Mike Wolfe

Mike has been writing for as long as they can remember and have found a home in horror for even longer. For the better part of 2 decades they have weaved in and out of the world of filmmaking and genre by writing, directing, and performing special fx makeup.

They count starting No Signal Picturehouse with co-director Austin Faust as the beginning of a new chapter in their life and they look forward to creating new tales of the weird and wicked in the years to come.

Alter Films

HI + RUN

Q & A

Name a Horror character you relate to on a spiritual/personal level?

Beef from Phantom of The Paradise. I’ll be providing no further explanation at this time.

You’ve gotta go through some bad ideas to get to the good ones. Tell us one of your bad ideas. How do you get past the bad ones to find your spark?

When I first got into filmmaking I tried making a REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, bad Rob Zombie rip off. I think the nearly 2 decade journey about finding my spark has really been about finding my voice and telling stories that mean something to me.

Do you consider yourself part of a horror community?

I definitely do. We all flock to this genre for a reason. A lot of us have found comfort in the macabre. I often tell people that the stuff on screen really wasn’t as bad as the stuff of real life when I was a kid so horror has always been my caretaker and it’s always been there to take me by the hand. I think there are a lot of folks that have similar stories and it brings us all together.

When you’re building the world of your film, where do you look for inspiration?

For me personally I’m always just trying to find a way to filter some really difficult stuff through genre. For example, a feature we’re working on started as an examination of abusive relationships and the inability to let go that’s become The Little Mermaid meets Misery.

What would you do if you woke up inside of your film?

What would you do if you woke up inside of your film?

Who would be on your ultimate horror villain squad?

honestly I just wanna pal around with Sam from Trick r Treat

Lightning round: Freddy or Jason? Stephen King or H.P. Lovecraft? Practical or CGI? Post Apocalypse or Pre Apocalypse?

Freddy. Stephen King. Practical. Post Apocalypse.

How do you go about creating the props and sets for your film? How do you create objects that are relatable but unfamiliar?

I think things being grounded in reality is really important. Things have to have a tangible base to be believed. For the set in Hit + Run we wanted everything to feel timeless and lived in so we went through great lengths to really dress things appropriately and get into the characters space. I think the relationship between the characters and their environments (props, wardrobe, sets) is so so so important.

What scares you, and does it inspire your storytelling?

The dark, the ocean, being alone. I think things that scare me on a day to day level are the things that end up making their way into the storytelling.

And finally, Ghostface would like to know ‘What’s your favourite scary movie?’

Jaws. Forever and ever.