Presented by Anchor Bay, the Brutal Massacre panel was one of the highlights of MMX. A mocumentary/horror movie biz satire, Brutal Massacre stars David Naughton (An American Werewolf in London), Brian O’Halloran (Clerks, Clerks II), Gerry Bednob (40 Year Old Virgin), Ken Foree (Dawn of the Dead, The Devil’s Rejects), Ellen Sandweiss (The Evil Dead, Satan’s Playground) and Gunnar Hansen (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre).

The movie follows Harry Penderecki, a B- (C? D?) Movie director, making a horror movie that may just be his last chance. The trailer was hysterical, with many nods to the more realistic aspects of the genre: crazy characters (on & off screen), insane premises (Sasquatch at the Mall? Inspired by Abbey Road?), idiot reporters, moronic fans, and more.

The panel included Director Stevan Mena, producer Tom Bambard, Brian O’Halloran, Gunnar Hansen, Gerry Bednob, and Michelle “MJ” DiBenedetti. After details about the movie’s release (see below), we learned that what was supposed to be a simple, if slightly cold shoot, turned into the coldest weather in 50 years, with below 0° temperatures at noon.

Surprisingly funny, both in the trailer and in person, was Gunnar Hansen, best known for his work as Leatherface in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974). Cast in a role not usual for the horror icon, Gunnar plays Crenshaw, the owner (?) of the location set. Gunnar embraced the role, “Great Character to play,” even playing with the seriousness of the mocumentary-style by saying he “spent a lot of time researching this.” He goes on to say he “…thought it was a fun character for me to do…Problem I had with Crenshaw is that he says fuck in every 3rd sentence.” (Truly, Crenshaw really loves this word.)

Asked how much of the movie was scripted & how much was improvised, Mena, director of Long Island International Film Expo and NYC Horror Film Festival Best Feature winner, Malevolence, said it was about 70% scripted/30% improvised. It was ‘wind em up and let em go with these guys.’

Brutal Massacre will open mid-summer with exclusive, then limited theatrical release. The subsequent dvd will have cut scenes and more, but as for Easter eggs? "We'll tell you there's Easter Eggs, but there's not," said Gunnar.

Be sure to check out the trailer, as well as their MySpace page. If you are in the Los Angeles area, you can see the stars and trailer in person at Fangoria Weekend of Horrors.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
Fri., Sat. & Sun. April 25-27, 2008
LA Convention Center
1201 South Figueroa Street
Join Fangoria for the “Brutal Massacre” PANEL
Director Stevan Mena, stars David (AMERICAN WEREWOLF) Naughton, Brian (Clerks, Clerks II) O'Halloran, Ken (Dawn of the Dead) Foree, Gerry (40-YEAR OLD VIRGIN) Bednob and all three ladies of the EVIL DEAD:
Ellen Sandweiss, Theresa Tilly and Betsy Baker.
See http://www.fangoria.com/special_events.php For more information.