Indie Filmmaker Cory J. Udler Talks Analog Era Awesomeness and His Affection for Exploitation as He Prepares to Unleash His Film MEDIATRIX Via VHS at Cinema Wasteland 2014!! DIG IT!
In the original analog-obsessed generation, you could pick up slabs of magnetic magic pretty much everywhere from your local gas station to the neighborhood grocery store. It was a time when picking a movie was more of an adventure, demanding you to get off your caboose and pick through a mesmerizing array of magnetic magic, only to go home and be blindsided by what you actually rented. Cory J. Udler is one radical indie movie-maker setting out to pay homage to the madness that abounded within that distinctive era, hurling you back in time to no holds barred, full-on unapologetic exploitation insanity. And now, coming this weekend at Cinema Wasteland 2014, armed with old-school original hand-painted cover artwork, stringent sleaze sensibilities and a stiff middle finger stuck in the air wavin’ at Blu Ray, Cory J. Udler will unleash his analog-committed beast entitled MEDIATRIX!! Read on, my fellow Tapeheads, and dip yourself in Udler’s sleazy swamp of independent analog-inspired cinema…
It’s that big physical piece of entertainment that you have to do a little more work to enjoy. Think of the work a band puts into an album of 10 songs. I know the fucking work that goes into making a movie, no matter how big or small. It’s insanity. To have the consumer work a little bit to have to see it is not a bad thing. I think they appreciate it more; that’s just me. I know people are lazy and most people just go with whatever is spoon fed to them, but in this genre, this market, the work for the consumers is part of the thrill and fun of it. And think of all of the movies that were released on VHS that still don’t have a proper DVD / Blu Ray release. It’s criminal.
VHS is just cooler, man. I hardly sell any DVDs anymore. It’s all digital downloads. I made all my movies available for rent or download last year and it’s been a great success. DVDs. Forget it. Blu Ray? That’s one I’m not doing. My movies aren’t HD; I’m not Michael Bay. You don’t need or necessarily want to watch these on Blu Ray. It’s moronic for me to even entertain that idea. I am a child of the VHS era; my movies all reflect that. I’m not interested in winning awards or going to film festivals and getting laurels. I just don’t give a shit. At all. I just want to make weird movies for people as weird as me. My flicks are all really meant for VHS, because that was how I got into movies. So in that regard, doing this MEDIATRIX VHS release really feels like I’m coming home, like I’m now just starting to get my movies seen the way they should be seen.
I never stopped collecting, actually. I have always picked up a cool VHS anytime I’ve seen it. I have a Moore Video DERANGED I’ve had for probably 20 years. I have my original Motley Crue Uncensored VHS from when I was 12. I have a huge collection of GODZILLA and THREE STOOGES VHS… 80’s hair metal VHS. I’m always collecting; I never quit. That’s my preferred format. I only have a VCR in my downstairs living room and the only time that TV gets turned on is when the wife and daughter are in bed, the dog is walked and the day is over for everyone but me. Then I can kick back with INCREDIBLY STRANGE CREATURES on Camp Video and escape it all.
. Again, not a horror movie, just a weird ass exploitation movie. It’s not going to catapult me into superstardom, that’s for sure; but it’s exactly what I want to make. We have devil lesbians, bad 70’s wardrobes, Ed Gein, Jeffrey Dahmer, a double amputee sex doll in a guy’s tub that he fingers with handsoap. It’s just a strange movie, more in the vibe of MEDIATRIX than the INCEST DEATH SQUAD movies. That will be available on VOD and DVD and, of course, VHS on June 6th at Incestdeathsquad.com. After that I’m shooting JEFFREY DAHMER: OB/GYN, a short flick. I did ED GEIN: DDS, so I’m kinda in love with the idea of doing a series of serial killer movies where they wind up back from the dead. Just no budget nonsense fun. I’m hoping the MEDIATRIX VHS is a hit and people dig it. I put a cheesy ass logo “animation” on there with some funky jazz music. The low res title just slowly flies in, “coming attractions”, “feature presentation”. If it sells well, I’ll do the new one on VHS and then the serial killer series on VHS. Each time out I’ll come up with other cool shit to do with the releases. Maybe do one that plays music or have some eyes light up on it.
Anything else you’d like to shout out to all the Videovores out there?
I just hope Videovores dig on the MEDIATRIX release. I’m so proud of that movie, even 3 years later, and I’m really fucking stoked for the design of the VHS, the extras I put on there. I think it’s a top notch VHS release, I really do. I would spend money on it. Wait… I already did. A lot. To make it and put it on VHS. But for real, the fellow Videovores are keeping the scene interesting, keeping that discovery alive. And I would like to leave you with a piece of wisdom from my good pal Putrid Matt. He scored a copy of THE BEST OF SEX AND VIOLENCE on VHS a few years back at Flashback. He came up to me, thrilled to death to have it, and said, “Dude, you know how you know you have a good VHS?” He flips it over and says, “boobies on the back”. MEDIATRIX having boobies on the front is because of Putrid’s words. I figured if boobies on the back guarantee a good purchase to him, boobies on the front must be even better.
Cory groovin' it up with the one and only Chester N. Turner! DOPE!
LM: Tell us about how ShaLenn Productions got started? What was the impetus to put your current project together? CJU: I wrote a script in, I believe it was 2004-2005, titled MOONSHINE. It was a very amped up exploitation script, poorly formatted, wordy, totally bonkers. I had been doing short films, some other writing. I wrote DEMON HAUNT for Ted V. Mikels around 2008. I saw a posting on the Troma site saying that Lloyd Kaufman was looking for feature film scripts. So, I sent him that one, except I had to rename it. MOONSHINE is a crap title. So I called Bill Rebane, who I had known for years and told him I was sending a script to Lloyd. He asked what it was about, so I told him and he said, “Call it INCEST DEATH SQUAD!”. I did. Lloyd called me and said he liked it and to keep at it. I met him a few months later at Flashback in Chicago and he told me to just make it and if I did he would come and be in it for free. That was the catalyst to start an LLC and make feature exploitation movies. We’re on number five now: two short films for the anthology HOLE IN THE WALL and now the MEDIATRIX VHS release. The VHS release for MEDIATRIX is something I’ve thought about for a while. I made that movie in 2011 with Paula Duerksen, who starred and wrote it. It also had Kaylee Williams, Joe Hollow, and Shannon Lark. It was an incredible cast and an amazing script. We shot it over about four days, premiered it in Tulsa in 2011. I never knew what exactly to do with the movie; the INCEST DEATH SQUAD movies were a fairly easy promotional sell: Troma fans, weird horror/exploitation fans, etc., but MEDIATRIX was a weird bird. It wasn’t horror at all, wasn’t comedy per se, wasn’t drama; it was just a very fun, very blasphemous exploitation movie. So it didn’t sell well, didn’t get the recognition I thought it deserved. The VHS release is a way for me to introduce the movie to the audience who enjoys these sorts of bizarre flicks.
The mega-rad front cover artwork for MEDIATRIX. Hey! That's my religion, too! Ahh, just kiddin... nice boobs, though.
How about the film? Can you give us the lowdown on what MEDIATRIX is all about? What can the Tapeheads expect when they feed this slab to their VCR? Paula came to Wisconsin to film a scene for INCEST DEATH SQUAD 2 and while she was here I took her on the Ed Gein tour in Plainfield and to a place called the “Mediatrix of Peace Shrine” in Necedah, Wisconsin. Very graphic grotto built by a woman and her followers in the 50’s. She claimed to suffer stigmata, had regular conversations with the Virgin Mary. It’s totally gonzo. On the way back we talked about doing an exploitation movie based on that story. About a year later, it was shot. We took the basis of the story and added a rock n’ roll Virgin Mary played by Shannon Lark, put boobs and drug abuse in it. I love the movie; it’s my favorite of anything I’ve done. Sleazy. That’s it in a word. Sleazy and blasphemous. But a lot of fun, if you have a sense of humor. If you don’t, then, I got nothing for you. I also tossed some super cool trailers on there. One for the anthology Derrick Carey assembled called HOLE IN THE WALL starring Greg Johnson. It’s an extended trailer. I did 2 short movies for that one, ED GEIN: DDS and THE ICE MAN. Judith O’Dea plays Ed’s mom in DDS. It’s just silly stuff, lots of fun. Tonjia Atomic, a trailer for one of her flicks, Mark Mackner’s DAISY DERKINS: DOGSITTER OF THE DAMNED trailer, and one for Corey Norman’s THE HANOVER HOUSE. All really cool flicks, all really different. Then I put together a new interview segment with Shannon, Paula and myself at the end of the tape, kind of like what Charles Band used to do. Tapeheads will dig it, I promise.
As if going to the dentist wasn't already a total bummer. At least you could get an autograph. And a hand-crafted lamp.
A look at the back of MEDIATRIX. Dig that old-school vibe, mang. And the blood drip. And the boobs.
I know this is how I'll always remember it... and own it! This is one nice slice o' analog, indeed!
Why do you think it’s important to keep VHS alive? Why do you love the format? Do you still collect yourself? For me, it’s just like albums, records.
And who wouldn't want to escape it all with this insano slab of magentic madness? The scan is from VHSCollector.com in case you didn't notice, man.
What’s next for ShaLenn Productions, mang? You planning on dishing out any more magnetic magic in the near future? Shooting THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH THE DEAD right now starring Shannon Lark, Kristen Casey and LloydHot damn, you’re right about that, man! Boobies are always a good call! Putrid sure does know his shit! And did you read about all the amazing analog goodies that should be in store for Cory’s upcoming exploitation assaults?! Sounds like it’s bound to be anti-digital dope, indeed, Videovores, so be sure to stay tuned to IncestDeathSquad.com to keep up with all of Cory’s sleazy cinematic exploits; and if you’re in the area, GROOVE TO CINEMA WASTELAND THIS WEEKEND! It’ll boogie-woogie on your brain!
Groove and Groove and Get Out of the House!
Josh Schafer