It’s time to meet an up and coming filmmaker who is currently in the midst of her first major film project. Meet Destiny Soria, an actor and model who decided to live the dream and create her own company, Lady Destiny Productions, as she is currently working on getting her first project, an 80’s style horror film called Christmas Slasher, off the ground.
WorldFilmGeek got the chance to talk to Soria about her film debut and her love for films.
Destiny, it’s a pleasure to meet you! I’m excited to know more about Christmas Slasher and your love of films!
Thank you so much! It’s crazy because I only had two days to shoot left before the pandemic shut us down, so I’m staying positive at this point. It’s been a great shoot because I’ve gotten to work with some great people who were willing to help me with my film debut.
What led you to want to be a filmmaker?
I’ve been acting and modeling since 2008 and I decided I wanted to do my own thing behind the cameras. I’ve done a few music videos and short films, but I had this dream project to do a B-movie horror film. I’ve always loved horror films and even my mom loves horror films so I knew I had to do it. I did an IndieGogo to get some funding and then I was blessed to have Nicholas Brendan and Felissa Rose thanks to some people I knew, and they were willing to do it. I was so surprised when they decided to help me out.
I read the plot of Christmas Slasher and it sounds like something I am totally in line for (Laughs). How did you come up with the idea for the film?
About five years ago, I did a skit for the idea and I didn’t have much of a script. Last year, I decided I wanted to revisit it and gotten the support of my friends, who said, you gotta do it! So, I started writing the script and I came up with the idea of Santa and Mrs. Claus as zombies and I wanted to do something in the vein on The Evil Dead and Killer Klowns from Outer Space, because they are my two favorite horror films. I asked a friend of mine to create a mini-elf and another creature using Claymation in the vein of a certain reindeer (laughs).
Of course, with this being an 80’s style horror film, I had to do some glorious death scenes. So, we have a lot of blood and gore and I am so happy with how it came out.
You have an amazing cast list, from Troma’s founder Lloyd Kaufman, Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Nicholas Brendan, and Sleepaway Camp’s Felissa Rose, who I actually got to talk to. What was it like working with them?
Felissa, let me tell you. She is an amazing person. That was the biggest thing for me because I was such a huge fan and I learned a lot about the industry. I got to learn on the set how things work and I did come across some issues, from people dropping out and an investor who also left, which as a result, I will never work with again. But, let me say Felissa was not just sweet, she is very dedicated and I learned a lot from her.
We found out we were going to have a blizzard coming and I told Felissa we needed to hurry and finish the film. Well, we got through the scenes but it took five hours to get back to the hotel because our driver ended up helping other people get through the storm. What normally was a twenty-minute drive was five hours and Felissa took it like a champ and she is such a sweetheart. I told her she can leave because we had finished all her scenes and she said, no way, we’re sticking together on this. She is such a trooper.
I learned a lot from both her and Nicholas. He is so awesome and I have a disability. I learned about his disability from his days on Buffy and we became great friends after shooting. We still text each other each day and send each other’s artwork. And these two also said they would be happy to work with me again and I was so excited to hear that!
Aside from The Evil Dead and Killer Klowns from Outer Space, are there any other horror films you love?
I love Stephen King’s Sleepwalkers. I was a teenager when it came out and I loved how it came out.
Were there any other issues you had to face during production?
There was a lot of miscommunication and when people got mad, I would be overwhelmed. I found out certain people would try to make themselves look good and directly lie. Unfortunately, I would call them out with the proof. I would have the emails and show them that they would be lying. I had a meeting with the entire crew one day and I told them, I wasn’t playing around. This was serious to me and they needed to get their butts in gear. Other than that, up until this pandemic hit, things were going smoothly.
Are you going to stick with horror films or are you planning to eventually branch out into other genres?
I definitely do plan to do other genres. I have three feature films in the works. I am starting with a sci-fi/horror novel that I’m hoping to adapt into a movie and I’m also planning a full-blown action film. I was inspired by Jackie Chan as he is one of my favorite action stars and the film I’m planning, Till the End of the Road, I want to make it an homage to the old days of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan.
I’m also a big fan of mythology and I’m planning a Red Sonja/Conan style film about a demi-goddess. I loved the story of Athena, the goddess of warfare and wisdom and include Leto, the Greek wolf goddess. Something along the lines of that.
That’s awesome! I am so looking forward to Christmas Slasher and these other films sound like something I would love to watch! It is great meeting you Destiny and I hope we get to see more of you soon!
Thank you so much! It’s been great talking to you!
A Special Thank You goes to Destiny Soria for making this interview possible. For more on Destiny, check out her official webpage.
WorldFilmGeek 