Actor and Producer Jim Thalman just launched a new transactional video on demand (TVOD) platform called MoviVue that will make horror hounds howl with delight. MoviVue features both vintage and new indie horror gems specially curated for genre fans.
A Manhattan native who has acted in theater and films, Thalman first and foremost is a movie fan who loves nothing more than having a shared experience in a dark theater with strangers enjoying the same film. As president of MoviVue, Thalman hopes to create a safe space for both independent filmmakers and fans to connect.
We caught up with Thalman just before MoviVue’s official launch on Friday, September 20, with the action-packed creature feature The Prey. We chatted about lifting up indie filmmakers, why horror films unite audiences more than any other genre, and how MoviVue will play a part in it.
MoviVue Launches With ‘The Prey’
Wealth of Geeks: The first movie featured on MoviVue is the sci-fi action-thriller The Prey, starring genre favorites such as Danny Trejo, Adrian Paul, Nick Chinlund, and Kevin Grevioux, to name a few. The movie is about a platoon of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan who cross paths with a mythological cave-dwelling creature that is sort of like an Afghani bigfoot. What do you love about The Prey?
Jim Thalman: What we’re trying to do is curate these unsung gems — both vintage and new movies — we think that horror hounds would love. The Prey is a fun movie with lines that are very tongue-in-cheek. It doesn’t take itself seriously — this isn’t Citizen Kane! I jumped out of my seat three times watching that movie, and I’m usually the guy who sees jump-scares coming.
People that love video games are going to love this movie because it has all the elements of a classic video game: big tanks, big guns, and big explosions, and then a treasure hunt while a Minotaur hunts you down and rips you limb from limb.
A Platform Catering to Horror Fans
WoG: What makes MoviVue different from other streaming services?
Thalman: The original concept is we’re gonna find all the gems because these are the guys that I actually have relationships with. I go to a film festival and I get an all-access pass, man. I’m seeing three movies a day, every day. I love movies.
There are movies on the festival circuit that we want to bring to audiences. Unlike the other streaming channels, we’re actually going to promote these films and get behind these movies because I don’t have a slate of 1,000 films like Netflix or Amazon and I don’t want it.
I like the idea of one new movie every couple of weeks because then we can really curate films that we think the audiences will love, and we can get behind it with marketing, advertising, and social media to drive traffic. It’s a David-and-Goliath story because the big guys have steadily shut out the little guys. I wanted to create a platform where filmmakers can come make real money, get real support, and then go on and make their next movie.
WoG: You’re following up The Prey on MoviVue with the 1981 horror film Madman directed by Joe Giannone and starring Tony Nunziata. Do you have a personal connection with this forgotten early-’80s slasher?
Thalman: It was the first horror movie I ever saw as a little kid! I got my brother to rent the VHS for me and my buddy, and we watched it in the dark, scared.
Oddly enough, the director of that movie was my first mentor in the industry. I had graduated college and was doing my first job. We met and started talking about ’80s movies. He’s like, “Yeah, I directed Madman.” And I went through the roof — love that movie. We became friends and he really taught me about making movies — all the things that college did not teach. A handful of years into this relationship, he got the financing for his next movie and I starred in it and we had a blast. We were very great friends all the way up until… like literally I spoke to him about a week before he passed away.
WoG: Will MoviVue offer bonus features for Madman and other films?
Thalman: There’s a documentary we’re going to include on the making of Madman. We’re trying to schedule a podcast with some of the surviving cast members. We’ll show actual props from the movie and fan-made memorabilia.
It’s just gonna be like, hey, it’s a Sunday night. Come hang out with us. We’re not charging anything extra for it — we just want you to watch the movie and hang out with us. That’s what we would like to do with all of our films: we want to connect with the audience on a very human level.
WoG: What is special about horror movies and fans of the genre?
Thalman: I love horror because it’s the only genre of film that crosses cultural and linguistic boundaries. If something is scary, it doesn’t matter if it’s in Portuguese or Japanese, right? If it came from Japan, or China, or South Africa, or Canada, or Los Angeles, or Chile, everyone gets the folklore.
Horror fans love to debate, but there is no anger behind it like in politics. We’re passionate until we’re blue in the face, but no one ever gets mad at each other.
Indie or Bust
WoG: A lot of indie filmmakers just want their movies to be seen, so they license them to Prime Video, Netflix, or some ad-supported service that splices in commercials and censors some of the content. How will MoviVue be different?
Thalman: That’s the plight of the indie filmmaker because all filmmakers love the art of making movies. But at the end of the day, they want audiences — not just Mom, Dad, and, you know, cousin Elmo. They want strangers to see their movies and hopefully entertain them, so [these directors] wind up signing their rights away. If they generate hundreds of thousands of views, then that should generate hundreds of thousands of dollars in return. We’re trying to find these great little movies that we think everyone needs to see before some big guy comes in and swallows it and then doesn’t show it.
And that’s the other thing: I don’t want to censor or edit anyone’s vision ever. It’s your movie, not my movie. I’m seeing your movie because I love your movie. I love your vision. I want to share your vision with audiences around the country and culturally around the world. Let’s see it in its purest form.
WoG: As MoviVue grows, do you see it as a community space for horror fans and filmmakers?
Thalman: I like to bring people together. Literally, I think I was a grandmother in a previous life setting up marriages. [Laughs] Movies and television allow us to do that.
I saw Zoolander on 42nd Street in Manhattan with my girlfriend at the time. It was hilarious, unstoppable — I’m losing my contact lenses because I’m crying so hard. All of a sudden, it’s like we’re all in this together. People stuck around for the credits and no one left the theater. The lights came on and everyone was cracking up [with] complete strangers. We had this amazing time together because we had a shared experience. I think we can bring that back.
I’m just trying to carve out a niche, a segment, a safe haven for the indie filmmakers that want to take risks and make movies that impact audiences. We just want really fun films that we feel great about getting behind.
