Ryan Gavalier: You are obviously a pretty big fan of horror films. What movies and filmmakers inspired you to be part of the genre?
James Saito: It was actually the genre as a whole that inspired me rather than a particular film or director. I grew up watching the classic Universal Films, my favorite still being “Frankenstein” 1931. By the time Hammer moved to the forefront I was of age to see these films in an actual theatre, so I would go to as many as I could. I still watch the Hammer Dracula films with Christopher Lee regularly. During that same time period I fell in love with horror anthologies that were the specialty films of Amicus Productions. Amicus anthologies such as, “The House That Dripped Blood”, “Tales from the Crypt”, and “Vault of Horror” were a major influence on “BloodMania”. Over the years I became fascinated with gore, Herschell’s films and “Dawn of the Dead” 1978 steered me in that direction. Today I watch, what are considered by most to be, the most vile, disturbing films that I can find. It is with more curiosity than anything that I watch such films as “The Vomit Gore Doll” trilogy, The “August Underground” films, “A Serbian Film”, etc. I guess I’m jaded, I don’t find anything that the major studios put out particularly horrifying or interesting.
RG: What was your first project in the movie business?
JS: My background is mostly in television, marketing, and celebrity management. My first on set film experience was playing a zombie extra in a local Canadian film called, “The Dead Mile”.
RG: You have a business partnership with Herschell Gordon Lewis. How long have you two been working together?
JS: The answer to this is making me shake my head in wonder. I have known Herschell now for two years. Sometimes the passage of time takes me by surprise. It is my sincerest wish that we continue to do so for many years to come. I wish I would have met him 25 years ago, having him as a mentor is singularly illuminating and joyful.
RG: Lewis has had quite of body of work. What was your favorite of his movies?
JS: I like all of Herschell’s films for various reasons, but over the years the one that I consistently return to is “2000 Maniacs!” I do have great affection for “The Wizard of Gore, as it was the first of his films that I watched, and “She-Devils on Wheels”.
RG: You have produced a new film called "Herschell Gordon Lewis's BloodMania." Are there any comments you would like to make in light of the project?
JS: BloodMania is a horror anthology consisting of four stories, each with its own different flavor:
- Brewster Bricabrac is having a very bad day. He has botched a hostage taking, is on the run from the law, and worst of all is possessed by a demonic prosthetic hook he wears because…well you’ll just have to watch to find out why. This screenplay was written and directed by Herschell Gordon Lewis, and contains the wit, violence, and satire that his fans have come to associate with his work.
- Another is a story of suburban terror, a family moves into a new home unaware that they will be sharing it with something that they weren’t counting on. Directed by Herschell Gordon Lewis.
- When used deceptively the words, “I love you” can kill a person, as a young woman discovers in a tale of psychological horror that will keep the viewer guessing until the very last frame. Directed by Melanie Reinboldt.
- An all-female 80’s tribute band shooting their first big music video get more than they bargained for after they decide to fire their longtime Manager. They soon find that he harbors a secret past of his own in this insanely hilarious and bloody homage to the slasher films of the 1980s. Directed by Kevin Littlelight.
Mr. Lewis introduces each segment much like Rod Serling did in “Twilight Zone” and “Night Gallery”.
RG: Of all the movies you've watched, what is the greatest horror movie you've ever seen?
JS: You’re asking me some tough ones. It used to be “The Exorcist”, there is something in that movie to scare everyone. Now though I would have to say that because of its darkly humorous overtones, pop references, performances, and disturbing visuals the greatest would have to be “The Devil’s Rejects”. It’s all subjective, that’s the glory of horror – different films scare different people.
RG: Do you have any other ventures aside from filmmaking?
JS: There are certainly other of life’s avenues that I wish to explore in future years. But film producing is such an all encompassing task, each one takes up two years between pre-production and post release marketing, that I have time for little else. I still try to write zombie movie reviews for my website, “James and Steve’s Zombie Movie Rating Guide” when I can, and I have a site where I write the occasional humorous essay called “A Sober Perspective”.
http://www.asoberperspective.com/
RG: Are there any other movies you have begun working on yet?
JS: I am currently reading scripts. I pretty much know what stories are going to be included in the next HGL anthology, and yes Herschell’s script for ‘Mr. Bruce and the Gore Machine” AKA “The Stainless Steel Butcher” is one of them. We will be shooting several features over the five years that I have signed on for, and I have to decide on the proper projects. I have a script for a film based on what is widely considered the most disturbing horror novel ever written. It is precisely the kind of film that I would, as a horror fan, be proud to attach my name to, but it poses a problem for me as Diabolique Film’s Vice President of Development/Production. Despite this being a dream project for me, I must decide whether its subject matter would be a detriment to profitability. If Herschell has taught me anything, it is that we work in an industry called Show Business, at the end of the day it is about profit, nothing else. I am accountable to investors.
RG: Do you see a great future for the horror genre? Will it stay alive and be as relevant as it has been the past century?
JS: Horror films, like comedies, will always have their place in cinema because they both address an essential human need. We collectively need to have an outlet that allows us to laugh, and with horror, to feel fear without personal consequence. So for me the burning question is what will constitute a horror film fifty years from now? In 1931 it was reported that some women fainted when they saw King Kong onscreen, today kids laugh when they see him. At its best the horror genre should be a reflection of our fears as a society, as the society evolves so should the films. But here we wander into tricky territory, all parents fear the idea that their child should fall prey to a pedophile serial killer, but should a responsible film maker depict it graphically for the sake of doing so? Do we make films about Muslim extremists committing acts of terror and further exacerbate a volatile situation for art’s sake? As long as future film makers remember that the horror films that have had enduring success owe it to a number of elements coming together in such way that is entertaining to a broad cross section of movie goers the genre will continue to flourish.
I would like to thank Mr. Saito for all of the cooperation in this interview, and I hope the best for the rest of his career. Be sure to check out more information on "Bloodmania." Below is a link that will give a sneak peek of the film, and which also serves as a very interesting article all about it.
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