Interview with Tommy DeNucci, Director and Co-Writer of “Almost Mercy”

Last time we at theblood-shed had Tommy DeNucci for an interview (HERE), I asked a broad range of questions, such as what his inspirations are and his penchant for casting horror legends in his films. He did mention his newest project, “Almost Mercy”, but wasn’t able to go into details too much. This time around, we focused right in on this awesome new film on the horizon. Check it out:

John Lepper: Great to have you back for another interview, Mr. DeNucci. So, you’re current project is called “Almost Mercy”. What can you tell me about it?

Tommy DeNucci: I can tell you it’s extremely close to being finished and I can’t wait to get it across the finish line. We tackled a lot of controversial subject matter in this one and it gave me the opportunity to make the most serious film I’ve attempted to date. So all together, I’m looking forward to showing off a different side of me as a filmmaker.

JL: Awesome! I read a bit about the storyline. Two “burgeoning sociopaths” building up to a meltdown. It sounds like an amazing concept. Did you have any inspirations that helped you think it up?

TD: Well, I think the inspiration is on the news far too frequently. This isn’t the rehashing of any one specific story, but the truth is, teens lashing out has become a very frightening reality as of late. I hope for this to be a bit of a cautionary tale.

JL: True. It seems that violence perpetrated by youth is on the rise. And being inspired by the news is probably the scariest inspiration you could actually draw from.

Now, you have very awesome habit of getting ahold of A-list talent for your films. And I know there are three pretty big names this time around, two of them making their first appearance in your films. Care to talk about that?

TD: Yes! I’ve had the pleasure of working with some true icons of the horror genre. This time, I got a chance to cross Kane Hodder and Bill Moseley off the list. I grew up on Friday the 13th movies, so to work with the man behind the Jason mask (Kane Hodder) was a pretty fun thing for me. The 13 year old me, was totally flipping out. Rob Zombie is also one of my favorite filmmakers in the genre, and we all know how great Bill is in Zombie’s “The Devil’s Rejects”. That film was a big inspiration for me as a young filmmaker, so to get a chance to work with Bill, after watching that movie so many times was surreal. The guy is just wildly talented and took the role of Pastor Johnson to unimaginable heights.

JL: I’ve noticed that a lot of the legends are getting more involved in the indie side of things lately. It’s really great to see them care so much about the genre as a whole.

So, you’ve said the film is almost done. When do you think we can expect a release?

TD: Creative people respond to creative work. Chad Verdi, has a great relationship with talent and they are often eager to come work on a Woodhaven production, because of the proven track record for treating actors the way they should be treated.