Just for kicks: Archdale man stars in 'Karate Ghost 2'
Oct. 24—Want to go? —A screening of "Karate Ghost 2: Dojo of Death" will be presented Friday evening at AmStar Cinemas — Four Seasons, 2700 Vanstory St., Suite A, Greensboro. —A red carpet celebration will begin at 7:30 p.m., and the movie will run from 8:30 to 10 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to come in costume and stay for the after-party. —Stars Joe Borlik of Archdale and director James Balsamo will be at the screening, and other cast members have been invited. —Admission is free, and attendees will be entered for a chance to win a raffle prize at the after-party.
ARCHDALE — Joe Borlik may not have much of an acting background, but he definitely has the chops for this movie.
Borlik, a 39-year-old Archdale man who loves horror movies — and who just happens to practice martial arts — stars in "Karate Ghost 2: Dojo of Death," a low-budget, B horror flick about a gory ghost who uses karate to terrorize an abandoned dojo — and an entire community — from beyond the grave. His character is Black Belt Joe, the ghostly, goofy villain from the netherworld.
"He's kind of the Freddy Krueger of the martial arts world," Borlik says. "He kills people in a gory way, and then he makes a silly pun about it. I think people will laugh, but they might get a little bit scared, too. It's just a fun horror movie — if you like B-grade horror movies, you can't go wrong."
Borlik, who works for a tech company in Greensboro, collaborated on "Karate Ghost 2" — and, not coincidentally, the original "Karate Ghost" — with prolific B horror moviemaker James Balsamo, whose many movies include such low-budget titles as "Bloody Christmas," "Brides of Satan" and "Robot Dracula."
According to Borlik, he met the Los Angeles-based Balsamo a few years ago at a horror-movie convention, they got to talking, and next thing they knew they were brainstorming about a movie that would become "Karate Ghost." It was a good fit for Borlik, who doesn't actually know karate, but who has been practicing jiu-jitsu for about five years. He and Balsamo co-wrote the screenplay, along with Bobby Canipe Jr., and then hooked up again for "Karate Ghost 2," which was filmed earlier this year in the Concord and Kannapolis area.
No theatrical release was planned for either movie, but a free screening of "Karate Ghost 2" will be presented Friday evening at AmStar Cinemas in Greensboro. Borlik and Balsamo will be on hand for the event, and other cast members have been invited.
Among those other cast members are Linnea Quigley, a prolific, nationally known "scream queen" who has appeared in numerous B horror movies; Bam Margera of the television show "Jackass"; pro wrestling legend John Hennigan (ring name John Morrison); and Matt Page, who portrays martial artist Master Ken in the web comedy series "Enter the Dojo."
"I got to kill Linnea Quigley, so that was fun," Borlik says with a chuckle. "She was great."
Borlik points out that for those who want to attend Friday's screening, "Karate Ghost 2" has adult situations and is not family-friendly. If rated, he adds, it would probably be rated R.
As for Borlik, he made the two "Karate Ghost" movies just for kicks, but he sees potential for another sequel.
"Yeah," he says, "I think 'Karate Ghost 3' would be a lot of fun."
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