Students not afraid to dive into horror flick.

Byline: Carolyn Lamberson The Register-Guard

As it turns out, horror movies aren't exactly cheap.

Just ask the University of Oregon students behind `Proctor," a new horror film that will have its world premiere at the Bijou Arts Cinemas on Friday night.

While Roger Corman forever linked the phrases `horror movie' and `low budget' with his classics `The Beast With a Million Eyes" and `Attack of the Crab Monsters," low budget doesn't always mean cheap.

It seems horror movies require fake blood, prosthetic limbs and other props that aren't usually needed in, say, a romantic comedy, said Daniel Epstein, a journalism student who served as assistant director, storyboard artist and Ian, one of the film's characters.

Compared with the bloated epics Hollywood churns out these days, "Proctor's' budget amounted to spare change. It cost about $2,000 to make - and most of the funds came from director Bryan Buck's savings account. But maybe they'll be able to make a little of that back when the film screens at the Bijou.

"Optimism is the name of the game," Epstein said.

"Proctor" arose out of House of Film, a UO student group originally founded as a forum to view and critique films, Buck said. Since Buck and Epstein assumed leadership, the club has evolved to focus more on film production.

"Proctor" actually is the group's second movie. The first, "The Little Red Button," was a 10-minute silent film shot in 2003 for a whopping $78.

"Proctor" is more ambitious. It's feature length - 90 minutes - and has a cast of nine actors, several of whom also served on the technical crew.

Set around Halloween, `Proctor' tells the story of Dave, Kelly, Emily, Ian and Ryan. At a party, Ian tells his friends the tale of a couple in the old Oregon Territory who go on a murderous rampage after their children die. Their spirits are banished into a tenuous limbo. Dave (Keith Bryan), out to call Ian's bluff, visits the alleged site. There, he finds a statue and a ceramic seal. When the seal is accidentally broken, the husband's spirit is released.

The five friends have to find a way to banish the evil spirit as all around them - in true horror-film fashion - people are bumped off one by one.

`Proctor' is a "pretty standard slasher-type horror film,' Buck said. "It has a little of the supernatural in it," along the lines of '80s horror films such as "Halloween" and "A Nightmare on Elm Street.'

He was quick to add, "A lot less blood, though."

The idea to do a horror movie came mostly by chance. Buck was looking for a script, and Epstein's roommate had an idea for a horror film.

"Bryan and I had finished a short film last year. My roommate had a knack for horror films,' Epstein said. "Next thing you know, it's 5 or 6 in the morning, and we're out stabbing people."

For Buck, there was an academic component to the whole project as well. As a psychology major in the UO's Honors College, he was fishing about for a thesis idea. He ended up finding it on the set - his project examines a psychological approach to directing actors.

Before "Proctor," Buck wasn't exactly a fan of horror movies. He now has an interest in the genre, if not all the gore usually found in slasher flicks.

`We did try to keep the blood down to a realistic level," he said.

For Buck, the biggest challenge was dealing with actors. Too often, he said, he found himself absorbed by the technical end of filmmaking.

"As the scenes got more intense, it got harder to stay focused on the actors," he said.

Epstein started out on the project as a co-director, but once he was needed in front of the camera, as Ian, that became impossible. Stepping into Ian's shoes was pretty easy, actually. The character was based on Epstein.

`We tried to cast someone else to play the part," Epstein said. "I was the second choice."

Screenwriter Keith Bryan, Epstein's roommate, is a big fan of the classic '80s horror movies - "Halloween" is his favorite. He banged out the script for "Proctor" in about three weeks. He also took on the role of Dave. And while he's not a House of Film member, and isn't sure he'll be involved in future projects, "Proctor" piqued his interest in film work.

However, he's already learned the lesson that many screenwriters realize - once you turn your script over to someone else, the words can change. But he's seen a "rough, rough" cut, and overall thinks "Proctor" turned out pretty well.

"Dan and Bryan took some liberties," he said, "but that's what directors do."

The film was shot on campus and in a few houses in the nearby neighborhood. But don't expect to see any scenes shot at the spookiest locale at the UO - Pioneer Cemetery. There aren't any.

`There aren't any power outlets out there," Buck said, "and there aren't any lights."

PREVIEW

Proctor

What: Student-made horror movie

When: 11:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 30

Where: Bijou Arts Cinemas, 492 E. 13th Ave.

How much: $3 to $4

CAPTION(S):

Laura Schulthies and Keith Bryan play Kelly and Dave.