What is "Dead by Dusk Films"?
Well, let's start with the name. Owner/Filmmaker, Dylan Owens, fell in love with cinema in 1996 at the ripe old age of four. At his sister Marykae's home in '96, while she was pregnant with his lifelong artistic partner, Joseph Owens, something on the TV caught Dylan's attention and he could not peel himself away. Blood, Vampires, and Salma Hayek. Pure cinematic beauty. The film, of course, was Robert Rodriguez's "From Dusk Till Dawn," written by Quentin Tarantino. From that day on, the only thing running through Dylan's veins was celluloid film... and, well, lots and lots of blood.
Not too long after, the same sister introduced Dylan to what would become his favorite film series of all time, Sam Raimi's "Evil Dead," specifically "Evil Dead II: Dead by Dawn". Years later, combining the two titles, "Dead by Dusk Films" was created.
What makes a "Dead by Dusk" Film?
Although Marykae was a huge influence to Dylan, she wasn't the only one. It was with his other sister, Lisa, that Dylan dug deep into cinematic history. Spending countless nights at her house after going to the local video store and renting an average of 10-20 films at a time, the two of them would binge them over the weekend, including every Friday the 13th film, A Nightmare on Elm Street, etc.
Not every film that inspired Dylan was horror, though, and it's only one of many elements to a "Dead by Dusk" film. It's as John Carpenter says, "Horror is a reaction; it's not a genre," and at Dead by Dusk Films, we believe in that, which is why every film here is hard to define as a singular genre. There is horror, there is love, there is hilarity, there is heartbreak, and our goal is for the audience to have a true cathartic experience.
From routinely watching romance, murder, and comedy with his mother to chaotically watching westerns, crime, and the beauty that is in classic black and white cinema with his father, Dylan created "Dead by Dusk Films," to create and find other creators who believe in bringing forth unique visions onto the silver screen.
We get it. You like movies. What else draws inspiration to your films?
Everybody here at Dead by Dusk films draws their influence from some kind of counterculture, whether it's skateboarding, punk rock, metal, street art, or anything else you can think of. Actually, it's typically all of the above.
While cinema is our heart and soul, it may have never progressed without these things. Connecting with someone who loves film and punk rock, skateboarding and death metal, or hip hop and fine art is a magnificent thing and it leads to incredible collaborations. Our intent is to grow with these kinds of individuals, no matter the interest, and create beautiful works of cinematic art.