Film Name: FOOLS GOLD
Writer/Producer/Director: T.J. Morehouse
Starring: P.J. Sosko, Alan Barnes Netherton, Michael Loman
Would be thieves are foiled by a Cherokee curse.
In a new Exclusive Interview on Blazing Minds ahead of Horror-on-Sea I got a chance to ask Writer/Director T.J. Morehouse a few questions about the film ‘Fools Gold‘
Fools Gold will play at Horror-on-Sea on Friday 17th January at 10.00am
Q. Your film has been selected to play at the Horror-on-Sea Film Festival. Can you tell us what we
can expect?
A. We’re VERY excited about it. It will be our UK Premiere. We will have people from the film onsite for the festival.
Q. What were some of your influences when writing the script?
A. The history of Stand Watie and actual Cherokee history from the American Civil War. I’m a huge fan and I love a good Crime/Caper story and hey, who doesn’t LOVE Horror? I combined these elements in a small town in Oklahoma (Wagoner) April 2024 to make FOOLS GOLD. The rest has been an extremely fun and wild ride on the festival circuit.
Q. What were some of your influences for the look and style of the film?
A. 2 Films inspired the look and feel of FOOLS GOLD. I envisioned it as Horror meets Western Noir.
- The Treasure of the Sierra Madre by John Huston 1948
- Greed by the great Erich Von Stroheim, 1924.
Q. Did you make any changes from the original script during filming?
A. The script did evolve. The script itself has won numerous awards including The Bradbury Award at LA Live Film Festival and Best Pilot Script at Bare Bones Film Festival. Slamdance gave us a good review and said the short had the bones for a feature so we could go either way with the story. We made the dialogue a little more natural and I played off the actors’ energy. They had already formed a bond of sorts, so I leaned into it. Both PJ Sosko (Junior) and Alan Barnes Netherton (Flaco) are very talented actors. It was a joy to work with them.
Q. What were some of your favourite moments during filming?
A. The Gunfire, the smoke, the fog of war from a cap and ball rifle. The American Civil War was a brutal part of American history and a great tragedy that literally pitted brother against brother.
Q. Did you experience any issues during filming?
A. Amazingly no. We shot FOOLS GOLD over the span of two nights with a shooting crew of 3,
myself and the two actors. Hit and Run. True Guerrilla filmmaking using the power of availability.
Q. What makes it stand out as something different in the horror genre?
A. We’ve used AI-assisted VFX on the Ghosts and a creepy effect for the Medicine Man. We started by shooting the actors playing the ghosts and built it out from there using AI and a combination of a few other aftereffects. If you watch, the VFX changes from frame to frame. It looks & feels like you’re on mushrooms, it looked like that to me anyway. Dan Potter is our VFX supervisor. He will be in attendance. He also did the same type of effects for the Guns & Roses video The General which inspired me to use the same technology for our VFX. Check out the video. It’s extremely trippy.
Q. What do you hope people take away after watching the film?
A. We’re teaching actual; historical facts in an entertainment piece. The film covers Cherokee History, Culture, Folklore and Medicine.
Q. Do you have any other projects which you are currently working on?
A. I have written 2 series pilots and a feature film. I aim to make another project in a year depending on budget and available finances. Look for more things from Parthenia Pictures very soon. Follow us on Instagram here
Q. If someone was looking to write and direct their own film what advice would you give them?
A. Write what you think is best. Listen to your inner voice. It will guide you. Definitely get in over your head, that’s the only way you learn. Be afraid, not of the process but of the fact that you may miss out on something beautiful and a great sense of accomplishment if you DON’T try. KEEP GOING!!!
Fools Gold will play at Horror-on-Sea on Friday 17th January at 10.00am
You can find out more about the festival and purchase tickets here
Published in various websites, Philip is a reviewer who is best known for his interviews and media coverage of independent projects including; films, books, theatre and live events. Always on the lookout for something different to cover!
