January 19, 2009

Ordinarily this Icons of Fright staffer doesn’t like the cold, traffic, or New Jersey. When this cheimaphobic writer with a small bladder and an aversion to hair gel was asked to brave all three to attend the Repo Road Tour I was less than enthused. Can a hypothermic cynic warm up REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA, a gore-laden goth rock musical from the director of SAW II, III & IV starring Paris Hilton? Well, when the evening turns out to be an energetic and campy celebration, with 500 plus obsessed and cheering fans in attendance, the answer is a surprising yes.

The show at the Williams Art Center in Rutherford, NJ kicked off with an introduction by Bloody-Disgusting’s Spooky Dan, who has been a tireless advocate of the movie since it’s first run in L.A. this past fall. Spooky D got the crowd warmed up by bringing out a sassy little dancer for a burlesque number set to one of the songs from the flick. Immediately following was his own short film REPO: THE PUPPET OPERA. That’s exactly what it sounds like, readers. Certainly helping to solidify REPO’s reputation as a soon-to-be cult classic were the number of fans dressed up, in character, for the occasion. A costume contest was held with the contestants taking up the entire stage.

Right before the film started director Darren Lynn Bousman, writer/star Terrance Zdunich, and star Alexa Vega took to the stage for a brief introduction. They thanked their fans for braving the below freezing temperatures and for their support of the picture. Actress Alexa Vega, previously of the SPY KIDS franchise, seemed especially excited to be a part of this tour and film. The crew received several gifts from the crowd. Bousman gave a special call out to a family (Mom, Dad, kids and all) that had previously attended several dates on the tour.

The movie started and the crowd went crazy with fans dancing along to the numbers, callbacks shouted at the screen, and everything else you’d expect from an audience celebrating one of the favorite movies. You may have already read reviews that we’ve run here on IOF, but I’d like to add that the film is something special. I had doubts that I’d enjoy the movie, and had become especially cautious considering the cult-film status seemingly forced upon it. Initially skeptical that this supposed following was more marketing ploy than having developed organically. However, the fervor of the crowd, and the number of fans that showed up, proved otherwise. As for the movie, I enjoyed it, and there’s even a few numbers I still haven’t gotten out of my head. I’ll certainly be among the fans picking it up on DVD. It’s not perfect, and it’s obviously ambitious beyond it’s budget, but it’s to be admired. Certainly you’ve not seen anything quite like it.

After the film Bousman, Zundich and Vega once again took to the stage to take questions from the crowd. A few interesting facts were revealed. For example, when the budget was cut from $25 million to just $8 million the director had to think fast on ways to get his sets built. While working on SAW IV, Bousman asked for a mausoleum and graveyard set to be built for new scenes for Jigsaw, which, of course, never made into that movie. These sets were later “recycled” (wink, wink) by Bousman for REPO. Nice move!

Finally the evening wrapped up with the stars signing autographs for every single REPO fan that had showed up. With the soundtrack playing in the background during the signing some fans even took to the stage to sing along with the favorite songs.

Rather than lamenting it’s limited release it’s great to see fans and the creative team behind the movie doing it the old way by taking their movie from city to city. Look, here’s a movie that had it’s chance at a wide-release cut way, way short, but this was never a film that was made for the multiplex. And it wasn’t made for the art-house either. If there is anyway you experience REPO: THE GENETIC OPERA, hopefully you get the chance to see it with a crowd attending the Road Tour. Several dates still remain, with the tour wrapping up in LA.

-Mike Cucinotta

Fans at the Road Show

Remaining REPO ROAD TOUR Dates:

January 20th – St. Louis, Missouri

Landmark Tivoli Theater

January 21st – Denver, Colorado

Landmark Mayan Theater

January 22nd – Jackson, Michigan

The Michigan Theater

January 23rd – Phoenix, Arizona

Chandler Cinemas

January 24th – Los Angeles, California

Laemmle’s Royal Theater