Bat City Scaregrounds, Horror Web Productions, & the Immortalz (Corey Trahan)

Conducted by Giallo Julian — 05/02/2025

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Well, hello there, Blood Babes! You’re just in time to catch Indie Horror creator COREY TRAHAN and I talk a bit about his work — films, music, THEME PARKS, just to name a few. So get comfortable, bare your fangs, and see what new blood drips this time!

Interview:

Giallo Julian: “Well, first of all, I want to thank you for taking the time to talk to me this morning! About your work, your background, and everything that we’re going to talk about today. It’s a pleasure, brother.”

Corey Trahan: “Same! Thanks for having me!”

GJ: “Of course! Let’s start off with the basics.

“Tell us how you first got into horror. What twists and turns happened in your life to give you a love for the genre?”

CT: “So, I’m a fantasy guy. Always have been, you know? My friends and I played Dungeons & Dragons growing up, and I was always the dungeon master.”

GJ: “I know that feeling.”

CT: “I just love telling stories… I loved fantasy, and being a curious person, horror always had a certain allure and mystery for me. Halloween night would come, and “the veil was thin.” Well, what is this “veil?” [What’s up with] spirits?

“On the flip side of my life, I’m a scientist — a physicist — and so there’s this sort of inner curiosity that I have had even since I was a kid. I like to attribute my love for horror — oddly enough — to that, because just being a big fan of fantasy, I like these supernatural things.

“Horror has this mysterious allure to me… It was fun to think about, What if ghosts were real?... What if these things were real?… And then movies, horror films — smarter horror films — would tend to capitalize off of things like zombies, and try to insert them into a realistic setting. Like, What if the zombie outbreak was really just an infection from a scientific experiment, or something? That was fascinating to me, because it’s always this, What if?

“So I think it’s sort of rooted in my love for storytelling, fantasy, and just curiosity of the unknown and the mysterious. Because of that, as kids, me and my friends would go to the rental store and rent VHS. We were always watching horror films.

“Halloween was a huge thing for us. We would set up haunted houses in our garages. The problem with our haunted houses is that we were — it was too much, and so we didn’t have anyone ever come through them because people in the neighborhood were like, “We don’t know what’s going on over there. They’re revving up a chainsaw in a garage… And also, those kids are kind of weird, so I don’t know.” [laughs]

“One Halloween in particular was great, because my dad is a jokester, and I was out — We weren’t getting people into our haunted house, you know, so I was the recruiter. So I went out [into] the neighborhood, trying to say, “Hey, come down to our garage haunted house!” We had sheets hung up in the garage to make rooms and stuff. So my dad put on a sheet like a ghost, a classic ghost Halloween costume, and he walked up to me. I didn’t know who he was, and I’m like, “Hey, come down to our haunted house!” And he tackled me to the ground… He scared the living shit out of me, you know, and then I found out it was my dad.

“Those sort of inner curiosities, and love for storytelling and fantasy, is what drives this horror fascination that I have. Film and music, those sorts of things, fed that curiosity.”

GJ: “Hell yeah, man! It’s interesting because you say you’re a physicist, and you’re interested in all the supernatural and stuff like that. So it’s like a dichotomy between the two. You’re sitting there like, Here’s what I know is fact, but I’m also interested in the “what-ifs” of all this kind of stuff.”

CT: “Not necessarily as much of a dichotomy as you would think for the type of work I do. I’m a quantum physicist and — well, I got a PhD in quantum physics in 2003 from the University of Texas in Austin, and I still teach there in the fall… At that level, you would be surprised at where the supernatural becomes a possibility. Most really, really advanced scientists have a profound appreciation for the things that we don’t know, and the aspects of reality that we don’t know.

“What used to be supernatural became scientific fact, and that’s the evolution of human technology and understanding. So what we may think is supernatural now may not be supernatural — as far as our progression of scientific understanding — a hundred years from now.”

GJ: “I’ve heard that quantum physics is borderline Lovecraftian at some points, so that makes a lot of sense.”

CT: “Can be! There’s certainly a lot of different theories and stuff out there.”

GJ: “Fascinating... I dig that!

“So, next question — When it comes to the horror community, you’re pretty prominent in the Austin indie scene.

“How did you first become part of it? Was it a rough road to do so, or was it a relatively smooth trip? How has it changed over the years?”

CT: “When it comes to Austin’s horror and, sort of, the goth community — I actually have been a musician for most of my life, so… I would say I was actually more embedded into the Austin music community for a long time.

“When I opened up my Lubbock theme park… seventeen, eighteen years ago, I started networking, and I networked with the people here in Austin, because that’s my home. So I think that was… the initial introduction for me into this world in 2007, or something, into the community of Austin. Since then… where I and my production company really became embedded into the Austin community was around 2018.

“About that time, we started a production company called Horror Web Productions. My friends and I had decided to open up a Halloween theme park here in Austin — Bat City Scaregrounds — and so I felt that it was the right time to join this community in Austin. We started to do things for the community… Horror Web started to interview people in the community here, and we would host those interviews up on YouTube.

“It was just a lot of fun. It was a lot of what like you do now, in the sense that we were reaching out to people, like Joey Slayne from The Glass Coffin, or all our friends that we have made and had over the years. We were saying, “Hey, we’d like to interview you guys, and celebrate what it is that you’re doing for this community! Then… host it on YouTube!”

“I think… that’s what really established me and my crew as integral parts of the community, is really just celebrating the community by doing these things. And ever since then, also — Oh! You know, of course, opening a theme park. I have… nowadays a lot of the community reaching out to me to be involved in one way, shape, or form. Which is actually really nice, and a great way to keep in touch with the city. You know?”

GJ: “Yeah, for sure. I feel like a lot of the scenes in Austin blend together. So the music scene blends in with the horror scene, which blends with the art scene.”

CT: “For sure.”

GJ: “Austin is a place of a lot of culture. It’s very different from everywhere else in Texas… Anywhere you go in Austin, you’re going to see something, like art, music, film, just people doing performative art in the street. There’s not a place there that you’re not going to see some form of culture or art happening.”

CT: “Yeah, for sure. And nowadays, it’s definitely blended… I was recently asked to jump on as an advisor — or maybe even a co-director, I’m not sure — but I was recently asked to jump on a music video from a metal band, and they needed a horror component. It was a horror music video, so given my experience with doing special effects and horror films — So in that case, there’s this blending of both in that music and film… Absolutely.”

GJ: “It’s amazing. I love it. Every time I go there, I’m just blown away with how much love and camaraderie is around that area. Like, last time I went to Kick Butt Coffee to see you guys perform at that whole film festival they did, it was amazing. I met so many cool people there, and it was cool seeing you perform and everything… I don’t usually go out to the field that much, so it was nice being part of that, and meeting all these types of people — that I usually just talk to online — in person. It’s really heartwarming, in a way.”

CT: “Yeah, it is. It’s a great community. It’s great people, and they’re passionate. I speak to both the musicians in the community, and also the people in the horror and goth community here in Austin. They’re small business owners, or filmmakers, or whatever it is they’re doing. It’s a very passionately driven community. I think you have to be driven by passion to engage in things like that. You know? It’s great, and it can be tight knit. Austin’s not — It’s a big city, but it’s not a HUGE city, so you can still have a community. I have friends from LA, and they’re always very impressed by the community that we have here in Austin. They’re just like, “In LA, it’s nothing like that! It’s very split!” And I think that a large part of that comes from the Austin small-town roots, and the fact that we’re not quite that big yet.”

GJ: “Exactly. There’s a central hub, but then everything else just kind of branches out… It’s like several hubs of several different types of people, several different types of artists everywhere, so it makes perfect sense.

“So you’re known for several different avenues in the local horror community, with the biggest one being your Halloween haunt — Bat City Scaregrounds.

“How did the Scaregrounds start? What inspired you to do it year after year?”

CT: “Yeah! Yeah, I asked myself that — What inspired me? [laughs]”

GJ: “[laughs]”

CT: “Obviously, the business is doing well, but like I mentioned earlier, I just always have been a fan of haunted houses and animatronics. As a physicist, I love robotics and microcontrollers. I met my business partner while in Lubbock, and we were talking through a mutual friend… and he heard that I was thinking about opening up a haunted house… His name is Wes.

“Wes reached out and said, “I’m thinking about doing the same thing, too.”... He’s a [well-known radio DJ] for most of the Panhandle of Texas, and his outreach was phenomenal, so it made a lot of sense. In 2006, I did some research, and we decided to open what I call a “theme park,” because it’s not just a haunted house — it’s multiple haunted houses. There’s concessions, and there’s entertainment, and stage entertainment, and [bands].

“So we opened that up, and it was a struggle. We worked really hard. We had a lot of growing pains, but I loved it… This was a real passion for me as an artist, because these things, these sort of parks — It’s really nice because they span different elements of art. You have makeup effects, you have set production, you have audio design, you have light design. So for someone like me… I like to change the things that I’m doing. You know? Interdisciplinary artists, I guess you would say.

“It was really fascinating, because I could dabble in all these channels of art in the business. And any time you’re in a business, of course, it’s only as successful as the passion and the grit you put into it. So that business — Nightmare on 19th Street in Lubbock, Texas — did really well through the years. We grew, we were patient, and it started to do so well six or seven years ago, that we started to open up a park here in Austin, Texas — Bat City Scaregrounds.

“I live in Austin, that’s my hometown, and I had been traveling to Lubbock a ton, so I was like, I want to do something at home. And so we bought fifteen acres of agricultural property. It was crazy there were still fifteen acres this close to downtown.”

GJ: “Not shit! Goddamn.”

CT: “It’s only fifteen miles from downtown Austin, right? We bought it in 2016, developed that park with the city, commercialized the land, and then built our theme park on that.

“What keeps that park going year to year, the drive to build — I mean, I’m going out there today to build, you know, and we have — It is the crew. I have a great crew. They’re very passionate about horror, and whatever the art form that they do — production design, or sculpting, or whatever — it’s like a giant canvas.

“You know these things if you’re an artist — if you’re a horror artist, in particular. That’s what I often tell people, “It’s a canvas! Let’s work together on a concept, and then you do your thing. Be inspired, and go out and create.”

“And it’s not just any canvas. It’s not a canvas that is going to be sold to somebody at a trade show, and maybe a handful of people will see it. Literally thousands — tens of thousands — of people will see your art. So that is definitely a driving force. Not only do you have the ability to go do art at a large-scale production site, but also it’s funded.

“Then there’s a built-in audience of thousands and thousands of people. So that, I think, is definitely a driving force for a lot of people at the park, and for me, definitely. It’s just a passion for all the types of artwork that goes on at a theme park like that.”

GJ: “For sure. Not only is it not like a canvas that you’re going to sell to somebody, and that a thousand people are going to see — it’s… a canvas that is only going to be viewed that way for one year, for that certain amount of time. Next year, it could be completely different, so the people that [see] it are going to have that unique experience held with them down the road. No one else can really say they experienced [the same thing], because next year you might change things up a little bit. It might not be exactly the same.”

CT: “Right.”

GJ: “You said [it’s an] excuse to do all the art… It’s like a smorgasbord, a playground for you to just experiment with everything.”

CT: “That’s right. Yeah, it’s very cool like that. It’s not any one channel. It’s all channels. You know?”

GJ: “Yeah, for sure. And I was also curious — Do you have to spend year-round getting it ready? Or are you able to get it squared away in less time now than before?”

CT: “No, we work on our parks year-round… Our build schedules are real chill. We only will build once or twice a week in the off-season, and then sometimes we’ll just take a break for a week… Around July [or] August, it starts to really pick up. So we’ll take on projects in the off-season, early in the off-season, large scale projects where we can do — It’s usually cooler outside, and so we’ll do things that — That’s the fun time to build, because we can take our time.

“There’s a lot of camaraderie. There’s not a lot of stress. We just go out there and we do what we love, which is to build really cool stuff. Then as we get closer to the season, a lot of our builds are oriented toward getting prepared for the season, and our inspections and making sure the park is safe, and everything’s buckled down and cleaned up. So it’s not much artistic production, it’s more functional stuff.

“But there’s still art production that goes all the way up to the — a lot of times, halfway through our open season. I mean, we’re still doing art production into October… We build all year long to some degree.”

GJ: “I’d argue that there is an art to the technical and safety aspects of a theme park, because I feel like that is something you have to envelop yourself in, and think outside the box. Like, Well, what happens if this goes wrong? How do we make this work? Things like that.”

CT: “I mean, there are certain people that really enjoy that. I’m not necessarily one of those. [laughs]”

GJ: “[laughs] It’d be a special kind of person to be into that kind of thing, but they’re there. They’re somewhere.”

CT: “[laughs] Right.”

GJ: “So when can we expect Bat City Scaregrounds to open this year? And are there any new bits you can give us a sneak peek on?”

CT: “The first open day is September the 27th… the last Saturday in September. That day is a great day to come out, actually, because there’s no lines, and the actors are raring to go by then.

“We’re open every weekend in October. As the month progresses, we start to open up on Thursdays and Sundays. And, of course, no matter what day Halloween falls on, we’re open.”

GJ: “Hell yeah! Sounds good. I look forward to seeing it, man.”

CT: “As far as new stuff… we’re enhancing our midway significantly this year… We’re adding new photo-ops into our midway. A majority of the time, people at Bat City Scaregrounds or Nightmare on 19th Street, they’re in the midway. They’re either eating, or hanging out, or watching music, or they’re in line for attractions. So… a lot of our efforts this year will be to creating really cool photo-ops, and a more immersive midway… My constant quote is, “I need it to feel like it’s Halloween Land as soon as you walk into the gates.”

“So it’s this ever-present thrust to create a midway that’s more and more immersive into this fantasy world of, you know, Tim Burton-y, Halloween Land kind of thing… No matter what, every year we do add to our midway, but this year there’s a big thrust. I think we’re building an old theater, like a “haunted theater” facade. Then we’re going to add a traditional “haunted house” facade… that you could take pictures [in]. And, of course, the old theater is going to have our films’... posters and stuff up.”

GJ: “Perfect!”

CT: “Yeah, some synergy there.”

GJ: “Hell yeah! Get to advertise your stuff. I get it. And the way you’re saying the midway is going to be like entering into a new realm, a new fantasy realm, reminds me of Suspiria. Where Suzy Bannion… she’s walking down the hallway to the exit of the train station, [and] every time the doors open, you hear fantasy music playing, and every time they close, the music stops… That is the entranceway to the new world of horror, and fantasy, and witches, and all that stuff.”

CT: “Like a transition.”

GJ: “Yeah. I love it.

“So you’re also a filmmaker, directing such films as The Black Quarry and Damsel of the Doomed.

“How did all that come about? What challenges have you faced in the indie [film] scene? And did your experience with the Scaregrounds help make these films?”

CT: “I can start with the last question first. Directing a theme park is very similar to directing a film, and for a long time, I never considered the fact that I was a director at a theme park. Because as a business owner, you’re always just doing what it takes for your business… It wasn’t until later that I realized I’ve been directing makeup effects, I’m directing wardrobe, I’m directing actors, I’m directing operations essentially for almost twenty years now.

“I’ve been a director, you know? And since the creation of Horror Web Productions… in 2018 or 2019, I’ve always wanted to do film… I’ve been doing musical scores for friends’ films for a while. We were building Bat City Scaregrounds, we were building our castle, the sets are so immersive, and they look so cool. In particular, we were in this one set, and I thought, You know what would be really cool is if we shot something. I didn’t know if it was going to be a commercial for the park, or — I didn’t really know what it was. I just was totally inspired to shoot something in that, because it looks so cool. We had put so much work into it, you know?

“And part of the problem with haunted house stuff is that you kill yourself [making it], it looks so good, and people close their eyes when they run through it. [laughs]”

GJ: “[laughs]”

CT: “You’re not even seeing it! You’re like, “Damn, slow down! Look at the stuff! It’s great!”

“So a friend of mine, Sarah [Webb] — who is a writer, an actress, assistant director, and also hostess of the park, and scream queen, a billion other titles — she dressed up in her Elvira-style character — Scarah, Damsel of the Doomed — and we got some shots of her walking through the castle. They were absolutely gorgeous, and they were just totally inspiring. She looked fantastic, the sets looked fantastic, the shots were fantastic, and it inspired me. And I’m like, You know what? We need to do a short film. So I went back, and I sort of retroactively wrote something, and that short film became The Witch’s Bargain. 

“And none of us were filmmakers. We were artists that had high expectations for all the art. Any art that we do, we have high expectations for it. So we would shoot, and if we didn’t like it, we would reshoot… over, and over, and over again until we got it right.

“So it was literally learning filmmaking by messing up over, and over, and over again. We were lucky enough to attract a good friend of mine — Budro Partida — who came out to shoot a music video for my band, The Immortalz. My friend, who was the cinematographer for that short film, showed him what we had cut so far, and he was like, “Man, this is really good! I want to come out and help!” So Budro came out, and he sort of helped us learn the art of filmmaking from a technical perspective, as far as being on set.

“We had the luxury of learning from people that were professionals, and are professionals in that industry. That short film went on to win over fifty international awards. It killed it, and it was an eye opener. It was something like, We can really do this. At some point, you always think, We didn’t go to school for this. People are going to school for this, and they’re professionally trained in these things. Who are we to try to compete with these filmmakers? And what you realize is that filmmaking is just telling a story. If you can tell a story, and if you have high expectations for your art form, then you know you can do it. And we did, and we did great.

“So I’m like, Cool, let’s make some movies! And there’s not really a lot of being a businessman, there’s not a lot of return for short films. Like none, in fact — outside of a fiscal return — for short films. What they are for is to learn how to make film if you’re in the learning process. They’re also good to keep your chops up between big films and stuff… Also, they can be just a good time to go have with your friends, you know? Or to try out new equipment and stuff.

“But being a business owner, it was like, Let’s make a real film that we could potentially make some money off of! So I wrote The Black Quarry, and we shot that film. It was meant to be an anthology film — a two-part Creepshow-style anthology where Scarah, Damsel of the Doomed, is our host, and she’s kind of like the Crypt Keeper… She introduces to us two stories that have a sort of overarching connection.

“We shot The Black Quarry, we finished it, we edited it, and then we moved on to Damsel of the Doomed. We shot Damsel, and I actually did a lot of the editing… The Black Quarry ended up being fifty minutes, as expected… Damsel was quite a long film. It was an hour and twenty minutes, and it was like, This is too long to be a two-part anthology. This will be an over two-hour long film!

“It was clear that it was able to be a standalone film, and I’m like, Well, why not just release them both as standalone films instead of a combined anthology? So that’s what we did. They’re actually connected, even though they’re independent films. If you were to watch Damsel of the Doomed first, at the end you can see a connective tissue over to The Black Quarry, or whatever.”

GJ: “Okay. And that was left over from back when it was supposed to be the second film [in the anthology]?”

CT: “That’s right.”

GJ: “From a business standpoint, that lets you do a double feature. Like, “Hey, we’re doing a double feature of The Black Quarry AND Damsel of the Doomed! Come check it out!”

CT: “Right.”

GJ: “To go back… professional artists vs. storytellers, and that deal we were talking about, the way I believe it works is — Yes, you can go and get professional teaching to be able to do this stuff, and that allows you to learn to break the rules. Like, Hey, I learned all this stuff. I know how to break them.

“However, I feel the opposite side of the spectrum is [also] true, where it’s like, Hey, a person who doesn’t really have experience with this stuff doesn’t know the rules to follow, and they’re able to kind of do what they want. They do what feels right.

“Anybody can be a storyteller. You don’t need training to be a storyteller. All you have to be able to do is tell a story, and then you figure everything [else] out. Like you said, experience is the best teacher. So if you want to go and make a film, and you just don’t know how to do it, you just start learning things bit by bit. I mean, you are learning the exact same stuff that people in school learn, just at a different pace, at a different level, at your own level.

“So I’m a big believer that people can go to classes, and go to [film] school… that’s good stuff to learn — but you don’t necessarily need it. Especially in this day and age where you can go on YouTube, and just look up, How do I do this? Alright, cool. Now I have a basic idea of how to do this. You learn on the way.”

CT: “Yeah. I mean, what’s good about going to school and getting a more traditional education is you do get a quick leg up on things. It does eliminate a lot of trial and error, which can be expensive. We were lucky enough that our actress in The Witch’s Bargain was Sarah. So I didn’t have to pay for an actress to come out every time we wanted to do a reshoot. Right? But if that’s not the case, then trial and error like that, repeating, having to go back and reshoot, and reshoot — that can be expensive. It’s a slow process, you know?

“When it comes to the technical ability of being able to shoot with a camera, and understanding lenses, and your equipment, and stuff — film school is great. And I do think it gives you a leg up really fast that may be expensive if you were to do trial and error on your own.

“Storytelling is a bit different… I am a natural storyteller, it’s what I enjoy, but you can still learn how to tell a story in an effective way. So yeah, we could talk about that, but I do think that there’s definitely still training. It’s kind of like playing guitar — You can have it, some people just have an ability to pick up a guitar and play it well. I mean, they’re trained, but some people just have a musical ability about them.

“And so, even if they have that inner ability, they still have to be trained to somewhat play the guitar. You know what I mean? But once you sort of give them some training, then they’re good. That’s it.

“So I liken storytelling to the same thing. What I learned in the process of The Black Quarry — being a writer — is… a lot about storytelling. I learned a lot about what I didn’t like about that script, and what I did like… That was a learning process as a writer, you know?”

GJ: “Oh, for sure. Like I said, schooling for this type of stuff does give you a leg up. It does give you connections. It does give you people you can work with, and you understand how, especially, the business side of things work. But I just feel it’s not — It’s helpful, but not necessary if that’s what you want to do, because not everyone can afford to go to film school. Not everyone can afford to do this stuff, and they shouldn't let that stop them from doing [it]. If they want to do [film school]... it helps. Not necessary, but it does help.”

CT: “I agree! Absolutely.”

GJ: “And your analogy about guitar hits me… because I’m a classically trained pianist. I was, like, from age five playing piano… and I didn’t have that ear. I didn’t have that [ability to] like, Oh, I can just listen to a song and play it! I had to sit there and look at the music, learn all the stuff about how this sheet music works. Well, I have a friend that is able to just be like, “Oh yeah, I can play this!” I’m like, “You son-of-a-bitch.”

CT: “It’s funny that you mentioned piano, because — to your point — when I was in grad school, I was taking piano lessons from a concert pianist, and one of the first things she asked was, “What is your motivation for learning piano?” Because that determines how they teach you. I said, “I’m a songwriter. I like to write music. All my bands have been original songs. That’s my thing.” She’s like, “Okay, cool. That’s going to help me guide you as your teacher.”... And she expressed to me that she cannot write music, and she was a phenomenal concert pianist.

“She’s like, “I have a block there. It’s like everything that I write is another piece that I had to learn, and it’s really hard for me to be satisfied with something original.” So I think she was overtrained at that point, and that was more toward your point… You have enough training to be able to deliver technically [on] your art… And I, as a writer and storyteller with film, I try not to — It’s really weird, but I try not to look analytically at films that I watch because I want to do my own thing. And it’s hard to do your own thing if you’re just constantly trying to absorb what everybody else is doing. You know?

“At some point, it’s like, Why are you learning this director’s technique? All these directors’ techniques? Why not just do it your way?”

GJ: “I agree with that. Back to the piano thing — The thing about me is I can’t write music or anything, because one thing that’s important about that is having the — for lack of a better word — the “soul” for it. I don’t have the initiative or soul to play piano. I was into it because my grandparents wanted me to play piano, so I played piano.

“But I’m also naturally a storyteller. That’s what I gravitate to. I like to tell stories, I like to entertain. And I agree with you about watching other people’s stuff, and trying to take bits and pieces, and Frankenstein your own style out of other people’s stuff… I agree it’s not the way to do it. I’m sure it works for some people. For me, though, I’m like, No, I like to watch things. I like to see what other people can do, but I very much want to do my own thing. Anything I take from them is going to be naturally absorbed into whatever I do. I don’t have to think about it. It’s just going to happen. So I completely agree.”

CT: “Yeah… Subconsciously being able to pull in things that you learn is great, right?”

GJ: “Oh yeah.”

CT: “But consciously going in and being like, I want to do it like this guy — I think that’s where you start to get into trouble.”

GJ: “Yeah, because when I took film classes, I didn’t think about that kind of stuff. I was just sitting there like, Whoa! Make this shot look good! Maybe if I stand on the table, and hold [the camera] up like this? And just get myself in the most awkward position possible to film this scene? It looks pretty cool! And that’s pretty much my thought process when it comes to filmmaking.”

CT: “I think that’s probably a lot more standard than what you might think.”

GJ: “I think so, too. From all the commentary I’ve been listening to about films, it seems like that’s the way people do things. Like, “We just try shit, and if it looks good, we act like we knew what we were doing the entire time.”

CT: “I always watch movies and see some wild angle that’s really cool, and I’m like, That was not premeditated. They went in there, and they found that on set… like, “What if I climb on this chair, and tuck myself into this corner?”

GJ: “Exactly! And it’s like, Well, if I tape this camera to a skateboard and kick it across the room, that’d be pretty cool, right?” 

CT: “[laughs] Right.”

GJ: “[laughs]

“Are there any feature films you’re working on? Or is that confidential information?”

CT: “No, it’s not! In fact, I do have a film called DemonCode.

“DemonCode is my baby right now. It’s a higher budget film than The Black Quarry or Damsel of the Doomed. It was a film that I wrote a couple years back… with the help of [Jill Chamberlain] who has the number one best script-writing book on Amazon, called The Nutshell Technique, and she’s a BAFTA [British Academy Film and Television Arts]-Emmy Award-winning writer.

“So it’s a story about a quantum physicist — of course — because that’s something I know a lot [about]. I happen to be a subject-matter expert on it… Him and his student use his quantum computer to ask the ultimate question about reality, and they sort of break reality and unleash hell. So it is — for lack of a better word — it’s an “elevated” horror film.

“It’s nothing like the first two films I’ve done. It’s definitely the most “me” film of anything [I’ve done]. So I think that DemonCode is me finding my voice as a filmmaker, which is nice… It’s hard to find a voice whenever you’re learning the technical art of filmmaking, you know? And so… I’ve sort of reached the point where my ability is there… My voice is coming through in this film.

“I’m super excited. It’s a creature feature film that explores subjective and objective idealism, simulation theory, and has a lot to say about the growing fears of technology [and] quantum-computing AI. And it sort of wraps all these aspects into this pretty intense, action-packed creature feature film. So I like to say it is a cross between Hellraiser and The Matrix.”

GJ: “Okay! Hell yeah! That’s quite the tagline!”

CT: “Yeah!... I have enlisted Matt Valentine, who was on the SyFy Channel [show] Face-Off… He was a crowd favorite for a couple of seasons… Fantastic creature design artist. He’s working with me on three of the creatures in the film. 

“Also, I have my production artist, Kayla Stojek, who created the “quarry creature” in The Black Quarry. That was all her work. The mask was done by Immortal Masks, but she did the rest of the creature costume. She is making the big creature in the film. So the creature design work has already begun. Super excited about that.

CT: “We’re in the process of attaching… a recognizable face to the film… The only attachment so far that we have is for one of the female creatures. I have attached the woman who is in 30 Days of Night.

“Megan Franich is her name, and she was the vampire in 30 Days of Night. I love that film. One of my favorite horror films.”

GJ: “That’s cool! Great film.”

CT: “She just killed that. I’m lucky she lives here in Dripping Springs, really close to Austin. So she read the script, and she was like, “Hell yeah! I want in on this!” So super excited. I had to get the creature actors on board pretty early, because we got to do full body molds of them. That sort of thing.”

GJ: “Hell yeah! I’m excited to see that, man. I’m glad… each consecutive movie is getting bigger, and bigger, and bigger. I am super excited to see what comes up from that.”

CT: “Yeah! Me too, me too.”

GJ: “So not only do you run a haunt — or theme park, as you say — and make films, but you’re also a musician, being a part of the band, The Immortalz.

“How did that band come to be? How would you describe your band’s sound? And how do you have the energy to do all this shit?”

CT: “[laughs] Yeah, okay, so I’ll answer the [last] question first. Everything kind of has a season, and I think that’s the thing that is lost a lot on people. Well, first off, I do have a lot of mental energy. I don’t like idle time. I don’t do well with it.”

GJ: “I feel that.”

CT: “It’s not great for my psychosis and issues. I like to keep my mind occupied in positive, productive ways. When I start to have idle time, my brain goes to bad places fast. So I’ve learned this for myself throughout the years, to stay productive, keep my mind productive, and it keeps me positive.”

GJ: “Explains why you’re a quantum physicist. [laughs]”

CT: “[laughs] Right?... It feels good to have a contribution to society that is making people happy in some way, shape, or form… Using my efforts for that reason.

“But the band is an interesting thing. I’ve been in bands my whole life, and most of them have been these sort of original art-rock bands and hard rock, mostly… When the pandemic hit, the band I had been a part of for years was reaching a natural end. Our guitar player had a kid, so they weren’t able to play as much… It was just becoming a situation where it was like, Okay, it’s time to move on.

“I have been… taking things so seriously — my musical career and stuff — so seriously for so long as an art form, and not — I don’t mean to say an art form. I guess I mean to say the message of my songs, because I’ve been a singer, guitar player, and a lyricist. So I really wanted to have some fun with the band. I mean, it’s always fun, but a different type of fun. I really wanted to do something that connected all the aspects of things I enjoy — theatrical stuff, storytelling, and then music.

“I’m like, You know, I think I’d have the most fun if I could just do all those things in a very lighthearted way, and not take things so seriously. I guess that’s really where I’m going with it — connect all the things I love in a fun atmosphere. So I had been working with Sarah a lot at the time on our film, The Witch’s Bargain, and I just asked her, “Hey, do you want to form a horror punk-pop band, and just get dressed up, and just have some fun?” And she was like, “Hell yeah!”

“Most of the band I was in stayed, so I relinquished the microphone… I just played guitar, and Sarah jumped on the mic. I spent a couple of weeks and wrote the fundamentals of a bunch of songs for us. Then we brought them into the practice room, and the whole band sort of sculpted the songs into what they are now. It was fantastic. That was the birth of The Immortalz — with a “Z” — and… was a fun project that was started during the pandemic, and was this sort of outreach for me to combine all these aspects.

“The Immortalz is a theatrical band. You’ve seen us. We get dressed up, all this stuff. A lot of our songs — especially our early songs — tell stories about creatures and stuff, so you can feel my storytelling component in there. Nowadays, Sarah writes almost all our lyrics, so she tends to have different topics. Early Immortalz songs, you can definitely hear, feel — You know, we have songs about goblin magicians, and werewolves that are not potty trained, and mummy bats, and things. So you can definitely tell my sort of fun storytelling aspect there.

“Also, the style of music makes songwriting fairly straightforward. It’s not a progressive art-rock band… so it’s really lighthearted… They’re not super difficult songs, so we have a good time on stage, [and] we can interact more. That band has done really well.

“The project has sort of taken off. We don’t play a lot because we’re so busy doing other things.”

GJ: “Surprising. [laughs]

CT: “[laughs] Yeah, but we do play every — I’ll say, every two or three months, for sure… We like to go out of town, you know? Especially in Texas, if it’s drivable. Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio… We always love to play in Houston.

“We just released a new music video called “Spooky Shit” with a new song, and Budro Partita — my friend… back from The Witch’s Bargain days — he and I have become great friends, and he always directs our music videos. I don’t do that. I just want to be a musician in a band. So he comes [down], we go to Bat City Scaregrounds, we have these really elaborate sets at our disposal, and our videos look great. Budro does a fantastic job… The visual style of the band — which we are a very visual band — is relayed over excellently in our music videos, and stuff.”

“So yeah, it’s a super fun project, man.”

GJ: “As I said, I’ve seen you play, and you guys have so much energy… The energy of the film festival, they were really lax, but once you guys got on stage, everybody was up there. The music…you could just hear it bouncing off the walls. It was a fun time. Everything went to eleven. It was at six, [then] it went to eleven once you guys hit the stage.”

CT: “Yeah! Yeah, thanks! [It’s a] high energy, punk-y, fun environment, but it’s a very palatable band.”

GJ: “Oh, for sure!”

CT: “Yeah, we’re definitely a horror band, so that demographic, I think, are going to love us. But we have a pop-fun component to us, and that definitely widens the palette for the band. So we have people that came out that are not particularly horror people, they just love theatrics, and they love the stories that the songs tell, and a lot of them just love Scarah. She does a fantastic job as a lead.”

GJ: “Oh yeah, she’s great!... Overall, just a fantastic time. I can’t wait to see you guys again at some point, because that was one of the best weekends I had this year. I really appreciate you inviting me out that way.”

CT: “Of course!”

GJ: “Do you have any new songs in the works? Any shows happening soon? Or are you just focusing on other things right now?”

CT: “We just love to write music, right? We’ve been writing a — kind of a — The Immortalz is a very fusion-y band. It started off like that. You noticed we have some ska components, some hardcore, some sort of punk-y, then it’ll go to hard-rock groove stuff… it’s sort of all over the place. So that’s fun for me, and it keeps writing interesting for me and our drummer, who writes a lot. Josh Fontenot, he writes a lot of the band’s music. Especially nowadays, because I’m super busy, and he’s an excellent songwriter. We’ve been fusing… you know, kind of a surfer vibe.”

GJ: “I can see that! I could hear it.”

CT: “Surfer and horror-billy fit a little bit together. We’re exploring that now. We have this song that — It’s pretty brutal. It’s this brutal surfer song that we’re putting together. Also, there’s a new song I’ve been working on that’s very Ghost-like. I’m a big fan of Ghost, so it has more melodic, fun guitar melodies, over a traditional, more rock and roll-style, or whatever.

“We’re doing a lot of writing. We have some shows this summer for sure set up. Some of them are just going to be a lot of fun. There’s one in particular… called Blood and Brushes, and it’s like a Face-Off event… We did it last year, and it was just so much fun. It was packed. Makeup artists go toe-to-toe for three hours, and they create monsters… [There’s a] whole panel of judges… We’re jamming, they’re creating their monsters and stuff, it’s a super cool event. I would say stay tuned for Blood and Brushes. It’s in early August, I believe.”

GJ: “Hell yeah! That sounds fun as hell. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on that.

“Throughout your work — whether it’s the Scaregrounds, films, or music — one thing that’s constant is your support for the local horror scene in the Austin area.

“Could you tell us what it’s like to be part of that community? How much has it grown since you’ve been a part of it? And do you see it growing even more?”

CT: “It’s great. It’s a great community here, and I think that as far as the health of the community — We did take a big hit recently. One of the staples of the Austin horror community was The Glass Coffin… Its location was right off Highway-I35, and they’re expanding it. Eminent domain took that place from us, and that’s the second time the owner — Joey — has had that happen. So he just uprooted and moved to, I think, North Carolina.

“And so that was definitely a sad day for our horror community, because Joey was instrumental… at the core of that. Now, there are certainly other people… at that level that are contributing, and… I think that, you know, sooner or later, someone else will pick up and become that [new] The Glass Coffin here.

“But it was definitely a huge hit, and I do think it shook up our community a little bit, and we all really miss Joey and his store. We used to play a lot of shows for Joey, and it was fantastic. They were just great, but, you know, it’s kind of like when you have your favorite bar shut down. It’s only going to be a matter of time before they put up something else… and something else becomes your favorite.

“Such is the evolving nature of life. We do have a good community here, and it is strong, and it is growing. There are a lot of conventions here now. I think those are huge, right? The number of horror conventions are on the uptick, so that definitely helps with the community. It helps everyone see each other. It’s a place for everyone to go… and the horror vendors are a huge component of that culture here, the horror culture.

“It’s a place where everyone comes together. Horror for the Holidays is a good example of that… [Bunny Voodoo] has over a hundred vendors, and they’re all sorts of these boutique horror crafters and stuff, and [it’s] so much fun… Bat City Scaregrounds has a presence there.

“You have things like Cult Classic [Convention] and other conventions, so those things are keeping our horror community together, in addition to groups. There’s a lot of Austin horror groups… Those are active, very active, and keeping… things together. Retailers like the Bloody Rose Boutique… There are definitely retailers there that are staples in the horror and goth community. So I feel that the community is definitely tight.

“I think that it’s growing with respect to networking… through these conferences, and our — Not conferences, but more of trade shows and stuff… Keeps everybody together, and it’s growing, and we certainly — whether it’s Bat City Scaregrounds or Horror Web, we certainly try our best to fill that spot. Like when Joey left, or somebody has to bow out because life gets in the way or whatever, we certainly try to fill those voids, and… be a staple in the horror and goth community, and be there for that community as they need us.”

GJ: “I think you’re doing a really good job at that. Between your events, and the Scaregrounds, and films, and just showing off all the other independent artists in the Austin area, I think you’re doing a really, really good job at it.”

CT: “Thanks!... To me, it’s just reaching out and talking to these people. I just love other artists. I’m a collaborative artist by my nature, being a band musician my whole life… I’ve been in bands, so… I work well with artists. I have a collaborative mentality, and so reaching out and learning about other artists and other people is super interesting to see. Probably you have the same drive to see how they tick. That kind of thing.”

GJ: “Oh yeah, that’s the reason why I do what I do. I want to see where everyone’s thought processes are at. It’s one thing to watch something and be like, Oh, that was pretty cool. It’s another thing to actually talk to who made it, and be like, Why did you do this? Why did you do that? What inspired you to do this? It’s cool getting that insight, and seeing the similarities and differences between me and everyone else.”

CT: “Yeah.”

GJ: “So you’ve hit the haunt scene, you’ve hit the film scene, the music scene — Where to next? What ventures are you planning to do now? Or are you just going to reside in those familiar waters for a bit?”

CT: “Yeah, you know, it’s really film. Every film that I make is a different venture. Making a full length film takes it out of you. You form a new LLC [Limited Liability Company] for every film for a reason, because it truly is starting a whole new thing every time you make a new film. Anybody that completes a feature film should get some award, because they’re so difficult, and they take so much of you as a person…. They require a lot from you as a person.

“Film is really a place where I have found that — I wish I would have started earlier in life, because… it’s very natural to me, but I’m here. We started it, we’re doing good, and so we’re going to continue it. We’re going to keep stepping up to the next level of film. That’s really what’s going on now, and for the future — for my future — I am moving on to DemonCode, my new film. We’re going to keep jamming always because I love music, so The Immortalz isn’t going anywhere. The theme parks — Bat City Scaregrounds every year is growing. It’s growing fast like I had hoped. Almost a little too fast, which that’s fine. I’ll take it. It’s a great problem to have.

“Those things are — they’re operating. They keep me busy. They keep my mind active. When it comes to the future of Corey and his art, it really comes down to film, and my next film, DemonCode.

“Then after that, I’ve already started — DemonCode is a franchisable film. The concept there is — It’s a franchise, and so I’ve already started writing part two.”

GJ: “Hell yeah!”

CT: “Hopefully that one will do well, and I can move on to a part two and a part three, and that’ll keep me entertained for the next ten years.”

GJ: “That’s the dream, right?”

CT: “Right.”

GJ: “You say you wished to start earlier, but hey man — this shit happens when it happens. It’s a marathon, not a race. You get to it when you get to it, brother.”

CT: “That’s right. Yeah.”

GJ: “And the fact that you’re doing it now, the fact you have so many avenues that you’re with is amazing. The fact that you have the energy and mental prowess to do all this is INHUMAN, and I can not wait to see what else you guys do next. I’m excited for DemonCode, I’m excited for more of The Immortalz, I’m excited to see the Scaregrounds this year. There’s so much to look forward to that you guys are doing.”

CT: “That’s really sweet. I really appreciate your support, and — Yeah, that’s great, man. Thank you so much, Julian.”

GJ: “Of course, man! My pleasure. And yeah, that’s pretty much all the questions I have for you. Is there anything else you want to say before we wrap this interview up?”

CT: “I would say, as far as where I would like to send people to — go check out The Black Quarry.

“The Black Quarry is a horror comedy. It’s short, about fifty-five minutes. It’s on Amazon, YouTube, Google, iTunes. It is a great time. So if you just want to zone out, brain out, just had a hard day at work, you love creature features, and practical effects, and throwbacks, and metal music, go check out The Black Quarry… It’s just a great way to zone out for an hour, and just enjoy something made in Austin by an independent filmmaker. Let me know what you think.

“You know you can — Anytime anyone messages our Horror Web Instagram or Facebook, it’s Sarah or myself that will answer. You can directly access us. We are that level of independent film.

“I love to talk to people, especially people that have watched my films and they have things to say. I enjoy having those discussions with people. So watch the film, let me know what you think. That’s great.

“Lastly, be aware of our new film Damsel of the Doomed, which will be coming out hopefully in October. It’s in film festivals now, and it’s killing it. It’s doing great. Sarah won Best Texas Actress in it. We had a bunch of awards at Austin Revolution Film Festival. Another actress won Best US Actress in it, so these actresses in this film are killing it. They’re taking home all these awards. The film itself won a bunch of awards, so I’m excited to get that out on streaming services. There’s nothing to really do about that right now until it’s publicly available.

“But just stay tuned to our Horror Web social medias, and we will let people know when and where they can watch that.”

GJ: “Hell yeah, looking forward to it! And I’ve seen Damsel of the Doomed… I loved it, so I cannot wait for other people to see it. And last bit — I’m glad I’m actually able to have this interview with you. I don’t know if you remember, but a couple of years back, I was supposed to interview you. I got overwhelmed with so much shit, I never got around to it, so I’m glad that I’m actually able to talk to you about this stuff now.”

CT: “Yeah, me too. It was so good to see you out at our show, man.

“You know, I do podcasts. Two or three a week, and they’re all outside of Austin, so I get to see someone digitally. It’s so nice just to be able to have someone like you that can come out, and I can, like hang out with him in person. You know? It means a lot.”

GJ: “Anytime, dude! I’m here. I’m just an hour away.

“Alright, brother. Thank you again for everything. I’ll let you know when all this stuff is set up. Thanks again, brother, and I hope you have a great rest of your day, man.

CT: “You too. Take care!”

GJ: “Yep! You too!”

CT: “Bye.”

GJ: “Later.”