Horror Business (2005)

To me, this movie is perfection.

just watch it!

Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

Written by Ilise S. Carter of NEWYORKCOOL.COM Not for the Faint of Heart! Horror has long been the unwanted mutant under the stairs of the film industry and, despite the occasional break out hit, has remained a largely marginalized genre since Nosferatu flickered across silent screens. As a result, horror films have long had a reputation for being cheap, low class and accessible to everyone with a home movie camera, a twisted dream and some prop blood – and oddly enough this is mostly true. Perhaps more than other type of film-making, horror is truly directed its fan's appetites.This fan phenomenon is lovingly documented in Christopher P. Garetano's Horror Business with interviews ranging from horror legends to homegrown visionaries and every sort of fan in between. Shot with hand-held cameras in the collectors' conventions, the backyard sets and the living rooms where fans and filmmakers gather, the film gives its subjects ample room to explain their personal connections to the world of violence, the occult and fantasy that make up the oeuvre.This mix of objectivity and affection are what makes Horror Business so much fun. Whether it's drive-in film critic, Joe Bob Briggs, explaining the three pitfalls of amateur filmmakers (i.e., too many zombies, don't cast your friends, and lesbian vampires); or Long Island filmmaker "Slave" lamenting the current vapid state of pop culture; or designer Andy Gore showing off his line of serial killer pillows, you can't help but share in their enthusiasm – even if you do feel a little cooler.

Indeed, this is a good movie. In fact, it's downright refreshing. The decision by filmmaker Christopher P Garetano to focus his film on the new breed of horror movie makers was truly an inspired one. And by "new breed" I don't mean the likes of Eli Roth, Rob Zombie or Alexandre Aja. I'm talking about guys like Ron Atkins, David Stagnari and Mark Borchardt. Who? Exactly, these are the grassroots filmmakers, the guys the general movie-going faithful don't even know – save for maybe Borchardt who was the subject of the 1999 film 'American Movie'.Director Garetano skillfully inter-cuts lively moments of a handful of these "new breed" filmmakers struggling to get their flicks made with clips and sound-bites from classic films of a sadly bygone era. Seeing newspaper one-sheets and hearing radio spots for old films like 'Torso', 'Last House On The Left' and 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' brought a nice nostalgic touch to the film, and it's hard not to want to pick-up a handy-cam and join these fellas in their plight to make the next low budget masterpiece.Most of the guys spotlighted in this doc come across as likable, everyday kids who just want to make something different – something anti-establishment, anti-Hollywood…maybe even something a little bit dangerous; kudos to them all! The doc is also peppered with small interview clips from the likes of Sid Haig, Joe Bob Briggs and the master of no-budget spat-fests himself, Mr. Hershell Gordon Lewis who all give their take on what it takes to make it in the world of horror cinema. The general consensus seems to be this: entertain people. Hallelujah!

First, there is a lot of potential here. Through this doc, we encounter some of the most interesting people... i.e. indie horror film makers. The problem with this film is that it never settles down and really explores the people it features. We may have been better off just seeing a couple of the filmmakers and getting more in depth with them. I would have liked to learn more about a couple of these guys, but the film just doesn't take us there.Then, there is no central theme to the movie. Yes, the theme is the making of horror movies, but there is no one, clear idea or focus that pulls us from beginning to end. You are never watching this and wondering "what's gonna happen" or "what's gonna become of this person." That is what good documentaries do. They pull you through to the end of the story. Here, there is not much of a story. It is more of a hodgepodge of ideas. And I think there are areas, such as stock footage, etc. that were needlessly put in. I know how this can be as a filmmaker. It probably comes from the fact that Mr. Garetano did every aspect of production. It is hard to be objective when you write, direct, produce, and edit. Believe me, I know.With all that said, I applaud Mr. Garetano for his effort and passion in getting this project done. Remember, every project is a stepping stone and learning point on the way to something better. Keep plugging away!

It's about two percent movie making and ninety-eight percent hustling. It's no way to spend a life." Orson Welles Every review of this film will probably state this quote. Which is OK, because the film opens with it. But it's the perfect summary as director Christopher Garetano explores and investigates why we're drawn, filmmakers especially, to horror in general. It's also an examination of the spirit one tries to hold onto in a harsh business to enter, let alone prosper in. So you wanna make movies? Why? And if so, why horror? What is it that makes us come back again and again to the genre? What would drive you to put "regular life" on hold indefinitely to create these twisted visions? Director Garetano- creator of the horror magazine Are you Going? (which he put on hiatus to make this film) and the award-winning experimental short INSIDE- decides to avoid horror's usual suspects (Stephen King, George Romero, Wes Craven etc.) and focus that question on the little guy, five or six independent up-and-comers with varying degrees of ambition and ability. We meet such distinct iconoclasts as lone wolf David Stagnari, who spends years honing a surrealistic black-and-white nightmare called Catharsis, and wondering if there's even a place for his work in the era of glossy, soulless, empty films..Button-pusher Ron Atkins, who cranks out over-the-top tales of decadence and madness; John Brodie, a David Icke conspiracy theorist/producer who helps Ron complete a video dramatizing the alien takeover of the American Government; and John Goras, a mild-mannered animator who gets his angst out through titles like Son of God vs. Son of Godzilla. We also spend some time on the set of Zombie Honeymoon, where director Dave Gebroe aims for a more dramatic, character-based conflict amidst the body parts, courtesy of FX master Tate Steinsiek. And with Brian Singleton, who works on his own documentary of the paranormal and his own sci-fi/horror hybrid flicks with no money, time, or apartment to his credit… We also visit on set with Mark Borchardt, who indie and documentary fans will remember from 1999's American Movie. This film, however, is not a sequel; we only deal with Mark as he relates to the theme of the piece. As engaging as always, Mark actually seems to have lost his drive after this previous film Coven in the late 90's and we get to watch him regain it with his first feature Scare Me. An excitingly visual documentary, Garetano avoids static, talking heads for the most part and peppers his film with colorful visual montages, often dramatizing the spirit of film-making a la Errol Morris; the film opens with a little kid in his bathroom applying KISS-like horror makeup and joining another kid brandishing a movie camera, recreating Night of the Living Dead on a child's level; it perfectly sets the playful tone and will make a lot of struggling indies grin and think back to their formative years. It's never distractingly stylized except for some occasional interviews, which are captured at jarring angles that make you crane your head. Editing is tight and the timing makes some funny moments even funnier; There's some laugh out loud scenes as we follow these persistent dreamers through their highs and lows, and every personality he follows is at the least, interesting; with egos ranging from swollen to nonexistent. Yet the material never becomes condescending or a point-and-laugh affair, nor a 'Project Greenlight' chronicle of on-set mishaps and doubts. These folks, like all aspiring artists and craftsmen, were touched by films in their youth and will stop at nothing to be able to touch them back. The fact that the films that set them off were full of monsters, gore, madness and suspense is irrelevant. It's an honest yet hopeful look at the no-budget end of genre film-making. The doc briefly turns to some low budget genre pioneers and well-known horror celebs. H.G. Lewis ('The Godfather of Gore') discusses entertainment vs. indulgence, Sid Haig(The Devil's Rejects, Spider Baby) talks commitment and "how much is too much," Tony Timpone(head of Fangoria magazine) shares his views on the genre's viability, and Joe Bob Briggs nails it when he discusses what usually sucks about low or no-budget films(stop casting your non-actor friends!). Some of the work we see from the directors is barely above the amateur level, some more ambitious and detailed; but their resulting work isn't the point. (though there's a great ending sequence where a lot of them accomplish their immediate goals) Against all odds, they are out there shooting, getting it done, (hopefully) learning more about their craft etc. How many filmmakers start out that way and end up just talking?