Japan's Darkest Secret is America's Newest Nightmare
Blu-ray: BD-r (Limited to 300) Released by:Unearthed Films Release Date: January 2016 Production Year: 2015 Region Code: 1 Running Time: 1:38 Audio: English Dolby Digital 2.0 Video: 1080p (1:85:1 Aspect Ratio) Subtitles: None
The Film – [4/5]:
"Don't leave me." Piercing hand-scrawled pleas become a nauseating, yearning pulp of hope, entwined in sickly codependency of the experimental test subjects in "Bloodshock", the second in a series of eight American Guinea Pig films. This installment is a demented love story that will "punch you in the soul" in the words of iconic visionary author and Executive Producer, Stephen Biro.
Actors, Dan Ellis and Lillian McKinney had their work cut out for them, as they had no lines in the entire film. Given this circumstance, they each needed to be overtly expressive to convey pain, anger, disdain, exhaustion and a whole gamut of emotions without relying on the crutch of dialogue. Both were in different places within the torture chain, and it's brilliantly moving how Lillian was able to dim the light behind her eyes and seemingly fall into the pit of despair where her character had just given up. This paired with Dan's tenacity and overwhelmingly realistic responses to the physical malfeasance will undoubtedly make you cringe repeatedly on the edge of your seat. Expect a pang of nausea when you reach Dan's foot scene. The greatest feat is the empathy you will feel for these nameless, voiceless characters. Although their situations are dire, Dan and Lillian's characters are relatable and you will care about them as people.
To say this film is a social commentary is an understatement. You may question your views on love, relationships and even the death penalty by the end. This isn't just mindless blood and gore. Director, Marcus Koch, wants this film to haunt you, and he succeeds. You will continue pondering Bloodshock with each rewatch and you'll be eager to get your next fix from this dealer of the macabre.
Audio – [5/5]:
With the overall lack of dialogue, sound becomes a character in itself. A menacing metronome clicks away repetitive and intensifying patterns, moaning bassy throbs pulse through dull pains and tension mounts as the torture escalates to a crescendo in a vivid Miike-esque symphony of eroticism and madness. Kristian Day, Gene Palubicki and Jimmy ScreamerClauz are seasoned musicians that brought the sound of "Bloodshock" to life. With eerie tones and background notes fluidly swirling your tympanic membranes and fueling this film we have undeniable proof that these three are a dream trio.
Video – [4/5]:
Veteran director and SFX guru, Marcus Koch, helms this stunning visual assault that can only be considered art. Filmed in HD digital, a slight grainy effect was achieved to give the film a throwback stark realism that could easily parallel the early works of Richard Kern. As the film builds in intensity, the richness of the black hues give way to sepia tones, then sickly pale blood appears like the butcher paper bottom of an old ribeye, turning to the shocking blast of the crimson finale. Subtlety reigns as the viewer will not notice the transition until that bold ending.
Most exciting is the growth of Marcus Koch as a director. Known for cult favorites like "Rot", "Fell" and "100 Tears", Marcus shows maturity and beauty in his filmmaking style. The cinematography brings a dimension that almost seems like Hitchcock at times. This is truly a gripping and intense film.
Special Features – [4.5/5]:
In the Unearthed Films tradition, physical media is made with the collector in mind, and special features are plentiful and make it worth choosing physical media over a digital copy to gain access to these behind-the-scenes gems.
The star of these is the "FX Preproduction of Bloodshock". Marcus Koch is a staunch believer in the authenticity of the facade, meaning he will never use real blood or organs to achieve an effect. With his team (Cat Bernier and Melanie Dean) at Oddtopsy Effects, he painstakingly builds each silicone piece to meticulously match human anatomy, with unprecedented time and research spent to achieve the appropriate texture, consistency and overall accuracy of the piece.
You'll feel like you're kicking back and having a beer with old friends while listening to the "Commentary with Marcus Koch and Stephen Biro". Quirky stories from the set and the harrowing account of Marcus' near death experience while filming make this extra a must hear. Set pieces, symbolism and future plans are also discussed, making you an instant insider.
Learn the origins of the American Guinea Pig series from inception and acquisition of the rights to the original Japanese Guinea Pig films on the "Interviews with Marcus Koch and Stephen Biro". Most interesting is each man's perspective on the film and their contributions to create the final masterpiece.
The "Exclusive Stills Gallery" gives an insider's glance behind the scenes to make you feel like you were right there during the filming. Take a virtual macabre mini-vacation and check these out. And while you're at it, there are some really great trailers included of the latest and greatest Unearthed Films.
There's a lot of buzz and excitement around Dan Ellis these days. With the second film in the American Guinea Pig series coming out and a new contract recently signed with his agent, Dan is emanating some pretty positive vibes. He's more than a talented thespian though. He's a full-fledged horror fan and his authenticity is reflected in his work.
Body Count Rising:You were born in Ohio, but you live in Canada now. What made you decide to move to Canada after serving in the US Navy?
Dan Ellis: I met a girl… I was living in San Francisco and decided I didn’t want to do the long distance relationship. So I moved out to Canada. A child, marriage and another child later I’m still here.
Body Count Rising:Right on! That’s romantic. Do you have dual citizenship?
Dan Ellis:I don’t have dual citizenship yet but I’m working on that. So right now I’m just a permanent resident.
Body Count Rising:Your IMDb profile said you “took a culinary journey” after serving in the Navy. Were you a chef in the Navy? What’s the scoop?
Dan Ellis: When I joined the Navy I operated radar and did navigation, working with radio, tactical signals and stuff. I served as a liaison between the captain and the other ships that were traveling in our group and was responsible for notifying of any potential threats. They originally offered me the job of cooking when I joined, but I read the description and thought there is no way I’m waking up at 4:00 AM every morning and making powdered eggs for 600 guys. Then I saw the description for Operations Specialist and felt that was something that not only would challenge me intellectually, but it was something I decided I really wanted to do.
Once I got out, I didn’t have many options as far as transferring what I had learned in the Navy into the civilian world as it was so specialized. Maybe I could have been an air traffic controller or served in the Merchant Marines, but I had enough of the sea at that point, so a friend got me a job washing dishes in a kitchen. It wasn’t long until they moved me up to the line and after a few months they had me running the line. Now, people steal people from other kitchens all the time when they open new restaurants and so I moved around a lot. I worked my up to sous chef and eventually I became executive chef at a couple different places. Growing up, my mom had exposed me to different foods and cooking techniques and this was something I really enjoyed. I moved away from that profession, but it's always been a dream of mine to open a pub or a restaurant at a later time.
Body Count Rising: You should do a cooking show!
Dan Ellis: Well I thought about doing that and getting people on board from horror movies. “Tonight’s episode: Making chili with Elvira” (laughing)
Body Count Rising: Oh yeah! If you could get some gore effects in there, THAT would be awesome. (laughing) Prior to acting in films, you did theater work. Which type of work is more stressful and why?
Dan Ellis: I would say theater because it's live. You can see the crowd and it’s wonderful because you get instant feedback and gratification when you really nail an emotion or deliver a line properly. You can feel the energy in the crowd. When everybody applauds it’s a really good feeling. But, there’s also the chance of “Oh my God I just fucked up my line.” The trick is to not let anyone know except the people that you’re working with. A professional cast will help you recover. You can also look out into the crowd and hear cell phones going off or other distractions so that can drive you nuts.
When you’re on set, it’s not live. You’re in front of a crew and nobody else in the world exists except the people you’re acting with. The only stress in film, for me, is that time between when you wrap and when you finally get to see it. Trying to keep your lines and your character together… that’s a piece of cake compared to the problems that are dealt with by the director, the DP and the rest of the crew, those guys get most of the stress.
Body Count Rising: Have you gone to any of the “American Guinea Pig: Bloodshock” screenings?
Dan Ellis: No, I haven’t. I was set to go to Texas Frightmare, but had a family emergency and had to cancel.
Body Count Rising: I heard the crowds are loving it. Were you able to see the movie yet?
Dan Ellis: Yes, I saw a couple rough cuts and Marcus (Koch) prepared a finished version for me. Marcus and I have been friends since we met a Fangoria Convention in 2006 or 2007. We always wanted to work together. We started to once but there was this horrid blizzard and things kind of fell through. So he called me up and said “Hey do you want to make a movie?” and I said “Sure!” He said “Don’t you want to know what it’s about?” and I said “I don’t care. I want to work with you!”
Marcus needs to be recognized not just for his effects, but his directing too. He has a definite signature that he puts on things. I mean if you watch “100 Tears”, “Fell” and “Bloodshock” you know those are Marcus Kochfilms.
Body Count Rising: Oh yeah- and “Rot” too.
Dan Ellis: I’m really excited for him and Stephen Biro. Both stellar dudes and they have done a fantastic job with the film.
Body Count Rising: So, you’ve been a film actor since 2003 and your first film was “Monsturd”, which was hilarious. I saw that and laughed a lot. What about this sealed the deal to make you decide to begin acting in films?
Dan Ellis: When I was a young pup, my mom used to take me to these really bizarre movies in the 70’s. It’s probably something that a kid shouldn’t go to, but at the drive-in, they had this playground up front. All the parents would go to see “Rosemary’s Baby” or “Amityville Horror” and they’d send the kids off to the playground assuming they’d all just go off and play. But I was the one just sort of sitting back, looking up at the screen and watching the movie. I would rather watch the movie than play on the swings. Swings just weren’t as interesting to me like those films were.
I became fascinated with the movies and I grew up wanting to do creature effects and make-up. But as I started wearing the prosthetics and make-up I realized I enjoyed it more than applying it to others. That drive got me into the drama department in school, but there were politics and it seemed like those who had parents who were more active in the school got preference for the best roles. Seemed like it was a game of “favorites” and it was discouraging. I put that part of my life on hold, never been much for bullshit or playing games...
In San Francisco following “my culinary adventure”, I had the opportunity to become active in the theater again and I felt that passion for acting once more. San Francisco had a great scene for comedy and theater. While I was working I met a guy named Dan Burr who had friends that he introduced me to, Dan West and Rick Popko. I didn’t know they were working on a movie at the time, but soon they offered me a part.
After I did it, I had this epiphany... It was like “What the fuck am I doing?” This is what I’ve always wanted to do! So at that point I decided that film in any capacity would be my career. I mean I love theater and would do it again in a heartbeat, but I just really enjoyed film. The lights, camaraderie, outtakes… and just having a good time… I can't explain the feeling of being “on set” and how good it makes me feel. That was the wake up call I needed to help me toward the path I’m on today.
Body Count Rising: How do you prepare for your roles?
Dan Ellis: I wouldn’t say I’m completely a method actor, but I do practice it to an extent in my technique. I do develop back stories for my characters. I give them personalities so that it is more than just lines. When I learn the lines, I develop mannerisms to keep it appropriate to the character. I spend a lot of time in the garage. That is my work space. It’s my place where I can get quiet. I do also work with the director for his vision of the character, but I have been given a lot of liberties as well over the years. It’s a lot of communication back and forth, but I also I'm in my own head quite a bit.
Body Count Rising: What about improvisation?
Dan Ellis: That all depends on the director. I’m getting ready to work with Vince D’Amato on “Valley of the Rats”. Vince is open to ideas, but he has written the script a certain way for a reason. He creates his art through actors as his medium and I stick closely to what he has laid out. Now with Marcus, it’s a lot more organic. With “Bloodshock” it was more of an outline with direction and I didn’t have that dialogue to lean on. I had to act non-verbally through my mannerisms and facial expressions. That especially attracted me to this part. I would be given direction to look in a certain direction and it was up to me to act and react accordingly with each situation using nonverbal cues, so it was directed improv.
Body Count Rising: You were in “The Profane Exhibit” which ran the festival circuit in 2013-2014 then fell off the map. What can you tell me about this film?
Dan Ellis: Ryan (Nicholson) and I did a segment called “Goodwife” and Monique Parent played my wife. It’s a twisted love story. I think to this day it’s the best thing he’s ever done. The writing was exceptional, the shots were great. We had a guy named Matt Leaf who was the DP and he did a fantastic job with the look of the film. There’s a lot of controversy around that movie and I’ve tried to keep my finger on the pulse as much as possible, and all I can say is that it’s not dead.
Body Count Rising: Yay! So, is it currently in litigation then?
Dan Ellis: No, but I can’t confirm or deny what may be the hold up because I simply don't know. But, I do know it’s going to happen.
Body Count Rising: OK. I heard something about a film called “The Murder Mack” you were working on with Plotdigger Films that you were producing and starring in. Is that project still in the works?
Dan Ellis: As of now, no. The last Ryan and I talked we discussed another “Gutterballs”. The idea is still kicking around, but it’s on hold for now. It’s a pretty good story. It’s pretty fucked up, so it’s right up our alleys.
Body Count Rising: Is this based on Bittaker and Norris since that is what they called their van?
Dan Ellis: Yes, loosely.
Body Count Rising: So, you’ve been in Ryan's films (“Gutterballs”, “Hanger”, “Star Vehicle”) and now you’re in the new American Guinea Pig series. What attracts you to such graphic and gritty gore films?
Dan Ellis: I think the fact that they’re so much fun to make. If you’re making something like a drama, it’s a different dynamic. But horror… the fans are like nothing else in the world. People will volunteer to just come on set and help out because they want to see the movie made and they love it! And the kind of people that make horror movies are a different breed all together. You can have a beer with anyone but these guys are just more fun. You get bloody and it’s a blast. Plus I just love horror.
Body Count Rising: Now there’s a difference between mainstream horror and the kind of horror Ryan Nicholson, Marcus Koch and Stephen Biro are doing though…
Dan Ellis: OK, touché. (laughing) But people always bring up that since you watch horror films you want to go chop people up. That’s not the case at all. It’s just how I like to be entertained. There’s horror, there’s extreme gore, there’s faux snuff… with a horror fan there’s so many sub genres. This is what I love. You really get the chance to go to extremes with different emotions and a broad spectrum of characters. You can do camp, or truly serious stuff. It allows you to exorcise your personal demons a times also.
When I was small I watched “Phantom of the Opera” and I was terrified. I hid under the chair the whole time, but I still watched because I wanted to see what he looked like without the mask. And when he took it off, I was floored. I asked my mom if he was a real guy. I wanted to know everything. She explained that he was a regular guy that just had on make-up and it was all fake. I was enamored and Lon Chaney has been one of my idols ever since. I’ll do anything, appearance-wise, as long as it's right for the part. Why wear a wig or a fake mustache? Do it for real if you have the time, it looks better and really helps to get into character. I probably always will be active in horror but not limited to it. I'd like to do a lot of different roles, genres and work with as many different people as possible.
Body Count Rising: What’s the most challenging role you’ve had to play and why?
Dan Ellis: I think “Bloodshock” is up there because what they needed from the character. Sometimes a script can be a crutch. You can use words to get you to a place where you need to be but in “Bloodshock” I had to express myself without words, I really had to take myself to some dark places I forgot I had inside. Besides that, there was the physical toll it took on me and the place we were filming in Florida was like a sauna.
After I got home, for about two weeks, I was pretty bad off. I was sore from what I put my body through plus I was depressed. That non-stop intensity with lack of decompression really did a number on me, but I would do it all again in a heartbeat. In the same vein it was therapeutic, and I had to come to terms with the memories that came up and why. I also get really attached to a production, you spend so much time with people and when it's time to say good bye it's really sad for me. I know, big softie. (laughing)
Body Count Rising: So you said Lon Chaney was one of your favorite actors…
Dan Ellis: He is!
Body Count Rising: I know he would put hard celluloid in his mouth for some of his roles to achieve the correct level of misery. Is this also something like you do to properly convey agony?
Dan Ellis: Not intentionally. I just wind up getting hurt in most everything I do. (laughing) When we filmed “Star Vehicle” I was buried alive and I ended up getting hypothermia from being in the shallow grave of mud. When I came out they rushed me to a car, turned on the heat and wrapped me in blankets to help adjust my body temperature. It was the middle of the summer too. I’m not proud of that and I don’t tell people, “Well you can go beat the shit out of me because I’m a MAN!” You just get so involved in what you’re doing that if you get hurt, you shake it off and just continue on. Like in “Bloodshock”; that’s really me getting those spiked wheels run up my back.
Like I said, I'm not bragging but you sometimes have to go places most people would rather not. My safety has always been of the utmost importance with everyone I've worked with. It's mostly been my decision on what I'm willing to put myself through. People think most horror directors are sadists but that couldn't be father from the truth. They are some of the most considerate and caring people I have ever had the pleasure to meet. Stephen Biro and Marcus really went out of their way to make me comfortable, putting me up, keeping me fed and a genuine concern for my well being. Top notch guys, those two!
Body Count Rising: In American Guinea Pig: Bloodshock you’re extensively tortured. Was it difficult having so many practical effects while you were acting?
Dan Ellis: No, not at all and I find it really helps with the performance. Marcus is really good at what he does. And working with Ryan, I’m no stranger to prosthetics and effects. I enjoy it. A lot of actors don’t like to wear prosthetics. They just don’t get it. That’s the fun part. Some of the gore was actually inserted after I left. It wasn’t that big of a deal. I loved it.
Body Count Rising: Was this the most effect-heavy role that you’ve played?
Dan Ellis: No, that was probably “Hanger”. I had to wear prosthetics through the whole shoot, almost everyone did. It took about an hour and a half to apply and then there was constant maintenance. Taking it off is not much fun though because it’s an adhesive and probably the reason most people don't like wearing it. Your face gets red and irritated and you have little bits of goo on your face that you’re picking off on the way home. (laughing)
Body Count Rising: Did you get a rash?
Dan Ellis: No, I haven't had a reaction yet.
Body Count Rising: Any great stories you can share from behind the scenes?
Dan Ellis: Well, I almost caused a wreck. Towards the end of “Bloodshock” I looked pretty bad and I had shaved my head and my eyebrows. We were filming but, when there was a break between scenes, we’d go out front and smoke and cool off. Now, I’ve got on a hospital gown and bandages on a busy Friday night in Ybor City. I’m standing there barefoot and bruised with blood all over my gown. I have a big scar across my head and I’m out there with a guy dressed like a doctor and we’re just smoking. I heard a few people stop short.
It was such a tight shoot that there wasn’t enough time for mischief. Now the last night was fun because I was completely covered in blood from head to toe. I’m bald and naked in the back of Marcus’ car talking to people as we pass. He put one of those plastic tarps down so I wouldn’t get blood all over. We had shot 16-18 hours and we were all exhausted. Now I don’t know if you’ve been covered in movie blood before, but it’s REALLY sticky. And when you’re in dried sticky blood naked sitting on a plastic tarp it especially hurts to move. So every now and then they would hear me moaning in the back seat and they would just laugh their asses off.
Body Count Rising: Oh! I just figured out what got stuck to the tarp! (laughing)
Dan Ellis: Yeah. It was not good. (laughing)
Body Count Rising: What can we expect from you next besides “Valley of the Rats”? Vince went to Italy awhile ago and he’s really been into giallos since he came back. I went to the Vancouver Badass Film Festival and met up with him. His next film is a great story with what will be some solid visuals. I’ll be playing a detective to help unravel the murder mystery. Tristan Risk was just cast as well and I've heard good things about her. Vince is fun to work with, focused guy but also fun. I also worked with him on “Hard Cut” where I was able to play two completely different characters. I played Jonas, who’s a sleazy film producer and then I also got to play a religious zealot with a mullet. I hope to work with Stephen and Marcus in the future. The whole experience with “Bloodshock” was just amazing and I am and will continue to be eternally grateful to them for allowing me to be part of this amazing series.
Body Count Rising: Any advice for anyone considering acting as a career?
Dan Ellis: Oh yeah I have tons of advice (laughing). Get a thick skin. Take a good look at your life and if it's really what you want to do then go full force. Don’t do anything half-assed or try to bullshit people. Listen to those who have been there before and pay attention but take everything with a grain of salt. Headshots are important, keep those current. Don’t take “No” for an answer when it comes to your dreams. Don’t leave the audition and be crushed because you didn't get a call back. Rejection hurts because you’re human, but learn to take rejection, maintain humility and learn as much as possible from it. It's not always about you. Don’t ever act for a “job” or because you want fame or money. I've met those kinds of actors and most of them are hard to work with. Do it because you love everything about acting or don’t do it at all.
Keep up with Dan’s projects on his IMDb or follow him on Facebook or Twitter.
“Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this too, was a gift.” -Mary Oliver
Pushing boundaries and stepping into darkness is all in a day's work for maverick author, producer, director and craft service master, Stephen Biro. If you recognize titles like "Gini Piggu", "1-Ichi", "Rubber's Lover" and "Frankenhooker", you can thank Stephen Biro and Unearthed Films for getting them to you. Perhaps the greatest buzz about Stephen currently is his American Guinea Pig films and the brutal mastery he has already shown for this series.
Body Count Rising: You first owned Hooked on Comics then you owned Video Mayhem and now Unearthed Films, Books and Music. Does Unearthed have an actual storefront, or does it exist entirely online?
Stephen Biro: It’s entirely online. It used to have a storefront in the very beginning. The company became so popular that I was always working. I just could not continue to rent out movies so it transitioned online. Moving from Video Meyhem to Unearthed Films saved on overhead to some extent, but now there’s just a new type of overhead. Plus it seems like most of my customers became filmmakers! There’s a new video store here in Tampa called Grindhouse Video and they help me get out with orders and promote Unearthed on their website.
Body Count Rising: Are you still affiliated with Paul White (who was integral in sealing the “Guinea Pig” deal) and Rhett Rushing who you founded Unearthed with in 2001?
Stephen Biro: Yeah. Rhett Rushing is still part of Unearthed films. Great guy and great friend! And Paul White does multiple jobs while I am working on writing, working with filmmakers and doing some ghost writing here and there. We’re just one big happy family. We’re an honest company right now and everything’s moving ahead.
Body Count Rising: I love that. “Right now.” (laughing)
Stephen Biro:You know… I value honesty and I know the filmmakers do too. Either they come to us because of that, or some of those that haven’t come back say they wish they had. For example, I was going to pick up this one movie and they ended up going with another company. Later I got this email saying “I really wish I would have gone with you guys because it’s shelved and nobody knows the movie exists.”
Body Count Rising: Are you still working with MVD for distribution?
Stephen Biro:Yeah. Those guys are honest and up front. We started out with MVD and ended up going with another company because they were bigger and they sold more, but the other company completely ripped us off. I wish we never would have left MVD because we’d be in a totally different place right now. We would have received all of the money we were due. We’re back with them now and I couldn’t be happier.
Body Count Rising: Did you always have the vision of what this company would become, or has it evolved over time?
Stephen Biro: The initial vision was to be a comprehensive label. Comparing back then with where we are now, I’d say we actually accomplished that. People around me are helping me out because the company is growing so fast and so big. Everybody helps promote and it’s just really cool.
Body Count Rising: Absolutely! I love that the goriest and the grittiest films are all there in one place. How do you decide which films you’re going to pick up?
Stephen Biro: I look for both the forgotten gems and the diamonds in the rough. I look for a good story and for quality. I form relationships with the filmmakers so they’ll want to work with us on future projects. Plus I do a lot of work internationally, so that also expands the market.
Body Count Rising: I saw you have “Cannibal” on your site, have you ever talked to Marian Dora?
Stephen Biro: No, nope. I haven’t. There’s a German company we deal with. I think he’s rather elusive, like he prefers to stay in the shadows.
Body Count Rising:Oh yeah… I heard he’s a surgeon and “Marian Dora” isn’t even his real name.
Stephen Biro: Oh yeah? I heard he worked in the post office. (laughing)
Body Count Rising: (laughing) Moving right along… What made you decide to expand to Unearthed Books and Unearthed Music Group?
Stephen Biro: I have written a couple books myself. I started with the memoir ‘Hellucination’. I was shopping around to different publishers and the regular publishers thought it was too rough. Horror publishers didn’t quite know what to make of it because they felt it had a Christian theme to it. I mean I’m not proselytizing. This actually happened to me, so I created Unearthed Books to just get it out there. It worked out pretty well. The market is flooded, so I’m careful about the books I choose. I don’t want to promote anything that won’t make the novelist money. If I don’t think I can sell it well, I’ll hold off. The last thing I want is a bunch of pissed off horror novelists.
Body Count Rising: Has segmenting Unearthed created any special challenges?
Stephen Biro: Oh yeah! In the horror genre, it’s very hard to get reviewers to sit down and do reviews for a book that will take them a week or two to read. Now the music industry is also flooded, but the nice thing is that we have a push with the excitement behind the Unearthed fans. The idea is to make everyone money. Bands generally would need to tour to make money. The speedcore DJs and horrorcore rap is intense and wouldn’t always get the right kind of marketing that they need while touring. In effect by promoting these books and this type music along with the Unearthed brand of film is a cross-pollination. The fans of each genre will step back and say “Hey wait. What the hell’s going on over here?” The music fans were looking at the books. Horror film fans became fans of bands like Screamerclauz. It helped to bring awareness across the board. We support the physical media for all… getting them promoted and into the right stores.
Body Count Rising: You must have retailers that just don’t want your particular grade of horror in their stores though.
Stephen Biro: It’s lightening up a little bit, but the bigger issue is with large retail chains that require a phenomenal amount of units up front. If a certain retail chain requests a film and I know they don’t have a good history of sales with these type of films, I will turn them down. Say they want 40,000 units and they will sell whatever they can if they bother to take the shipment out of their storeroom and put it on the shelves…
Body Count Rising: Oh no!
Stephen Biro: They ship you back whatever they don’t sell, so now you could be sitting on 35,000 copies. And I’ve had that happen once or twice with movies back in the day. Next thing you know I’m at a convention throwing countless copies at the guys behind the Troma booths and I’ve got another 8,559 to go.
Body Count Rising: Man, I had no idea they could do that. The first film you produced, Andrey Iskanov’s “Philosophy of a Knife” was unbearably brutal. Did this set the tone for the type of films you would be involved with going forward?
Stephen Biro: Oh sure, somewhat.
Body Count Rising: Would you say “Unearthed” is the hallmark of underground gore, grit and true nastiness?
Stephen Biro: Well fuck yeah! (laughing)
Body Count Rising: Which of the Unearthed projects are you most excited to be promoting right now?
Stephen Biro: We’ve got a lot of films lined up and each announcement is going to create an interesting splash across the internet.
Body Count Rising: Oh yeah it is.
Stephen Biro: And more and more people will know what Unearthed is about. It’s going to be a fun year. Right now… “Mecanix" and "Sheep Skin”. “Mecanix” is a wonderful, visual masterpiece like the Bros Quay and Svankmajer, shot on 16mm while “Sheep Skin” is a werewolf mystery /drama horror film that is pretty amazing that comes out in May. We just announced “Atroz” and “Lilith’s Hell” and I’m working with Deodato on the extras for those films. I think that’s really exciting. I mean I could sit here and talk about “American Guinea Pig” nonstop because Marcus Koch did an amazing job directing “AGP: Bloodshock”. I’ll be announcing a new giallo or two, in about two weeks and people are going to be really fired up about those.
Body Count Rising: I know I am! So, was there ever a film, book or band you had to turn away because they were just too heavy or brutal?
Stephen Biro: We had to turn down a Marian Dora film, “Meloncholie der Engel” because of animal cruelty. His people said he killed a cat in it; then after I turned it down they came back and said it was fake. There were some other scenes that didn’t quite fit in with us too, so I just had to pass. That pushed my boundaries and I wasn’t comfortable with it.
Body Count Rising: Wow… for YOU to say that, I can’t even imagine. (laughing) You’re the guy that put out "Philosophy of a Knife" after all! I made it through a lot of films but that one… I just couldn’t make it through the whole thing.
Stephen Biro: It’s so long! (laughing)
Body Count Rising: It’s a lot... It’s a lot. (laughing)
Stephen Biro: We (Iskanov and I) actually fought about that. I tried to get it cut for film festivals because no film festival is going to want to screen a four hour long movie. I didn’t want to cut any of the gore or violence; just the snow shots and such just to reduce the time. Man, we really went back and forth on that. I just wanted to tighten it up for a film festival version.
Body Count Rising: Was there ever any you had to refuse for just not being brutal enough?
Stephen Biro: Consistently. I turn down movies every week. I feel really bad because I know the filmmakers spent a year, a year and a half, two years putting their hearts and souls in a movie and they say “Here’s my movie!” and I watch it and it’s got bad acting, bad dialogue, bad something… and I feel like “Oh you poor guy!” Here’s what’s fucked up: 95% of all movies don’t make their budget back.
Body Count Rising: Wow…
Stephen Biro: And this is the case even before now, when the industry was great. People make a film for half a million dollars. They sell it to the US for forty to eighty thousand, they sell it to Germany for twenty, Japan for ten, France for ten, the UK for fifteen, Australia for five… Yeah, that’s not even close to half a mill. A lot of films just don’t make their budget back. The industry is just so hard.
Here’s the criteria for Unearthed Films. Is it gut-busting? Is it over the top? Is the gore phenomenal? Is there a good story to it? Is it psychology in-depth where it plays with your mind? From a business sense, if a film doesn’t have the qualities that are important to me, I have to turn it down.
Body Count Rising: What effect does streaming movies have on the sales of physical media for a film?
Stephen Biro: Oh the torrents are just killing the industry. They just steal like little robber fucking pieces of shit. They don’t realize or understand that they’re hurting the filmmakers, they’re hurting the actors and they’re hurting the industry. Every single person that’s on the list for the cast and crew of that film gets hurt by illegal downloading. Right now it’s a dangerous time.
Body Count Rising: What about Netflix, Hulu or the Roku streaming channels?
Stephen Biro: Back in the day, people would watch a movie on cable and go out and find the movie later to buy it. And Netflix, Hulu and the streaming channels on Roku can be good. But I know of filmmakers that have their movies streaming on Roku and they’re getting ripped off as well. They haven’t seen a dime for streaming their whole collection on a Roku channel, and that’s because they’re dealing with a greedy middle man. Netflix and Hulu aren’t bad. Netflix doesn’t pay a lot, but extra money coming in is good for the filmmakers.
Body Count Rising: Plus you had commented in a previous interview that in general the new generation of horror fan does not collect physical media like previous generations.
Stephen Biro: There are collectors out there, but the collectors market has changed so drastically. That is why there is such an emphasis on the artwork and the extras available when you purchase a physical version of the film. There is also a difference in the urgency. There is always great anticipation for a new release, but collectors will often say, I’ll pick it up when I have the cash. And that’s more to do with the economy.
Body Count Rising: Looking at “AGP: Bouquet of Guts and Gore” and “100 Tears”, your commentaries and behind the scenes are actually FUN. It’s like listening to a friend talk about the film. I have heard commentaries that are just so monotone and boring that it really makes me appreciate what you’re doing.
Stephen Biro: Well, I’ve been a collector for a long time and I also know that when listening to commentaries it can be a real snooze-fest. And dammit, gorehounds are more then friends, they're family!
Body Count Rising: Right! Exactly!
Stephen Biro: When I do a commentary I want it to feel like you’re sitting there with us, having a beer with us and listening like a fly on the wall. And I think that’s a lot more fun than just droning on about craft services and the ham and cheese sandwich we had.
Body Count Rising: I’m going to switch gears on you for a moment, because I have to ask. Is it safe to say you’re possibly one of the most controversial writers in the world? (For the dead baby books…)
Stephen Biro: Aww yeah… (laughing) At the time it was a bet between me and my ex-wife. I told her a couple of dead baby jokes and she said I bet you can’t make a whole book of those. And lo and behold “The Dead Baby Joke Book” was born. And holy crap I got so many death threats. And I kept my name off it because everyone said “Keep your name off it.” But I was like, “Oh hey, what’s the worst that could happen?” Then the death threats started happening from the UK. And ‘The Mirror’ and ‘The Sun’ did these whole exposes on how the dead baby jokes were harming the mothers there. Then the Prime Minister chimed in.
Body Count Rising: Oh my God! (laughing)
Stephen Biro: Oh yeah. (laughing) There was a press release threatening Amazon to take my book down. There were petitions… and it was just crazy, but their overreaction was great marketing and my sales in the UK skyrocketed. And I was like “Wow! OK!” so I put out my next dead baby item- a cookbook! And then when I published that, it seemed like everyone in the UK said “Wait a minute…” and they were onto me, so they ignored me and the sales just kind of stopped.
Body Count Rising: Can we expect to see “Gator Green” as a feature length film in the future?
Stephen Biro: With the whole politically correct bullshit that’s going on, I just don’t know. The screenplay’s phenomenal. The short is something different than what the feature length would be. We’ll see how it goes. The guy is a just madman behind the camera in the best possible way. We’ll be releasing the “Gator Green” short, “My Sweet Satan” and “Roadkill” with all of the extras and commentary here soon.
Body Count Rising: Nice!
Stephen Biro: Yeah it will be nice! We’re trying to energize Jim because he’s got this new documentary coming out on him. And I think more people will see Jim for the filmmaker he is and he’ll be chugging out more films left and right.
Body Count Rising: And you’re in that documentary, right?
Stephen Biro: Yeah, I’m in it. It was shot over five years and I think it’s an interesting film and Victor Bonacore did a great job. I think Jim's fans are excited to see it.
Body Count Rising: Yeah I can’t wait to see it, for sure. Will Jim VanBebber be involved in future Guinea Pig films, like he was with “Bouquet of Guts and Gore”?
Stephen Biro: I’m trying to keep everything fresh with each new film, with all new actors and actresses. Everyone I cast will go through try-out regardless. It’s harder because you have to find the perfect people for torture on film.
Body Count Rising: Taking on the Guinea Pig franchise was absolutely brilliant. How did that transaction come about?
Stephen Biro: I’ve been trying to get the rights to “Guinea Pig” since 2002 and they wanted nothing to do with it. The movie has brought great shame to the country because of Miyazaki, the child murderer. Paul (White) was integral to the deal, and the President of the company in Japan was retiring, so he allowed us to access the rights. Now we’re moving forward with a whole new series.
Body Count Rising: How did you determine the timing of your series of eight?
Stephen Biro: Basically I’m trying to get them done as quickly as possible, but with the kind of quality the Guinea Pigs truly deserve. We’re putting together budgets for the next film with the help of crowd funding, and we just keep moving ahead. The next film is supposed to be done in South America and I’m working with some filmmakers in Chile who did “Visceral: Between the Ropes of Madness”. It’s a hair’s breath under Serbian Film. It’s going to be amazing. We had a producer drop out and I needed to temporarily put that project on hold, so now the focus is on “Exorcists”. Hopefully we don’t have to change the title because of “The Exorcist”.
Body Count Rising:Really?
Stephen Biro: Yeah, we might have to. It would really suck to get everything ready and printed and then to receive a cease and desist from Warner Brothers, who has a trademark on “The Exorcist.”
Body Count Rising: How much of your memoir ‘Hellucination’ or your past makes its way into “Exorcists”?
Stephen Biro: I have a bunch of people anticipating this film because they know it’s going to be like ‘Hellucination’, and they’re like “Holy shit.” And they want to be involved. A little bit of the film is based on my past. I’ve met the Devil on occasion, and you can quote me on that. I met God and it was the most frightening experience you can ever have in your life.
Body Count Rising: So, when you say you met the Devil and you met God, that’s figuratively because you were on LSD, right?
Note: ‘Hellucination’ is a memoir of a time when Stephen would take LSD and use nitrous on his search to find God. The book was called a “drug-fueled trip through the gruesome levels of hell”.
Stephen Biro: I’ve seen people possessed who knew things that no one would. The next thing you know they snapped out of it and were freaking the fuck out. They say the Devil likes to masquerade… Well, it’s all in the book. And I’m really proud that I managed to write that book without sounding batshit insane. It really does pack a psychological and mental punch. I’ve had emails from people that had nightmares for weeks after reading it.
Body Count Rising: Reviews for your book express the positive message in Hellucination…
Stephen Biro: Uh-huh! 100% Actually, I almost became a priest. But as a priest, minister or teacher, you’re held under stricter laws. With that full realization I abandoned the idea.
Body Count Rising: Did you go through formal training to be a priest?
Stephen Biro: I started to and then I quit. I’ve had people talk to me about religion, but I don’t push myself on anyone. You know, someone who is spiritual can be just as fucked up as anyone else. It’s like we’re not alone out there, except in some ways we are. It’s pretty heavy. I was actually an atheist for most of my life until I hit 30 years old.
Body Count Rising: OK, so if “Exorcists” is based on ‘Hellucination’ and ‘Hellucination’ had a positive message… Well, your films just don’t seem to end too positively.
Stephen Biro: No they don’t. (laughing) I’m not going to tell you where “Exorcists” ends, but it does follow the “Guinea Pig” model. People are going to want to go find a fuzzy animal to hug after watching that film.
Body Count Rising: You have an effects credit for “Bouquet of Guts and Gore” and you also had effects master, Marcus Koch on set. What effects did you work on specifically?
Stephen Biro: Oh! What didn’t I? The eyeball scene was one of them. I worked on a lot of the effects. Working with Marcus closely, I got a crash course in effects. Hey, I worked on the effects in “Bloodshock” too, but Marcus didn’t give me any credit. Boo hoo hoo! (laughing) It’s cool. I can do some stuff, but I can’t even come close to the stuff Marcus can do. In one week I watched that guy make seven dicks.
Body Count Rising: I heard he was the dick guy.
Note: Marcus proudly deemed himself the dick guy in a previous interview.
Stephen Biro: He is the dick guy. He makes all sorts of dicks. He made seven different dicks for seven different films. In the coming year we can expect quite a bit of dick mutilation. Now when you see those independent movies come out, you can say “Marcus made that!” He loves a challenge, and when I say “Hey, I’d like to do this!” he will say “That’s never been done before, but I’ve got ideas.”
I do a lot of things that I don’t list myself for, because, you know, it would be like blowing smoke up my own asshole. Did I say I was in charge of location? No. Am I going to say I was the prop master? No. Craft services? I did craft services. Am I going to put that in the credits? No! (laughing)
Body Count Rising: I’m going to put that in your intro. “Craft Service Master, Stephen Biro.”
Stephen Biro: Yeah… I can just see filmmakers saying we need to get that Steve Biro, Craft Service Master from the "Guinea Pig" series.
Body Count Rising: It’s true. He makes a hell of a ham sandwich.
Stephen Biro: That’s right. He makes a HELL of a ham sandwich.
Body Count Rising: I understand “Exorcists” will have some insane effects. What else can you tell us about this upcoming film?
Stephen Biro: We’re going balls to the wall. It’s going to be hard because we’re going to be compared with "The Exorcist" since it is the greatest exorcism film of all time. No movie can hold a candle to that film. But this will be my baby. “Bouquet”; I did that as the bridge between the 1st series and ours. It's not polished. It's gritty, ultra violent and harkens to the day when tape trading was at its peak and tape collectors went for the worst stuff first. “Exorcists” will be a completely different beast just as “Bloodshock” is a completely different beast compared to “Bouquet”. I don't think anyone has come close to “The Exorcist”, not even in the gore department so what I will be going for is an outright extravaganza of gore and what evil truly is.
Body Count Rising: You know what though? You’re going up against “Guinea Pig”. And all of the blood, guts, gore and crazy madness that is the “Guinea Pig” franchise will be expected from the fans. You’ve set your own standard high, and when you hold yourself to your own standard, you’re going to kill it. Speaking of, how did the fans handle “Bouquet of Guts and Gore” at the festivals? I know I had to pause it a couple of times and get up and walk around and come back.
Stephen Biro: The film festivals were fun. We had people leave and come back, leave and stick their heads in the door… We showed “Bloodshock” in its full completed state at the festival. Marcus has been editing this thing for the past year. We had one person that had to run out and barf. Marcus really hit it out of the park with this film.
Body Count Rising: How do you wash off “Bouquet" and "Bloodshock” and step into real life at the end of the day? Does it stop while you are filming, or is it always with you?
Stephen Biro: It’s always there.
Body Count Rising: What are the advantages of being an auteur with your “American Guinea Pig” films?
Stephen Biro: You know more of what your capabilities are from the beginning. You have a picture in your mind of how it will play out. Besides, I love writing because it’s about the only thing regarding filming that isn’t collaborative. You only limit yourself. Directing is different and you need to keep track of twenty different people.
Body Count Rising: You said you were interested in doing a video series on YouTube about film making. Is this your way of giving back to the independent film community?
Stephen Biro: I would like to share the reality of the industry. I’d love for a film school to come across the tutorials and recommend them to the classes. I think I’ll end up doing it. I just need to figure out the timing. I mean “Bloodshock” isn’t even out yet.
Body Count Rising: What is the main lesson or idea you would want to convey more than anything else?
Be happy with the contract and make sure you have an honest company with the right reach into the market you’re in.
Dick Smith, Rick Baker, Tom Savini, Jerami Cruise, Stan Winston, Rob Bottin, Vincent Guastini, KNB, and of course, Marcus Koch. I’m sure these names would all make your top ten list of gore effects heros and legends. And if you’re a filmmaker, you would count your lucky stars to collaborate with them, because you’d know you were practically guaranteed the most jaw-dropping, realistic effects possible.
Known for his graphic and disturbing horror films, “Rot”, “Fell” and “100 Tears”, Marcus Koch is pulling up the director’s chair once more with the second film in the brutal “American Guinea Pig” series, “Bloodshock”, which is currently touring the festival circuit and will be distributed late August 2016.
Body Count Rising: In “Attack of the Killer Manatee”, Richard Anasky was an actor and you did special effects. I see you also received special thanks on the film “Franklin: A Symphony of Pain” that Anasky produced and had a role in. How did you get to know this fellow Florida filmmaker?
Marcus Koch: Ritch was working on a movie called “I Am Vengeance” and I was in on the ground floor of that to do some effects after “Killer Manatee”. We got together a couple of times, but that film kind of dissolved or was put on hold. I think he ended up working on “Actress Apocalypse” around that time.
Body Count Rising: Did you all (Richard Anasky, Garo Nigoghossian, Jeremy Westrate, Sean Donohue, Tim Ritter, etc…) collaborate since you lived by each other?
Marcus Koch: There’s a whole group of the filmmakers that work together around there. But yeah, wow, I don’t think I’ve seen Ritch Anasky for almost 15 years now!
Body Count Rising: Anasky was mentored by Tim Ritter. I know you said you watched Tim’s films around the time you were shooting “Rot” and cited him as an influence. Was he a mentor to you as well?
Note: Tim and Marcus also both had segments in the horror anthology “Hi-8”.
Marcus Koch: I grew up watching “Truth or Dare”. And then when I graduated I realized he made other films, and that he was a Florida filmmaker, so I reached out to Tim. That’s also how I first saw Joel Wynkoop acting. I said “Wow, I need to get that guy in my films!” I reached him for the film “Rot” through Tim Ritter. Up until then I was just shooting my own backyard movies. I worked with Joel again when I did effects for “Alien Agenda: Endangered Species” and we’ve worked together since quite a bit. He’s a Tampa staple now, plain and simple. He’s always working. We worked on a film in Iowa together and we had to laugh because we live down the street from each other, but here we were crossing paths in Iowa.
Body Count Rising: You also cite John Waters as an inspiration…
Marcus Koch: Yes! I absolutely love John’s films like “Female Trouble” with his raunchy style and foul-mouthed humor.
Body Count Rising: When I first saw “Rot”, I had already seen Fred Vogel’s “August Underground” series and I thought it really had a similar vibe. I get that same feel when I watch some of Ryan Nicholson’s early stuff. I’m sure you’ve inspired many.
Marcus Koch: I definitely went down that same path that Fred Vogel did, but much earlier with the extreme snuffy stuff. Right after I did “Rot” I did some shorts for a movie called “Snuff Perversions: Bizarre Cases of Death” ("Lunch Meat", "They Said Goodbye", "Thrill Rape Kill") and these sequences were all pretty harsh, and actually the most extreme I had ever done.
I met Ryan Nicholson at a Fangoria convention in Austin. I had heard of a film called “Gutterballs” but didn’t know his work at the time. He said he was a huge fan and gave me a copy of the movie. I went home and watched the film and was surprised to see he thanked me in the credits!
Body Count Rising: Well, you do excellent work, so I can certainly understand why he would. Speaking of “Rot” can you believe it’s been 18 years already?
Marcus Koch: It blows my mind. What was it, ‘97? It was a couple of years before we got distribution.
Body Count Rising: I love that it’s being featured on Exploitation TV. Are there any other places we can find “Rot” streaming or will it be re-distributed soon?
Marcus Koch: It was re-released in 2013 through Cult Movie Mania on VHS, but now they’re talking about doing a Blu-ray with special features. I think for now you can also find “Rot” on Roku’s Bizarre TV.
Body Count Rising: I know you like to shoot on digital. Did you shoot “Rot” on digital?
Marcus Koch: It was originally shot on Hi-8 camcorder. My first movies were all shot on Hi-8.
Body Count Rising: So now the big question: if you put this out on Blu-ray, will there be a “Rot” soundtrack packaged with it? That soundtrack is pretty punk-rock amazing.
Marcus Koch: I thought about it. I don’t know how much I still have on tape. Some of the songs are just in the film with the sound effects in them. That’s something I’ll need to look into further.
Note: The original soundtrack had TSOL’s Code Blue, but it had to be removed for legal reasons. The remaining tracks are all authentic local street-punk garage bands that Marcus recorded on a bunch of cassette tapes. If you hear a song that isn’t punk in the film, then that is Marcus’ friend, Michael Crawford’s work.
Body Count Rising: You’ve worked with some interesting and eccentric directors from Lloyd Kaufman (on “Citizen Toxie: Toxic Avenger 4”) to Herschel Gordon Lewis (on “The Uh-Oh Show”) to James Bickert (on “Frankenstein Created Bikers”). What’s the strangest thing a director has requested from you, or the oddest situation you’ve been in when doing effects?
Marcus Koch: Oh there have definitely been some strange ones. I think the toughest director I ever worked for was Andreas Schnaas, who directed the “Violent Shit” films. He did a film called “Nikos the Impaler” and it was the most grueling learning experience of my life.
Body Count Rising: Was it difficult because Schnaas was a stickler for perfection?
Marcus Koch: Yeah, we had differences on the reality of the blood. He gave me his recipe for blood, but he actually would go to the butcher shop for pig’s blood. And I have a huge phobia of real blood, so the thought of that just gave me the heebie-jeebies, plus I didn’t feel it was sanitary. Prior to that, I had never worked out-of-state before, but the special effects artist who was hired on, Jesus Vega, requested I help him on the project. The producer, Joe Zaso knew my work, and I knew him through Tim Ritter, so I joined in. We had very limited money, two months to work, and we would often get script changes the night before. So we would need to create all new props on the fly into the wee hours of the night, which was a problem for prop casting because the actors had already gone home.
A great thing that came out of this shoot is that I was able to go visit Dick Smith at his house. Jesus was taking the Dick Smith course and it turned out he was only a cab ride away, and so Dick Smith invited us over to his house and to hang out for the afternoon. I asked him for some help on using gelatin and he stopped me. He said “Here’s a pad of paper. You’re going to want to take notes.” He was humble and awesome and I’m so glad I got to meet him. Great guy!
Now Herschel Gordon Lewis had the strangest request. When I first met him for “The Uh-oh Show” I was super excited so I brought him a fake arm that had fingernails and hair in it, and it was super detailed. I was like “YES! The Godfather of Gore!” and he looked at it and shrugged saying “Hmmph… is there a way you can make these look fake?” (laughing) So I’m literally spending thousands of dollars making all of these fake looking body part props, but since it was a comedy he didn’t want overt realism.
Body Count Rising: His blood is always really bright red too. Did you need to change your formula?
Marcus Koch: Yeah, he didn’t like my blood because it was too dark and rich, so I had to brighten it up a lot. That was difficult because I told him it wasn’t going to look real. That’s what he wanted though.
Body Count Rising: Why are you uncredited for the effects on “Citizen Toxie: Toxic Avenger 4”?
Marcus Koch: That’s another funny story. That film came right after “Rot” and was distributed through Troma. Patrick Cassidy, a line producer and writer for the film, reached out to me and said he couldn’t fly me out to the film, but they would send me money if I could give them “charred tards”. So I started working on the “charred tards” referring to the effects you see in the beginning of the film. I got a call a couple weeks later saying “Hey we can’t send money right now, but if you keep your receipts for your materials we’ll reimburse you.” So I was like, “Uh OK…” and I got together a refrigerator-sized box of blackened body parts that were all random and charred and I shipped them off. And I don’t hear anything… and I don’t hear anything… until I was doing effects for “Nikos the Impaler”. Lloyd Kaufman had a part that was filmed inside of a video store, so after we wrapped I went up and started talking to him. That was the first time I was able to see Lloyd as a real person and not just Troma Lloyd. He was so incredibly knowledgeable and loved westerns and just knew everything about film history and I was just like “Holy shit!” So after the great conversation I just kind of brought it up. “So… a long time ago when I was 19 I made some 'charred tards' for the Toxic Avenger 4 movie…” and he was like “Oh yeah! The charred tards!” and I was like “Yeah… I never actually heard back on that…” He said “Oh yeah, Patrick Cassidy stopped working on that film.” I said “OK… but I never actually got paid...” and he didn’t miss a beat. (laughing) He said “Tell you what, here’s a copy of ‘Mother’s Day’.” that he handed me from the set. I’ve worked with Lloyd several times since then and now it’s our running joke.
Body Count Rising: Well does he at least hand you a movie every time you see him?
Marcus Koch: No! I didn’t even get a copy of the film I worked on! (laughing)
Body Count Rising: Awe man! Well, at least you have a good story from it. (laughing) So do these directors influence your directing style, or are you pretty much just completely focused on effects-only while on set?
Marcus Koch: Sometimes you work with directors who really understand how to shoot horror using practical effects. It’s like slight of hand and it really needs to be shot or edited a certain way. At the end of the day, a rubber hand is a rubber hand. At the wrong angle the audience will go “Well, that’s a fake hand.” It is a collaborative effort to assure that suspension of disbelief; to make the audience think that person really did get his hand cut off.
Body Count Rising: So have you done effects on another director’s film that you feel could have been edited a lot better?
Marcus Koch: Well, sometimes there are people who will not hear outside influences and if you try to tell someone how they should shoot and effect, or edit the effect, it’s really crossing the line with them. That’s when one of two things could happen: they can’t figure out how to properly piece it together in editing, so they cut the scene completely, or worse they cut it together the best way they think they can and the effect fails.
Body Count Rising: Either way, that would be pretty awful. Are you generally allotted enough time when setting up effects in general, or do you ever feel in a race with the clock?
Marcus Koch: Sometimes it’s a race. Sometimes there are really big productions and those are always great. Generally I don’t have that luxury and just hit the ground running. It really depends on the film and how much budget they have. Often there are a couple weeks of pre-production for the life casting and molding.
Body Count Rising: You worked with Buddy Giovinazzo on “Ginger”, which was later re-titled “Night of Nightmares” and I know he said he usually has a quick turnaround for his shooting schedules. Did you feel the time constraints on that film?
Marcus Koch: No. That was an awesome set to be on. I had to create an effect where a girl throws up pennies and I had never done anything like that before. I always love the opportunity do new things.
Body Count Rising: You seem to be a SFX MacGyver, coming up with solutions on the spot. When you have obstacles, how do you make it work?
Marcus Koch: Well, you kind of have to. If something just isn’t in the budget you need to think on your toes and use your resources to come up with the best possible substitute. If you can’t do this it will be detrimental to the film.
Body Count Rising: When the film is not your own, is it difficult for you to do effects and just walk away without any control over post-production? Or have any of the directors requested your help in post-production?
Marcus Koch: Not that I ever try to overstep my bounds, but yeah. There have been directors that have asked me to collaborate in post-production. I will even offer to put it together if someone needs help editing a sequence. Often people are really open to the idea because they want it to come off looking the best.
Body Count Rising: Do you prefer to direct because that gives you more control over these aspects of filming and how the final version will look?
Marcus Koch: I’ve really got an eye for how it all will go together. It is important to know how the edit will work before you frame it. I have a really good understanding of that and I do enjoy directing.
Body Count Rising: You did effects for the “Theater Bizarre” anthology. Did you work on a specific segment, the framing or both?
Marcus Koch: Mainly I did David Gregory’s “Sweets” and the effect was a decapitated upside-down hanging body that had sliced Achilles tendons. And that was one of those incredible shoots and although it was a ten-minute short it had a really massive cast and crew. Everything just worked like a well-oiled machine and it was such a great three days. I also did some digital steam work on Tom Savini’s segment.
Body Count Rising: So you do CG too, and not just practical effects?
Marcus Koch: Not very often. I’ve done it mostly with compositing. I’ll film green screen shots of a practical effect and then combine them together by layering digitally. An example was a decapitation I did. We had a real body, a fake body and a head that had a green screen behind it. David Gregory allowed me to shoot that part because I knew how everything needed to go together and then I was able to assemble it all on the computer. It’s just layers of practical stuff just all put together.
Body Count Rising: Wow. That’s really interesting! So have you ever done that layering effect with fire?
Marcus Koch: Fire? No I don’t work with fire or pyrotechnics.
Body Count Rising: I remember seeing a scene in “Die Die Delta Pi” where it appeared like the fire was in front of the item that was supposed to be on fire. I just wondered if that was that layering effect.
Marcus Koch: No. I actually didn’t work on that part of the effects. I was on the road when they shot that footage.
Body Count Rising: That was the only thing that didn’t look terribly authentic, so I’m glad to hear that wasn’t yours. Good to know! What primarily is the secret to the realism behind your effects? I understand you never use the real thing, so you really need to go that extra mile…
Marcus Koch: Lots of internet research. It’s a great place to find really explicit death photos. I’ll look up surgeries and suicides and I’ll study how muscle, bone and viscera really look. I always try to strive for anatomical and I know the limitations of my materials.
Body Count Rising: How much of your work is collaborative? Marcus Koch: It depends on the budget of the film. I have a group that I’ve been working with for years as Oddtopsy FX: Cat Bernier, Matt Ash and Chris Polidoro. They are my right and left hands. They’re people I know I don’t have to baby sit and they know my expectations. Body Count Rising: So do you bounce ideas off of each other, or is it more that you’re giving them direction and they take action based on your instruction?
Marcus Koch: A little bit of both. If we come to a situation we haven’t encountered before and need to come up with a solution, we’ll bounce ideas off of each other to figure the best possible way to achieve our goal. For instance on “Bloodshock”, we had to do a camera angle from inside of a mouth while pulling teeth. I told Cat what I needed and together we figured out how we could make this half-head with a macro lens set right up inside the mouth.
Body Count Rising: What kind of camera are you using? I know you had said that you like to use a handheld digital.
Marcus Koch: Yeah I shot “100 Tears” on film with a great lens, but lately I’ve been using a DSLR camera and the image quality and resolution is just so amazing. We’ll be switching up to a 2K camera for the next film.
Body Count Rising: When you go to that level of resolution, how does that affect what goes into your special effects?
Marcus Koch: Across the board, the higher the resolution, the tougher the job. You can see the seams around prosthetics and you need to take more time with makeup.
Body Count Rising: Since you’re putting out “American Guinea Pig: Bloodshock” on Blu-Ray as a perk to select film supporters, will the fact that the film is in black-and-white be more forgiving for the effects?
Marcus Koch: I shot the film in color and edited in color. It was only turned black-and-white in the final stages. It was more of a visceral choice for the story telling. It just plays out better in black-and-white. And it stays in black-and-white until the end where there is a gradual movement to color.
Body Count Rising: What is your message with that gradual change to color?
Marcus Koch: It’s almost like a heightened reality. Without giving too much of the plot away, it really is a hyper crescendo at that point. There is very little gore until the last 15 minutes. Up until that point there are slow, draining tortures. It’s a very slow, deliberate burn. It’s like a frog in a boiling pot. You’ve been sitting for so long in the warm water, you don’t know that it’s about to get really bad.
Body Count Rising: You’re almost making it sound like a Takashi Miike film!
Marcus Koch: The first film in the series was obviously a snuff film with 70 minutes of two girls just getting cut up. And that was difficult in and of itself in just how it was shot and for the most part was in chronological order. With this one it’s more subtle. You know, like a knee getting hit with a hammer. While it’s hard to watch, it’s not crossing over into that hardcore gore yet. Not until the grand finale.
Body Count Rising: I know you’re not a fan of writing highly specific firm scripts. You allow your actors to improvise to a large extent and trust in their acting abilities. Has this ever gone horribly wrong, besides the multiple fart jokes you mention in the “100 Tears” commentary? Marcus Koch: Oh man, “100 Tears” had so many fart jokes! That was Joe and Georgia though. That’s just how they talked. Joe wrote the script, and Georgia stuck to what he wrote, but Joe couldn’t follow that script to save his life.
In my film “Fell” it also had gore but wasn’t a splatter fest. It was more reserved and relied on character development. The film was a bit more of a free-form drama. This was a very structured form of improv and it came off very genuine and so positive. It all hinges on having a good story, good characterization and something to say. I think that is where a lot of movies fail with the message and the story.
Body Count Rising: That’s a really good point. How do you actors respond to this freedom?
Marcus Koch: They really embrace it. It’s tailored but it allows them the freedom to do what they want. Now “Bloodshock” doesn’t have much dialog at all. Almost immediately Dan Ellis’ character gets his tongue cut out so he has to do all of his acting through non-verbal cues. He can do just about anything, but he can only use his eyes or his body. He does a really effective job communicating without any lines.
Body Count Rising: You’ve been an actor as well. Were you given the option to improvise in any of the films you acted in?
Marcus Koch: I actually hate being on camera. I’ll do a cameo, but I’m not a good actor, so I’d only want to be in something corny. Like they let me do my own dialogue in “Die Die Delta Pi” I played someone who was in art school and I came up with “Can I Jackson Pollack all over your Georgia O’Keefe?” (laughing)
Body Count Rising: I am amazed that wasn’t in the script. (laughing) There were some fun 80’s throwback lines in that film.
So… back to “American Guinea Pig.” Stephen Biro directed the first American Guinea Pig in a series of eight (“Bouquet of Guts and Gore”) shot on 8 mm in color, and you directed the second (“Bloodshock”) shot on digital primarily in black-and-white. Both are very different and allow you to do unique effects for each. Can we expect that the remaining six in the series will be completely different as well?
Marcus Koch: I don’t believe we’ll revisit the snuff theme. Steve’s writing them all. The intention was to have different directors for each one. We had been talking about the 3rd film being directed by a filmmaker in Chile. Things significantly slowed down so now it looks like Stephen will direct so that we can move forward. I’m going to do the effects and he’s got some crazy shit planned… really bizarre shit that I have no idea how I’m going to do it, but I’m like “Oh I’ll figure something out.” I like it when I get challenged. This one will be an exorcism film.
Body Count Rising: Is there any chance that you may be one of the mystery directors in the upcoming films of the series?
Marcus Koch: Well, we’re talking to a Japanese director about working on one. We’d like to have that being filmed while we’re working on the third film, “American Guinea Pig: The Exorcists.”
Body Count Rising: You have a bunch of projects in pre-production and post-production, but what can you tell us about “Baby Doll: The Afterlife and Misadventures of an Undead Girl in the Mob”?
Marcus Koch: That’s my dream project that I’ve been trying to get going since I shot “Rot”. I’ve gotten close a couple of times. I think it would be a good film. It’s a dead girl that comes back to life, falls in love with the pall bearer and she begins to fall apart. Out spills a bunch of bags of cocaine that the mob had hidden in dead bodies. Meanwhile the mob wants to know where the body is because it’s not like she can get up and just walk away. Chaos ensues. It’s a morbid love story.
Body Count Rising: Can you share any other projects that are in the works or on the horizon?
Marcus Koch: This weekend I’m going to Georgia to work on Ron Bonk’s “House Shark.” I love working on things like this. I’m usually the go-to gore guy or the dick guy.
Body Count Rising: I was aware you were the gore guy. I was not aware you were the dick guy.
Marcus Koch: Oh yeah if people want dicks, they come to me. Anyways, I get to do a monster shark. This will probably look like the cross between a Troma film and a Gwar concert. I also have a cameo in a film this weekend called “Bigfoot Mob Boss” where I play a hooker and I will be in full drag. I have a wig and vinyl skirt. I’ll be doing some effects tomorrow on a film called “Crack Baby Billionaire”.
Body Count Rising: What advice would you give to an aspiring filmmaker?
Marcus Koch: If you want to get into the business to produce, direct, be a DP or do special effects, the best way to learn is to be a PA (production assistant). Just observe how everyone does their jobs. If you’re lucky you’ll get on bigger sets. Learn through that. I think going to film school can be an incredible waste of money if you can get hands-on learning. I guess the biggest piece of advice would be not to be a dick on set. Everyone in the film industry is in it for the same thing and we’re in it to work. You never know. Even the craft services guy who’s on set for 12 hours observing. What’s his goal? Will he direct some day? You don’t know if that guy has an uncle who’s about to die and will leave him a bunch of money. You want him to say “I want to work with that person.” Do your job. Do it well. Don’t be a dick. That’s the best advice to keep working.
Keep up with Marcus on IMDb or check out his Facebook.
