There I was, sitting on the restaurant bench in a pool of my own cold blood. My body twitches as I try to scream out, but nothing rises up as the chef maniacally stuffs food into a funnel leading down my throat.
You might be wondering how I got here. I know I am.
Suddenly, the unthinkable happens.
My stomach begins to slowly inflate, filled with the pureed hamburgers that continue to be fed in the funnel. Buttons are launched from my shirt as my stomach grows to comical proportions.
“Ah hahahahah!” screams the chef as he pulls out a safety pin and rams it into my stomach. With a mighty burst it explodes, unleashing six gallons of blood and guts.
A round of cheers and encouraging expletives are unleashed from the crew as I pause to question my choice in wearing jeans that day. I should’ve known better as this wasn’t anywhere close to my first day on the set of Poultrygeist 2, a new film from Troma Entertainment.
Shot in Santa Cruz for a dozen days over the course of two months, it’s the highly anticipated sequel to the cult movie company’s 2006 musical horror comedy. It joins the ranks of other beloved horror films shot in town, like Us, The Tripper and—of course—The Lost Boys.
“A lot of the special effects have been learned in real time,” explains Max Rock, actor and special effects lead.
Given a budget of only $9,000, everyone on the set of the film works multiple jobs on and off the camera. Rock and partner Layla Kaufman (no relation to Troma head Lloyd Kaufman) already knew how to create some of the special effects thanks to her working at a haunted house maze in San Francisco years prior to filming.
“We learned how to do mold making through that, which is how we knew how to make the beaks, pus packages as well as the masks and puppets in the background,” he continues.
Thankfully, this isn’t anyone’s first rodeo. Or run through the chicken coop, as it were. Out of the two dozen or so cast and crew members, only three of us have never worked on a Troma film.
Mercedes the Muse has written and directed several films produced or distributed by Troma—such as Rise of the Super Tromettes, Divide & Conquer and Gasmask Girl—that have featured actors and crew involved with Poultrygeist 2. It’s all part of the collective ethos she shares with Moses, her husband, cameraman and co-writer.
“Everyone puts in ideas,” she says. “I’m not a dictator. I take everybody’s creative impetus into consideration. That keeps it punk rock and chaotic.”
For those of us who are new to the Troma world, it was a bloody, gore-filled, offensive dream come true. Even if it meant flying out halfway across the country.
“I started watching Troma films when I used to sneak into this bar that would play them on their tiny TV,” Kitty Dearing says.
After seeing cast and crew member Jesse Kenneth Cotu Williams post a flier about needing extras, Dearing flew out from Memphis, Tennessee, knowing the gig was pro bono. For horror fans, it’s all about the street cred.
“I love Troma because you never know what to expect,” she continues. “It’s going to be really weird and gory and strange and you’re going to leave wondering, ‘What the fuck did I just watch?’”
Case in point, Poultrygeist 2 is a satirical horror comedy about a ragtag group of fast food workers. When the food becomes contaminated and turns hungry patrons into a horde of mutated chicken zombies, the staff must fight to survive. Oh, and there’s a giant mutated rat, an egg with legs, a caveman in a tutu, and lots and lots of gratuitous nudity.
Let’s just say it’s not for the easily offended, squeamish or anyone without a deranged sense of humor. If all goes well, Poultrygeist 2 will make even the honorary Pope of Trash, John Waters, blush.
We figured we were headed in the right direction the day we caused a traffic collision. One of the lead characters, Hen-rietta (who identifies as a chicken and is played by Santa Cruz local Sadie Satanas), basically has a chicken-style Las Vegas showgirl outfit complete with nipple pasties. While the crew was filming a scene inside the old Munch building (on the corner of Laurel Street and Pacific Avenue), Satanas stepped outside for a smoke. Two minutes later we all heard the familiar screeching of tires and CRASH! of metal and glass. We all rushed outside to find that one of the cars was distracted by her outfit and didn’t see where they were going (thankfully, everyone was OK and the damage to both cars appeared minor).
“I think the intestinal kill is my most favorite because it has Terrifier levels of gore,” Satanas says when asked about her favorite. She is also one of the lead special effects artists on set and has been working on everything from latex intestines, slime and exploding heads to exactly how to pull off the movie’s numerous kills. She says she’s spent 8–12 hours a day since April trying to figure out the film’s many effects.
“We made 80 feet of latex intestines and four different corpses,” she explains. “One of them had five sprayers attached to it. The rat suit took a month, which was a lot of refabricating. It also has 120 teeth and each one of those takes about three minutes [to install].”
Founded by “Uncle” Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz in 1974, Troma has specialized in underground cinema pushing the boundaries of horror, comedy and societal standards of taste. Such cult classics like The Toxic Avenger, Class of Nuke ’em High and Killer Condom have all come out of the entertainment company.
Sometimes there’s even crossover to the mainstream, like the remake of The Toxic Avenger starring Game of Thrones’ Peter Dinklage, which was released in theaters across the nation in August. There also have been a number of major celebrities who either started at Troma or have acted for them, such as Billy Bob Thornton, J.J. Abrams and Vanna White.
Superman and Guardians of the Galaxy writer and director James Gunn started his career at Troma with Tromeo & Juliette. South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone also were given a start when Troma produced and distributed their first film, Cannibal! The Musical.
And being on the set of Poultrygeist 2 I’ve learned a couple of important lessons about filming a Troma movie (and life).
First, which I already went over, if you’re gonna have a bloody scene, don’t wear jeans. In other words, make sure to always dress appropriately.
Which brings me to my second lesson (this one’s straight out of Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy): always bring a towel. It’s dry. It’s soft and it’s like a warm hug after being drenched in countless gallons of gore. You’ll never know when you’ll need one, so carry that thing (or at least keep it in the car). Also, wear a pair of shoes with a good grip because, oh man, those floors get slippery quickly.
Be prepared for anything. Yes, it might be 10am. But you should still be prepared for 72 people dressed in full costumes—kinky goth, priest, clown, futuristic wasteland warrior, and not one but three Macho Man Randy Savages—ready to projectile-vomit a mix of water, green dye, Alka-Selter, oatmeal and corn all over the set booths, chairs and floor. Just like life, a Troma film hits you in the theater of the absurd and leaves you to clean up after. And just like Toxie from The Toxic Avenger knows, a mop is a hell of a useful tool.
Finally, have fun! Life is too short to take so seriously. Get dirty. Push your boundaries and don’t forget to laugh. With such a low budget, this project is entirely a labor of love for everyone from Mercedes, to the actors, effects and makeup people—and especially the extras.
“Holy balls,” Dearing says with a wide smile after shooting her scenes. “That was absolutely amazing. I got blood spurted in my face and I got to trample a chicken person. I had a wonderful time!”
Meet Mercedes the Muse, the cast of Poultrygeist 2 and Uncle Lloyd Kaufman himself at Streetlight Records at 5–6:30pm on Monday, Oct. 20. There will be exclusive Troma merch for sale to be signed by all featured guests.
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