From the press release:

Repo! The Genetic Opera co-creator and star, Terrance Zdunich, has released never-before-sold movie artwork from the cult hit in his new and improved online store! The now phone-friendly store lists seven one-of-a-kind original pieces matted, signed and framed as well as an assortment of rare art prints.

Best known for his velvet-voiced turn as GraveRobber in REPO!, it’s lesser known that Zdunich also drew the film’s animated sequences. Having nurtured REPO! from page-to-stage for over ten years, the artist is selling rare pieces of artwork (some images dating back to the 2006 short-film used to secure the funding for the full-length feature).

Give it a look. There’s some pretty rad stuff on sale, as well as reduced prices on his comic series, The Molting. So tell him Killer Film sent  you if you order!

My broken record recommendation? “The Molting, a violent, unique, and wholly independent comic, where Zdunich has crafted a great new horror comic series, recommended for more than just his Repo! fans, but for horror comic fans looking for something a bit more original, and quirky, to go along with the macabre.” Sweet, you heard this before. But at 64 pages, I was curious and a little nervous with the added length onto what Team Zdunich could do. Guilty Alliance‘s is a beast just as he said, furthering the mood of the story, with the amazing simple colors used by Molly Rodman. It’s a quick, breezy read, yet don’t take that negatively. Zdunich’s arc is in full swing, and it’s unpredictable as always – another great thing about the books.

The Molting is just goddamn different. I’ve got caught up in the mood and the duality constantly being played with by Zdunich. By now, fans are noticing fun nuggets within the pages like…what this, no cockroaches, Z? And doesn’t Charlie look strangely like the letterer Oceano Ransford? The stranger Pryzkind family is wholly American. As Joseph sits in the movie theater with his brother and Charlie, they watch Home Alone. Joseph’s arc feels like a lot like Kevin McCallister. Feeling alone in the family, somewhat (figuratively) abandoned, but I doubt if Zdunich will end Joseph’s story as happily as John Hughes.

While Joseph is Zdunich’s imaginary alter ego, Joseph is also the typical American kid: lost, lonely, and a growing desire to leave his mark today than the day before. The Molting is unlike anything in comics. It’s dark, yet not horror. It’s spooky, yet familiar. It’s worth your couple of dollars, plain and simple.

Re-read my past articles on the series here, here, here, and here. Then go here to the official store to get your issues.

Despite Zdunich’s friendship to Darren Bousman (who, by the way, has just launched his own comic series in Abatoir; here), the title of this issue – “Mother’s Day” – might seem curiously convenient since Bousman finished a film called Mother’s Day (here), but have you forgot about what The Molting is? For the first two issues (here), I called the start to The Molting a “violent, unique, and wholly independent comic. Zdunich has crafted a great new horror comic series, recommended for more than just his Repo! fans, but for horror comic fans looking for something a bit more original, and quirky, to go along with the macabre.” Issue 3 (here), “it is a sometimes hard to find, wholly original work.” I furthered the praise in the last article for issue #4 (here): “[It's] the real deal in independent comics. It’s raw, riveting, and raving mad.”

214 words in, and it’s a slew of praise from me, yet why not? The Molting is just great. Team Molting (Zdunich, letterer Oceano Ransford, cover colorist Brian Johnson, and the series’ new colorist, Molly Rodman) seems to benefit from the key thing that makes the comic so successful: mood. In issue #5 “Mother’s Day” we see Susie finally crack a little bit, letting us into her warped mental state. Her past has effected the Pryzkinds, and The Molting really is about her. This Halloween-themed issue capitalizes off the growing tension in the Pryzkind Family, with the keen writing of Zdunich, this issue is thematically the best yet.

The sequence with Joseph and Trevor’s girlfriend is a great indicator of why I’m so high on The Molting. Joseph questions internally why his family isn’t normal and this is juxtaposition against a Taco Bell eating, fat family. What’s normal? What’s abnormal? The family psychology of The Molting is haunting. I don’t know where this series is going or how it will conclude. We got six issue left for that, but until then, the slow burning aspect of the series’ themes comforts the readers long after they close the book. Scree…scree…screee….

The Molting as a whole, just might be the mirror to our sagging moral decay in America, and as along as Terrance Zdunich keeps his roaches to the ground, it’s a mirror worth looking into. But find out for yourself and order them at the official site here. The independently made comic is worth the few bucks if you’re in the mood for something different. I mean, Spider-Man has taken enough of your dollars, so give it to something that’s worth a damn. Until issue #6 “Allied Forces” comes, enjoy the Pryzkind Family. Scree…screee…screeeeee…..

Constant readers can get reacquainted with my assessments of the first three issues with “Shedding with Zdunich’s The Molting” (here) where I talk about horror comics in general and lead up to his series, and with “The Molting Continues” (here) as I look at issue numbers 2 and 3.

Pre-language: Fossil records suggest that upwards of 40% of male deaths  were at the hands of other males. It’s a dog-eat-dog world even if we’ve traded sticks for iPhones. “Lethal Raids” is a fine example of what I have been enjoying the most from the series: the atmosphere. This story opens with a voice over explaining the nature of primitive man and how these early hunter-and-gathers sought to destroy their weaker neighbors, a great allegory for how man, in his apparent brightest days, is still rather a basic animal, and it echoes the Pryzkind family’s plight. The big, broad drawing from Zdunich continue to impress with how really simple yet alluring they are. Brian Johnston’s colors evoke the thematic elements of this dark, American Gothic, so much so, it’s the thing I think of when I hear comic’s title from someone’s lips.

This limited series is quite the real deal in independent comics. It’s raw, riveting, and raving mad. I don’t know where the story arc is going or how it will conclude, but each issue not only furthers the characters into some dark future, but is a great simile for our current American climate. Horror comics fill up comic book stores racks every month, yet are they saying anything? Take a break from zombies and superheroes and give The Molting a read.  For added fun, listen to Sepultura’s song “Roots, Bloody, Roots” in the background. Issue 5 can’t come sooner…

Zdunich is easing our wait for future issues with his fun, creative virtual art class over at his blog. He says it’s like “Ted Bundy-meets-Bob Ross” and fans can not only watch and learn to paint/draw like Terrance, but participate as well. Explore all of this here and get order issue 4 now (or back issues) here. If you’re exploring The Molting too, chat about it below in our comments section.

What are you waiting for? Class is in session. Look for our review of The Molting issue #4 soon.

To coincide with the pre-sale of issue #4, Zdunich is starting a new virtual tutorial on how to paint and draw, or as he calls it, “a Bob Ross-meets-Ted Bundy art tutorial.” It will be a fourteen part “course” starting now over at The Molting‘s blog page here.

From the Press Release: Are you an aspiring artist, hoping to learn the tricks of the trade from those who have made it? Or maybe you’re an outsider, dying to learn the secrets of those who have been blessed with the gift of creation? No matter your position, fear not! Class is now in session! Terrance Zdunich, the mastermind behind Repo! The Genetic Opera, wants to teach YOU how to paint!

So go order your issue #4 here of The Molting called Lethal Raids and sit down with the Tutor. ” ‘Painting A Still Life’ is a 14-week course. Every Tuesday, a new lesson will be released. How well you do in this class will depend on you, pupils, but attendance is mandatory, homework will be given, and rules will be strictly enforced,” says Zdunich.

The illustrated limited series does continue a lot of the positives I had mentioned in my previous article. First of all, Zdunich’s art continues to look amazing. Not only did he create this story in the visual terms he saw fit, but his angles and the seemingly simplicity of it all, really is starting to add to the overall feel of the story’s arc. Brian Johnson, the series’ colorist, is using the big, broad splashes of purples and oranges to help Zdunich’s mood for this story to great effect. Not only that, but the cover art is so far the most kick-ass yet. Visually busy, our eyes travels up and down the cockroaches and the hatching eggs.

Ah, yes. Zdunich’s use of ‘roaches is fully employed here, as the first two issues had him playfully placing them in a “Where’s Waldo” type of hunt, but for this chapter, one could argue it is their issue. Issue 3, called “Chapter 3: Ootheca” suggests the nature of the cockroaches, as the ootheca is a hardened case for which they place their eggs into. Issue 3 might seem uneventful, especially when compared to the first two, but Zdunich is smart. Not only is he dabbling into horror comics in an nontraditional way, he’s focusing on mood within the story, sometimes over action. This is where The Molting excels. Long after reading “Ootheca” the mood vibrates within us, and that’s a good thing, especially when this issue really doesn’t push the story forward-or at least seemingly.

If you haven’t got into The Molting yet, may I ask – why not? It’s much more than Zdunich capitalizing off of the rapid fan base of Repo!, as he has created a great, independent, horror series for mature audiences. Like movies, it is sometimes hard to find wholly original work, but Zdunich has done just that, as comic fans with the taste of something a bit more unique and interesting, should and continue to find The Molting worthy of their time and dollar.

You can find more about The Molting here and from that link, order the issues. Look for “Chapter 4: Lethal Raids” soon! Have you been reading The Molting? If so, comment below!

Issue 3, or Chapter 3 “Ootheca” is available now. “It gives me great pleasure to announce that issue #3 of my new comic book series, The Molting, is now available! I’ve posted details, including some sneak-peak imagery at the official site, so check it out!” says Zdunich. “The Molting is a truly independent effort, which is available only through my online store. All proceeds go towards keeping the project alive, so your support is deeply appreciated. Chapter 3, “Ootheca”, is available for $6.99 or get all 3 issues for $19.99. Autographed copies are also available.”

Order here. Terrance Zdunich is a great guy, truly deserving of your support. If you’re looking for a cool, new Gothic-Americana-horror series, look no further.

Right now, we’re in a huge horror comic resurgence, and if you’re a horror genre fan, you couldn’t ask for a better time to live in. Dark Horse, Image, and other independent companies are focusing more and more on horror titles, ranging from graphic, gory titles to hero-based terror. If that doesn’t prove the genre popularity, then having George A. Romero, the Godfather of the Zombie, come to the horror comic with his short-lived series, Toe Tags: The Death of Death, should. The influences go both ways, and that explains what fan favorite Terrance Zdunich, writer/co-creator of Repo! A Genetic Opera is doing now with The Molting, his new illustrated series.

Zdunich is no stranger to this medium, as his fans will note his exceptional graphic novel-like interludes in Repo!, as well as, his “other” job as a storyboard artist. Teaming with colorist Brian Johnston, who has done numerous work for HBO and all of the major studios, and Oceano Ranscord, who does the lettering, Zdunich has developed this series as an 100% independent release. He claimed by going this self-financing route, he can focus squarely on the title, as the writer and illustrator, and to speak directly to us, his fans.

So what is The Molting?

This 12-part series is what he calls “a portrait of a dysfunctional American family” set in the early 1990s. Each issue, and as of this writing, only two have been released so far (“every six weeks a new issue” Zdunich promises), focuses on an aspect of one family. In issue one, “Guilty Susie” follows Susie and her brother, Tony as the court award them to their aunt and uncle, after the untimely death of their mother. Soon they find that their next of kin didn’t take them out of love, but out of greed. The story is for mature readers, and Zdunich takes full advantage of that. The story is seemingly sparse, yet is a deeply rich experience. While not much dialogue, Zdunich fills the near 30 pages with ambiance in the simple artwork and minor little audio clues to fill the void. Susie is about to lose her sanity, and Zdunich methodically handles this. Issue one opens The Molting with a silent bang. It’s effective and engrossing, a perfect intro to what we might expect from future issues.

Issue 2 follows Susie into the 1990s, where she is married and has two boys. Sunny Anaheim is the backdrop to further Zdunich’s story and this issue is as bleak as the last. The story puts Susie in the background, and follows her two boys, yet we get a nice mirror being held up to what her relationship was with her brother, who had a small part in issue one. By the end of this issue, Zdunich has fully roped us into the eroding American Dream for this family, and furthering his exploration of the title’s meaning.

Each issue is filled with what looks like seemingly simple drawings. There’s not a lot of detail, if at all, and background are largely devoid of any defined attention, yet that’s doesn’t hurt the series look. In fact, it creates this world we are going to follow, and the attention to some story details are highlighted within this approach. If you have seen Repo!, I’d say his style is like that from those comic interludes. Each issue has a defined color scheme, that helps to invoke the themes and mood of the issue. It’s going to be interesting to see where he continues to take us and the characters. Maybe only the cockroaches know? A Zdunich trademark, the ‘roach, has numerous appearances in these two issues, as they act like a guide into The Molting‘s world.

Violent, unique, and wholly independent, Zdunich has craft a great new horror comic series, recommended for more than just his Repo! fans, but for horror comic fans looking for something a bit more original, and quirky, to go along with the macabre. Seek out The Molting here for ordering information. You can follow Zdunich on his frequent blogs on his new series and more here. Pictures printed with permission.

Have you checked out his series? Got anything to add? Feel free to leave a comment!

From the film Repo! A Genetic Opera, the Graverobber himself, Terrance Zdunich takes a brief moment away from handing out Zydrate and his new graphic novel series The Molting (here) that is currently in stores, with the next issue around the corner (November 11^th), to offer us what he will be watching this Halloween.

He stated: “In terms of Halloween films, you can’t go wrong with these and in no particular order”:

The Exorcist

Hellraiser

Dead Alive

The Shining

Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)

Ah, the things you see in the graveyard….be sure to visit Terrance’s official site here to keep up with what he is doing with The Molting!

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: I want to get back to 1999 where Repo! originated with you and Darren Smith. Where did the idea come up for Repo! A Genetic Opera?

Terrance Zdunich: Oh, it has been a long journey of adaptations for Repo! and the story, it’s sort of fuzzy where the initial germ of the idea sprouted. To the best I can sum it up, Darren Smith and I met each other around 1998, maybe it was 1997 when we first met and we were sort of reformed musicians for the lack of a better word, and we were really into the idea of doing something new and that involved music. We came up with this idea called 10-minute operas, like ten minute short stories with music. One of those ten minute stories was about a futuristic graverobber that kind of grew into Repo! that now exists as a film.

Where did that come from? I not entirely sure. (laughs) I was really big on the macabre and horror aspects and I was toiling away with this graverobber character and it was almost like a Victorian melodrama. Darren Smith wisely said, “Well, that’s cool but I’ve seen that a million times so let’s do it not in the past but the future and it grew out from there. We had a friend who was going through some bankruptcy problems (laughs) and was in danger of getting his things repossessed. So it just kind of clicked and we thought maybe one of the things he sees is this Repo Man and he’s out there collecting body parts. It just kept growing and growing from there.

Jon: In 2002, you guys met Darren Bousman. How was the play doing and what was that fateful meeting with Bousman like?

Terrance: Well, prior to what we met Darren for, Repo! was just coming from a two man thing with Darren Smith and I, coming from an opera and then we starting just expanding the story since that was what the audiences were coming for. They seemed to respond to that story the most, they thought it was cool and so did we. So we started like 45 minutes sets and rock clubs and it wasn’t a full opera yet just and we met Darren Bousman when Darren Smith and I decided to make the leap to stage Repo! as a full stage play, to rent a theatre, to hire set builders, to hire a costume person, you know, a full cast trying to make it into a show, and we needed a director.

We, Darren Smith and I, interviewed several people and met Darren Bousman, who was relatively fresh out of film school and was in L.A. for less than two years. He was doing what we all do, taking bullshit jobs and wanted to direct movies. He wanted to direct a musical movie of all things and which is how we met. We knew he was all about a rock opera and he loved Jesus Christ Superstar, Tommy, and we thought, you know, people say anything when they want a job. “Oh, you’re directing a rock opera? I love those things!” was what we were expecting. When we met him, it was painfully obvious this guy was the real deal; he knew every word to every fucking song! (laughs) We did it and we all became friends, as we were figuring out how to do it. We didn’t know what we doing, trying to direct a stage play and one at that that was as complicated as Repo! We weren’t shooting small, we were shooting big, you know, an opera, blood, and we didn’t have any money or any real training. We just did it as we went and as such a bond was formed. The theatre we did it at got great receptions, sold out shows, and it really felt like we were doing the right thing.

It felt like “Wow, we’re onto something”, at the very least it was one of those moments of creation that was like, I don’t know, just put everything into perceptive. It was like this was what I want to be doing and something was magical about the whole experience and we sought to recreate it and we did so in another stage version of Repo! in 2004. There was an Off-Off Broadway run in 2005 in New York and then in 2006 we filmed the 10 minute short to convince and get some financing. We had to secure financing for the movie which was shot in 2007.

Jon: Were you ever surprised or apprehensive about Bousman’s casting choices?

Terrance: Well, you know, because Repo! is such its own thing…did you see it?

Jon: No, not yet, I hope so soon. My friend flew into Austin to see it and thoroughly enjoyed it. I’m really excited.

Terrance: Oh, wow! (laughs) We’re really excited too! It’s been a long road coming and I’ll answer your question in a sec, but we had our opening Friday and it’s been a crazy road, the whole way, going all the way back to the stage play. Here we are now and it’s our opening weekend and every step of the way fighting, and in most cases beating the odds. How improbably is it to even get the movie made? Unless you’re a Coppola or something, who gets a movie made? On top of that, who gets a movie made about a futuristic opera about organ repossessions and on top of that, gets one made with that type of cast! There’s a good sage way but being there on Friday night, which was on Sunset 5, the art house in Hollywood, kids were down there dressed up as their favorite characters. There was a Grave Robber and I got my pictures with him and it was amazing!

Now, I don’t know if the fan fare there that night was enough to sustain us to lasting and hopefully, expanding from the eight theatres we’re in, but I sure as hell hope so. At least there have been indications that, now there are people that love it and embrace it saying they’re going tomorrow, tomorrow with different costumes, you just go wow!

But your question, because Repo! was so strange and out there, I know Darren (Bousman) wanted the casting to mirror that, so when we all knew Repo! was going forward as a movie, we started getting suggestions by producers and it became clear that they weren’t totally aware of what we doing. Their suggestions were very much like MTV, they were pop singers, I mean they could do it and we felt it was like a mash-up and not for a 21^st Century Repo! which we wanted to do. So, the two Darrens and myself, sort of made our dream cast and that sounds silly, but we shot ideas around amongst ourselves and basically had five people for each role. For a couple of reasons, one we wanted choices and two, match them up to their personality, their archetype if you will so they represented the character. As such, funnily enough, of the eight principle characters in the movie, six of those were from our top five lists, we got what we wanted. Of those other two, we got Ogre and it wasn’t that we didn’t want him, it’s just we were thinking too small at the time.

We were looking at actors and when somebody brought up Skinny Puppy to help with the soundtrack, and it just clicked. Oh my God, Ogre would be the perfect body for Povi and we started crossing off the other from the list. So we had to start convincing the producers about him as the right choice, who of course, didn’t have any acting experience.

Jon: Since Repo! is an opera, Sarah Brightman seems perfect for the material. What was it like working with her?

Terrance: Well, she was a complete professional. I’m not necessary a fan of her solo work but you know, when she was on our list already. She is the most famous female opera singer in the world and the most successful, so it was a no brainer to cast her. We didn’t think she’d do a project like Repo! and little did we know for one she’s totally Goth in real life and two, really cool and into it. She wasn’t just faking it, she really was into it as was the cast, you know, nobody made a lot of money doing Repo! The cast did more hours, more work, than a normal movie. You had to rehearse, you had to do choreography, and the entire thing you had to do before filming and everyone who took the job, including Sarah, fully knew and embraced what they were doing all for something that doesn’t come along every day.

I don’t know if that’s good or bad, but there’s not too many rock operas getting produced in this fashion. You know it’s funny; I’m not that into operas I’m more into rock and industrial, so I didn’t have the ear necessary to hear why this one opera singer is better than this opera singer. But walking on set and watching Sarah, even more so than hearing her, have you heard her? She’s great, but I’ve heard a lot of opera singers, but what makes her stand out from the pack and then you just get her vibe. She’s a total pro. Watching her doing it in her element, is like watching a goddess. It was very clear to why she had the success she does. She’s great, the whole package, she’s amazing to watch and people who are doing rock and roll in our studio, who could care less about opera, we’re all captivated by her as her typical audience.

Jon: As a direct opposite to Brightman, Repo features Poe, Clown from Slipknot, members from Filter, OTEP, Skinny Puppy, and even Anthony Head from Music for Elevators. What did they bring to the musical side of Repo!?

Terrance: They brought a lot! (laughs) The way I would describe it and not to sound condescending, so I hope that don’t come out the wrong way, but Repo! as a whole was not a democracy. What I mean by that is, we were really set to doing this as an opera, and I won’t give away names but their were people who came in as potential candidates for the roles and came in and said: “Cool, but I what to write my own music.” Really? They wanted to write their own songs and that “Legal Assassin” song, we didn’t like the hard rock, so they asked to do this singer/songwriter thing. There were a couple of people who came in thinking along those lines. Those people were talented, I’m not knocking their talent, but if they wanted to do that they should write their own opera.

We’re in the position to do it as a rock opera and so when we were casting these actors and performers, we were playing the soundtrack. We were really, really careful about it. A lot of players on the Repo! soundtrack are in my CD collection at home and it was really, really cool to work with them. We were trying to cast those with the same aesthetics as the song they were to play on. Some of these were the musical godfathers of what we were paying homage too. We had people who knew the material, for one it’s an opera. You don’t have to spend time rewriting when you have Blasko currently from Ozzy’s band, but also from Rob Zombie’s band, you know he’s going to add elements to it that is better than you could think of. So you let him do it and Joseph Bishara, our music producer, was really diligent about directing them to stay true to some of the early demos.

Jon: One of the things I keep hearing is that Repo! has to be seen a few times just to soak everything in. Was it ever daunting taking the theater world and expanding it to the medium of film?

Terrance: Yeah, but first there’s many difference from theatre and film, many we learned that the hard way. On stage, everything’s total, it’s on there. In film, the more you show and the less you tell, makes for a more successful film. That makes for a difficult obstacle for a musical or in our case, an opera; because you do need to tell everything in song, so if you do away with all of the singing, then why make it an opera? Go make an action movie or a traditional film.

I think that maybe is a valid question and one of the negative criticisms of Repo! is that you can’t soak it all in one seating. In general, that’s true with any opera. I think we may have made a mistake in many ways by advertising Repo! as the next Rocky Horror. That’s been a comparison that has been kind of thrusted upon us, but I’ll take it because I like Rocky Horror, actually I love Rocky Horror. If we could achieve a small part of that success, I’d be a very happy man! With that said, I think we might have messed up with that comparison because we are an opera and Rocky Horror is a musical. Even further, what we love about Rocky Horror is the camp, the over-the-top-ness, and Repo! have a lot of those elements.

There’s many times in Repo! that we dive into camp, but with that said where Rocky ends and Repo! takes off, is that we have a real story. I mean, a real human story, with characters who are suppose to care about, with big operatic themes like revenge, murder, lust, and family quarrels, your legacy and your genetics, these big themes, and Rocky Horror really doesn’t have that. Their about the fun, the camp, seeing Tim Curry in garters and that’s what seeing Rocky Horror is about. We have some of that, but it’s actually much more complicated and then you add to the fact that there isn’t much speaking, and Rocky isn’t that way, it’s largely spoken. There’s, I don’t know, like 8 songs to break up the talking, where Repo! has like 50 songs!

If you go see a traditional opera, which is a closer comparison, you don’t understand most of it. When you’re sitting there, for one it might be in a different language, even if it was in English, you are there to witness the grandeur, hopefully enjoy the music, while getting little bits of it. Every opera provides you, when you sit down, with a playbill. That playbill not only tells you who’s who in the opera, it literally gives you a detailed synopsis of the entire play. Tells you who lives, who dies, tells you everything that is going to happen. The reason is to let you enjoy the opera. It’s not about carefully listening to every word, it’s an opera!

We are doing this in a 21^st Century medium in film, we didn’t want to have programs as that felt to outdated and we didn’t want to do subtitles as you see in some operas, I thought that would be distracting, so we added in this element of comic books, which wasn’t in the script as it was in the final film. One, it was like a breather in between some of the songs, so you are not just having song after song after song after song, where they act like the playbill, but hopefully cooler! (laughs)

Jon: Yep, I saw those in the trailer.

Terrance: Oh, right they are there! More over though, I actually like the fact that you have to see it a couple of times, I don’t know if that’s what the general public wants, but look at some other operas and those things still exist, but there not for the Repo! kids but they existed for hundreds of years. For that matter, musicals, why is Rent still running or why has Phantom of the Opera lasted? I think that like CDs you want to listen to them over and over, unlike some films you don’t want to watch in the same fashion. I think it functions in that way and as such Repo! fans will want to see it again and again, becoming a community experience. I think that’s the real comparison we have to Rocky Horror.

Jon: It must be working because your per screen average was the same as Role Models, and that opened at number 2 and in 2,700 more theaters.

Terrance: Well, we’re hopefully that this will open up some eyes and it’s a hard thing. I’m sure you’ve seen some of the reviews…

Jon: …I don’t mean to put you in a weird position, but if I am correct the play version was received positively. What are the film critics missing?

Terrance: Well, I think for a couple of reasons. Repo! as a play was never ever confused with being mainstream. It existed in black box theaters. It was judged and embraced by the actual audience seeing it. I think when you slip out of that, which we were happy to do,  I’ve been a struggling artist my whole life (laughs) and  I’m still struggling to get my movie out there! It sounds ungrateful but if you work on something so had and so long, you want to believe as an artist that whatever you do you want the mainstream to like your work. The reality is, when I look at myself, I take the immediate feeling of rejection…well, I’m sitting in my room looking at my DVD collection now, and book collection and there isn’t anything really popular here. (laughs)

In fact, most of the stuff here is not mainstream, but is embraced by a loyal group of fans and one I think I’m part of. I think that the problem with Repo! is that we almost did our job too well. What I mean by that is our trailer looks really slick. We casted some huge names, Sarah Brightman obviously, Paul Sorvino, Paris Hilton, and so I think people are going in assuming we had a lot more money and two we are trying to be Sweeney Todd. Our fans clearly see that we aren’t Sweeney Todd, it never comes into there minds. Repo! has been perceived falsely I think by the mainstream and this may sound really bad, but I don’t know why we went to the mainstream, honestly, seriously!

What would Ebert and Roeper think? We opened it eight theatres and presented it to them, it’s silly. We competing with Madagascar 2 and it’s silly. Repo! is doing that. Love it or hate it and people have obviously hated it, I hope you can at least walk away and respect the fact that we did something unique. More so, sitting back and seeing that there’s a lot of interesting human stories that got it here. Even now, it’s being dismissed. We’ve seen the Rolling Stone’s write up, which was really hard to swallow. I know Rolling Stone is popular, especially with music and never once in this review, which was scathing by the way, never once did they mention that this was the most music ever recorded for a movie.

You think as a music man, that would be worthy of a mention. The players on the soundtrack, to get that group of people together, on a movie soundtrack was never mentioned, literally never mentioned! When has that ever happened, not being mentioned by the biggest music magazine? Instead Peter Travers chose to focus on Paris Hilton for the entire rant! By the way, if you hate her films, love or hate what she does is this movie, I think she’s fine in it; she’s literally like in the movie for 10-15 minutes! But to focus on her and not to mention the other things is like not seeing the movie. He probably didn’t anyway; he saw Paris Hilton and thought he would talk shit.

We’ve been getting a lot of that type of stuff and it’s hard, because we are so against the wall, a true David and Goliath type of story. The director and I have been personally, I don’t know if you know this, personally been promoting the movie for the last year. We’re leaving tomorrow-you literally called me in the middle of booking hotels-we’re personally taking the film around.

Jon: It’s pretty exciting I think.

Terrance: I am too, I’m excited to do this and I’m not trying to sound like I’m tooting my own horn, but we are really caring about what we are doing. It’s truly a grass-roots movement. Even though, Darren has had success in the Saw films, this is what he really wants to do. You should see the amount of energy and passion he puts into Repo! on a daily basis, it’s like how could you be so cruel and short-sighted in a review? I don’t hear mainstream directors taking their movie around. We are selling out by the way, we’ve sold out all but two, and they’re close. This is with no marketing budget, you’re not seeing Repo! on bus stops or billboards or even the trailer on TV. So to get those types of reviews, it’s completely like they missed the point of the movie. It’s an opera, you know!

An honest criticism I think, would be if they said it’s not for me but it’s totally strange and if you’re into strange things you might enjoy this. But they haven’t even dealt with what they didn’t like about it. The two Darrens and myself got quite drunk yesterday and it’s hard, as an artist, you can’t defend yourself. We had a few pitchers of margaritas at this little Mexican bar in Pasadena, and we’re like how do we combat this? Ultimately, we are thinking about embracing it. Certainly, movies like Rocky Horror got panned. But I think every move that’s come along, certainly movies I have in my house, was critically hated. But all those films have out-lived that and are still relevant. Ones that are praised and made millions of dollars opening weekend are quickly forgotten about.

Jon: I can quickly think of John Carpenter’s The Thing opened in the same year with E.T., and with E.T., it got praised and made a lot of money and The Thing got panned. Looking back, it’s one of the better films from the 1980′s besides Raging Bull, in my opinion.

Terrance: Sure, even more recently a film like Fight Club and how that failed. Honestly, when I saw Fight Club for the first time, well, for one the marketing set you up in the wrong way, more over I saw it and thought “yeah, that’s okay.” But it stuck with me after I left the theatre. I had to see it again and again, as I probably have watched that DVD, easily one of my higher watched DVDs…

Jon: Same here.

Terrance: I love the film, I think is brilliant, I think it’s an important movie, and I think has stood the test of time from that year, what else was there from that year? So you know, I hope we’re in that company, I can’t say for sure as being completely objective since it’s my movie, but love it or hate it, I think, I hope, people can get behind the fact that “wow, they went there!” They managed to get a movie like that made before dismissing it outright and saying “Give me more Madagascar 2! Give me more Alvin and the Chipmunks!”

It’s like well, fuck you (laughs) you know, you’re the reason we have this bullshit, you’re the reason we can only get music at Starbucks. I don’t have any sympathy, it’s empowering to see the fans who are supporting Repo!, coming out in droves, as they definitely understand what we are up against. They are embracing it, they are discovering it, they don’t feel like a marketing firm is telling them to like it and they like it despite of the marketing. To me, that’s the greatest success. Do I hope Repo! makes a lot of money and so that I can get health insurance? Yeah, sure! But I’ll me more content that people really like it, are loyal fans, and liking it for years to come.

Jon: Well, we here believe in what you guys are saying and doing and look forward o support you guys through it. Thank you for talking with Killer Film.

Terrance: Thank you for spreading the word and helping us beat the odds.

Terrance is an awesome guy and really frank and down-to-Earth. Hopefully, Lions Gate sees some potential to expand it. Have you seen Repo! A Genetic Opera yet? Tell us what you think or go here to see where you can go see it.

 Jon: Have you seen the final cut? What can we expect or is it best to expect the unexpected?

Bill: I’ve seen it a couple of times, in fact about six weeks ago, I saw it when I was up in Montreal for the Fantasia Film Festival. I got to see Repo! on the big screen in front of a packed house, about six hundred people were there. The screening had been sold out, people were buying tickets for huge amounts on eBay and so there was a very enthusiastic bunch there. I guess I’m preaching to the choir but they were all excited, they heard about Repo! and seeing it on the big screen was a fantastic experience for all of us.

That’s the other thing, from what I gather the DVD will be out in January, but what I would absolutely, positively, recommend is how ever far you have to drive or get on a train or plane, and go see it on the big screen. It’s such an extravagant, large scale movie that I think it’ll play great on the big screen and I’m sure it’ll play fine on the DVD, but I would rather see Repo! on a forty foot screen than a forty inch TV. Actually, we were all together watching Repo!; it was Darren, Alexa Vega, Ogre, and I were doing the DVD commentary.  I think that also Darren was going to stick around and do a creator commentary with Darren Smith and Terrance Zdunich, the co-creators of it. So we had an actor commentary that was really a lot of fun.

Jon: The theater experience really makes it special. Have you seen Rocky Horror Picture Show on the big screen?

Bill: Oh, heck yeah! In fact, it’s so funny because Terrance, his girlfriend, Darren, and I here in Santa Monica, California, there was every Saturday, a very hardcore bunch of Rocky Horror addicts. We showed up and got on stage in front of Rocky Horror and talked about Repo!

The Rocky Horror bunch is probably our core audience. The theatrical, the dramatic, those who love to dress up, talk back to the screen, everything about that the promiscuous (laughs), the anarchistic, those are the people that are going to love Repo! So we showed up at the Newhart, got on stage, showed the trailer and everybody got excited. I love Rocky Horror. I used to take my kid when she was eleven and twelve to it at the midnight screenings of it, I was the coolest dad at the school! 

Jon: You’ve been known to do some improvisation in films like TCM 2 and in the Devil’s Rejects. Did Darren allow any of that or was the script followed pretty close?

Bill: It was more encouraged than allowed, I think. A lot of times a script is like a blue print and sometimes when you start acting out a scene, you find out that they’re reality holes in it. Maybe the dialogue doesn’t make sense or other circumstances that couldn’t be predicted when they did the screenplay. So when that happens it’s always good to have smart actors that are plugged into what make sense and what doesn’t. When working with the director, writer, actor should be collaborative. Certainly people get paid more than others, but ultimately it’s the actors who got their face up there on the screen. We had recorded the whole opera, there was all singing and hardly any dialogue, so there were no chance at adding words since it was all pre-recorded.

There were defiantly some places in the story itself that we had to think quickly on our feet. For me, that’s what so exciting working with directors like Darren Bousman, like Tobe Hooper, Rob Zombie, and Tom Savini for that matter. These are guys who aren’t afraid of collaborating. If it doesn’t work they’ll tell you as they don’t beat around the bush, but if it does work, then they’re happy to have your contribution. That makes me happier than being told to “stand here”, look to the left at my count of three”, you know stuff like that. I don’t mind working like that, but it’s certainly not as much fun.

Jon: Talking about collaborating, what is it with Rob (Zombie), as you worked with him four times and soon on El Superbeasto, is it just that what you’ve been talking about or something else?

Bill: Yeah! The first time we got together was on House of 1000 Corpses and it was less improv because I think it was Rob’s first movie and I think he wanted to stay in control of it, which is perfectly understandable. It still was a lot of fun, a lot of fun! He still had some great ideas and we just had a ball working together. I think with Devil’s Rejects there was more improv, if you want to call it that because Rob was more comfortable now because he had the first one under his belt. I think he basically was more comfortable, especially by then as it was more of an ensemble cast. He was use to me, Sid (Haig), his wife (Sherrie Moon), so you know it ended up with the core of us Rejects, we all got along, there was shorthand and he didn’t have to go elaborate lengths to explain things. He knew what made us tick.

I know that the most improvisation was done on Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. When we began shooting the script was only like 70 pages long and there really wasn’t a third act. There was a, like you said, a lot of room for stuff to be added just to make it a 90 minute movie. The character I had, Chop Top, was so much fun that I disappeared into Chop Top and it wasn’t so much as improvising than it was Chop Top being Chop Top. I’ll stick this line in there; you know it was just Chop Top and not Bill trying to getting brownie points. (laughs)

Jon: A few years ago for you work in Devil’s Rejects, there was an online campaign to get you a Best Supporting Oscar nom for your role of Otis. Were you aware of it and how did you feel?

Bill: I was aware of it, I think someone on my message boards on my website alerted me to it and I was flattered.  I thought it was great, I really appreciated. It’s funny because like 20 years ago in US magazine, Joe Bob Briggs use to have a show on Turner or TMC, it was a drive-in movie show, he’s a funny guy, and hired us to write a funny story about an anti-Oscars or something. He said he would’ve nominated Chop Top for Best Supporting Actor (laughs). So you know, it was more tongue-in-cheek but I thought it was great, I’m sorry I only lost by 47 million votes!

Jon: Well, you should’ve defiantly gotten a nomination over Paul Giamatti (Cinderella Man, 2005)…

Bill: So it’s a lot harder now, I don’t know if there is a bias against the horror genre per se. For the most part, you don’t get that type of recognition by working in the horror genre. The last one I remember is Kathy Bates getting one for Misery. That was a studio picture that was Stephen King, James Caan, there was a lot about it that lead itself, I think, to the academy voters watching the whole thing. The academy voters, who are largely actors, directors, and I think that they aren’t horror fans and couldn’t get through Devil’s Rejects (laughs).

Jon: Comedy never wins for acting, so saying that about horror is probably dead on.

Bill: It might be. I’m not done yet, so there might be more happy days ahead! (laughs)

Jon: Next year you have a lot of films coming out like Twisted Pictures The Tortured. How’s that going?

Bill: Great! We actually just wrapped that one and shot that up in Vancouver a couple of months ago. By the way, Vancouver is a beautiful city, I never been there before. I enjoyed it; I was teamed up again with one of the producers of Repo! Carl Mazzocone and of course, Mark Berg from Twisted Pictures, so it was nice to get invited back especially if you’re an actor because actors are like free agents. Acting can be an intense experience and to have people who want to work with you again is always a good sign (laughs). It’s a fantastic script; I don’t want to give much away. It was a great, great script and there are some fantastic actors in it and when it comes out, I’d be more than happy to talk about it then. It will probably come out July 2009.

Jon: Then you got The Graves with Tony Todd…

Bill: The Graves with Tony Todd was really fun and we shot that in Wickenburg Arizona in the summer and my scenes were in the daylight. This was summer in the desert and I think two out of the days I worked were over 108 degrees, so that was its own challenge. Yeah, so you know it was fun, there were beautiful women on the set, that’s always fun and the script was fun. The character I got to play, Caleb, was really a lot of fun. That should be a fan favorite.

Jon: You might not know this that Randy Blythe, the lead singer of Lamb of God was cast as an extra, and did you meet him?

Bill: I didn’t, but I knew about it, unfortunately, our parts didn’t overlap and in fact, this is the second time I worked with Tony Todd, the second movie and I still haven’t got the chance to work with him. In Night of the Living Dead, Tom Savini’s remake back in ’91, I played Johnny, Tony was part of the bunch in the house and I got killed before Barbara even got to the house. I missed him there. Hey that’s the other good reason to go to conventions, to meet him, I know Tony and he’s a great guy and we’re good pals.

Jon: I really want to thank you for spending time with me and Killer Film about Repo! and we look forward to seeing it and your films next year.

Bill: Thank you very much, I do appreciate it and your enthusiasm for the genre and I do know that Repo! is showing in Austin, Texas…

Jon: Yeah my other Killer Film half (Donny) will be there, I’m actually in Omaha, Nebraska…

Bill: Omaha! I looked up Omaha one time and I found that it meant “He who paddles against the current”…

Jon: We sure do there’s nothing but cornstalks here…

Bill: (laughs) Yeah, you know, Omaha is a great town. I grew up outside of Chicago. Well, thanks!

Jon: More importantly thank you.

Bill: My pleasure, see ya!

As with my Darren Lynn Bousman interview (reread it here) everyone’s excited about Repo! A Genetic Opera and we here at Killer Film are too. Moseley is a fun guy, with a love for what he does and perhaps more importantly, the fans. Keep coming back to Killer Film for more coverage of Repo! A Genetic Opera and be sure to check here for theater showings so you too can go see it!

Source: IGN