Talking Business with Christopher Garetano

Posted on 6 July, 2007 by Princess Jolene

I had the opportunity to delve into the brain of documentary maker Christopher Garetano. Writer and Director of Horror Business (and upcoming sequel Son of Horror Business,amongst other films), he covers just about everything in our interview -- his past, his present, his future, and most importantly, his favorite tattoo.

Can you tell me about yourself? Your background, where you're from, what you always wanted to do when you grew up? If you're even grown up, etc...

CG: I’ve been making movies for as long as I can remember.  I grew up in Northport, NY and I was the only kid (that I was aware of) that was making movies.  It wasn’t very common thing amongst my friends.  I was the oddball but everyone loved coming to my house to get made up and be in a horror movie.  It was mainly special effects make-up that drew me into this whole thing… I had a make-up kit and I would utilize that and my father’s old VHS camcorder to shoot zombie and slasher movies.  It wasn’t until later on that I realized I was part of an entire generation of inspired filmmakers. I met others like myself at horror conventions and places like that. So I’m still doing it and it’s certainly my destiny.

You studied film, correct? Where did you go to school and what kinds of films did you make in school and what kind of films did you aspire to make after your schooling?

CG: My film studies began in High School; I was part of a film and video productions program that would run half a day for two years. After that I attended the School of Visual Arts (in New York City) for four years and I graduated with a BFA in film. It was in film school that I was exposed to so many new forms of art and cinema from around the world. It was like a new chamber in my brain opened up. It wasn’t that I was disinterested in horror films, but my focus shifted to more exciting work. I began to realize after learning about moviemakers like Yilmaz Guney or Pasolini that people actually moved mountains with their work and died for their work. This fascinated me more than any slasher film in existence. If one can’t open their mind to the world, then their films will become narrow hallways with nothing to offer but a shut door at the end. I sure as hell didn’t want to become another rip off artist. They do nothing but contribute to the dumbing down of our society while lining their pockets.

Why Horror Business? How did you get the idea to make it and why?

CG: I was living the idea. I realized that when you’re making films and you’re obsessed with making them you retain a sort of delusional aspect of your personality. In other words, to survive as a filmmaker you must be extremely positive. You can never accept that you’re broke, or no one likes your work, or no one’s buying your work. You need fuel to press forward. And to my knowledge nobody ever covered this subject as a universal topic. I needed Horror Business to be honest and free of any narration. I didn’t want to thrust my opinion on you. I wanted you as an audience to see these people as they are. It certainly wasn’t a reality show situation where you would have producers telling the subjects what to say. I did my best to be silent and invisible.

How did you choose your subjects in the documentary?

CG: They were already around me as a result of a magazine I was publishing (Are You Going? Magazine), and it was the magazine that sparked the brain for Horror Business. The movie is a sort of visual version of the magazine. Mark Borchadt was writing essays for the magazine as was David Stagnari. Tate Stiensiek won a House of 1000 Corpses cover contest for the fifth issue. Jon Goras was doing artwork for various sections, etc. It carries on the same themes and spirit. I published five issues of Are You Going? and then decided to focus completely on my movie making.

Do you think it represented independent horror filmmakers accurately?

CG: Independent is a tricky word and it’s used so often. The men in my film are very independent.  But most movie makers are very dependent people. They depend on the funding that they receive from other sources. They depend on the artists that they collaborate with. Most of the movie makers in Horror Business are truly independent. They fund their own films and depend on no one but themselves to get the job done. That‘s exactly how I made Horror Business. I depended on no one and felt exactly what my subjects were feeling throughout the entire project. Filmmakers are so different from each other but there is a common sense of perseverance that my film displays.

What message were you trying to get across with the film and do you think you succeeded?<

CG: It’s totally a subjective experience, as with any movie. Some people completely related to my film and found it to be entertaining and an inspiration. Then there were others that didn’t agree with the film. I personally feel that a movie maker can’t plague themselves with worry. You can’t worry if people are going to like it or not. The world is way too enormous and you must go with your instinct.

I see you made a film called Son of Horror Business. Can you talk about that? Why did you feel you needed a sequel and is it even a sequel? I obviously have not seen it so how does it compare to the first one?

CG: I’ve been shooting Son of Horror Business for about two years now and I should be finished with it in 2008. I really want to make a different statement with this one. Now that I’ve established the de-glamorized filmmaker with Horror Business, I want to show a bit of the revolutionary movie maker: A movie maker that won’t quit and will always attempt to break new boundaries. These movie makers will lead us into a new golden age of cinema. It will be completely different in tone, style, construction and its overall message. I’ve spent time with some better known directors like George Romero. George is the original rebel to the Hollywood system. So I visited the set of his new film Diary of the Dead which is a return to his very foundation as a movie maker. I also interviewed other revolutionary mavericks like Jack Hill, Damon Packard and the late Bob Clark.

What do you think of studio horror films as compared to independent horror films? Or is that a stupid question?

That’s not a stupid question at all. I think many studio films are fantastic. Especially lately with Pan’s Labyrinth, Children of Men, and Apocalypto (even though that’s really an expensive independent film). If the film has energy and makes you feel alive, then it’s good. I just saw Michael Moore's Sicko and it actually made me think and feel. I can’t walk into a theater and watch a film like Chuck and Larry (the new Adam Sandler movie)… that shit’s not funny to me. I think it’s repetitive and mindless. But there are a ton of independent films now that are even more repetitive and mindless than most studio junk. It’s important that we seek out to preserve original work that exhilarates us. We can’t buy into the same old shit.

What are YOUR career aspirations and are you fulfilling goals?

CG: I am certainly fulfilling my goals because at any point in time I could have jumped on the torture film (or remake) wagon and made something that would not only disgust everyone but make money as well and I didn’t. I actually stopped pre-production work on my proposed slasher film (in 2003) and I made Horror Business instead. I’m currently finishing three new documentaries, and I’m developing an original feature film that I’ve been obsessing over for a while. I think once you buy in to mediocrity, you’re as good as dead so it’s important to continuously seek out original material.

What other projects have you done and what are some of your future projects?

CG: For the past couple of years I’ve been shooting three new feature documentaries. One is the sequel to Horror Business.  Another is titled Montauk Unveiled and it regards alleged secret government experiments that occurred in the 1970s. I traveled all over the states interviewing people who claim that they have traveled through time, worked with space aliens and creatures from other dimensions. I’ve kept a very unbiased point of view with this one. I have some insane footage though and I believe this is going to be a truly original film. Another project of mine is titled Angel’s Gate and it regards a residential animal hospice that’s being forced to shut its doors by corrupt town officials and rich neighbors. There’s some truly heartbreaking stuff in that one. Also I just finished a short horror film titled Cottonmouth… it’s an adaptation of a story that appeared in the 1986 underground comic book titled Gore Shriek.

What kinds of horror films would you like to see out there? What's missing if anything?

CG: I’d love to see some new horror films that are actually scary. There are way too many comedies that try to disguise themselves as horror movies, and the easiest horror movies to make are those rape/torture movies. Those are usually made by imbeciles with small brains and (most likely) even smaller genitalia. I think those movie makers need much more life experience. The closest that some of these little bastards ever came to danger was a thrill ride at Disney World so we can’t expect them to know the psychology that requires to scare an audience. They just shouldn’t be making horror films. Maybe they can direct the next Adam Sandler movie. I feel this monotony will change soon, history has a way of working these things out and we’re long overdue for some incredible movie making.

I noticed from your pic that you have tattoos. What is your favorite of your tattoos and why?

CG: I have a number seven tattooed on my forearm and I truly believe that’s my lucky number. I don’t believe in bad luck I just feel when things are going bad, there’s no good luck around. It’s only temporary anyway… tattoos, luck, and life.