THE LOST FILMS OF BILL ZEBUB
THE LOST FILMS OF BILL ZEBUB is a collection of three out-of-print movies that have been re-edited. Fans have clamored for the re-release of these films. Perhaps there will be another anthology next year.
BAD ACID
BAD ACID has some cameo bits of Peter Steele. This is not a drug movie but there is near-constant use of LSD by some of the characters. The drug did not make them losers – they were losers well before they started using psychedelics.
The re-edit left out some fo teh scenes from the first cut that Bill Zebub did not consider to be well-executed. Of course, this was an early movie so almost nothing was well-executed, but some bits worked better than others.
STEREOTYPES DON’T JUST DISAPPEAR INTO THIN AIR
STEREOTYPES DON’T JUST DISAPPEAR INTO THIN AIR was actually the first movie that Bill Zebub shot on a prosumer camera. At the time it cost $4,200. which was a hefty price for someone at Bill Zebub’s status. But it was well worth it. Until that time, Bill Zebub had shot about seven movies with two camcorders. The main lesson from that history is that the CONTENT of the movies was more important than anything else. As deeply flawed as the camcorder movies were, the content drew fans. The camera was the Panasonic DV-100, which was one of the first cameras to record at 24 frames per second. This is the magical cinematic motion that makes movies look different from soap operas (which are shot at 30 frames per second. Camcorders universally filmed at that dreaded and ugly frame rate). You have it easy these days because most video cameras offer the 24 fps option. There were many other improvements that the prosumer camera offered, but let’s get back to the description of the movie.
Bill Zebub had been promoting his movies at a horror convention, and as he amassed a following, he was constantly given advice. But Bill Zebub dismisses any advice unless it comes from someone above his status. For example, he would not take advice on how to prevent food poisoning from someone who never prepares food, but he would consider the advice of a chef. Some peopleat horror conventions kept telling Bill Zebub what to do to succeed, and what NOT to do. But these words came from people who either weren’t in the business, or from people who hadn’t succeeded in the business. When Bill Zebub purchased his fancy camera, he needed to commit a lot of practice. Why not kill two birds with one stone? Instead of practicing just for the sake of learning, he would learn as he made an experimental movie. What if he made a movie that was the total opposite of everything people had been suggesting? That was the spark that drove the creation of the Stereotypes movie. people warned not to insult race, religion, or politics, so that was a good starting point. To add extra insult, he would appear in blackface.
When Bill Zebub finished the script, he laughed at the extreme fear that it evoked in people who had responded to his casting call. Of course, most people saw the merit of the script, but a few people were just too brainwashed. There is a big difference in what people SHOULD be like, or how they are depicted in the media and other public/fake media, and the way that people REALLY think and behave.
The movie was made and overwhelmingly proved Bill Zebub’s predictions to be accurate. But he was surprised by how much people loved his blackface character. It might be because the character was a buffoon, which is a very effective sort of comedy character. People were able to separate humor from hatred. This version was over two and a half hours long, which was a bit much, but the movie was also so complex that people of average comprehension could not decipher the more subtle aspects.
When Bill Zebub cut this movie by half it was an improvement, although there is the mourning of some of the material, but the original curt exists in 1,000 units. Perhaps th movie will be re-made one day, in full complexity, but for now you can enjoy the early vision.
SPOOKED
SPOOKED is the story of four white supremacists . One of them dies and comes back to life as a black guy, and the others have to tolerate him.
This was made to entertain the people who found the Stereotypes movie to be so funny. Some of the actors who were terrified of the Stereotypes script wanted a second chance after they saw how funny the movie was.
Bill regretted his casting decisions and decided to cancel the movie after 1,000 units were sold. He had been a fan of low budget movies and had loved the charm of non-actors, but the script for Spooked required superior performances. He had chosen people of low charisma to play douchebag characters, but it’s much better to hire good actors to play unsavory types, much like it’s better to have a cinematographer create a scene that seems like it has bad lighting, rather than to use actual bad lighting.
When the idea for a LOST FILMS anthology sprang up, this was among the potential titles. Bill Zebub re-edited the movie and the result is something that he can live with. Doesn’t that inspire consumer confidence in you?
Yes, there are funny moments, and the movie is a brave venture into the land of offensive comedy, so it’s worth watching if you are a fan. You get to see an earlier work, and you get to understand that being a one-man operations has its limitations. A bigger production company can perform testing before a project gets released, but Bill Zebub actually releases the movie and gets news of failure after the fact.
Where to Buy
You can buy the VD by clicking on one of these merchant sites: