Just in time for Halloween, some infamous, kinky, and legendary cast members including Michael Musto, Ron Jeremy, Michael Alig, and Lilo Brancato appear in the third installment in the gonzo shock horror trilogy “Vamp Bikers Tres” premiering on October 26.
Redefining the term ‘shoestring budget’ is one of many achievements that director Eric Rivas has made and adhered to. For under $10,000, he harnesses his visions and doesn’t settle for anything less than precisely what he wants. He may have made the film for less than ten grand, but the amount of passion it contains is priceless. That being said, all the actors did the film for free.
New York City legend Michael Musto rose to the top in his role of an evil doctor. “He has a very loving, carefree attitude,” said Rivas. Typically a writer, known for working years at The Village Voice, Musto dove head-first into his part and had immediate connections with his fellow cast-members.
Ron Jeremy will not be exposing his most famous body part, but he adds to the wonkiness with his brilliant cameo as a doctor.
Michael Alig, ex-con and self-proclaimed “King of the Club Kids” plays God, who is also King of the Club Kid Zombies. The role is almost close-to-life and suits Alig perfectly. “His scenes with Michael (Musto) are the very best!” said Rivas. “There’s a chemistry with them that I say is akin to Professor X and Magneto from the movie ‘X-Men.’”
Lillo Brancato, best known from “A Bronx Tale” and “The Sopranos” was like “a bull in a cage,” according to Rivas. “He wants to act and he’s determined to show people that he’s coming back and kicking addiction.”
A twisted off-season Coney Island setting creates an insane playground for witches, vampires, zombies, and wolves. “I call Coney Island my personal movie studio,” says Rivas. “We don’t have any fear to shoot there when it’s quiet and probably dangerous. The sites are perfect – they’re beautiful and haunting and without people it becomes quite menacing as in the film ‘The Warriors.’”
If you haven’t seen the 1979 cult classic “The Warriors” that he’s alluding to, you won’t need to. Rivas grew up in Brooklyn watching the gritty Brooklyn-based film and absorbed the gang mentality that was so very prevalent. Gangs became an everyday reality for Rivas, so naturally he infuses “Vamp Bikers Tres” with loads of them. From Rivas, “The loyalty, respect and not leaving your friends behind, that is far different from the world we live in now, sad to say. This mindset almost seems foolish or gullible nowadays and I think the movie preserves this in a block of ice.”
Even though the gangs are metaphoric (imagine a gang, not coven, of witches), they still all converge in a battle royale in Coney Island that results in chaos. Influences included club kids, slashers, bikers, and hip-hop, so the clashing of all of them together proves to be innovative and compelling. “I got a kick out of the idea of the club kids talking like New York street guys and fighting. Vampires and zombies would get it on almost like the way we did back in the day,” said Rivas.
“Vamp Bikers Tres” is a dizzying movie exploding with references and life and partying. At the root of it is a concrete storyline that makes it different than your typical B-horror flick. It has a heart and pulse that keeps moving at frenetic speed. It contains a nostalgic quality that viewers will enjoy, and the cast itself is a veritable who’s who of the underground scene.
