Courtest of Fango:
January 29: Henenlotter and Bartalos talk new BAD BIOLOGY
Just when you’ve had it up to here with the latest watered-down horror remake, old-school gore maestro Frank Henenlotter (of BASKET CASE and FRANKENHOOKER infamy) returns to the low-budget sexploitation horror scene after 15 years with a twisted new feature, BAD BIOLOGY, which plants itself definitively outside of the mainstream. The story follows a young man and women who separately indulge their most lurid biological desires, pushing the envelope in their quest for sexual fulfillment. When they finally meet, their perversions kick into overdrive, resulting in the growth of a creature so anatomically repulsive, Henenlotter wonders if FANGORIA will be able to print photos (“Even though you’ll want to,” he teases).
Principal photography for BAD BIOLOGY took place in an empty 22-room yellow mansion in Brooklyn, which was built in 1854 and once owned by an eccentric cult preacher named Father Divine. Produced by rapper and rabid horror-movie fan R.A. “The Rugged Man” Thornburn (who co-wrote the script with Henenlotter), the film stars newcomers Anthony Sneed and Charlee Danielson and features an original score by Grammy winner Prince Paul.
And what’s it like returning to the genre he knows and loves? Henenlotter knows the deal. “Not enough time, not enough money and we almost set the location on fire, but what else is new?” he says. Despite the limited budget, this production opted for 35mm film over hi-def video, and flew in frequent Henenlotter collaborator Gabe Bartalos to handle the special makeup FX.
“My first film with him was BRAIN DAMAGE, followed by BASKET CASE 2 and 3,” Bartalos recalls. “You see some filmmakers mellow out over time, but not Frank. Like a fine wine, he’s getting weirder with each film.” While the creature itself is top-secret, Bartalos describes multiple incarnations, such as a “giant diseased version” and an “angry cobra version,” but in terms of specifics he can only say, “I’ve never done a film where I’ve had to cover up so many things in my studio.”
Since they couldn’t afford CGI, Henenlotter is pleased to report that instead they’re taking BAD BIOLOGY into that “low-budget realm where most people enjoy going: bad taste. On top of that, it’s sexual bad taste. While we’re not going for T&A, this project definitely has an edge. At first, it seems like we’re doing one of those arty-type independent films, but suddenly it takes a turn, and you’ll see we have not forgotten our roots. It’s total B-movie schlock all the way, with one beautiful girl getting attacked after another, and I love it. If I’m going to make another movie, I want to do something that hasn’t been made before.” BAD BIOLOGY is currently in postproduction, with SHATTER DEAD/16 TONGUES filmmaker Scooter McCrae serving as editor—“so in addition to me,” Henenlotter says, “BAD BIOLOGY features two other horror directors, Mr. Scoot and Gabe! You just can’t have too many cult filmmakers.” This team is aiming for completion in mid-2007; you can keep tabs on the movie at its MySpace page. —Jeremiah Kipp
http://www.myspace.com/badbiology