Indie Filmmaker Mark Demise and His Atomic Crypt Video Imprint Unleash the SOV Slasher Throwback REDBOX KILLER aka MOVIE MACHINE MASSACRE Via Fresh VHS! Shot Entirely on VHS-C! YES!
Sex , drugs and rock n’ roll have contributed to the creation of some of the best stuff on the planet. Here in Lunchmeat Land, we hold this to be inarguable fact. Take these essential elements, mix in some genuine analog movie-making, 80s slasher sensibilities and a whole lot of intermittent battery charging, and you have the VHS vindicating labor of love that is Mark Demise’s no-budget nod to the video era Redbox Killer aka Movie Machine Massacre. Shot entirely on VHS-C with little more than a tattered Jackson and an armful of canned brews as fuel, RBK is lined with that distinct rewind appreciation, blood-splatters aplenty and a load of unadulterated homemade movie madness all laid down on pure magnetic magic. Read on, my fellow Videovores, and learn why an extension cord is always a good thing to have handy…
. The big problem was the battery. This was a camera from the 90's. I even purchased a “new” battery off of eBay. It was in its original packaging but it's still a battery from the 90's. Usually it would last about 20 minutes tops and then needed to be recharged which took forever. Some scenes were rushed and even lost because of this.
Towards the end of the movie we shot in places where I could use an extension cord but that was limiting as well. As far as editing, my original plan was to not use any modern technology. I was attempting to edit using 2 VCRs as we did in 8th grade and it just wasn't working. Parts were getting cut off and it looked bad. Then I ran into Tim from Cryptkeeper 9 Productions at a horror convention. (If you're on the east coast he's the guy that sells all of the hockey masks). We're old buddies and I knew he had worked on a Halloween fan film. I asked if he wanted to edit the movie and he was into it. He had a great program and knew what he was doing technically as well as what I was going for artistically. It didn't affect the SOV look of the movie and really took it to the next level.
. And at this point if they haven't, they're not going to be. Some of the movies that did have new photoshopped shitty covers. I often wonder if some of these companies even bothered to watch the movies before doing them.
A look at the Official poster for REDBOX KILLER! Damn, those flea market-found studded knives are so bad ass! DIG IT!
Can you tell us a little about yourself and your creative history? Have you done other film work? My buddies and I used to make backyard horror movies when we were 13 – 14 years old. We used one of those old cameras you'd put the entire VHS tape in. We did a slasher in 7th grade and a satanic zombie short in 8th grade called Live Undead. The crazy part is that these movies were shown on the last day of school and everyone would cram in a room and watch them on the VCR/TV combo. There was satanism, language, violence, and castration in Live Undead and the teachers would just laugh. Different times, I guess. Soon sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll entered our lives and horror movie-making became a thing of the past. Some of us did start a band which eventually morphed into horror rock outfit Werevilsdare. We put out 3 albums and our last show was in 2012.
The radical cover art for WEREVILSDARE - "FULL MOON FURY"! Moon Morphin' Madness, mang!!
Tell us about Redbox Killer. The title is pretty explicit, but can you give us some details on what Tapeheads can expect from the flick? Redbox Killer is an 80's style slasher, down to the look and keyboard-driven soundtrack. It is inspired by what I consider to be the second golden age of horror, the mid 70's to mid 80's. However, it is more than just a guy killing people at Redboxes... Don't want to give too much away but there is a motive behind the madness. This was shot entirely on video, rightamundo? Can you tell us about the experience as a whole? The shooting? The editing? This was shot entirely on video. Honestly the experience was a nightmare
Renting from Redbox should be painful! REDBOX KILLER all decked out in DIY clamshell glory.
You have the film available on VHS with two different titles… are you doing that in case RedBox throws a hissy fit or something akin? Which title has been doing better? Ever thought about doing a reversible sleeve with one title on each side? There's a couple reasons for that. The first one is in case Redbox takes any legal action. Everyone keeps telling me I'm going to get sued. That would be like trying to squeeze blood from a tombstone. I got $25 and a six pack to my name. If they want it they can come and get it. But they might want to check the credits and see who played the Redbox Killer first. Another reason is it goes back to the whole AKA titles that were prominent during the VHS era. The last reason is that this movie will outlast Redbox. In a decade from now, people may not even know what Redbox is, in which case Movie Machine Massacre will be the lasting title. Right now both titles have been selling about equal. One thing I didn't expect is so many people wanting both titles. Even after I make sure they know AKA means it's the same movie. As far as the reversible sleeve, that's a great idea.
A look at the alternate title artwork: MOVIE MACHINE MASSACRE! These releases are extreme anti-digital DIY to the max, mang. Dig it.
Yo, do that shit, man! Okay, tell all the Videovores here in Lunchmeat Land what you REALLY think of Redbox, especially when juxtaposed against the experience of an old-school Mom n’ Pop video shop… When Redbox first hit the scene I didn't really pay any attention to it. They came on my radar when my favorite local video store shut down. This was the last one out of the four or so in my area that was still standing and had even outlasted Blockbuster. They had everything: all the crazy big box stuff the other places didn't have the guts to carry. I asked the owner what caused him to go out of business and he said Redbox. That's when the initial hatred started. It has no comparison the Mom and Pop experience. In fact ,my niece was just over my house and I have all these shelves of Horror VHS and we joked that she had no idea what they were and that she would never have the movie renting experience. But in reality I think it's sad. I grew up in the horror sections of the video store. Even before I was allowed to rent them the artwork was very influential.
The Redbox Killer about to bring the hammer down! YOU SHOULD HAVE WATCHED A VHS INSTEAD, YA DVDICK!!
Why do you think it’s important to keep VHS around? What is it about the format that you really adore? It was the format I grew up with. I was there for the big video boom, so there's the nostalgia piece. In addition, there's so many great titles that haven't made it to DVD
A most excellent obscure wrestling tag team from the late 80s? Nah... just more magnetic madness awaiting you in REDBOX KILLER!
Where can we pick up your movie, man? What’s next for you? The easiest way is through Paypal – just email werevilsdare@hotmail.com. The VHS are $18 shipped. I usually have them on eBay too when I'm not getting banned. There are also Redbox Killer and Atomic Crypt Video Facebook sites. As far as what's next, Movie Machine Massacre II: Redbox Killers On The Road.
Some blood red, white and blue alternate artwork for REDBOX KILLER... this makes me want one of those Rocket Pops, mang. Tasty.
Anything else you wanna shout out to all SOV-lovin’ Videovores in Lunchmeat Land? Check out the movie! Also thanks to all the collector's videos on YouTube, posts on VHS Misfits, and zines like this. They were influential in the making of this film. Keep it evil!Yo, DIY analog-only Evil 5EVA, mang! So, Tapeheads, if you’re in the magnetic mood for some ultra-low-budget SOV slashing (when are you not?!), then I strongly VHSuggest you groove on over to your email maker and fire off an order to werevilsdare@hotmail.com to grip up your very own slab of Mark Demise’s direct-to-video, tapes-over-technology anti-digital annihilator Redbox Killer aka Movie Machine Massacre. And don’t forget to clickity-click your way to the Official Redbox Killer and Atomic Crypt Facebook pages to stay analog updated on the upcoming sequel that’s sure to celebrate the joys our favorite format and defy the evils of the convenience era once again! UP THE ANALOG! PEOPLE NOT MACHINES! BIGGER CAMCORDER BATTERIES! MORE BEER! YES!
Groove and Groove and Feed that VCR Every Day.
Josh Schafer