Mon. Jan. 26

At last, a film for cannibals and people who love them! We're not talking about cannibals of yore - an English explorer being boiled in an pot - we're talking about a Boston-based cult called The Pack, which tries to put out a do-good image, but basically, is a fairly venal and carnivorous bunch. "Livestock" is the brainchild of writer-director-producer Chris DiNunzio, a local chap of my acquaintance who is, seriously, one of the most good-natured people I know. He just loves horror movies and he cobbled together $3500 to make "Livestock," which has its premiere at the Coolidge Corner Theatre Monday Jan. 26 at 7. Here's the way DiNunzio describes it on www.imdb.com: "A mysterious cult has decided to take a new direction in giving Victor, a hard working trusted member, a promotion. However, his cruel minded disciples have decided to take action of their own. Growing tired of their monotonous plans, they begin to take their malevolent acts one step further. In a world seemingly far removed from Victor's, two young girls, Annabel and Tina, are trying to make changes in their own lives. Annabel prepares for a second date with Jerry, a man she met online, while Tina keeps focused on an important meeting that is sure to open up new doors in her life. Soon these two worlds collide as Annabel and Tina find themselves deep within the belly of the beast, and the long, dark history of a secret organization is revealed."
We had a chat with DiNunzio about what makes a man sink into this world of depravity.

JSInk: We've talked before about our mutual love of the old Christopher Lee/Hammer Studios horror films. What's their influence on you? What did you  like best?

CD:.I love Christopher Lee. He is one of my favorite actors, and as most people who are into those types of films know, he's in a lot of Hammer films.  I love the way they use colors; they shot in technicolor which I like a lot. They also get great performances from their actors and the stories they tell are good old dark tales of monsters and madness. All things I love - good acting, great visuals and dark stories. I'm also very much influenced by the works of Dario Argento. nI used to be shy about my liking horror movies since there is a lot of negativity that surrounds horror mostly coming from the people who just don't get it. Then I saw Argento's "Suspira". Then I realized how artful a horror movie can be and also how beautiful.

JSInk: You use a lot of evocative music. But a lot of it's quiet, piano-based, and you don't use it to build to that "horror movie" anticipatory pitch. Tell me about your use of music in "Livestock?" How does it work to enhance the creepiness?

CD: I worked with Nickolas Potvin on the music. I think he did a terrific job. He came up with some great stuff. We follow two different groups in the film. One is this cult; the other is two best friends. They each have a theme. When we see the cult, the music kinda plays out like we are foreshadowing their back story with sound. I can't say too much about it since people still need to see it! But it has a lot of strings which I think helps with tension. They are ultimately bad guys, so we wanted a nice bad guy theme. You can almost figure out where they originated from with the music. The girls have a sound that is simple. they like to rock and what-not. When things change for them on screen so does the sound. The film hits a point when it goes in to a more fantasy element the music then kinda glides along I think it makes all the horror that is happening feel more dream-like. We also help that out with our uses of colors.

JSInk: You've also got something to say about organized religion and/or cults it would seem.

CD: Yeah, I do. I think religion has some great values and was a need for its time. Some of my favorite artwork is religious. I think it's very important. My problem with religion and its people is that they are so held back by their beliefs. They seem to have no desire to enjoy this life. It's just really sad. Of course, their response would be that's the devil talking! Also I don't believe in forcing your opinions and way of life on other people: "You must think this way, act this way, say this this way."

JSInk: You got a good look on film for a miniscule budget. How?
CD: We had a very, very small budget. Obviously big shots, like crane shots and stuff like that, were not going to be a possibility. Going into this, we knew the budget was going to be tight. We planned out everything as best as we could before according to our budget. We were very lucky to have a lot of people pitch in. One of our producers, Jason Miller. was able to get us this great camera. We knew the budget was going to be tight and that it was going to take a lot of hard work. But that was the whole point. We wanted to show people that there are a lot talented actors and crew working at this level. Also, hopefully. people can see what we can do on such a small budget and recognize all of our potential.

JSInk: The ending is ambiguous. Purposefully?
CD: I have my answer to the way it ends. But, yes, it was done on purpose. There is an answer in there, but I hope people come up with their own conclusions.

JSInk: Were there any young director-faux pas you tried to avoid?
CD:  I don't really think about it too much. I think about things like continuity and stuff like that, of course. I knew when I picked the people to work on the project that they knew what they were doing. I guess a lot of my worry goes into making sure that the story makes sense and that everything flows.

JSInk: Finally, what inspired you to write this nasty little tale?
CD: I was hearing a lot of stories about bad dates. It started out as a story about online dating where something goes wrong. But after typing out a few pages I realized that it was too cliched and not going to work. Me and my brother [Ralph, a member of theh punk band the Wrecking Crew, who did the artwork that opens the movie under the credits] talked a lot about old horror films. He brought my attention to certain types of films I like. I thought I could blend my story with these ideas so I started doing research. I found these great characters and the story started transforming into what it is now.

Tickets: $12, which includes a DVD of the movie. Patrons are also asked to bring a non-perishable food item for the Brookline Food Pantry.

290 Harvard St., Brookline, 617-734-2500 www.coolidge.org