Today we’d like to introduce you to Hunter Johnson.
Hunter, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I moved to Los Angeles in 2012 with the hopes of getting into films, in particular, horror films, as an actor/director/producer. I had made some indie films growing up and had always had aspirations to move to Los Angeles to get into the film business, even as a young child.
After studying acting and film at Columbia College Chicago, I took the West Coast plunge, and I began going about the normal grind that many people race every day – auditions, networking events & various meetings with friends of friends of friends, that generally went nowhere. After a few years, I wasn’t where I wanted to be, so I decided to try a new angle to help expose myself to original horror content. I started LAHorror.com as a way to network with other horror filmmakers and also as a place to showcase my own original horror content.
I produced LAHorror.com‘s first pair of short films in 2014, and have slowly been expanding my network of reliable filmmakers, actors & creators. Since then, we have been working non stop creating original horror content. My first directorial feature, “2 Jennifer,” a sequel to James Cullen Bressack’s underground hit “To Jennifer,” was released in 2016. Since then I have helped produce two additional ‘Jennifer’ films, I have directed two additional horror features (Serena Waits & Irrational Fear, coming soon via Terror Films), two horror documentaries (California Paranormal & LA’s Most Haunted), a long-running horror web series entitled “Malvolia: The Queen of Screams,” and many, many more projects in various stages of production.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Smooth roads don’t exist in this industry unless you’re extremely lucky. Every day there are all sorts of challenges to overcome when completing a film, be them budgetary, logistical, technical, or just things that go wrong that are completely out of your control. Like any other business in the world, there are amazing days and there are days that could be better. But I find the best way to overcome most challenges in the indie film world is simply to surround yourself with good people. It sounds cliche but it’s so true. If you have a solid team of folks that are just as passionate about your project as you are, then you will find a way to collectively succeed.
Please tell us about LAHorror.com.
LAHorror.com specializes in producing ultra low budget horror content, documentaries, and feature films. We operate on incredibly small budgets and keep most of our work in house to keep costs down. We are still getting our feet on the ground, but we are aiming to be a new brand of indie horror content that doesn’t quit. My personal goal is to be the force behind at least 2-4 new feature-length horror projects per year, and with each year we aim to raise our own bar in terms of quality, content & production value.
What were you like growing up?
I grew up in a town called Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. It was your average American suburb right next to Milwaukee. I became pretty obsessed with monster movies growing up and when my mother worked the overnight shifts, my dad would watch horror movies with my brother and I. Then, when the news of Jeffrey Dahmer broke, a new boogeyman was born in my hometown & psyche as his residence was only a few miles from where I lived. This began a fascination with the horror genre that I never really shook.
I was gifted acting classes from my grandmother when I was about 12 years old, so I began regularly attending Milwaukees First Stage Children’s Theater’s summer courses, and eventually performed in multiple productions there. I would shoot little stupid movies with friends, I was cast in my first legit indie feature film during high school, did most of the high school plays and basically decided that I was going to try to make a career out of it.
Overall there were lots of things that have pushed me to be where I am now, but probably the most important thing of all was that I had a very supportive family who encouraged me, believed in me and pushed me along the way.
Contact Info:
- Website: LAHorror.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: instagram.com/lahorrorcom
- Twitter: twitter.com/lahorrorcom
Image Credit:
Cast&crew of LAHorror.com & Slasher Studios collaboration “Irrational Fear” (coming soon via Terror Films), Screen grab from Alex T. Hwang’s film “Lilith” (now available), Script read for LAHorror.com original film “Serena Waits” (coming soon via Terror Films), “From Jennifer” film premiere, BTS of “60 Seconds to Die – segment The Dance Studio Massacre” (now available)., BTS of “Ugly Sweater Party” (now available) – also in photo actor Charles Chudabal, BTS on the set of “Desert Moon” (coming soon), BTS selfie from “Irrational Fear” – also in photo actor Baker Chase Powell
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
