By Ron Evans
Former Wenatchee resident Ronnie Angel is like a creative Swiss Army Knife. He’s done professional wrestling, starred in dozens of movies, mostly horror, played Satan in a music video and written and published three books. One of these publications, Death In The Family: Life in the Business Of Death, is bringing Angel back to Wenatchee this July for a book signing event at The Time Capsule. I reached out to Angel to talk about the book and all the other interesting projects he’s been involved with.
First off, tell us a little about your self, biographically speaking.
I was born in Reedsport, Oregon in 1984 - I was actually one of the first births at the new hospital that just opened. I moved around quite a bit as a kid, living in Oregon, Utah, New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada, Montana and mostly Washington. I went to school in Spanaway Lake and graduated there in 2002. I eventually found myself in Wenatchee and stayed here from 2003 to 2014. My brother still lives there. Despite all the moves, I still consider Wenatchee as home. I’m currently in Hollywood, CA and living out my dreams! I still come back once a year though.
Let’s talk about your wrestling career - how did that all start?
I kind of just fell into it. I first trained with a wrestler from Wenatchee named Damien Michaels. He came up from California and lived there a while. He would have us bumping on wood pallets (to “toughen us up”) and going to a ring in Portland every month. Sadly, he’s not with us anymore.
I caught on in Oregon first, then Canada, where I wrestled predominantly for several years. From 2005 to 2009 we actually had a promotion here in Wenatchee and ran many shows at the Convention Center downtown. I initially wrestled from 2004 to 2014 when a knee injury pushed me out. I started again down here in SoCal in 2021 and have been doing it here ever since. I’ve been blessed to wrestle with some of my heroes over the years like Jake the Snake Roberts and others. It’s very cool to be able to say that.
Similarly, how long have you been acting and what inspired you to go down that road?
I had been told for years by many different people that I have a great voice and look, and that I should get into acting. I did a few things in Washington like a play in 2011 at the Riverside Playhouse. An actor friend of mine named Travis Mckenna, who I met when I interviewed him for my first book, was the one who motivated me to come to Hollywood. I got here in 2018 and I’ve been rolling ever since. It’s still a bit surreal at times just being here.
I’ve also been told by many people on sets that A) I die good, B) I’m great at improv, and C) that I can be terrifying. The sound girl from one of the films I recently did told me that she was legitimately scared of me and uncomfortable when I was in character. I put 110% into every role I play. I’ve been told I can be hilarious, as well as intimidating, so that’s good to hear! I guess it comes from years of being in the wrestling ring.
You were in a Lords of Acid music video! How’d that come to be?
Oh yeah, that was a highlight for me! The director personally asked for me. At first I was wondering if I could pull it off, being Satan and all, but it turned out great. I tell you, being surrounded by half naked models and pornstars for the day was not a bad gig to have! Looking over and seeing (adult film star) Alana Evans at my feet, winking at me, then looking the other direction where another pornstar was bent over in front of me and I was thinking, “Well damn, she doesn’t leave ANYTHING to the imagination!” Not a bad position to be in.
Do you have a favorite film you have worked on, either for the experience or the final product?
You know, I’ve had fun on every set, honestly (especially that music video). It’s hard to pick a favorite. Being able to share scenes with the late Tom Sizemore (in Mega Ape) was a surreal experience. Nice guy, who I ran into a few more times afterwards.
Getting killed by the Black Power Ranger (for a film not yet released) was cool too! I love being on a casual level with these stars and I especially love when they tell me they like my work. I’m building up my resume here all the time.
Any projects or films you would die to work on?
So many! I really want to make it to some major releases, like theatrical or TV. I’m friends with a lot of Friday the 13th folks, so being on a big horror sequel like that would be the ultimate experience.
You are involved with local filmmaker/horror fiend Danny Knighten’s new film called The Orchard Man. Talk a little about this project and the premiere that’s coming up.
Danny has been my best friend for about twenty years now and it was very cool coming back and getting to work on his first film. I had so much fun filming that out in Monitor and everyone was very cool. It’s going to premiere at The Time Capsule right after my signing on the 15th. I haven’t seen it yet, so I’m excited to see how it turned out.
Anyone perusing your IMDB can see you have a love for horror, to put it mildly. Can you recall the first horror film you saw that hooked you into the genre?
Oh man, I know it was Stephen King for my first since my mom is a huge fan. She was the other horror fan in the family. I remember It traumatized me pretty bad for years. When we briefly lived in Las Vegas, there was a horror host named Count Cool Rider. I would sneak downstairs and watch it at a low volume so no one woke up. That’s where the real obsession began. Whenever we arrived in a new town, I didn’t know anyone, so I would just rent stacks of horror films. I saw all the classics back then and the ball was rolling.
On that topic - your first two books were on slasher films, Slashed Dreams: The Ultimate Guide to Slasher Movies and Slashed Dreams Part 2: The Nightmare Continues! Talk about these books a bit.
The first one came about when I was working at the Crypticon horror convention in Seattle. I have an encyclopedic knowledge on many subjects, and people had been telling me to write one for years... so I did! I had always been into slasher films, so it was a given topic. I watched around 300 movies and took notes on every one to write about later. It took me a few years. The second one took me about a year and I had to really dig deep for some obscure films. The best part was I interviewed about 50 actors and directors for it. I found out a lot of cool behind the scenes stories. Both are basically my love letters to the genre. I just wanted to give my readers an inside view on the world of slasher films and maybe have them discover some obscure ones they would have never seen otherwise.
Are you self-published?
The first book came about due to being friends with a magazine writer. He wanted my first book to be the first on his new label he was trying out, Discoveries Books. It went well for both of us, and we split the profit. For the second book he did something very rare. He signed the rights back over to me and let me continue to use his label name. I couldn’t believe it. So now, all the profit comes to me. I kept his designer, Cyrus Walker, who helps me with every book since then and he does a great job. For the most recent one, I started my own label, Nyami Press. All of my future books will be released under that name. The majority of my sales come from Amazon.
Talk about your new book Death In The Family: Life in the Business Of Death. I have to imagine growing up in the funeral business would provide a casket-full of unique experiences.
Oh yeah, definitely. My dad’s been doing it since 1973. I used to go on trips with him when I was young, for his work (picking up or delivering bodies). I would always love hearing his stories about strange cases he had. That was the highlight of some of those long drives with him. I finally decided that I should share these unique experiences and stories with the world. It’s mainly my father’s stories, but there are also stories from myself and the family sprinkled in to give some different perspectives. There are stories of true crime, the paranormal, small town politics and dealing with friends and family dying. There are also several Wenatchee stories, such as hauntings at the old Betts Funeral Home and a rather infamous murder in town a little over a decade ago. Everyone is getting older too, so to me it was a bit cathartic. Maybe it will help me cope when my father is gone. I don’t know. There are some truly inspirational things in it though.
Can we expect an audiobook version down the road? Seems tailor made for some spooky night driving.
That’s not a bad idea. I’ve had people ask me that before. Maybe!
What can folks expect of your upcoming book-signing event at The Time Capsule in Wenatchee?
I’m really looking forward to it. I know that it’s an all ages thing and that Danny is screening his film immediately afterwards. I always love talking to fans and making new friends at these events. Plus, I’m excited to possibly see some old friends I haven’t seen in years there. I’ll be talking about my next book with anyone who has stories of the paranormal or true crime in the valley, too. So everyone, come on out, pick up a book and chat with me!
What’s coming up next for you?
Currently, I’m hoping to finish the Wenatchee paranormal book and release it this fall. A lot of research is going into it on all the haunted spots in the Valley. There are a couple more I have set for afterwards, too. I finished writing two screenplays - one horror and one historical drama. The drama is based on a true story from the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico. I’ve been getting great feedback on that one. It’s very unique and it touches upon a certain demographic that is too often forgotten about, and some particularly brutal events.
The first one I’m getting out though is a horror script that I’ve found a director and producer for. We’re hoping to start filming in the fall or winter. It’s a very old school horror film. My goal is to make it legitimately scary and unrelenting. It’s something we don’t see too often anymore, as most filmmakers choose to make campy films they don’t take too seriously.
I also keep plugging along with my acting and taking what’s offered to me. It keeps me pretty busy and I’ve garnered a bit of a following.
As for the wrestling, it’s a lot of wear and tear, so this might be my last year, but it’s been a fun ride and it ain’t over yet! I’m already planning more shows in Canada soon.
Where can people follow you and/or purchase your books?
You can easily find me on Facebook and Instagram under my name, Ronnie Angel. You can find my books on Amazon under the Ronnie Angel name, as well.
Of course, you can also catch me at The Time Capsule on Saturday, July 15th from 3-5pm. Come on out, pick up a book and hang with me!