Slaving away in his home country without much recognition, director Tomaž Gorkič has nonetheless managed to provide the horror community with several short films and a stellar debut feature, "Killbillies." Now, as he prepares to release his second feature "The Curse of Valburga," I sit with him to talk about his career, Slovenian influences and the film itself.
Me: Hello and thank you for taking the time to do this. What was your initial start into horror films?
Tomaž Gorkič: In fact, it was through comics when I was a kid. Very soon films followed. The first horror film which I saw it, or at least I remember it so, was Nosferatu from 1922. It was on some late-night television program, I think I was 6 or so years old and I was completely terrified. Year or two later John Carpenter's The Fog came to theaters and I was hooked. I made my first short horror film in 2005 and this is it.
Me: Being from Slovenia, was that a hindrance to acquiring foreign productions or force you to rely on local films more?
TG: Slovenia is a really small country. Only 2 million people. That also means a really small market. And I would hardly say that we have here any real film industry as word industry stands for. Maybe 10 films are made in one year, maybe. Anyway, films in Europe are financed slightly different than in the USA. And to find some serious producer around here is almost mission impossible. Especially for horror films, obstacles are just in their heads.
Me: Was there any Slovenian film or filmmaker you gravitated towards that influenced you towards filmmaking?
TG: Not really. I think that the most influential films for me were The Thing (1982), Terminator (1984) and Alien (1979). Of course, there are many other films which I like, but those three are some kind of holy trinity for me. In Slovenia, not many genre films are made except drama and some comedies are made. You can check some old Slovenian dramas such as Samorastniki (1963) or Zgodba ki je ni (1967). Those films were made in fact in Yugoslavia when Slovenia was part of it. In Yugoslavia was cinematography much stronger and serious. Slobodan Šijan, Dušan Makavejev, Djordje Kadijević, Krsto Papić, Jovan Jovanović are just a few of great ex Yugoslavian directors with some really unique films.
Me: With a primary focus on short films early on, what did you learn working on films in that style that later transferred to your more recent films?
TG: Short films were only films which I could make at the time. I mean in production possibilities. Of course, the first two or three films were also some kind of learning ground for my later work. My first screenplay was for feature film and not for short film. The short film is something completely different. When you do the screenplay for short movie you have to think in a totally different way because the structure is something completely different than a feature film. But I really enjoy being in both, features or shorts.
Me: What particular genre do you prefer working on or do you enjoy working on any particular project that interests you?
TG: No matter what the genre is if something doesn't interest me I don't do it. But yes, I'm for sure a right person for some horror, thriller or sci-fi orientated films.
Me: Having worked in various fields both in the filmmaking industry, is there anything you gravitate towards as a preference?
TG: Not really. I really enjoy the same when I write a screenplay or when I do the storyboard. I do sometimes editing for other directors and I also like to do that. I mostly do stop-motion and cartoons. I really like filmmaking a lot, but there are a lot of jobs in the film industry which I could never do or I don't know how to do.
Me: That brings us to your new project, 'The Curse of Valburga.' What can you tell us about the film?
TG: This is my second feature film and is a combination of horror and dark comedy. I never thought that I will do horror with comedy. I have seen quite a lot of films with that combo which I like, but it was never really my thing. However, to the co-worker’s coaxing that I should try to do/write some comedy one day, I try it and also done it. I didn't make a classic comedy with jokes about farting or falling on my ass. It is a more cynical comedy with, of course, a lot of blood and violence and dark humor. You can check more about the movie on web site www.thecurseofvalburga.com.
Me: What was the inspiration to do the movie? Is it based on anything in particular?
TG: I don't want to spoil too much. So I will just write a short synopsis - Two brothers, petty thieves, suffer from fruitless business decisions, to climb out of their financial hole, they come up with a masterplan, looking to scam the wealthy tourists, who are visiting the country. They organize a guided tour of a local manor, Valburga, that's closed to the public and come up with a legend that they use as a marketing ploy to attract the tourists. Their first tourist group consists of a Swedish Satanists, looking for the long lost satanic relic, French goths on a vampire hunt, a Russian porn producer with two porn stars on a mission to create a porno film, and two German tourists who are there to drink beer and have fun.
Unaware of the horrors hiding underneath the mansion, the visitors soon realize that the true legend of the manor is far more gruesome and terrifying. This is the horror in its purest form. This is the curse of Valburga.
Me: While shooting the film, did you find any influence coming through strongly in the material?
TG: Not really. Maybe blood? Violence? Screaming? Death?
Me: What was the set like while shooting the film? How did the cast and crew react to the type of film being made?
TG: It was a completely normal film set with around 45 people working every day. With most of the crew, I have worked before so they all did know what to expect – a lot of hard work. With some of the cast I have also worked before, so they some hove also know what to expect. I think all the cast enjoyed in what we do because this also a rare opportunity for Slovenian actor to act in that kind of film. Most of the cast are professionals and well-known actors in Slovenia. I was really satisfied with their work. I hope that they were also satisfied with mine.
Me: Do you recall having any odd or funny on-set stories about yourself or any of the other cast/crew members?
TG: Uf. It was really intense for me. Around 16 hours of work every day, so I didn't have any time for anything else besides the making of the film as much better as is it possible. When I work I'm really focused on what I do and I really can't think about anything else. If you will tell me something which is not connected with the subject of work I will not understand it.
Me: Lastly, what are some of the other projects you have coming up you would like to inform our readers about? Thank you again for your time!
TG: I hope that you will like The Curse of Valburga. Give us a like on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TheCurseOfValburga/. Right now I also develop my third feature film called Metod. It is a story about Metod Trobec, the one and only Slovenian serial killer from the '70s. It will be a dark thriller drama with elements of horror. This is quite an expensive film for our standards. In fact, it is a history film. I already made a short film which is some kind of teaser for the feature. Now I'm in the process of founding, so if you feel that you have too much money and you don't know what to do with it. Send it to me. Thank you for your support and interest in my work.
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