Party Girl, a story from Dustin LaValley's collection, Lowlife Underdogs, was recently made into a short film.
We caught up with writer, Dustin LaValley, to talk about Party Girl.
Horror News Network: "Party Girl" was originally a short story in your "Lowlife Underdogs" collection. How did the film come about?
Dustin LaValley: I got a call from my publisher, Raw Dog Screaming Press, who told me filmmaker Jayson Densman had contacted them with interest in adapting the story into a short film. I told them I'd love to see it made and soon after that I was writing the screenplay and sharing phone chats with Densman. Three months later I was in Dallas filming.
Horror News Network: Not to confuse people with the 19990's "Party Girl" with Parker Posey, give the readers a brief synopisis of the plot? and the inspiration to unleash a female slasher unto the world?
Dustin LaValley: The original idea for the short story came during a criminal psychology class in college, getting into the mind of the perpetrator. It hit during a lector and I took notes, later that day the story came out with an easy flow. I fantasized about a woman getting violent justice for what had unfortantely happened to her. Party Girl is a victim of date rape, and from her suffering she grows to embrace vengence. Through unknown means of communication she is able to bring these, pretty much animals, together in one place with a promise of free booze and sex. Once they're nice and tranquilized she stops the seductive demeanor and slashes 'em down one by one in the most vicious ways she can, never leaving a trace of herself behind. This quickly catches the news outlets and through the media other cities begin finding what are known as 'X-Rooms' as each room is marked with a bloody X. The rooms in which the slaugher was dealt out and the mutilated bodies are found.
What I chose to do that seems to make Party Girl unique, both in short story form and the film, is that it's all narration. And in the end, we find the narrator is the original date rapist who basically created Party Girl and the phenomenon she created, on the run and frightened.
Horror News Network: How does the story differ from the film?
Dustin LaValley: The story is more stoic, darker and less of a slasher and more of a commentary. For the film we added a lot more specific deaths and gags, more blood and gore. Also, there is only mention of rape, where in the film it's added to help get the viewers into the head and mindset of Party Girl.
Horror News Network: In terms of the blood and gore factor, what can horror fans expect from the movie?
Dustin LaValley: A lot of gore and a lot of blood. We have shotgun blasts to the stomach, limbs taken off, throats cut and disemboweling. Bodies piles on top of one another and even a great shot of a castration in which the man is killed off by choking on his own member. There is also a psychological aspect, I believe we pulled that off nicely through symbolism and character development.
Horror News Network: Where can people order the DVD and find out more about "Party Girl"?
Dustin LaValley: For now the DVD is available at Raw Dog Screaming Press' website while the film makes the festival circuit, once the year is over it will hopefully be with a distributor in an anthology of shorts. There is also a Facebook page which can keep everyone up to date where they can see it screened and get a hold of me or one of the team if they would like to purchase the film.
Horror News Network: What's next up for you, that you're working on?
Dustin LaValley: For film I've got a feature in pre-production with Black Flag Films, I'll also be working on a few shorts with Suzi Lorraine for GZ. I have a short story collaboration in the works with John Edward Lawson that will be available from RDSP in the coming year, also A Child's Guide to Prison (the sequel to A Child's Guide to Death) is looking at a Sping 2011 release with one new book in that series per year. I'm also working on a novelization of a film that is still yet to be released. I've also been writing for a comic book artist on a horror anthology series as well as a stand alone crime thriller most recently that I'm just finishing up.
Horror News Network: Thanks for your time Dustin! Comment on this interview on our forum. |
