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Rated: 4.50/5 | Votes: 4 | Views: 400 |Submitted: 12/26/07

Joe Davison Writer and Star of 100 Tears

Clowns, those lovable performers who make more people pee their pants in terror instead of smile with joy, have perhaps gotten an undeserved bad reputation. Writer Joe Davison’s project “100 Tears” is making sure to help them earn that reputation. The following is a quick summary of the movie as found on the official Myspace page: www.myspace.com/100tearsmovie

“100 Tears is a grim and twisted horror film from director Marcus Koch that explores the depths of depravity in which the human mind can ultimately sink. Saturated with graphic violence, and extreme gore, 100 Tears aims to give gorehounds what they've been wanting for years.

Mark (Joe Davison) and Jennifer (Georgia Chris) are two daring tabloid reporters, seeking out a bigger better story, which leads them into the bizzare world of a serial murderer known only as "The Teardrop Killer". Hot on his bloody trail, they begin to piece together the things that make him tick, eventually finding themselves fighting for their very lives, deep within his cavernous house of horrors.”

The writer and starring actor of the film, Joe Davison, was kind enough to submit to a short interrogation session about himself and 100 Tears.

TERRORTUBE: Can you give us a little background on yourself and what got you in the "biz?"
 
“Well, the name is Joe Davison, I started in sketch comedy, moving to Improv comedy, then into film as an actor and writer. I got100tears into film several years ago when a director saw me on stage with an Improv troupe and wanted to put into his film. So, he flew me down to Miami for a this Spanish-American war film. It was awesome. I got to ride a horse and shoot a bolt action rifle and shit was blowing up around me, it was intense. That jump started my career into film making. I was hooked, I wanted to do more of that. Running, jumping, blowing shit up! With a background in sketch writing it wasn't hard for me to move into script writing. A longer more thoughtful process in the end, however. It was a chance to develop characters more thoroughly, give them deeper emotions, and complicated situations. Recently I just finished my ninth screenplay and a fantasy novel titled Fighter Mage Thief. That should be out soon.”

TERROR: Why 100 Tears and not 99 or 42?
 
“Well, 99, although divisible by 3 wasn't catchy enough for a horror film. And not to mention my buddies Pete and Paul Guzzo of One Day Films, have a comedy titled 99. I wanted to one up them in the horror genre. And 42, well, that's the answer to life, the universe, and everything, now isn't it? I can't compete with Douglas Adams! Not to mention I don't have a towel with me at the moment.”

TERROR: Okay, the clown from your film squares off against the clown from IT, who wins?
 
“Psychically, Gurdy would beat the hell out of Pennywise. Albeit, Pennywise in the end transforms into a hideous creature Gurdy would chop its head off before it even got a chance to open its mouth. Intellectually, Stephen King would kick my ass all up and down the street, then throw me into the gutter so Pennywise could eat my lumpy limp sack of man meat for a light snack. And if Stephen King and I went at it, the result would probably be the same. I would lose. Horribly.”

TERROR: Is Tampa Bay a filming friendly town?

“Tampa has a million things to offer to a budding film maker. Ask Johnathan Hensleigh, who shot the Punisher here. Seeing that Tampa is a port city, there are tons of places to shoot and make it all look like somewhere else. I love that feeling. I love Tampa and its double edged appearance. On one half you have beautiful palm trees and beaches and on the half you a seedy industrial area with giant tankers, back alleys, and half way houses. However, we are down a film commissioner at the moment for Tampa, and the State Film Commissioner position has opened as well. So, we're in a middle of great transition period, which on our level doesn't really effect the indie film maker. Lindsay Norris is acting film commissioner now and she's helped us out greatly with 100 Tears and my community network, The Tampa Film Network; www.tampafilmnetwork.com”

TERROR:  Writer, Producer, or actor…which floats your boat the most?
 
“That's a tough question. All areas are wonderful in their own right. Writing allows me to develop characters and situations I would like to see on film. Whether it be horror, action, or comedy. Which I write all three. Producing, presents challenges and goals to achieve and problems to solve. Acting, lets me be someone else for a second. Forgetting about my writing and producing. I like all three. Each has a significant prowess in my career. I will continue to do all three eventually weeding them out one by one. When my appearance goes; which is happening now, I'll still have writing and producing, when my back finally goes, I have writing, then when my brains goes out, I just quietly fall asleep on the train tracks drooling into my diaper.”

TERROR: Describe dealing with the MPAA, do they give you a nice long letter with your rating, or do they just say hey you got an NC-17, or what?
 
“The MPAA was fantastic! They called me and was like "We love your film. It's the best indie horror film we've seen in long time. But, we have to give you an NC-17 Rating. We recommend not to change a thing. If you do you're going to lose the feeling of the film!" I was listening with my mouth agape. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I told Marcus about the conversation and we hooted and jumped up and down. It was exciting.”

TERROR: When can we expect to see this on DVD?
 
“Well, we just released in Germany and France. Or at least we will be in the next couple of weeks. We are still in negotiation with a few American distributors. The Untied Kingdom is next on the list. But, all in all it should be released world wide no later then March of 2008.”

TERROR: Is there any sex with the 100 Tears violence?
 
“Marcus and I talked about having a sex scene in the film whilst I was in the process of writing it. We both thought it better not to have any nudity or sex within the film. There's no need for it. Mark (myself) and Jennifer (Georgia Chris) have a wonderful relationship as friends and almost lovers. But, when the time comes for Mark to make his move he's insecure and doesn't. But, there is plenty of sexual desire and some intense scenes that would elude to it.”

TERROR: Is 100 Tears over-the-top violence in a campy sense, or is it dark and serious?
 
“Although I am a comedian by trade 100 Tears is not a campy film. The over-all feeling of the film is dark and gritty. Gurdy is one serious psycho and will kill you if you cross his path. He uses an giant meat cleaver, not balloon animals. He doesn't carry a horn, or wear a red nose or big dumb shoes. The action and fight scenes are hard hitting and dangerous. Or at least that's what we're going for. I wanted to write a character that was detached from the world, but needed a reason to wear a clown costume. He has a motive, much like Batman. Bruce Wayne is a man outside the suit. But, once in the suit his psyche takes over and he becomes some one else. Gurdy is the same, except he doesn't help anyone in need, in fact its quite the opposite.”

TERROR: How did you and Marcus Koch meet?
 
“I met Marcus years ago when I was just starting out. I wrote a zombie film and Marcus came out to head make-up effects. We hit off and eventually moved onto working on Craig Kovach's Unearthed, which starred myself and Tom Savini. I moved to England for about three years and we stayed in contact and then when I moved back to the States we started on Babydoll and then 100 Tears.”

TERROR: Is the horror genre your favorite for viewing? For writing?
 
“Horror films are first and foremost my favorite genre to write and watch. Second is action/thrillers. Horror genre can reach out into comedy and action. I feel that a good horror movie has a little of all three. Gore, action, and comedy. The gore is there to shock you, the action is to excite you, and the comedy is to pull you out of all of it for just a moment so you breath again. Alfred Hitchcock said "you have to let you audience breath every once in while". With my writing I like to that. Give them some gore, give them some action, and give them some comedy. Look forward to my next film As Night Falls. It has all three.”

TERROR: Any words of wisdom for anyone who thinks they can make a horror movie?
 
“If you are an indie film maker wanting to make a horror film you three things.
 
1. A fun script, some of what I mentioned above. Characters that you like and dislike. For instance take a look at Allen Rowe Kelly's "The Blood Shed", Mel's House's "Closet Space", or Joe Lynch's "Wrong Turn 2". They are great examples of having all three. You can also look me up at www.popgunpictures.com where I do script polishes and rewrites if want to an honest opinion for your work.
 
2. Spend time auditioning and get the right actors. Even if you can only pay them in ham sandwiches and root beer. But, a cast of actors is better then a cast of friends and family, unless you have friends or family members who can act. Auditioning is a pain staking process but it will pay off when you look at your finished footage and say "Damn, that's a good scene!"
 
3. Gore! Find a make-up effects person. Scour the Internet for artists. Myspace is great way for find someone and you can always go here; www.oddtopsyfx.com and look up Marcus as well. He's awesome and will do almost anything for a beer and pack of cheez-its! But, seriously, find a good effects artist. It may be a saving grace in the end.”

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