HORROR BUSINESS
2007

Director Christopher P. Gaetano talks to 4 or 5 broke-ass horror filmmakers. Obviously done for no money, it’s quite capably made and effectively and humorously edited. The film gives a relatively benign view of its quirky subjects; no doubt there’s unflattering material that didn’t make it into the film. As one guy with a camera, a “fly on the wall” as he says in the extra features, he got some interesting unguarded moments. I enjoyed the various filmmakers’ candidness. Talking about how the shoot could go wrong, director Mark Borchardt says, “If I were to get into the booze tomorrow, then that’s how it could go wrong.” A few parts inevitably echo American Movie, as its star Borchardt is featured, but the filmmaker wisely doesn’t let his neurotic presence dominate, focusing his lens on other filmmakers as well.
I loved the poignancy of filmmaker David Stagnari talking about people asking, “Are you still working on that fucking movie?” It’s a universal emotion every underdog filmmaker can relate to. We follow him to an old drive-in and to see his personal horror memorabilia collection and gain insight into the mind of the longtime horror fan.
“I did a lot of LSD, man.” That’s another great quote from one of the other filmmakers. I like to hear the war stories of low-budget filmmakers, and their anger at the Hollywood system. In a brilliantly spastic rant filmmaker Ron Atkins says, “You think God said I need a lot to fuckin’ make the Earth?”
The conspiracy guy is compelling. At fist I thought his ramblings on shape-shifting reptilian infiltrators was a character in a film, but it appears that’s his real belief, and he does actually have a few points to make. Laura Bush does have weird eyes.
Filmmaker John Goras was quite articulate, and I enjoyed what he had to say regarding provoking thought in the viewer. His animated sequences really stood out for me, and made me want to investigate his work. In the film he says, “I’m trying not to put anyone to sleep. They got drugs for that.”
Gaetano talks to a projectionist, actors, directors, producers, Tony Timpone from Fangoria, and investigates the support system the fans have built for themselves, the weird kids on the block, shooting fans, pros and in-betweens at conventions. Interviews (that look like they were done at conventions) punctuate the film with the genre star power of Sid Haig, Joe Bob Briggs, Lloyd Kaufman and Herschell Gordon Lewis.
The filmmaker does a good job of including short but effective clips from his subjects. He asks fans and filmmakers questions about the genre, i.e. parental responsibility and when a film goes too far. He illuminates particulars of low-budget filmmaking, like the difficulties of feeding and managing a bunch of talented friends and helpers with no money while still having to make your rent, and the obsessive nature of their artistic compulsion.
There’s a lot to talk about, and indeed, at the beginning the filmmaker says he’s got so much material he’s working on Son of Horror Business. If the quality is as good as this one, I can’t wait to see it.

-Hysteric Eric