Interview with Owen Mulligan
Owen Mulligan, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3895721/?ref_=tt_ov_dr Mr. Mulligan, can you tell my readers more about yourself? My readers will not know who you are.
I’m a former filmmaker and now horror writer, who lives in Vermont. I started making films back in 2008. I always had a passion for horror and science fiction since I was a kid. Anything in those genres: movies, TV shows, books. I guess making movies and writing horror stories is a way to recapture those adrenaline-inducing thrills from my childhood back when I first experienced those kinds of stories.
Mr. Mulligan, can you tell my readers more about your current film festivals and movies that you are involved with along with links to where a person can see them?
I’ve only made one feature-length film called Incident at Montauk and 11 short films. I’m currently not working on any more movies because I’ve decided to retire from the film industry. I’m now focusing full-time on writing. I plan on releasing a horror anthology book of short horror stories within the next few years. This will be my focus moving forward. For those who would like to watch my movie Incident at Montauk, you can rent or buy it on Amazon. It’s available in most English-speaking territories. You can also purchase it on Limited Edition DVD: Incident at Montauk
What type of book are you planning on writing for Amazon?
I’ve always had more ideas for horror stories than I knew what to do with and films take too long to make. So I’m writing a horror anthology book that will contain a bunch of stories I always wanted to tell. I’m planning on including 13 tales in the collection. The title of the book has not been chosen yet. I expect the book to be out on Amazon either by October 2023 or 2024.
Mr. Mulligan, what character do you play in the movies?
I play Jed Logan in Incident at Montauk, who becomes obsessed with UFOs after witnessing one himself near Montauk, Long Island.
Mr. Mulligan, can you tell us about any upcoming films?
I’m no longer making films due to rampant piracy, the virus, corrupt distributors/aggregators, and Amazon shenanigans. It’s almost impossible to make a film’s budget back nowadays. The whole operation is not sustainable at the independent level. The ones making money are the distributors and aggregators (off the hard work of the filmmakers). Amazon was once great for direct distribution (allowing you to bypass distributors and aggregators) but they have significantly cut royalties and also tend to randomly purge independent movies from their platform for no reason. They recently cut off all-new documentaries and short films from submitting. Who knows what’s next. It’s sad what’s happening to the film industry, but what can you do? The issues are endless. I would like to keep my sanity and a balance in my bank account so it was time for me to move on to something healthy.
Mr. Mulligan, you have done a variety of films, both producing and promoting in film festivals. Which part is the funniest?
I enjoy the writing most of all. That’s where I really have fun. I’m honestly not a fan of film festivals. They mostly exist to feed off naive filmmakers. Most film festivals are total scams and are not worth the time or effort. I think the Internet and the virus have pretty much made them obsolete, which I think is for the best. I say this even though I’ve played at numerous film festivals and even won an award for best vampire short (Night of the Vampire). The whole festival ring is a façade; smoke and mirrors.
Mr. Mulligan, the lockdown has everyone reading, writing, and watching movies. Can you provide a list of what you have been doing? Meaning I tend to find new books or movies from suggestions given and well seems like I might be stuck for another few months inside.
I’ve been studying non-stop about how to write prose (vs. screenplays, which I did for 13 years). Just learning the ins and outs of the book publishing industry since I plan on transitioning to a horror author so I can keep telling scary stories without all the hassles and expenses of making movies. I did find two TV shows during this lockdown that I love. They are Evil and The 100.
Mr. Mulligan, the classic question: what charity do you work with? And can you provide links to it?
I don’t work with a charity, but I do have a mini wildlife habitat that I made for the wild birds in my local area. The squirrels and chipmunks make use of it too. The habitat has been certified by the National Wildlife Federation. I’m looking forward to expanding the habitat this summer with some additional native plants, which benefit birds and butterflies. National Wildlife Federation: https://www.nwf.org/Home/Garden-For-Wildlife
In dreaming can you describe what your dream movie, or role, or who you would like to work with would be?
I don’t have a dream movie that I want to make but I might be open to playing a role in a post-apocalyptic type film. That would be cool.
Mr. Mulligan, curiosity about your film Incident at Montauk. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8717296/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_2 What is your inspiration? Can you talk about who you interviewed? Having written Peter Moon and Duncan Cameron when he was alive I was wondering if you felt their stories have proof tangible that you know of?
I wanted to make a UFO conspiracy film since it was subject matter I had always been interested in. When researching the movie, I stumbled upon the Montauk Project and realized right away it would be a perfect match for what I had in mind. Luckily, Montauk wasn’t that far from Vermont so it worked out. I did not interview anyone when writing and making the movie. I did research all the information I could find on the Montauk Project and watched the only two documentaries I knew of before going into production. These docs were extremely helpful. I can’t say if the Montauk Project was real or if I believe Peter Moon or Duncan Cameron. I do believe that some aspects of what they have said or written may be true but there’s no hard evidence that I know of.
Also, what is your view on John Von Neumann?
Was he the brain behind the technology used in the Montauk Project? I don’t know. Some people believe so. I believe it’s highly likely he helped the U.S. government create technologies that most people don’t even know about, like the Montauk Chair, and God knows what else. Scary stuff.
People can find my upcoming horror stories and eventually the full anthology book at
https://omscares.blogspot.com/
Thank you!