It began, as it often does, in the hushed corridors of childhood imagination—monsters lumbering across the television screen while the rest of the world slept. In the quiet glow of late-night horror flicks, a young soul discovered the strange alchemy of cinema. On today’s episode, we welcome Len Kabasinski, a martial artist turned indie filmmaker whose films blend blood, bone, and the spirit of doing-it-yourself with gritty determination. Len is a B-movie legend, crafting low-budget action-horror films with the vigor of a man who knows that creativity isn’t about permission—it’s about pursuit.
From his first plunge into filmmaking with Swamp Zombies, Len Kabasinski knew that making a film wasn’t just about pointing a camera. It was an act of becoming—writer, director, producer, marketer, even actor. And unlike the dreamers who never make it past the couch, he threw himself headlong into the flames. Armed with a Canon GL2 and the reckless enthusiasm of someone too committed to quit, he crafted his debut. “I’m not interested in just being called a filmmaker,” he said. “I am one. This is what I do.”
It wasn’t about waiting for a golden invitation. For Len, filmmaking came with duct tape, missed calls, and wrestlers-turned-actors like Dan Severn battling zombies in the woods of Pennsylvania. He’s not coy about the chaos: missed actors, last-minute rewrites, and reshoots in the backyards of MMA legends. But like any warrior worth his salt, Len learned to fight with what he had. His method became a rhythm—build the team, shoot in blocks, rely on the extras, trust the plan. Not a single project escaped without scars, but none were left unfinished.
Perhaps the most telling truth came when he spoke of being creatively alive. For some, making movies is a resume; for Len, it’s oxygen. “It’s like sharks,” he said. “They swim forward all the time, and if not, they die.” This hunger kept him moving through Curse of the Wolf, Fist of the Vampire, and the revenge-fueled biker saga Hellcat’s Revenge. Each film grew leaner, sharper, more deliberate. Locations condensed. Casts were refined. Extras became the lifeblood of the visual world. If it couldn’t be controlled, it was reimagined. That was the ethic.
And then came the recognition—not from red carpets, but from cult fans, late-night screenings, and the digital frontier. As he prepared for the martial arts epic Challenge of the Five Gauntlets, it was clear that Len was done chasing approval. People were watching now not for gimmicks, but for him. “I don’t have to worry about trying to draw them in with something else,” he said, echoing a quiet triumph only an artist forged in fire can know.
Len Kabasinski isn’t interested in nostalgia, though he pays homage to the B-movie gods that birthed him. What he offers is grit and grace at the intersection of martial arts, micro-budget cinema, and unwavering drive. Even now, as Swamp Zombies 2 looms with its blend of Running Man mayhem and undead madness, you can feel the energy of a man who never stopped moving. He’s not here to prove anything. He’s just here—still making, still dreaming, still Len.
“If you’re not 1,000,000% in, it’s a no.” – Len Kabasinski
