As all my Avalonisciples who follow this blog knows, I am a HUGE fan of horror films. The endless trailers and reviews I do on them should prove that. I always pay extra attention when horror gravitates over to the queer side (mainly because we don't get gay horror films too often). The last gay horror film I saw that was pretty good was "Hellbent" and I think that came out almost five years ago (Sidebar: we need a sequel on that one). Legendary underground director Bruce LaBruce is currently putting the final touches on the very buzzed about L.A. Zombies, which stars many of gay porn's finest such as Francisco D'Macho and my hordcore crush Francois Sagat (who also has a role in the upcoming Saw 6), among others (Openly gay rapper Deadlee even makes a cameo). Fangoria did an awesome story on the film which is featured on their website. I am still to this day a faithfull reader of Fangoria, and I'm always glad when they do coverage on gay horror films (which thay've been doing plenty of as of late). I just hope that very soon we get a swarm of quality gay horror films out here for the masses (which would be a great market to tackle, since women and gay men frequent the theater more for horror than heterosexual males). Check out part one of Fangoria's story below...
Back in March I interviewed notorious filmmaker Bruce LaBruce about his most recent gay gore and full sex flick, OTTO; OR, UP WITH DEAD PEOPLE. I asked him about the “zombie porn” that he mentioned on the DVD commentary.
LABRUCE: As a matter of fact, it may be happening this spring. I have a short script, and I’m talking with some big porn names. It would be in conjunction with an art opening I’m having in late May in LA at the art gallery that represents me, Peres Projects. I’m planning on working with Joe Castro, a low-budget special effects/gore/splatter wiz who has worked lately with Herschell Gordon Lewis! I’m just trying to pull together the funding now, so if you know anybody…
CUT TO: Now. LaBruce is in the homestretch of shooting L.A. ZOMBIE, and I’m invited to the set to watch.
I arrive at the aforementioned Peres Projects at about 2pm. The original call was 10 AM, but I got a very late email from the production manager, Jeremy, telling me they pushed back the call time because they ran incredibly late last night. Considering most films try to give their crew a twelve-hour turnaround whenever possible, I assume they shot about fifteen or so hours yesterday. Ouch – been there. Never fun.
It’s scorching hot in Los Angeles this week, and as I walk into Peres Projects, I can’t tell if there’s any air conditioning or not. The space is made up of several studios, and the first space upon entering is where LaBruce is shooting today. In the middle of the room is the set, a “room” built out of cardboard boxes attached to a wooden frame. The room is filled with garbage, old furniture, ratty clothes. The skeleton crew of ten is moving around the set, setting the minimal lights and attaching the three cameras to tripods. I wonder why they have so many cameras…
I’m met by Jeremy, who until recently was a film professor in Missouri. He moved to LA and has done a variety of production gigs, and when I ask him why he wanted to work on a zombie porn for basically no money, he replies, “Bruce LaBruce. I’ve been a fan of his since I saw NO SKIN OFF MY ASS.” Jeremy tells me that today is the fifth day out of a seven day shoot. And as I guessed, it hadn’t been going smoothly. “Bruce is kind of in a bad mood today…”
Robert Felt wanders over and introduces himself. Felt owns a gay adult video company called Dark Alley, and is co-producing L.A. ZOMBIE with French photographer and fashion designer Arnaud Roca, PPV Networks, and Wurstfilm, another gay adult video company based in Germany. When I ask him how they’re going to position the film, as porn, or horror with full penetration, he tells me, “Primarily porn. We’ll do a second version with less sex for the film festivals, but the DVD version, and the VOD version, will definitely be porn.”
Felt calls LaBruce over, and I meet him in person for the first time. He’s a bit preoccupied – to be expected, considering he’s a director in the middle of production – but after I introduce myself and remind him about his previous Fango interview, he becomes the chatty film buff I’ve been told he is by mutual friends.
My first question is, “Why another gay zombie film?” LaBruce responds that this is “…more of an alien film. Do you know Samuel R. Delany’s THE MAD MAN? That’s one of my inspirations for this…” He explains the plot of the film, which involves French adult video model Francois Sagat traveling around Los Angeles, and, well, how do I put this delicately? F-ing people back to life. “He might be dead, he might be an alien, or he might be a crazy homeless person.”
LaBruce further explains that the art installation he mentioned in our previous interview was actually “artifacts” created to appear as if they’d been gathered from, or were part of, a fictitious gay zombie porn. As he put the piece together, that fictional film began to take shape, and he was driven to actually shoot it.
As LaBruce goes back to work, I move further into the gallery and come face to face with L.A. ZOMBIE’s star, French adult video model Francois Sagat. To say he’s stunning would be a massive understatement. He has a perfect body that doesn’t look too steroidy, and an all black tattoo covering the top part of his skull, the strangeness of which only makes him hotter, if that’s possible. Fans of Sagat know that on-camera he’s a man of serious demeanor and few words, so I’m a bit intimidated in his presence. Well, that and the fact that he’s so F-ing gorgeous, I’m having a hard time looking him in the eye. (Yes, he has clothes on, so no, I’m not looking there.)
After being introduced, Sagat is actually quite nice and very polite. He’s getting ready for his first shot of the day, so I don’t want to bother him too much, but I do ask him about his appearance in the upcoming SAW VI. He tells me that yes, the producers told him that he made the cut. He plays a drug addict with a girlfriend (finally, a gay guy who can truly claim to be “straight acting”!) in a hospital scene. (My subsequent investigations reveal director Kevin Greutert stating "Francois was a perfect gentleman on the set, and his part is really just a one-shot cameo that doesn’t have anything to do with the story (or sex), but I think it is a pretty funny tale.")
Sagat, having just put on one version of his wardrobe, is called to change clothes again. There is no continuity person on set, and LaBruce has to remind Roca, who is also the costume designer, that Sagat needs to be wearing the same wardrobe he was wearing when they shot the first part of the scene. As LaBruce explains the continuity, the cardboard set finally makes sense. In the previous scene, Sagat has been wandering around Skid Row and comes upon a homeless guy living in a cardboard box. He crawls in and presto! Inside the box is a homeless studio apartment four times the size of the outer dimensions. Very LAND OF THE LOST Pylon-like, if you ask me.
Roca and Sagat chat as he changes, and I notice a woman with a bandaged head holding a video camera, recording everything that happens on set. I have no idea why her head is bandaged, but it looks like wardrobe from the film, so I have to assume she’s either going to be in the film, or has already shot her scenes. She begins chatting with Roca and Sagat, and I realize she’s also French-speaking. Suddenly the entire set is filled with the French language.
As Sagat changes, I see another model, dressed in dirty white jeans with dirty hair and bags under his eyes (makeup, I assume), relaxing on the set. This is Andrew James, and at the moment he looks thoroughly bored. This will change very soon, but in the meantime he goes outside several times to smoke. (How anyone can smoke when it’s 100+ degrees outside, I’ll never know.)
Sagat is changed, the lights and camera are set. LaBruce calls everyone back to set, and it suddenly sinks in – I’m about to watch a hardcore sex scene being filmed...
TO BE CONTINUED…
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