Isle of the Damned is a tribute to the Italian cannibal films of the 70s and 80s. However, it isn’t afraid to poke fun at the genre either. The result is an extremely gory, brutal, and hilariously goofy film that fans will love. With Isle of the Damned as their second film, writer, Mark Leake, and director, Mark Colegrove, are building a series headed by the adventures of Jack Steele. They talk about their love for cannibal films, the cheesiness they see in them, and what their experience of making Isle of the Damned was like.

Kelsey: With Isle of the Damned being part homage film, what cannibal films
inspired it the most the most?

Mark Leake: Cannibal Ferrox and Cannibal Holocaust, for the theme, and Amazonas for the adventure side. Also Emanuelle and the Cannibals, for the dramatic side.

Kelsey: What was it about a cannibal exploitation genre film like that attracted you to the project?

Mark Leake: My attraction comes from simply being a fan of all the cannibal films.

Mark Colegrove:  It’s a bizarre genre that was only really popular for a very short period of time, so that factor alone makes a great reference for real film fans who will truly “get it.”  Obviously the cannibal films are notoriously violent, and most were banned in several countries.  Beyond the films themselves, the backstory
behind Cannibal Holocaust (the projectionist being fined heavily, Deadato sent to trial, etc.) all makes it even more notorious and appealing.  That’s what compelled me to watch it in the first place.

Kelsey: What are some laughable elements of cannibal films that made you tackle the subject as a spoof rather than just as a tribute to the genre?

Mark Leake: Well quite frankly, if you take the animal snuff out of Cannibal Ferox you basically have a comedy. With lines like “they cut off his genital…then ate them!” with heavy reverb, need I say more.

Mark Colegrove: When I first saw Cannibal Holocaust, it was probably in the late 90s, so the first thing that I thought was absolutely hilarious was the cornball theme song during the opening credits.  It’s kind of a late 60s hippy jam that was
already outdated when they made the film 10 years later, so naturally, 20 years after that it REALLY didn’t hold up well.  Now Cannibal Holocaust is arguably the most well-done film of the genre, but Eaten Alive was the one that really
cracked me up… the dialogue was hilariously bad, and it features recycled footage from Jungle Holocaust.  Ultimately though, the real funny thing about the cannibal genre, is that the producers are just trying to make the
sleaziest, goriest, most shocking film possible, all the while forcing this moral theme down your throat.  It’s always the same thing in each movie… “who really is the savage, the cannibals or the coked-up white guy from the big city who’s raping the native girls.”

Kelsey: Since those who haven’t watched cannibal films might not respond the same as fans who really see the nods to the classic cannibal films and the jokes that play off of these films, would you say this
is a by fans for fans type of movie?

Mark Leake: This is deffinately catered more toward Cannibal Film fans, but I think it is a pretty accesable film all the way around, at least if you have a sick sense of humor.

Mark Colegrove: It is to an extent… I think fans will appreciate all the references, but I don’t think you have to have seen a cannibal film to enjoy Isle.  We were aiming to appeal to a broader horror audience with this film.

Kelsey: What was your approach in mixing the comedy with the more brutal moments of the movie?

Mark Leake: f you watch any old cheesy movie don’t forget, they were honestly trying to scare you. So just starting out with crappy film meathods in mind takes care of the rest.

Mark Colegrove: We just went for it… horror fans love the gore.  Without gore, I don’t think the movie would have worked… especially not as a Cannibal spoof.  Our mantra was, go over the top and show everything.  I think the humor from a film like Braindead for example just comes from how excessive it is.

Kelsey: Isle of the Damned has many rape scenes all throughout the film. Rape being such a difficult display to accept, how did you work this in to such a large part of the film without it seeming too heavy?

Mark Colegrove: Rape was a staple of the cannibal classics, and I’ll be damned if we weren’t going to include it in this.  I think it’s generally frowned upon to show heterosexual rape, and it makes people uncomfortable, so we kept that to a
minimum.  For some reason though, society thinks in the opposite way in regards to homosexual rape… pretty much any comedy film with a prison scene these days has some sort of wacky hijinks involved where the main character is trying to
“hilariously” avoid having a boner stabbed in his ass.  Now that’s comedy.

Kelsey: You have stated that the actors had trouble with the sodomy scenes, what was the process like going from their hesitancy to the conviction that audiences were eventually shown?

Mark Leake: Not easily, but the fact is that half of the humor in this film works off the uncomfortable principle in that either the visual, or the concept, makes you uncomfortable, so you laugh. If you worked in the morgue I’m sure it would be easy to adopt quite a sick sense of humor. When I think of the horrible things that people do, I can either laugh or cry. When I write things like this film, I’m choosing to laugh.

Kelsey: Do you think the fear of this added a vulnerability in the actors who were playing the victimized characters in the act of rape?

Mark Colegrove: Honestly, during the big “unga bunga” scene, everyone was trying their hardest
not to bust out laughing.  So no, they just had to act their way through it.

Kelsey: Between the deaths, the rituals, and the blood in the film, gore is
displayed as such a creative element  in Isle of the Damned.How did some of these deaths come to you? How did you go about bringing this brutality to life on screen realistically?

Mark Leake: As a fan of gore I just think of some of the possibilities for what I haven’t seen yet.

Mark Colegrove: We had a couple great FX guys with us, Shane Vannest and Ian Potter and they
busted their asses getting everything done on this.  It really was a ton of
work, and one of the hardest parts of the film.

Kelsey: For a film shot entirely in Maryland, it looks as if Isle of the Damned was straight from the jungles of South America. How did you go about bringing to life this atmosphere?

Mark Colegrove: We shot in thicker woods (most of the time) and added a touch of green in the color correction process… other than that there really wasn’t much we could do, but I’m happy that it worked for you!

Kelsey: Working with a low budget, what struggles have you faced during the course of filming and getting your film out there?

Mark Colegrove: During filming, the worst thing was scheduling.  When you’re not paying anyone to be there, real life intervenes… and most times, one person not being able to show up can ruin a day of shooting.  Fortunatly, we had a really dedicated cast and crew that were willing to spend as much time as it took (3 summers!) to shoot this thing.  We were very lucky! On the distribution side of things, this is our first try at self-distribution, and we’re really just in the beginning of the process of slowly getting this out there. We’ve been doing some theatrical showings in alternative venues
before we put the DVD out there in March.  I think in some ways it’s becoming easier for a little company like us. We’re able to better find like-minded individuals online who want to review or screen our film, and it’s easy enough
to get the film to Netflix, and Amazon.com.  Streaming video is also another great new option, and already we’ve had one great online viewing thanks to the great people at Cult Radio A-Go-Go.  We’re slowly figuring out the process of
maybe getting this in a few retail stores as well, but thankfully, these days that isn’t a totally essential part of the equation.

Kelsey: Much like in Cannibal Holocaust, we are given a fictional back story of the director, Antonello Giallo, the film that he shot, and the possible deaths and abuse he might have been involved in. Was this done to keep the feel and style of previous cannibal films or to create a sense of artificial reality that goes off of the story we see in the film?

Mark Leake: This techniques was from our first film, and its poupose is definately to give it more of a cult film feel.

Mark Colegrove: I would say both… on top of that it’s a marketing gimmick as well. Some folks might stumble onto it thinking it’s a cannibal film they’ve never heard of…either they will be pleasantly surprised or come for our heads.  Regardless, I think the back story prepares the audience to detach themselves a bit from the film… you become aware that you’re watching a self-reflective film, it’s a movie that’s aware that it’s a movie.

Kelsey: The overlying theme in Isle of the Damned is that civilization is where the true barbarity lies. Money and greed in particular are represented as something that can only spawn evil. How do you see
greed making us more savagely?

Mark Leake:  I would say that the worst asspect of avarice is its tendency to blur the line between necesity and desire. Not only can this be witnessed on a personall level, but a national one as well. Most wars are due to either conflict of land or resourses. In the end, wealth is the bottom line, the ultimate reason to despise, envy, and mistrust your neighbor.

Mark Colegrove: That was mostly a gag thrown in at the expense of the other cannibal films who made it a point to beat us over the head with this theme.  But in all honesty, if you look at what’s going on the US economy right now, it’s easy to see that the greed of a few has negatively affected us all.

Kelsey: Why do you think we are so quick to look down upon uncivilized who may have been more peaceful without our interference?

Mark Colegrove: People naturally fear what’s different.  I would say that it’s sort of a common knee-jerk reaction to belittle something we don’t understand.  It’s why bullies pick on geeks for example.

Kelsey: Isle of the Damned is a sequel to the 2005 film, Pleasures of the Damned. Does the story end here or can we expect another film in this series?

Mark Colegrove: We are hoping to someday do a third film, City of the Damned, which would be another sequel featuring Jack Steele.

Kelsey: What turn do you think the next film will take?

Mark Colegrove: It will be set in the early 80s, so picture 80s wardrobe and music. Demons will rise and take over Baltimore… and only Jack Steele can stop them!

Kelsey: Isle of the Damned is expected for a DVD release in early 2009. What type of distribution is expected for the film and how should people go about seeing the movie?

Mark Colegrove: Drop by our site, www.direwitfilms.com and sign the mailing list. We’ll let you know where to find it once it’s out (we’re shooting for sometime in March ‘09), and we’ll keep you posted on any public showings as well. Thanks for talkingwith us Kelsey!

Kelsey: No problem, thanks for giving us more insight on your gory cannibal horror comedy!

Make sure to keep an eye out for Isle of the Damned’s DVD release in March 2009, this is a film you don’t want to miss.