George A. Romero’s NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD has been remade, officially or unofficially, countless times, almost always with disappointing—if not disastrous—results. But Douglas Schulze’s MIMESIS (on DVD and Blu-ray tomorrow from Anchor Bay) adapts that classic in original and intriguing ways. FANGORIA spoke to the Michigan-based director about his horror homage.

MIMESIS’ story begins with friends Duane (Allen Maldonado, pictured below) and Russell (Taylor Piedmonte) enjoying a horror convention. While Russell is excited to meet Alfonso Betz (Sid Haig), his favorite director—who, during his panel, warns the audience about the alleged link between violence in movies and in real life—Duane is just there to try to hook up with girls. They meet Judith (Lauren Mae Shafer), a sexy Goth babe who invites them to an exclusive after-party that only a select few know about. The site is a remote farmhouse (where, in the film’s prologue, the farmer—played by CHILDREN OF THE CORN’s Courtney Gains—and his wife are slain by ghouls), and certain guests are served tainted beer. They wake up the next morning dressed in clothes straight out of the ‘60s, and soon find themselves struggling to survive a real-life version of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD.

At a time when so many studios and filmmakers are unimaginatively remaking old films, Schulze has managed to do something new, using a genre classic as the basis for a fresh story which is also a love letter to Romero and may well prompt fans, especially younger ones, to rewatch or discover for the first time the picture that invented flesheating zombies. Made on a similar low budget, MIMESIS recreates the sets and the atmosphere of NIGHT, with Lon Stratton’s cinematography giving the picture a dark, grayish tone reflecting the original’s black and white of the original. Fans will notice the main characters named after Romero’s stars—Duane (Jones), Judith (O’Dea), Russell (Streiner), Keith (Wayne), Karl (Hardman)—and original cemetery zombie Bill Hinzman even has a cameo. MIMESIS turns an all-time horror favorite into a real-life nightmare, forcing its characters to experience a fright flick from the inside…

FANGORIA: Many people may not know what “mimesis” means; can you explain it?

DOUGLAS SCHULZE: In its simplest terms, it means imitation. More specifically, it’s the imitation of life in art. I believe a Greek philosopher is credited with coining the term. It’s a very fitting title for a film about people imitating the movies.

FANG: Did you choose NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD because it’s in the public domain?

SCHULZE: No. NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD was selected because I couldn’t think of a more disturbing film to “mimesize” than one about flesheating zombies. In a way, the fact that NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD is in the public domain was discouraging, because there have been about a dozen unauthorized remakes, and we feared being compared to them. We have credited the Internet archive for the few seconds of clips from the original film we used, and there’s a token credit at the end mentioning that our film was inspired by Romero’s.

FANG: Was it difficult to recreate the original location and costumes?

SCHULZE: Yes, actually. We spent several months looking at farmhouses in remote areas of Michigan, and we found several that worked, but the problem was that most people didn’t want us filming on their property. We eventually found an abandoned farm that had the perfect look; our costume designer Cheryl Freeman was instrumental in discovering it.

FANG: Was MIMESIS self-financed?

SCHULZE: Yes. As independent filmmakers, we look to the money we make on the sale of one movie to fund the next. Sadly, the film we did prior to MIMESIS made lots of money, but our distributor chose to rob us. So the budget for MIMESIS was quite limited. Independent filmmaking is perhaps the single most challenging art form in existence; it’s one big uphill battle from concept through completion, and these days, with the world financial crisis, it’s only getting tougher. But if you think it’s tough making a film, try selling it! There’s always a market for a good film, but sometimes distributors aren’t looking for a good film; they’re looking to fill a niche. And today, it’s not enough to make a movie; you have to promote it on social networks, at festivals and conventions. You have much more work to do to ensure your film will reach its audience.

FANG: How did you cast your actors?

SCHULZE: Some of them were local Michigan-area actors, and some were from Los Angeles. I always try to cast the lead protagonist first; being independent, we often can’t afford to cast a seasoned name in the main role, so it’s even more important to find a great up-and-comer for it. I had some assistance from Gavin Grazer, who helped find Allen Maldonado.

FANG: How were you able to cast Sid Haig (pictured left with Schulze)?

SCHULZE: We were looking for a powerful, intimidating actor—someone who could carry a dramatic performance and kind of look internally to the character. When my co-writer Joshua Wagner and I were scripting MIMESIS, we wrote Alfonso Betz with Sid in mind, not knowing if we would be able to get him, and we were very surprised that we did. He came to us as a very open actor; he likes to hear the director’s perspective from the outset, so the first time we met to talk about the character, he wanted to hear my perspective on it. He sat very patiently, listening and not talking, then gave me his take on it, and we hit a nice middle ground. His approach was pretty dead-on for what we wanted; you’re not sure if Alfonso is a good guy or a bad guy.

FANG: When we see Alfonso at the convention, he’s sitting in front of posters from your previous films…

SCHULZE: Yeah, and I also had him say lines that connect with some of my own beliefs and feelings when it comes to violence in our world today. I find it tragically laughable how, whenever some kid shoots up a classroom, parents and conservatives rush to blame violence in movies and video games—and they’re the same parents who are never around for their kids!

FANG: You cast iconic actors like John Saxon, Dee Wallace and David Carradine in your previous films like HELLMASTER and DARK FIELDS; what do you recall of those experiences?

SCHULZE: For me, it’s the most magical part of making a movie. Amidst all the hard work and long hours, I have a chance to stop for 10-15 minutes between takes and chat with some real screen legends. You can learn a lot about making a movie from them, and when the cameras start rolling, they’re wonderful. I feel very fortunate to have worked with Carradine, Dee, John and Sid, who is brilliant in MIMESIS. These are actors I’ve respected for years, and when making each film, I try to make sure we have a few dollars to afford one of those fine actors. I admit that there is a “box-office draw” mentality when casting, so I figure, if we’re going to get a name actor, I might as well look to those whom I’ve admired since I was a kid. Obviously, you want someone who fits the part. Saxon was perfect for HELLMASTER, and I was a fan since childhood, having seeing him in ENTER THE DRAGON and A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, and also Carradine from his days on KUNG FU. But you have to put aside the fan in you when you’re working with them.

FANG: You also worked on DARK FIELDS with the great Richard Lynch, who recently passed away. What are your memories of him?

SCHULZE: Well, Richard was a tortured soul; if you knew him, you know what I’m saying. But it was his inner demons that made him such a brilliant actor; I firmly believe that his performance in DARK FIELDS is one of his best. Sadly, in his later years, he was relegated to bit parts, but I gave him a lead role and he didn’t disappoint. I consider Richard to be one of the greatest and most underrated actors who ever lived. I miss him.

FANG: What more can you tell us about the making of MIMESIS?

SCHULZE: I created an animation for the entire film, and used that as a visual guide. I was inspired by Romero’s minimalistic style; he was keen on Dutch angles and long master shots. I tried to incorporate some of that in my own visual styling. When filming, we would devote an entire day to each of the horror scenes, so we could get ample coverage that would make those parts more impactful. We shot on the RED ONE digital camera, though the images looked too clean in 4K, so we purposely downgraded to 2K to give the film that gritty late-’60s drive-in feel. We used minimal lighting on set to try and capture the same harsh contrast seen in the original NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. I was a bit uncomfortable letting the actors fall into half-shadow, but I learned to embrace the process. Lon and I developed something we call the “floating Dutch” shot, which basically has the camera connected to a special mount that allows us to drift in and out of a Dutch angle. We did that so much that by the end of the film I had a new nickname: Dutch Schulze!

FANG: What about the makeup FX? They are pretty amazing!

SCHULZE: I agree. Cat Bernier was the FX master for MIMESIS. She works quickly and always brings something to the production; I worked with her before on DARK FIELDS. She can work on a limited budget—and ours was a microbudget. She came up with amazing gags, like the throat bite in the graveyard and the leg bite in the basement.

FANG: Can you talk a little more about your previous movies?

SCHULZE: Well, filmmaking is a learning art form; you have to make movies to truly learn how to make movies, and some directors hit a home run right out of the gate while others need three or four films before they hit their stride. I’m just coming into my own as a filmmaker, so my best years are definitely in front of me. I really don’t like my early work, but I’m pleased with MIMESIS; it’s a solid, well-paced, fun film.

My first movie, HELLMASTER, was a 35mm film school. It was a great learning experience, and I have fond memories of being on that set with DAWN OF THE DEAD’s David Emge. Little-known factoid: Iggy and the Stooges lead guitarist Ron Asheton played a demented nun in that film. DARK FIELDS is an excellent story that has its moments. I guess I can say that although I have yet to hit my home run, I’m consistently getting on base, and with each film I get a bit further. I’d say that MIMESIS puts me at third base. I’m not sure I’d want to hit a home run out of the gate and then spend my entire career trying to chase it, but I feel fortunate to have been able to make a few feature films, and hope to make a few more. I think I have a few home runs in me.

FANG: You also teach cinema; do your students support you?

SCHULZE: Of course. I run the Motion Picture Institute http://www.mpifilm.com in Michigan, and hired many of my graduates to work as crew. I’m a huge supporter of all my students, past and present; we have some amazing success stories, and many of them are fans of MIMESIS.

FANG: What are your favorite films and directors?

SCHULZE: Well, my favorite directors are not necessarily horror people; Stanley Kubrick is my numero uno. Thinking of contemporary filmmakers, David Fincher comes to mind—FIGHT CLUB, PANIC ROOM. He and Kubrick both treat the frame as if it were a canvas, and the way they use actors and lights is akin to the way Van Gogh or Gauguin used paint and the brush. I’m a big fan of John Carpenter’s early work, from ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 through ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK. As far as great horror films, THE EXORCIST is brilliant and stands up just as well today. SUSPIRIA is surreal and amazing with art direction that is out of this world, not to mention the music by Goblin.

FANG: What do you think of modern horror movies?

SCHULZE: I think there’s some great stuff out there, but today it’s more about the moments within the movies and not so much the movies as a whole, if that makes sense. I’m not nuts about all the remakes, though the new EVIL DEAD looks fun and rather wicked. Today the new term is “rebooting,” which is a kinder way of saying the studio doesn’t have faith in a part eight, so they’d sooner remake the original. Every time I see a remake, I can’t help but stop and think that the $4-8 million that went into that could have gone toward a new vision. I think I’ll stop going to the movies the day they decide to remake 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY! Hollywood would rather remake CARRIE or THE SHINING because they think that x number of people will go see it out of curiosity. I mean, at some point they’ll have redone every horror film ever made, and then what? There are great, original scripts out there that deserve a budget and a shot.

FANG: You have a MIMESIS sequel planned; was that something you had in mind since you made the first movie?

SCHULZE: I always saw MIMESIS as a kind of franchise. The idea is fascinating, and worthy of more than just a single film. I think with each new MIMESIS, we will go deeper and deeper into the concept. We’ve touted a certain classic vampire film [NOSFERATU] as the subject of a possible sequel, but for creative reasons, we’re developing parts two and three simultaneously, and we’re leaning toward doing what was supposed to be the third MIMESIS next. I don’t want to ruin the surprise, but fans of the classics will really get a kick out of this one. MIMESIS 2 is going to be very special; we’ve already filmed the intro scene, which is a backstory, and Kristy Swanson, the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer, is in it.

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