J.R. Bookwalter’s IMDb. J.R. Bookwalter has been around the world of low budget cinema for close to twenty years now. He made his first film, the Romero-influenced The Dead Next Door in 1988 with funding that partially came from EVIL DEAD director Sam Raimi. That film is still seen by many as the best film Bookwalter directed. Unfortunately for Bookwalter, The Dead Next Door would not hit shelves until after his second film did; Robot Ninja. With a title like that, how can you go wrong? According to Bookwalter, making that movie, and several others similar to it, for incredibly low budgets in small amounts of time was a surefire way to not only go wrong, but be on the run from what his friends termed the Bad Movie Police. That is the inspiration for the latest release from Tempe DVD, which is the company that Bookwalter has owned and operated for many years. Five of his earlier films, which he made for David DeCoteau’s Cinema Home Video, are included on the set. That set is, by the way, out in stores now. J.R. joined me yesterday to record this forty minute show, during which we discussed many elements of his career. Topics include how he came up with the concept for the Bad Movie Police series, working with David DeCoteau, making movies like Zombie Cop for $2500, putting together artwork for movies before they are made, making six movies over seven months, making tight deadlines, the joy of making fun of his movies, the process of making The Dead Next Door over a four year period, making films with John Russo, starting his own company, the most ridiculous way a movie of his was promoted, how he got introduced to Charlie Band, how Tempe became Full Moon’s production entity, how William Shatner’s Groom Lake almost bankrupted Full Moon (a tremendous story I had never heard), Charlie Band’s lavishness, the low points in his career that actually made money (Killjoy 2 in particular), the law of diminishing returns, and what he wants Tempe to become.