Interview with Eric Rhoades, Twitching Monkey Productions
by Molly Celaschi
“No one in the world ever gets what they want and that is beautiful. Everybody dies frustrated and sad and that is beautiful” – They Might Be Giants.
On Halloween of 2006, I had the privilege of interviewing up and coming film director Eric Rhoades. Eric’s eclectic interests and background will serve him well in the horror industry. He seems to combine odd elements such as a dark comedy and even pokes fun at mental disorders while maintaining a sympathetic look at his lead characters. Hmmm… Do I smell a future Sam Raimi in our ranks? With his previous work on Troma films, it is no wonder he can offer a refreshing look at the horror comedy subgenre.
HorrorYearbook: How did you get your start in filmmaking?
Eric Rhoades: In high school I took two years of Media Technology and discovered how much I loved filmmaking. It was a “television production” class, but I saw myself as a filmmaker. I did manage to score “Best Video Of The Year” both years.
HYB: What interests you about the horror industry? What are your favorite horror films and who influences your work the most?
ER: The best thing about the never-ending independent horror scene is it gives invaluable experience to all aspiring actors and crew/filmmakers looking for a place to start. I tend to lean toward comedy, but I’d love to be involved in horror films. It’s a lot of fun to work on and I love appealing to a niche crowd.
My favorite horror flicks include the “Evil Dead” trilogy, “From Dusk Til Dawn”, “Audition”, “An American Werewolf In London”, “Terror Firmer”, “Dead Alive”, “The Frighteners” and “The Shining”. When it comes to horror, I’d say my influences would be Sam Raimi, Peter Jackson and Robert Rodriguez, though overall I’m heavily influenced by Wes Anderson, Kevin Smith (who is about to make his first foray into the horror genre), Joel & Ethan Coen, and Danny DeVito’s dark comedies (Throw Momma From The Train, War of the Roses).
HYB: Is horror your favorite genre or Do you plan to branch out into other genres during your career?
ER: My favorite genre is comedy, honestly. I appreciate comedy of all kinds, and that definitely includes horror comedy. I would love to try a lot of different things if I’m lucky enough to continue doing this for life, but I don’t think I could ever get completely serious. If I end up making an all-out horror film, it would be really over the top and silly like “Evil Dead 2″, a comedy dealing with the macabre like “Beetlejuice” or as weird as the Crispin Glover version of “Willard”.
“Nature Trail To Hell”, the horror movie happening within “Don’t Let’s Start”, is a mix of ’80’s slasher and Troma and elements of the non-horror exploitation work of John Waters and Russ Meyer, with a killer that comes across as John Waters playing Freddy Krueger and a Sam Raimi sense of style.
HYB: What exactly is Twitching Monkey Productions and How did it come to maturation?
ER: Twitching Monkey Productions is the name I gave my “production company” in 2001 when Roary Wiernik and I wrote the short film Caffeine Headache (which is up on the TMP MySpace site http://www.myspace.com/twitchingmonkeyproduction).
HYB: So tell us about “Don’t Let’s Start”. What is it about and who is starring in it?
ER: Don’t Let’s Start is a dark social satire that shows the cruelty of mainstream society from the point of view of an outsider who’s not prepared to deal with it and shows what really happens when the geeky outcast gets the unobtainable object of his affection. 19 year old Wallace Elend works in a run-down movie theater with his closest friends, Michael Elfman and Ana Ng, and a boss that hates him. He, Elfman and Ana begin putting together a no-budget DV horror flick called “Nature Trail To Hell” and recruit Alicia Hale, a gorgeous former co-worker, to star as one of the “sexy gun-slinging lesbian park rangers”. She develops an interest in Wallace and he falls in love with her, but her sadistic behavior begins to have a dangerous effect on him.
I will be playing Elfman (assuming I can pass for 19… it would be nice to get this film in the can before I’m 50, you know?). I would like to get a few “name” character actors to mix in with my pre-existing stable of actors. I wrote Alicia for a very specific character actress, but we’re not ready to make an offer just yet. Dian Bachar is attached to play the assistant manager of the movie theater. He’s best known for “Cannibal! The Musical”, “Orgazmo” and “BASEketball”. A couple of musicians I know who are gaining popularity these days are going to be involved. Mike Wiebe, the front man of the Riverboat Gamblers (and co-writer and co-star of “Prison-A-Go-Go!”) has a role written for him and Corn Mo (currently touring with Ben Folds) should be performing during the opening titles.
HYB: You said that “DLS” involves bipolar disorder. Do you have first hand experience with someone close to you dealing with this disorder or was it just thrown in for fun?
ER: I gave Wallace elements of bipolar disorder and OCD, though he’s never officially diagnosed. I have symptoms of it myself, though I’ve never seen a doctor about it. If you ask me, being a filmmaker isn’t so much a career choice as it is a chemical imbalance. I did have a roommate with OCD years ago, and have always been fascinated by that sort of thing.
HYB: Your tagline on your MySpace page is “Everybody Dies Frustrated and Sad”. Care to elaborate?
ER: The title “Don’t Let’s Start” comes from the song “Don’t Let’s Start” by They Might Be Giants. The tagline comes from the line “No one in the world ever gets what they want and that is beautiful. Everybody dies frustrated and sad and that is beautiful”. I think the song and film have similar themes and thus the title made sense to me. Surprisingly, it’s rarely questioned. Song titles can’t be copyrighted (hence so many movies named for songs), and fortunately I had the opportunity to ask John Flansburgh of TMBG (when my friend Corn Mo toured with them) if they objected and said he saw no problem with it. There would be no legal issues, but I’d rather not have my favorite band angry with me. There’s a concert scene, but whether or not TMBG will appear is a budget and scheduling issue.
HYB: I heard that you were looking for people to help finance your film. How can someone get involved with “DLS”? What are the ways an Average Joe or Jane can make a small contribution?
ER: What we’re currently doing is raising development money. I have a larger production company interested in helping me out from development to distribution, but I have to cover all the legal and development aspects and like most indie filmmakers, I don’t have that kind of cash lying around and getting a bank loan isn’t an option for me at this time. So I’m trying to raise it by selling credits and such on eBay. A friend of mine financed his horror film “Survival” (http://www.myspace.com/survivalmovie) via eBay by selling “executive producer” credits.
While I feel “Executive Producer” should be reserved on DLS, I am selling “Special Thanks” in the credits for $10, and “Associate Producer” in the opening credits for $100. I’m trying to decide on a good $25 credit, but haven’t settled on one yet. I’m also selling T-shirts and a lot of random things friends have donated. Get on eBay.com and search for user monkey27.
Of course, if you’d rather not go through eBay I can be contacted directly, and if anyone is interested in actually *investing* all the cash I need, they are more than welcome to discuss that will me as well. I’ve got a prospectus and script they can check out upon request. I’m also in the market for a new producer, as I am not much for the business end of this industry. I need the Scott Mosier to my Kevin Smith.
HYB: I noticed that in the past you worked on many projects with Lloyd Kaufman such as “Make Your Own Damn Movie!”, “Pot Zombies”, and “Prison-A-Go-Go!” What was it like working with Kaufman and How did you get the privilege?
ER: I first worked with Lloyd on “Prison-A-Go-Go!”. He asked me to carry around his camcorder while he did his cameo in the cafeteria scenes, which ended up in the “Make Your Own Damn Movie!” segment on the film. When I was cast in “Pot Zombies” I was surprised to learn I’d actually be acting opposite him. I had no idea he was playing the pizza delivery guy as retarded ahead of time. You can see the confusion on my face.
Lloyd also did a scene with me for a project called “The Wake-Up Call” that I’ve handed over to another director and is the reason I was able to get Dian Bachar on board for DLS. He’s an incredibly generous and supportive guy to aspiring young filmmakers like me. Expect to see him cameo in DLS, and I will certainly remember him if I go further in the business. There are some seriously slimy motherfuckers in this industry, and his kindness amazes me. He’s definitely earned my respect.
HYB: What was the most important lesson you learned working in production? Any advise for other indie filmmakers?
ER: The most important thing in production is reliability. It’s absurd how many people just simply flake out without reason, with little concern for the people who have to pick up the slack in their absence or the damage it does to the final product. Crazy egos aside, ALL films are a team effort, and everyone’s job is a vital part of the process. Your most important asset is your reputation and if you blow off the people that need you, it can cost you bigger gigs and paychecks. You have no way of knowing who is going to break out and when, and fucking over the wrong person can and will effect your future.
My advice to other indie filmmakers is… stop it! Get a real job! There’s too many of us, get out of my way! Okay… really, it’s cliche, but persistence is key. You have to be the dismembered knight from Monty Python & The Holy Grail.
HYB: So, When and Where can we expect to see “DLS”?
ER: I’d love to shoot next year, but God hates me for being an atheist, so I can’t say for sure. The more people that support us the faster it happens! Distribution is always a gamble, but I have a script I am confident in and given the proper support, it will warrant an art house release. But again, you never know. I saw Mark Osborne’s film “Dropping Out” 6 years ago and I absolutely loved it, but I’ve never seen it released or available beyond festivals.
HYB: Do you have any projects in line for the future once “DLS” is completed?
ER: I have ideas, screenplays in the works and things I’d love to do, but if I told you now what they were, I’d have to pry open your skull and jab around in your brain with an ice pick until I was sure you wouldn’t remember or tell others. Thieves are everywhere, I tell you!
HYB: Well, I am glad that we ended this on a happy note. Anyone that threatens to jab my brain with an ice pick is worthy of the horror community’s attention.
* For more information on Twitching Monkey Productions, Please visit their website at www.TwitchingMonkey.com. For information on the upcoming film “Don’t Let’s Start”, Please visit their MySpace page.
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