In the midst of all the crippled remakes and unforgiving plots of modern-day horror flicks, we fall into a fraud hypnosis that this is all we deserve. We paid out 10 bucks and leave pissed off, picking popcorn kernels from out teeth, saying to ourselves and each other, “Damn it! We should have just waited for the DVD!” Then, once in a while, something new and impressive hits the scene and raises the threat level of what can be accomplished. Hence, SIN-JIN SMYTH, a new film by writer/director Ethan Dettenmaier.

As the story goes, on Halloween at midnight, the fallen angel, Satan, appears simultaneously on the high plains of India and in a small cemetery in Shin Bone, Kansas . Two days later, two Federal Marshals report to the small town of Shin Bone to transport a prisoner who has no identity... he is only known as Sin-Jin Smyth.

It is not often that a filmmaker is willing to go to the extremes of writing and directing a role for the Dark Lord. Personally, I respect this ambitious journey. It shows that nothing is going to be held back, and that Mr. Dettenmaier fears nothing! Which is a very important quality to have when creating something bold.

With an outstanding cast, including Roddy Piper, Jonathan Davis, Richard Tyson, Jenna Jameson (Who, I must say, I have REALLY enjoyed over the years.) and Jeff Conaway, just to name a few, this film has taken plot and casting to a whole new level of comfort. Or discomfort. It all depends on how you look at it.

I spoke with Ethan the other day, and he gave me a little more input on what this particular creation has to offer.

JS: At what point in your life did you decide you wanted to become a film maker?

Ethan: I always liked filmmaking! Since I was real young... six, seven. (Ethan made his first film in Junior High School about Soviet Commandos storming the Berlin Wall and a lone 'NATO' Tank-- with a multi-national crew of survivors-- that had to try to stop them.) But I didn't make the full-throttle decision to get involved in the industry until about 2000. I wanted a real life first. I wanted to take on real responsibilities, travel, do some charity work, and not live in some Hollywood fish tank. I wanted to get in the trenches of the real world, earn my 'stripes', and see what real life was about!

JS: What do you think you would be doing now if you weren't making films?

Ethan: 6 to 10 for armed robbery. Actually, I prefer not to think about it, but I'd probably still be working one, of the many, shit jobs I had in my life. Punching a time clock for 'the man'.

JS: Before Sin-Jin Smyth, what projects have you done or worked on?

Ethan: I've worked as a script doctor on several projects, but I don't think that resume would impress anyone. (In addition to optioning his own, Ethan has scripted material for Steven Seagal, Idiom Films and the co-producers of the Blade franchise.) Actually, part of the reason we started Sin-Jin Smyth was so I could move up and prove myself in a better capacity. Now, only the audience can judge if I succeeded or not. And their opnion is their privilege. But I wanted to try to earn some creditability in this business through working for the ground up!!!

JS: What was your inspiration for Sin-Jin Smyth?

Ethan: Poverty. Plus, I felt ripped off every time I dropped money at the box office. But, I am also motivated by the art that some established filmmakers have been able to achieve in this industry. The works of James Whale, Kurosawa, Wells, Ford... The innovation of Walt Disney, the literary work of Robert Louis Stevenson, Mathison, Sterling ... And I was also motivated by the story of Sin-Jin Smyth, itself. I wanted to try to make it work for the people around me, my family, who deserve better from me.

JS: Such and unbelievable cast. How was/is it working with them?

Ethan: Excellent. It was a solid cast of professionals that could not only deliver, but were very patient with me... as a new director. When I try to transmit the images frame-by-frame from my head to the screen, it's good to have a cast that is patient and understands that effort. And also understands the situation the 'independent world', in general, has to overcome in order to deliver.

On this platform, you need players who love their work just as much, if not more, than the paycheck. We operated on a night shift in the elements (Sin-Jin takes place during a tornado warning) with a heavy action contingent, explosions, gunfire... things like that can make for a long day, but this cast was into it. They continued to stand in there and work through it. They would bring their ideas, work together and give their best to make it happen. If this film is fortunate enough to achieve any success at all, credit is due much more to them, the cast and crew, than to me. They made it work!

JS: What aspects do you feel each individual cast and crew member was able to bring to the set to make this film come to life?

Ethan: With the actors, it became their responsibility to give what was on the page an additional dimension, and take their character through an additional evolution in terms of developing the actions, bad habits, mentality etc... That is the actors responsibility. Once the right actor is hired, a good part of my work is done!

JS: What is one thing you will remember forever from the production of this film?

Ethan: This entire stunt was a character building process. And I walked away with a lot of lessons from it. The one thing that I will always remember is the positive reaction that rough cut got when we screened it at Warner Bros. (a standing ovation is mentioned in one of the online reviews). That was the first time I even heard applause for my work in this industry, and I was stunned by that.

I was always very proud of the production team, but even more so on that day. For them to tolerate every fire-fight we had to survive during every stage of production to get this done, to see a crowd react like that towards their efforts is something that I will always remember... and I'm very proud of them!

JS: Explain the process of being Independent and yet, still creating such a piece of work.

Ethan: I can only speak from my point of view. Independent film making is tough, but not impossible. It comes down to YOU as an individual to get the elements, the financing, the script and build the relationships to get them started. Then, when you have the package in place, you can recruit the right individuals to deliver!

So it requires a lot of work-- right down to the manual labor! It requires a good sense of politics and you need to operate with an ethic. You need to be good on your word. On the film, we split ownership with the people who sacrificed to help us make it work, because there was no real money in the budget to achieve the large scale and scoop I wanted to share with a potential audience, the film required a partnership so the right professionals, people we normally couldn't afford, could come in and deliver big. We're not in favor of exploiting people, and I'm not about the money anyway... if I was, I would have finished college and taken a real job! (laughs)

But even with quality people around, you need to learn as much about the process as possible. So all my down-time was spent studying, and when I didn't know something-- which was a minute to minute regular occurrence-- I would apologize, then ask-- stating my intentions in a way that would demonstrate where I was headed creatively, but adding honesty to the fact that I lacked the technical knowledge to breach the gap! So I'd stop someone and say, “I want to try to achieve this. What is the best way to do it? What do you think?”

JS: What did you want to do different with this picture to set yourself apart from other directors and writers?

Ethan: I don't think in those terms. It's not about me, or setting myself apart, it's about the work and trying to do my best with it for an audience--- I leave other writers and directors to their business. I want to do the best possible job I can with what's in front of me.

JS: What did you learn from this film?

Ethan: I could write a text book on independent film now. On the financial process, casting, pre-production... anger management! All the elements that a good producer/director needs to appreciate in order to operate independently. Because independent means just what it says... you will be on your own to make the film. As I said before, there is no one to turn to when things get rough, and believe me, it gets rough! You need to understand that it will be you all alone in the beginning, to pull together from a script, and deliver sometimes against all odds and against the system!

But then again, it would be worth doing if it didn't build character. That's why I encourage everyone to try it. Get out there and make the effort. Who knows, you may have the next great idea we're waiting for!

JS: When do you expect Sin-Jin Smyth to be unleashed upon society?

Ethan: The talk is later this year, but there is no contract in place yet. (The production has been in talks with Lion's Gate, Warner Independent, Spotlight Ent., Shorline Ent., Trancas Films, Movie Bank and several others on the acquisitions/distribution front, and news should be forth coming soon.)

JS: Will it be a theatrical release?

Ethan: Yes.

JS: About the film industry. I know you have some strong views and opinions. What would you like to see happen?

Ethan: I'd like to see it move back into an art form where marketing research does not apply. My thinking is: “Try to make the film great to begin with, and it will sell itself.” The Godfather was not engineered by studio marketing execs. They did not install product placement, or try to cut expenses by making it take place during current times with a modern-day soundtrack of the latest top 40 hits. They let Coppola work through the material and deliver the film in the best way he could... And they're still making money on it.

JS: What are your future plans?

Ethan: I have had some interesting offers. (Ethan passed on two 'studio' romantic comedies because he felt he wasn't right for the material, and there are rumors about him working with the Executive Producers of Masters of Horror.) SNAPKICK (Snapkick Productions Inc. www.snapkickproductions.com, his home production outfit based on the Warner Hollywood lot in LA) has some good projects in development... A western about Confederate Raiders, who refuse to surrender at the end of the Civil War, a piece about CIA advisors in the Middle East. A film about the French Foreign Legion, another about the German Afrika Korps in their last days of World War II... also more horror about New Orleans-based grave robbers!! Along with others. So, there are some interesting options there, but I will probably take some substantial time off, do some charity work and re-connect with the neighborhood around me. That's what I really like to do is help people, and I have a serious debt to work through. I mean, I owe a lot of people, a lot! And I want to give something back.

JS: That is a very noble thing, Ethan. I want to personally thank you for sharing your film and personal feelings with us. I see a bright future ahead of you, no matter what you may choose to do beyond film making.

Ethan: Thank you, Jacob for taking time, as well. Have a good one. It's been a privilege!

JS: Keep creating man!

Thank god there are still those of us out there who live without fear. Ethan was one of the most enthusiastic and down to earth people I've ever spoken with, in or out of the motion picture business. I can say with the utmost confidence that this man will go far no matter which path he chooses to travel. Be on the look-out for more to come, as I've have been granted access to interview select cast members of SIN_JIN SMYTH.

...Sin lives in us all.