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Bum Interviews:
The Countess Bathoria Interview | Actress, director, screenwriter, webmistress, model, and fervently-admired Goth icon COUNTESS BATHORIA (A.K.A. Melantha Blackthorne) is the driving force behind the mind-boggling, wildly-inventive horror/action/comedy flick SINNERS AND SAINTS (described by our own Rufus and Scraps as "the kind of stuff that propels a movie to cult status"), now available as a deluxe 2-disc DVD from her company, Robomonkey Productions.
The breathtakingly beautiful Countess recently made an appearance at the Corner to answer a few questions for us, and I, lucky dog that I am, got to ask them.
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porfle: We're honored to have you here at Bum's Corner, Countess. How are things going for you these days?
CB: Hello Porfle, Rufus and Scraps. Bum's Corner has become somewhat of a second home for me lately and I'm honored to be here once again. Things couldn't be better!
porfle: You've been featured prominently in the films of exploitation director S. V. Bell (THE NIGHT THEY RETURNED, PURPLE GLOW). What's your wildest, nuttiest, and/or most unusual recollection of that experience?
CB: Eating human remains with Suzi Lorraine on a rainy Sunday afternoon.
porfle: SINNERS AND SAINTS reminded me of something directors Ken Russell, John Waters, and John Woo might have collaborated on in an acid-fueled stupor. Did they have any influence on you? What other filmmakers would you consider influences?
CB: I'd have to answer no to all three but can definitely see why those names came to mind. It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of José Mojica Marins A.K.A. Coffin Joe and love everything that he's done. He is a remarkable and unique filmmaker who has shown that budget can never constrain a true mastermind. Some others include Takashi Miike, Sam Raimi, Peter Jackson, Ryuhei Kitamura, Russ Meyer, Darren Aronofsky, Tarsem Singh and Sergio Leone. | |  | |
porfle: How did you achieve such impressive visual effects on such a low budget?
CB: By spending many grueling hours in front of the computer...trial and error is something we know all too well. Also, having a friend that specializes in 3D animation was a big help! David Bacha created the Gonadius spider that you see me toy with and eat, the animated x-ray shot of the penis moving up through the police officer's ribcage and the Vatican satellite.
porfle: From what I can tell, you did all your own incredible stunts on the picture. Did this ever result in any dicey situations?
CB: No because I rehearsed it to death and was surrounded by professionals. All in all it took two days to learn the choreography and the sai, a weapon I had never picked up before. Jason and the boys on the other hand are also putting themselves in dicey situations. Stay tuned for THE ORDER OF ONE!
porfle: The kung fu action is very realistic. Who choreographed it, and was it difficult to learn?
CB: Jason Cavalier was the action director. He has worked as a professional stunt man for over twenty years and is the other half of Robomonkey Productions. Most recently he worked as a fight choreographer on Darrin Aronofsky's latest film THE FOUNTAIN. Jason was also hand picked by Chad Stahelski (Keanu Reeves' stunt double) to be part of the fighting team for the Warner Brothers' Spartan epic 300. As for it being difficult to learn, rehearsal was the key...we spent a lot time getting it just right. Some shots took up to 20 takes!
porfle: I was impressed by the wirework, which is equal to that in any big-budget action movie I've seen, including THE MATRIX. How was this achieved?
CB: We tied the actors to a wire and pulled!!! No, seriously this was another aspect of the action that took a lot of rehearsal. I worked on the wire with Jason and his team for a day, just trying stuff, seeing what moves worked well for me. Some of them are very difficult and the harness can be painful after awhile, more so for men if you get my drift, but I stuck with it. It's a shame I didn't get to do all the things I learnt but there was no time. The actual techniques are simple, but the key is rehearsal and timing of the wire team. | |  | |
porfle: Besides the excellent original score by Michael and Natalia Chirva, there are several great songs on the soundtrack. How did you assemble such a kickass musical score?
CB: I am a huge fan of death and symphonic metal and knew that this type of music would not only fit the theme but also add to the production value of our project. I basically searched the net for independent bands that were interested in promoting themselves through SINNERS AND SAINTS and was pleasantly surprised by their enthusiasm and support!
porfle: You had a bit of a run-in with the law during filming. Can you give us some details?
CB: Well…we weren’t given permission to shoot within city limits with our mock police vehicle but were given permission to shoot just a few miles away. During the shooting, Liz (Sister Merrick) had to use the ladies room and as luck would have it, the closest facility was inside city limits and the only vehicle we had was the police car. We of course got stopped by the real police and received a $500 fine, plus towing expenses. They were complete assholes! Watch the special features and you’ll see them cringe from an illegal search once they realize the cameras are rolling.
porfle: Some of the scenes were shot in an actual church. Considering the type of movie you were making, I'm dying to know how this went over with the resident personnel!
CB: Shoot and run! No, we actually shot in a protestant church. They were extremely cool about it and let us stay the day for a measly donation. Mind you, they haven't seen the finished movie!
porfle: I noticed the name of Tura Satana (Russ Meyer's FASTER PUSSYCAT, KILL! KILL!, Ted V. Mikels' THE DOLL SQUAD) in the credits as a villager. How did she come to play a bit part in the production?
CB: You are the first to actually catch on to this. We named certain characters after our icons as a joke due to the fact that a lot of the cast played more than just one character in the film.
porfle: The ending of the movie seems to leave things wide open for a sequel...any hints as to what will become of Father Drake, Necrotia, and the rest?
CB: Yes. | |  | |
porfle: How close did you come to turning the screenplay into the film you envisioned during the writing process?
CB: Because we produced the film ourselves most of the time were able to work on our own schedule taking the time we needed to get things done, the way we envisioned it. Jason and I also wrote the screenplay keeping in mind our budget restrictions and capabilities, which left no room for not being able to create or deliver.
porfle: After such a dazzling directorial display in SINNERS AND SAINTS, you must have some future projects as director in the works. Can you give us a preview?
CB: Robomonkey is currently in pre-production with COUNTESS BATHORIA'S GRAVEYARD PICTURE SHOW, a zombie anthology-style film. I'll be directing one of the shorts, "Inbed and Undead", as well as hosting the film, Vampira style.
We are also in pre-production with a horror film entitled WICKED HARVEST. I've been dying to shoot this one for some time now and do hope to have the chance to start either this fall or early next year. It's your not-so-typical horror movie about a group of friends who go camping in the woods.
porfle: What earlier experiences led you in this direction? Without going into too much detail, what made you what you are today, instead of, say, a stewardess or a Universal Studios tour guide?
CB: As a young girl I would write little horror stories and then borrow my father's video camera to create mini home movies. As I grew, my taste for horror evolved into something of a fetish and I began exploring new and unique ways of expressing myself. Years later the web character Countess Bathoria was born. It wasn't long after, that I was contacted to play the role of a vampire in a locally based independent film. The director's goal was to eventually sell the finished film to my fans; however, the outcome was somewhat disappointing, as the film contained no "genre elements". Jason and I met on the set of this film and soon discovered that we had a couple of mutual interests, which were filmmaking and exploitation cinema. We both felt that my fans would be terribly disappointed with the vampire movie and knew that we could do a much better job, and that's how Robomonkey Productions came to be. | |  | |
porfle: Could you give us a quick overview of your film appearances up to this point?
CB: I've done three films with SV Bell to date, THE NIGHT THEY RETURNED, PURPLE GLOW, and SHE DEMONS OF THE BLACK SUN. 2005 was a productive year for me, shooting five films all in which I played lead or principal roles. TENDER FLESH FOR THE ZOMBIE GODDESS, directed by Patrick Aird of Killer B Girl Films. PRISON OF THE PSYCHOTIC DAMNED produced by David Williams of Red Scream Films and directed by D.W. Kann. THE ORDER OF ONE which is the latest installment from yours truly...Robomonkey Productions, co-produced by Braemar Entertainment and directed by Kevin Woodhouse. Last but not least RANDOM, which was also directed by Mr.Woodhouse.
porfle: Have you ever considered doing a film version of BATHORIA'S TALE, the lengthy photo-story featured on your website? Seems like it would make a pretty intense Gothic horror flick.
CB: I've been contemplating this for many years and think it has great potential! Perhaps one day when I have a bigger budget.
porfle: Were you a Monster Kid? What films had the biggest effect on you during your formative years?
CB: In more ways than one!
I grew up watching a lot of the mainstream horror movies like FRIDAY THE 13TH, THE EXORCIST, HALLOWEEN, A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, DRACULA. I absolutely adored horror and would watch it every chance I got even though it meant no sleep for weeks. It's funny though because I tend to lean the opposite way now, liking everything that isn't mainstream. Japanese horror is my favorite as well as some German titles and anything made by José Mojica Marins A.K.A. Coffin Joe.
porfle: What recent films have impressed you the most?
CB: There really hasn't been much in the way of new releases that impressed me lately. Aside from Coffin Joe some of my favorite films include EVIL DEAD, VISITOR Q, ICHI THE KILLER, FASTER PUSSYCAT, KILL! KILL!, DEAD ALIVE, POSSESSION (Andrzej Zulawski), CRAZY LIPS, VERSUS, TETSUO, HANZO THE RAZOR, BATTLE ROYALE, FUDOH, REQUIEM FOR A DREAM, ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST, THE MECHANIC, DR. LAMB, NECROMANTIK II, OLD BOY, THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, and IN A GLASS CAGE. | |  | |
porfle: A little bird told me that you may be doing your first topless scene in an upcoming movie. Please tell me this is true! And give us some advance info on the movie if you would.
CB: The movie is called PRISON OF THE PSYCHOTIC DAMNED and it was indeed my first topless scene. I felt that the role was right and the nudity worked for the scene and the character. Don't get me wrong...I'm a huge fan of gratuitous nudity, in fact I exploit women all of the time in my own films (I'm going to burn at the stake for that comment). I certainly don't look at exploitation as degrading, in fact I get bored easily when watching a film and there aren't any naked women (that one too). I just don't want to be typecast as the girl who takes her top off at the drop of a hat. I take my work seriously and want others to look at more than just my breasts...even though they are nice to look at!
porfle: What do you hope to accomplish in the film business in, say, the next five years?
CB: As long as I'm having fun and my fans are having fun I will have accomplished what I set out to do. Although at times it would be nice to work with a bigger budget!
porfle: Would you be my girlfriend?
CB: Since I'm into necrophilia it will have to be over your dead body.
porfle: Thank you, Countess, for gracing our humble Corner with your presence! It is a distinct pleasure to have you in our midst, and we will continue to follow your filmic endeavors with great interest.
CB: The pleasure was all mine! |
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Updated Saturday, February 04, 2006 Written by porfle |
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