Dakota Ray
Dakota Ray (formerly Dakota Bailey) is a Denver based Native American filmmaker/actor/artist known for his gritty and ultra realistic horror/exploitation films that focus primarily on evil, nihilism, and violence. Dakota Ray consistently grows as a filmmaker/actor/artist, and explores a new facet of his film making style with each passing film. Ray considers each film he makes to be a serious artistic endeavor and personal statement. At a young age, Dakota Ray developed an interest in cinema and began making films as a child with a battered camcorder. As Ray grew older, he developed his film making craft through experiential learning.
Dakota Ray founded R.A. productions in 2012, and began his career in 2014 with the short film 'Scumbags: A Day in the Life of a Drug Dealer'. Dakota Ray wrote, directed, edited and starred in the short film as Johnny-Ray's character that would later appear in Ray's full length features American Scumbags, and The Rise and Fall of an American Scumbag. The short film received notoriety and was played numerous times on Denver Open Media's T.V. Channel. Ray made two more short films in early 2015, ('I Spread Hate Like Herpes' & 'Satan's Coming for You') and In fall 2015, Ray began working on his first full length feature, the shot on VHS heavy metal themed anti film 'My Master Satan: 3 Tales of Drug Fueled Violence'. The film was released in early 2016, and polarized critics, with some praising and criticizing it for its VHS aesthetics.
In Summer 2016, Ray began working on his second full length feature, a gritty, punk rock themed sleaze film called 'American Scumbags'. American Scumbag featured the acting debuts of Darien Fox, Fred Epstein, and Nick Benning-all actors who would work with Ray throughout his film making career. American Scumbags was released December 2016, and expanded Dakota Ray's following, further establishing Ray's reputation as a filmmaker. American Scumbags played at the April 2017 edition of Cinema Wasteland, and had its Canadian premier at the 2017 edition of Shock Stock. In mid 2017 Ray began working on what would become his third full length feature, the dark and nihilistic horror film The Acid Sorcerer. The Acid Sorcerer is consider to be a turning point in Ray's filmography, due in part to Ray employing a more cinematic approach to film making, and because of the film's darker subject matter. The Acid Sorcerer is also known for its soundtrack from doom metal band Ramesess, as well as its central themes of drugs, addiction, depravity, and dark spirituality. The Acid Sorcerer was released in summer of 2017 and received acclaim and criticism in the independent/underground film scene, further establishing Ray as an entity in the independent film scene. The Acid Sorcerer was screened at Cinema Wasteland in October 2017.
In August 2017, Ray began production on his fourth feature, the depraved hardcore punk drug film The Rise & fall of an American Scumbag'. According to Ray, The Rise and Fall of an American Scumbag was "one of the hardest film to make" and resulted in the demise of his collaboration with actor Darien Fox. Like The Acid Sorcerer, the film which preceded it, The Rise and Fall of an American Scumbag features themes of drugs and depravity, but was the first Dakota Ray film to utilize voice overs. The film's production was completed in December 2017, and the film was released in January 2018 to critical acclaim and praise for its strong narrative. The Rise and Fall of an American Scumbag had its Canadian premier in April 2018 at The Shock Stock Film festival.
In October 2018, Ray released his fifth full length feature, the Satanic/drug/art film American Antichrist. American Antichrist was filmed from April-September 2018, and features a soundtrack from French occult metal band Fallow. American Antichrist is considered to be one of Dakota Ray's darkest and experimental films. Upon release, American Antichrist polarized film critics. Some praised the film and even went as far calling it Ray's best film, while some prominent underground film reviewers criticized the film and Ray personally. In 2019, American Antichrist played at the April Edition of Cinema Wasteland Film festival, and Dakota Ray kept a low profile for the first half of the year, until May 2019, when Ray announced that he was working on his sixth full length feature film, The Dark Days of Demetrius.
The Dark days of Demetrius was released in September 2019, and upon release received acclaim from fans and critics alike. The Dark Days of Demetrius tells the disturbing, and depraved story of two human monsters- a glorified narcissistic serial killer named Demetrius (Dakota Ray), and sadistic and corrupt news reporter Clive (Fred Epstein)-who are both obsessed with fame. The Dark Days of Demetrius eschewed the abstract non-linear type story line that Dakota Ray had perfected with his previous film American Antichrist, and was return to the more narrative driven style of film making, similar to Ray's earlier film, The Rise and Fall of an American Scumbag. The Dark days of Demetrius also featured a more lo-fi look, that was reminiscent of Ray's earlier films, such as My Master Satan: 3 Tales of Drug Fueled Violence and American Scumbags. The Dark Days of Demetrius was not only praised for its acting performances, direction, and cinematography, but also for its social commentary regarding the corruption of the news media, sensationalism, and the consequential corrosion of moralities.
In May 2020, Ray announced that he was working on his seventh full length feature film, 'Sebastian's Unholy Flesh'. Ray described the film as one of his ''most powerful ,experimental and demonic films yet'', and has stated that is it ''absolutely devoid of light.'' Dakota Ray's seventh Film 'Sebastian's Unholy Flesh' was released on October 24th, 2020. Upon release, the film received universal acclaim for its unique cinematography and color correction, as well as the ambitiousness of the film. "Sebastian's Unholy Flesh", filmed during the Covid-19 pandemic, chronicles the emergence of a new evil, as three entities (Sebastian (Dakota Ray), The White Spider (Fred Epstein), and Nezaah (Nick Benning), struggle to obtain Lucifer's Unholy Book. In February 2021, 'Sebastian's Unholy Flesh' won several awards, including Best Horror Movie, and Best Experimental Film at the 2021 edition of the Pennywise Horror Film Festival.
In summer of 2021, Ray announced that he was working on his eight film, 'Dante's Shadow of Sin'. Ray described the film as his 'most ghostly film yet' and ''full of haunting imagery that will resonate in the viewer's mind, long after the film's runtime is complete'. In November of 2021, Ray released 'Dante's Shadow of Sin'. The film chronicles the reunion between two murderous nihilists-Dante (Dakota Ray), and Mahogany (Fred Epstein)- who converge upon their old vacation house-a place where many terrible events have happened-where they intend to destroy each other and everyone around them as an evil force begins to permeate the atmosphere around them. Upon release, the film was met with critical acclaim for the film's atmosphere, sound design, writing, and performances from Ray and Epstein.
