I recently sat down with my good friend, Oliver Robins to chat about his amazing career. Most people know Oliver as Robbie Freeling from ‘Poltergeist’ dealing with that menacing clown and scary tree. Oliver’s recent film, ‘Celebrity Crush’ is making waves everywhere. Oliver’s work continues to entertain audiences today as an accomplished actor, director, writer and producer.
This is the first of three fascinating conversations with Oliver spanning his filmmaking journey. Enjoy this wonderful three-part series from Terry Jarrell and Dark Frights!
Part Two
Life Behind the Camera
Transitioning from actor to filmmaker felt like coming home in a strange way. As a kid actor, I was part of someone else’s vision, but writing and directing let me create my own worlds and tell stories that personally resonate with me. Writing ‘29000 Wishes 1 Regret’ was a really fulfilling experience. If you haven’t seen it, you can catch it on Tubi now. And ‘You’ve Got a Friend’ for Hallmark was a huge milestone – it became their highest-rated June premiere! That kind of audience response is what makes all the hard work worthwhile.
Directing is where I really found my passion though. There’s something magical about orchestrating all the moving pieces of a film – working with actors, cinematographers, sound designers – and seeing your vision come to life. It’s like conducting an orchestra, except the music is visual storytelling. And producing? Well, that gives me the creative control I crave. [laughs] Maybe that’s the former child actor in me wanting to finally call the shots!
“Film School Days at USC”
Going to USC Film School completely transformed my perspective on filmmaking. I showed up thinking I knew something about movies because I’d been in a couple of big ones, and quickly realized I had so much to learn! The community there was incredible – imagine being surrounded by people who are just as obsessed with film as you are, all day, every day. We’d have these intense debates about camera angles in Hitchcock films at 2 AM while working on projects together. It was like film nerd paradise! The professors weren’t just academics; many were working filmmakers who brought real-world experience into the classroom. One day you’d be analyzing the theory behind neorealism, and the next day you’d be applying those concepts to your own short film. USC gave me the technical foundation, but more importantly, it taught me how to think like a filmmaker. Those lessons still influence every project I take on today.
The Directors Who Shaped My Vision
Oh man, my influences are all over the place! [laughs] Working with Spielberg as a kid was obviously life-changing. I’ll never forget when he handed me a Super 8 camera on the ‘Poltergeist’ set – it was truly the moment I fell in love with filmmaking. Suddenly I wasn’t just acting in front of the camera – I was creating my own worlds behind it. I immediately started making these elaborate little films. My magnum opus was definitely ‘THE DAY PACMAN ATE THE EARTH’ – [laughs] I was obsessed with Pac-Man at the time. It was this surprisingly heavy drama about Pac-Man consuming the planet, but Ms. Pac-Man heroically saves humanity in the end. I was 10 years old and thought it was the most profound statement on environmentalism and gender dynamics ever made! [laughs] But seriously, that little Super 8 film was my tour de force, complete with hand-drawn animation and dramatic music recorded from our TV.
Spielberg taught me that technical brilliance means nothing without heart. His films are spectacles, sure, but they work because you care about the characters. E.T., Elliott, Roy Neary – these aren’t just plot devices, they’re people you connect with. Tobe Hooper was a master of tension. People think horror is about jump scares, but Tobe showed me it’s really about atmosphere and building dread. The scariest part of ‘Poltergeist’ isn’t what you see – it’s what you think might be there.
I’m also a huge John Carpenter fan. ‘Halloween’ and ‘The Thing’ are masterclasses in minimalist horror. He can create more tension with a simple tracking shot and synthesizer note than most directors can with a hundred million dollar budget. And don’t get me started on David Lynch! [laughs] ‘Blue Velvet’ and ‘Mulholland Drive’ completely changed how I think about narrative structure. Lynch isn’t afraid to make the audience work, and his films are richer for it. Then there’s Scorsese’s character work, Kubrick’s precision, Preston Sturges’ wit, Buster Keaton’s physical storytelling – I’m like a sponge, absorbing bits and pieces from all these different masters and trying to create something that’s authentically my own. Honestly, Tarkovsky’s ‘Stalker’ might be the film that’s influenced me most profoundly in recent years. The way he uses time and space… there are scenes where practically nothing happens, and yet they’re filled with such tension and meaning. It’s breathtaking.