I first met German goremaster Timo Rose and the up-and-coming scream queen Magdalena “Magey” Kalley when I visited the set of UNRATED – THE MOVIE in Langelsheim in May 2009. I had a killer time hanging out with all the cool people who took part in this movie and I even got to play a little bit part as a zombie, so I didn’t think twice when I got the offer to go to Langelsheim again in September 2009 and take part in Timo’s next project VIOLENT SH*T 4.0 – KARL THE BUTCHER VS. AXE, which–like UNRATED–he once again co-wrote and co-directed with his buddy Andreas Schnaas, the man behind the original VIOLENT SH*T trilogy. Since VS4 had just had its official premiere at the Weekend Of Fear festival in Erlangen on May 1st, 2010, and is about to be released on DVD in a month or two, I thought it might be a perfect moment to have a little chat with Timo and Magey and ask ’em a couple of questions about their work on the movie, their time on the set and their plans for the future…

BLOODY DISGUSTING: Hi Timo & Magey, first of all thanks for doing this interview. Your new film VIOLENT SH*T 4.0 – KARL THE BUTCHER VS. AXE, which stars the two of you as main villains Axe and Vendetta and was co-written and co-directed by Timo together with gore-master Andreas Schnaas, is finally done and had its first two official screenings in Erlangen (Weekend Of Fear-Festival) and Hamburg (Official Northern Premiere) earlier this month. What was it like to finally see that flick on the big screen and what reactions did it get so far?

TIMO ROSE: “No, thank you, man! 🙂 We had a blast at the screenings and sometimes the audience went wild! They were laughing at the right parts of the movie and we also had big applauses! So we did it the right way, right!? Haha–after the screenings people came to us and said things like: “Damn yes, that’s a cool flick!” or “Hope you’ll shoot a fifth part of the series, too!“… so yes, we did it! And maybe we’ll do it again! 🙂 On a sidenote, it was also really awesome to see my girl Magey (Magdalena Kalley) on the big screen!.”

MAGDALENA KALLEY: “Thanx Timo! It was awesome and really exciting to finally see the work of so many weeks on the big screen. Undiscribable! Amazing! To see the audience laugh their asses off… brilliant!.”

BD: Timo, VIOLENT SH*T 4.0 was the second film you co-directed with Andreas Schnaas and the shoot took place in Goslar in September 2010, only four months after you and Andy joined forces for the first time to make a nice `lil splatter comedy called UNRATED – THE MOVIE. How did this epic collaboration of two of Germany’s most prominent indie filmmakers come to happen in first place?

TR: “We know each other for almost 10 or 11 years, I think, and in that time we’ve been talking to each other lots of times on the phone and in person. And year after year we’ve been talking about a collaboration but this time we finnaly did it and UNRATED – THE MOVIE is only the “beginning”… and it seems to have no end! (laughing).”

BD: If I remember correctly, UNRATED – THE MOVIE was first announced as Andy’s farewell-film but he already gave up his retirement plans before the shooting was even done and told me that he’s gonna make another film with you, namely VIOLENT SH*T 4. So I guess there must be a special chemistry between the two of you that makes shooting a movie together quite a pleasant experience. What is it like to work with Andy and in what way do the two of you complement one another? What would you say are Andy’s strengths on set and what are yours? And what makes the two of you such a good team?

TR: “Yes, that’s true. Andreas said to me: “UNRATED will be my last movie..” And of course I tried to “reanimate” him every single day of the shoot. You could feel that there is something in him which can’t stop him from making movies and for sure we found it! Working with Andreas is a great experience. We are very close friends and we know each other very well. On set it was a pleasure to work with him, too. Before we made UNRATED, we both have had heard stories about each other–how everyone of us directs his movies, etc–so each one had his “picture” of the other one in mind. But those pictures turned out to be totally wrong. Shooting UNRATED was a blast and we enjoyed working with each other every single day. On set we are a great “couple” and our collaborations are working fucking good! Most of the time we have the same visions, ideas and pictures in mind… oh, and the same can be said about our DP Sascha Hartmann, too… we’re a brilliant team! And the most important thing between us is that we know what the other likes and that we are friends. That’s also very positive!.”

BD: VIOLENT SH*T 4.0 does not only feature the rise and resurrection of the series’ original villain Karl The Butcher (played by Andy) but it does also introduce two new killers, who are equally fierce and kick-ass as Karl, namely the blood-thirsty brother-sister team of Axe (played by Timo) and Vendetta (played by Magey). Who came up with these characters and in what way do they breathe some fresh air into the the classic VIOLENT SH*T series?

TR: “Andreas had the idea of adding a second killer. I then created Axe by myself and later on I designed his sister Vendetta, too. They bring fresh air into the series because they are fast, aggressive but also very human, you know?! Karl is that “rough” version of a killer, very natural, strong and full of power. All Karl needs is an axe, a chainsaw or a hammer and he can kill hundreds of enemies. Axe and Vendetta also use their brains to fight their enemies and they are both familar with martial artists, too. They can easily kill their enemies with fast punches and high kicks, but Axe also hacks them to pieces with an axe and Vendetta cuts their throats with a samurai sword..”

MK: “Uhm, yes exactly! 🙂”

BD: Throughout the movie the unholy trinity of Karl, Axe and Vendetta gets to fight a whole lot of different enemies, such as a vicious amazon tribe (played by British scream queens Eileen Daly, Mariysa Kay and Eleanor James), several punk and rock bands such as THE OTHER, NOT FRAGILE and GANG LOCO, a German stormtrooper from WWII and the INFERNAL FILMS boys, just to name a few… what was it like to welcome all those guys on the set of VS4 and in what way did their presence add to overall cult feel of the film?

TR: “It was great to have all those people in the film and on set. Every single one of them brings the film to a higher level! It was like a family birthday party on set and we really had a blast. I think everyone enjoyed it a lot..”

MK: “It was great to have so many crazy and artistic people together. We had a lot of fun working out the fight scenes. Our british girls are wonderful and all of the bands were just freakin’ cool and funny. We had dinner together and each morning all of us, but especially the girls, were fighting for the bathroom, haha..”

BD: Both of you got to do a lot of killing in VIOLENT SH*T 4, so I wonder what’s your favorite death scene in the movie? Is there any guy whose ass you enjoyed to kick in particular, any fight that struck you as especially memorable or any effect that you are notably proud of?

TR: “I really love and like every single effect we have in VS 4. I also love the fighting scenes, the martial arts shots. We worked our asses off to create the best we could with our limited budget..”

MK: “I love the scene where I kick Martin Piwek’s ass in Mortal Kombat style. Haha, that was brilliant. It looks as if it’s been taken from one of those Tekken games. Great shit!.”

BD: As far as I know, this has been the first film you’ve done, which required you to do some elaborate action and fight scenes, too. So what was it like going totally crazy and throwing all those kicks and punches at Vendetta’s enemies? Did you enjoy it through and through or were there also some times when you wished you could have kicked Timo’s ass for making you go through all this strain and struggle?

MK: “In general, kicking Timo’s ass is a wish that’s always there 🙂 But honestly, it was really cool to wok out all those fighting scenes. It’s actually like learning dance combinations. You have to put one step next to the other and then repeat it until it looks fluent and natural. It’s really hard and often painful, but in the end it’s worth the work..”

BD: The film is not only insanely bloody, but it does also feature quite a few scenes which are pretty damn hilarious on the one hand but also quite gross on the other, like the infamous sperminator part, for example. Was there ever a moment when you thought to yourselves “Hell, we really can’t do something like that?.” or did you rather approach the whole film with some kinda no-holds-barred attitude and made it as freaky, outrageous and gory as you could?

TR: “I thought that every fucking day, haha! I hope the audience doesn’t believe that we were drunk or stoned the whole time we were on set! 🙂 It’s fun, however–and if you see VS4, you can feel that we had lots of fun shooting it..”

MK: “If you don’t mind, I don’t want to comment on those sperminator scenes… my god… if my mum would see that….”

BD: If I remember correctly, VIOLENT SH*T 4.0 – KARL THE BUTCHER VS. AXE will already be out on DVD in July or August 2010! Can you already give us a little more info about that release? What label will put the DVD out and do you know if the disc will feature any specials such as audio commenaries, behind-the-scenes featurettes or interviews? And, even more important, will the film be released uncut or will the FSK and MPAA once more do their best to spoil the fun for us splatter fans as good as they can?

TR: “Oh man, I don’t know. I think in Germany they will cut it. In Austria will get an uncut release and the MPAA? Damn good question… I think they will hate it, too! (laughing).”

BD: Before our little talk about VIOLENT SH*T 4.0 comes to an end and we go on to your upcoming movie, BARRICADE 2, let’s play a little game… Imagine Karl The Butcher and Axe to be set up as a tag team against the following horror icons. Who do you think would win each fight and how would the losers get killed?

Karl & Axe vs. Dracula & Frankenstein
Karl & Axe vs. Jason & Freddy
Karl & Axe vs. Toxie & Kabukiman

TR: “Jason and Freddy are mainstream but they’d win against Karl and Axe anyway. Dracula and Frankenstein would be a cool tag team but hey, they are toooooo old for real fuckers like Karl and Axe. As for Troma, I love every one of their characters but Toxie and Kabukiman would indeed be the best choice! Hey Lloyd… do we have to talk? Call me–you still have my number! However, each of those “killers” would loose a fight against Karl, Axe and Vendetta! Why? Watch VS4 and you will know! :-).”

BD: In late June/early July 2010, you will start shooting your next two movies, namely BARRICADE 2 and UNRATED 2: MONSTER BASH (the latter will again be co-directed by Andreas Schnaas). Can you already give us some info about those flicks? What will they be about and in what way will they be connected to the first parts of BARRICADE and UNRATED?

TR: “We will start shooting BARRICADE 2 in June 2010and we’re going to shoot BARRICADE 3 in 2011! Both movies will start directly after part one ended but they will both feature different different characters and stories. BARRICADE 2 is about Mike’s brother who is trying to find him (Mike was played by Joe Zaso in part one) because he disapeared in Germany. He is a soldier of fortune and he takes no prisoners. And someone else survived part one, too… someone who is BAD, BAD, BAD… the family had more members than the ones you could see in part one. There are still some of them left and they are out for revenge!

UNRATED 2: MONSTER BASH also starts right there where part one ended. But this time, instead of a book, there is a movie projector which turns evil dreams into reality. Maybe we’ll have an Elvis zombie in MONSTER BASH, maybe mummies, too… and maybe also zombies… it will be a real MONSTER BASH! (laughing).”

BD: What actors have you already gotten on board? Will we see some familiar faces from the original BARRICADE and UNRATED again or will we mostly get to see a lot of new faces?

TR: “For BARRICADE 2 people like Magdalena Kalley, Joe Davison, Mike Mendez, Luc Bernier and Suzi Lorraine agreed to be on board. We’re currently checking their and our time schedules. Next to them, we’ll also have some new faces in that flick..”

BD: Many gore-fans still hold BARRICADE in high regards as one of the bloodiest and most brutal films ever. Do you think that, when it comes to violence and bloodshed, you can still up the ante with BARRICADE 2? Without spoiling too much of the messy, crimson fun, what can people expect when you take `em on a trip into the Black Forrest again?

TR: “I swear to God that I can make part two bloodier, gorier and much more brutal than the first one! First we have the family, then we have Sean–a soldier of fortune–and we also have other characters which can… damn, I can’t say it yet… all I can say is: BARRICADE 2 will kick ass!.”

BD: Are BARRICADE 2 and UNRATED 2: MONSTER BASH the only movies you two have on your to-do lists at the moment? Or are there also any other projects confirmed which you’re definitely gonna do in 2010?

TR: “No. Later in 2010 I will work on a thriller/drama named A WOMAN’S LOVE with Magdalena Kalley in the leading role. We’ll start shooting in September 2010. It’s a film about relationships… it’s about how strong someone can be and how easily a relationship can break when there’s a third person involved. As for other plans, well, maybe Magey and I will move to the States in 2011… who knows… :-).”

MK: “As you know, I’m mainly a musical actress, so there will for sure be some singing and dancing projects as well as some commercial and TV things. After BARRICADE 2 and A WOMAN’S LOVE I will finish my actor’s reel and apply for a couple of jobs in the US. I’d love to work in America. Yay!.”

BD: Ok, that’s it so far… thanks a lot for taking the time to answer this interview and good luck with your upcoming movies! As always, I’m gonna call it quits now and leave the famous last words to you…

TR: “Thanx a lot! And I hope you’ll watch our stuff! If not we have to send Karl to you and he’ll kick the shit out of you! Thanx to our fans, friends and families. Luv you, Mag! :-).”

MK: “Thank you so much. I also hope you`ll like VIOLENT SH’T 4.0 as well as the new BARRICADE 2. But don’t show it to your mommies… I’m really excited to shoot the second part of the most famous movie Timo ever did. xxx.”