POW: How long have you making films?

Damon Packard (DP): 21 years.

POW: What's different about the filmmaking climate today opposed to when you first started?

DP: Well, personally, for me the early 80's (1981-83) were much more exciting and inspiring. The creative forces of energy from the 70's were still lingering around at that time, an impetus which began in the 60's, things were still possible, idea's to explore, it was exhilarating. These days, well, ... I think the thing that bothers me the most, is the increase of fear and paranoia, along with rules and restrictions, fee's, punishment, sex-crime, misinterpretation of character through fear, devious manipulation of belief systems and moral standards. (example; the 60's & 70's contrasted with the 80's & 90's-to present) Oh I know there was still a lot of fear and punishment (and a few bad movies) in the 60's & 70's too but it hardly compares with the EXTREME 180 degree shift which began in the 80's and just seems to get worse and worse. I mean, jeez I was hoping things would be shifting in the other direction by NOW but they certainly don't seem to be.

POW: How do you mean?

DP: Conservative thinking, increase of structure through rules and restrictions, stricter punishment, Kafka-esque finger pointing. Creative drain, lack of inspiration, repression of idea's, Strong shift in attitudes towards healthy good normal things like sex and fun, looseness and levity, nature and happiness. Homogeneity and tightening restrictions of films and film productions through extreme commercialization, censorship, corporate monopoly, no-risk compromise, decisions made by committees of young late 80's style yuppie executives. (like in the movie American Psycho) No more 'wild and crazy' no more "anything goes" as in the late 60's early 70's. No more boundaries to break, no more genuine excitement, no more great single house movie theaters. The Party's Over Oskar. It's a fear and punishment society and the fear just keeps increasing, the laws and rules and restrictions keep getting more extreme and ridiculous.
We also live in a country that just LOVES to throw people in prison and toss the key, either that or sue someone. I mean, when will it stop? Fighting fear with fear only compounds the problem. Forcing a human into suffering will only bring more suffering into the world. It seems like there is an inevitable sense of hopelessness and doom. People are moody, jaded, short-tempered, unhappy, irritated, angry, disillusioned, cynical, perpetually tired and ready to explode at any moment. In some strange kind of satirical way THIS was the bludgeoning statement I was trying to make with Reflections of Evil. It was an artistic statement of how I feel about this time within an entertaining and comical backdrop. There is no 'real' anger or animosity in the film, it is satire, and does not represent the potential niche' of cult/exploitation films that people may place me in. Unless it were a niche which could be likened to say Richard Rush or early Ken Russell films.

POW: How many DVDs have you sent around of your current film and what has the reaction been?

DP: Sent about 20,500 around so far, the only response I had was some anonymous perturbed resident from Pacific Palisades (Click here to hear the message) who said he was really scared some terribly disturbed individual like myself was walking around leaving these DVD's around the area and that I should either seek shock treatment or throw myself in front of a bus.

I can assure any other "concerned" individuals out there I am the farthest thing from "disturbed", really I'm a perfectly harmless average nice guy, unless they think I'm a psycho. In which case the belief in that reality will make it so. Other than that reaction has been 99.9% non existent, well one half-wit sounding person said "my movie sucks, it's some kind of hippy beatnik crap" I never thought of it as a hippy beatnik movie. In any event I'm darn lucky if I get one response out of 3000, it's pretty pitiful. A friend & myself walked around and passed out 8,500 brand new high quality expensive DVDs to a wide assortment of people over a course of months. Film buffs, horror buffs, average people, customers at alternative video stores, car salesman, you name it, the whole gamut. It was tremendously difficult just giving these things away for free!! I may as well been watch peddling. Nobody cared, nobody was interested, and I'm talking about EVERYONE from horror dvd collectors to average people. People simply do not care. Nothing seems to really matter anymore.

Really people were extremely disinterested! Either that or they would recoil in fear as if we were offering them something smothered with oily slime or handled by a child who was eating Cheetos for hours. How many other filmmakers are out there passing out thousands of expensive DVDs of their unusual movie's that one will never see the likes of in their entire lives?? How many? I'm spending tens of thousands of dollars to give away free gifts and basically give other people joy and they react with hostility, fear and disinterest. Very soon. I will be broke and homeless, walking the streets shouting in a drunken stupor, singing The Carpenters in filthy alleys, either that or in prison for exposing too many innocent Pacific Palisades residents to Reflections of Evil.

POW: Are you a demented lost soul psycho who people should fear because of DVD's mysteriously showing up on their doorstep or repeated mail submissions? A disturbed, sweaty maniac with nothing but time on his hands who lurks in the shadows doing psychotic things?

DP: Well I never used to be but now because of all the extreme lack of response, or negative response I may be turning into one. You see, It is other people's FEAR which creates the very thing they seek to avoid the most!!
So go ahead, don't respond, you'll have created another monster! You see the point I'm making? I hate to sound like a broken record on this fear thing but really it can never be reiterated enough. Fear Fear Fear! Fear is illusion no matter how sensibly it is defined, how historically it is verified. No I am not a demented disturbed maniac, and I certainly hope people do not get this impression from the film. This is NOT the energy I wanted to attract and it is NOT the "cult niche" I wanted to be placed in. Again I want Reflections of Evil to carry this message about FEAR sledgehammered over and over and over. Stop reacting to the way fear tells you to react!

Everything you do
affects your entire planet.
Just one moment
of open-hearted allowing
and your planet is transformed.
All those who are breathing the atmosphere
inhale that much more light.

I would like to say something in closing; Reflections of Evil with all of it's profanity and annoying qualities, splattering blood and gurgling sound FX, does NOT represent the 'type' of film I like to be known for having a particular interest in. For some reason people seem to think I'm big on horror and campy sleaze trash, which frankly I detest. Nothing is more dull and offensive than excessive gore and disturbing idea's, not my cup of tea at all. And I really really certainly HOPE that people do not place Reflections of Evil in that category. It's bad enough I've already again made a (so labeled) "stream of consciousness" type film which only seems to appeal to a certain crowd. I would really like to turn around and surprise many by making a film of charming subtlety and emotional depth. Something like "A Patch of Blue" or "To Kill a Mockingbird" or something extremely European and intelligent, like a Michael Winterbottom film written by Tom Stoppard, or Bergman's "Cries and Whispers" with all it's delicate sensuality. I'm quite serious. This is the only real challenge left.

POW: Why do you think you went through the trouble of making this film, and all of your past films?

DP: Perhaps as some sort of cosmic proof that 'pointlessness' does exist in the most hideous form imaginable.