Photos from ManiaFest Day One!

By: Sue Schneider and Marcia Groft
Date: Tuesday, September 23, 2003

Opening the first day of the ManiaFest film festival was THE DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE ROCK AND ROLL MUSICAL, a modern adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic tale.

In the evening fans were treated to a special screening of BEYOND RE-ANIMATOR, which was its Los Angeles premiere and then to a panel which consisted of stars Jeffrey Combs (Dr. Herbert West), Enrique Arce (Cabrera), creative consultant D.H. Covey and screenwriter Miguel Tejada-Flores. The panel was hosted by Anthony Ferrante, Cinescape magazine's Editor-In-Chief

Combs stated "I created the character 18 years ago and it was weird stepping back into the character. The character never stopped, the film acknowledges the time that has passed, but the character is challenged, overcoming obstacles and not giving up, lending credibility to how his work has progressed." The germination of the idea for the third time around was what he was doing now, which is how they came up with the nonoplasm. The crux of the movie is that Herbert is still doing this experiment, but he's doing it wrong!

Ferrante noted that BEYOND RE-ANIMATOR's director, Brian Yuzna, swears that Jeffrey becomes the character when he steps into his shoes. Miguel added that Jeffrey takes the lines and gives them life, then adds his own lines into the mix. Combs quipped that by living it, you can stay totally screwed up the rest of your life.

The story was researched in Oregon prisons in '96, where Miguel lives, but the film was shot in Spain, which added to the budget allowing a greater scope to some of the scenes. "Brian tried to do it here, but couldn't get the budget he wanted," Combs stated. "The working conditions were harder because of the language barrier and numerous holidays in the country."

Combs continues "I was doing a play at the Zephyr Theatre when a casting director friend asked me to come in and read for the original film. I didn't know about H.P. Lovecraft. The original film was a love story, about angst and longing, but the tone of the film changed direction in the editing room.

"The Spanish crew came through as a lot of the special effects were practical gags, blue screen, old tricks not so much digitally influenced. The Spanish production team came through with great special effects and it looks like an American movie.

"This film had more green screen and makeup effects, there was some digital but Screaming Mad George created Herb's face and when it dimples it is a mask not computer generated.


"Enrique," Combs tells the crowd, "when he becomes a half-man, was up on a green ladder in a green leotard and the effect looks great on the screen, but the physicality of the stunt was extremely tiring."

The panel liked seeing the film with an American audience that gets the humor. When the picture was screened in Spain, complete with Spanish translation, the audience didn't think it was a comedy and so the film didn't work as well. At the present time ideas are being discussed for a future RE-ANIMATOR sequel.

Other screenmakers attending the first day were:

Andre Champagne and Alan Bernhoft (THE DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE ROCK AND ROLL MUSICAL); Christian Davis (COPYCAT); David E. Allen, who won a Saturn Award this year for DOG SOLDIERS; Jeffrey Lando and Kevin Mosley (SAVAGE ISLAND) and Festival Director Chase Masterson (STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE).