MURRIETA, Calif. — Halloween can be a great time to dress up and eat candy or seek out something a bit more dangerous to scare you to your core. In this Zevely Zone, I went to Murrieta to meet a movie making machine.
Dustin Ferguson is a filmmaker with a killer resume. Something is going to kill you in every movie he makes. If not a dinosaur, maybe some murder hornets or perhaps a shark. "I am never going in the ocean again," I said after watching the trailer to Apex Predators.
When Dustin Ferguson was six years old, his parents showed him his first scary movie and he was hooked. "Dustin Ferguson is a small-town boy in a big city following his dreams," Dustin told me.
Five years ago, his film Nemesis 5 did so well, Dustin left Nebraska and moved to California to up his gory game. "I just finished my 135th film," said Dustin who thinks the world record for making films is 160.
Dustin is 40-years-old which means his goal is to make 400 movies in his lifetime.
He can shoot a movie in two days. On average, Dustin produces a movie a month. "I have a lot of ideas and I feel if I don't get on it and make it quick, it's gone and I am on to the next thing," said Dustin.
After watching the trailer to his movie Scare Her to Death, I asked, "Are you trying to scare me?" Dustin laughed and said, "If you are watching one of my horror movies, I would hope that it scares you. I want you to have a lot of fun because my movies have heart and I want that to convey in the films."
So, how many people has he killed in 135 films? "I couldn't even guess. I would say it's in the thousands," said Dustin.
He's killed women, men, grandparents, and just before I was about to think no one was safe, Dustin proudly told me babies and pets are off limits. "I've got to have some standards," he said.
So how does Dustin's story end? Spoiler alert: Small town boy, not only makes a living, but makes it big. He's even getting recognized in the grocery store! "It's starting to happen now," said Dustin. "I never believe it, I'm like you've seen my movies?"
In January, Dustin will open his own movie studio in Riverside County called SoCal Cinema. You can watch his movies for free on Tubi.
Check out more Zevely Zone content below: