Ryan Kjolberg
Based out of Phoenix, Arizona, Ryan Kjolberg is a writer, director, producer whose passion for storytelling has prompted him to explore various forms of esthetic, story design, and tone in the pursuit of his own cinematic style.
Inspired by filmmakers like Stanley Kubrick, David Fincher, and Denis Villenueve, Ryan’s films harken to a dark and brooding nature that surrounds his characters (and the worlds they inhabit) in an air of suspense and mystery. Although his experiences to date have mainly been with directing short films, Ryan hopes to make the jump into feature work where he can better display his talents.
Outside of film, Ryan’s interests extend to drawing, music, travel, fine dinning, and breathing.
Alter Films
SHUTTER
Q & A
Name a Horror character you relate to on a spiritual level? Who is your Horror spirit animal?
I’d say Black Phillip, from the Witch. We both want to live, deliciously!
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?
I’m sure I’ve had some bad ideas but I don’t make a habit of committing them all to memory, typically I spit them out in a frenzy and if they don’t work, I leave them where they lay. Or I make a short film out of it. It’s all subjective. Some bad ideas become good ones with a little attention.
Do you consider yourself part of a horror community?
I do in the way that I enjoy both watching and making horror content. I’m new to this community but I look forward to contributing more to it.
When you’re building the world of your film, where do you look for inspiration?
I’d say dreams. This film was heavily inspired by nightmares that I’ve had, as well one that my close friend had told me.
What would you do if you woke up inside of your film?
I’d probably think I was dreaming, which then would lead me to try and fly. I’d like to think I’d be able to do it.
Who would be on your ultimate horror villain squad?
It would just be Jack Torrence but he’s infected by the Alien from John Carpenter’s the Thing!
Lightning round: Freddy or Jason? Stephen King or H.P. Lovecraft? Practical or CGI? Post Apocalypse or Pre Apocalypse?
Neither, Michael Myers. HP Lovecraft. Practical all the way. Dystopian.
And finally, Ghostface would like to know ‘What’s your favourite scary movie?’
I’d say that my tastes in horror are always evolving but one movie that has always stuck with me is Pan’s Labyrinth. The film is such a successful union between horror, fantasy, and drama that it hits all the right notes for me. The creature design, art depart, cinematography, music, editing, acting, directing, etc. everything was on point in that film, so much so that I was mesmerized when I first saw it and can remember that feeling so vividly. Oh and the bottle scene, who could forget that?