“On film, you pretend. On air live, you are, you got to be, yourself. And that’s precious.” - Nico Mastorakis
The quote above, stating that Mastorakis must “pretend” in order to make film, is not far from the truth. This easily explains he wide array of films including horror, action, comedy, and even fantasy. He is, in a way, a man of many faces. Unfortunately, not many Americans or other movie lovers know him other than the man that made “Island of Death”. Viewers are highly critical of his work. Some praise his first outing as brilliant, while others are repulsed by it. I personally, thought it to be genius and decided to take a look at this other work. My curiosity peaked and I decided to contact the Greek director for an interview.
HorrorYearbook: You have said in DVD commentary that you do not think of yourself as a very good actor, but I noticed that your earlier works were either acting or hosting TV shows. Was this your first passion that turned to production instead or just a way to break into the business?
Nico Mastorakis: I got a very complex background. My very first job was writing for radio. Then at the age of 18, I did my first radio show, which later (at the dawn of TV in Greece) transpired to hosting TV shows. I evolved to script writing, directing and editing later on but, somehow, Greek TV always favored my on-camera stints, especially late night chat shows. However, I did create two of the major Greek TV networks from scratch (Antenna TV and Star Channel) and managed both for a period of time. As for acting, I truly believe I’m one of the worst actors that have ever appeared on film.
HYB: Do you agree with the authorities decision to ban the release of Island of Death (1975)?
NM: Don’t mention the word “authority” in the place of the true and crude word “totalitarian” and “censorship”. Besides, “Island” was banned only in the UK, where the censors are nothing more than a hypocritical regime of constipated sphincters. In democracy which promotes freedom of speech and freedom of thought, who the hell has such a sick mind to appoint a clan of has-beens to tell people what they are allowed to watch.
HYB: Some viewers call the leads “Christians”, but I did not catch any reference in the film stating such. I thought that Christopher spouts prejudices as a way to justify his crimes and free him of all guilt, which is common for a psychopath, not necessarily a Christian. How did you intend them to be seen?
NM: Hell, no. I never intended to label the characters as “Christians”. That would be unfair to millions of good Christians and to Christianity (or any other religion, for that matter) itself. It would also be racist of me and racism sickens me. I intended them to be exactly what you have diagnosed: Sick, warped, perverted psychopaths.
[Read my review of Island of Death HERE, which Nico described as “well written and precisely pointed”.]
HYB: Another viewer called this Nazi Propaganda with the couple as “Nazis cleansing the Greek Isles of Jews”. Do you agree with this sentiment or is it as far left field as I think it is?
NM: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and, unfortunately, so is ugliness. There must be some neo-Nazi leftovers that look at the world (and its fictional depiction in movies) as a means for their own bullshit propaganda. My killers in “Island” are too good, too kind to be Nazis.
HYB: How did you get Jane Lyle (Ryall), a local and non-actor, to star in your film? For someone with no experience in film, some of the scenes must have been difficult for her to perform such as her (almost) gang rape scene.
NM: Jane was a young model at the time I found her in a casting, in Athens. She was a ballsy little girl, very much down to earth, and I explained to her in detail, what the part required. She was comfortable with each and every scene, perhaps more comfortable that I was directing her.
HYB: How was it working with Robert Behling, who played the psychotic Christopher? Was this a pleasurable experience or were there difficulties?
NM: Bob was a sweet, slightly confused person who gave me no trouble at all. He too was a model with some acting experience. He took directions quickly and nicely and did every bit of what was expected from him.
[Sadly, actor Robert Behling decided to take his own life shortly after appearing in Cujo in 1983.]
HYB: In the commentary you stated that you assisted with the Special Effects among other tasks due to the lack of crew available and budgetary restraints. I did not see that credit listed in your filmography though.
NM: Necessity, my dear, is the mother of all inventions. If I were to credit myself for everything I’ve done in the business, I would look like the most egotistical creature on this planet. I write, direct, produce, edit, cut effects, operate the camera at times, and run the sales campaigns. Credits are for insecure morons. The rest of us just do the job when they can or must.
HYB: You also stated that you made this film strictly to make money and that you do not enjoy exploitation films, but that this film would appeal to foreign markets. If you do not enjoy such films, How did you know that the violence included in yours would appeal to others? For instance, the infamous goat rape/ murder scene. Bestiality is not common in Americans films, so how did you know to include that?
NM: I did indeed do it for the money; it was a recipe picture. In writing the script, I counted pages before “money shots” and never exceeded two pages at a time. It was like dropping pieces of fruit in a blender from someone who never cut fruit or worked a blender before. The fact that it worked (according to some) and that the movie is still considered, somehow, to be a cult classic, proves that ignorance and innocence combined produce sincere results.
HYB: In Blind Date (1984), your central character Jonathan is blind without any physical reason. It seems that he has chosen on a subconscious level to no longer see, but when given the “sonar” device to help him, it hinders him in a way. What were you trying to say with this character?
NM: But there is a purely physical reason, the trauma from hitting his head hard on a tree. Jonathan has reasons not to want to see his past, but his eyes are hungry for the present. Being in the advertising business, he loves visuals, so nothing subconscious here.
HYB: How do you feel about the true case of co-star Lana Clarkson found shot in Phil Spector’s home? He is to stand trial, but claims this was a suicide. I find it that claim a little odd since there were several shots fired.
NM: I was stunned when it happened. Poor, sweet Lana. A woman that had done through so much hardship, a true survivor, she could never have killed herself. But in the case of rich murderers with expensive attorneys, the victim is branded. They assassinate the victim’s character and the murderer walks. I hope that the sometimes warped judicial system won’t let another O.J. walk.
HYB: Veteran genre actress Adrienne Barbeau has said that the only reason she made The Next One (1984) was for the chance of a trip to Greece. What was it like working with her?
NM: I love actresses who’d kill to get a part (always for the money) and then seek alibis (”Oh, I did it for the freebies”). I doubt it though that this was her intention. If she didn’t truly like the script, John Carpenter wouldn’t have been “inspired” to write a much similar movie (guess which and find the similarities, you may win a trip to Greece yourself!). I loved working with her and Keir Dullea. Making this movie was as sunny as Mykonos and Adrienne stayed a good friend many years after.
Now The Carpenter film that you are referring to is Starman (1984). I will take you up on that free trip.
HYB: In The Zero Boys (1986), there appear to be references to other films such as Wes Craven’s The Hills Have Eyes (1977). Was this intentional?
NM: When we write scripts we can hardly tell, in each scene, if what we do is intentional or subconscious. Ask Brian De Palma how much Hitch he has embedded in his subconscious.
HYB: I bet there is a little Hitch embedded in places other than his subconscious…
For The Wind (1987), you cast a woman as the strong adversary caught in a cat and mouse game with a serial killer. Most of your films center on a strong male lead or a group of males. Why did you choose a woman to play this part?
NM: The era of the strong male protagonist was still holding when I did the twist. Thank God, it’s fading out now and we have more women taking the lead. It was a sexist curse to use the females as the week decorative pieces while a muscular moron was running the show. I wrote this piece based on a female character and a non-gender foe or friend, the wind.
HYB: What was your inspiration for Nightmare at Noon (1988) where a town’s water supply is poisoned and the townspeople go berserk? I found this reminiscent of David Cronenberg’s Shivers (1975).
NM: And when I see Cronenberg movies, I find them reminiscent of twenty other movies I’ve seen. The more movies you see, the more they resemble to each other. We’re a community, which strives for originality and ends up repeating itself.
HYB: You were the writer for Bloodstone (1988), an action-adventure movie similar to Indian Jones or Romancing the Stone. Were you trying to break away from the horror genre?
NM: I was never stuck with the horror genre. If you count my movies, from “Island” onwards, you’ll find them almost equally divided between horror, suspense, comedy and action.
HYB: In the Cold of the Night (1991) you deal with technology again with the use of “Brain TV” receivers implanted into the lead character’s teeth. Do you have a fascination with the inner workings of the human mind?
NM: Oh, yes, very much so. I have a powerful fascination for the most unchartered territory of the universe. I’m now writing a script, which takes place entirely in a man’s brain.
HYB: I am going to check that one out also. Going back to “Night”, this starred softcore queen Shannon Tweed and The Birds icon Tippi Hedren. How did you get these two to participate in the film?
NM: I picked up the phone and called them. Simple as that.
HYB: That sounds simple to me. Your latest flick, .com for Murder (2002) also features a nice line up of stars Nastassja Kinski, Nicollette Sheridan, and Melinda Clarke. How was it working with these actresses and how did they get involved in this film?
NM: I had some of the worst moments of my movie career in this one. I loved Melinda, Huey Lewis, and Roger. What else can I say? It’s true that when a female actress ended (abruptly, as I fired her from the set) her filming, the next day I saw her chair with the sign (that the crew had pinned on it) “The bitch is wrapped”. My best still from the movie. The lesson l learned then was, never again hire a faded star just for the marquee name value.
HYB: This is pure speculation, but I would guess this is Sheridan. She has a long history of appearing in tabloids and causing catfights. What was the significance of the killer sporting a ring around his eye and quoting Goethe?
NM: Just to show that psychotic killers are usually hiding behind the façade of a pseudo-intellectual. Pseudo-intellectuals are a clan that I deeply despise.
HYB: You also have some comedies mixed in with your horror/ thrillers. Which genres do you prefer making or watching?
NM: Love suspense thrillers, both to watch and make. Comedies are the toughest to make, action is the longest and most painful to shoot but it was its rewards (”blow ‘em up” kinda fun). If it were up to me, I’d make “Deja vu” type of movies all my life.
HYB: I noticed a reoccurring theme of fashion photography in In the Cold of the Night and Hired to Kill. Also, the couple in Island of Death likes to take photos of their victims. Why the fascination with photography?
NM: I was a photographer since the age of 13. Old habits die last. Besides, the camera (if you look back at all the movies you’ve seen) has been the biggest and most consistent (and less costly) star in Hollywood.
HYB: Of all of your films, which is most dear to you and why?
NM: I can tell you that “.com for Murder” is my least dear, since it was made with so much grief. I chewed razor blades through it and don’t have a single good memory from it. All the others were fun to make, sold well, made money and left good feelings and good friends behind.
HYB: Your last film update on IMDB was in 2002. Are you working anything now or have any new projects you would like to mention?
NM: The timing is no longer right for smaller independent movies. Only bloody, violent horror still sells and I’m not in the mood for gore. So in addition to my radio station and my TV productions in Greece, I’m focusing on development of big scope screenplays in the hope that we’ll set them up with the major studios.
HYB: I read that you have a radio show in Greece. Have you ended your film & television career to be on air instead?
NM: I’ve always been on air, even when I was making one movie after the other. Radio is a 40 year love affair. Besides, Radio Gold is a 4% (in the ratings) classic rock station that I own and I’m not planning to give it up. And no, film and TV never end, they simply revolve.
HYB: What do you find to be the biggest difference working in radio as opposed to film?
NM: On film you pretend. On air, live, you are, you got to be, yourself. And that’s precious.
I have to admit, that I rather like Nico. He is very honest about his opinions on various subjects. Plus, you have to have to respect for a person that calls UK censors “constipated sphincters”. With a wit and sense of humor like that, you cannot imagine the movies he can create. Which is why I advise you see them for yourself. Sharing similarities with some of Craven, Carpenter, and Cronenberg best films, you are bound to find something you enjoy.
* For more information, please visit their website at www.omegapic.com and Island of Death’s official site featuring production stills at www.islandofdeath.com
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