Brian: Okay, Kevin - Was filmmaking
something that you were always interested in or
did you discover that, one day, like a male Alice
you just happened to fall down a cinematic rabbit
hole?
KSM:
A male Alice? What a great idea for a gay porno.
- Probably already done. I used to make films on
Super 8 when I was a kid. Silent films like the
old silent films. That's when I found out that if
you said you were making a movie it would bring
out all sorts of unusual people that you don't
really know but would arrive on set like they
were your best friends. But film has always
interested me. Getting back to your question, I
guess the only holes I've run into in this
business are the a-holes. But that's every type
of business. I've met a lot of great people, too
Brian:
Are the types of films you want to produce
wide-ranging or are you interested in a certain
style? For example, 'The Last Days of Rik
Mortis' seems to have a psychological
horror bent.
KSM:
Do you guys remember 'Friday The 13th:
The Series?' I watched that when I was a
teenager. I love cursed objects and twist
endings. Rik Mortis was an experiment for me. I
am a big George Romero fan. Yes, there are
zombies in his movies, but there is also
psychology. And death is not always glorious like
300. Sometimes an event can happen and people
attempt to cover it up. That's what happens to
Rik. I hope to make more movies like this. We
just finished up a short called, 'Helen
To Pay'. It is about a girl that gets
revenge on an old nemesis of hers by possessing
her with voodoo. This girl does everything to
her, and I mean everything, to humiliate her
enemy. Ultimately, the girl suffers the
consequence.
Brian:
Ouch - and great title! (And I loved
'Friday the 13th: The Series', too!)
Now, speaking of Rik Mortis it has one of the
best death scenes ever! How was that death by
bath tub blow job executed?
KSM:
Thanks, I like putting my characters where they
are uncomfortable-- like freezing cold tubs. On
the set, I kept thinking of a line from 'Seinfeld'
where George comes out of the pool and
refers to his penis as a "frightened
turtle." And what's wrong with showing penis
in movies? It's the final frontier! It was funny,
too, because actor-musician Edward Palmer never
took a bath with so many people in the room
before. In the story, I liked the idea that a guy
could easily drown a girl by being distracted on
a cell phone call and pushing her head down in
the water. This is what Hitchcock would be doing
now, only I put more emphasis on the
"cock."
Brian:
Nothing wrong with that! - Rik Mortis focuses on
a Goth-like Emo-esque musician. Is music a huge
inspiration in your work? What are your favorite
bands? (I'm a music whore, myself, so I am always
fascinated to find out what others are into.)
KSM:
It's weird how music affects mood. I am a music
whore, too. If you looked at my Ipod you'd find
everything from Cat Stevens to Nine Inch Nails to
German Cabaret singer Ute Lemper. That's why I
don't let people look at my Ipod. But music and
mood are key. On Rik Mortis, there where times
when my editor Alexia Anastasio and I would look
at each other and agree that maybe scenes don't
always need background music. When someone
is trying to get rid of a corpse do we really
need to hear strings? Why not have a little Tony
Bennett instead? Too tacky?
Brian:
Not at all! - You've got to tell me about 'Poultrygeist:
Night of the Dead Chicken'. It sounds
awesome! In fact, I'd sell my niece and nephew
just to say I was involved with something so cool
sounding!
KSM:
I think Lloyd Kaufman might have had to sell a
few people into slavery to make
'Poultrygeist' (laughs). It was very
cool to work on it. The fans will love this
movie. I was working at Troma for years waiting
for Lloyd to decide to make something new. The
day (and Lloyd) finally came. What's great is
that Lloyd never does anything to be successful
at it; he follows whatever interests him at the
time. When he found out in the 80s that horror
movies were losing money, he went out and made 'The
Toxic Avenger.' And working with limited
resources is so frustrating. But it makes you
make a better movie because you don't have cash
to throw at problems. And the title is cool
sounding, you're right! I should mention 'Poultrygeist'
every time I try to get a bank loan (laughs).
Brian:
How did your interest in Vampira begin? Was it
hard to track Maila Nurmi down? Also, was it hard
to get her involved with the project or was she
interested from the get go? (Phew - so many
questions!)
KSM:
I was always fascinated with Vampira since seeing
'Plan 9 from Outer Space' as a
kid. Who was she? Why didn't she speak? It was
like Greta Garbo, those personae that you can't
touch. Most people who have seen 'Plan 9'
remember her exclusively. I was a big fan of
Elvira as a kid, too. I was reading magazines
like Fangoria about Horror Hosts and its
tradition. Three years ago, I made a decision
that I should seek out Maila Nurmi. Everyone I
spoke to told me that she'd be impossible to
find. Go to the McDonald's in Silverlake (West
Hollywood) and look for her, Conrad Brooks
instructed me. But instead, I finally got an
address and started writing back and forth with
her. We found we shared the same dry wit. Once we
became good friends, I suggested that we should
begin recording all her great Hollywood stories.
It's funny: Someone emailed me and asked me if
she speaks in my movie...could we make a
documentary with her as a mute?
Brian:
Silence is golden! - You were able to interview
some incredible people for 'Vampira: The
Movie'. Was there anyone that made you
couldn't believe you got to interview? (Mamie Van
Doren would have made me sweat like a nervous
school boy! And I'm gay!)
KSM: Mamie
Van Doren, yes! Yes! I am in the same bathtub
with you on that one, Brian! Mamie's interview
will be on the DVD, as she did not make the
theatrical cut of the movie. Too steamy for
theaters! I always love when they put that on DVD
boxes. I had goose bumps for weeks after meeting
Mamie and believe me they are hard to get rid of.
It was the same when I interviewed Julie Newmar
for the Troma release 'Seduction of a
Nerd'. For 'Vampira: The Movie,'
I was extremely honored that I got so many celebs
and idols of mine to participate. Sid Haig,
Debbie Rochon, Bill Moseley, Forry Ackerman...
all heroes. And Ari Lehman, who played Jason in
the first 'Friday The 13th', did
a great job on the musical score. But I guess the
biggest surprise is Elvira. Everyone's heard
about the 1980s lawsuit between her and Vampira,
but few know the details. The hatchet is finally
buried with this movie. It's like we changed
history a bit by making this documentary.
Brian:
Cool! What are the future plans for 'Vampira:
The Movie'? Is it being released on DVD
or is it still playing festivals? I can't wait to
see it!
KSM: We are touring with the documentary right now. I
feel like Al Gore... isn't that scary? I can't
believe that we are going all the way to
Erlangen, Germany to screen it at Weekend of
Fear. I asked if the festival directors wanted me
to add German subtitles and they told me,
"Don't worry, Kevin, we all speak English
here." So I now I've learned something about
everyone in Germany. We should have a DVD release
sometime soon.
Brian:
Okay, Heir Gore - any future plans, bits of
wisdom, or other obscure screen icons we should
get in a lather about?
KSM:
Hmm, another bathtub reference. Very good! Yes, I
am embarking on a new documentary project that
focuses on Hammer horror star Ingrid Pitt. She is
famous for her bathtub scene in the original 'Wicker
Man.' She made a lot of great films
including 'Where Eagles Dare'
starring Clint Eastwood and Richard Burton. Like
Maila Nurmi, Ingrid has had a vampiric life. You
should rent 'Countess Dracula' and
the greatest lesbian film of all time 'The
Vampire Lovers'. I guess I am very
interested in older women. Can you guys at Racks
& Razors give me Dame Judi Dench's phone
number? Thanks Racks & Razors! |