Pulp Features

In William Winckler’s Frankenstein vs the Creature from Blood Cove, Larry Butler plays Dr. Monroe Lazaroff, an obsessive scientist who becomes increasingly deraged as the film progresses. Both the character and the actor are fantastic, and without them, the film wouldn’t be what it is.

The film is available on DVD and, here, Larry has kindly agreed to discuss the film, his role and the perils of going mad for a living.

Paul: In a nutshell, how would you describe William Winckler’s Frankenstein vs. The Creature From Blood Cove and what is your role in the film?
Larry: “William Winckler’s Frankenstein Vs. The Creature From Blood Cove” is reminiscent of the classic horror films that enthralled audiences throughout the first two-thirds of the 20th Century. It’s a type of production rarely seen nowadays that, thanks to writer/producer/director William Winckler, has been resurrected (no pun intended) for a contemporary audience. I play Dr. Monroe Lazaroff, an obsessive, megalomaniac scientist who’s tormented by his repeated failure to control the monsters he’s created and harassed by a troublesome ghost who wants these experiments to end. Lazaroff is so conflicted by this — as well as by a dark secret that’s eventually revealed later in the film — that he begins a descent into madness. So “William Winckler’s Frankenstein Vs. The Creature From Blood Cove” is not only about monsters, it’s also about the demons within us all and our eternal quest for a purpose nobler than that which the human condition will allow. It explores how faith can lead a person to commit outrageous acts and ultimately how love is truly the most powerful force in the universe.

Paul: I loved your mad scientist in this film. Was your performance inspired by – or modeled on- any classic actor, or did it all come from within?
Larry: Various greats of the classic horror genre have influenced my acting — Vincent Price is certainly a prime example. However, true madness must come from within. As an actor I’m compelled to bring authenticity to any role I play, and in so doing I feel the emotions I emulate on-screen. For this role, I had to dig deep to bring out my own demons, which I had hoped were exorcised long ago. Much to my demented delight and eternal damnation, those emotions were still there — healthy and hungry — and in the performing process almost devoured me. Fortunately, I have a strong leash so no one else was harmed (though everybody gave me a wide berth). [laughs]

Paul: What was the most difficult part of the film?
Larry: For me, there were two seemingly insurmountable obstacles. The first was the massive amount of memory the role required — I had extremely long sections of dialog (and in many scenes actual monologs) that had to be flawlessly performed from start to finish. That, coupled with the emotional demands of the character (which generated additional adrenalin that further depleted my memorization abilities), made it enormously difficult for me. To become Lazaroff the madman I resorted to Method acting — an approach not recommended for the faint of heart. It’s emotionally draining and takes a while to recover from when the film is finished. When all was said and done, I was in dire need of therapy!

Paul: And what was the most fun?
Larry: I had a lot of fun in the scenes requiring action, as I did all my own stunts. I got knocked around quite a bit, but it was thrilling, even though I’m not a young pup anymore. But the most fun I had was playing the love scene with Mimi (portrayed by actress Mimma Mariucci) — I could have done that all day. [laughs]

Paul: This is the second film on which you’ve worked with William Winckler. How do you find him as a director?
Larry: He’s extraordinary, and full of infectious enthusiasm. He encouraged me to be as BIG as I could be in “The Double-D Avenger,” as he wanted to re-create the over-the-top style of physical acting that was popular before the 1960s. In “Frankenstein Vs. The Creature From Blood Cove,” William encouraged me to control that craziness a bit more but still be larger-than-life. Whether it’s comedy, as in “The Double-D Avenger,” or horror, like “Frankenstein Vs. The Creature From Blood Cove,” I love and appreciate his vision and zeal for re-creating the retro look and feel of films that are almost never seen anymore.

Paul: Do you have any plans to work with him again in the future?
Larry: As long as he wants to work with me I plan to work with him. I share his enthusiasm for classic movies and appreciate his faith in me to help carry out his vision. We have great chemistry and collaborate well, plus he surrounds himself with top-notch people, which ensure success and fun for all concerned. Key members of Winckler’s team include Matthias Schubert, director of photography; Kate Sobol, editor; Sam Hamer, sound mixer; Mel Lewis, composer; and Jeff Berkwits, publicist. They’re all wizards at what they do and get along extremely well (which in Hollywood is a novel situation). By doing their jobs well, they make my job much easier.

Paul: If so, will it be another retro style film?
Larry: The next several will all be retro-style, exploring both horror and film noir. Other than that, I can’t reveal too much or William will strangle me! Keep checking his company’s website, www.williamwincklerproductions.com, for updates. By the way, along with amazon.com and moviesunlimited.com, that’s one of the easiest sites to purchase copies of “William Winckler’s Frankenstein Vs. The Creature From Blood Cove,” which is available on open-region DVD (meaning it’s playable anywhere in the world) and has tons of neat extras like bloopers, audition footage, the theatrical trailer, etc.

Paul: Are there any other directors that you would like to work with in the future?
Larry: Any director who makes me think, feel, laugh, cry or crap my pants is on my short list to work with in the future. Anyone who inspires and challenges me to be the best I can be — who provokes creative tension and calls forth my demons, then stands back with a whip and a chair to harness what comes bubbling forth. I want to work with any director who commits to a production and takes risks the way William Winckler does. Creating a great film is an elaborate dance and the end result justifies getting your toes stomped on occasionally during the process. I am always ready for the next dance.

Paul: You’ve been in several foreign films—and foreign language films—how do you find the various international film cultures compare, and how difficult is it to do your job if you don’t speak the local language?
Larry: I’ve been in German, Italian, Iranian, Korean, Egyptian, Japanese, Mexican and Vietnamese films, among others. Although linguistically and culturally the cast and crew are different, in most cases the high standards by which they work remain the same. The director usually speaks English well enough to take direction from and, if not, there is almost always an interpreter available. In my experience no great problems have arisen: it’s actually delightfully different.

I speak Spanish adequately, so the Mexican film was particularly problem free. However, with the other languages it was simply a matter of basing my dialog cues on action (i.e., using sight cues) or inflection rather than keying off the words themselves. I spoke my lines in English and they dubbed them into the appropriate language, though sometimes, as in “Lost in the USA,” they left my words as is. I always make a point of learning the language of the people I’m around (I began this practice traveling through Europe and Asia when I was in the Navy, and have continued to do so as an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher. It makes it easier to communicate, plus it’s simply the polite thing to do. Everybody gets along better if we make an effort to mesh.

Paul: What other films do you have in the pipeline—either that you’re currently working on, about to start working on or about to see released?
Larry: Three projects are due out in 2006, and I’m excited about all of them because they highlight my range as an actor while demonstrating some of my best work. “Shysters” is a physical comedy film and is outrageously funny — it’s the type of picture where you can turn the sound off and still laugh your ass off, which for me is the test of true comedy. I play a goofy con man who’s so idiotic he and his partner land in prison, then are paroled on the condition they see a shrink. The movie is told in flashbacks about their exploits, and it’s really hilarious! “Night Terrors” is a slasher-style horror film, and it’s very scary. I portray a psychotic hillbilly with cannibalistic tendencies. I really went off the deep end with this one, and the cast and crew told me I scared the crap out of them — high praise indeed! “Out of the Box” is a quirky TV pilot that will initially appear on the Internet to test its appeal. I play a scientist who experiments on his own twin sons.

In addition to “William Winckler’s Frankenstein Vs. The Creature From Blood Cove,” which as I noted before is currently available via amazon.com, moviesunlimited.com or the William Winckler Productions website, www.williamwincklerproductions.com, two other pictures have also just been released that are generating a buzz. “The Janitor” is a horror/comedy film where I play the mentally unstable boss of a psychotic janitor. It’s a spoof of slasher films, and it will make you want to laugh, scream and puke all at the same time. Meanwhile, “The Diary” is a zombie flick set in the deep woods. I appear as a contractor whose assistant finds an old diary that tells what happened to the book’s previous owners and reveals what is about to happen to us before we finish restoring the old cabin we are living and working in. It’s definitely an intense picture!

Next year I of course intend to work on another genre film with William Winckler, plus I’ve got a potential musical lined up with an A-list actor. Unfortunately, since we’re still working out the details, I can’t say too much more about either right now.

Paul: And finally, if someone wanted to become an actor, what advice would you give them?
Larry: If you sincerely want to become an actor, buy a pack of razor blades and run a warm bath [laughs maniacally]. Seriously, if you can’t afford therapy, then by all means, if you must act, just DO IT! But don’t do it in a half-assed way — really go after it. Sacrifice everything — your family, a conventional career, and the opportunity to lead a normal, stable life. You’re going to be on call like a doctor, firefighter or ambulance driver: when your agent or a production company calls, you MUST go! Scrap your vacation plans (I once flew back from Miami to do voice work (ADR) for a commercial I had just finished, and I had only arrived in Florida two days before). You’re going to be a slave to a mistress who won’t take no for an answer, and who won’t play second fiddle to your spouse or significant other.

Paul: And do you have any closing comments?
Larry: Early in my life, I made a mistake trying to balance my career as a teacher with my passion to be an actor. That postponed my becoming established as a mainstream actor. In my next life I’m going to take the advice I just offered a few seconds ago. If I had invested as much energy in acting as I did in teaching, I’m confident I’d have gone further quicker. I’m now at a crossroads, and my quandary is this: do I retire from my 16-year teaching job to pursue my two-decade-long passion for acting? The temptation is irresistible. Do I dive head first into the icy waters of mainstream acting or keep my day job? Only time will tell …

Feed on comments to this Post