Then almost a decade later I called him up, and being the forever gracious person he was,

he returned the favor and did my film. Although I can tell you, we otherwise really would

not have been able to afford him.

6.     So, let’s say a newbie filmmaker comes to you and says, “I have this great idea for a movie, but I have no idea how to get it off the ground.” What tips do you give them?

That happens often. I take the Marine Corps approach of break them down and then build

them up.

First I say everyone has ideas, which is true. You might read an article, have a dream, or

simply put two completely different things together like clowns and space, for example.

So that’s nothing new.

Then I say the film businesses is ultra-competitive, long hours, not glamorous 95% of the

time and very hard.

After they drink their beer mug full of tears, I say keep your chin up. Write those

thoughts down. Then read books like Joseph Campbell’s “The Hero’s Journey” or “Save

The Cat” by Blake Snyder. Once you have a basic grasp of story structure, arc and

character development, you’re well on your way. This applies to flash fiction,

screenplays, novels, whatever.

Now most importantly remember every little piece of work you put in on that project gets

it closer to becoming real. Most people never get past that idea stage. If you manage to

flesh out into a script, a novel and or a development or pitch package, you’ve already

jumped up the ladder.

If you want to be a DP or Director, start shooting on your phone or whatever is available

to you. There are plenty of cheap or free apps for editing for beginners. Also there are

slews of videos on social media and YouTube about shooting, editing and putting stories

together.

If you want to be an actor (or even technical crew member) get involved with local

friends, universities or students. Stage plays, shorts, Indies and theater productions are

just as good to cut your teeth on as anything else.

The point is no matter the field, or the project, you have to be willing to put in the work.

No one is going to knock on your door and ask you for the next great Harry Potter or

Marvel idea or to star opposite Jennifer Lawrence. Just like you wouldn’t be expected to

fly a 747 without decades of experience and knowledge. These careers are all crafts and

take a ton of effort and decision to succeed in.

7.     What is the most challenging aspect of being a filmmaker, in your opinion?

Staying relevant. As I mentioned our business is highly competitive. That means you

constantly have to reinvent yourself. What’s more, you can’t wait for those phone calls

and emails to just roll in. You must stay proactive. Keep writing, acting or auditioning,

polishing your technical skills and self-promote ’til the cows come home. There’s a

saying “You’re only as good as your last film” and this applies to everyone from the

interns and production assistants all the way up to the Johnny Depps and Brad Pitt’s of

the world.

8.     What’s next for you? Any projects you can talk about?

I always have a ton going on. “The Unhallowed Horseman” is always in a state of

development as a film or series. It seems to garner a lot of interest, but it still hasn’t found

a home yet.

My business partner at Blue Falcon Productions LLC, Dan Campbell, is a former Alpha

Company 1/24 Marine and we are currently developing a docu-series based on the lives

of all affected in Fallujah in 2007 called “Sons of Fallujah”. This includes those who

served, families of Marines killed in action and the Iraqis themselves, among others.

And finally I am writing an official biography of some iconic filmmakers, but I can’t

quite talk about that yet, although it’s probably my favorite project for many reasons.

Stay tuned for that!

9.     Where can readers find you?

THE UNHALLOWED HORSEMAN

Goodreads -  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59316303-the- unhallowed-

horseman

Amazon - https:// www.amazon.com/Unhallowed-Horseman-Jude-S-

Walko/dp/0578303566

Twitter -  https://twitter.com/HorsemanRides

Facebook -  https://www.facebook.com/TheUnhallowedHorseman  

Website -  http://www.theunhallowedhorseman.com/

JUDE S. WALKO

Amazon Author Page -  https://www.amazon.com/Jude-S-Walko/e/B09K6ZLSGF

IMDb -  https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0908351/

Twitter -  https://twitter.com/judeswalko

Facebook -  https://www.facebook.com/JudeStephenWalko/  

Instagram -  https://www.instagram.com/judeswalko/  

YouTube -  https://www.youtube.com/c/HollywoodhoBRO  

LinkedIn -  https://www.linkedin.com/in/judeswalko/  

Linktree - https://linktr.ee/JudeSWalko