Interview with Schlock master Filmmaker Christopher M. Long

 Today, I will be sitting down to interview one of the busiest filmmakers you might never heard of. 30 years making low-grade schlock films often within the Horror, Thriller, and Action films, reveling in exploitation filmmaking. This is Christopher M Long, proud exploitation filmmaker. He's very well-rounded as he partakes in directing, Acting, Producing, and Writing, he even edits and does music composition as well, as cinematography.

Mc Langton “So, let's start off by, who are you and where did you come from?”

Christopher M Long, “I'm an all-around filmmaker, podcaster, and musician from Boston, who moved to South Florida in 88' and then Derry New Hampshire in 97' before making it back to Florida in 2013.”

MC Langton “You certainly bounced up and down the Eastern Coast a lot.”

Christopher m Long “Yeah!”

MC Langton “So, how did you start making films”?

Christopher M. Long “I got into filmmaking back in 94, a long long time ago, after a friend of mine received a professional-grade Video camera. It was a big used clunker and looked like it was once very expensive. At the time filmmaking wasn't exactly something that was on my radar of career goals and or hobbies. I was actually involved in other things before jumping into this venture, I was actually involved in other things, when I jumped in!”

MC Langton "What were you into before this move"?

Christopher M. Long “Depends on the year, I started out doing Karate of all things, and this was started back in 1989 and moved into 1990. So, as all my friends in school were watching the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” I was actually training in martial arts. It was fun for the time, I managed to make it to the Blue Belt mark, which was four belts in, and halfway to Black Belt status. The big cool thing about that Martial arts stint was that my sensai apparently knew Chuck Norris ”

MC Langton “What happened there? Your Sensai knows Chuck Norris”

Christopher M Long, “Yes that was the story, She knew Chuck Norris through various competition events. I never made it to that level of competing, I quit after about a year, and then returned a year later, to the same effect, I trained for a year, made it back to the Blue belt and left again, this time for good. The only other thing I accomplished during my active time within the realm of Martial Arts, other than collecting belts was partaking in a few demonstrations.”

MC Langton “You reentered the karate scene a year after quitting?”


Christopher M. Long “Yes, But, this time around, I had other activities that I was involved with!.”

Mc Langton “What activities were those?"

Christopher M. Long “ I had started playing the drums, and writing fan fiction stories primarily based on those “Nightmare on Elm Street” and “Friday the 13th” films. At the time I was a big fan of those films, not so much anymore. So, I was gaining skills that would eventually become useful”

Mc Langton “Really?”

Christopher M Long “Yes, I still play music, though sparingly. I also picked up the piano and guitar, and I am able to compose music. As, for the writing, I still write stories in novel form and screenplay form as well, I write the bulk of the scripts that I produce. So, basically, I can write for film and novelization!”

MC Langton “So, those two skills have served you well!”

Christopher M. Long “You can say that, I still use them to this day, mostly in a filmmaking spectrum!”

MC Langton “Anything else on the early days of playing pusic?

Christopher M. Long “I started a band with my friend, the same kid who ended up with the video camera. It wasn't much, I mean the most we did was write one song and called ourselves Jagged Glass, never played a gig, barely even rehearsed.”

MC Langton, “So, let's get into the filmmaking aspect!”

Christopher M Long “In 1994, we started making these backyard, low budget, weird films, nothing great. We just filmed anything and everything we could. It's too bad that we only had the camera for two years, and only made about twenty of these things before the camera broke. Nothing was saved or at least not that I know of. But on the other hand, at the same time we were filming these projects, I was making my own stuff on the side. It was here that I started to learn all the different job aspects of filmmaking. So even though his camera went bye-bye, I was still able to move onwards, on my own.”

Mc Langton “Learning all aspects of filmmaking, it sounds like you could be a one-man filmmaking crew.”

Christopher M. Long “Sadly yes I actually did become one, not because I want to be a loner, but more because I had to be. I learned quickly after a handful of failed-to-get-made projects in the can, that I was going to have to get things done on my own! And furthermore, don't rely on friends and volunteers to help out making films, especially if they are unprofessional and or unreliable!”

MC Langton, “What are your preferred genres!”

Christopher M. Long, “Horror, thriller, sometimes Action, and crime-Drama!”

MC Langton “What project kickstarted your career!”

Christopher M. Long “Demon in the Mirror was made in 1994. It is my first confirmed project listed on IMDB. The film is a low-grade 2-minute horror short. It certainly is the perfect launching point, as its cheap and dripping with schlock, a glaring example of my film career. Though I do have to admit, my filmmaking skills improved greatly since the early days of making film projects.”

MC Langton, “Since you were making films throughout the 90s, writing, and playing music, did you have any other things going on?”

Christopher M Long, I did some theater stuff starting in 96 and would continue on until 2001 performing in most of the plays, and directing one. All in all, I was involved in about a dozen school plays. I also continued making short films as well, I was always staying busy in some way or the other.”

MC Langton “So, you found yourself in the new millennium!"

Christopher M. Long, “Yes, I did! I also found myself with a new cheap on-the-dime camera, making more films, Including one of the only comedies I've ever made, Mickey and the Midnight Vultures!”

Mc Langton “Why switch up the genre?”

Christopher M. Long “I wanted to pitch it as a TV show to Comedy Central. Nothing ever happened with that, but I did make about four sequel shorts. So, I guess I got something out of it. It was also around this time that I started dabbling in stand-up comedy. It was very short-lived, mostly because I didn't consider that there was going to be a lot of traveling involved, and for the most part, its probably a good thing that I got out, considering that comedy as a whole has been taking a beating.

MC Langton “Stand-up comedy, horror?”

Christopher M. Long, “I have a very snarky, dark sense of Humor, and horror is actually packed with comedy if you can channel it properly. Anyway, the whole stand-up thing faded away as quickly as it started. I only did a handful of open mic's in 2003. I prefer movie-making anyway, so, it wasn't much of a loss giving it up!”

MC Langton, “So as the 2000s marched along, what was in store for you.”

Christopher M. Long, “Film wise, I hate to admit it, but a bunch more generic schlocky films, though, I do have to admit, that at this point my filmmaking was starting to up itself professionally and stylistic wise, due to the fact, that I started to take inspiration from my heroes, including John Carpenter and Sam Raimi to name a few. As for other ventures, I started working the camera at a local TV station in New Hampshire in 2005 and that lasted until 2009. Anything for experience and exposure I suppose. It wasn't exactly a major studio persay and In 2007, I formed my first official production Company that wasn't my own name. It was called Gaurdian Productions.

MC Langton, “A local TV station?”

Christopher Mlong, “Yeah, nothing much to say there. I just did standard videotaping of events. Anyway, towards the end of my run there, my filmmaking interests, and style were worlds apart from what I was doing for them, I got bored and quit. I don't really brag about working there. Nor do I really care about the place. I've moved on, they haven't.

MC Langton, “Gaurdian Productions?”

Christopher M Long, “It was a company I started with a friend. He didn't contribute to much of anything, I shot a few films without his help, and I ditched out after a year. I spent the rest of that decade filming low-rent schlock as always, but with a more stylized and professional tint to my filmmaking.”

MC Langton “So, what did the 2010's have in store for you?”

Christopher M. Long, “It eventually had a lot for me ramping up one of my busiest decades film making wise around 2012. It was the decade that saw some of my biggest and best projects, I put together some of my best series of films, like, The "Dead Haunt" series, the "Haunting Dead" series, the “They Come at Night" series, the "Night Hunter" series, the "Shrink" series, the "Eyes of Madness" series, and so-on-and-so-forth. I loved doing the “Horror House of the Doomed" and "Terror Behind Closed Doors" series as well. I started upping my game with longer and bigger films as well.”

MC Langton, “Interesting! Upping your game!”

Christopher M Long, “Film quality, and length! "Pure Evil", was one of my first full-length films, I've made a dozen feature-length's since then. I also started teaming up with people who actually liked making films. A lot of them have come and gone throughout the last ten years, guys like Biff Standish, who has since left the business.! Let's just say I started hitting a new level of project quantity and quality-wise after moving back to Florida in 2013!”

Mc Langton “So, the 2010s seemed to be heavy with filmmaking activities!”

Christopher M Long “ I also formed two new production companies as well, Screaming Skulls Productions, and Touch of Vengeance Pictures, the latter of the two is named after Judas priest songs, "Touch of Evil" and "Screaming for Vengeance". I used those two companies throughout the 2010's and early 2020s, both are now for the most part defunct, being replaced by a new company Sleerik H Productions, and my by name company.”

MC Langton “A big Judas priest fan?”

Christopher M. Long, “One of my favorites.”

MC Langton “Let's talk about the now!”

Christopher M Long “The 2010s saw my advancement in style when it comes to filmmaking, the 2020s saw a huge blast in actual credits, I think that more than half my credits current day have come from the last four years alone. I think I have collected a bit more than seventy credits in the last four years, and there's no sign of me slowing down shortly! The credit expansion was something I decided in 2020 and something I executed the same year. Twenty-plus credits in 2021, 2022, and 2023, and I'm aiming for the same amount of credits this year as well"

Mc Langton, “How many credits in total.”

Christopher M Long, “As of January 2024, over 125.”

Mc Langton “You're pretty busy!”

Christopher M. Long, “Yes, I am! I also have a fast turnaround rate!”

Mc Langton “Turn around rate!”

Christopher M Long, “Make them as quick as possible, and put them out! I've literally made short films, in a day. Good or not, proud or not, its something I've done numerous times, and yes at times I've felt myself burning out, but, I did continue on!”

Mc Langton, “Of all the credits in this time frame, which ones are standouts!”

Christopher M Long, “The "Hit" series, the "Dead Eye" series, "Hitman's Dark {assage", "With Deadly Intent" 1 and 2, "Nightmare Theater" to name a few!”

MC Langton, “Any other activities other than just filmmaking!”

Christopher M Long, “I have partaken in two podcasts, neither of which was long term, both had about twenty episodes and that was that. Just several quick projects. I also recorded and released a slate of 10 songs last year. The standouts are “Death wish” a song about Charles Bronson, and “Dream Girl (Miss May 1982)" a rock ballad hybrid song about Kym Malin. , I called most of the slate of songs synth-based black metal. they are all available on YouTube."

Mc Langton “ Charles Bronson, Kym Malin?”

Christopher M Long, “One of my favorite actors, can't get enough of his films, as for Kym, she's my favorite Model and actress, adorable, not a bad actress, entertaining on the screen, a legit scene stealer and I wouldn't mind casting her, the project would have to be grand and worth her time! She could enter a scene do nothing and still steal the scene! Everything she was in, she was great, “Weird Science”, Joysticks, “Guns”, “Picasso Trigger”! All I know, I see her enter, I just can't take my eyes off her, that's how much of a powerful presence, under rated!

MC Langton “Any other heroes or influences?”

Christopher M. Long, “Performance wise, Kurt Russell, Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, amongst a few others, Charles Bronson, is a given. As for Directing, John Carpenter, and Sam Raimi are two big ones. As for films that inspire me, a whole slew of 70s and 80s exploitation films.

MC Langton “Where can we find your material”?

Christopher M Long, “Unable to! I release these films for a few days and then pull them off rotation, and vault them up. I sometimes go back and release them again, but as for the most part, they're gone. You can probably find the old podcast episodes that I recorded, The GOW podcast, and The Entertainment Execution Lair Podcast respectively.”

Mc Langton, “So, what's next for the schlockmeister?”

Christopher M Long, “Just keep on keeping on with making films, hopefully upping my status more, getting into bigger and better projects!”

And with that stated, the interview comes to an end.