PARANORMAL PAGEANTRY: MEET INDIE HORROR PRODUCER ASHLEY PARK
“By making these projects in a raw and minimally crewed way, it’s a bit of a punk rock approach to film production.”
By Elio Armes
As an actress and former Miss Asia USA, Ashley Park isn’t afraid to challenge stereotypes. With the release of her first feature film STAY, Ashley is still turning heads, but there’s not a tiara in sight. In fact, despite her amiable demeanor, she seems quite determined to terrorize audiences for the foreseeable future. In Horror Variety’s return to “in-person” interviews, it’s a pleasure to meet Ashley at her home in the Historic Core of Downtown Los Angeles.
HV: I was told that your debut feature film recently achieved 4 million minutes viewed. I did the math and that translates to 2,777. 8 days or 7.6 years’ worth of watch time.
AP: I would have never thought of it that way! I’m very pleased that our first micro-budget film has found this kind of viewership. STAY is still early in its digital life.
HV: In April, you debuted the film on the paranormal-focused website GOSTBOX before releasing it widely on Amazon. Can you describe your distribution strategy?
AP: GOSTBOX is an exciting destination for smaller films with supernatural storylines. I was thrilled to stream the movie for a genre- loving audience before the general release on Amazon. In the pandemic era, a traditional premiere was not a consideration, so having an exclusive digital premiere was a great option for us.
HV: How did you get interested in horror?
AP: As someone with Korean heritage, I first realized that I liked how K-Horror films portrayed the spirit world. These films are scary in a way that exceeds their production budgets. But whether I’m watching an obscure Asian horror movie or a big budget spectacle like The Haunting of Hill House, the common thread is always a good ghost story.
HV: Are you currently working on a new project?
AP: Last year I formed Ghost Machine Pictures with Emmy Award-winning writer Brandon Walker. Together, we have developed a slate of pictures intended to deliver big scares on small budgets. By making these projects in a raw and minimally crewed way, it’s a bit of a punk rock approach to film production. We use the resources at hand and throw every bit of energy into manufacturing something elemental and hopefully scary. Brandon calls it “No Excuses” filmmaking in that we are generating new movies by any means necessary.
HV: When can horror fans check out a new release from your company?
AP: We go into production this summer on a psycho-paranormal picture in the J-Horror tradition, followed by another film entitled E.V.P. The title refers to Electronic Voice Phenomenon (E.V.P), where voices from beyond the grave can be heard on audio recordings. We anticipate releasing 2-3 three new titles in 2022. In the meantime, our debut feature STAY is available on Amazon Prime.
