You've probably heard the adage, don't judge a book by its cover.

Well, that bit of wisdom really applies to our next story about horror filmmaking with Deep Roots in Kentucky.

From a studio-level player to do-it-yourself weekend warriors, a group of filmmakers here share more than just a passion for jump scares and bloodthirsty monsters.

[eerie music playing] [eerie music playing] The great thing about the horror genre is you can have everything mixed into a single horror film.

You can be in space, there can be a cowboy and all these things, and you can make it make sense.

Because with horror films, monsters, masked killers with a knife, those things are typically scary here, they're also scary elsewhere, so it transcends cultures.

I think horror is like riding a roller coaster.

It's like you get that kind of a thrill out of it.

It's like you watch horror movies with people and you see people putting their hands in front of their eyes or doing like this, they're still watching it.

And I think horror makes you want to see what's coming next.

Based in Owensboro, P.J.

and Eric are making names for themselves in the world of low-budget horror films.

And one of the first things they're going to tell you about is the unique community they've found in this genre.

So, the people that are into horror, it's like a big network of people that all already know each other because they all have the same likes, same dislikes.

We're this small group of people that not everybody else is into, so everybody just really gets along.

It's like a bunch of friends getting together that you've never even met.

You would think they would be these horrible people and they have like a seedy basement that they're making their movies in, but that's not it at all.

Every horror convention we've ever been to, it's some of the coolest, most down-to-earth, nicest people we've ever met.

A big part of the horror community is helping each other out, and that's true regardless of the budget level.

When P.J.

realized that Jeffrey Reddick, the creator of the $1 billion Final Destination horror franchise, was from Jackson, Kentucky, he didn't hesitate to reach out.

He's one of the coolest, most down-to-earth people.

He is not Hollywood at all.

Well, he did call me babe on the phone one day, which probably is kind of Hollywood.

But in terms of just sitting and talking, he's very generous with his time.

I do a lot of the business side of our company, so there's a lot of stuff with that that I'm not sure of what we're going to do, and we're getting bigger, so there's legalities and liabilities.

So, he's been a mentor of a person to go to and go, “What do I do here?

Can I do this?

Can we do that?” And Jeffrey Reddick's story seems like it was lifted directly from a Hollywood screenplay.

So, you may be wondering how a kid from Jackson, Kentucky, made it to Hollywood.

It's a pretty interesting story.

When I was 14, I was a huge horror fan.

I've always been a horror fan.

And when I was 14 years old, I saw the first Nightmare on Elm Street, and it blew my mind.

And I went home and I wrote a prequel idea, which is an origin story for Freddy Krueger.

Jeffrey sent his idea directly to the head of New Line Cinema.

Unfortunately, his story was returned because studios don't accept unsolicited materials.

But Jeffrey wasn't satisfied.

And then, I sent it back to him, and I said, “Look, sir, I spent $3 on your movies, so I think you can take five minutes to read my story.” And thankfully, he got back to me, and he was very encouraging.

He gave me some advice.

And from age 14 to 19, he stayed in touch with me.

And then at 19, Jeffrey started working at New Line.

Several years later, his story found its Hollywood ending when New Line produced his Final Destination script.

It was interesting that the studio that put out Nightmare on Elm Street, which has had such a huge impact on my life, is the same studio.

I worked there 11 years, actually, and they produced the first Final Destination and all the sequels.

Jeffrey is quick to credit the people who have helped him out along the way.

So, giving back has always been a top priority.

That's why he was proud to return to eastern Kentucky as a guest speaker for the SOAR Summit.

SOAR is an acronym for Shaping Our Appalachian Region, and his inspirational message was well received.

I mean, we all have gifts.

We're all special the way that we were brought up, the way that we view the world, our belief system.

Everything that we've been through in our lives makes each of us special and unique.

And I think that if we can find ways to, A, remember that, and B, tap into that if you have creative outlets.

[music playing] One of Jeffrey's first creative outlets was performing for family and friends, and his love for acting has come full circle with Eric and P.J.

While producing 13 Slays Till Christmas, P.J.

asked Jeffrey to do a cameo in the film.

Jeffrey jumped at the opportunity, and the rest is cinematic history.

Sent him 13 Slays when it was finished, and he immediately calls me back, and he was going on and on about how professional it looked, how incredible it looked.

He's like, “Dude, I know people out here making movies for $6 million that don't even look a fraction as good, or is a fraction of as much fun as what you guys just did with 13 Slays.

So, whatever you do next, count me in.” They had this new project coming up called New Fears Eve, and I said, “Well, I just want to part in it.” Like, I want to do.

I just want to get back into my acting bit.

And it was just fun to go down to Owensboro.

And he's such a talented guy, and he knows what he wants.

He just loves the genre.

He loves making movies, and Eric loves making movies.

But Jeffrey's contribution to New Fears Eve goes way beyond his time in front of the camera.

His producer credit is well earned.

Jeffrey is very much on board.

He wants to help.

He wants to be involved.

He was a huge part of the project.

He's been an integral part helping us get distribution of Cineverse.

He could have said, “Nah, you all, just a small time.

I don't want to help with you.” But he's helping us from LA.

Anytime we call, text, he's there for us.

So, we do that.

We've had people reach out to us that, “Man, I can't wait to be in film.

Can I work with you all?

I'll be a dead body.

I'll do anything.” And that's how we get our stuff done.

I mean, we've had a lot of people volunteer.

The helping hand isn't just for fellow filmmakers.

Eric and P.J.

continue giving back to their hometown, visiting local schools, and sharing some of the secrets of movie magic with the next generation of content creators.

And we go out there, and we tell them, like, “Look, you can't be afraid to fail, because one success is standing on the shoulders of, like, 1,000 failures.

So, there's no way that Eric and I would be able to do anything that we're doing today if we hadn't fallen flat on our face.

Remember where you were standing at.

And that's a message that resonates with anyone who's willing to take a chance on making a dream come true.

It's the heart behind the horror.

And filmmakers like Jeffrey, P.J., and Eric are keeping the spirit alive, one jump scare at a time.

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