Interview with Davide Pesca, independent horror director, effects artist and author of the recent horror collective 17 to midnight. He will talk to us not only about his latest work but also about his previous works, future projects (including a book dedicated to the most extreme horror cinema and a documentary on Body Modification, "Use your Body") and also about Demented Gore Production, a film distribution company he founded.
L: Who is David Pesca?
Q: I'm a 32-year-old guy, I do video making for a living, ranging between: music videos, documentaries, and video shooting of all kinds (excluding weddings and ceremonies). I have a passion for cinema (especially horror/splatter), special effects, the 80s and everything related to horror in general.
L: What got you so passionate about filmmaking that you became a part of it?
Q: Although it sounds trite as an answer, I will tell you that film is my lifeblood (mainly what I watch, but also what I create) along with music. It is one of the few things that really makes me feel good and allows me to escape from real life. Initially I used to watch and devour any kind of horror (and non-horror) movies from anywhere in the world, in any language, then my passion for horror and especially splatter characterized by special effects led me to make something of my own.
L: What memories do you have of the first short film you made?
Q: I remember that I didn't even have my own video camera, but with the help of a friend I shot this short film titled Nunchaku, all made in two to three hours. I edited it in as many hours and so, just for fun, I decided to send it in competition at the Alienante Film Festival. I will preface this by saying that the film was embarrassing to say the least in my opinion, but the fact is that after some time I got a phone call: he was the organizer of the festival, Nunchaku came second. I still don't explain how...
L: You have a lot of short films and also feature films behind you. Which ones do you consider the most successful and which have given you the most satisfaction?
Q: The least successful certainly the first ones, although they were much more imaginative, were also unprofessional, and also my penultimate short entitled Night Hungry while it encapsulates everyone's efforts, it did not fully satisfy me.
The most successful ones personally are: my recent Life, Death and Sins (because it represents my most introspective and personal work) and Descent to hell, where I wanted to pay homage to the series "Twin Peaks."
L: Can you tell us about the film company Gore Demented Distribution?
Q: Demented Gore Production was born exactly when I started my career (if you can call it that). I decided to call it that because it represents exactly (especially in my early works), the genre I make: demented/demonic gore productions.
L: Life, Death and Sins (2013) is a film divided into seven episodes. The constant themes that meander through all segments are grief and death. Can you tell us about this work of yours that will surely appeal to lovers of the horror and splatter genre? Why so much inflicted and self-inflicted suffering?
Q: I had been thinking about this project for years: I wanted to make something totally personal and crazy that encapsulated specific themes: death, madness and sensuality.
With Life, Death and Sins I tried to focus the film on the potentiality and decay of the human body through seven stages of life where violence and sin take center stage. 7 episodes like the 7 deadly sins. I made this film totally for myself, almost as if it was the last film I had to make, and so I included everything I love: blood, sex, gore effects and experimental video art.
L: In "The Vice is the Enemy" (Chapter 3) of Life, Death and Sins you confront us with a particular chess game. Can you tell us about that? How did this idea come about?
Q: It all stems from the famous Seventh Seal, and that's what inspired me, but in my own way. The chess game with death, I decided to turn it into a context where death is the absolute judge with absolute decision-making power over the two players... and it's really thanks to my friends Mutant Squad (a group of body performers) that I was able to represent this segment with sequences of real violence, reducing the special effects to the bone.
L: What is your relationship with body modification?
Q: My relationship with Body Mod was born 7 years ago, just when I started shooting together with Bruno Valsecchi (piercer and modifier) "Use your body", a documentary based on Body mod at 360° (tattoos, piercings, Body Suspension, Body Modifications, Subcutaneous Implants etc...) and currently in post production. For this project I traveled a lot (USA, France, England, Germany etc..) attending and knowing the industry thoroughly. Then over time I began to collaborate with various body suspension and body performer associations, one above all the APTPI.
L: You are the author of 17 at Midnight, an anthology film divided into 17 episodes featuring as many directors from the independent horror film scene. How did this idea come about?
Q: I start from the premise that I have always loved episodic horror movies, but the actual idea came to me after seeing the movie Abc's of Death. I thought that a similar project could be done in Italy as well, and so, partly in order not to copy the idea of "Abc" equally and partly to use something pertaining to horror, I decided to choose a catchy title like "17 at Midnight," and to make a connection, form the film just from 17 short films, so I contacted the filmmakers proposing it and it all started.
L: In your episode Peep Show featured in 17 at Midnight it is impossible not to notice the combination of beauty and horror. What can you tell us about that?
Q: Peep show started as a "rip-off" of one of the episodes of my previous medium-length film Life, Death and Sins. Here, too, I wanted to emphasize the joys and pains of the flesh... In the short film, the man watches a striptease, and as is often the case when attending such a show or xxx film, the viewer is enticed to want to see more and more and is led to the unsatisfaction. With Peep show I really wanted to work on the concept of dissatisfaction.
L: In this project of yours you also made the frame episode. Can you tell us about that?
Q: The frame episode of 17 to midnight is the common thread that links all 17 episodes together. As in a kind of Saw, a man finds himself tied to a chair, and in front of him, only a grandfather clock pointed right at 17 minutes to midnight: the minutes pass one by one, just like the short films that make up the film, until the predictable chime of midnight. That is the plot in a nutshell. For the ending, invaluable was the help of our friend director Francesco Longo, who with a touch of Vfx achieved a really effective effect.
L: Was it difficult to work on this project? Are you satisfied with the final result?
Q: Initially, although there were really a lot of aspects to take care of (organization, editing, site, etc.), with the help of some directors who gave a big hand for some parts of the project, we managed to complete the work without too many hiccups. And despite some different ideas of procedure and final work destination, I must say that I am very satisfied with our 17 to midnight. Obviously 17 heads are 17 ways of thinking and getting everyone to agree was not at all easy but all's well that ends well and the film is ready.
L: 17 to midnight is over. What are the next steps? Is a distribution planned?
Q: Just from April, the film will be shown in some festivals in the industry starting with "FI-PI-LI HORROR FESTIVAL" and the only chance to see 17 a.m. is just through festivals and various reviews. After this "fest tour" the film will be made available for free online at the official website. For now these are the concrete moves that will be made but any kind of news regarding the project will be posted on the site...
L: You are also an effects artist and among other things have lent your professionalism to other directors (I point out the effective special effects you did in Del Fiol's Kokeshi for Connections). Why is it that in addition to being a director you are also an effects sta? What do you particularly like about this field?
Q: I started directing films specifically to bring the special effects I was creating to video, every time I watched a horror film, I would dwell on the gore scenes to try to understand how they were made and over time I tried to create any kind of splatter effects myself to put in my films. For the past couple of years I have been giving small sfx and horror make up workshops for various associations and from time to time I make special effects for other filmmakers, such as the recent "Kokeshi" by Paul Del Fiol": an experience if challenging, really fun and interesting.
On the question of why an effector as well as a director, I'll answer right away: by choice, but also a bit by necessity, because unfortunately I have always had difficulty finding collaborators in the area where I live (province of Sondrio) and so I have always been involved in filming, effects editing, etc.
L: Who do you see as the directors who have made their mark in the genre film world? What are the best horror films?
Q: My cult directors are John Carphenter for his unmistakable narrative and technical skills and Clive Barker because I consider him a creative and visionary genius who was able to dare.
My absolute favorite movie is The Seed of Madness but I cannot help but mention Big Trouble in Chinatown, Under Shock and Nightmare 4 - The Unwakened.
L: What are your plans for the future?
Q: I currently have 3 concrete projects in the works:
- First, I want to promote the best 17 to midnight;
- then momentarily I decided to hang up my video camera to finish the book I am writing: a kind of guide to the most extreme and violent horror cinema in the world video market (I am almost at 80% of the work);
- we are also finishing the editing of the Body mod documentary "Use your body."
L: An opinion of your own on this interview?
Q: Very direct and well structured, congratulations! It was really a pleasure.
L: Leave a message for DarkVeins friends and everyone who will read this interview!
Q: As always, I thank everyone for this nice interview and shamelessly take the opportunity to do my own branding by promoting the my youtube channel.
I also invite everyone, should you want to ask me for info about my projects, links of my films, advice, give me criticism or anything else, to quietly contact me on Facebook...
Thank you again.
L: Thank you Davide and good luck!
