…Yes they do matter! Especially the dangerous kind that insist on walking around when they should be inert. And the follow-up question “How do I protect myself from a simultaneous attack from zombies, vampires and phantoms from black magick?” can be found in the newly released independent horror film The Dead Matter. I’ve seen a screener that was sent to me. It’s very good and I recommend it to you for Halloween viewing.
This low-cost indie, handsomely shot on film instead of the usual video, mostly escapes the limitations imposed on such movies by smaller budgets and the use of less experienced actors. In a cast of actors mostly unknown, three solid pros anchor the performances: Andrew Divoff (Lost) and Tom Savini (From Dusk Til Dawn) as the villainous vampires, and Jason Carter (Babylon 5) as a vampire hunter. All three are completely captivating when onscreen.
Carter and Divoff are both after an “unholy relic”–a scarab-shaped amulet that confers the power to control the dead. This amulet comes into the possession of Gretchen, “a grief-stricken young woman who will do anything to contact her dead brother” (as the IMDB entry perfectly puts it.) Her friends must do battle with zombies, vampires and evil scientists as a result of Gretchen’s headstrong ways. At the same time, Savini and Divoff are also in conflict for power in the realm of the bloodsucking undead.
This movie goes more often for scares than laughs, but it has a definite and charming sense of humor. (Pun intended.) A scene involving a refrigerator and Gretchen’s new ability to magically manipulate dead flesh was fresh, funny and delightfully imaginative. Other funny scenes include the friends interacting and having fun with their dead friend Mark, who is now a zombie, and a scene where someone tries to form a cross in a very rude way. Underpinning the sense of humor is the score, which if very Gothic and serious and full of synth bass rumbles.
The makeup, effects and costumes are all very fine. One distraction, however, is the long platinum blonde wig Andrew Divoff wears. It’s completely unconvincing.
This fun horror film was just released into Hot Topic stores nationwide. It’s a special 3-disc set that includes not only the movie, but a soundtrack CD and a “Best Of” collection of the macabre music mavens known as Midnight Syndicate.
Midnight Syndicate is composed of the duo of Edward Douglas and Gavin Goszka. Douglas is the director, co-writer and film score composer of The Dead Matter.
I asked a few questions of Ed Douglas, and he graciously answered. The interview is below; my questions are in italics.
FM: What inspired you to do this movie? Made any films before this?
Edwards: Although music was my first love, the focus of most of my formal education has been in theater and film. After making several shorts and a “Tales from the Crypt”-style feature, my first project out of college was an earlier feature-length version of “The Dead Matter.” The co-writer, associate producer, and co-star of the new version of the film and I shot it on Super-VHS for about $2000. Our goal back then was to complete the movie, get the experience, and use that version to put ourselves in a position to remake the movie with a bigger budget. It took ten years, but we finally got the opportunity to realize that dream.
As an aspiring independent filmmaker from the Cleveland area who wanted to produce local horror films in this region, George Romero and Sam Raimi have been two huge and constant sources of inspiration for me. So were my co-producers Robert Kurtzman (producer of From Dusk Till Dawn, co-founder KNB FX, director of Wishmaster) and Gary Jones (director on episodes of Xena, and Hercules .)
FM: How did you get the cast and crew and financing?
Edwards: Being that I wanted to film this movie in Northeastern Ohio, the key event that made The Dead Matter a reality was Robert Kurtzman’s formation of Precinct 13 Entertainment in Mansfield, Ohio (an hour from Cleveland). He brought the experience and crew from Hollywood that we needed to make the film we wanted to make. He also introduced me to Gary Jones, who was line producer on the film and handled much of the crew selection. As a first-time director, it was great to learn from him throughout the process. The movie couldn’t have been made without him. Another key person was my Assistant Director/Unit Production Manager Philip Garrett (Horrors of War) out of Columbus. Phil introduced me to our Director of Photography, Alex Esber, and coordinated the hiring of an Ohio-based camera crew which helped craft the film’s look (which I love). I enjoy casting so I handled most of that, with input from my team. I was introduced to Jason Carter at DragonCon in Atlanta and loved what he did on Babylon 5 and on an indie film he did in Detroit called Dead End Road. Tom Savini has been a long-time supporter of Midnight Syndicate so when it came time to make the first “Midnight Syndicate movie” there was never any doubt that we wanted to get him involved. I was able to work with two television horror host legends in “Big Chuck” Schodowski, and Dick “Count Gore DeVol” Dyszel, [who have parts in the film] which was awesome. I grew up watching “Big Chuck.” He was responsible for my early education in horror films and was the first to feature Midnight Syndicate on television.
Getting financing was the single most difficult challenge I’ve ever faced. Indie filmmaking is a gamble but I think it’s about contemplating distribution from the beginning, stacking the odds in your favor, and having multiple backup plans in place for getting money back to your investors.
FM: Any odd occurrences during production?
Edwards: The Bissman Building in Mansfield (which we used as our soundstage) and the Mansfield Reformatory (home of The Shawshank Redemption, and Air Force One) are two very haunted places, so that made for a lot of interesting nights and stories. There are ghost hunting tours running through the Mansfield Reformatory all the time. So much transpired there and most of it was really bad. When you walk into the place you can just feel it in the air. It’s one of the darkest and heaviest places I’ve ever visited.
We got rained out on our biggest night at the Reformatory; all of Mansfield flooded with the worst rains the region had seen in decades. It cost us a lot of money and time so the cast and crew had to pull together even more in order to get the script shot! After many nervous days and nights fighting against the weather and the clock, we did pull it off. Afterwards I vowed that all future grand finales will be set indoors. I’m joking, of course — but not completely.
FM: What’s up with Andrew Divoff’s wig?
Edwards: Yes, the infamous wig. Andrew was coming off Lost and Indiana Jones 4 so he had a buzz cut. We felt that the wig fit his character — pushed the whole weird, eccentric, old-school-type persona that is his character Vellich. Creepy in a weird way. It was after filming was complete. I was out with some friends and one of them mentioned seeing an article on The Dead Matter in The Cleveland Plain Dealer that featured a picture of “the wig.” My friend said… “great article… but what’s with the Farrah Fawcett hairdo?” It was at that time I realized that not everyone would see things the same way we did. One thing for sure is that it’s memorable.
FM: Tell us about working with experienced pros like Divoff and Tom Savini — and how they worked with a cast of newer talent who are newer to feature film production.
Edwards: Andrew, Tom, and Jason were incredible to work with. They elevate their scenes by their performances and they elevate the performers around them.
Andrew had an incredible presence on set. (I loved what Andrew did on The Rage but was a fan long before.)
Tom gave us some excellent bits of improv (which we kept), and Jason brought an intensity to his performances that was flat-out contagious. I really feel like our cast jelled, worked together as a team, and delivered the goods in the end. Each cast member was fiercely committed to their roles (whether it was a lead, supporting role, or zombie walk-on) and I think that shows in the end.
FM: Did you score the film before, during, or after the principal photography was shot?
Edwards: Although I had some ideas for what I wanted to do in certain scenes, I scored the bulk of the film after the edit was completed (one of the last stages in the process.) Part of that was because I was editing the film, part of that was so that I didn’t end up forcing a song or a theme into a scene.
FM: Your music has been described as “cine-fusion.” How did writing for the movie differ from writing for your CD releases?
Edwards: I developed rough ideas for certain themes as I edited but I really waited until the edit was close to completion before composing in earnest.
It’s much different from a Midnight Syndicate CD where the music is everything and anything else is secondary. In a film, music is only a cog in the machinery. It is an absolutely vital cog — but still just one cog. It has to serve the movie. I’ve seen some scores that actually detract from the film because they try to do too much, be too much, and lose their focus on furthering the narrative, atmosphere, characters, and action on the screen.
FM: How did MIDNIGHT SYNDICATE come to be?
Edwards: The idea behind Midnight Syndicate was to create “soundtracks to imaginary films.” CDs that transport the listener to a movie or a world of their own creation.
I’ve been fascinated by horror and the supernatural for as long as I can remember. I remember listening to Vincent Price’s recordings of Poe stories and getting Crestwood monster and ghost story books from the library over and over as a young child. Later it was EC Comics, Twilight Zone and every horror film I could get my hands on. So most everything I do creatively drifts towards the darker and more fantastic end of the spectrum. Hence, Midnight Syndicate’s predominantly horror and supernatural themes. Those darker themes are what attracted Gavin to the project in ’98. He joined me for Midnight Syndicate’s second album “Born of the Night” and has co-written and co-produced every album with me since then. Because of the nature of our music (instrumental with some sound effects) we knew from the beginning that it would make for perfect Halloween atmosphere.
When we started in ’97 as well there no good quality Halloween music CDs out there (mostly just “Monster Mash” compilations and re-recorded cheesy sound effects cassettes). There was a real demand for something new and of good quality from Halloween aficionados, haunted houses, amusement parks, and party planners. We filled that void and it’s really allowed Midnight Syndicate to grow over the years and become a part of the holiday. Many people may not realize they are listening to us but if you go to Halloween stores, haunted houses, Halloween events at amusement parks like Busch Gardens, Six Flags, Cedar Faire parks, or Universal Studios during this time of year there’s a good chance you’ll hear our stuff.
FM: Any screenings of THE DEAD MATTER coming up?
Edwards: Yes, we have a few left this year and plan on taking the film to conventions and such next year as well.
FM: Any plans for more films?
Edwards: Absolutely. We have all the pieces in place for the next one although we still have a lot of work to do getting the word out on this one. It’s difficult competing with the multi-million dollar budgets of Hollywood films and the hundreds of new releases coming out weekly so we want to make sure we spend the time promoting this properly. That being said we’re already throwing around ideas for the next film as well as a possible Midnight Syndicate live concert in 2011 which would have a film element to it.
FM: Thanks for the interview, Ed.
For a complete list of THE DEAD MATTER events and screenings go here, and here.
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