AnythingHorror Central

Actor & all around "go to" guy Landyn Banx

Hey everyone.  Recently I wrote an article on indie horror filmmaker Jason Stephenson (read it here) and three of his films.  The third, and best, was 2009’s Terror Overload.  This is an anthology collection of three stories and a wrap-around piece.  The first story, “Dinner Date” (directed by Kevin Myhre) is the story of a guy who has a girl over for a first date.  Sounds sweet, eh?  Well this date ends up with the girl chained up in his basement (aahhh; to be single and dating again).  The star of “Dinner Date” is Landyn Banx and he contacted me after I wrote the above article to tell me how much he enjoyed it.  One thing led to another and we decided to do an interview for http://anythinghorror.com!!

You may not recognize the name “Landyn Banx” but if you are a fan of the independent horror scene you’ve probably come across his work.  IMDB.com credits Banx with appearing in 29 films; 20 of them between 2008-2009!!  In 2010 he is credited with being in 7 films and is involved in 2 films that will be out in 2011.  But Banx also has a ton of credits behind the scenes holding positions such as associate producer, language coach, stunt man, and writer.  This may just make Landyn Banx the busiest man in the indie scene!!

But the info on IMDB.com tells only part of the story.  Allow me to let Banx explain it himself:

I’m an independent film actor currently residing in Minnesota. I have had experience in over 90 acting projects since 2007, both big and small. I have appeared in several genres of films including horror, comedy, and drama.  Aside from acting, I also model for local photographers, write song lyrics, and do spoken word music as well.

Like I said, pretty friggin’ busy guy who obviously has man uncredited roles.  Well I met up with Landyn Banx (and by “met up” I mean we chatted through email  LOL) to ask him what he’s been up too and what he’s planning for the future.

I didn’t want to edit any of Banx’s responses, so for the sake of length I’m going to break this interview up into 3 segments.  Enjoy, and if you would like to learn more about Landyn Banx visit his website at http://landynbanx.com/

DVD of "Terror Overload"

Q:  Tell us about your role in Terror Overload

I play Edward in the “Dinner Date” segment of NFTS Productions’ feature length horror film anthology Terror Overload – Tales From Satan’s Truck Stop.  Edward is a shy, quirky guy who invites Jill (played by Rachel Grubb) over to his house for a dinner date. What Jill doesn’t know is that after wining and dining her, Edward has other plans in store for them besides an evening on the couch watching movies with a bowl of popcorn.  I don’t want to say too much more about Edward. You will have to pick up the DVD of Terror Overload when it comes out in May of this year to find out what happens to Jill[!!]

I am happy to say that Terror Overload was picked up for worldwide distribution through R2/Big Bite Entertainment. This is the first feature film I’ve been in with a speaking part to get distribution on such a big scale and I’m so excited about it. It’s funny how this role came about as I was not the first actor who was originally going to play Edward. I had first met Jason Stephenson of NFTS Productions at the 2007 Crypticon Horror Convention in Minneapolis, MN. I watched his film Pajama Party Massacre at the screening they had there and began talking to him about his films. We kept in touch over the next several months and in the spring of 2008, I heard that he was casting for roles in Terror Overload.  I e-mailed Jason and told him that I was interested in his film and that I would be honored to be a part of it in any way, shape, or form. He e-mailed me back and told me about the film and what roles he had available for men in the film that were’nt yet cast. I read through the script and I liked the role of Ray Rae in the “Mongo Chupa” segment [directed by Brant Johnson] the best and told Jason I would love to play that part. He consented. Then a few weeks later he e-mailed me to tell me that he wanted me to play the part of Edward in the “Dinner Date” segment instead. He told me to trust him and that this would be for the best interest of me and the film. Another actor who had worked with Jason on his Doomed to Consume zombie film was originally cast in the role of Edward but had other obligations at the time and was not able to be in the film. I accepted the part of Edward with glee and prepared myself for the task of getting into the mind frame of this crazy character. It was only a matter of time before I was ecstatic to find out that Ari Lehman, the original Jason from Friday The 13th (1980) was going to be playing the role I was originally going to play of Ray Rae. I am a huge Friday The 13th fan and I was delighted that I was going to be in the same film as Ari Lehman, although we don’t have any scenes together in the film.

Banx is very "hands on" in his roles (ah-hem). From "Terror Overload".

Is this the first horror film you’ve worked on?

Oh no!! My first horror film was my very first film Tales of the Dead by Haunted Autumn Productions. I hadn’t acted since elementary school but it was always something I had wanted to do. Finally in the fall of 2007 a co-worker told me about Craigslist and that I could find acting jobs on there. So I went home from work that night and found an ad for a feature length horror film called Tales of the Dead.  I e-mailed them and told them I would love to be in their film. They e-mailed me back within a day and we set up a time to audition/read for the film. Before the audition, they tossed back and forth the idea of putting me in a werewolf costume for one of the segments in the film. As much as I wanted to be in the film, I didn’t want to be covered up in a werewolf costume for the whole film either. However, luck stepped in and they offered me the leading role of Vince Prize, an homage to horror icon Vincent Price, in “The Radio” segment at the audition. I was so excited when they offered me the part that I told them I’d think about it and get back to them in a few days. I said yes after thinking it over for a few days and began production on Tales of the Dead on an extremely cold night in February of 2007 at an antique shop in Minneapolis, MN.  When I found out that I was going to be filming at Melrose Antiques, my mom told me that the owner was a family friend of ours named Peggy, whom I had known for years. From that point on I knew that this was meant to be and that I was going to pursue my acting career with everything I had. Aside from Tales of the Dead, I have also appeared in many other horror films including Camp Kill, Night On Has Been Mountain, Changing Channels: Zombie Apocalypse, 16 Heads and Counting, Escape, Health Freaks, Lust, The Crime of the Century, Potpourri, The Perfect Victim, The Pact, The Cell Phone, and Nation Undead – Overflow in various leading, supporting, and featured extra roles.

I guess he was still hungry after his "Dinner Date"!!

What attracted you to the role in Terror Overload?

I was attracted to the role of Edward […] because I saw a bit of myself in him. Edward is your everyday guy next door, very soft spoken, shy, and quirky, all traits which I myself possess. I feel that he may have been a bit underestimated in his life by those around him and, having been picked on and tormented most of his life, thus may have helped to contribute to his desire to have fun with his dates, in ways they would probably rather not do.

…

End of Part One

If you’d like to contact Landyn Banx please do so through his website at www.landynbanx.com