Suburban filmmaker realizes his (scary) dream

Hawthorn Woods filmmaker and horror buff Marc Selz might not enjoy the name recognition that John Carpenter and Wes Craven have, but his work ranks with theirs in one key spot: the costume store.

Selz's third independent horror flick, "Satanic Panic," will get a national DVD and Blu-ray release on Oct. 13. As a promotional tie-in, a mask based on one of the key characters from the film has hit costume outlets such as Halloween USA nationwide.

"I saw a picture of the mask next to masks of Michael Meyers (from the 'Halloween' films) and Freddy Krueger (from the 'Nightmare on Elm Street' films), and it was so fun to see," Selz said. "Who knows? Maybe our guy will someday be like them."

Making horror films is a labor of love for Selz, 39, who has been watching and studying them voraciously since he was a kid. Every week he rode his bicycle to the local video store - there was no Netflix in the 1980s - so he could check out whatever fright flicks happened to come in.

"I watched everything I could," Selz said. "Some of them were pretty awful, but I just loved the genre, and there were enough good ones coming out back then to keep me hooked."

It didn't take long for Selz to think about trying his own hand at horror filmmaking. But it was a dream he put on hold after graduating from Niles North High School and going to work for his father.

A bout with illness in 2000 changed things. As he lay sick in bed, he started thinking seriously again about horror films. He decided then to write a script.

"I figured if I didn't do it then, it wouldn't ever get done," he said.

The script became "Short Cut Road," a film he shot in and around Long Grove in 2002. He made the film on a shoestring budget using a small digital-video camera. A few years later, Selz wrote and directed "The Rockville Slayer," which just recently scored a two-year cable network deal on the Chiller Channel. The film will air on the channel throughout October.

Now comes "Satanic Panic," which taps into the popular fears about Satanism and cults that flared up for a time in the early 1980s. The story centers around twin 10-year-olds who are abducted by members of a cult. One twin escapes; the other is never found.

"Satanic Panic" will be distributed by Celebrity Video Distribution, and it will be available for rental via Netflix and Blockbuster Online, and for purchase through such retailers as Amazon.com.

"It's got everything you need to keep horror fans happy," Selz said. "It's a scary, gory film, and I'm really happy with it. I think it's easily the best one I've done."

The completion of "Satanic Panic" also means that Selz has achieved a goal he set for himself when he began working on his first film nearly 10 years ago.

"My dream was to make three independent horror movies," he said. "And I've done that. It feels great. All three got distribution deals, which is an accomplishment. Obviously, I'm not getting rich on these, but that's not what I went into it for."

Looking ahead, Selz said he plans to return to work in sales in the near future. (He's spent the last few years as a filmmaker/stay-at-home dad.) He doesn't have any specific plans to make a fourth film, but he remains open to the idea.

"With the film business, you just never know how things will work out," he said. "Maybe someone will see 'Satanic' and give me a call about a project I absolutely have to be a part of. Or maybe these three movies will be my final contribution to the genre. Either way, I'll consider myself very lucky."

Selz's favorites

Marc Selz doesn't love the direction the Hollywood horror flicks have taken recently.

"We're seeing tons of remakes, or re-imaginings, or whatever they're called," he said. "Some have been good, but I wish that more original stuff was coming out."

We asked Selz what his top 5 horror flicks are. Here's what he offered.

1. Steven Spielberg's "Jaws": "A timeless classic. I still wonder to this day what is lurking below, when I am swimming at the ocean's surface or even a lake."

2. John Carpenter's "Halloween": "'Halloween' is another classic, an almost bloodless horror/thriller that makes me wonder who could be outside my house at night lurking around and looking through my windows."

3 William Friedkin's "The Exorcist."

4. Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho."

5. George A. Romero's "Night of the Living Dead."