 One of the perks (and for me probably the biggest thrill) of being involved in the genre scene is when you have the chance to view a new director's film. I must admit, therefore, that I was very happy when Dante Tomaselli (the cousin of Alfred Sole, whose Alice Sweet Alice is an excellent little shocker) got in touch with us and offered us the opportunity to view his debut picture Desecration. I had read a little about this film in Fangoria and I was very excited about seeing it...
Well - horror fans, as you may have discovered from my DVD review, this is exactly what many of you will have been waiting for. Despite being shot on a low budget, this film features some incredibly stylish camerawork, imaginative direction and fantastic, believable performances. The script, meanwhile, plunges you head first into a confusing, but no less compulsive and colourful, macabre landscape of sins, shocks and scissors. In case you have not guessed, I am happy to put my recommendation behind this movie - it really is well worth your time.
|
- Can you tell me a little about what you were trying to express at the ending of Desecration? You seem to leave the door open for a sequel...
I wanted to show that evil was prevailing. The ending was ambiguous and jarring, but hopefully it was clear that the devil won. I tried to show negative energy stored up in an object and being released. In a strange way, Horror is a sequel to Desecration. You'll see. It's part of the same universe. Danny Lopes, who was Bobby in Desecration, returns as a runaway drug-addict. He's still going on a journey through the halls of hell. Christie Sanford who played his sadistic mother is back. So is Vincent Lamberti who played the black-leather priest, Brother Nicolas. They're shape shifters and they've come back to taunt him further...
 - Is atmosphere and visual perfection more important to you than the narrative of a picture?
Yes. I definitely place a strong emphasis on form and structure... the design of the film...the look of it. That gets me accused of style over substance. But I think, with my films, the substance is in the style. I purposely allow the look of the film to dominate. It becomes, in effect, the narrative. I want to put the viewers in a trance-like state so that they can think about situations in their own lives that relate to the images on the screen. I'm interested in the powers of the mind, the dream-state...These are 'ambient horror' films. Ever since I was a little kid, I've drawn mazes. And I've had very intense reoccurring nightmares. I think that's why in my films you feel lost. I can't stop drawing those mazes and thinking about nightmares. My films are like psychic footprints.
- I was very impressed by the scene with the possessed scissors in Desecration. However, this excellent set piece aside, there is very little explicit violence in the film. Was this because of the relatively low budget or is a conscious decision, for you, to move away from the school of 'blood and guts' filmmaking?
No. I'm all for gore. I think it's very effective sometimes. The Evil Dead is one of my favourite movies of all time. I wanted more gore in Desecration but couldn't afford to do it the right way. . . I definitely raised the ante in Horror, but it's still very far from being a splatter-punk film. Overall, it's very suggestive. I believe the power of the imagination rules. Why show what's behind the door? I'd rather hear sounds and visualise it myself, imagine it.
- How big of an influence was Alfred Sole's excellent Alice Sweet Alice upon Desecration?
A subconscious influence. I mean I never directly lifted scenes or images. If some symbols or ideas found a way into my stuff, it happened naturally, not on a conscious level. But wouldn't it make sense that we'd share some of the same visions since we are relatives? Plus the Catholic neighbourhoods of Paterson New Jersey always fascinated me...the ever-present Madonna's and Saints. That's where I was born and that's where I'd go every weekend to see my grandmothers.
- In previous interviews, you have mentioned a selection of Italian directors that have had an influence upon you (i.e. Bava, Argento, Fulci). Can you name any American or British directors that you may consider pivotal to your style?
Nicolas Roeg. John Carpenter. George Romero. Roger Corman. Brian De Palma. Roger Corman. Dan Curtis. David Lynch. Bob Clark. Pete Walker. Those are the directors I'm influenced by in some way. It's only recently I've been getting into Italian horror films. I know that sounds hard to believe but it's true. I get pegged as Italian Euro-Horror all the time - but I've only been to Europe once and all the horror directors I grew up with were either American or British. Maybe it's just my Italian blood. I am Italian American.
 - Do you anticipate Desecration becoming a popular 'cult' film?
That would be great. Desecration came out on DVD and VHS in March of 2000. It's been over a year since its release and it's still steadily getting reviews.
- Do you hold any religious beliefs and, if so, in what way were they influential to the making of Desecration?
Well, I grew up Catholic. Alfred considers himself an Ex-Catholic and I don't know if I'd go that far. I'm more ambivalent about it all, though I'm veering towards being an atheist. I definitely have a fear of organised religion, the type that divides people and causes wars. When evil is cloaked in religion...to me that's the scariest. That kind of hypocrisy...nothing scares me more.
 - What can you tell me about the plot to Horror?
It's a 'psychological zombie film'. Drug-addiction, murder, child abuse and satanism. All these elements are woven together into a film that could only be described as a never-ending nightmare.
- Judging from the trailer, Horror looks as if it will be on of the most visually audacious horror films of recent years. Will this movie be given a theatrical release?
I hope so. If not, I'll live, but I really think this one belongs in theatres. I just have to get the trailer and commercial out there. If not it would definitely come out on DVD but I'm gonna push for a theatrical release.
- In what way will Horror be different from Desecration?
Horror will be a lot more energetic than Desecration. It's kind of like Alice in Wonderland Goes to Hell. You never know what lurks around the corner. There's all sorts of secret passage ways. I just think it's a much better film on every level. The acting, story, pacing, cinematography, sound, everything. It was kind of a miracle Desecration ever got made. There were so many location changes and props and so little money. This one was much better planned. I was more confident. Basically, I had a $100, 000 production budget on Desecration. On Horror, I had $200, 000 to shoot. That really helped.
 - I see that Felissa Rose will be returning to the genre scene in Horror. Are there any other famous cult faces that you would like to one day work with?
I'd love to work with Ric Ocasek of The Cars in some capacity. Linda Blair. Debbie Harry. Dale Bozzio of The Missing Persons. Laurie Anderson. Paula Shepard from Alice, Sweet Alice. The little blonde girl from The Brood. And of course, Jamie Lee Curtis...that would be a dream. I'm sure there are many others I'm forgetting.
- Do you think you will even make a film that does not fit into the category of horror?
I think all my films will be horror-themed somehow. I remember there was this period in college when I majored in Advertising and all of my presentations were eerie and grotesque. All of the Ads, one after another, no matter what. My real passion is in conjuring these visions. I don't question why they're there. I just know they need to come out.
- Do you still watch a lot of horror movies? If so, what do you think of the state of today's genre scene?
I don't watch a lot of today's horror movies. The last great one was in 1987 - Hellraiser. It all stopped there. The state of today's genre scene is sad. I've been waiting for a solid, genuinely scary horror movie to come out since the 80's but really nothing has. Jacob's Ladder was very good. But that's about it.
- And lastly, as an independent genre filmmaker yourself, what was your reaction to the success of The Blair Witch Project?
I was jealous of The Blair Witch Project, honestly. I was hoping Desecration would get that midnight screening slot at Sundance. As Blair Witch started to generate all that massive press, I changed my tune because I realised it was actually a very good thing for independent horror films...all that media exposure. When I finally saw it on tape, I found it to be interesting. The concept was deceptively simple, the story was creepy and engaging. But after a while, I felt irritated by the whiny kids and that shaky camera. I'm sorry - I know it's almost cliché to bring that up - but the camerawork annoyed me, especially since I put so much into the cinematography for Desecration. After a while, The Blair Witch Project felt kind of like MTV's The Real World but in-the-woods. I have to say - I did love the pitch-black ambiguous ending. The last 15 minutes. I was actually scared.
You can read our DVD review of Dante Tomaselli's Desecration here
|