Uruguayan Filmmaker Manuel Facal and Pyrsa Productions Offer Up Some Fresh VHS with Their New Splatter Comedy Romp ACHURAS 2: FETO VOODOO! DIG IT!
Manuel himself hangin' loose and spreading around some promo for ACHURAS 2! PREDATOR APPROVED!
Can you tell us a little bit about your personal background / creative history? You did another film before Achuras 2, right? Yes, I have written and directed a film called Relocos y Repasados (a.k.a. High Five) which is a Uruguayan stoner comedy that's playing Fantastic Fest this year! It's a story about a bunch of youngsters getting fucked up on drugs and having to deal with a 16-year old girl paralyzed in the K-hole. And that's my MAINSTREAM effort! Everything I did before that is just as low-budget and disgusting as Achuras 2, like my 2005 short film Romeo vs. The Lysergic Assassin Mozzarella. I also like to draw comics every once in a while.
A still from RELOCOS Y REPASADOS aka HIGH FIVE. All I'm gonna say is HOLY SHIT.
What was the inspiration for Achuras 2? Is there an Achuras 1?! Of course there is! But you don't need to watch that one. It's actually my first "feature"… I shot it on VHS when I was 20 and it sucks big time. I actually pulled it off YouTube so people can go directly to this one. I didn't want the sequel to be called "Achuras: Pretentious Subtitle" because I hate that trend. I mean, it used to be so much easier to follow franchises when you had numbers on their titles! And they look better on the poster!! I know it's a bit contradictory because I'm encouraging you NOT to watch the original, but it’s fun nevertheless!
The poster for the now obscured original ACHURAS! Come on, Manuel! DIG IT UP AGAIN!
What can viewers expect from Achuras 2? What’s it all about? Achuras 2 (a.k.a. Weed Whacker) is a wild horror comedy in the vein of Peter Jackson's Dead Alive. The story follows a rock n'roll band going to spend the weekend at their lead singer's family house, and she's the only one who knows what went down there 12 years ago: a teenage party where an occultist fanatic killed everyone and then turned them into zombies, controlling them with voodoo. This girl is a Satanist and a fucking nutjob, so she decides to channel the voodoo maniac and the story repeats itself when a new party is thrown at the house. So now, this is not strictly a zombie movie. Zombies are just one of the elements in the mix, which is filled with voodoo rituals, corpse fucking, diarrhea milkshakes, glue-sniffing, rock n'roll, weed whacker sword fights, machine gun killing sprees and romantic walks at the cemetery. It's also the first movie in history to include a reverse-abortion, I think.
A still from ACHURAS 2 with some slippery when wet sacrifice! Annnnd, LIFT!
Shit, that sounds amazing! You know what else is amazing? That cover artwork! I believe you designed it? Along with another amazing artist? Yes, his name is Juampe and he does all my posters! He IS an amazing artist and a very sexy skinny man with a low voice. You can find more of his stuff here: http://batijuampe.blogspot.com/ !
The absolutely radical key artwork for ACHURAS 2 from Juampe and Manuel! Peep more of Juampe's killer and diverse work RIGHT HURR.
Why put this film on VHS? Is it a limited run sort of deal, or will these always be available? Is this exclusively available on video tape, or are there other ways to see it? Well, Alan (he plays "Alan" in the movie) is our marketing director and he came up with the idea. It started as a very limited run but then people started to request the tape, which came as a surprise. At one point we actually had to pick up a stack of old tapes we found in a dumpster and use them, which is the fun part of the Achuras 2 VHS edition: when the movie ends, you get to watch the last half hour of the original tape, which can be either My Girl or some Chuck Norris flick. But it's not the only format… we also have DVD!
How could you not want this on your shelf, Tapeheads? You do. This analog edition RULES.
Where can Tapeheads get their hands on a VHS copy of Achuras 2? Is it dubbed in English, or...? You can request both the DVD and the VHS at our Facebook page www.facebook.com/achuras2. Send a private message and we'll arrange the shipping. The movie is currently in Spanish audio with English subtitles. It is not dubbed although that would be HILARIOUS.
The back and side spine of the ACHURAS 2 VHS release. Shit is LEGIT.
What is it about the VHS format that compels you? What attracts you to it? Do you collect VHS yourself? Well, we obviously grew up on VHS and it's a hard thing to let go. I still have all my old tapes and they look fucking sexy on the shelf!
Just a couple of the undead wrecks in Facal's flick. See a heaping helping of the gory glory HERE.
What do you think of all the VHS appreciation and celebration that’s happening again? Why do you think it’s important to keep VHS in movie fan’s hands? Again, the nostalgia factor has a lot to do with it, but it's also the physical aspect of it: VHS boxes are still the coolest vessel to keep your movies in. They're just nice to hold, like a brick in your hand. A lot of things are disappearing because of digitalization of things, but people need to decorate their houses, damnit! And movie geeks are definitely going to do it with movie stuff, so in that department, at least, VHS still has aesthetic value. And again, VHS = SEX.
And if all the groovy gunk goin' on in ACHURAS 2 wasn't enough, it's even approved by Unclie Llyodie himself! IT EVEN SAYS SO ON THE BOX!
Okay, what’s up with that black bun burger, man? It looks kinda gross, but also intriguingly awesome. Is it real? Can I get that somewhere?! I wanna bite it. You're talking about my Facebook profile picture. That's actually a McDonald's burger from China… I think you can only get it there. I just love burgers, man.
I mean, just look at this thing. Apparently, it's also available in white. FOOD COLORING? TASTAY.
Hell, we can dig that VHSentiment no doubt, Manuel! Clean Heads and Dirty Minds Unite! Huge analog ups to Facal and crew for doing up some most excellent analog editions of their new flick Achuras 2, and, yo, I’m all about dumpster diving in Uruguay for abandoned anti-digital glory. Just put me on a plane, roll up a doobie and I’ll be there without delay. No shit. VHS Vacation it up. And YOU! With the 2 pound bag of jerky on yer lap! Be sure to groove YOUR way on over to the Official Achuras 2 Facebook page to attain an analog slab of some totally outrageous splatter comedy VHSex courtesy of these analog-appreciating Uruguayan aces. You’ll be glad ya did, mang. Just remember it's PAL format! And special thanks to the super-rad RARO VHS for the heads up on this! You rule, Cristian!
Groove and Groove and Watch it Til the End.
Josh Schafer