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There are a lot of smaller DVD releasing companies out there that work pretty hard to bring fans legitimate obscurities in fancy special editions. Slasher // Video is one of them. Best known for bringing a few of Nick Millard's harder to find films to DVD, they've recently released a special edition of BoardingHouse which includes the never before seen director's cut and tons of new extra features. The man behind Slasher // Video, Jesus Teran, was kind enough to let us pick his brain about what he does and why he does it. So without further ado…
Rock! Shock! Pop! - So Slasher // Video has been around for a couple of years now. What inspired you to get into a business that so many people see as on a downward spiral?
Jesus Teran - Yes, I would say since November 2011, which is when I received all the material for the original Death Nurse film. I started Slasher // Video to help people get rare titles they may never have owned because of absurd VHS prices and to give these films as many special features as possible.
R!S!P! - What do you think makes Slasher // Video different than other boutique labels currently offering up cult films?
JT - There a few of them that do great work, but some do it to cash in on the resurgence of obscure horror films or SOV titles. Some of them release titles on DVD-r, which is a disgrace...even multi-million dollar companies are doing this at times. They don't understand that they're making all the fans of these films upset and they spend no effort on them. No special features, commentary, nothing at all.
R!S!P! - So you feel it's important then to document the history of these oddities?
JT - I feel that if you're going to do something, don't do a bare minimum job.
R!S!P! - Your first two releases were Nick Millard's Death Nurse films. What on Earth inspired you to launch a label with Death Nurse? Don't get me wrong, I bought both of them, but still… Death Nurse…!
JT - Ha, that happened thanks to a video store. It was Scottsdale Video, who had the original Death Nurse on VHS. I went there a couple times a week and remember several times looking at the slipcase but never rented it. Then one day my girlfriend at the time messaged me saying the store was going out of business and they were selling all their films. Once I went there, I grabbed it and several more. I made several trips to the counter, taking the VHS' up there to pay. I went home and realized the Death Nurse VHS was gone, some bastard took it from my pile. I looked for it on Ebay but it took months to come up. It ended up being over $250.00 both times it was listed, so that's when I looked for the director and asked to purchase the rights to release it. I guess I should thank the guy who stole it from me.
R!S!P! - How did you come to get in touch with Millard and what drew you to his work in the first place?
JT - I looked for him for a month or so, and I got a lot of emails back stating it was the wrong person. Then I got an email response from him and I gave him my number. He called the next day and I knew it was him by his voice. He was pretty easy to work with, and Irmi is very sweet.
R!S!P! - How do they feel about the mini-resurgance going on regarding some of their movies now living again on DVD? Any feedback from the Millards themselves?
JT - They are very happy with the releases so far. Their first DVD release was Criminally Insane, and they're always looking to have their films distributed.
R!S!P! - So you obviously spent a lot of time working with them. They seem like real characters - any odd stories about working with them?
JT - Man, a bunch. So many things we talked about and it was all fun. The way Nick is on the Cemetery Sisters Hidden Feature is how he is all the time, he's a riot.
R!S!P! - With a few exceptions here and there, like offering your product on Diabolik DVD for example, you seem to be selling direct (through Amazon and your own site). Do you find this is working out for you or are you looking for mass distribution down the road?
JT - It seems to be working out ok. I only make a thousand copies (or less) of each title so it's not a problem. I have my email address on the Facebook fan page so if someone wants to contact me, they easily can.
R!S!P! - You followed up the two Death Nurse movies with Trashology. I watched the trailer for that and still have no idea what it is. Sell us on it.
JT - The third Slasher // Video release was supposed to be Cemetery Sisters, but Brian Dorton and Doug Connor (creators of Crazy Fat Ethel 2012) messaged me about releasing their film. It is an anthology film which has three interlocking stories. It's a film in which the aesthetics resemble a John Waters' movie with elements of horror. I wouldn't release it if it was not a good movie, so trust me...you should watch it!
R!S!P! - Okay! After that… Cemetery Sisters. An amazing mess of a film that once again sees you returning to the well that is Nick Millard's filmography. Nick says in the extras he sees the movie as more of a black comedy than a horror movie. What do you think?
JT - Cemetery Sisters is very entertaining to me. I remember when we signed the contract for Death Nurse II he showed me the film afterwards, while he was in Arizona. It was just crazy to me so I told him I wanted to release that as well.
R!S!P! - The extras on that disc were great but there was one glaring omission that I'm sure you were aware of - the lack of input from Joan and Leslie themselves. No luck getting in touch with them?
JT - Unfortunately not. I'm sure they're married or remarried by now. I searched for months but no luck. Maybe they'll go on Amazon and see the DVD and contact me in the future!
R!S!P! - Any plans for more Millard in the future? The world needs a special edition of .357 Magnum, The Terrorists and Gunblast and if you don't put them out, It seems that nobody else will and that would be a goddamn shame.
JT - Actually, there is another one of his films that I really like. It is not shot in the house in San Francisco either. I won't say what it is, but we'll see. As far as .357 Magnum or any of the ones you mentioned, I don't think I would. Those are shot on 35MM and would have to sell at least 4,000 copies of that to break even with the disc production costs, rights, etc. So yeah, it is a goddamn shame.
R!S!P! - That brings us to BoardingHouse. One of the best known SOV horror movies of all time, widely regarded as one of the most bizarre exercises in low budget filmmaking to ever find an audience. Code Red put it out a few years back and it went out of print. You brought it back to life with a director's cut version that runs almost three mind numbingly awesome hours in length. Give us some back story on how this came to be. How'd you get this to happen?
JT - I remember watching the CR DVD one day and was not happy that I couldn't see wtf was going on during the dream sequences, or just the fact it was so dark. Then I would watch it with commentary, and it was out of sync. I knew there were soundtrack videos to the movie which were online at one point, so I decided to try releasing it. After about six months of communicating with John by email, we signed a contract and I flew to Hawaii to do some of the special features. They are some of the nicest people I have ever met.
R!S!P! - The disc is also jammed to the gills with extra features, but it's the music videos that really stand out as the crown jewels in the supplemental section. How deep did you have to dig to find some of this stuff, or did John and Kalassu just sort of say 'Hey, here are a bunch of random stuff from our lives, have at it'?
JT - I knew about the music videos, but they actually had a few others they showed me. I asked for permission to use them and they agreed. I also put most of the songs from the film into the special features in different sections, and also recreated the BoardingHouse main theme from several parts of the film. Unfortunately the original was damaged and unsalvageable due to a house flood.
R!S!P! - You mentioned on Facebook at one point maybe doing a soundtrack release for the movie. Is that going to happen?
JT - It might, depending on how the actual DVD sells. There are at least seventeen songs on the BoardingHouse soundtrack so it will be a lot of fun for people to listen to.
R!S!P! - John and Kalassu also mention work having begun on a BoardingHouse sequel. I've got to say that the movie was such a product of its time that a sequel seems unnecessary and, to be honest, possibly a very bad idea. Are you involved in this at all? Any thoughts on this? Obviously the original movie means a lot to you…
JT - They have already shot scenes for the movie, so it is being filmed. I'm sure that distributors thought the original BoardingHouse was a bad idea, but they released it and now we have a masterpiece. I would be working with them on the film when it's shot in Hawaii or in Idaho, but not in Canada.
R!S!P! - Ah, so it's already started. Interesting. And it's being shot in three different locations? I realize you probably can't give away too many details, but come on... give me something to work with here!
JT - Okay... It's going to star his daughter Shanti and son Kodey and it will be just as crazy as the first BoardingHouse. Its title is "BoardingHouse II (Illuminati Vortex Of EVIL) The Legacy Continues.†I read the script and it is bizarre, in a good way.
R!S!P! - You've also announced that you've started work on Splatter: The Architects Of Fear. This is another legitimate obscurity seeing light on DVD for the first time. What's going into this release? I know you're working with the mysterious Cannibal Cam Schwartz, a denizen of Niagara Falls, Ontario. How did he come on board?
R!S!P! - Yeah, Substance sucks. No argument here. I should have said 'legitimate DVD for the first time.' What drew you to this movie in particular?
JT - They did release SPINE, which I would love to release legally but use the exact same font and art. Splatter is a fun film and Cam seems really cool and as enthusiastic as me to release it as well. If the other party is not giving the same feeling in return, then I won't work with them.
R!S!P! - Anything else on the horizon after Splatter? Any other tidbits you'd like to share with our readers, words of wisdom or random info you want to get off of your chest?
JT - I'm going to be releasing a great film called "Cinco De Mayo" which was directed by Paul Ragsdale. It is a Grindhouse-style film with a USA's Up All Nite theme. It has such an amazing soundtrack as well, a mixture of French electro and new wave/synth. There are a few other titles I'm working on, and I'll let you know soon.
R!S!P! - Closing thoughts?
JT - I appreciate everyone who contacts me and buys the films. All the feedback has been positive and I'm glad people have enjoyed them.
R!S!P! - Awesome! Thanks again for doing this. And anyone interested in checking out more on what Slasher // Video are up to should check out their website here and their Facebook page here!