Editorials
We Attended ‘The Devil’s Carnival’ Premiere, Here’s What You Can Expect
This past thursday The Devil’s Carnival had its world premiere at the Laemmle Royal Theater in Santa Monica. Before the show a line of gothic carnie cosplayers snaked around the block from the building’s entrance – no doubt fans of Darren Lynn Bousman and his previous cult hit, Repo: The Genetic Opera.
The Devil’s Carnival wasn’t only premiering at the event, it was embarking on a 40 plus date road show that will see it – and members of its cast and crew – traveling the countryside and taking their circus to as many theaters as possible. Whatever you may think of Repo or this film, at least they provide experiences that are impossible to download.
Terrance Zdunich, who co-wrote Repo, also wrote the music for Carnival with Saar Hendelman. Zdunich stars alongside Bill Moseley, Briana Evigan, Emilie Autumn, J. Larose, Alexa Vega, Ogre, Paul Sorvino, Marc Senter, Sean Patrick Flanery and Slipknot’s The Clown.
In the film, “sinners are invited to a theme park where they endure the repetition of their transgressions. What chances do a conniving kleptomaniac, a gullible teenager, and an obsessed father stand when facing their own moral failings? Lucifer and his colorful cast of singing carnies invite you to grab a ticket to The Devil’s Carnival to find out!”
Head inside for a rundown of the event and some words from Bousman, Zdunich and the cast.
It should be noted that The Devil’s Carnival is an indie film in pretty much every sense of the world. From the nature of its financing, the way it came together creatively and the harsh conditions under which it was filmed, there was very little in the way of “luxury” to be had during the process of bringing it to the screen.
Speaking to Bousman, “We greenlit this on January 1st. It was supposed to be a 15 minute short with three songs at that point. By January 10th we expanded it to 10-15 songs and the cast had expanded from 5 people to 20 people. And – by the way – we didn’t get any more money. The amount of money was always the same, we just made it bigger anyway. I think what we were able to pull off for little to nothing is pretty remarkable.”
When it came to the topic of the roadshow he was also excited, it will bring this film to far more film patrons that the theatrical releases of 11-11-11 and Mother’s Day or pretty much anything he’s done since Repo four years ago. “I have this movie on more screens than my last three movies combined. And that, to me, is just disgusting. But it’s cool at the same time. It showed me that I don’t need someone to tell me what I can or can’t do anymore. This is the least marketable movie ever, but we were able to do it because we believed in it.”
When I spoke to Zdunich, who co-wrote the music and also plays Lucifer, he filled me in on the creative process behind the tunes. “The film runs about 60 minutes, and 32 of those minutes are music. So, for me, it really started with finding these archetypes and then finding the music to fit them. And I went from there.”
Nor was the production without some good old desert vandalism. Per producer Sean E. Demott, “These local kids broke into the dressing rooms when no one was watching and ran away with tons of hard drives. We literally had half of our crew chasing them down the road at two in the morning. We finally caught them and they had stashed the sh*t in a house. It was like an episode of “Cops” that landed on our set. ”
The elements themselves were also grueling. Bill Mosely, who plays The Magician in the film, joked that he’s still concerned about his health. “It was very cold and dusty. I may end up with the brown lung. Circus lung. But I enjoyed it. It’s always a pleasure to get back with the ‘Repo” bunch.”
While the film The Devil’s Carnival only runs 55 minutes, there’s much more to the experience than the film itself. The crew behind the roadshow has done everything they can to provide the audience with a carnival atmosphere short of assembling a ferris wheel in the parking lot.
Burlesque dancers take a cue from Lady Gaga and her fire spewing brazier as they dance to Marilyn Manson. Contortionists writhe across the stage. If you’re in costume – you’re called up to the front to take part in the cosplay contest. Repo nuts are also in for a treat – as a nearly 20 minutes behind the scenes look at that film’s production also unspools before Carnival. It gives you a fairly good luck at the atmosphere that’s created when everyone’s pulling together trying to make one of these gonzo musicals and it’s way more entertaining than your average EPK.
Warning to would-be pirates – perhaps my favorite part of the night is where they make the audience stand up and pledge not to pirate or upload the film. The audience is encouraged to police each other for douchebag activity, and if you’re caught you just may get punched in the nuts. Their words, not mine.
You can check out the rest of the dates on the roadshow and buy your tickets here.
Editorials
‘Immaculate’ – A Companion Watch Guide to the Religious Horror Movie and Its Cinematic Influences
The religious horror movie Immaculate, starring Sydney Sweeney and directed by Michael Mohan, wears its horror influences on its sleeves. NEON’s new horror movie is now available on Digital and PVOD, making it easier to catch up with the buzzy title. If you’ve already seen Immaculate, this companion watch guide highlights horror movies to pair with it.
Sweeney stars in Immaculate as Cecilia, a woman of devout faith who is offered a fulfilling new role at an illustrious Italian convent. Cecilia’s warm welcome to the picture-perfect Italian countryside gets derailed soon enough when she discovers she’s become pregnant and realizes the convent harbors disturbing secrets.
From Will Bates’ gothic score to the filming locations and even shot compositions, Immaculate owes a lot to its cinematic influences. Mohan pulls from more than just religious horror, though. While Immaculate pays tribute to the classics, the horror movie surprises for the way it leans so heavily into Italian horror and New French Extremity. Let’s dig into many of the film’s most prominent horror influences with a companion watch guide.
Warning: Immaculate spoilers ahead.
Rosemary’s Baby
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The mother of all pregnancy horror movies introduces Rosemary Woodhouse (Mia Farrow), an eager-to-please housewife who’s supportive of her husband, Guy, and thrilled he landed them a spot in the coveted Bramford apartment building. Guy proposes a romantic evening, which gives way to a hallucinogenic nightmare scenario that leaves Rosemary confused and pregnant. Rosemary’s suspicions and paranoia mount as she’s gaslit by everyone around her, all attempting to distract her from her deeply abnormal pregnancy. While Cecilia follows a similar emotional journey to Rosemary, from the confusion over her baby’s conception to being gaslit by those who claim to have her best interests in mind, Immaculate inverts the iconic final frame of Rosemary’s Baby to great effect.
The Exorcist
William Friedkin’s horror classic shook audiences to their core upon release in the ’70s, largely for its shocking imagery. A grim battle over faith is waged between demon Pazuzu and priests Damien Karras (Jason Miller) and Lankester Merrin (Max von Sydow). The battleground happens to be a 12-year-old, Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair), whose possessed form commits blasphemy often, including violently masturbating with a crucifix. Yet Friedkin captures the horrifying events with stunning cinematography; the emotional complexity and shot composition lend elegance to a film that counterbalances the horror. That balance between transgressive imagery and artful form permeates Immaculate as well.
Suspiria
Jessica Harper stars as Suzy Bannion, an American newcomer at a prestigious dance academy in Germany who uncovers a supernatural conspiracy amid a series of grisly murders. It’s a dance academy so disciplined in its art form that its students and faculty live their full time, spending nearly every waking hour there, including built-in meals and scheduled bedtimes. Like Suzy Bannion, Cecilia is a novitiate committed to learning her chosen trade, so much so that she travels to a foreign country to continue her training. Also, like Suzy, Cecilia quickly realizes the pristine façade of her new setting belies sinister secrets that mean her harm.
What Have You Done to Solange?
This 1972 Italian horror film follows a college professor who gets embroiled in a bizarre series of murders when his mistress, a student, witnesses one taking place. The professor starts his own investigation to discover what happened to the young woman, Solange. Sex, murder, and religion course through this Giallo’s veins, which features I Spit on Your Grave’s Camille Keaton as Solange. Immaculate director Michael Mohan revealed to The Wrap that he emulated director Massimo Dallamano’s techniques, particularly in a key scene that sees Cecilia alone in a crowded room of male superiors, all interrogating her on her immaculate status.
The Red Queen Kills Seven Times
In this Giallo, two sisters inherit their family’s castle that’s also cursed. When a dark-haired, red-robed woman begins killing people around them, the sisters begin to wonder if the castle’s mysterious curse has resurfaced. Director Emilio Miraglia infuses his Giallo with vibrant style, with the titular Red Queen instantly eye-catching in design. While the killer’s design and use of red no doubt played an influential role in some of Immaculate’s nightmare imagery, its biggest inspiration in Mohan’s film is its score. Immaculate pays tribute to The Red Queen Kills Seven Times through specific music cues.
The Vanishing
Rex’s life is irrevocably changed when the love of his life is abducted from a rest stop. Three years later, he begins receiving letters from his girlfriend’s abductor. Director George Sluizer infuses his simple premise with bone-chilling dread and psychological terror as the kidnapper toys with Red. It builds to a harrowing finale you won’t forget; and neither did Mohan, who cited The Vanishing as an influence on Immaculate. Likely for its surprise closing moments, but mostly for the way Sluizer filmed from inside a coffin.
The Other Hell
This nunsploitation film begins where Immaculate ends: in the catacombs of a convent that leads to an underground laboratory. The Other Hell sees a priest investigating the seemingly paranormal activity surrounding the convent as possessed nuns get violent toward others. But is this a case of the Devil or simply nuns run amok? Immaculate opts to ground its horrors in reality, where The Other Hell leans into the supernatural, but the surprise lab setting beneath the holy grounds evokes the same sense of blasphemous shock.
Inside
During Immaculate‘s freakout climax, Cecilia sets the underground lab on fire with Father Sal Tedeschi (Álvaro Morte) locked inside. He manages to escape, though badly burned, and chases Cecilia through the catacombs. When Father Tedeschi catches Cecilia, he attempts to cut her baby out of her womb, and the stark imagery instantly calls Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury’s seminal French horror movie to mind. Like Tedeschi, Inside’s La Femme (Béatrice Dalle) will stop at nothing to get the baby, badly burned and all.
Burial Ground
At first glance, this Italian zombie movie bears little resemblance to Immaculate. The plot sees an eclectic group forced to band together against a wave of undead, offering no shortage of zombie gore and wild character quirks. What connects them is the setting; both employed the Villa Parisi as a filming location. The Villa Parisi happens to be a prominent filming spot for Italian horror; also pair the new horror movie with Mario Bava’s A Bay of Blood or Blood for Dracula for additional boundary-pushing horror titles shot at the Villa Parisi.
The Devils
The Devils was always intended to be incendiary. Horror, at its most depraved and sadistic, tends to make casual viewers uncomfortable. Ken Russell’s 1971 epic takes it to a whole new squeamish level with its nightmarish visuals steeped in some historical accuracy. There are the horror classics, like The Exorcist, and there are definitive transgressive horror cult classics. The Devils falls squarely in the latter, and Russell’s fearlessness in exploring taboos and wielding unholy imagery inspired Mohan’s approach to the escalating horror in Immaculate.
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