Filmmaker Laume Conroy Champions the VHS Format and Commits His XXX Full-Length Feature DAWNA THE DEAD to Limited Edition VHS to Appease Videovores and Their Carnal Needs! ADULTS ONLY, MAN!
After spending his impressionable adolescent years roaming video rental shops and peeking up at the not-so-well-hidden porno titles, avid analog slab collector an adult-inclined director Laume Conroy has tapped a lifetime of analog inspiration and resurrected his XXX feature Dawna the Dead via Limited Edition fresh VHS to help Videovores get off on his brand of insano undead carnality. Originally conceptualized and committed to analog glory for his own inclinations, Conroy has now unleashed his cut of some hardcore undead adult action via home video to assist Tapeheads in getting their fix of fantastical flesh-eating fornication. Read on, my fellow Videovores, and get ready for some XXX VHSex to penetrate your VCR…
Aside from title availability, I’m a total nostalgia junkie. Some of my fondest memories were going into the local independently owned video stores and staring at all that badass cover art and wondering what the movie was like. The hard part was trying to decide which ones to take home. The best video store was the one closest to my old house with the red carpet. It smelled like mold in there and they kept all their porn titles on the top rows of the shelves behind a flap. If you leaned in just right you could see the backs of the XXX boxes on the other side of the shelf. This was before the “back rooms” if anyone remembers those. Anyway, my friends from school would come over to my house on the weekend and we’d watch shit like I Spit on Your Grave, Evil Dead, and Zombie2 when we were like 14. If it wasn’t me and my friends getting tapes, it was my mom and me trying to pick a title we could watch together as a family. Those were some of the best days of my life. I guess collecting the old tapes is as close to time travel as I can get.
Laume lookin' like he just woke up from the big sleep alongside his imprint. That's gonna get infected fer sure.
Can you give us some info on your filmmaking background? I see you’ve done a bunch of SFX work, but Dawna is the first full-length feature you’ve directed? Dawna is actually my 6th feature, but probably the 1st one anyone was able to find and/or see. Many moons ago I made an SOV vampire flick called Nightwalkers. It was actually released so long ago it came out on VHS before it was considered a “dead format” and Femme Fatales magazine was still in print and ran a small article. Releasing companies passed on it because it was considered “offensive” because it had lots of blood, juggs and gore. Finally, when it did get picked up, the distributor at the time cut almost all of the gore, blood and nudity and added more talking that they called “plot”. That version sucked and thankfully, nobody saw it. Later I was under contract with Vista Street Entertainment, known for the Witchcraft series, and made some flicks for them, most notably Flesh Pit. It was pretty much a modern film Noir flick with juggs and blood. I was told that it had made its way to cable, but I never saw it. Then there was Stranded, kind of a BDSM thing with a creeper guy posing as a tow truck driver, sorta like Jim VanBebber’s Chunk blower, and much like Chunk blower… nobody saw it.
The TITular character Dawna gettin’ fresh with an eager expired adult. DIG IT.
What can we expect from Dawna the Dead? I have to imagine there’s a buncha groovy zombie on chick action?! Yes, exactly. Also to keep it PC we have female zombies get in on the action, as well. Not to give anything away, but they’re hungry for cock in more ways than one.
They sure DO look hungry, Laume! Zomboners for all! ADULTS ONLY trailer HURR.
Youch! Sounds like heads will be shred! So, it looks like this flick is from 2008. Has it come out before, and this is sort of re-boot? Or is this the first time it’s available on physical formats? This is its first release. It was originally funded as a straight up horror feature to be shot on 16mm film but the funding fell through at the last minute. Later I had some cash put aside and knew some folks in the adult arena and thought it would be cool to make a XXX zombie horror flick. I always loved zombies so I dusted off the old script and rewrote it as an adult feature. I shot most of the movie and cut a trailer and put that up on-line. Dave Navarro saw the trailer and dug it. He actually helped me get the movie completed. I got the rest of the funding I needed, finished it, then later that year it screened theatrically in Hollywood. I shopped it to releasing companies expecting an easy sale, but no. Porn companies were like “this is horror” and horror companies were like “this is porn” so it didn’t hit DVD till 2010. It was an interesting adventure making the movie to say the least.
A look at the poster for the original theatrical run of DAWNA THE DEAD! Someone give this girl a hand! Oh... wait... good job, Everyone!
Why did you decide to put this flick on limited edition VHS? Really I just wanted a tape for myself. The only way to get them professionally made was to order multiple units, so I got the smallest run. Didn’t really know if anyone else would want it or not and I didn’t really care, because I wanted it!
A peek at the VHS artwork for DAWNA. Hey,man... I know those graves! And Adam still owes be five bones, so he best get back soon.
So you’re still collecting and watching the format? What is it about VHS that you really dig? Hell yes I still collect VHS! Just picked up six tapes last week. When I first started collecting movies that was the only format besides Laserdisc. Plus as new formats emerge like DVD and Blu-ray a lot of the same movies are released again and again, but some still remain only on VHS. I read a statistic once that said more movies were released on VHS than any other format, and I’m inclined to agree.
One of the lucky stiffs in DAWNA THE DEAD about get it up out of the grave!
Damn, you know we can dig that, man! I have to assume you watched some adult stuff on video back in the day. Care to share any favorites or influential adult titles? I would love to share porn titles! As a kid I saw Devil In Miss Jones 2 and later I saw Depraved Fantasies 4 and it was a big inspiration because it was the first actual horror porn title I saw. Granted it was goofy as hell, but I realized that I could get away with mixing horror and porn. But what I really think what got this whole thing started was my constant staring at the old Continental release of City Of The Walking Dead. As you recall the front cover was a naked woman with her eye ripped out and the back had zombies on it. As a kid at the video store I was always looking at that box, I was so attracted to and repulsed by that cover.
Undoubtedly one of the most eye-grabbing covers of all-time. Image courtesy of the awesome CritCon.
What’s next for you, Laume? Any more adult analog editions in the near future?! Any movies I make, whether adult or mainstream, I will push for an analog release even if I have to do it myself. I love the format and I want it to stick around, so I will do everything I can to make that happen. For some reason people keep asking for a sequel to Dawna, between you and me, I already started shooting it. Anything else you wanna shout out to all the Videovores here in Lunchmeat Land? Just keep supporting the format. In doing this VHS release I learned that there are very few places that still do the printing or make the tapes, cases and VCRs. As long as we keep buying tapes, old and new, those places will keep selling that stuff and stay in business. I can’t encourage other filmmakers enough… do an analog release. There is absolutely nothing like sliding that tape into your VCRs slot, leaning back and watching it play.Dang, you know that’s right, Laume! Huge analog ups to Mr. Conroy for putting porn back on tape, encouraging indie filmmakers to take the analog path and giving Videovores the chance to pitch a tent to some fresh VHS flesh! Laume, we VHSalute you! Be sure to groove on over and get yourself a slice of sordid VHSexxx from the Official Dawna the Dead site and get on down with some undead eroticism sure to make your magnetic member stiff as a corpse. Remember, Videovores: rewind after you rub one out so it’s ready roll for next time!
Groove and Groove and Go Behind the Green Door.
Josh Schafer