This Sunday, as part of a night of independent cinematic entertainment, Gallery 5 will be screening Richmond cult classic The Taint. Recently released on Blu-Ray by legendary schlockmeisters Troma Entertainment, The Taint's outrageous special effects will appear at higher quality than ever. The evening will also feature a screening of Portuguese horror-comedy short Banana Motherfucker, as well as a special preview of The Taint co-director Drew Bolduc's newest film, Science Team, which is currently in pre-production.
Many of you already know of The Taint, and many of you partook in the making of the film, but for the Richmonders out there who haven’t seen it, it really is a must. The story is this: The water supply is tainted, and the taint poisons the mind of men, turning them into misogynists--monsters who want nothing more than to crush women's heads with rocks. When society is transformed into a land of sadistic violence and horrible brutality, it is up to Phil O'Ginny and his hot friend, Misandra, to combat the horrible evil that is The Taint.
The Taint is a B movie horror film and has gained some notoriety, especially within the Richmond community. Drew Bolduc, writer, co-director (with Dan Nelson), and star of The Taint, spoke about some negative feedback for the film by recalling a comment a fan made on Facebook. “Some guy said the movie was critic-proof. There’s no reason to give it a bad review... What that guy said is a perfect summation of what it really is," said Bolduc. “It’s not really supposed to be taken seriously.”
Bolduc is obviously a horror fan, and referred to the film as "one big dick joke." And boy are there dicks--lots of them. Those of you desiring brutal violence, cavernous head explosions, boobs, and dick humor--plus plenty of local color--will find a certain love for The Taint.
Bolduc and his crew have also shot a short teaser for their current production, Science Team, which will be shown before The Taint to hype up the audience and ask for help in funding another Richmond classic. Pre-production for Science Team begins in May, and shooting starts in June.
Science Team's script is still undergoing modifications, but thus far it is about a man who breaks up with his girlfriend and runs home to his Mother’s house only to find her brutally murdered and a sessile alien sponge with psychic powers living in the house. Soon after this discovery, an organization similar to homeland security called Science Team comes to contain the alien threat.
Bolduc spoke a little bit about the pre-production for Science Team, and mentioned some of the props being built for the set. “We have to build all this stuff, like a giant alien, there’s lots of heads that explode, and gore like that,” said Bolduc. “I definitely want this movie to be more visual... [We're] spending a lot of time making everything look good.”
Starting Monday, an Indiegogo account will be set up to raise money for Science Team. In spite of this fact, though, Michele Lombardi, producer of Science Team, spoke about the “we’ll just do it” nature of their vision. “We want to raise money for it so that we can pay creative people for it, but it’s like, it’s happening... there’s no going back,” said Lombardi.
The promo for Science Team will only last five minutes but it is sure to please anyone with a sense of humor and love for B movies. Similarly, horror-comedy fans should also enjoy Banana Motherfucker, a 16 minute short film from 2011 by Portuguese director Fernando Alle. Admission for all three of these films--The Taint, Banana Motherfucker, and the Science Team trailer--is only $5, making this event very much worth the price of admission. The screening starts at 8 PM on Sunday, April 7, and will take place at Gallery 5, located at 200 W. Marshall St. Presale tickets can be purchased here.