Schiavo runs a company called Strangewerks Films that specialises in producing independent horror films. The company’s been around for about three years. Previously, Schiavo was writing scripts on spec, mostly horror, mostly strange, “the kind of stuff you might watch with your buddies”, he says, “assuming they’re a bunch of wasted zombie Shriners who were a bit on the kinky side.” He likes to think of his work as “one part David Lynch to two parts Cronenberg, with a liberal dash of del Toro — add a twist of lime and shake violently”. So obviously he wasn’t getting produced in Hollywood and often felt his rejected scripts were being ripped off by even prominent creators. Becoming a tad disenchanted with the whole process, he decided to go out and make the kind of films he wanted to see for himself. Strangewerks’ first film, The Shriven (featuring Nina, a beautiful woman who can transform into a demonic killing machine and must survive by feeding on human flesh), came out about a year ago on the Shriek Show label.

‘The Shriven’ Trailer

Undead Backbrain’s news hellhound, Avery Guerra, tracked Schiavo down to get the inside story on Schiavo’s next effort — the messy way if necessary.

Avery Guerra: So what did you want to do after The Shriven?

Brian Schiavo: For our follow-up film, I wanted to “up the ante” in terms of effects, gore, nude people running around and screaming, that sort of thing — but I wanted to stay away from the sort of horror films everyone is tired of: “Guy runs around in a hockey mask/welding mask/William Shatner mask and severs peoples’ arteries for no good reason.” Horror fans are starved for original material — I know I am.

As to the exact origin of the film, entitled Lifeform, the idea came out of my fascination with genetic manipulation — it really is the evil genie waiting to leap out of its bottle and bite us on the ass. The real life horrors scientists are probably creating out of our DNA even as we speak will make anything Giger can come up with pale by comparison — and that scares the hell out of me. Then I read about a tiny species of jellyfish that is basically immortal — Turritopsis Nutricula. It can reverse its own aging process and return to a youthful polyp stage when living conditions become difficult, in order to survive — its cells are in flux. I thought: what if a person had this ability? Imagine where that could take us. With that as the basis, I came up with the concept of Lifeform — basically it’s about a scientist that creates transgenic human/animal stem cells that can become anything, in order to save his dying wife. He isolates the gene for transdifferentiation from jellyfish DNA, places it into a human stem cell and injects it into her. Of course she’s saved, but … she becomes a creature that can alter her shape to protect herself. She can grow spikes, tentacles, gills, claws, whatever the situation calls for. At the same time, her intellect becomes subsumed by the animal instinct to survive — and just a few errant cells from her body could doom the Human genome forever. The scary thing is that this will happen one day. They’ll wrest the genetic secrets from this creature and stick them in our bodies — so watch the film and catch a glimpse of our hideous future!

AG: What was your artistic inspiration for Lifeform?

BS: As far as inspirations go, I suppose the usual culprits: Altered States, Cronenberg’s The Fly, From Beyond, Eraserhead, Clive Barker’s Hellraiser and Nightbreed. Films that deal with the issues of transformation and bodily horror, which are essentially asking questions about identity. I love Japanese horror, too, especially the manga work by Junji Ito and his ability to distort the human figure. Another influence is the work Stephen Bissette and Rick Veitch did with Alan Moore on Swamp Thing — the greatest run on a comic ever, if you ask me.

AG: Where was the movie filmed?

BS: The movie was shot in New York City as well as on Long Island, NY, with additional location work in New Jersey. We utilized a plethora of locations in the greater metro area: from street scenes, office settings, to warehouses and operating rooms and even brownstone apartments. There’s a wide diversity of looks, which I think provides an interesting aesthetic for the film.

AG: What type of budget are you working with?

BS: In the low six figures. We raised the money from a variety of sources — investors, deferred payments, donations — both in time, materials, equipment, services and a number of our locations. Making a movie is like being a ringmaster in a crazy three-ring circus and you have to be crazier than the clowns and hungrier than the tigers in order to survive it. (Wow, I just made that up!)

AG: It’s bound to be much quoted.

AG: How did you go about casting the film?

BS: We solicited actors over the internet, through one of the commercial casting sites, and then had several days worth of auditions at the School of Visual Arts in NYC. I was fortunate to have access to some of the most talented actors in the NYC area — including Virginia Logan (our female lead), Peter Alexandrou (our male lead) and Kate Britton. The other talented folks include Ken Driesslein, Joe Amato, Ree Merrill, Adam Cerny and Chad.

AG: Beyond the basic plot, what is the film about?

BS: It’s about a research scientist whose wife suffers a brain embolism. In order to save her, he has to create stem cells that will heal her brain. Her resurrection and ultimate transformation set the stage for new horrors in their lives.

AG: What types of FX were incorporated to bring the creature to life?

BS: I’m blessed with a wife, Christine, who is both a talented makeup and computer artist. I’m also an artist, primarily a sculptor. We were able to create the huge number of prosthetics the film required ourselves, with the help of an accomplished mold-maker and makeup artist named Anthony Jones. We had silicone stunt tentacles, a full creature suit, twisted neck appliances, face pieces, various diverse wounds, mutated tentacle hands and face pieces, several types of monster tongues and appendages and even scalpings we did. We also had old school monster legs we could puppeteer — you name it. We were sculpting, casting, molding and pouring for months before the shoot. We were covered in silicone for several months, which ain’t as much fun as it sounds, unfortunately. I could’ve used some diversion to break things up!

We also used computer effects to accentuate the on-set ones, using a tremendous amount of AfterEffects tricks to highlight Virginia’s bodily transformations and the agony she’s going through. We also did a lot of green screen work with tentacles, creature heads, that sort of thing. In addition, we’re using Blender to create some computer-generated creature transformations. We basically applied every discipline there is to bring this creature to life.

AG: What would you like viewers to take from the film?

BS: Well, aside from the usual titillation, I think it’s a film about the necessity of becoming what you’re really meant to be, whether its a mutated creature from hell or your own distinct individual.

AG: When and where might fans be able to see it?

BS: The film is currently in post production and should be wrapped by mid-2012. After that, we’ll do some horror festivals and roll it out here and internationally in early 2013.

AG: So, what next for you?

BS: Another film of course — the fever never relents! I’m haunted by night terrors I feel compelled to foist upon everybody else. The goal is to ramp up production and shoot two more films in the next year. One of my aims is to create the next horror screen icon — right up there with Frankenstein, The Creature and Pinhead.

Good luck with that one, Brian! Keep us informed!

Source: Brian Schiavo via Avery Guerra. Addition text by Robert Hood.

Lots of men are sharks, especially in the vicinity of holiday resorts. Generally speaking referring to them as sharks is a metaphorical gesture, indicative of predatory sexual behaviour. But what if the phrase “shark man” wasn’t a metaphor?

A new Hawaiian film is currently in production dealing with just such a situation. It’s called Makua Charley, and is a modern-day horror story based on the legend of Nanaue, the Shark Man of O’ahu. Directed by Al and Jayne Cloutier, it is being produced by World Class Productions.

So far a few scenes have been shot for the trailer (you can see it further down the page), but principal photography will take place on location in Honolulu during Spring 2012, with an anticipated release for the final film of September 2013.

Synopsis:

Folks are disappearing from the Shark’s Cove youth hostel on the North Shore of O’ahu. When young Karen Palmer visits for a two week vacation, she meets a handsome and charming local boy named Charley. He promises to show her some sights “off the normal tourist path”. Karen finds herself irresistibly drawn to her mysterious tour guide. When her two new friends, Mona and Lester, warn her that there is something fishy about Charley, Karen ignores their advice. She falls deeply under the spell of Charley’s good looks and suave island charm.

Straight out of a romance movie, right?

Wrong!

Unfortunately, Charley is the embodiment of an ancient Polynesian curse, and he’s torn between his basic human nature and his predatory killer instincts. Makua Charley is a feeding frenzy of horror set amidst the gently swaying palm trees of idylic Hawaii. In this paradise turned to hell, the scent of fresh spilled blood is carried on a tropical breeze. (Source)

Check out the newly released trailer:

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On the genesis of the film, the filmmakers had this to say:

We live in Honolulu, Hawaii — coincidentally really close to where Makua Cave, the original lair of the shark man, is located. It’s really spooky inside there, let me tell you! We went inside to explore it and there’s a slimy stone at the back of the cave where Charley would drag his victims to eat them and you can just feel the creepy-ness. Gave us chicken-skin right away. Anyway, we just had to do this film, natch! We started by doing a ton of research on Hawaiian legends. Now we’re almost like living breathing experts on scary Hawaiian myths. Mega-awesome, I know, right?

If you don’t agree take it up with these guys!

Naturally, Makua Charley needs financial assistance and in common with many productions, the producers felt that a Kickstarter campaign would give interested “backers” a chance to help get the film made. The campaign began a few days ago and runs until 26 May. Albert Cloutier commented: “With the funds we raise from KickStarter we will intensify our shooting schedule, hoping to wrap in late July.” Go to Kickstarter to read more about the production and contribute.

• Sources: Albert Cloutier via Avery Guerra. Written by Robert Hood.
• Official website; Facebook page; Kickstarter campaign page.

Director Black also talked to Dread Central’s Doctor Gash on the subject of the film’s imminent release and his approach to making this “psychological/supernatural thriller”. Check it out. Though not wanting to go overboard in terms of FX and visceral impact, he describes one “confrontational” scene thus:

We had this demon girl just ripping guards apart. We’ve got a guy getting his eyes gouged out. We have the demon girl actually jamming her hand down somebody’s throat and ripping out the esophagus, and it’s really gritty and gruesome.

Shows restraint, eh? Nevertheless, this looks like a supernatural thriller that offers lots of suspenseful, creepy build-up, leading to a powerhouse climax — which is how I like ‘em.

Source: Dread Central via Avery Guerra. Text: Robert Hood.

One exorcism film is among my horror favourites, namely William Friedkin’s 1973 classic The Exorcist, based on the equally excellent book by William Peter Blatty. There was no shortage of exorcism films in the 1970s — in the wake of The Exorcist, its massive box office success and its unique Oscar performance (as the first horror film to be nominated for Best Picture) — though most of them were cheap knock-offs. 1979′s The Amityville Horror and its progeny probably fit in the genre, too, as the entity causing the trouble is more demonic than ghostly. Since 2000, there has been a plethora of movies in this possession/exorcism sub-genre, with recent examples such as The Exorcism of Emily Rose and The Last Exorcism doing decent business, and they rarely fail to generate an entertaining chill or two. Now we have The Devil Inside (see the Backbrain article The Devil’s Inside the Details). A “real” exorcist has proclaimed this one a worthy depiction of exorcism — the most accurate of the bunch — and interviews with him have flooded the internet as a result.

When a representative of Paramount Pictures in Australia contacted me to ask if I’d like to talk to “The Real Exorcist”, Rev. Bob Larson, I immediately agreed. Real-life accuracy isn’t of particular interest to me when it comes to such films — artistic conviction and internal consistency within an imaginary context being what I require of fantasy/horror stories, as well as the power of the central conflict as a metaphor. However, as the chance had arisen I thought it would be of benefit to get the perspective of someone who believes in the literal existence of demons. I knew nothing about Rev. Larson, but the idea of talking about The Devil Inside with someone who claimed to regularly dispossess victims of demonic occupancy seemed like an interesting opportunity. I was willing to give it a go.

Rev. Larson isn’t an archetypal Catholic exorcist, of course — rather an American fundamentalist version of an exorcist, with an effective publicity machine, a 575-page encyclopedia (Larson’s Book of World Religions and Alternative Spirituality) that is said to be “a standard reference … at many colleges and seminaries” and 31 other books under his belt, a training seminary for exorcists, and a reputation that includes having hosted a reality TV show called “The Real Exorcist” — in which, on a weekly basis, he exorcised possessed individuals willing to get their 15-minutes of fame in this rather extreme manner.

When he came on the line he sounded reasonable enough, though reception was poor and as we spoke his words shuffled in and out of audibility, making real interchange difficult. This wasn’t his fault, of course, or the consequence of demonic harassment (I assume), but the result of some mundane demon of telephony. Later, as I transcribed his words I thought I could hear airport sounds in the background. Perhaps he was in transit.

I began by asking Rev. Larson if his experiences with exorcism were generally as dramatic as those in the movies.

Rev. Larson: They can be, yes. There aren’t the special effects and smoke and mirrors [of cinema], of course, but I have seen many kinds of supernatural occurrences, including unnatural changes in the atmosphere, the violence, speaking in other languages, often uncharacteristically obscene, the person knowing things that couldn’t have been known through natural means – types of things we’re familiar with from films. For example, [as in The Devil Inside] there’s a case where a woman is on a quest to find out if what happened to her mother was caused by a mental issue or by demons and she finds that the mother knows things about her that no one else knows, she speaks in a language she does not know … one of the more interesting things is this issue of the dilation of pupils and I’ve seen that happen many hundreds of times.

The Catholic Church, I believe, is very stringent about ever performing exorcisms as an official thing. They like to validate it to the n-th degree first and so as a result very few ever happen. Obviously many people see those who are supposedly possessed as having a mental illness. How do you differentiate between mental illness and demonic possession?

Rev. Larson: That’s relatively easy to tell. First of all, if a person comes to me who has been psychiatrically evaluated, mental illness has been determined and they are under proper medication for it, then they don’t need an exorcism. That’s quite obvious. In borderline cases and instances where either explanation might apply, then that’s the task of the exorcist to find out. I can understand why the Catholic Church is cautious. Well over 50% of people who come to me in need of an exorcism are Catholics and many of them have demons and unfortunately they couldn’t get help from the Church because of these very strict measures. [Again as in the film] you see these very young priests who are unwilling to put up with that discipline but are very serious about wanting to help people – and that’s why they go outside the boundaries of the Church and perform exorcisms. Unfortunately they get themselves into a little bit of trouble because they get in over their heads.

In regards to The Devil Inside. Like a lot of exorcism films, it makes claims to being based on true events, in particular the story of Maria Rossi, who apparently rang 911 to confess to a multiple murder and who had previously been involved in an exorcism. I was wondering if, with your experience, you know whether this background story is real or just part of the film’s fictional construct.

Rev. Larson: That’s a good question and it’s part of the mystery of it. I’ve been a spokesman for this film but I was not at all involved in the development of it in any capacity. I was brought in at the end. Paramount seems to be a little silent on the accuracy of it, as to whether all of [the events] included were in the original incident. However, it very well could be because what goes on we read about in the newspaper all the time. Terrible acts of violence. There have been very celebrated cases – one in Ohio where a woman, possessed, did murdered a Catholic priest. That kind of thing can happen.

Have you seen the whole film?

Rev. Larson: Yes, of course, I was given an advanced screening. That’s one of the reasons I’m on this, as I liked what I saw in terms of its factual approach.

From your experience, are the details of the possession and exorcism as depicted in it fairly accurate then?

Rev. Larson: It’s the most accurate of any of these films – and I’ve seen them all. This one comes over as really different. In fact in the first part of the movie, before they really get into the whole horror genre, there’s a lot of discussion about exorcism – what it is and what it isn’t. It centers around this issue of whether the mother has a psychological problem or [is possessed by] a demon – and a dialogue develops concerning theological issues.

As an exorcist yourself, do you think that Hollywood’s fascination with the subject, especially after The Exorcist back in 1973, is a healthy one or are there dangers attached to this pop-culture fascination?

Rev. Larson: Well, there’s a lot of danger attached to the fascination of it. But I don’t think most people delve into the wrong or darker side of it, as a result of that fascination, unless they’ve got something else much more serious wrong with them. I think Hollywood is just in it for the bump in the night. They’re scary and they’re inexplicable – you see that in all the ghost hunting shows and so on. But this particular movie really isn’t in that genre. It isn’t like Paranormal Activity, I don’t think, even though it takes that whole documentary approach. It is scary but is much more in touch with reality.

It’s arguable that the heightened interest in films of exorcism and demonic possession in popular culture corresponds to periods of social uncertainty and fear for the future. The 70s was a period of great change and a lot of people felt uncomfortable with the way morality was going, for example. They felt something was taking their children away from them, and this is reflected in The Exorcist. Certainly since the year 2000 there’s been an upsurge in these sorts of films and the events of 9-11 have to be responsible for creating the psychological background for the cultural upsurge. Do you find that a reasonable proposition from your particular point-of-view?

Rev. Larson: I think that’s a very reasonable proposition, but I also think there is legitimate rise in actual evil activity. I think it can be quantified and it’s very clear to me from the case load that we have that people want to know who’ll come to their aid in the face of it. I think sometimes that the interest [in exorcism stories] is occurring because the level of demonic activity in society has quantitively grown.

By this stage the interference on the phone line had become worse and I had to leave it there, even though I hadn’t had much of a chance to interact with Rev. Larson and would have liked to discuss other issues. Still, it had been interesting and I finished up with an acute awareness that, assuming his genuine belief in what he was saying, Rev. Larson perceives the world very differently than I do. His is a world where demons abound, where many people are literally possessed by evil personified — not metaphorical demons either. That’s a pretty disturbing thought. For him the accuracy of The Devil Inside allows the film to act as a warning, even if much of its content is fictional.

The Devil Inside premieres in Australia on 1 March. See the Backbrain article The Devil’s Inside the Details for more details.

Many have been possessed by one; only one has been possessed by many.

Supposedly more accurate than many other exorcism fantasies, The Devil Inside was produced by (among others) Steven Schneider of Paranormal Activity fame. Though we can take claims of authenticity with a grain or two of over-dramatized salt, this proclamation smears it with a veneer of artistic verisimilitude that’s totally in keeping with the roving, first-person cinematographic techniques used. Rev. Bob Larson, Exorcism Consultant, even gave an interview on the subject of its depiction of demon eviction and I’ve included it below.

Above: Suzan Crowley is not herself

Meanwhile check out both the trailer and a special clip of a nicely creepy scene from the film.

Synopsis:

In 1989, emergency responders received a 9-1-1 call from Maria Rossi confessing that she had brutally killed three people. 20 years later, her daughter Isabella seeks to understand the truth about what happened that night. She travels to the Centrino Hospital for the Criminally Insane in Italy where her mother has been locked away to determine if her mother is mentally ill or demonically possessed. When she recruits two young exorcists to cure her mom using unconventional methods combining both science and religion, they come face-to-face with pure evil in the form of four powerful demons possessing Maria.

Trailer:

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Extended Clip:

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Being something of a fan of demonic possession films — made such not by belief but by, I suspect, the dramatic, emotional and thematic potency of that grandfather of exorcism films (and novels), William Peter Blatty’s The Exorcist (US-1973; dir. William Friedkin) — I’m looking forward to this, as it seems to carry a bit more weight than some other Exorcist cash-ins of recent times.

Above: Bonnie Morgan gets twisted up by the whole experience

It’s rather interesting that though it has garnered negative reviews on IMDb, it has so far taken US$52,690,136 at the box-office in the US alone, which, based on an estimated budget of $1,000,000, represents quite a profit. The bad reviews don’t daunt me, of course. This looks like exactly the sort of film that tends to attract naysayers if it deviates from the expected path in any way at all — which I trust it does. We’ll see in March.

Above: The Exorcist, Simon Quarterman

Above: Look into my eyes: Simon Quarterman and Isabella Rossi

Meanwhile, here’s that interview with Exorcism Consultant Bob Larson that I mentioned:

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Source: Paramount Pictures; IMDb.

A while back, the Backbrain interviewed writer, director and all-round auteur Loup’Rah Garomore about his in-production film The Demon’s Rook. Frankly the teaser released then, and all the pictures — not to mention Garomore’s discussion of the film’s genesis — looked unusually exciting for those with a love of ’80s exploitation horror movies. If you don’t believe me, check it out here.

Now the Backbrain has been given permission to release the official trailer, and honestly, it does nothing whatsoever to diminish the excitement and a lot to raise the ante.  You get first look at it below:

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With the film still in development, this very impressive trailer was made on a mere $15,000 budget. Writer/director Garomore hopes to raise further funding soon in order to push the project forward. “We’re trying to get a total budget of $190,000, preferably by February so we can re-enter a state of pre-production and begin principle photography again by Spring,” he told the Backbrain.

Let’s hope the money will be forthcoming in time to meet the company’s timetable. With work of this quality produced on a budget of just $190,000, I can’t see investors regretting their involvement. Check out the investment-to-profit ratio of a range of cult horror films that appears later in this article.

It’s obvious from the trailer that The Demon’s Rook is being put together with love by its creators, whose devotion to the film’s inspirations is abundantly clear in everything they say. Less commonly, work produced so far shows their strong technical expertise and a definite handle on the aesthetics of the genre. As they have said themselves: “[we] know what [we] love and know what it takes to create something that will be instantly embraced by the ever-growing horror film community”.

Nostalgic yet progressive, The Demon’s Rook embodies the spirit of the cult horror classics that precede it: Suspiria, Zombi, Evil Dead 2, Pan’s Labyrinth; yet still holds its own ground as a truly original vision. With this project, the filmmakers are creating something that horror fans have been yearning for — an ambitious, uniquely identifiable film with classically powerful practical special effects, deep roots in the historical spirit of the genres it encompasses, and a bold, forward-thinking vision. (Press release)

Synopsis:

A young boy named Roscoe finds a portal to another world where he is taught magic by an elder demon known as Dimwos. Dimwos raises the boy into manhood, revealing to him many secrets. Though, there is one dark secret that Dimwos keeps from Roscoe. When Roscoe discovers what his master has been keeping from him all these years, he revolts against him, inadvertently unleashing three malevolent demons. Through desperation, Roscoe is forced to escape the demons’ wrath by way of the portal leading back to our world. Unbeknownst to Roscoe, he leads the demons to discover the portal for themselves. Once the demons pass through, a nightmarish foray of summoned monsters are unleashed. One demon possesses the minds and will of all whom she crosses, another transforms a man into a murderous beast, and the other summons an army of the dead to do his bidding.

Predicting success in the film industry isn’t easy. Predicting how independent horror films will fair once released into the cultural zeitgeist is even less certain. Generally speaking, perfectly good movies disappear under the weight of their own obscurity. But occasionally the opposite happens. Sometimes they become a cult classic. When this happens, it usually means there is something unique and very special about the film concerned.

Consider these rough figures:

• Night of the Living Dead (US-1968; dir. George A. Romero): made for $114,000. Lifetime gross $30,000,000. (Source: Black Rider Production press release)
• The Evil Dead (US-1983; dir. Sam Raimi): made for $375,000. Lifetime gross $29,400,000. (Source: Black Rider Production press release)
• The Blair Witch Project (US-1999; dir. Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sánchez): made for $60,000. Lifetime gross $248,639,099. (Source: Box Office Mojo)
• Paranormal Activity (US-2009; dir. Oren Pelli): made for $15,000/ Lifetime gross $193,355,800. (Source: Box Office Mojo)

And these figures (admittedly open to argument in the case of Night of the Living Dead and The Evil Dead in particular) probably don’t include ongoing video/DVD/BD sales.

From the new trailer for The Demon’s Rook, I think it’s safe to say that the film offers something unique and is looking like a definite candidate for admittance to these exulted ranks. At the very least, it may be worthy to be mentioned in the same chapter of the next generation’s horror film Best Of as The Evil Dead and Fulci’s Zombi. I look forward to finding out.

• Source: Loup’Rah Garomore and Tim Reis via Avery Guerra. Black Rider Productions press release. Official website. Backbrain interview with the author (includes pictures). Written by Robert Hood.

An Exclusive Interview with writer/director/monster-maker Loup’Rah Garomore

In the lively [irony intended] history of zombie movies, the 1980s was a gala decade for the demonic brand of undead. This was the time of classics such as Sam Raimi’s pre-Hollywood The Evil Dead (US-1982), Lucio Fulci’s City of the Living Dead (It-1980) and The Beyond (It-1981), and Lamberto Bava’s Demons (It-1986) — in fact, pretty well the entire Italian school of gruesome zombie carnage. Characterised by extreme make-up FX, gore-drenched mayhem and unapologetically gaudy, and grotesque, visuals, these movies combined the standard shambling ghouls of Romero with a more exuberantly malevolent type of demonically possessed undead — often to startling effect.

Filmmaker Loup’Rah Garomore [aka James Sizemore] is currently working to re-create that in-your-face effect with a new, contemporary feel, in a movie titled The Demon’s Rook. He and his collaborators at Black Rider Productions have been working hard at the independent project for some time and are still in the midst of production. With about 35% of principal photography done, they have reached at stage where the film is starting to take shape. Check out this newly released and very impressive “first look” teaser:

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Enthused by the authentic and high-quality look of this low-budget production, Undead Backbrain (in the person of Robert Hood) approached Loup’Rah Garomore (pictured below with undead fan) and soon found himself knee-deep in gore and demon muck.

The Interview

Undead Backbrain: Thanks for talking to us, Loup’Rah. Perhaps I can start by asking how you’d characterise The Demon’s Rook for the uninitiated?

Loup’Rah: Hmm, it’s like the witches from Suspiria and the mouth of Sauron gave birth to a wizard mystic inside the Evil Dead cabin at spring time. It might be hard to wrap your head around at first, but that’s probably the most concise way of summing it up for everyone.

UB: So Argento, Tolkien’s Mordor sequences and early Raimi are influences. From the trailer, I’d add Lucio Fulci’s City of the Living Dead, Lamberto Bava’s Demons and even some fairly inevitable Romero for the zombies — perhaps more Day of the Dead than anything else. Heavy emphasis on late 1970s/1980s horror, especially of the Italianate kind? Is this the general landscape that most causes your heart to bleed?

Loup’Rah: Yeah, you hit a few nails on the head. Keep in mind that the teaser we have is only representative of a fourth of our total shooting (which is mostly the zombie sequences). We’ve just begun shooting the demons, and hope to have more of them in our next teaser, and we haven’t even started filming our werewolf-inspired manbeast. Demons is a classic inspiration, especially when referring to their style of practical fx. I’ve always preferred the Fulci “flower pot” zombies over any others — although Day of the Dead does have a pretty excellent selection. Believe it or not, I kept the image of Grandpa from Texas Chainsaw Massacre in my head to give me inspiration while making the silicone masks for my zombies. And to confirm your time period inquiry: yes, the 1970s and ’80s are where it’s at for my kinda horror.

UB: I was particularly reminded of Day of the Dead by that scene of frenzied zombie gut-mangling in the trailer! I take it The Demon’s Rook will feature practical and make-up FX rather than CGI (the results of which are always less visceral in this sort of context). I’m sure there will be many horror fans that will applaud that approach. What is your take on the use of CGI and digital effects in horror films?

Loup’Rah: Visceral… yes, visceral is such a fantastic word, Rob. And you can bet your bottom dollar that we’re going practical with this. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, unless you have the WETA Team doing your CGI, why bother. And when you’ve got the budget of roughly $15,000 to work with, you’d be a fool not to go practical (unless you want your film to be filled with dog-ass cgi). Although, I will say our practical special fx have used up the majority of what little budget we have. Creating the silicone prosthetics we use on the featured zombies, lead demons, and the manbeast has been especially expensive, since I’ve decided to follow the Neill Gorton method of mold making. It’s a very rewarding process, but an expensive one for us.

UB: Neill Gorton? The Doctor Who guy, right? What are the characteristics of his “method” that attracted you to it?

Loup’Rah: Among the special fx community, Neill Gorton is regarded as one of the most meticulously detailed kings of prosthetic work. Specifically, Neill Gorton works in fiberglass molding to create life-like silicone appliances. From concept to sculpting to molding to casting to painting and finally applying, Neill does it all himself. And in being a wonderful teacher, he has no hang ups about passing on his wizardry to other artists. His method rings well with me in that I’m working from concept to application myself, with only a couple of assistants occasionally to help me through the time-sensitive moments. Just to give you an idea of the work involved, it takes me about three solid weeks of work and roughly $1,000 in materials to create a demon. But it’s well worth it. The detail from the original sculpt is captured spot-on through the intensive mold-making process, and the finished appliance moves with the actor’s facial muscles perfectly. I’m actually currently in the works of putting together a detailed “Making-Of” for our lead demon, Dimwos. I’ll hopefully have it up by November.

UB: Ha! I love your mad-scientist statement “it takes me about three solid weeks of work and roughly $1,000 in materials to create a demon”. Only takes a romantic evening, good wine and some over-excited hormones to create a human… Um, sorry. I have to say that your results so far look fantastic. The quality of the make-up fx far outshines a lot of the zombies and demons we tried to be convinced by during the ‘80s (not those mentioned above, obviously). Generally the production quality of what we’ve seen of your film so far (including cinematography) seems stellar for such a low budget. How on earth have you managed it? In fact, how did the project itself come about?

Loup’Rah: It’s still hard for me to believe how wonderfully all of the elements of this project fell into place from the beginning. I wrote the screenplay in the Fall of 2010. Once I put it out there for my friends and peers to read, people just started appearing to me out of the woodwork, showing interest in wanting to collaborate with me to make it come to life. Tim Reis (my cinematographer, co-producer and assistant director) is largely responsible for making this thing happen. He bought the camera and crane we’re using out of pocket, not to mention all of the manpower he has brought along with him. Josh Gould (lighting director) has also played a huge part since the beginning. He bought all of the professional film lights we’re using out of his own pocket as well. And I could go on about the many others that have come forth and brought a great deal to the table. Basically, in answering your question on how I’ve managed it: complete volunteer basis, very little sleep, and a good number of talented connections.

UB: Okay, we’d best get to the obvious question: what’s The Demon’s Rook about, story-wise and thematically?

Loup’Rah: Well here’s a quick run-down of the story… A young boy named Roscoe finds a portal to another world where he is taught magic by an elder demon known as Dimwos. Dimwos raises the boy into manhood, revealing to him many secrets. Though, there is one dark secret that Dimwos keeps from Roscoe. When Roscoe discovers what his master has been keeping from him all these years, he revolts against him, inadvertently unleashing three malevolent demons. Through desperation, Roscoe is forced to escape the demons’ wrath by way of the portal leading back to our world. Unbeknownst to Roscoe, he leads the demons to discover the portal for themselves. Once the demons pass through, a nightmarish foray of summoned monsters are unleashed. One demon possesses the minds and will of all whom she crosses, another transforms a man into a murderous beast, and the other summons an army of the dead to do his bidding. And there you have it in a rather large nutshell.

UB: It certainly sounds as though it has epic-scale potential. What about the title of the film? The word “Rook” has several meanings, any or all of which may be relevant. There’s the bird from the Corvidae family — a type of crow. Crows are often seen as having a significant role in escorting the dead into the afterlife — as in The Crow comic/film. They are also carrion scavengers. Then there’s the rook or “castle” from chess, with its unique movement and role in the game. It’s also a card game. “Rook” is used in ear-piercing, too, and to “rook” someone is to swindle them. So which are relevant to your film and how do they relate to the story you’ve outlined?

Loup’Rah: Good question. It refers to the chess piece. Dimwos and the other demons in this film are very powerful characters. I would equate them to queens in chess, in that they have a huge range of abilities and are able to command others to do their bidding for them. I see Roscoe’s character as a rook. The rook holds more power than most of the other chess pieces. But he is still under the queen, unless he is accompanied by another rook. Two rooks are worth more than a queen. This plays in with Eva’s character, the female lead that accompanies Roscoe on his aim to destroy the demons. Plus, I also just love the way it sounds.

UB: Does all this represent a mythology that’s been part of your work previous to this or was it one you developed exclusively for the film? Do you have plans for this to be something ongoing?

Loup’Rah: This particular mythology was written exclusively for the film — although I have been working with my Black Rider brothers over the years in creating our own personal mythology of the universe, how it all began, how it will all end, so on and so forth. But the story for The Demon’s Rook I’d like to see end with this film. I definitely have no plans for any sequels.

UB: Black Riders? I know your Loup’Rah pseudonym relates to that group. Could you explain to us what it is and what role it plays in your creative efforts?

Loup’Rah: I’m tickled that you’ve even heard of our little group. Looks like you’ve done your research! I co-founded a secret art society known as the Black Riders wherein all of the members have an ascribed moniker that we go by, specifically when creating art. Loup’Rah Garomore was given to me by my elder brother Lycanthropus Galleytrot. My friends still call me “James”, of course, but like I said, I do go by my Loup’Rah moniker whenever art is involved (or whenever I travel to other dimensions to fight evil and spread the good word of Gaorok). I can only tell you so much about the society itself, being that it’s secret. But we do obviously celebrate the creation of righteous artwork through many mediums. We also believe strongly that our animal brethren do not deserve to be killed by man for any reason. We can live happily and healthily without killing and devouring them, so why should we? As you might have guessed, we’re all vegan, and therefore it’s a requirement upon entering the group that you vow to remain one ’til death. Our sacred emblem is tattooed on every member as a reminder of this. We also do a great deal of cryptozoological research within the society, and all of us have a huge soft spot for Sasquatch in particular.

UB: So what’s your view of horror as a cinema genre, Loup’Rah? What should it aim for? Apart from those already mentioned, what are some horror films that are, in your view, the most successful in the field?

Loup’Rah: The horror genre is so unlimited for me. Everything from the tongue-in-cheek Return of the Living Dead to the respected and classy Rosemary’s Baby, I love it all. There’s no way I could ever concisely tell Horror what to aim for. Our moods are so variable, that there’s no predicting what we will be in the mood for tomorrow night. Will we need a nonsensical arthouse movie full of nudity and ridiculous dialogue to get us off, or should we remind ourselves of the horrors that truly exist by watching a sadistic family of serial killers cut through us. No way of knowing, but I can tell you some of my personal favorites: American Werewolf in London — Nosferatu the Vampyre — Cemetery Man — Scanners — The Thing. Those are just a few examples of what I consider solid gold.

UB: Ah, all great choices — and at least one of my personal top 10 there. What’s your background in film production in particular?

Loup’Rah: Well, this is actually my first feature-length film. Over the past twelve years or so I’ve directed and produced a good number of short films and music videos, most of which I used as an excuse to have a good time with friends. This is definitely the most “serious” production I’ve ever sunk my teeth into, and I’m learning new things every day.

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UB: What did you/do you hope to achieve with The Demon’s Rook, both in terms of the film itself and your own career in making more of them?

Loup’Rah: Most of all, I just want to make an original movie that really grabs the audience. So often in low-budget horror movies, I see moments of badassery scattered about here and there, but mostly it’s just filler material that you can either talk over or completely ignore all together. My goal with this film is to take all of those golden moments and set them back to back, so that you have a feature-length, non-stop bonanza of righteous imagery that will ultimately suck the eyeballs right out of your head.
As for what I’m going for with a future career, I hope this film can act as a golden ticket for me and my crew regarding future film endeavors. We can take this thing around and say “Look what we were able to accomplish with this small amount of money. Now give us a proper sum and we’ll give you gold!”

UB: When can we expect to see the film in its final bloody form?

Loup’Rah: That’s a tricky question to answer. Hopefully within the next two years. And here’s where I confess that we need more funding: we’ve been maintaining a strong attention to detail throughout the production thus far. But an attention to detail has a price to pay, especially when it comes to special fx production. As I said earlier, our total budget so far has been roughly $15,000. We were hoping to pull it off with that, but we’ve only got about a grand left. With this grand, I will finish the lead demon I’ve started and showcase him. I’m hoping to get the following reaction from various wealthy supporters of the arts: “Wow, look at that life-like demon! Isn’t that just swell. I think I’ll become an executive producer for this project and help them to create four more demons of equal or greater quality!” Having said that, if there’s anyone out there who’s interested in jumping on board this project as an Executive Producer (ie. donating $1,000 or more to the film) they can check us out at www.DemonsRook.com or just contact me at louprah@gmail.com. And for those who can’t part with that much, but would still like to show their support, we will graciously accept any donation.

UB: The project sounds awesome, Loup’Rah — and I’m sure the Backbrain’s readers will be keen to catch this one. Hopefully those out there with spare finances for investment and an aspiration to get into the industry at a senior production level — or anyone who just wants to see the film made — will seriously consider contributing to the cause. What you’ve achieved so far is jam-packed with horror goodness (and badness!) and the potential is obvious. Finally, thanks for talking to us — and is there anything you like to add about the film and what audiences can anticipate?

Loup’Rah: What can audiences anticipate? An original story that will keep your toes twitching with super righteous prosthetic work, special effects, gore, monsters and mayhem. And we’ll even have a little full-frontal to rear nudity for ya. It’s going to be an artistically developed, over-the-top low-budget sensation! I guarantee it, or my name ain’t born out of a werewolf’s bawdy shindig in the bayou.

We’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for this one — metaphorically, of course!

• Source: Thanks to Loup’Rah Garomore (James Sizemore) for giving his time so freely. Also to Avery Guerra for the initial contact. Written by Robert Hood.
• Check out the official Demon’s Rook website for more information and behind-the-scenes pics.

Despite a certain affection for Arnold Schwarzenegger’s earlier version of Robert E. Howard’s iconic warrior barbarian — a product of the magazine Weird Tales at its height, mingling swordplay, dark magic and monstrosity to create a compelling imaginative world of its own — I’ve always been disappointed by cinematic versions of the Barbarian King’s adventures.

Well, for me this new trailer looks like it’s got all the right moves — and Jason Momoa as Conan has the right sort of muscle and an appropriately rough appearance, indicative of strength gained not through a gym regime but through a brutal life of conflict and near-death experience. Along with giant tentacles, sorcery and other magical adversaries, he gives me hope that this Conan will reflect well on Conan’s literary origins.

Bring it on!

With a simple twitch of facial expression, even “funny”, “friendly” clowns can veer into the creepily sinister for those who don’t actually exhibit clinical coulrophobia, let alone for coulrophobics themselves. No wonder evil clowns have become such an interesting subgenre of horror film and fiction. They’re everywhere. Batman’s key nemesis, the Joker, is, of course, one of the best known and most obsessive of comicbook villains, given new, super-sinister potency in Heath Ledger’s powerful rendition of the character in The Dark Knight. In novel form, Australian Will Elliott’s award-winning comic-horror tale The Pilo Family Circus (2006) gave new life (and death) to the circus environment in which clowns thrive. Then there are also such famous examples as Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes, Stephen King’s Pennywise in his novel It and the film of the same name (in which Tim Curry gave an iconic performance as the clown), and who can forget the alien clowns of Killer Klowns from Outer Space?

I’m sure there’s a long article crying out to be written on this subject. But let the above serve as an introduction to John Lechago’s latest film — number three in a low-budget, so far rather uninspiring series of evil clown flicks — Killjoy 3.

Where the previous Killjoy films have been, frankly, rather lame both script-wise and visually, Lechago’s entry looks to offer a lush VFX landscape, with loads of bizarre imagery and buckets of blood, whatever the script might prove to be like. The director’s experience with slime, nasty make-up FX and gross bodily dismemberment has come to our attention through his upcoming Bio-Slime, now renamed Contagion for general release, and he appears to carry this extreme but classy grossness over into the low-budget environment of Charles Band’s Full Moon Entertainment franchise.

Synopsis:

The demon clown Killjoy is resurrected once again, but this time he is not given the name of his victim and is trapped in his realm. Using a magic mirror, he lures four unsuspecting college students into his domain where he can have his macabre way with them! And this time he is joined by the behemoth clown Punchy, the conjoined twins mime Freakshow and the seductive succubus Batty Boop.

Trailer:

Killjoy 3 is due for release on DVD on 14 December 2010, but before then, in fact today (in the US), there is a special open screening taking place. So if you happen to be in the vicinity of LA on December 3rd, grasp hold of your coulrophobic tendencies, don your polka-dot pants and head to the Capital City Sports Grill for some gross-out clowning around.

Friday December 3rd
Time: 8pm
Location: Capitol City Sports Grill
Address: 1615 N. Cahuenga Blvd. Los Angeles, CA. 90028 (between Selma Ave. & Hollywood Blvd.)

Admission is free, but Lechago says to “come thirsty”.

Below in the Gallery there are lots of pictures from the film and behind-the-scenes.

• Sources: John Lechago; IMDb entry. Thanks to Avery as always. Written by Robert Hood

Addendum: Behind the Scenes videos

Gallery:

Eyes in the Dark (US-2009) is a new independent film that is banking on the ongoing attraction of the first-person POV hand-held style popularised in recent times by the extraordinary success of The Blair Witch Project, [Rec] and Paranormal Activity. Judging on the footage so far released, the film may be giving it a good shot.

Synopsis:

A group of college co-eds take a trip to a mountain lodge looking for relaxation, beer, and maybe a dip in the hot tub. But when they stumble on clues about an ancient legend, they quickly find themselves fighting for their lives. Will they be able to escape this unspeakable evil? And are they the only ones who have ever crossed its path?

Made by Emerald City Pictures and director Bjorn Anderson, Eyes in the Dark is an independent film that chronicles the end-game moments of a group of college co-eds on a weekend cabin getaway in the Washington State Cascade foothills.

Eyes in the Dark combines the characters’ compulsive self-documentation and laid-back humor with the raw terror they uncover after crossing paths with an ancient evil. The filmmakers blended the improvisational talents of the actors with beautiful but brooding locations to create a vision that plays on the fear of the unknown. Set in a fictionalized area of the Cascade Range with a long history of legends and mysterious disappearances, the film quickly transports the audience to a place of excitement and terror. (Press release)

Trailer:

View the trailer in HD on Vimeo.

The film runs the conceit that the spliced-together footage was found in secret FBI archives (X files, no doubt), having been hidden away by a government fearful that the truth behind unexplained disappearances in the Pacific Northwest wilderness would be a national security risk. They know, as the characters and we the audience find out, that a dangerous, presumably supernatural presence inhabits the area. Not an unfamiliar scenario, but one that’s a pretty good starting point. It’s what comes next that will determine the film’s success.

Below: Lacy (Melissa Goad) feels like she’s being watched

Like many classic horror stories before it (such as Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, for example), Eyes in the Dark had its origin in a dream, according to Anderson:

I woke up in a terrified sweat one early morning in September of 2007. This was like numerous other mornings following my nightmares. Particularly one dream I had been having for several years. The settings changed occasionally but never the overall fear that accompanied it. I was always in the woods, in my house, or in some remote area being hunted by something, something just out of the vision of my eyes in the dark. Occasionally I would get a fleeting glance of a large tuft of fur and red eyes before I would turn and begin to run. The dreams would always end with me trapped, surrounded in the middle of nowhere by dark shadows of monsters and red eyes. It was these red eyes that would be the last things I saw before I woke up. I decided to take a cathartic approach to dealing with my dreams so I began to write the outline of what would later become the script to Eyes in the Dark.

But it was J.J. Abrams’ effective take on the giant monster genre that governed the style of the film:

Originally the film was going to be shot in the traditional horror style, with multiple cameras, lighting, etc. But when I saw Cloverfield in early 2008 I was struck with the amount of energy the first person point-of-view camera style brought with it. I immediately knew that the POV style of camera movement would be the way to go for creating the right amount of energy and audience involvement.

Indie Problems:

The Production had the inauspicious beginning that all independent films on a shoestring budget have. About a week before production began, a lead actress dropped out, the production had to overcome logistical nightmares in transportation and booking the Ski-lodge, and all of the footage had to be shot in four weekends to accommodate everyone’s schedules, and to top it all off we began shooting on Friday the 13th. Somehow it was all pulled off no doubt due to everyone pitching in together and figuring out a thousand different problems at once. (Press release)

But there’s a nice addendum to the strain imposed by filming under difficulties. “Having such a great cast and crew allowed me to bring my nightmares to life,” commented Anderson, “and in turn, my cathartic approach seems to have worked because for the last year and a half I have yet to have the nightmare of being chased by those Eyes in the Dark.”

Film Details:

• Shooting format: Sony HDV 1440 x 1080i
• Exhibit format: HDCAM, DVD
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Color
• running time:  78 minutes
• Sound mix: Stereo
• Production Company:  Emerald City Pictures, LLC.
• Production Team:  Directed by Bjorn Anderson; Produced by Mike Ash; Associate Producers Marco Scaringi, Robyn Scaringi and Joseph Cole; Executive Producer Bjorn Anderson; Cinematography by Joseph Cole; Written by Bjorn Anderson; Edited by Robyn Scaringi.
• Starring Wayne Bastrup, Melissa Goad, John Symonds, Maureen Francisco, Telisa Steen, Melinda Ausserer, Jason Robison, Paul Eenhoorn, Ernie Joseph, Mike Ash, Christine Umayam, and Charlie Sims, among others. “The Beast” is played by Marco Scaringi.

Source: Official website; Press release; Facebook page. Thanks, Avery.

Note: A colour-corrected version of the trailer is available on the IMDb.