Interview with BleedingSkull.com
by Billy Grossera (conducted around July 2006)
BLEEDING SKULL is one of my personal favorite web sites dealing in totally obscure horror and trash cinema! It covers the films that most of today's horror sites ignore. There's NO modern crap to be found here at all, which is another reason why it gets the thumbs up from me! Hope you all enjoy the interview I did with the Bleeding Skull master himself!
1. Tell us a bit about when you first started doing the Bleeding Skull web site and what you felt would be different about it compared to other websites featuring obscure horror trash films. How long has the web site been around?
*BS: Bleeding Skull launched in January of 2004. At the time, I wasn't finding the types of obscure trash reviews online that I wanted to read. I wanted no pretension, more passion, and most of all, to have a good time. On top of that, VHS rarities were getting a bum deal. No one was covering them, yet there were(and still are) thousands of unknown genre films that could only be seen on that format. My wife talked me into starting my own site. After the first 20 reviews, it was clear that the relaxation I find in watching trash-horror films crossed over into writing about them. Bleeding Skull has become a huge source of stress relief in my life. It's an absolute labor of love.
2. My favorite section on your web site is the VHS section as it has reviews of films that still have never been on DVD. Out of all the movies you've reviewed on VHS, which ones do you think will NEVER get a DVD release? Is it possible for stuff to never get re-issued on DVD in this day and age, or are some films just so shitty and obscure that nobody would even DARE to take a chance?!
BS: That's great to hear. VHS tapes are the best. They're like tiny treasure chests, just waiting to be loved. And so cheap nowadays. Who knows what you're going to get for that $1.50? Will it be uncut? Will the title card be replaced with vector graphics? Will the audio run out of sync? Who cares! It's a VHS.
Never say never. I used to think there were limits on DVD releases of ultra-obscurities. However, DVDs of LONG ISLAND CANNIBAL MASSACRE, THE LAST SLUMBER PARTY, and CURSE OF THE LIVING CORPSE have swayed me. In the end, I don't really care about the VHS to DVD ratio. Sometimes, sparkling DVD releases hold the power to instantly erase magic. Other times, not so much. I'd never want to see OGROFF shorn of its grodiness, but TALES OF THE QUADEAD ZONE would be a revelation; straight from a camcorder master to a DVD. Nice.
3. We really gotta talk about the film BOARDING HOUSE. Yes...really. What the HELL were they thinking when they made that movie? Who the hell is "Kalassu" and did the director John Wintergate ever make another film after that? Why does it have a pie-fight sequence of all things? Have you ever practiced some "New Age" techniques after watching the movie, and try to "Focus"?
BS: I will talk about Boarding House to anyone, anywhere, and at anytime. I would love to chat with John Wintergate and Kalassu about "seeing" the white light. I think their insight might hold the key to some very trying issues that the world is now facing. In fact, a copy of BOARDING HOUSE should be issued to every family in America. That's real social progress. John Wintergate never made another film, but he and Kalassu lent their talents to a backstage food fight with The Clowns in TERROR ON TOUR. John's wearing red hotpants. You can't miss 'em. The pie fight may have been added for "comic relief". Either that scene, or the flashback "rape-with-pants-on". Who can tell? I have tried many of the techniques outlined in the film's self-help sequences. Now, I am a millionaire. Progress.
"Focus!"
4. How about ROCKTOBER BLOOD? Will that ever get an official DVD release? Which do you think is better, ROCKTOBER BLOOD, TERROR ON TOUR, TRICK OR TREAT, ROCK 'N' ROLL NIGHTMARE, or BLACK ROSES? What's your favorite song on ROCKTOBER BLOOD? Do you have "Rainbow Eyes"?
BS: Well, if ROCK 'N' ROLL NIGHTMARE can get a special edition DVD, anything is possible. I've heard that the rights to ROCKTOBER BLOOD are a mess. I'd guess it's a result of all the hit songs on the soundtrack. Speaking of which, my favorite song from ROCKTOBER is, indeed, "Rainbow Eyes". Lynn has what it takes. Don't forget BLOOD TRACKS, HARD ROCK ZOMBIES, and HARDROCK NIGHTMARE! From the films you listed, I'd have togo with TERROR ON TOUR or ROCKTOBER BLOOD. They're both dead boring at times, but stunning in the their realistic portrayal of the touring lifestyle. Back to "Rainbow Eyes"; I wish.
"When you least expect it, I will attack! They'll be hell to pay, I'm back!"
5. Have you heard about Code Red DVD yet? They seem
to be making a big effort to release a lot of this kind of slime on DVD. What's
your feeling on films like DON'T GO IN THE WOODS and THE FOREST getting special
edition DVD releases with tons of extras?
Do you have a wish-list for Code Red DVD of films you'd wanna see get released?
BS: Yeah, I've read Code Red's production blog. I'm pretty excited about their slate of films. DON'T GO IN THE WOODS is a tricky one. The insanity lies in the mystery. I hope that the new sheen and supplements don't sweep away that charm. The DVD situation is similar to THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE. I still prefer my shitty Video Treasures VHS over any of the DVDs that have been released. When the grunge was removed, something was lost. Still, my curiosity over DGITW is so great, I'm going to have to pick up the DVD.
6. My vote for one of the worst films I ever saw in the 80's on video is GOREMET ZOMBIE CHEF FROM HELL. I haven't seen it in over 15 years, so tell me...is it really as bad as I reemmber it to be? Or will I actually enjoy it in my current state of mind (which has rotted away very badly over the years)?
BS: GOREMET is watchable. It won't kill you. It's just kind of dorky. On the other hand, I probably wouldn't sit through it again.
7. Why the hell is that HUMONGOUS VHS tape so damn hard to see in the night scenes?
BS: The darker scenes are a nice touch. When you can't see the actors' faces, you don't feel so guilty about falling asleep.
8. I noticed you really hated BLOOD DINER, haha! Is it ok to say that I actually really like that movie a lot? I even bought the REGION 2 PAL DVD....yep! What did you think of the director's other horror film, THE BEING?
BS: Totally. You're A-OK in my book. That's the great thing about these films. Unlike more conventional methods of filmmaking, the reactions to trash films aren't universal. I reviewed THE BEING on VHS a few months after BLOOD DINER. It was tolerable, but tedious.
9. I really want to see GOD'S BLOODY ACRE from 1975. Is it really that downbeat and nasty, or just plain stupid?
BS: A little of both, but the unpleasantness outweighs the dumbness. I mean, it's not I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE or anything, but it's not a film you throw on for fun, either. Harry Kerwin seems to have a thread of mean-spirited disdain that runs throughout his later exploitation work.
10. Please give me two or three words to describe the following films: TWICE DEAD, HOME SWEET HOME, SPOOKIES, DRIVE-IN MASSACRE, and THE SLAYER?
BS:
TWICE DEAD: Tyler should've been blue.
HOME SWEET HOME: Fret Einstein.
SPOOKIES: Honk if you loved junior high.
DRIVE-IN MASSACRE: I could watch it over and over.
THE SLAYER: Less talk, more cuts.
11. How many videos and DVD's do you own? Do you collect other stuff like posters, lobby cards, soundtracks, etc.?
BS: I've never counted, but probably around 300-350 VHS and 400 DVDs (which includes non-genre stuff). I'm more into collecting the tapes. I usually just rent DVDs and purchase them if I fall in love with the film (or have fallen in the past). I'm an avid film-related book collector and I own a handful of original lobby cards.
12. Will MARDI GRAS MASSACRE ever get released on DVD...by anybody?
BS: God, I hope so. That's one-half of Jack Weis's complete filmic legacy.
13. What do you think of the BLOOD FREAK movie? Work of art...incredible discovery...hunk of pure shit? Be careful what you say, the Turkey Monster is very sensitive!
BS: Oh yes. All three. I love it. There's no other poin tof reference for that film. I mean, Geezus! Pot-needles, bible-thumpers, extreme gore, sex, and finally, salvation?! BLOOD FREAK is now and forever.
14. Hope this was fun! Any final comments for people reading this?
BS: It was a blast. Thank you very much for interviewing me. To people, I say live it up. Life's too short to screw around.
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