On collaborating with Shane Meadows: You’ve worked on iconic films like Dead Man’s Shoes and This Is England. How did the raw, gritty realism of that style of filmmaking influence your approach to tension and fear in your later, more explicit horror projects?

Dead Man’s Shoes was my first introduction into being an actor I had no formal training ,but was approached by an agent who requested that they could represent me. I auditioned for DMS and Shane saw something in me and offered me the part of Gypsy John because at the audition he saw my rawness and gritty acting I just remembered events and situations I had been in throughout my somewhat colourful life, as aged 46 at the time of audition.

On your role in Molly Crows: In the horror film Molly Crows, you played the "Head Witch Hunter." What were the specific challenges in making a character rooted in such ancient, dark folklore truly terrifying for a modern audience?

Again this is down to the life I had lead prior to becoming an actor.

The transition to directing: How does your perception of "the scare" change when you are behind the camera directing the scene, compared to when you are portraying the victim or the aggressor in front of the lens?

This was just an experiment and only directed two shorts .

Regarding The Eschatrilogy: You were part of this zombie anthology project. In your opinion, what distinguishes a great zombie film from a cliché one, and how did you aim to bring a fresh perspective to the apocalypse?

With this movie the director allowed me to eat raw liver making the other actors look and feel discussed therefore hoping would have same effect on the audience 

The aesthetic of the macabre: Many of your horror works feature a very "grimy," underground aesthetic. How important is the use of practical gore and physical effects to you, compared to modern CGI?

There is nothing that can replace human emotion CGI is okay for somethings but horror needs natural hurt, anger , and emotion.

Acting in Inbred: The film Inbred is known for being particularly extreme and disturbing. As an actor, where do you draw the line to maintain the balance between entertainment and pure shock value?

I don’t draw the line, I perform and the director agrees or disagrees to my performance.

On-set atmosphere: It’s often said that horror movie sets are actually the most fun. Is that your experience, or do you prefer to maintain a level of constant tension to stay in character?

From the first day on set I go into character and stay there till end of shoot , so in answer to your question there is fun in horror.

The evolution of the genre: Having navigated different eras of British cinema, how do you think the methods used to scare audiences have evolved from when you first started until today?

People will always want more shocking situations.

 Personal tastes: What are your all-time favorite horror films—the ones that truly left a mark on you as a viewer and that you consider essential masterpieces?

The hills have eyes, nightmare on elm street, the name of the rose, hellraiser, but the very best were all pre 1970s featuring great actors like Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney, Vincent Price, Christopher Lee, Bela Lugosi, Peter Cushing and Robert Englund.

Looking ahead: What are your upcoming future projects? Are there any new cinematic nightmares in the works, perhaps a new collaboration or a directorial project that we can expect to see soon?

I now live in Italy and here they have done so many great horror films and at the moment I am co writing a horror movie with Francesco Tassara a local director here I La Spezia where I live I worked with Francesco on his last movie 0187 UFO which is currently doing rounds at festivals.