Anthony Head

Exclusive Interview: DIRECTOR DARREN LYNN BOUSMAN SINGS FOR ’REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA’

The SAW II-IV helmer tries a musical on for size — and of course, there will be blood

Darren Lynn Bousman is most famous for continuing to make the name Jigsaw a household utterance in the horror community, having directed the second through fourth films of the horror franchise SAW.

Now he turns his attention to another genre ... and it is different in every sense of the word. A horror musical. Adapted from the play of the same name, REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA, it makes ROCKY HORROR look like ALICE IN WONDERLAND.

Bousman sat down with iF to chat about his new film and all of its interesting details.

iF MAGAZINE: How did you come to direct REPO? Did you want to direct a musical and came across the material, or did you fall in love with the material and then decide you were going to make it into a film?

DARREN LYNN BOUSMAN: I have always loved the musical genre. I love music. It was also an aspiration to make a ROCK OPERA. Never in a million years did I think I would actually pull it off, this early in my career.

iF: How hard/easy was it to get the rights/financing?

BOUSMAN: In the case of REPO it was VERY easy, as the writer OWNED the rights, and I was very good friends with them. So we didn’t have to maneuver a lot of RED TAPE. I told them I wanted to make it… and we made it!

iF: What are the key differences between the stage and film versions?

BOUSMAN: EVERYTHING! The stage production was very small, in a little black box theater. We had no money, and very little resources. Of course some of the songs are the same. But the stage play was a thin skeleton of what REPO was to become.

iF: Have the music/songs/orchestrations changed significantly?

BOUSMAN: Yes, remember, in a small black box theater you are significantly limited to what you can accomplish. With the movie – we had so many more resources, instruments, session players. It’s night and day. That being said, the spirit of the music remains untouched.

iF: How was it working on the adaptation with the original writers?

BOUSMAN: It was an amazing experience. These two guys are so talented, and smart. I am proud to call them my friends. We have been through the trenches together for 7 years. So by the time the movie came to light – we were like a family… A dysfunctional one… but a family none the less.

iF: Was the stage version as gory as the film?

BOUSMAN: No, not as gory. But the stage version didn’t shy away from ‘the red stuff’ We did have fake organs, and fake blood aplenty. But the stage play was much much campier.

iF: How did you decide on the look of the film?

BOUSMAN: The look was so important to me as a filmmaker. I wanted the movie to look vastly different than the SAW films. I needed it to look like a dark fairy tale. And that’s how we approached it. From the costumes, to the set design, to the cinematography. One of the exciting things for me, doing this particular project was, I had been talking about REPO for years. Mainly while I was in Toronto working on SAW. I used all my SAW crew – so they had the luxury of knowing a TON about REPO before we even starting pre-production. Also, I have to give credit to cinematographer Joe White – who did an AMAZING job. I credit the majority of the film’s look to him.

iF: Are there other films/musicals that inspired you — ROCKY HORROR, SWEENEY TODD, etc.?

BOUSMAN: Every musical, or rock opera inspires me. In the case of REPO however, I would have to say my biggest influence was JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, TOMMY, and ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW. Those three films have been watched at least 200 times each in my house!

iF: How did you come up with the casting of the film – were you a fan of any of the actors?

BOUSMAN: I was a fan of all the actors. Repo was such an amazing casting process, because in the end I ended up with every single person I wanted. When casting a movie like REPO – I had to think out of the box. The script is so crazy and out there, so the casting had to be too.

iF: Anthony Stewart Head is such an incredible singer – were you familiar with him from BUFFY or from his work as a musician?

BOUSMAN: Yes! Tony was always my number one choice for REPO MAN. I was a fan of Buffy. But when I saw him in [the BUFFY episode] "Once More With Feeling," it solidified my love for him.

iF: Were there any actors who had to be persuaded to be in the film?

BOUSMAN: No, not at all, and that is why I think we had so much fun making the film. Everyone wanted to be there. This wasn’t a paycheck for anyone. This became a passion project for everyone involved.

iF: How did you wind up casting one of the writers/composers as the Gravedigger?

BOUSMAN: Graverobber! Terrance was the best guy for it! He had played Graverobber in every version of REPO since 1999.

iF: Would you miss gore if you did a film without it?

BOUSMAN: No, it just so happens that everything that has been offered to me, happens to be horror! That being said, don’t expect a romantic comedy from me any time soon.

iF: Do you feel there’s a serious message in the film?

BOUSMAN: Yes, a couple. Everyone is so concerned with perfecting their body, in the future, to a fault. It’s a cautionary tale about how far are we willing to go with this.

iF: With the current economic situation and focus on U.S. healthcare, do you feel REPO is particularly timely?

BOUSMAN: Yes, at least that is our hope.

iF: Might you do a sequel?

BOUSMAN: I think that depends on how well the first one does. WOULD I make a sequel, 100% Yes! I love this world, and have much much more to do in it. The creators and I have been talking about some prequel idea’s which would be very cool.

iF: It’s been said the editing rooms for REPO and SAW IV were next door to one another. Were you and your fellow producers of both films running back and forth a lot, or did you entirely leave SAW V up to others while you were working on REPO?

BOUSMAN: No, I was editing SAW IV while doing pre-production for REPO. It was hard, my days were like 8am – 3 pm SAW IV post. 3pm – 10pm REPO pre-production. But I loved it. I love my job, and I love these movies, so while it was exhausting, it was also exciting.

iF: Did it feel weird not doing a new SAW movie this year?

BOUSMAN: It didn’t until I saw all the bus stop ads, and posters for SAW V everywhere. Then I just got very sad. SAW has been a big part of my life for so long.

iF: Why has there been a hesitation from Lionsgate to go with a wide release for REPO?

BOUSMAN: I think they are scared… It’s a ROCK OPERA. There really isn’t a formula for this type of movie. It’s not SAW, it’s not Tyler Perry. This is so outside the box, it’s scary. I however disagree. I think there is a huge audience for this movie, if they just knew about it. And that’s the biggest problem Repo is facing — awareness, right now there is NO awareness. No ad dollars being spent – no trailers up anywhere. Nothing. So how can a movie like REPO succeed if no one knows about it?

iF: There was a rumor out there you were going to direct the SCANNERS remake? Is that still on the table, and if not, why aren’t you no longer involved?

BOUSMAN: No, maybe at one point, but no longer.

iF: Was it fun working on FEAR, ITSELF – since it was essentially one of your first director-for-hire projects? Does it take a different aesthetic to come in and work on material you didn’t build up from the ground floor?

BOUSMAN: It was very hard… And very different. It was so run and gun it! We were shooting 10 pages a day, which is insane. But it was a whole different experience, and very will worth it.

iF: Anything else you’d like to say about REPO?

BOUSMAN: I urge people to check our our website. www.repo-opera.com

Give the movie a chance. Love it, or Hate it it’s completely different. And I would rather watch different over carbon copy any day!