John Humber
John Humber made his directorial debut with the superhero coming of age feature Dakota Skye, which played festivals around the world and was distributed by eOne. He followed that up by working as a staff writer on the El Rey spy series Matador, sold a script to Blumhouse/QED and was hired by Skydance to co-write the sci-fi film Gamers with Roberto Orci. In 2018, he wrote and directed the award winning short film Jameson and is working on a feature version called Fear the Dark.
Alter Films
JAMESON
Q & A
Name a Horror character you relate to on a spiritual level? Who is your Horror spirit animal?
Jack Torrance. While it might sound twisted, a blocked writer who is slowly going mad is something I can relate to more than I’d like to admit.
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?
There’s an evolution of the train of thought that can lead you to something really creative. A “bad idea” can have the heart of a great one if you are open to looking outside the box and not judging. So I know this might feel like I’m dodging the question, but I don’t really believe in bad ideas. All ideas can lead somewhere amazing if you let them and are willing to explore.
Do you consider yourself part of a horror community?
I’d like very much to be a part of the horror community. Jameson is my first foray into the genre but it will not be my last. I’d say I’ve submitted my request for membership and am waiting patiently for a response.
When you’re building the world of your film, where do you look for inspiration?
The two primary sources of inspiration for Jameson were the third act of Stray Dogs and the Richard Matheson novel “I Am Legend.”
What would you do if you woke up inside of your film?
Honestly… I’d probably die pretty quickly. I’m not what one would call a survivalist. Whether I was killed by the travelers, eaten by the creatures in the woods or not being able to hunt/harvest, I wouldn’t last long.
Who would be on your ultimate horror villain squad?
Starting five: Pazuzu, Freddy Kruger, The Thing, Predator and Hannibal Lector (for good conversation and culinary skills).
Lightning round: Freddy or Jason? Stephen King or H.P. Lovecraft? Practical or CGI? Post Apocalypse or Pre Apocalypse?
Freddy Lovecraft Practical (with CG augmentation) – It might be cheating but it’s 2019. Pre-Apocalypse – Who would want to live POST Apocalypse???
And finally, Ghostface would like to know ‘What’s your favourite scary movie?’The Exorcist (with a special mention to The Shining as runner-up).
The Exorcist (with a special mention to The Shining as runner-up).