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Terry M. West
Terry M. West is the director of such films as SATAN'S SCHOOL FOR LUST and FLESH FOR THE BEAST.
B-Independent.com: The B-Indi traditional first question, "Why Film?"
Terry West: I was a very creative kid growing up and I spent a lot of time at the drive-in. I played with 8mm as a teenager, and though I didn't get into films until my thirties, people had always commented at how visual my writing style was.
BI: You started as a writer of comics and children's fiction. How were you able to make the transition to filmmaker?
TW: Quite easily. Filmmaking was a natural evolution to my writing. It had always been a pipe dream until the micro budget film scene exploded. Once you could realize a project on a realistic budget, I went into it full throttle and found myself quite comfortable directing.
BI: Is their a media you prefer?
TW: No, not really. Everyone is enamored with shooting on film. I can take it or leave. I think 24p is going to be my main media.
BI: You mentioned how comfortable you are directing. What do you demand of yourself on set?
TW: Well, I demand getting a reasonable amount of work done on a day to day basis and I try to get it done with as much patience and tolerance as possible. I try to be firm but positive and get the very best I can out of a situation whether the budget is three thousand dollars or three hundred thousand.
BI: Your cast and crew?
TW: I like the cast to have a firm grasp on the characters and dialogue but not so much that they aren't able to adapt or bend. Some actors will commit so deeply to something and become so married to the way that they envision it that it is impossible to steer them back to where you see things. Sometimes that direction you are giving becomes a negotiation. You and the actor have to find a middle ground that works for you both. That's when you realize that's it's a collaborative effort between you and the actor. As a director, you have to relinquish absolute authority. You can't take a dictatorial stance simply because you are in charge. You have to take the suggestions and weigh them and go with what works because it is the film that matters, not the credit or the person that had the best idea. The people I crew with usually need little overseeing. I give them my marching orders, tell them what lighting I am looking for, how the set needs to look, go over the shot list with the DP. Then I usually go over things with the actors as the crew prepares. I just expect people to get the maximum they can from a day of shooting, but the number one rule I always tell people on my set is have fun. During the downtime, there is a lot of joking around and geek talk about films in general.
BI:Who are your influences and what do you get from each?
TW: My influences are Kubrick and Romero and Franco. I think what I get from Franco is quite obvious. Romero has an organic flow and Kubrick can build claustrophobia in a huge expanse, which isn't an easy thing to do. I used a lot of Kubrick techniques in FLESH FOR THE BEAST.
BI: This is where I plead ignorance. As someone who doesn't care for Franco, I see your work as night and day. What exactly do you pull from him?
TW: Franco has a fearlessness about his work. And he isn't afraid to show the unattractive side of exploitation.
BI: I've never really thought of exploitation in terms of "attractive" and "unattractive," but I think I understand where you're coming from in terms of character traits and actions. Franco does indeed like showing the world the dregs of society and depths which they're willing to sink. Then again, in a more literal sense, he's one of the few filmmakers who can make the most beautiful of acts, sex, grotesquely unattractive. I can see both takes in your dramatic work.
TW: Yeah. But you know who think is even closer to Franco in style and subject, and maybe you agree and hopefully he won't take this as an insult because it is not... Bill Hellfire.
BI: As a filmmaker, what sort of themes are you interested in exploring?
TW: You know, I have never really thought about it. In some of the previous novels I have written and in some of the newer scripts I am currently working on, there are a lot of fatalistic heroes who attract the attention of really bad girls. Hard to explain here. I think I like the notion of a human being who has fallen, and has to find a hidden strength inside to see a situation through. It hasn't shown so much in my previous work (excluding BLOOD FOR THE MUSE) but it is becoming more and more prevalent in the scripts I am currently writing.
BI: Redemption stories?
TW: Well, yes, redemption. I think we all carry around a bunch of karmic junk that has to be cleansed from time to time. My newest script, DEAD AWARE, is about a hard boiled private eye who was cursed during a voodoo sex ritual. He was having sex with a voodoo priestess that had opened his third eye, allowing him to see the things around us we normally can not. He loved this woman dearly. She meant more to him than life itself. The woman was killed during the ceremony, leaving the detective's third eye open. So now the detective lives with the ability to constantly peer into the next dimension. And what he sees, for the most part, is nasty. He regards the situation as a curse, and sort of carries it around like Lancelot's wound that never healed. But the thing is, the detective sees only the bad, nasty things... never the good things, that coexist in the next dimension. Why? Because he doesn't want to.
BI:Your first film, BLOOD FOR THE MUSE, started as one of your comics. Can you discuss the evolution from page to screen?
TW: When it came to my first picture, I realized that BLOOD FOR THE MUSE could be translated quite easily to film. The film was orginally going to be about me deciding how to go about turning BLOOD FOR THE MUSE into a film. The original script called for me to go into an abandoned theater that I suddenly notice is open and advertising BLOOD FOR THE MUSE on the marquee. I buy a ticket and actually watch the anthology film I was going to write. Because of financial restrictions, I decided to throw the concept of the anthology away, and focus on a simpler story about a person who actually reads the comic and finds a set of beliefs that puts him on a trail of carnage.
BI: Acknowledging the comic roots is a modernist, self-reflexive take on the source material. What was the reaction like from fans of the comic?
TW: The fans of the comic loved the movie. I had a few say it was the most faithful adaptation of a comic they had ever seen. It turned a lot of non-fans on to the comic, as well.
BI:What can fans expect to see in the upcoming remastered version?
TW: Lots of behind the scenes stuff. The film won't change that much. It will be cleaner and tighter. It is taking me a long time to get it together, though. We shot over thirty hours of footage, and some of those elements have either disappeared or have been destroyed. I would like to have it completed by the end of this year. Keep your fingers crossed.
BI: Will we ever see the comic again?
TW: Well, I do have enough material to put a best of together. Maybe someday.
BI:How did your subsequent involvement with EI Cinema come about?
TW: I actually met Jeff Faoro in the earlies ninties and starting writing for Alternative Cinema magazine. After BLOOD FOR THE MUSE, I threw some money together and shot THE SEXY 6TH SENSE in about three days. It was silly, really. My friend Pete Jacelone had just bought a huge editing system. He cut it together for me and it came out pretty well. I sold it to EI and before you know it, I was an in-house director for them.
BI: You make it sound so easy...
TW: It was and wasn't. I was so full of enthusiasm for the gigs that I feel I really went above and beyond. As much work as it was, though, I Ioved it. Even the bad days were better than most of my good days outside of the industry. It was fun.
BI: You oversaw a number of erotic parodies for the company. What sort of freedom did you have in making these films?
TW: A lot. There were things you didn't have a lot of control over, but that was more in marketting, box art, title, etc. But as far as shooting the films, they pretty much gave their directors total creative control.
BI: Were the films in line with the type of cinema you wanted to make?
TW: Listen, man, I am a huge fan of Meyer, Rollin, Ed Wood, Franco. There was no such thing as a bad movie when I was cutting my teeth at the drive-in. Did I want to make softcore erotica? No. I didn't feel I was, and maybe that was my naivete. I found two or three things artistically that I wanted to express in every EI film I directed, and I pretty much didn't give a shit about how the rest of it turned out. Now, I am not putting the films down. The standard Seduction Cinema mold when I worked for them was 45-50 minutes of sex with 15-20 minutes of story. I showed up for those 15-20 minutes in between. That was what I lived for. Most of the sex scenes in my movies were choreographed by someone else or the girls themselves. I figured I was in a genre that wasn't going to get me an Oscar anyway, so I played and had as much fun artistically as I could. It was a paid education.
BI: You also spearheaded a number of Nick Phillips remakes such as ROXANNA and PLEASURES OF A WOMAN. What was your involvement with in these films?
TW: EI Cinema acquired those shorts, and turned them over to me to get remakes made. I wrote a little on some and assisted director Ted Crestview with his re-imagining of those titles. They were cool. ROXANNA and PLEASURES are two of my favorite EI films because of the dark tone. They were cool. They stretched creatively. They tried.
BI: Personally, I found those spins more enjoyable than the originals. All were products of their times, but there seemed to be much more going on under the surface in those remakes. How were these productions nurtured during the development phase?
TW: Well, we felt Nick's originals, while raw, were a little abstract. Our biggest challenge was giving the remakes a solid story foundation. Where Nick's originals were trippy and out there, I tried to take the essence of the plot, which was up for interpretation, and build a solid story.
BI: How successful do you think you were?
TW: I think they were very successful. We weren't looking to replicate those films. We were looking to update and honor them. And I think we did.
BI: You've often brought a certain level of humor to your projects, be it overtly slapstick or sublimely dark. How important is it for you to find the humor in your material?
TW: It is a total accident, I assure you. I have never fancied myself a comedy writer, but the humor in those parodies just flowed from me so easily.
BI: Not to sound like I'm slamming another filmmaker, or kissing your ass, but of the comedy filmmakers that worked for EI during that particular period of time, your productions were always the most satisfying and fully developed. What do you think set you apart, especially if you don't consider yourself a comedy writer?
TW: That is a tough question. I just found what I thought was funny and ran with it. I also was not afraid to be extremely subversive with the humor. I think WITCHBABE has some of the funniest statements on sexual roles, politics and religion. I don't know if those elements leap out when you watch it, but I love it when people point those little things out amidst the nudity, lesbian sex and fart jokes.
BI: As a reviewer, this is something I've always tried to stress when writing about erotic productions. The only feedback I receive from fans is along the lines of "who care about politics? Tell me about the sex?" Do you ever receive negative fan feedback directly, and if so, how do you deal with it?
TW: I have never received negative fan feedback directly. Sure, I've seen it enough here and there, message boards and stuff. I used to try and communicate with people and iron out any problems. I don't anymore because I have discovered that fans don't have so much of an issue with my work. Other filmmakers are usually the ones that will slam me on the net. You know, that sort of "how come he gets work and I don't when he sucks and his movies are just stupid porno and I could be the greatest director ever and..." you get the idea. And to those people I say, if you put as much energy into actually picking up a damn camera and actually shooting something as you do in tearing down people who have actually made films...
I think it shows a large amount of insecurity to constantly rag on filmmakers. A filmmaker with confidence isn't going to waste his/her time bitching on a message board.
I know the majority of people are dismissive of the type of work I do. I sometimes think people see me as an easy target. But, Christ, give me a break. I am just a guy who took the work that was offered to him and made the most of it. I totally understand the person that has a burning desire to be a filmmaker. Just don't look for a whipping boy because you are having a hard time. There are opportunities out there, and if you don't get one, make one. I made two films on my own before I was offered director for hire work. I am one of the biggest supporters of new filmmakers. I answer dozens of questions a week. I am not the enemy, and I might actually have some insight that could help people out.
BI: After a series of parodies including THE SEXY SIXTH SENSE and LORD OF THE G-STRINGS, you returned to you darker roots with SATAN'S SCHOOL FOR LUST, my personal favorite of all your movies. Everything about it feels darkly European. What were you going for with this one?
TW: I just wanted to put my mark on the schoolgirl genre, and do it in a twisted way. I think SATAN'S SCHOOL FOR LUST was one of the first schoolgirl films in a long time. I noticed a bevy of them afterward, and if I am wrong, you can correct me. But I wanted SATAN'S SCHOOL FOR LUST to be a TV movie from hell. I don't particularly dig the whole schoolgirl thing, but I saw potential to do a really disturbing and wrong take on it. And then to end it on a really bad joke. It was fun.
BI: I remember you discussing the movie on the B-Indi forums as you were making it, and it sounded as if the film was your most personal work since MUSE. If I remember correctly, you even had to persuade EI to make it. You sound dismissive on a film you put so much energy into, why is that?
TW: Well, this is the perfect opportunity to clear up a major misconception people have regarding SATAN'S SCHOOL FOR LUST. I shot it on my own and sold it to EI. They never commissioned it from me. I shot a 20-30 minute short version (which I loved) and they bought it from me. Since they wanted it to be feature length, I was hired to shoot some additional scenes. I thought the shorter version had a lot more impact. From what I hear, EI added even more footage to sell it to cable television. I think the movie is a perfect example of too much of a good thing, but they supposedly sold buttloads of that title, so what the hell do I know? The one thing I love about the movie is ending it on Misty's "Maybe this school isn't so bad after all" line after all of the twisted stuff that goes down.
BI: The good girl corrupted, or the virgin deflowered. She's tasted the darkside and accepted it, possibly even likes it. That's a pretty bleak note to end on, but many of the best horror films end with either the figurative or literal death of the protagonist, such as THE WICKER MAN or FALLEN. As a filmmaker, what were you trying to say by ending on that note?
TW: The virginal girl now becomes a woman at her sexual peak and of course that is viewed by society as an "evil" thing.
BI: In this day in age where sex is being marketed to pre-teens, do you think that's an archaic viewpointor does it still hold up?
TW: I think sex is marketed to everybody in every facet of the entertainment industry. I am sure there are plenty of 14 year olds out there who sneak a glimpse at LORD OF THE G-STRINGS on Cinemax when their parents are asleep. It's only natural. I certainly wouldn't let my kids, when I have them, watch my filmwork. You know, it's funny, but I don't have nearly as much an issue with a kid seeing a pair of tits on TV as I do with a kid seeing people shot and torn apart. That has always bothered me. Parents are more comfortable letting their kids be exposed to violence as opposed to sexual themes or nudity. I think if there were more of an open forum with children regarding things they see on TV and at the movies, the world would be a much better place.
BI: This is the third film you've said you produced and director and eventually sold after production. Are these films truer of the type of filmmaker you are?
TW: No. Not really. The stuff I really want to produce would be extremely expensive and time consuming. So if I have to knock out ten little horror/exploitaion gems to fund a bigger and more artistic project, so be it. The director for hire work can help pay the bills and possibly fund the pet projects you want to do, but I can't say I put my heart and soul into some of the for hire I've done. I put my heart and soul into two projects: BLOOD FOR THE MUSE and FLESH FOR THE BEAST. Anything else I've done I gave it my all, but Blood and Flesh are the only films where I felt like a true filmmaker.
BI: After having so much success with the lighter films, was it hard going dark again?
TW: No, not at all. My fiction has always been dark, and I feel more comfortable in the darkness. The parody thing also felt awkward. It was easy for me, but I felt it was time to wander back into the shadows.
BI: Are you more comfortable in the shadows? Do you have a process for working outside of your comfort zone?
TW: I like to linger on the dark side. I just find the darker side of humanity much more fascinating. There are more morals involved. It's trickier, where the dark desire of a human being can take you. Always have. I think the darkness is much more challenging. That's what I want to explore more of. The darkness of man. The monster called man.
BI: Couldn't agree more. For me, the most effective horror films deal with the evils that men do to one another. Any specific avenues you wish to explore
TW: I am currently working on an anthology series called DEMONS OF FLESH that explores horror born from man and has absolutely no supernatural slant whatsoever. I can't say too much about it right now, but will hopefully have more info on it soon.
BI: How did you make the leap from SATAN'S SCHOOL FOR LUST to FLESH FOR THE BEAST, your first production with a decent budget?
TW: John Sirabella from Media Blasters had seen SSFL and we had a meeting. I pitched the concept, and after about six weeks, I got the gig.
BI: Again, you make it sound so easy. FFTB was also Media Blasters first in-house production. All parties were in new territory which had to be rough...
TW: It was very rough. Producers and directors are fundamentally at odds in ANY situation. Being a first production, I'm sure it was just as nerve wracking for them. And as I've explained, I was going through a very hard time. But we got through it. It was a learning experience for all parties concerned.
BI:How much more ambitious was this film than what you were used to?
TW: Whew. It was night and day, man. Flesh took a lot out of me. It was three consecutive weeks of night shoots during one of the hardest times in my life. My personal life was in shambles, and the pressure to deliver was enormous. I actually had a few breakdowns during that period. But I feel the film turned out great.
BI: Is film worth the sacrifice of your personal life?
TW: You know, I've wondered about that. I have come to this conclusion: things happen for a reason. It was pretty fucked up that I got the greatest opportunity of my career at the worst time of my life. But you know what? I would do it all over again, and lose a limb this time, to be where I am now. To be with the love of my life now. I am the happiest I have ever been. The great thing about hitting rock bottom is that you find out who your friends really are, and what kind of mettle you're made of.
BI: It sounds like you've experienced your own redemption story. Do you think this is where your current fascination stems?
TW: It is very possible. I worked out a lot of personal demons while writing DEAD AWARE. And I think that is what writing should be. Personal and therapeutic.
BI: You took a number of actresses you worked with on the EI films up the ladder with to FFTB. Is loyalty a quality you hold dear as a filmmaker?
TW: Not loyality, necessarily. I just knew they were right for the roles, and they wouldn't have issues with the nudity. As a filmmaker, you can't hold loyalty too dearly, because if you do, you will get your heart broken. Numerous times.
BI: Is this due to the competitive nature of the industry?
TW: Absolutely. I don't fault anyone for taking opportunities. I just thank them for what they gave them and wish them well.
BI: Your darker, more personal films, contain equal measures of horror and the erotic. What is it about sex that Terry West finds so frightening?
TW: I don't know, Maybe I should have it sometime and see what the fuss is about. Seriously, though, I think sex can be a very scary thing even throwing out the obvious things like disease, etc. You are at your most prone when you are in the throes of ecstasy. In FLESH, for example, you are dealing with these sexual demons that feed off of the darkest sexual fantasies of men. The thought of fangs lunging at my throat while my pants are down around my ankles horrifies me. I think it is a universally accepted fear.
BI: If that were a dream, I think my shrink would interpret as "a fear of sexual death," or, more precisely, inadequecy. That is, indeed, a universally male fear. What else scares you that you would like to explore with your work?
TW: I am not really afraid of that much. Most of my fears are pretty irrational. I think the greatest fear is of losing someone you love, which is also becoming a recurring theme in my newer work. That horrifies me to no end.
BI: Can you describe your involvement with PLAUSIBLE DENIAL?
TW: I am a producer/writer for Plausible. They want to build an exploitation line using my name and fan base. I also assist them with acquisitions. My role with the company may be expanding, however, in the near future.
BI: When you started production on your latest project, SATAN'S SCHOOLGIRLS, you were the director. In the end, why did you turn your duties over to Ted Crestview?
TW: Ted and I actually split the duites on the film. When we had to do reshoots, it went from 50/50 to about 80/20. The company wanted my name on it to help sell it, but I felt Ted deserved most of the director credit.
BI: As someone who just confessed for not caring about the schoolgirl genre, why did you return to it? Were you afraid of repeating yourself?
TW: Well, I don't hate the genre. I recognized that people have a fondness for that type of film. And, hey, come on... it was one of my more successful titles. So I wrote a new script, new characters, new school, new situations. I decided to go a little less erotic and more tongue in cheek and gory this time. I have to stress the SATAN'S SCHOOLGIRLS is not a direct follow up to SATAN'S SCHOOL FOR LUST. It is not a sequel, prequel, etc. It is it's own film. I wanted to make a film in the same genre, not completely duplicate what I had done before. EI owns the rights to SATAN'S SCHOOL FOR LUST and have absolute power over that title and are free to remake, sequelize, etc. I just decided to start a new series in the schoolgirl genre. And looking back, we had very little time and very little money and decided that, where SATAN'S SCHOOL FOR LUST had a more serious tone, we would play the stereotypes up and just have fun with it. I think we unintentionally parodied SATAN'S SCHOOL FOR LUST to a degree.
BI: You've acted in past projects with EI, but now you seem to be branching out as an actor. Is it hard to be in front of the camera when you dont' have a role behind as well?
TW: It is great! Film sets are fun environments, and it is a pretty good feeling to be involved with a project and not have any of the headaches. It also helps me see how the other half lives.
BI: One of your acting gigs touches on what I think is the most fascinating story in the horror industry right now. You worked for a blind director. Being that film is such a visual medium, it boggles my mind. Can you elaborate on that story?
TW: Joe Monks had sight until 2002, when juvenile diabetes took that sight. Joe is a very visual person. He could see exactly what he wanted, and communicate it to his crew in a way that they could realize it for him. People might pick up THE BUNKER when it is complete because of the novelty of it, but I think it will surprise the hell out of them. Go to sightunseenpictures.com to get the full story. And speaking of acting, don't forget to also check out my work with Alan Rowe Kelly at thebloodshed.net
BI: Alan is an extremely insightful person as well as a dynamic director. Are you able to take anything away with you when working with dynamic visionaries that you're able to apply as a director?
TW: Oh, sure. It is always an education when you work with another director. And I was actually able to help both Alan and Joe with my own experiences. It was Joe's first time, and I was impressed by his tenacity and his ability to overcome such a huge personal hurdle. Alan is just a born leader. He is wonderful, and I am looking forward to working with them both again.
BI: What is HELLVOLUTION?
TW: HELLVOLUTION is a remake, of sorts, of PSYCHO BITCH FROM HELL. PBFH was shot in 2001 with Darian Caine, Barbara Joyce, Ruby Larocca and Misty Mundae. It just didn't come together. The talent was great. But there were too many issues with people behind the scenes to get a decent picture out of it. I killed the project. It was my intention to reshoot the film, but I got busy and it fell to the wayside. I saw some shorts from this filmmaker out in Tuscon, Arizona. Matthew Reel. A very talented arthouse director who has a lot of the same sensibilities I have and love of old funky, obscure grindhouse cinema. Matt contributed a short, Bath Water, to the SATAN'S SCHOOLGIRLS DVD. We talked, hashed over the script, added a subplot and rearranged the locale to fit Arizona. Matthew is currently shooting the film. I saw the first batch of dailies. He is doing a great job.
BI: PSYCHO BITCH was a project of yours that I was eagerly awaiting as you shot it. Will any of that footage be available on the HELLVOLUTION dvd?
TW: No. I don't want any comparison or competition between the two versions. I would rather PSYCHO BITCH FROM HELL remain a cinematic curiosity. I buried it, and I attend to see that it stays buried. The footage is just God awful. It will be my THE DAY THE CLOWN CRIED.
BI: What can we expect from your upcoming projects?
TW: I will have some announcements soon. You can always log into my website [for the latest updates].
BI: Not even a tease?
TW: Not yet. But soon. I promise.
BI: Do you plan to continue writing fiction?
TW: I want to write a few more novels and I have finished a script, DEAD AWARE, a cross between The Maltese Falcon and Sixth Sense, and I am currently writing SHEEP'S CLOTHING, a werewolf story. These scripts are big, ambitious and very serious. They are more in tune with my fiction style.
BI: What advice can you give novice moviemakers just starting off?
TW: My favorite three rules are from Terry Gilliam: One- wear comfortable shoes. Two- Sit down as often as possible. Three- Don't sleep with your star.
For more information on the work of Terry West just head to any of the following sites.