A buddy action movie with a cop teaming up with a vampire sounds like the latest high concept Hollywood spectacular. Actually, Blood Shot is a low budget passion project lovingly scraped together by director Dietrich Johnston and his producer/wife Jacqueline. Michael Bailey Smith plays the vampire as a cross between Nosferatu and The Terminator, with Brad Dourif as the villain, Bob.
Blood Shot is currently in production in downtown Los Angeles. As with many low budget films, sacrifices must be made. However, should anyone like to contribute to the film, here's an example of the type of action scene Johnston would like to shoot: "There's an action sequence in the second act," he said. "It takes place in a warehouse. Vampire ships some body bags to the terrorists in this warehouse in anticipation of going over there and kill them all. It would be a really fun action sequence."
We spoke to Dourif and Smith on the set as each one got into costume.
Michael Bailey Smith Interview
How long have you been waiting for the full length Blood Shot?
“It's been a long time. It's been, what, six years, five years, something like that. I have lived through it, the whole process.”
How is the vampire different now than when you first played him?
“I think he's about the same to a certain extent. The story is bigger. There's more background on the vampire and how he gets his powers and things like that, the strength of the vampire. Dietrich, the writer and director, did a lot of research and came up with some really creative ideas on how the vampire functions in this world and stuff like that. It all fits together pretty nicely.”
Do you look at other vampires or try to avoid it?
“I think to a certain extent, avoid it so I can come up with something original. This is a cross between Nosferatu and The Terminator. Yeah, I watched some of the old black and whites of the Nosferatu from ages ago, the way he walks and moves. But still, you have to have the characteristics of like the Schwarzenegger, the Terminator. He has to be a vampire-type guy.”
How has Dietrich changed since the short film?
“Well, he has a little less hair now. He used to have hair going down his back. Now it's all cut off. He's more experienced. He's been working, doing other films, things like that in the background. He's been living and breathing Blood Shot for many years. He put it on the shelf for a while and kind of gave it up, but then kind of re-emerged with some new hopes of financing and those came together fortunately. He's a lot more experienced, still a great guy, still the nice guy that he was back in film school.”
What sort of action are you doing in this?
“It's pretty awesome. I have two weapons that are pretty specially made for me. I'm killing a lot of terrorists. I get blown through a wall. It's pretty awesome. Fortunately, I had a stunt double who did that. It was pretty cool. I'm in a warehouse sliding down a rail, I'm shooting people. It's been very cool. Think again, like Terminator, but he's a vampire.”
Is there room for a sequel?
“Yeah. There's already as sequel germinating in that crazy brain of his, so it's pretty cool. He's kind of discussed that with me.”
Is there more we could learn about him, like his name?
“Yeah, I mean, he explains a little bit how Vampire gets his powers which is good. So almost like the whole Star Wars moment, midichlorions. It's that kind of situation with vampires, so it's that midichlorion moment of sorts. There's a great relationship between the vampire and the cop. It's really good. We really expand upon the cop and his relationship. He has a wife in this. He has a wife now who doesn't believe him. He's on the outs with her and then, of course, the police captain. No one believes him. Then finally at the end, his wife sees Vampire. It's pretty cool.”
There's also a bizarre sense of humor?
“Oh yeah, it's great. It's played very seriously, but then there's little tweaks to it that you go, ‘What?’ It's really cool.”
What have you wrapped that we might see you in?
“I just finished in December a film by Twisted Pictures, who do all the Saw movies, called Chain Letter. I play the Chain Man. If you don't pass on the chain letter, I'm coming for you.”
What's the hook, like Saw had its traps?
“I'm pretty much a guy who is a technology genius to a certain extent. I have several people that work for me in this scenario, this small little neighborhood of teenagers and things like this. I pass on this chain letter to these different teenagers. If they don't pass it on, they meet their death. Like Final Destination meets The Ring.”
Except you're a real guy? It's not supernatural?
“No, it's me, so there's a whole background with me of being ex-military, tortured, beat up with chains and that's how I kind of evolve into the Chain Man.”
So it's chains metaphorically and literally?
“Agreed, and there are some pretty nasty ways I kill people. Keith David's in this and he dies pretty good, let me tell you.”
Since it's Twisted Pictures, is there a surprise twist like in Saw?
“Yeah, to a certain extent there is. And there are some sequels already planned for it too, so we'll see what happens. So I get to come back.”
Page 2: Brad Dourif Interview
