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Ghost Canyon

Matthew Leutwyler  (Director - 'Dead & Breakfast') Matthew Leutwyler (Director - 'Dead & Breakfast')

'A Room With A Spew!'

'Dead and Breakfast,' Matthew Leutwyler’s outrageous take on the “un-dead” genre, featuring the world’s hottest “Ghoul Line Dance”, raps its way from the big screen to DVD when Anchor Bay Entertainment proudly presents this critically-acclaimed horror comedy in separate Unrated and R-rated versions on September 6, 2005.

'Dead and Breakfast' tells the story – in song and scream – of what happens when a seemingly innocent road trip goes awry. Six friends on their way to a wedding in Galveston, Texas stop for the night at a quaint bed and breakfast in the sleepy town of Lovelock. But after a night that ends with both the inn’s owner and his chef dead, the gang find themselves under suspicion by the local sheriff. The mystery rapidly deepens when the already bizarre residents of the town become possessed by an evil spirit and pin the friends down at the B&B. Armed with a rusty chainsaw, a can of gasoline and a half box of shotgun shells, they must barricade the house and fight for their lives!

Chatting recently with Director Matthew Leutwyler himself, I first wondered at what point has his vision for 'Dead And Breakfast' begun to turn into reality? "Producer Jun Tan and I were meeting with our eventual co-producers at Goal Line Productions to discuss a football movie when they showed us pictures of a property they had recently purchased that they planned to renovate in a few months. It looked nearly identical to the house in 'Psycho.' Jun and I looked at each other and told them that we would love to make a horror movie there. With a three month window to write, cast, and shoot the film we were off to the races!"

Was it always to be called 'Dead And Breakfast' or was there another working title? "There was another title but one day I threw out the title 'Dead and Breakfast' as a joke and my partner at Ambush, Miranda Bailey loved it. I never thought it would stick but she kept pushing for it."

When you were writing this film, be honest, how many films do you think you ended up 'paying homage' to before it was finally realized?! "All of them! I think you almost have to if you're going to make a comedy and I do believe that this is foremost a comedy ... a gory comedy."

And, while we're on the subject of revealing things, is it true that you made an unaccredited cameo in the film ... and if so, when and where? "I'm really not in it as a character. Parts of my body appear throughout only because we did a couple of days of insert shots and there was no one around to pick up a knife off a table or bang their head onto the ground!"

Having already won some Audience Awards and such, what would be your pinnacle Award to win for this movie? "It's great to win an award but I get much more excited about the most memorable screenings we've had. The premiere at SXSW and the Dead By Dawn fest in Scotland were great."

Did Ever Carradine bring her Uncle David to you, or was it the other way round? "Ever was in and thought he'd be great in that role so we sent it to him and he jumped on board."

Was that 'B&B' someone's house for real? "Joe Madden's (exec producer) family owned it but I think that they have since sold it!"

Who drew all the b/w (and red!) artwork that forged its way throughout the movie? "Producer Jun Tan."

Who's idea was it to make the brilliant Diedrich Bader French ... and was he always meant to be that nationality or was that just the best one he could pull off?! "Well, 'Office Space' is one of my all time favorite movies so when he was pitched to us I jumped on the opportunity to work with him. The role was always French."

If there were just 3 words that described 'Dead And Breakfast', what would they be? "Bloody, Ridiculous" ... and maybe "Bloody!"

You added an awful lot of slapstick, old-fashioned comedic humor to your visual (and musical) elements ... but were there times when it just didn't mesh so well with the bloodied horror that walked alongside it and you had to redo some scenes? "We never really looked at the film as a horror picture since it isn't full of true "scares." We always leaned toward following the comedy. There was one scene, however, where Erik Palladino is beating his girlfriend's brains in that took on an extremely nasty tone. And as fantastic as he was in it, it just didn't fit the tone of the film so we ended up cutting it back substantially."

What is your own personal fav moment in the film ... and why? "I love the bit where Palladino finds Bader in the kitchen as well as Brian Vander Ark's drum stick in the eye gag!"

Please reveal to us a behind-the-scenes nugget of fun that, perhaps, caused a scene to trip over itself so many times, etc. "Mullet Man's (Pad Aubrey's) head being blown off. And Jeremy Sisto's head being chopped off. Every time Oz would swing the axe the head would go flying but the wig would stay and fall onto the neck. It took forever to get but was a hilarious out take!"

Tell me more about how Zach Selwyn (and his band) got involved in this project ... as they frickin' rock!! "I have known Zach for a while and he started doing his musical thing around the time I stated putting together the film. I just thought (for some strange reason that I can not quite identify) that he'd be a really odd/perfect fit to pin the whole thing together. Most viewers have agreed and some haven't but I still love it."

OK, it's now time for some 'QUICK Qs' ... please feel free to answer these 'DAB' scene Qs as quickly, and as succinctly as possible!

At what point did you know that enough was enough when it came to filming the 'slip-n-slide' in the blood scene?! "When the buckets were empty!"

Is there an actual town called 'Lovelock' ... and if not, where did the name originate? "Yes. When I was a kid I was on a family vacation and we ended up stopping for a night in a hotel in Lovelock,NV. My childhood friend Alexander Fields was on the trip with us and he has never let me forget that the town smelled like horse shit!"

Why name the B&B 'Lavana's? "Wow. You noticed that! That was my Mother's name."

Why did the Sheriff spray whatever he unsuccessfully sprayed as he left the Hoe-down? "It's just a fire extinguisher!"

Just how many gallons of 'blood' were used in the making of this film?! "I believe 34 or 44. Can't remember."

Does the premise to this horror story, ie: the box, actually exist ... or is it a figment of your overworked imagination?! "That's all on Jun. Yes it does exist."

There was a Ms. Carradine hand double employed in this movie?!?! Er, why and when ...?! "That was a joke that she will never let me live down. She did everything in the movie. Stunts and all. I used a few people for insert shots after the shoot and thought it would be fun to list the variety of doubles we used for her!"

Finally, if you were asked to film an Indie short film for charity, and had to choose 3 principal actors to aid you in the project (but none from this film!), who would they be and what would the name of NEW film be?! "Emmanuel Vaugier, Beau Garrett, Tommy Dewey ... 'UNEARTHED'."

Interviewed by Russell A. Trunk

www.anchorbayentertainment.com

www.idtentertainment.com

If you would like to win a SIGNED copy of this brand new DVD, AUTOGRAPHED BY THE DIRECTOR MATTHEW LEUTWYLER HIMSELF!, just answer this easy question: From 1990 to 1992. Matt studied film at which Art Institute?

Send me your answers and if you're correct you'll be in the running to win one of these brand new AND AUTOGRAPHED! DVDs! Just send us an e:mail here before September 27th with your answer and the subject title 'DEAD & BREAKFAST DVDs' to: exclusivemagazine@flash.net

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