Head told The Huffington Post (via Digital Spy) the film is “a horrible idea in as much as Buffy was a great conceit. It was a great story. A great idea. I don’t feel that you can then remake that without the original creator on board. It doesn’t make sense.” That has been the same issue that many have complained about when this reboot was first announced (here). Head also goes on to say this movie is getting for just one reason: To “make money”.

Head also mentions that “somewhere down the line, I suppose… you could [do a remake] but it never sits very comfortably.”

The Film:

Jon: It’s true. It’s all true. Everything you’ve heard about Repo! A Genetic Opera is true. No, not what the narrow minded critics have been saying, in fact they are quite uninformed about what they think they saw. I’m actually talking about the completely original, unique, bizarre vision director Darren Lynn Bousman and co-writers Terrance Zdunich and Darren Smith have brought us.

Donny: Repo! The Genetic Opera was like nothing I’ve ever seen before.  I’m sure people will compare it to Sweeney Todd or The Rocky Horror Picture Show, but in all honesty Repo! actually rises above those films when it comes to pure originality.

Jon: Yeah, that’s why it’s so hard to describe Repo! and I think that’s where many critics have given up on it and had made them think it’s a complete mess. Actually, it might be moot to describe it because whatever I think it is, it will be something reminiscent of something else for someone else. That’s the diving line right there. Repo! is so crazy, beautiful, and unique that many will be confused by what they see. Its okay, even its creators don’t mind if you don’t vibe with it, but it’s off-putting to see so many critics ripping on it for the silliest of reasons.

First of all, it is an opera. The typical musical, let’s say Rocky Horror Picture Show, is a musical with talking between singing.  Repo! is constantly referred to as a film that features a few songs here and there to break up the dialogue. We’re used to that. In fact, musicals have been on a high as of late, but Repo! isn’t that, it’s practically 99% song over dialogue. The songs are magnificent. Featuring more songs than any six musicals put together, Repo! showcases some of the fun and musical ingenuity that will stick with the people that enjoy it. That’s another thing; I don’t think many mainstream critics dig the rock opera aspects. Most songs blur genres together, like “Chase the Morning” which features Sarah Brightman’s incredible voice against some dark Euro-pop hooks and industrial, NIN-influenced beats.

Donny: Director Darren Lynn Bousman said that he wanted to make something different, a rock opera, and that’s exactly what he did.  His casting choices were brilliant, even in the case of Paris Hilton, who not only surprised me, but showed depth and emotion as the surgery addicted Amber Sweet.  While Bill Moseley is great as the violently obnoxious Luigi, and Brightman is awesome (and sexy) as Blind Mag, it’s Alexa Vega and Anthony Head that are the real stars of the flick. 

Jon: Exactly! Anthony Head is the best of the bunch as he has the most duality in his character of Nathan Wallace/Repo Man to work with. He’s constantly shifting from loving father to raging monster, even in song, but it’s never campy or over-acted. His long working relationship with Joss Whedon comes in handy here, I believe. Bill Moseley is a delight too, a raunchy, vulgar man, a prefect role for him to ham it up. Hell, I’ll say it-even Paris Hilton is good here playing Amber Sweet a surgery-addicted druggie, you’ll forget all of the tabloid stuff. But the surprise to me is Alexa Vega. I was blown away by her strength and vulnerability in the role of Shilo, but her singing is also really impressive. Her duet with Anthony Head in “I Didn’t Know I Loved You So Much” is mature and rocking at the same time.

Donny: Alexa is wonderful as Shilo, and Anthony Head is beyond amazing.  He basically plays two characters, Nathan and the Repo Man, both of which he knocks right out of the park.  But it was Graverobber (Terrance Zdunich) that intrigued me the most.  He is a drug dealer that sells Zydrate (a drug used to deal with the pain of constant surgery), and he knows everything about the future he lives in.  He knows the city, its inhabitants, and he ties it all together with a neat little bow.

I know critics have been tearing this movie apart, but the only reason I can see for the hatred they have towards this flick is pretentious nose in the air bullshit.  Repo! the Genetic Opera was not only a unique movie-going experience it’s an event that demands multiple viewings.  Bousman created a monster that not only lives, it demands to be heard.

Jon: Repo! is a unique experience, an experience that must been seen. If you dig it, like Donny and I did, then there’s so much to enjoy and talk about. I can’t wait for a cult to get going on this film, as it’ll be a lot of fun. If you don’t like it, at least you took a chance at something wild and different, and in this current Hollywood climate of rehashes and sequels, that’s got to mean something.

The Blu Ray:

Audio/Video: Should there be any doubt that a film shot on a HD camera and transferred digitally to Blu Ray, should be sparkling and gorgeous? Repo! looks fantastic, maybe even better here than theatrically. With sharp details, vivid colors, and no flaws of any kind, this is an amazing transfer. The audio is heavy on bass, but I was hoping since it was a DTS track to be louder. It’s a rather soft sounding track, although nothing bad, I just expected to sound like I was at a concert.

Commentary 1: This is the fun track of the two, with Bousman and actors Bill Moseley, Alexa Vega, and Orge. They offer up info on working with this collective mix of actors and musicians, experimenting and other fun trivia.

Commentary 2: Bousman’s back and with Darren Smith, Terrance Zdunich, and Music Producer Joseph Bishara. More technical in discussion but offers up a great track on the history and making-of; it’s defiantly worth a listen.

Select Commentary with Paris Hilton: With Bousman, they talk over some of Amber Sweet’s scenes and what it was like to work with each other, doing the music, and her persona. Decent.

Video Sing-alongs: Bousman wanted the film to be an experience, a crowd involvement film, so these segments are a great idea. Four are presented, “Zydrate Anatomy”, “Legal Assassin”, “Chase the Morning”, and “At the Opera Tonight”, and with a bouncing heart over the lyrics we can all sing along! Good stuff and will go a long way to enhance fan participation.

Webisode Featurettes: Covering the origin of the film and concept, Blind Mag, Amber Sweet, and Nathan Wallace, we’re giving audition tapes, interviews, and recognition for the actors and characters. They are short but informative.

Deleted Scenes: These are a Blu Ray exclusive and offer optional commentary between Bousman and Paris Hilton. The fist deleted scene is really good, a musical number between Amber Sweet and Graverobber. It’s a good song that hopefully, we’ll get to own or hear. The others are deleted extended parts, and one offers a whole subplot that’s dropped from the film that could’ve altered our feelings on two characters.

Poster Gallery in HD and a Trailer also in HD are offered.

Conclusion: I have a strong feeling that this will be a main stay on the midnight screening circuit and I expect a few critical re-evaluations in the near future too. This Blu Ray is really good and the one to get because of the exclusives. While I hoped to see this 10 minute short Bousman directed with Shawnee Smith to get the studio interested and some more deleted scenes, I can’t recommend this enough

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

It’s so hard to describe Repo! and I think that’s where many critics have given up on it and had made them think it’s a complete mess. Actually, it might be mute to describe it because whatever I think it is, it will be something reminiscent of something else for someone else. That’s the diving line right there. Repo! is so crazy, beautiful, and unique that many will be confused by what they see. Its okay, even its creators don’t mind if you don’t vibe with it, but it’s off-putting to see so many critics ripping on it for the silliest of reasons.

First of all, it is an opera. The typical musical, let’s say Rocky Horror Picture Show because that is what Repo! is constantly referred to as, features a few songs here and there to break up the dialogue. We’re used to that. In fact, musicals have been on a high as of late, but Repo! isn’t that, it’s practically 99% song over dialogue. The songs are magnificent. Featuring more songs than any six musicals put together, Repo! showcases some of the fun and musical ingenuity that will stick with the people that enjoy it. That’s another thing; I don’t think many mainstream critics dig the rock opera aspects. Most songs blur genres together, like “Chase the Morning” which features Sarah Brightman’s incredible voice against some dark Euro-pop hooks and industrial, NIN-influenced beats.

The songs compliment each character perfectly. “Seventeen” is a punk styled song that has Shilo (Alexa Vega) releasing some angst against her dad. I’ve read where someone stated that this song is too much like an Avril Lavigne song and it was off-putting and unneeded. Huh? Shilo is young and brash. The song perfectly tells us her conflict and in a way that is her. She wouldn’t sing a ballad, not in the Repo! universe. Pretty much all of the songs are like this. In “Mark It Up” Bill Moseley sings annoyingly because his character is an asshole and doesn’t care. It’s perfect. Same with “Zydrate Anatomy“, perhaps the hit song from the soundtrack, features Grave Robber (Terrance Zdunich) in a cool, Marilyn Manson-inspired song that covers the backdrop to themes in the Repo! world. It’ll get stuck in your head for days.

With a collision of different musical styles, Bousman edits some scenes almost like a music video. I think in this film’s case, it works perfectly. The songs present themselves to be filmed in that manner and sometimes it adds much to the setting or character. With such an emphasis on songs, surprisingly the film is a visual wonder to look at. Each scene has so much going on; whether it is a DJing grandma, neon lighting, or infomercials playing on hovering TVs, Repo! is like if Blade Runner was directed by Trent Reznor. Adding to it all, is this visual playbill, most operas have a playbill ready for you, Repo! one ups that old time machismo, by having these comic book-like panels. These are used to tell a back story of a character, much like the playbill does, so one can enjoy the visuals and the music.

I really hope you’re either confused or interested in what I’ve been detailing, because even with all of that, the casting is the cherry on top of it all. Many of Bousman’s choices might seem like stunt casting but only until you see the film does it all fell natural. Anthony Head is the best of the bunch as he has the most duality in his character of Nathan Wallace/Repo Man to work with. He’s constantly shifting from loving father to raging monster, even in song, but it’s never campy or over-acted. His long work with Joss Whedon comes in handy here, I believe. Bill Moseley is a delight too, a raunchy, vulgar man, a prefect role for him to ham it up. Hell, I’ll say it-even Paris Hilton is good here playing Amber Sweet a surgery-addicted druggie, you’ll forget all of the tabloid stuff. But the surprise to me is Alexa Vega. I was blown away by her strength and vulnerability in the role of Shilo, but her singing is really impressive. Her duet with Anthony Head in “I Didn’t Know I Loved You So Much” is mature and rocking at the same time.

I know this review has been long-winded, but Repo! A Genetic Opera deserves it. The only negative I can say is that I wanted a little more of Blind Mag and maybe a little more with this character or that character, and then I thought, if I’m saying that, then I was so engrossed in the film, the characters and the music, the Bousman and company did their job. Now getting back to these critics that absolutely hate this, well, of course they do! They don’t get the film’s gothic but futuristic world. They don’t get the industrial, metal, opera songs. They don’t get anything because this film isn’t made for them. It’s made for me, the theatre kids, the art students, the Goths, or any other subculture you belong to. I have a strong feeling that this will be a main stay on the midnight screening circuit and I expect a few critical re-evaluations in the near future too.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

As many of you know, Lions Gate gave Repo! A Genetic Opera only a couple of screens when they released it on November 7^th. Since then, we’ve interviewed many people from the cast (Anthony Head: here; Bill Moseley: here and here)and crew and have a review it from Donny and today, I. Darren Bousman (read: here) and Terrance Zdunich (read: here)have chosen to take Repo! from city to city, in eight markets. I had the pleasure of traveling and seeing Repo! on the big screen and took in some thoughts from the Repo! Road Tour.

Darren Bousman, Jon Peters, Terrance Zdunich

The stop I visited was in Kansas City. It was like a homecoming of sorts for Darren Bousman, a Kansas native. Prior to the screening at 9pm, Darren hosted a little party full of family and friends, plus some Repo! fanatics. The mood was light but you could tell Darren was a bit apprehensive. Repo!  is unlike his Saw films and he guaranteed that most of his family will not like it. The film was a passion project from him, and at times he was coaxing up some of that fun.

“Can I have your attention please?” he demanded. “Family,” he directed, “meet Repo! fans. “Repo! fans meet my family.” Laughter ensued. It was pretty funny a few people dressed up in Gothic clothes and his family, a typical Midwestern-looking family mingling, but Darren is right. Repo! is all about community and nothing served that notion better than his gathering of fans and family. Terrance Zdunich was there too, as he will be for the Road Show, talking with friends, kicking back a cold beer, laughing, it was a good time, but we had to get going. A line was forming by the theatre of nervous and excited fans waiting to see Repo! and Darren.

The line was long, but everyone was in good spirits. People talked about the film, the release pattern, took pictures with Darren and Terrance, and even traded travel stories. I caught people saying they came in from St. Louis, Omaha, NE, New York City even and plenty of Kansas City fans, all eager to see this rock opera. The community aspect seems to be working, even more so in line than at the mini-party. People were exchanging names and wondering who one was on the Repo! message boards. Once 8:30pm rolled around, tickets were taken and people gathered into their seats. Darren and Terrance came up prior to the film and gave a brief introduction.

After the film finished Darren and Terrance came down in front of the screen and invited those who wished, to stay and partake in a Q and A session. I’d say half of the crowd left, which is to be expected since Repo! is such a dividing film. Those who did stay offered them questions that ranged from the intelligent (“Who are your operatic influences?”) to dumb (“Are you done with the Saw series?”), but it was fun for everyone to ask burning questions to them. Darren re-enacted his meeting with the studio and his pitch for Repo! to them which got a lot of laughs. Terrance congratulated the fans who dressed up and Darren told an awesome story of one Repo! fan who made it possible to have the film get a screening in Toronto. After wards, Darren and Terrance sat at a table inviting fans to talk with and sign autographs and pictures. Fans I over heard talked about Repo! by debating favorite characters and songs, while some chitchatted about horror conventions. Despite needing to get on a plane to Pittsburgh the following day, Darren and Terrance signed every single fans memorabilia.

Terrance & Darren

Darren asked for a community for Repo! since it was the only way it could survive in the theatres and get its name out there. Repo! isn’t for average Joe and Mary, but the fans here, if any indication, will be fans for life and will gather their friends up to introduce them to this bizarre and unique rock opera. I was happy to travel and partake in the Repo Road Tour, not only because I wanted to, but being around Darren and Terrance with fans everywhere was infectious and I could see why Darren wanted a community for the film so much.

Have you been to one of the stops? If so, talk back below! Darren promises more cities to come!

Jon: When I talked to Darren, he was saying that it was a constant uphill battle convincing everyone about Repo! What was it that got you involved?

Anthony Head: Um, somehow I’ve just been writing my chapter on a book. Darren wanted us to write about our experiences about making a cult movie. My experience, there was nothing uphill on my experience, there was no convincing on my part, I kind of came in on the end of the process. What ever uphill battle he had I think it’s because it’s either one of those movies people either love or hate. In my experience thus far it has mostly been a love. Have you seen it?

Jon: No, not yet. It’s opening soon near me. My friend will be seeing it opening night in Austin, Texas…obviously, I’m very excited as I’ve been doing all of these interviews!

Anthony: (laughs) Well, I hope you do like it. Like I said, in my experience you either love it or they don’t get it at all. His main problem, I think, was that he had to convince Lions Gate that this was a movie that they wanted to make and even to the end, I don’t think they realized it was a musical. They didn’t know what to do with it anyway. I happened to be in L.A. when they put the feelers out on me and they called my agent asking “How can we get a hold of Tony Head.” She said, “Well, he’s actually in town right now!” (laughs)

When I met them at the studio to sing, I don’t think it was a done deal. It didn’t take a lot of convincing for Darren. I think it was for Lions Gate, as they were looking at an English actor and they didn’t know my track record of what I can do. As it happens, musicals have played a large part in my career. In fact my first role was in Godspell. But you know they didn’t know that, if they didn’t see Once More with Feeling, they wouldn’t know that I could sing. But anyway, when I did my audition, Darren recorded it and sent them the tape and that afternoon I was at the pub, so it wasn’t too much of an uphill battle. From there on it, it was a question of ironing out the timing because I had another job and I had only like 2-3 days I could record in. Everyone was worried about that. I’ve been in studios off and on all my life so I didn’t have a problem getting back in. So I said, “Look, let’s do the heart of it later rather than earlier to let my voice get back in, um, accustomed, so I did some of the harder Repo! songs towards the end of the sessions. We ended up with like 3-4 days, but then Darren had to go up to Canada to start prepping. I went back to England to do another job.

So when I got to Toronto the tracks were semi-mixed. The first week it was just me and Alexa (Vega) and it was all of the stuff in her bedroom, in the Wallace house. Then we got into the full thing, we did rehearsals with the rest of the cast. Darren has the most extraordinary energy, the most wonderful exuberance; I don’t know what he is like on other films, but this is undoubtedly his dream and he had a rapid tenacity, it was absolutely wonderful to watch him. In rehearsal nobody was quite sure what to do and he would just say “how about we do this”. He would just create whole moves and dances; he had such a clear vision on how he wanted to photograph this. Jay White his DP, is just remarkable, it’s just a beautiful thing to watch. In writing this I’ve just been saying how he wanted to shoot this was with pools of light and darkness that we moved in and out of and that could be a recipe for a very dark film (laughs) you know (laughs).

As it happens he used this camera, Genesis, an HD camera, 35mm camera, I’ve seen it used it several very major movies, but not really to this effect. He used it really as an effect camera, so some of the artwork is absolutely stunning! I’ve have not seen it used to this effect. It was just a blast! If there’s anything I could say, I’ve said it a couple of times, I saw a rough cut that Darren sent to me on a DVD and a bit of the timing was off and this and that, but as I was watching it on the small screen, I recalled going to Spain at this festival and watch it on the big screen with full sound and it was just spectacularly beautiful. I can only urge people to go see it in the theater. For two reasons: the more people to go see it, the more cinemas it will open in and it’s very much a question of trial and error with Lions Gate as they are still unconvinced. I think they’re becoming more convinced as there’s more positive reviews and positive feedback. Nonetheless, it is a question of trial and error. It is very much an indie film fighting for its life and its longevity. The other thing is it’s worth watching in a movie house; I would be very happy to go back again and again, it’s one of those movies where it’s all happening so fast you miss little bits and pieces. So many details and so much to see, as Darren keeps saying it isn’t a movie, it’s an event.

Jon: In the interview I had with him he kept saying that.

Anthony: I think he was very pleased with that… (laughs)

Jon: Bousman said he cast you because you could portray a father figure one moment and a monster next. What was it about Nathan Wallace, your character and where did you dig to get him like that?

Anthony: Well, unfortunately, I have to say that it must be a part of me. That’s the thing about being an actor; you must draw on what you know. We all got those elements in us and it’s a part of us that we can kill. I would find it very difficult to kill another man or woman, anybody particularly. But if they threaten my children, I might find that those areas you don’t necessarily use everyday, but its part of our psyche, it’s the human condition, it’s so complicated and so exciting and all of the rest of it. When I was doing my audition, someone on the table said that this is a great role for an actor because it’s two people you’re playing, two people completely. To add to the complication, Nathan Wallace shot his father; he had slightly his own agenda, protective but nonetheless it was quite distracting. When he becomes Repo Man, he sort of dresses up, kind of a showman, that’s his job as he disembowels somebody, it’s a bizarre showman mode with a little dance. (laughs) Quite a bizarre little dance actually. (laughs)

It’s, you know, he has to recompense himself somehow, not so much as justify his existence but distance himself from it and to the victim. Which as an actor, is a great thing to play, somebody who is tormented like that, it’s fascinating. Probably where Darren saw that was in Giles on Buffy, as Giles was a father figure to Buffy but at the same time he had this dark side. You knew if he finally switched into it, he was nasty. I think it was something Joss Whedon saw in me, somewhere along the lines and I had fun playing with it. He’s the only person; Giles is the only person to kill in cold blood. That’s something that was fun to play.

Jon:  You have a music background especially with Music For Elevators your band, and have done a few duets before again notably in Once More With Feeling, how was it working with Alexa Vega, who doesn’t have that type of history with music?

Anthony: She was a dream. I remember when I went to do my audition Darren said let’s do “Legal Assassin” and “I Didn’t Know I Loved You so Much” and he said they could get Alexa to do it with me. I said, “Oh, okay” because she was already on board and the next morning we did “Legal Assassin” and I asked “is this where Alexa is coming in?” And Darren went, “oh, um, no, no” and then said “hang on a moment” and picked up his phone and called her and woke her up! He said “Hey! Anthony Head is here, do you want to come down and audition with him?” Bless her heart, she got in her car and came, singing her heart out. That was it; she just stepped right up to the plate, so it wasn’t hard developing a father/daughter relationship with her. She was a joy to work with, an absolute joy.

Jon:  Did you wear the Repo Man suit and how was that, or was there a stunt double for that?

Anthony: No! (laughs) There was a stunt double for basically a drop that they did and they wouldn’t let me, but I really wanted to. You won’t see it because it isn’t in the movie and we did two fairly protracted fight sequences…I don’t know, they may make a Director’s Cut at some point or DVD extras. I did have a stunt double but in the end I had to do it. I basically had to do it because I moved different than my double. That was fun; you know I got to beat someone up with an amputated leg-

Jon/Anthony: (laughs)

Anthony: but not mine, I would hate to do that! By and large, I did it, but it was more about Repo, his presence, his costume, Alex Kavanagh designed it and was very open with me. We talked about it extensively and worked through the needs, the sort of what it needed to look like. It needed to be practical, drawing on Nathan’s medical background, its part assassin, part surgeon. It was great fun working through this bizarre piece of merchandise. If the film is successful, someone is going to make the costume I’m sure or action figure.

Jon: That would be great! You already have an action figure as Giles, I believe.

Anthony: I got one as Giles and I got one from the film I’ve been doing over in England which is Merlin. It’s just been bought by NBC.

Jon: Oh, good. I heard the BBC were originally doing it…

Anthony: Yeah and NBC is, I think, going to show it on Sundays. It’s a very, very, cool show and it’s gone down really well here and we just had our pictures taken for the action figures. So, if it goes for a second season there will be action figures before Christmas.

Jon: Finally, the musical genre has been exploding as of late, with Dreamgirls, Sweeney Todd, Mamma Mia, and of course Repo! amongst other, it feels like the 1940s again. What do you think is the cause for the return of the musical?

Anthony: I don’t think musicals ever went away, and as I said, the film companies are still shy of them. Sweeney Todd had no music advertised in the trailers, so people are nervous on how audiences will act. I think when audiences are persuaded to go see a show, they enjoy it enormously and I don’t know how true it is, but I heard that people sort of got up and left during Sweeney Todd when they saw people singing. I don’t know how true that is.

Jon: At my screening, nobody did.

Anthony: Good! (laughs)

Jon: Exactly, I loved that film.

Anthony: But I think with something like this, this is very rare, I have not seen anything like this before. It’s like a protracted music video but with heart, soul, and a story. You just get caught up in it, the narrative drive of it just doesn’t let up and it’s fascinating. Because of its collective mix of musical styles, you never get tired and it’s not like “oh, it’s another song” like watching something like the Phantom of the Opera. It’s got a real hard rock drive, but with a weird mix of Sarah Brightman and Paul Sorvino doing a really classic tenor and it’s fascinating. It all fits. Whether it’s like the ‘40s, or we’re getting back to the ‘40s and a taste for music, I don’t know, but this is definitely outside of the box. It’s not one of those where you say “ahh, it’s a musical like Mamma Mia!

Consequently, it’s probably not for the Mamma Mia! audience. Which is a shame, because Mamma Mia! has made millions at the box office but at the same time there are, I still haven’t seen it I must admit, there are those who feel like they need something more. I hope that this will gives it to them.

Jon: Well, I can’t wait and I really want to thank you for your time this evening over there in England to talk with Killer Film.

Anthony: Thank you. Bye, now.

Repo! is out now in very few cities, so if you’re lucky enough to see it do. By doing that, other people might just have the chance at catching this unique film in the theaters. Keep it here on Killer Film for more coverage on Repo! If you have seen it, tell us what you think in our comment section!

“REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA” ROAD TOUR ANNOUNCES DATES

The gothic rock-opera will tour seven cities in seven days for ONE NIGHT
ONLY screenings

TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
November 10-16, 2008

“REPO! The Genetic Opera” takes place in the year 2056 — the not so
distant future – when an epidemic of organ failures devastates the
planet.  GeneCo, a biotech company begins to offer organ transplants –
for a price. Those who miss their payments are scheduled for
repossession and hunted by villainous Repo Men.  There is almost no
spoken dialogue in the film (the music never stops), and all the actors
performed their own songs.  This unique vision (based on the original
stage play)  is directed by Darren Lynn Bousman (“Saw II,” Saw III,”
“Saw IV“) and stars ,  (from the band Skinny
Puppy) and Paris Hilton. The eclectic soundtrack features songs by
artists from Filter, Jane’s Addiction, Slipknot, Guns & Roses, Bauhaus
and Love & Rockets (and is on-sale now on Amazon.com and iTunes)

The film opens in selected cities (Los Angeles, Pasadena, Berkeley, New
York, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, Austin) on November 7,
2008.   And beginning on November 10, 2008, director Darren Lynn Bousman
and star/writer/composer Terrance Zdunich will travel the country for
seven days for ONE NIGHT ONLY screenings in seven cities.  Each
screening will be followed by a Q&A with filmmakers and the audience.
Other cast members may appear as surprise guests!

TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE NOW ON THE WEBSITE AT www.reporoadtour.com

Schedule is as follows:  November 10 – Porland, OR; November 11 -
Seattle, WA; November 12 – Chicago, IL; November 13 – Kansas City, KS; 

November 14 – Pittsburgh, PA; November 15 – Atlanta, GA; November 16 -
Orlando, FL

Click on the picture above to view it at a larger size.

“REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA” ANNOUNCES ONLINE SING-A-LONG CONTEST

 Fans can unleash their inner rock star by making their own videos of “REPO!’s” songs

 “REPO! The Genetic Opera” takes place in the year 2056 — the not so distant future – when an epidemic of organ failures devastates the planet.  GeneCo, a biotech company begins to offer organ transplants — for a price. Those who miss their payments are scheduled for repossession and hunted by villainous Repo Men.  There is almost no spoken dialogue in the film (the music never stops), and all the actors performed their own songs.  This unique vision (based on the original stage play)  is directed by Darren Lynn Bousman (“Saw II,” Saw III,” “Saw IV”) and stars Paul Sorvino, Alexa Vega, Anthony Head, Sarah Brightman, Terrance Zdunich, Bill Moseley, Ogre (from the band Skinny Puppy) and Paris Hilton.  The eclectic soundtrack features songs by artists from Filter, Jane’s Addiction, Slipknot, Guns & Roses, Bauhaus and Love & Rockets (and is on-sale now on Amazon.com and iTunes). Many are already calling the film a “Rocky Horror Picture Show” for a new generation.

 The filmmakers have partnered with Share Now to create an online contest for fans to win “REPO!” related memorabilia signed by various cast members.  People will go to www.repo-opera.com  and download the lyrics to one of three songs from the movie: “Seventeen,” “Zydrate Anatomy” or”Genetic Emancipation.”  They will then sing-a-long to each song and post their videos online.  Other fans and viewers will vote on the winner for each song – 3 winners total!  The contest ends November 10, 2008.

 The film opens in selected cities (Los Angeles, Pasadena, Berkeley, New York, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, Austin) on November 7, 2008.

Jon: Thanks for taking time, I know your really busy, to talk with us at Killer Film.

Bill: Yeah, that’s fine. Let’s fire away then.

Jon: When I spoke to Darren Lynn Bousman (reread that here) about Repo!, he said it was a constant uphill battle in convincing the studio and actors about the film. What was it that got you involved?

Bill: I first heard of Repo! a couple of years ago actually when I went to see Repo! when it was a little stage show on Hollywood Boulevard. It was a little store front theater, maybe three, three to four years ago. A friend of mine took me to see this cool play and thought it was fantastic. I didn’t mean Darren, that I recall but I was certainly impressed with the play, I thought I was a lot of fun. Then a couple of years ago I was at a horror convention, I think it was the Fangoria convention up in San Jose, and I was doing a Q and A in a section of a ballroom that had moving walls that created different sections. In the little room next to mine, after I did the Q and A, I heard Darren, who was also there talking to people in his Q and A talking about what I thought was Repo! and he was describing it. Again I was hearing this through a partition and I thought, man I’ve seen that before! As it turned out it was Repo! the show I had seen on Hollywood Boulevard and that Darren was planning on doing it after he finished Saw IV.

I talked to him and said I’d seen that show and boy, if you’re going to do that, to keep me in mind. Then flash forward and I got a call from him saying he’s ready to do Repo! and wanted me to meet with him, and the two creators Darren Smith and Terrance Zdunich at the very cool Roosevelt hotel on Hollywood Boulevard. I met with them and we are seemed to relatively like each other. But the big question was that if I could sing. They gave me a song to prepare and I’ve been taking singing lessons for the last fifteen years and so the answer to that question was yes, I can sing. I was able to take that song to my singing teacher and we worked on it so that I could get the notes and get the dramatic presentation to it. I showed up to the studio one night and sang for the assembled director, creators, and the music people of Repo! and did a good enough job so they hired me.

Jon: So conventions aren’t all that bad! You got to meet future collaborators…

Bill: Those conventions are really cool. First of all, you get to meet the fans. Horror fans are the coolest fans of all and there they can meet their favorite movie stars and as I say “kick our tires”. They get to find out if someone is an asshole or not, or someone is cool, so that’s fun. Also, it’s fun to hang out with my “monsters” as I call them, because I am a horror fan. Well, I call them that because I love my fellow “monsters” because we’re trying to get the same job. It’s like a convention for dentists; we all talk shop, who’s doing what, who’s directing and hiring, sometimes there are directors or young filmmakers that want to make it someday, with maybe a cool script, you know there’s a lot of fun stuff that goes one there.

Jon: Yeah I just went to my first convention, Texas Frightmare this past February.

Bill: That’s a good one man, Lloyd Cryer. I remember doing the first two of those. Actually I think the first one was in Grapevine, Texas, with Sid Haig, Tom Savini, Ed Neal, the original hitchhiker from Texas Chain Saw, it cool. It’s just cool to be sitting there and across from you there’s Pinhead, there’s Gunnar Hanson, Leatherface, the hitchhiker, Ken Foree from Dawn of the Dead, you think ‘wow, man’ that’s Ashley Lawrence from Hellraiser, it’s cool. You just look around and think it’s cool.

Jon: Tell us about your character, Luigi Largo?

Bill: Luigi Largo is one of the three children of Largo, played by Paul Sorvino, the founder of an organ company called GeneCo. GeneCo. has risen, uh, in the future there’s been a massive epidemic of organ failures and there a company that has found a way to I guess clone organs somehow, I guess they’re kinda artificial or maybe cloned. What we do is sell organs to people who need them. We provide very liberal credit arrangements. The only problem is that if you can’t make your payments, we send the Repo Man to repossess their organs. So if you got a heart and aren’t making your payments, thanks to an act by Congress, the Repo Man can take the heart back even if it kills you and it’s not a crime. (laughs) The crime is not paying back the money you owe.

Of course it’s very topical these days. Congress hasn’t made it legal yet but that might be coming soon.

Jon: Like you’ve said the film has Paul Sorvino, Anthony Head, and Paris Hilton. There’s a pretty eccentric group of actors, actresses and musicians, how was being on set and working with them?

Bill: It was a ball! I was pretty comfortable with my character and to give you a quick thumbnail of him, Luigi is the oldest of the three children, I think I’m the heir apparent and dad’s been coughing lately so I might succeed him. He thinks we all useless trash and we’re very rich and can do whatever we want. I’m just very angry all the time, very intolerant, very frustrated, and I just lash out on everybody. I stab people, I throw them under trucks, and because we’re apart of the most powerful family on earth, dad just writes a check and everything is cool. So that’s who I am, I’m pissed and again I play Paris’ brother and Ogre’s from Skinny Puppy.

In terms of being on set with that type of group, it was really a lot of fun. What I think made it a lot of fun was that it wasn’t a clash of titanic egos, which could’ve happened I suppose, we were all just in love with the story we were telling, we loved the music, there’s was comradely, and there wasn’t a weak link in the cast. We all contributed an equal amount of talent and experience. Also, we loved Darren Bousman, the director. He had such a strong passionate vision of what he wanted Repo! to be that we just fell in love with his enthusiasm and we all worked very hard to see his vision come true.

Jon: Yeah, when I interviewed him, he seemed very naturalistically passionate about the film. It got me excited and I think it’s gathered steam and people are now excited to see it when it comes out in limited release November 7^th.

Bill: Yeah! It’s too bad, I’m looking at this other Twisted Pictures film, and Lions Gate helped Twisted Pictures do Repo! and I’m looking at the landscape of their poster child for the horror business, Saw V. Just looking at the amount of money they put behind Saw V, it opened somewhere in 3,000 theaters. They plugged the heck out of it and my golly! it made it’s $30 million bucks and I only wished there was that type of enthusiasm and money behind Repo! I think we’re opening in only 7 theaters, as opposed to 3,049 or whatever it was. There hasn’t been much of an advertising budget for us; I think we’re considered the awkward step-child. In all fairness to any company, in any publicity department or marketing department, to sell a horror opera to the general public is close to impossible.

I don’t think there is any easy way to do it, so that’s why we’ve just been banging the drum. The marketing has been pretty much just on our shoulders and we’re trying to be as loud (laughs) and wide as possible by sending out MySpace stuff, website stuff, going out through the different media, and November 6^th is our big red carpet premiere in Las Vegas of all places. It opens in seven cities and each theater in those seven cities, but after that Darren and some of his buddies are literally towing a print of Repo! in a van and driving it to another seven cities. Of course all that information and where it is opening is on the website.

Jon: That brings up an interesting point because Bousman brought up that Hollywood does not reward uniqueness and the film is vastly unique. As I seen the trailer, I couldn’t think of anything prior that I might have seen that could be related and that’s awesome. But you guys are taking this grassroots approach to letting us know that this film exists and how do you feel that? You and Bousman are very passionate about it, how do you think the general public is going to respond to it?

Bill: I think there are going to be ones that love it or hate it. I doubt very much that there will be those in between. Whatever website you read, I hope there’s a lot more A’s than F’s, but they’re won’t be B’s, C’s, and D’s. Either you love it or you hate it, ten stars or one star. I think that’s great. I remember Rob (Zombie) saying I hope I get either ten stars or one star. He rather have people hate the movie than people giving it a C, saying it was okay, it wasn’t great, it wasn’t bad. To him that was a kiss of death and the same for Repo!

In part two of the interview, we discuss some final thoughts on Repo!, but also we talk about Rob Zombie, the Oscars, his new films opening next year, and Omaha? Huh? Check back in part two of my interview with Bill Moseley, only on Killer Film!