WHERE IS GAMRON WHEN WE NEED HIM?

WHERE IS GAMRON WHEN WE NEED HIM?

MICHIGAN SPEWS FORTH ITS FIRST MONSTER MOVIE: The Demon Lover

by Jeff Myles

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What is the result when you mix devil worship, mass murder, and two Michigan filmmakers, add lots of blood, and simmer over a constant flame for 2½ years? A box office smash—at least that's what Jerry Younkins and Dan Jackson are hoping.

Thirty months ago Younkins came up with the idea of making a quickie horror film that would beat The Exorcist to the drive-ins and enable him and his film partner to rake in the big bucks. Thus. The Demon Lover was (ill) begotten .

From its conception 2½ years ago, The Demon Lover was nothing but trouble. Jerry Younkins and Dan Jackson are two Michiganders who had an idea for a film but no money to actually make it with. Younkins, who is from Jackson, has written for underground comic books, sponsored many Michigan comic book conventions, and is acclaimed as "Michigan's first hippie" in something called The Official Hippie Handbook. Dan Jackson, who . hails from Adrian, sees "almost every film that comes out" and publishes a movie mag called Finders Keepers. All nice enough stuff, but not exactly the type of characters major film backers are looking for.

"Everybody wanted to see the film before they would invest any money. The problem was,we cduldn't make the film without the money. It was a dead end," explained Younkins. "We kept listening to promises from all these big shots who wanted to use our talent so that they could get a finder's fee, make ten per cent, and rip us off," added. Jackson. Jackson figured that the film would be a low budget endeavor that could be made for about $230,000. After showing the script to some lawyers and film producers he was informed that it would take at least $300,000 to film. "I figured, "Great, I'll make the film and keep the $270,000.""

As might be expected, nothing of the sort transpired. In fact, raising the $110,000 that the film has cost so far was next to impossible. Trips to New York, Boston and Florida turned up some bankrollers but not nearly enough. Undaunted, Jackson even considered an offer from a go-between who promised to get money from "the boys" in Chicago but the deal fell through.

Eventually Jackson decided that if any money was to be raised, he would have to act in a more direct manner. Translation: he hocked his Gremlin and sold the props after they had served their purpose in the film. Younkins took matters in hand by using money awarded to him after having a finger severed in an industrial accident. Well into filming, Jackson still worked in a factory until he began missing too many days of work. "When they found out that the reason for my absence was because I was making a horror movie, I lost the job," he lamented.

What is The Demon Lover about, you might ask. Don't. In the words of the press release, Demon is "the story of a black magic coven leader's outrageous revenge on his group of unfaithful followers. A demon monster is summoned from Hell and wipes everybody out in a series of bizarre murders. A police detective confronts the demon creature during the incredible half-hour action climax."

The "demon" looks like the inside photo in Goat's Head Soup. The "incredible half-hour action climax" consists of people being hacked up, ripped apart, shot in the groin with arrows, and impaled by pitchforks with apples inserted in their mouths for good measure, ("We thought the demon should have a sense of humor," said Jackson.)

Humor is a major part of the film. When an enraged police detective is informed that the demon has claimed another victim he vows to "get that bastard." His wife, who has been awakened from a sound sleep, drones, "Do you cops always have to swear so much?" The line is funny because it is unexpected. Dan Jackson explains, "In The Demon Lover we're trying to entertain people. It's not like The Exorcist where it's scare, scare, scare. We tried to scare "em and make "em laugh throughout the film."

Whether the goal was accomplished is questionable. Viewing the film in a Jackson theater (the city where the film was made), it was apparent that the audience got off on a lot of the aberrant humor contained within the film. The only problem was that there were too many severed limbs and not enough sick jokes to sustain my jaded attention span. The inconsistent nature of the two opposing emotional stimuli (humor and horror) only added to my restlessness as I watched the meat trimming job taking place on the screen. The most amusingly absurd response of the evening took place in the row behind me during the Jackson premier. A 19year-old girl was sitting with her mother. Mom had had more than enough and wanted to leave, but the pampered offspring, though revolted by the film, couldn't tear herself away from it: "Wait a minute, let's not go yet. This film is getting really sick." The emotion evoked is similar to witnessing an accident or hearing a Roxy Music song on the radio. There's something that compels one to investigate the subject further even though the initial reaction is revulsion.

The fact that people often don't know quite how to react to Demon is the most unique characteristic of the film. Included in this category is the Motion Picture Producers" Association (MPPA). Because they were worried that the film would receive an "X" rating due to the immense amount of pared anatomy exposed, Jackson and Younkins went to Hollywood to plead their case. "Hey folks, here's that new comedy/satire from Detroit, The Demon Lover " What's strange is that the plan worked. The Association laughingly granted an "R" rating because "You boys came all the way from Michigan and even though the film was pretty intense, we can see the satire in it."

The film could easily have been subtitled, "An Exercise in Repulsion," which is exactly why Younkins and Jackson chose to make this type of film their first time out. "We analyzed the industry to see what was the safest bet on a first film," Younkins said. "It's a horror film. But in order to participate in this art, when it's expensive as it is, the product has to be commercially acceptable."

The immediate goal is to pay back the investers who staked the film. Also among those who have to be paid off are the actors, who worked for free with the understanding that they would be paid "when the film showed a profit."

Once the business requirements are taken care of, the dynamic duo have big plans for future projects. "Right now we have ideas for six films that we want to make," says Jackson. "The first two or three will be exploitation films because that's a guaranteed way to make money." Considering the depth of their debt, this sounds like an appropriate move, financially, if not aesthetically.

Younkins is realistic about the cheapo horror film genre. "I don't want to make -this kind of shit forever. But the only way to get into serious, legitimate themes, meaningful films, is to have a big budget. For what we had, we did OK." Jackson even goes so far as to consider the Grade Q home movie budget horror as a complete art form. As such, he rates Demon right up there with those other celluloid masterpieces, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Night of the Living Dead. Both of which, he quickly adds, had box office returns in the millions of dollars.

OK, but what do their parents think of all this movie business? "My mom thought it was great," said Don. "She's glad I'm not in the factory anymore. My father tells everyone, "My son, oh yeah, he's making movies."" Jerry's mom is also glad that he is involved in the film biz. "She's been waiting for years for me to do something with my life."

And if you think Demon is something, you ain't seen nothin" yet. The sequel promises to be a fetishist's delight, including every fad and trend to come down the pike in the last decade. Pseudoseriously referred to as Demons Are Forever, the film explores rape, murder, ritual sacrifice, interplanetary visitors, motorcycle gangs, martial arts, intergalactic ecology, and a dimensional/ time warp that leads to hell. I ask you, is this the kind of film you'd take your mom to see?