Matt Brookens grew up in Springfield, got his film degree in Chicago, and works on productions in Los Angeles. Illinois Hell Hole is his passion project he has made into a radio film.
Transcript created with AI with human review.
Randy Eccles: This is Community Voices, and we have something very special this Halloween week. For the next three days, we'll be airing an original radio film. It's a horror comedy, which could be a little mature for some, so prepare yourself for that. But it's produced by a local person who will get to know more.
Matt Brookens: Hi, my name is Matt Brookens, and I am affiliated with Illinois Hell Hole.
Randy Eccles: The premiere on Community Voices of Matt Brookens' latest, I don't know, Matt, what do you call it? Is it a radio movie, radio drama?
Matt Brookens: I like a movie for your ears, but I've heard radio drama or audio drama or podcast, full cast, audiobook. It's more like a movie, movie for your ears. It feels like a movie when you're listening to it, I think.
Randy Eccles: Very rich, for sure. Matt is the writer, director, and lead in Illinois Hell Hole. Thanks for doing this. What inspired you to create this madness?
Matt Brookens: I love Illinois. I moved away for a long time, and I started to miss it here. I moved back and I was like, this is the time to finish the project. Because I was living in L.A. for a long time and I just like the name. I don't really think Illinois is a hell hole. It's about a hole into hell in Illinois.
Randy Eccles: It's A Halloween radio drama, not necessarily Halloween. It's sort of a horror radio drama, right?
Matt Brookens: Yeah, I’m still confused on what to call it. I wanted to make something that would be like a movie, I'm A filmmaker, I want to pitch this as a movie as well, but I want it to stand on its own as, it's funny. I don't need it to be a movie because it exists as this cool audio format. And I want you to be able to listen to it while you're like on a commute or driving and not wreck. I mean, you might, but don't blame me.
Randy Eccles: How did you choose Illinois to be part of this?
Matt Brookens: There's something about when you leave a place, I feel like you're distanced enough. You find the highlights come to your mind, and I wanted to write about that. Illinois, I wanted to make it here. When I moved back, I was inspired by growing up here. There's this sort of sense of rebellion where you're going to... I was always like a punk rocker and like a hippie and like a weirdo here. And there's very conservative people in Illinois, but there's also a scene where I think you're rebelling against that, which is me. Just got back from the No Kings protest in Chicago. I just want to speak my mind while I can. I love horror, comedy, and I love the Simpsons style humor. I wrote it like that, goofy and satirical, making fun of stuff that bugs me a little bit.
Randy Eccles: If there's somebody out there who would like to produce a film of this, you'd like to talk with them?
Matt Brookens: I would. I'm here. Call my agent -- as soon as I get one. I'd like to produce a movie of it. I feel like it needs to be captured in Illinois. I'd love to shoot it here, get the corn, and not AI corn. I want real corn for that authentic corn feel… and horseshoes. You have got to have the cheese on the fries with the burger underneath. I don't think it's a sandwich. It's like a real meal of, I wouldn't say healthiness, but it's hearty. And we're known for that here.
Randy Eccles: You were at Lincoln Land Community College for a while. Tell us a little bit more about your Illinois roots.
Matt Brookens: I grew up in Springfield. I went to Lincoln Land where I was an art major for a while. I've always made movies with my friends. We would rent a camcorder, or we had a cheap one and just shoot something funny over the weekend. Finally, I was, “Hey, I should go to film school.” I went up to Columbia College in Chicago and studied film there and got a degree, and then promptly couldn't find work. Yes, Bachelor of Film degree… what are you going to do with it? It did prepare me for the business side a little more. I moved to LA after I made my first feature, which was called The Art of Pain, which got on Netflix. Speaking of learning about the business side of it, it was on Netflix, I got $0 from that. I'm like, “Jeez!” I had to take the distributor to small claims. I got my $1,200 back. Kids, don't go into filmmaking thinking that you're going to get rich unless your parents are doing it, or your grandparents, or something. This is tough. It's got to be a labor of love. That's what I'm doing. I need to do it. I love to create stuff. If that's you, and you're having fun, and you want to make stuff just for the love of it; get on TikTok, get on YouTube. Make some stuff. Start building it right. Then things can go pretty well.
Randy Eccles: That's been a huge change. It used to be there were lots of hurdles and gatekeeping to get into filmmaking. Now, everybody's got a studio in their pocket.
Matt Brookens: It's true. It doesn't mean they're good at it. It's different because I edit TV shows. I have edited Swamp People, some reality shows, and some documentaries for Nat Geo. That style of filmmaking is totally different than what I was editing for this company called Aphmau. She's A YouTuber. She does Minecraft stuff. The YouTube audience is a little different from people who watch TV. We're seeing it consolidate some. I'm seeing more scripted stuff on YouTube and people are doing the verticals now. Have you heard of verticals? They are ‘choose your own adventure’ -- romantic, bodice ripping, Fabio book cover stories that you pay to click through. That's a new way Hollywood is starting to make dough. That might be next.
Randy Eccles: So, they'll get to a point in the plot where they'll say, do you want to go here or here?
Matt Brookens: Exactly. If you're in a paid subscription tier, you get the more awesome, exciting, raunchy, cool story. If you are unpaid, which is probably what I would be doing, you get the vanilla sort of scene. I'm seeing a lot of those are big in Hollywood. I've edited one or two. My next project, May be something like that. More like TV shows, comedy. I'm open.
Randy Eccles: A lot of the major producers have been struggling because there's so much content now competing with theirs that the numbers that places like Netflix saw early, now are going down because people are splintered to TikTok and YouTube to watch.
Matt Brookens: I've heard that too. I've heard some of the streaming, like the social media apps, are declining now as far as people are wanting less toxicity. Who hasn't been yelled at by bots on Facebook or Instagram? These are not real communities. But at the same time, the streamers and everyone else are looking to YouTube and creators online for original homegrown content that isn't sequel part 9 to Marvel.
Randy Eccles: Hopefully Illinois Hell Hole will be part of what's next as you find someone who underwrites the production of the film, right?
Matt Brookens: Producer is a very nebulous term. It's someone who makes it happen. one way or another, you make the calls. Like if you're organizing a party, you're technically a producer. If you can do something like that, I think you're a producer. But the real producers are the ones who bring the money, the dough, if you get that cash and you get the backing. That's another reason I wanted to make this as an audio book. It exists. It's intellectual property or IP already, so it feels less risky. Because I had written it as a film at first, then I went back and I'm like, I could make it super easy, really quick as an audio drama. Boy, I probably could have made a film as fast because, when you're creating it, you are doing the Foley (sound effects). When somebody drinks some water (slurping sound), you must get that sound and find the sound effect or record it. I don't think there are a lot of these anymore. It used to be like Orson Welles, War of the Worlds and Mercury Theater stuff. It's different. That was cool too, which is also how I convinced Corey Burton to narrate it. His voice is so cool. He's very busy. I've heard him in trailers, and I hear him on Disney stuff. He does Star Wars. He's Count Dooku and he's got so many cool characters. He's done Brainiac and Superman stuff. He did a bunch of rides at Disneyland. He brought Illinois Hell Hole up like 6 levels. Then, of course, Darren Norris, who is on the Fairly Odd Parents and Veronica Mars, is phenomenal. He does a sort of Phil Hartman impression with a, “Hi, I'm Troy McClure,” kind of voice. He does his own thing with it, and I think he out Phil Hartman's, Phil Hartman. I love Phil Hartman, don't get me wrong. He was phenomenal, and great guys to have worked with. I'm getting into the cast now…
Randy Eccles: You have some local cast, right?
Matt Brookens: Oh, definitely. I wanted to work with local people. A lot of local, central Illinois folks get missed because they happen to be geographically challenged here. Reggie Guyton, man, he's so good. I edited it, but my first pass was with a great editor I hired named Adam Kunzelman. He was, “Reggie's my favorite. He's so good.” Reggie, heard of him through the Lincoln Museum. He does the live Civil War soldier on stage there with special effect enhancements. When I found out he wasn't AI, I was, I got to get this guy in my movie. He's phenomenal. He plays Moose. Then Megan McDonough, who I went to high school with. she did a bunch of Nickelodeon shows. She's done tons of stuff. She's a SAG actress. My friend John La Flamboy plays Bill the Bill Collector, and he runs a great big, haunted house in Lockport. It's called Hell's Gate Haunted House. He was in my first feature. He was the bad guy, and he brings this excited energy. Patrick Russell and Gina DeCroix here in town, they're phenomenal. Jeff Williams pops in. Gosh, I just love NIL8. Annihilate, you've got to get it right. But it's spelled NIL8 -- Jeff, sorry. He came in, played some bit parts, and did my end credits. It's fun to work with friends and people I know, and I wanted to represent Illinois -- since it's called Illinois Hell Hole.
Randy Eccles: We're so appreciative. If somebody wants to hear it after it airs, how would they do that?
Matt Brookens: I'm so glad you asked. Please go to www.illinoishellhole.com. …and the ‘S’ is silent.
Randy Eccles: We are happy to talk with Matt Brookens today about Illinois Hell Hole, for Halloween in particular, although it doesn't have to be a Halloween thing.
Matt Brookens: Thank you for having me. I love spooky season, and I love Halloween stuff. I'll be watching horror movies all year, so you should enjoy it anytime. Thank you – Oh! I forgot to thank my mom. Thanks, Mom!
Randy Eccles: Thanks for joining us, Matt.
Matt Brookens: All right, have a good one.
