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These Grannies Share a Deadly Obsession
Shannon Richardson and Sherry Everett are living their dream.
The first image that comes to mind when you hear “movie producer” is likely not a gray-haired, pudgy 60-year-old. But that’s exactly what you get with Shannon Richardson and Sherry Everett, producers of the horror movies The Lights and Deadly Obsession.
How could these two old broads—who carry around pillows for a tailbone problem and wear spring-loaded shoes to soothe chronic back pain—achieve what healthy people half their age could not?
Before completing their first two features, neither had qualifications that Hollywood regarded significant enough to produce a movie. Richardson’s resumé amounted to a few director of development, writer and co-producer credits, while Everett’s industry experience consisted of a few screenplays she’d written. But these unassuming women were determined to produce features, and they did—two in one year.
“Seventy percent of all horror films make a profit,” explains Richardson of their decision to take on the bloody genre. “No other genre can say that.”
Holding up arthritic fingers, Everett adds, “Horror audiences are faithful attendees. They also forgive almost any technical flaw.”
But for all their promotion of the genre, Everett had never even seen a horror movie until they made The Lights. “I’m too much of a scaredy cat. Even now when I watch them, I close my eyes or yell at the characters, ‘Watch out!’ However, looking at this from a business standpoint, The Lights and Deadly Obsession were the perfect two films to produce first because… [horror movies make a] profit more often than any other genre.”
The Lights, about a deadly game of cat-and-mouse triggered by a meteor shower, wasn’t in the duo’s plan when they relocated to Austin, Texas in 2007. “We kinda fell into this opportunity,” says Richardson, as she pushes her gray French braid over her shoulder. A new studio had opened up in the city and was offering to defer studio expenses on any movie shot there before January 1, 2008. Everett heard the news and called her long-time friend and aspiring moviemaker. Richardson had been on the fringes of moviemaking for more than 20 years, so was excited at the prospect. She had never heard of a studio doing such a thing. But having just undergone back surgery, she was unsure of whether or not she could sit long enough to travel to Texas, let alone take advantage of this opportunity to produce a movie.
“I could hear the disappointment in Sherry’s voice and I felt rotten, but I didn’t think I could physically do it,” notes Richardson. The idea continued to haunt her though, and the next morning, with her husband’s blessing, she packed her bags and left her Colorado home, not knowing that she would only return for two weeks that year.
“I could still hear Shannon saying, ‘I’m coming to Austin. I’ll meet you in five or six days,’” says Everett. “When I hung up the phone my heart was pounding so hard that I thought I was having a heart attack, but I started packing immediately. Deep in my heart I knew producing films was what I was meant to do the rest of my life.”
Richardson drove her RV from her home in Durango, Colorado to Austin, Texas, stopping at practically every rest stop along the way to rest her back. When she finally arrived in the City of the Violet Crown, Everett was waiting for her and work commenced on two features—Deadly Obsession and Committed. Four days later, the owner of the studio dropped by, asking if the women would like to replace two fired producers on The Lights. They read the script and began work, dividing their time between the assigned production and their own. From 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. the women worked on putting together Deadly Obsession and from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. they were devoted to The Lights.
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COMMENTS | POST A COMMENT 
- Comment by A Disgruntled Crew Member on 1/08/09 at 6:48 pm
I worked as a crew member on one of those productions… those two old women are hacks. They lie to their investors about their scripts and about other people involved, and they lie to actors and crew about payment. If being a good producer means fleecing people to make rather poor looking films, these two are fantastic.
It’s actually a shame that MovieMaker gave them this much attention, though they no doubt lied to MovieMaker about their success. I know for a fact several quotes from this article to be untrue.
Also—Richardson did not direct. Another director had to be brought in, due to her directly causing the shoot to fall days behind schedule, as well as the overall quality of the shoot to drop.
I only post this to alert people to the fact that, though this article makes them seem great and successful, if you speak with anyone who has worked with them, none would ever work with them again.
- Comment by Yoga Exercises on 10/23/09 at 11:53 pm
I get a sharp pain in my back, lower left, every so often, when I turn to my left to look behind me. ?
Yoga Exercises- Comment by anuj on 1/22/10 at 4:05 am
great story....................
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