An Interview With Jason Zink, Director of “Straight Edge Kegger”

When he’s not working his 9-5 as a job developer, Jason Zink is running a punk rock film house with some three productions under its belt. Zink, owner of Weird On Top Pictures, was formerly employed as an English teacher, though, currently assists others in the construction of their resumes, conducts mock interviews, and is the writer and director of the coming soon to Shudder thriller/horror film “Straight Edge Kegger”. The film has received much acclaim from its many appearances at festivals and overall has performed well, garnering 13 wins including the Jury Prize for Best Feature at the Halloween International Film Festival and Best Actor from the Houston Horror Film Fest in 2020. Keeping overhead low and working alongside a small-scale crew, Zink completed the film that once released its own collectible toys and currently has a VHS Mystery Box on sale from Rotten Rentals.

“Everything is D.I.Y., I’m the captain of the ship wearing too many hats, and a small group of friends help when a project pops up,” Zink shared on his work through Weird On Top Pictures. With an estimated budget at $20 thousand USD, the independent production was filmed primarily in Chicago and Indiana. If one were to tally up the travel expenses to take “Straight Edge Kegger” to festivals, each of the entry fees, and cost of the crowdfunding campaign, Zink notes the budget would be closer to a total of $35 thousand USD, which is relative to many indie film’s expenditures.

Starring Cory Kays, Evey Reidy, Julio Alexander and Sean Jones, the film is of the thriller genre, regarding a gang of militant straight edgers who take to violence at a house party. Zink notes that his home invasion movie’s proof of concept trailer was shot in 2016. From start to finish, “Straight Edge Kegger” took one year to make but 18 days to film, completing it over a series of weekends. The principal photography was completed in 11 days, and shot with the original Blackmagic Pocket Cinema and Fastec TS3 Cine Cameras. “Our cinematographers matched the film to look like what we shot in the opening with the TS3. It looked a lot like sixteen millimeter film,” Zink said. “We used the TS3 to still achieve the high-speed and slow-motion shots, something the original Blackmagic doesn’t offer.”

The filmmaker has received overwhelmingly positive feedback, noting that while many of those watching loved it, he is bummed at the lack of support from the straight edge community as he has noticed that the subculture does not appear to give it a chance. “They think we’re making fun of them, and that’s not what it’s about. I don’t believe the film does that,” he added. Zink admitted his nervousness for the reaction the film will receive after it’s drop on Shudder, a date slated for 2021. “Straight Edge Kegger” will also be released on Xfinity (Comcast) on Demand in January of next year.

Growing up in a small town in Indiana, when Zink had little to do, he found comfort in cinema. “Films opened my mind up to the world outside my neighborhood,” the director shared. After having come across films from Sam Raimi and Kevin Smith that were without recognizable celebrities in the cast list, Zink left the experience watching their work feeling empowered with the thought, “Maybe I can tell my stories, too,”.

The horror anthology, “Night Terrors” was released in 2014 and is also of Zink’s portfolio as he is credited as the co-director and co-writer of the horror/comedy film. The concept of the name behind Zink’s company, Weird On Top, was inspired from the 1990 movie “Wild At Heart”, starring Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern. “There’s a quote in the film where Dern’s character says, ‘This world’s wild at heart and weird on top,’ so the name is a play off of that. It’s my favorite Nick Cage movie,” the director stated with a chuckle.

Teaming up with Death by Toys, “Straight Edge Kegger” had the opportunity to have collectible toys made that sold out quickly, with Zink adding he made sure to keep one of each for himself. With a VHS Mystery Box currently on the market and signed (and non-signed) Blu-Ray copies going fast on ScreamTeam Releasing, the punk horror thriller’s director is thankful for publicist So Good It’s Scary for having assisted in the film’s recent increase in attention. When asked what advice he would give to aspiring film creators, Zink stated,

“When you think you’re ready to start filming, wait for three more months and keep working on pre-production. You’re never as ready as you think you are.”

To keep up with the latest news and releases, follow “Straight Edge Kegger” on their Official Facebook. To find other work from Zink, visit the Weird On Top Pictures website here.

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Check out my screener’s review of “Straight Edge Kegger” below: