The Gore Spotlight
HMS Q&A with Hilton Ariel Ruiz
Welcome back to another fabulous issue of The Gore Spotlight! I fortunately had the opportunity to pick at the brain of Hilton Ariel Ruiz, creator of the popular internet series Zombie With A Shotgun. Continue reading to learn more about the series, Hilton, how to connect with him, and what’s next!
HMS: Firstly, thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. Could you tell our readers who may not know about it a bit about Zombie With A Shotgun and how you got the idea for it?
Hilton Ruiz: In this Zombie film, the zombie is the hero and others (zombies) help out in the war against the humans. The story follows Aaron who isn't sure if he is infected with the zombie virus or if it’s some other infection. He takes this journey with his girlfriend, Rachel, and his shotgun where they both find out the deep secrets among the zombie virus and their love life.
HMS: What was your inspiration behind the characters of Aaron and Rachel?
Hilton Ruiz: My inspiration is a combination of all the love stories I’ve watched where no matter what happens, love will always conquer.
HMS: From what I’ve seen online, it looks like not only is a comic book in the works, but also an upcoming Kickstarter campaign for the Zombie With A Shotgun movie. Can you tell us what fans can expect from both the comic and the movie?
Hilton Ruiz: The comic and movie are going to be aligned together. We are planning to have the comic continue for years to come and hopefully we can do the same with the film. The Kickstarter launched March 29th.
HMS: Did you always know that you wanted ZWAS to eventually be a full length film, or was it something that just kind of came to you out of the blue?
Hilton Ruiz: As a filmmaker you always think about doing a full length film with all your projects. Even if it’s a web-series or a short, but I have to say this project came out of the blue. It was the fans that pushed me to do it.
HMS: I see that ZWAS doesn’t seem to be your only project in the realm of horror. What can you tell us about 6/6/66?
Hilton Ruiz: 6/6/66 was also another web series that was seen in Eli Roth’s CryptHorror which is now CryptTV. Here is the 1st episode. It’s intrinsically about finding the truth behind a man who is said to be endowed with demonic forces who happens to be born on 6/6/66.
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“We are planning to have the comic continue for years to come and hopefully we can do the same with the film.”
HMS: What are some of your favorite horror films and how have they inspired you as a writer and director?
Hilton Ruiz: I love The Exorcist, Halloween, Dead Zone, etc. There are so many favorites I can keep on going. I also have so many favorite filmmakers that I can't really choose just one.
HMS: How did you first get into film? Is it something you’ve always had a passion for?
Hilton Ruiz: As a young kid growing up in a very large family we went to the theaters every weekend. During those days, going to movies was very cheap so it was my getaway to live that fantasy for two hours. This aspect of my life was very enjoyable so the natural progression was for me to go into film.
HMS: What has been your most beloved project so far that you’ve been involved in? Can you tell us a little bit about it?
Hilton Ruiz: I love all my projects, but the one that holds a special place in my heart was a project about 9/11. It meant something to me that I could bring closure to what occurred on that tragic day. It touched many people watching the film and that’s when I knew it was special.
HMS: Going forward, what do you see yourself working on next? Can you tell us anything special about it?
Hilton Ruiz: Right now I’m going to concentrate on Zombie with a Shotgun, but there may be a full length feature for 6/6/66...
HMS: And finally, a fun little question to end the interview with… Who wins the war at the end of the world: zombies, vampires, or robots?
Hilton Ruiz: Zombies forever... (Especially the Zombies I portray in my project!)
Thanks so much, again, to Hilton for answering my questions! Make sure and check out the links below to connect with him as well as his series and support the Kickstarter campaign if you can!
IndieGoGo - Twitter - Tumblr - Facebook - Instagram - 6/6/66
Stevie Kopas, HMS
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