Among the welter of independent Italian productions, Alex Visani's name has been appearing since the late 1990s to sign off on so many horror films. The director has also been a landmark on the web since the early years of the new millennium, thanks to the eponymous site that has nurtured the culture of fans of the genre with its reviews.
A: Who is Alex Visani?
B: Alex Visani is an all-around horror film and culture enthusiast. Here I think this is the definition that describes me perfectly. If we then go down a bit in specifics then I can say that Alex Visani is a videomaker by profession who tries, between commercial jobs, to find time and money to make his horror "stuff" which is the real reason for living. And at the same time, when tyrannical time allows, he tries to gorge himself as much as possible on horror films and books and maybe scribble about them on his personal website, forum or on facebook. And sometimes even in print.
A: You have been immersed in horror culture for many years both in the director's booth (in 1999) and with your website alexvisani.com (in 2000). When did your passion for horror begin? What inspired you to direct films and start a genre website?
B: I think my passion for horror had always been inside me. I think it was born with me. From a very young age everything that was horrifying, dark and simply "different" has always attracted me irresistibly. A sort of bell jar inside which to run every time to protect myself from the real, everyday horror. The site represents my desire to communicate my passion for horror to the whole world and my need to talk about horror cinema. The need to shape, through words, my passion. Directing films, on the other hand, is the way of shaping passion through images and, more simply, my humble homage and contribution to the genre I love so much.
A: Gorebrothers is the name of the brand under which your first features and shorts were produced, ranging from Blade Killer - Nicholas's Hell in 1999 to MclikeJIMMY in 2007. What memories do you have and what do you think today of your early work that introduced you to the world of independent filmmaking?
B: Gorebrothers was a brand started almost as a joke that represented the coming together of some horror fans who decided to create a series of feature and short films dedicated to the genre. I have a distinctly pleasant and wistful memory of it because of all we did together. No budget, very little technical means but a lot of imagination and will to do. Definitely also a lot of naiveté that I see again in every single one of our works, which however, in spite of everything, took us around many festivals and allowed me to get to know many other enthusiasts and artists in the Italian sphere and beyond.
A: The 2004 short film Last Show received a slew of awards including Best Short, Best Director, Best Screenplay at the 2009 Kingdom of Gore Horror Festival... How has this milestone shaped your life?
B: "Last Show" definitely did well as a short film, both in industry festivals and critics in general, and the satisfactions were really a lot. Let's say that the short made a mark on my life in two senses: the first is that I realized that I absolutely had to maintain, within my abilities and possibilities, the highest and highest quality for any future work, and this is something that obsessed me not a little in the years that followed. The second is that I realized, some time later, that it was the creativity that had to remain "high" not so much the technical quality. I think my obsession was unlocked the moment I realized that if I make horror shorts or features it is primarily out of my love for the genre and not to prove anything to anyone. Since that realization, things have definitely gotten better as a result.
A: Is there any title among your early work that you are not fully satisfied with?
B: I love all my works as if they were children. And this is because they are real "parts" not far from the physical one in terms of effort, commitment and love. At the same time, however, I believe that each of them has abysmal flaws and limitations. But I also love them for this. Inside them there is always a big part of me, and I believe that this one grows from time to time and constantly mutates without ever leaving its childhood roots.
A: From where do you draw inspiration for the creation of your works?
B: Personally, I am inspired partly by the horror cinema of the 1980s (from the classics to the most unknown b-movies) because it is my favorite period as far as the genre is concerned and partly by Italian genre cinema and its great masters, especially Mario Bava. Then there are my fantasies, which have always been fervent, which I rework according to the films I make. And then there is the passion for comic books, which I believe greatly influences my way of "composing" the filmic image. Overall, my way of filmmaking can be described as a continuous and constant homage to the horror cinema of the past.
A: October 12, 2011 is the publication date of your book Illusions Unveiled in which you address the issue of films that are defined as "ugly." How did this project come about?
B: The book "Illusioni Svelate" was the brainchild of publisher Aldo Moscatelli, who contacted both Alessandro Pedrazzi and me and proposed that we write an essay, with somewhat ironic tones, that would encapsulate my and Alessandro's passion and interest in the world of so-called "bad movies." It was a lot of fun to go over the whole mass of trashy movies and memories related to them and imprint them on paper. Personally, it was an honor and a real pleasure to be able to write a book given also the adoration I have for "printed paper" despite the advent now of the Internet era.
A: The title of an ugly film (for you) in which the beautiful resides.
B: Well certainly "The Laughing Dead" directed by writer S.P.Somtow. An absolutely absurd film so brimming with esotericism, insanity, grandguignolous special effects and a genuine passion for folklore of the most bizarre kind that it really leaves one stunned. A must-see experience.
A: Which directors do you consider to be your Masters?
B: I definitely love (and worship) Mario Bava, John Carpenter and Charles Band.
A: To whom would you like to be compared?
B: Charles Band!!! Maybe ahahaha!!!!! (Just think that my own production company is called Empire Video, just in homage to Charles Band's legendary Empire!)
A: What do you think about the horror film scene in Italy?
B: Great horror cinema in Italy is sadly dead. Tied to an era that has vanished and, unfortunately, will probably never return. At the same time, however, the independent and underground environment is fervent and full of artists who love the genre and try their hand at it, sometimes even achieving good results especially abroad. It is definitely a parallel world to mainstream cinema but I am absolutely proud to be part of it although often (and I am not referring to my own products) perhaps less blindness or obtuseness on the part of producers and distributors would be enough to unearth little gems and give them the light they deserve. Italy is a beautiful country however "difficult." But we do not give up!
A: How did Stay Horror come about? How often do you give cinephiles episodes devoted to underground cinema, TV horror series...?
B: Given the flood of youtubers (not always exactly knowledgeable on the subject, you want also for their very young age) I also thought I would try my hand in front of the camera and have my say about horror cinema. I have to admit, however, that I don't feel very comfortable, too used to writing rather than talking. Moreover, time is always short and stretched therefore episodes travel with time stretched from each other. I usually record a couple of episodes a month even though I now host Stay Horror on Moveorama, a column on independent horror film on the Profiling John Doe radio show, so I can't record video episodes. As soon as there is a break from radio I will definitely get back to making some videos!
A: Tell us about Empire Video, what is the difference between the Gorebrothers brand and the EV brand?
B: As I mentioned earlier Gorebrothers was a brand that identified a group of people while Empire Video is a full-fledged production company, of which I am the owner, that deals with video, film and television productions.
A: The Pyramid is the new independent film produced by EV, written by you and Raffaele Ottolenghi. The film features an episodic structure directed by different directors Alex Visani (Twinge & Ritual), Luca Alessandro (Dream Door), Roberto Albanesi and Simone Chiesa (Pestilence) and Antonio Zannone (Apocalypse).
How did the collaboration with the other directors come about?
B: The project was born from my idea, after conceiving the subject of the film with Raffaele Ottolenghi. The desire to make an independent horror feature film was so much and the available budget was minimal, hence the idea of dividing the story into four parts, tightly united and narratively consecutive, to be directed by different directors. The involvement of young talents from emerging Italian cinema made it possible to create a product with amortized costs, thanks to the co-production of all of them and the subdivision of the story into episodes, and at the same time allowed the creation of a real single film, with a unified script and a progressive narrative, very different from the usual collection of unconnected and autonomous short films. The great fortune for me and for The Pyramid was the group. Luca Alessandro, Roberto Albanesi, Simone Chiesa and Antonio Zannone turned out to be absolutely extraordinary people, both humanly and professionally.
A: Is a direct-to-video distribution of The Pyramid planned? Can you give us some information about this title?
B: "The Pyramid" is currently being sold in Japan for both home-video and video-on-demand distribution, and we are finalizing for home-video in the US and Germany. If all goes as planned, the film should be available on DVD and VOD starting in late January 2014.
A: The Pyramid has already been screened at several festivals. How has it been received?
B: Very well I must say! Especially in foreign festivals it was received with great warmth and great appreciation! We were screened in Mexico, Germany, Belgium, England, Spain, Puerto Rico, Colombia, South Africa, and the film was selected in 14 international festivals! An immense satisfaction!
A: What do you expect from Italian critics for The Pyramid?
B: So far, at least on the web and specialized sites, the film has received positive reviews, and that makes us all very happy.
A: You also directed the video clip "Key of Sheytan" by A Silk Method (Ivano Barbanera and
Luca Tomassi), the official soundtrack video for The Pyramid. Can you argue the choice of this song?
B: It has always been a desire of mine to be able to have an original song composed and dedicated to one of my films, to be able to be included within it, and Luca Tomassi and Ivano Barbanera wrote, played and recorded this piece, which I like very much. Besides musically and vocally, "Key of Sheytan" goes well with The Pyramid because the same lyrics were written based on the events of the film itself. I consider both Tomassi and Blackbeard to be two very talented artists and I hope you enjoy the song!
A: What are your future plans?
B: For now there are two new feature films in the pipeline from Empire Video production. One will again be a choral project made with the same directors as The Pyramid, the basic idea of which I'm very excited about, and the other one will be directed by me and for now I have the subject we're developing, again me and Raffaele Ottolenghi, in script. Working title: Possession Town.
A: What do you think about this interview?
B: I think it is an honor for me to have been able to answer all these interesting questions and I also think it is particularly comprehensive and intelligent. I have to say that you really plumbed a little bit of everything that is my artistic "path" and passion for horror. Thank you very much indeed.
A: Greetings to the DarkVeins community!
B: Greetings to you and thanks again for the interview!!!
A: Thank you Alex!
