Masochism (definition) - Psychosexual disorder in which erotic stimulation
is achieved through having pain inflicted on oneself
Introducing Michael Malott's Fetish, A sophisticated erotic thriller set in the underbelly of society which will have you at the edge-of-your seat from start to a shocking and unpredictable finish. Fetish revolves around a high-ranking female corporate executive who lives a double life deep in the S&M subculture. When a serial killer surfaces who is targeting members of the underground society, a one-night sexual encounter with the killer ignites a twisted connection. That connection turns into a dark, intense obsession and quickly catapults into a deadly cat and mouse game as her dark secret world crosses over into the reality of her corporate world to a shocking, twisted and climatic ending.
Director Michael Malott (Bed of Nails) is no stranger to the underground world of bondage and S&M, and with his new feature film project, he has applied his knowledge to create a script that will test all boundaries, tolerance and limits.
FILMING IN ATLANTA, GEORGIA
BUDAPEST, HUNGARY
CURRENTLY IN PRE-PRODUCTION
SHOOTING DATE - TBA
WELCOME TO
PANDORA'S BOX
CRUISING meets SEA OF LOVE meets FATAL ATTRACTION meets 8MM in the dark, complex film noir style of director Michael Malott
STARRING
LAUREN MICHAELS
ERIK SIZEMORE
Directed by Michael Malott
Based on a screenplay by
Michael Malott
FEATURING THE MUSIC OF
Erik Sizemore and Paul Mercer
as Lauren Anderson
as the Killer
as the detective
as the bouncer
Q: WHAT IS FETISH?
MICHAEL MALOTT: Fetish is my new film project that I've had spinning around in the back of my head for a few years now. It really evolved from what I took away from the film Cruising which is one of the films that has had the most inspiration on my filmmaking. Cruising went to extremes and pushed boundaries. Its subject matter taboo and nothing that would ever be discussed in any American family room, especially in the 70's when it was made. So, you push boundaries, have a good solid story, great cinematography and then the greatest soundtrack conceivable and there you have Cruising. I wanted to create a film that incorporated all the great aspects of that movie that made such an impact on me, both as a viewer and filmmaker.
Q: WHAT IS THE STORYLINE OF FETISH?
MM: Fetish is the story of a high ranking and powerful female corporate executive of a Fortune 500 company who lives a secret double life in the highly erotic underground S&M subculture. Through her ongoing escapades she runs across a serial killer who has been targeting members of that subculture. A torrid one night stand with the killer turns into an obsession and then a life or death cat-and-mouse game to an unexpected and twisted ending. Everything about this film is dark. That's the style I prefer to make films, so I think it will certainly test some boundaries. I just make the movies, it's up to the viewer to interpret what they see the way they want to.
Q: YOU ALREADY HAVE THE LEAD ROLE FILLED?
MM: Lauren Michaels is exactly the right person to hit the mark I am looking for here. She actually played a hooker in Bed of Nails but I could see the potential she has, and I am completely comfortable putting her in this role. I would any day of the week rather work with a new talent then have to compromise for some big name talent. Additionally, Erik Sizemore is who I wanted appearing opposite her as the killer. He's another perfect fit and I like the chemistry between Erik and Lauren. That chemistry comes out in film if you do it right. Erik played Leroy in Bed [of Nails] so I know he can pull off the role of the killer right. I'm also thinking about one other Bed [of Nails] alumni to fill the role of the detective.
Q: AS A FILMMAKER WHAT ARE YOUR CHALLENGES HERE?
MM: Well, budget. Definitely budget. But I write the scripts with budget totally in mind, which is really a great benefit here. Like going into this, I have some different locations that I have to go the extra mile but can be done. For instance, we have to have multiple club scenes and a fortune 500 office and an elegant restaurant, so I'll have to either be resourceful or damn creative.
Q: YOU ARE PLANNING ON FILMING IN ATLANTA AND ALSO I SEE YOU PLAN TO FILM IN BUDAPEST?
MM: Primarily filming is planned to take place in Atlanta. Budapest is dependent on budget and that would just be some filler footage shots. I have a lot of roots in Atlanta. I lived there for many years and have some long established relationships with people who will be involved in this film, and also the last film had a lot of ties to Atlanta. Erik, who is the mastermind behind the music is based there. Paul Cornwell more music ties, Jermaine my post production wizard, and my attorney, all Atlanta people.
Q: LET'S TALK ABOUT MUSIC, I KNOW THAT MUSIC PLAYS A VERY IMPORTANT PART TO FILM TO YOU, HOW IS THAT?
MM: Well I depend a lot on sound to drive the visual interpretation of what I'm trying to get across to the viewer. The thing about Bed [of Nails] is some of that script was written around the music. That is not the norm. I also have long excerpts of music in my films. That is important. Take the soundtrack out of Bed [of Nails] and you really have nothing. You just lost the driving force of the movie. Sure, there is dialog, but if you see Bed [of Nails] you know exactly what I'm talking about. OK, let's fast forward to Fetish. Erik Sizemore is a musical genius and I relate well to the music he creates. It was the golden ticket to Bed [of Nails]. It's not just Erik, it's all the components and musicians that make up Empire 44 and Liers in Wait which is the music featured in Bed of Nails. For Fetish, Erik is teaming up with Paul Mercer, another amazing musician and they are going to score the film when we wrap filming. This is something new for me. So, writing Fetish I don't know the music and I have to rely more on dialog to put points across or create the right atmosphere. I kinda have to explain what I envision and then it's up to them to hit their mark. I cannot over emphasize how important music is to my films, it's the blood, the oxygen.
Q: WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED MAKING BED OF NAILS THAT YOU WILL APPLY ON THIS FILM, LEARNING EXPERIENCES?
MM: Wow, to put film in the camera [chuckles} no, I guess what is really different with Bed [of Nails] and Fetish, is I'm going into Fetish knowing it can be done, knowing I can direct the actors, hit record and edit footage together and have an end product, hopefully. I'll go into it with a hell of a lot more faith in myself and confidence that I'll pull it off. I'm going to be a little more selective about who I put in roles. A little more through in pre-production and storyboards and generally conveying what I am looking to achieve. With Bed [of Nails] Deanna Marine, who played my lead character came into this with no experience in film. She was a natural and really needed little to no direction whatsoever. She had spent time with the script and it showed. She created her character going from what I had envisioned. She knew what I wanted and she did exactly what I had wanted and then some. I was very fortunate in that.
Q: HOW MUCH KNOWLEDGE DID YOU HAVE OF THE SUBJECT MATTER WRITING THE FETISH SCRIPT?
MM: Like content? bondage and S&M and stuff? Um wow, I guess I have a fairly comprehensive knowledge, I mean, you'd have to in order to write this script. I spent time in those types of clubs, and Erik who's playing the killer has too. Erik and I knew each other way through that phase of our lives. We were friends in Atlanta and hung at the same clubs, with the same circle of friends and his band certainly had that vibe about it. Their performances had a lot of erotic visuals. They always had the hottest girls clad in vinyl and electrical tape. The girls in our circle were into that shit, getting tied up and whipped. A lot of people are. I never went around in a gimp mask or any of that shit. I was Gothic by nature and I had long dreadlocks at that time and dressed in all black, still do, that was our element we found comfort in. Nobody really even knows that several years ago I actually wrote a real graphic lesbian erotic novel called, The Daughter under the pen name of Gabrielle Diego. It's actually published and out there. That had some pretty heavy bondage parts. It's taboo and people are fascinated by taboo. People are shocked when they see things they've heard about, but would never dare explore. We were the explorers.
Q: I KNOW BED OF NAILS IS COMING OUT SOON, WHEN CAN WE EXPECT TO SEE THAT RELEASED?
MM: Originally we had a world release date of July 23rd through Random Media. Now that's been changed to August 27th, so hopefully that doesn't get changed again?
Q: I BET YOU ARE EXCITED ABOUT THAT FILM RELEASING ITS BEEN A LONG TIME COMING?
MM: Bed [of Nails] was filmed in September and October of 2020. I couldn't afford to hire someone to edit the film, so the footage was never even touched until almost a year after we wrapped filming. I spent almost a year learning the Divinci editing software until I ever loaded any footage onto the computer. Literally, I was afraid of accidently deleting it or screwing something up. So after a year and learning the software I edited it in only a couple months to the first completed rough cut. So next, it needed to get mastered and Jermaine Trott did a phenomenal job, then next we spent a year in a distributor bidding war bouncing between the different distributors who wanted it. That was another year, now what another year after signing a distribution agreement to get it released, it's been a long time coming
Q: HOW'S IT FEEL TO KNOW YOUR LAST MOVIE HAS WON OVER A HUNDERED FILM FESTIVAL AWARDS?
MM: To me it is mind boggling and very humbling. You have to remember, I seriously had doubts that Bed of Nails would ever even get into a single film festival because of content. To be honest, I'm still amazed. We get in, we win one award, then next thing I know we're at 10 awards, then 25, then it just keeps going. All the while, I'm like fucking amazed. I just got back from Chicago, where we just won our 130th award for best horror film of the year at the Crown Point Film Festival. All red carpets, and media, and the feeling of getting called down to accept an award for what I did. For something I created that would not exist if not for me and something people feel has value as a creation. The fact my teenage son is there to see that and be a part of that. We were up against some seriously good movies including one from the brother of the guy who formed Oingo Boingo. The jury did not look like the kind of folks who would enjoy my film, let alone vote for it. Then bang, we are announced as the winner. Totally unexpected. To me, that's just huge. You have to look at the fact, I was raised by a very structed, very dysfunctional, manipulative and highly judgmental family. I was told I was living a pipe dream and I'd never amount to shit. Why? because I didn't do what was expected of me. I didn't meet their approval. I had long hair, I smoked pot, I listened to rock and roll, I wanted to work in the entertainment industry and the last fucking thing I wanted was to conform to a fucking go nowhere 9 to 5 job, a shitty marriage and spending my life working for someone else's benefit. Fuck that, so I followed my dream and if they didn't like it, fuck them and that's exactly what I told them. As a result, I don't have anything to do with my family and I'm missing nothing but a bunch of grief and drama. The only exception to that is my mom, who was always unconditionally supportive of what I wanted to do. Here's the best advice I can give someone. If you try you can never fail. Just the fact you tried means you didn't fail, even if things don't turn out as you wished. It's when you never make the effort to try that you fail. So, when there is recognition for what I did it is very rewarding and it means I must have made the right choice because I'm doing what I wanted to do and fuck everyone else, I believed in myself. If you watch any of my award acceptances, you'll see I'm almost always choked up.
Q: WHO ARE ACTORS OR ACTRESSES YOU ADMIRE?
MM: Right off the bat, Al Pacino. Pacino is such an amazing actor. Most people have no clue that he played the lead role in Cruising, but his other films, Sea of Love, Scarface, Scent of a Woman. There isn't anything that Pacino can't shine at. Nicolas Cage, his role in 8 MM, which certainly contributed inspirations to Fetish was mind blowing. I loved the style of Dean Martin, he was the definition of cool. His role as super secret agent Matt Helm, he was so cheesy but suave and cool as fuck. Sheen in Apocalypse Now. De Niro and Jodie Foster in Taxi Driver, Susan Sarandon in The Client, Robert Shaw was brilliant in JAWS, The Deep. Clint Eastwood in the Dirty Harry francise, Roy Scheider, not only in JAWS but the Seven Up's, French Connection and even All That Jazz. He was a great actor. There are so many great talents out there.
Q: HOW ABOUT DIRECTORS, WHAT FILMS AND DIRECTORS STAND OUT TO YOU?
MM: So many great directors it's hard to list. I can place my finger on a few. First is always William Friedkin with Crusing. John Carpenter with the Fog, that scared the shit out of me. Joel Schumacher with 8mm, Harold Becker was great with Sea of Love, Trevor Matthews with Girlhouse, Stephen Cognetti with Hell House LLC, of course, Coppola for Apocalypse Now and even Hal Ashby with Harold and Maude and Lou Adler for Up in Smoke.
"I just make the movies, it's up to the viewer to interpret what they see"
- Michael Malott
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