Slime City is celebrating its 20th anniversary. What are you doing to celebrate, and why do you think it's become such a cult favorite?
Slime City came out at the tail end of the '80s, when that horror boom was coming to an end. We played as a midnight movie in New York City, sold the film around the world, and it came out on VHS -- but timing was against it. Ten years later, it was re-released on video, and in 2005, thanks to a resurgent interest in gooey '80s films, it finally took off and was discovered by a much wider audience than ever before. To celebrate the anniversary, Rob Tomaro, who composed the score, re-mixed the original recordings, which we released on CD for the first time. And I've been doing anniversary screenings with different cast members at various film festivals. It's been interesting watching the movies with mainstream audiences after all these years.
Is it true that you're planning on a sequel?
I'm developing a sequel, Slime City Massacre. I haven't written the screenplay yet, because I'm so busy, but I've worked out the story. There will be some continuity there for fans of the original, but it will be set up so that people who don't even know that Slime City exists can enjoy it. This time, both members of a couple get possessed, and we see all of the other tenants as slime demons as well. The story is much wilder, and it's really intended as a celebration of that whole sleazy era and the other films people love from it: Basket Case, Street Trash and the Troma films. I want to go all out with this; it's for the fans who have supported my little movie all these years. And I have my first investor! A respected horror writer/publisher named John Maclay has gotten things rolling.
Are there any other films on the horizon for you?
I've been developing a film called Deadly Rites, which a friend, Walt Jantzen, wrote, for years. Another friend, Greg Kurczynski, is producing it, and has landed an exec producer who's committed 75% of the budget on the condition that we secure a pre-approved cast. To that end, Greg has hired a casting director. So that's where we are now. This is a much bigger film than I've attempted before -- a "real" movie -- and we hope to shoot this summer. I'll shoot Slime City in the fall, after Deadly Rites wraps, or in the summer if Deadly Rites falls through.
In between films, you've become quite the author. Your latest book, Johnny Gruesome, began as a screenplay back in the '80s that you'd hoped would be your first film. Is that correct? Why did you decide to revisit it after all these years?
Mainly because I've always loved the character and felt he had tremendous commercial potential. The story takes place in a fictionalized version of the town I grew up in, Fredonia, outside Buffalo. After living in New York City for 20 years, I moved to Buffalo with my wife. Just being so close to the old town, in the winter, "resurrected" Johnny and I couldn't shake him. I felt I had to get him out of my system once and for all. I'm glad I did.
Tell me about the story in Johnny Gruesome.
It's a much simpler tale than my first novel, Personal Demons, but the reviews so far have been better than I could have hoped for. Johnny is a heavy metal high school living in a small town, and one winter night he's murdered. Because he's a kid, and very immature and angry, his soul would rather have revenge than move on to the afterlife, whatever it is. But he finds that an angry spirit is pretty ineffective in the physical world, so he basically puppeteers his own rotting corpse to get the revenge he craves. It's an all out, E.C. comics-style gore-fest, but I'm very happy with the characters. I call this a book aimed squarely at horror movie buffs, but I'm pleased the reviewers think it's got broader appeal than that.
Johnny Gruesome has a CD soundtrack, two online comic books, a mask and a mini-movie/music video (featuring cult icon Erin Brown AKA Misty Mundae). Why the multimedia angle? Is Johnny poised to take over?
I'm basically doing everything to promote the novel that I would have done to promote the movie, and that means spin-off merchandise that I want for my own enjoyment! The Gruesome CD by Giasone and Marcy Italiano kicks serious butt, the comics won Best Comic Book at the NYC Horror Film Festival, and that mask is just the coolest thing; I'm looking at one right now. People can read the comics or watch the short for free; I'm just getting the character out there.
Are there any plans to expand the Gruesome mini-movie into a full-length feature?
It's funny: both Personal Demons and Johnny Gruesome started out as screenplays, but once I wrote them as novels, I decided that was the most satisfying medium for me, because prose allows you to really get inside the characters' heads. A filmmaker just offered to buy the rights from me, and I could really use the money, but I couldn't do it. Johnny is my baby, and I'd prefer to make that film myself. If someone wants to adopt him from me, they're going to have to make it an offer I can't refuse…
