Barry J. Gillis Talks About THINGS and Other Things

The following is an interview I conducted via email with Barry J. Gillis, who was generous enough to answer some of my questions about THINGS and other things. If you're unaware, Barry was the co-writer - along with director Andrew Jordan - and star of the 1989 Canadian horror movie THINGS. It was a low budget, independent, horror exploitation film that was transferred and released straight-to-video. Despite having a reputation as a very bad movie, it has gained a cult following among the horrorphiles and B-movie fanatics.
 
The interview focuses heavily on THINGS but Barry does talk a bit about some movies he himself has directed.
 
Here then is that interview. I hope you find it interesting.

Barry J. Gillis

In a nutshell, what is THINGS about?
 
Barry J Gillis: THINGS at its heart is about a man and woman who cannot have children, and the man has his wife undergo an experiment by Dr. Lucas... Lucas artificially impregnates his wife... We don't actually see this taking place, however, we do see other sick experiments that Dr. Lucas conducts in his dungeon...
 
What do you attribute to the cult popularity of THINGS and are you surprised by its notoriety?
 
BJG: I attribute a tonne of factors to THINGS having a cult following... The number one thing that I attribute is a universal energy of the universe... I believe that anybody can set out to make a movie that they hope will be a cult film, however, for it to actual happen is a million to one... The stars in the sky have to be aligned a certain way, and everything has to somehow fall in place by some crazy, and/or lucky spin of the wheel... We always hoped that THINGS would become a cult movie, but we were surprised... When the internet first came out, people started e-mailing and asking about the movie, and some people were requesting interviews... We also heard that it was on the Internet Movie Database. Whatever that was, lol... Over time we started to realize that THINGS had some real stamina. Mel Lieberman was the first person to release THINGS, and we are forever grateful that his company, Lettuce Entertain You Inc. under the Triworld/Interamerican label released the movie... I will tell you this... making THINGS was not an easy task... We were learning as we went, and shooting on film is not as easy as shooting digitally these days... Anyway, to answer your question, for whatever reason, THINGS has stamina, and we are still surprised by all of the acclaim good, and bad that the movie gets... It will be released in Japan soon on DVD...

Save Psycho Pike!

Paddle vs. Pike (from Cottage Life magazine)

If you've never heard of the movie Psycho Pike, you can hardly be blamed. That's because the film has been lost for twenty years. How's that for obscure? Were it not for the excellent Canuxploitation, I would never have known about this "Canadian cottage cult classic" as its director once described it.

The film was shot in Wiarton, Ontario, Canada in 1992 with Sky Lake portraying the fictional Lake Shippagew. Wiarton is most famous for hosting the annual Wiarton Willie Festival, celebrating Groundhog Day, similar to Punxsutawney Phil. For reasons not entirely clear, the movie disappeared from public view almost without a trace. The only evidence of its existence seemed to be an old article in Cottage Life magazine on the making of the movie which is spelled as Psychopike. After that, it was the one that got away.

Psycho Pike is about a group of cottagers that are terrorized by a vicious fish which has gone mad as a result of toxic waste being dumped in the local lake.

While I'll admit that the plot sounds like a cliché, run-of-the-mill mutant monster movie, the film's mysterious history has aroused my curiosity. Yes, it's a low-budget horror flick. Yes, we've seen killer fish before, namely Jaws and Piranha. However, being denied the opportunity of seeing this film is similar to being told you can't have something. Even if it's something you don't desire, once someone tells you that you can't have it, you want it all the more. Not that no one would desire Psycho Pike but you get my point, don't you? What I mean to say is, I would have loved the opportunity to see it and judge for myself. If it's no better than a B-movie, so be it. Who doesn't love a campy B-movie, anyway?

All is not lost though, even though I said it was. Remember when I said the movie disappeared without a trace? That's not entirely true.

It is possible to watch Psycho Pike by way of a screener copy if you're resourceful enough. Even though any kind of copy would be better than nothing, what I'm more interested in is an official DVD release of the film. Aren't you? If you answered yes, quit talking to yourself and read on.