We’re thrilled to have an interview with Joseph Herrera, an openly gay actor/producer who has just secured distribution for a new horror film called Reel Killz:
Queer Sci Fi: Hey Joseph, thanks for hanging out with us at Queer Sci Fi. :) What’s it like being an openly gay in Hollywood these days?
Joseph Herrera: I feel so lucky that I am not judged on who I’m sleeping with but only by what I can bring to the table here in the Dallas film community. I pretty much give that freedom to the gays before who fought for us to be out and open and my fellow gays today who are still fighting for our equal rights.
QSF: I understand that you have a new film going into distribution called Reel Killz. Tell me a little about it?
JH: Yes! I’m so excited to have my first movie secure a distribution deal with ITN DISTRIBUTION. Reel Killz is about a group of misfit movie-inspired killers who stalk and prey on a dysfunctional family on vacation.
QSF: What were your roles in the film and its production?
JH: I wrote, starred and produced Reel Killz. When you have a very tight budget you have to wear more hats off and on set.
QSF: What inspired you to write the screenplay for Reel Killz?
JH: I wanted to make this drama I wrote but it was pre-production hell. I went through so many directors and producers and deep down I felt the script could be so much better. So after a year I wrote something on a much smaller scale and took the actors who were still available and gave them a part in Reel Killz. It all worked out just fine!
QSF: What else might we have seen you in?
JH: I’m still climbing the ladder, with my main focus being behind the camera. I like to act but I’d much rather learn about producing and shaping my writing skills.
QSF: What are you working on next?
JH: I just finished my next script. A thriller about a young woman who married a much older man. He dies and the man’s oldest daughter hires a detective to prove that the wife killed her father. I was very much inspired by Basic Instinct and low budget 80’s horror movies. I’m super excited about this one and can’t wait to start pre-production on it. And if Reel Killz does well in the DVD market I am excited to start planning a sequel to that. There are so many directions I can go with those characters.
About Joseph:
Joseph Herrera is an actor and filmmaker from Haltom City, Texas. He made his film debut as both an actor and filmmaker in 2015 with his drama short film, “Alone Inside”. The ten-minute short film was made for the Rack Focus Film Competition by Israel Luna where actors and filmmakers have to make a ten-minute (exactly, nothing more, nothing less) short film to premiere in a festival-like scenario and to be judged by their peers.
The movie did not win; however it showcased a breakthrough performance by Dallas-area transgender actress, Krystal Summers (“Ticked-Off Trannies With Knives”, “Kicking Zombie Ass for Jesus”) playing a non-trans role. It also showed Joseph’s range as a dramatic actor; playing a teenager struggling with depression.
About Reel Killz
Herrera premiered “Reel Killz” on Wednesday August 15, 2018 at 7:00 PM at the Bedford Movie Tavern in what is his feature-length debut as an: actor, producer, and screenwriter. Travis Travieso is directing and executive producing, with Rack Focus creator and local filmmaker, Israel Luna editing. The film stars: Joseph Herrera, April Hartman, Rebekah PetroRoy, John Charles Dickson, and Taylor Nieland.
“Reel Killz” is a feature-length horror/mystery movie that follows a family reuniting at their cabin retreat and unknowingly get cast in a snuff film, where the crew only plans to release the cast once “reel” blood has spilled. The title is a reference to an actor’s or a filmmaker’s reel.
Currently the movie is undergoing some touch-ups and should be released soon. On January 14, 2019 Joseph announced via his personal Facebook that he secured distribution with ITN.
For more information on the movie follow them on Facebook @reelkillzmovie