Michael T. Schneider
TOE TAG PICTURES
Interview by Philthy McRotten
Michael T. Schneider, or madam m. maGgot, is the sickest man on the planet. His visions of the shattered human psyche from the inside are beautiful, haunting, revolting yet alluring, Fellini and Argento's bastard child on mescaline. These are films that you don't forget a mere 3 and 1/2 minutes after viewing. They always leave an impression.
Through films likeTHE KRANNY,SORRY,THE NEIGHBOR GUY,MY CREPITUS,CHROME BABY,A TRIBUTE TO SANITY and numerous other shorts. His newest foray into the realm of out there video is the incomparable AUGUST UNDERGROUND'S MORDUM. This is the guaranteed sickest, vilest, uncompromising film you will ever lay your perverted little eyes on. A quasi-remake of the seminal AUGUST UNDERGROUND, this film saw magGot and new partners from Toe Tag (cRusTy, Killjoy, Fredenstein, and Cruise) collaborating for the first time.
I was just recently made into a refugee and was weathering out the storm in magGot's cave. I managed to tear him away from the editor long enough to answer a few questions:
You've been making movies for a long time. How did you get your start?
-Obsessive compulsive...I got my dirty hands on my first video camera at the age of 12..Filmmaking is all I ever tried to do...Ironically enough, a few of those individuals that I used to collaborate with, I still work on projects with now, namely: Tom Colbert with many of the films..and Rob Wagner with musical projects(Slavepig.)
How would you describe your early efforts?
-Many were hard attempts of making gruesome slasher films, some were dusted with obnoxious black humor...and some were perverted and shocking in an odd fashion that could come across like Tom Green's early home video collection.
How did Toe Tag start?
-I witnessed the first indie film by someone I knew from college that impressed the hell out of me...the feature, August Underground. I hooked up with the creators, Fred Vogel and Alan Peters to join the soon dead: Absu Films...Alan abandoned the state to avoid the attention of August...while the rest of Absu morphed into Absudigital and disowned the film. Fred, Kristian Hickman, Jerami Cruise and I started up Toe Tag in spite of the latter happenings...We wanted to make true horror films. Kristian has moved on to pursue other creative interests, as Cristie (cRuSty) Whiles and Killjoy have since stepped aboard the Toe Tag crew.
So, tell me why MORDUM is the movie I should drop everything to watch?
-Because it's anything but the norm...Aren't you tired of being brainwashed by Hollywood's regurgitated mongroid crap?
What was the atmosphere like on set?
-Believe it or not..We felt like the Manson family when they were in their cheerful prime. But, as soon as the camera turned on....the cheer was gone.
So, the burning question of the day is; are all the actors and actresses still alive?
-You'll have to search the area...I've yet to screen the film to some of the victims/actors. I feel kinda bad that they have yet to see it. Come to think of it, I haven't heard from some of them since we filmed their death scenes...
Tell me about the world premiere at the Calgary Exofest.
-There's a funny story involving that...The theater wouldn't allow the fest to screen Mordum and Visitor Q due to their high level of unorthodox content. Luckily the festival believed in art and didn't cancel screening our films. They were forced to reschedule the fest at another theater. This also forced them to loose their investors...(They'd planned on flying us there for the premiere...but at the last minute they were incapable of doing so due to a serious lack of funding.)....Calgary was suffering from an extreme (20 below) winter and managed to somehow pack the theater with viewers to screen the film...It was also mandatory for everyone that viewed the film to answer a questionnaire regarding things in the film that may offend the viewer, if they answered correctly they were allowed to view the film...Somehow, the film screened to an overall positive response...We were lucky to answer questions over the phone at the end of the film. We were also told that after the screening a very large mass of people showed up wanting to see the film...but the fest wasn't allowed to screen it more than once.
As it turned out, the fine detail that Jerami Cruise put into the makeup effects earned Mordum BEST SPECIAL FX....
What are the plans for the U.S. premiere?
-We're premiering Mordum at The REX(located on the South Side of Pittsburgh), June, Saturday the 14th. We plan on extending the horror of Friday the 13th one more evening. Killjoy is also premiering his sick new band, MALARIA..along with a performance from an intense skitzo grind band: FIRST DAY DEAD.
What are the plans for distribution of MORDUM?
-We're soon pressing the DVD, which will be self distributed through our site: toetagpictures.com and necrophagia.com as well. The DVD includes the feature length documentary: Grotesque Fantasies, cut scenes, Necrophagia, Ravenous and porcelain magGot music videos...
You work a lot with Eric James and Tom Colbert. So lets hear about Chrome Baby.
-Tom and Eric go way back, I'll always enjoy working with them...We've been plugging away at Chrome Baby for some three years or so. It's a completely different film than what I usually work on. Mainly due to Eric writing the script and directing. He's big on guns, explosions, and wacky action. The film focuses on a group of hit men tracking down a rampaging zombie spreading its virus amongst the KKK, a pedophile clown, backwoods rednecks, and a brothel full of whores...
When can we look forward to seeing Chrome Baby?
-As soon as the current film(Opening the Mind) is completed, we're shooting some beefed up fx scenes and immediately jumping into editing for Chrome Baby...So I hope we can crank it out some time mid summertime..fall at the latest. Check the Toe Tag site for info as well as the official Chrome Baby site: www.angelfire.com/tn/tcthepackrat/chromebaby.html
What's next for Toe Tag?
-The current film to be completed is Opening the Mind. This is going to be another serial killer film, completely unlike any of the previous films. I want to bring back the feel of true horror films like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Last House on the Left and the italian giallo films...but with the addition of a completely new format...Life-O-Vision, which is a format akin to 3D films...but an experience all to it's own. It's going to be exciting to see peoples reactions to the final product, it's something that will indefinitely cause people to scream in theaters again...and I guarantee that they'll scream, or else you can assassinate me on site.
I'll give ya a nickel if you divulge the secret to Life-O-Vision.
-That wouldn't be any fun now would it. Although the budget may aid in getting the film finished.
Thanks for answering these routine questions. I'll be there to post bail after The Rex.
LINKS:
Toe Tag Pictures Website
Review of August Underground's Mordum by Philthy McRotten
Return To Interviews