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Bloodlake's VCA Director Christopher L. Gregory

Christopher (left, it's his real name) on his own private Brokeback Mountain? "No, that's Kevin Bassett, my DP. He worked with Kubrick many years ago and recently Robert De Niro on another indie film as second unit cinematographer."

Bloodlake pic Pic Pic

I call him in Indiana at noon PST. My main concern -- what are his intentions towards young Holly? Are they honorable?

I grill him.

Chris: "I got your email and I was curious how you heard about it."

Luke: "Through my friend Holly Randall."

Chris: "Oh. We're trying to get Holly to do some still work for us."

Luke: "Yeah. I said, 'Who is this guy?' I Googled you, looked at your website, and decided to interview you.

"How did you get into the porn industry?"

Chris: "VCA. I did Vampires of Erotica (hardcore lesbian movie) last year and took it to Terry Stamp (at LFP). Terry liked it and talked to Drew [Rosenfeld, LFP's head of production]. Drew contacted me a couple of weeks later and asked me to do more work. I said yes, on the stipulation that I can bring grindhouse horror to [porn]."

Christopher lives in the town he grew up in -- Muncie, Indiana.

Luke: "Are you on Imdb.com?"

Chris: "We've put up several requests. It takes those f---ers forever."

Gregory lived in San Francisco for 15 years. He went to the Academy of Arts College. "I worked for Lucas Films and for Disney. I came back after California became too expensive."

Luke: "Is Muncie like Deliverance?"

Chris: "No. It is more like Hoosiers.

"Bloodlake was shot in Northern Kentucky. All my Adult talent was scared for an entire week. When Adult performers are not accustomed to doing horror films, it's a different world for them. They get freaked out.

"My inspiration is The Devil's Rejects and anything by Rob Zombie."

Gregory made such independent horror films as Sam and Godfellows.

Luke: "What are the challenges of combining horror with hardcore?"

Chris: "It's not challenging at all."

From the age of six on, Gregory was into horror films and planned on becoming a filmmaker.

"My work is similar to Joe D'Amato. In some of his work, he embraced the darkness. He successfully captured the horror of erotica.

"What I like about porn is that it is closeknit. They have a sense of protecting their own.

"The Adult industry hinders itself by not pushing the boundaries because they are afraid of the current administration clamping down."

Gregory's mom is Jewish and his father is Christian. "My family look at me as a filmmaker. I tell a story with everything I do."

Luke: "How has your work in porn affected your love life?"

Chris: "I've not had any negative reactions to it. I don't date outside the [entertainment] industry. I've done it before. It just doesn't work. It's not that I f--- the girls I'm shooting."

Luke: "Why not?"

Chris: "It takes away from my vision. For me as a filmmaker and storyteller, I've set up a personal boundary."

I wonder if that extends to on-set still photographers?

Chris: "I've dated a couple of make-up girls and writers [in porn].

"My focus has been so career-oriented, I don't even think about dating. I'm just driven. Succeeding in a business right now is more important than a relationship.

"Honestly, I don't have time. I still shoot commercials and rock videos."

Luke: "What is it in Holly's work that suggests she'll make a good still photographer for a horror film? That threw me."

Chris: "What do you mean?"

Luke: "Her work's vanilla, at least on suze.net. What do you see?"

Chris: "Honestly, I think that I'm doing something different. The mainstream horror community looks at me and says, 'Wow.' Because they're not doing it."

Luke: "What's the twist you see in Holly's work? I see her as mainstream."

Chris: "As far as my work?"

Luke: "You obviously see something edgy in her work and so I was curious what it was."

Chris: "Oh, with Holly's work?"

Luke: "Yes."

Chris: "With her work, it gives a different look than what I've been seeing. When I look at her pictures, it's not 'Sit here, smile, put your chest out.' Holly's got a certain look that's more gritty, more alternative. That's why I contacted her. I'm doing something that's different, that's alternative, not like Eon McKai, but something that relates to the horror industry. She'd be a perfect fit for that. We're working that out now."

I agree that Holly's a perfect fit.

Luke: "Which part of your work do you find most meaningful?"

Chris: "All of it.

"As long as I am working for people like Drew Rosenfeld, Peter Reynolds, Larry Flynt, even working for New Line Cinemas, I love it.

"My father (Ivan Gregory, who died when Christopher was eleven) was involved in the horror industry.

"You can't separate sex from horror films. There's a reason killers or the supernatural go after people having sex. There's a moral point to it.

"What I love about horror films is that it puts a mirror up to our face. A lot of the problems we cause are our own fault. Right now we have an administration that loves to spy on its own people and send people off to war and kill people. Horror, like porn, is a way we can reflect on those things. Horror is a tool I can use to bring my point across.

"Sex is natural. We all do it. If someone didn't do it, we wouldn't be here."

Luke: "There's a difference between something done privately, such as defecation, and turn it into a commodity and make a living from it. If people made a living from shooting themselves defecating, would you view that as an honorable living?"

Chris: "No. We're all artists. There are people who misuse things. There's an argument about rap music -- that it causes violence and treats women terribly in the urban communities."

Luke: "How do you justify filming sex?"

Chris: "Because it's natural."

Luke: "Defecation is natural."

Chris: "That's true. Because [when shooting sex], there's an emotional attachment to it. You're projecting a fantasy. Human beings need an attachment. We need that. You don't get something from defecating. There's nothing beneficial from defecating. There is something beneficial from sex such as emotions. I can watch Jenna Jameson and think, 'That's me!' Maybe you're helping out your sex life with your partner."

Luke: "I've known some horror directors. They're doms. Are you a dom?"

Chris: "Am I dominant? In what context? Personal? Business?"

Luke: "Personal."

Chris: "Yes, I am dominant. I have to be because I'm driven. If you were to ask someone at VCA -- is Chris driven? Does he always want something? They would tell you yes. You only get farther in this world if you're vocal about it and committed to it. If you're meek about it, particularly in this industry, people will walk all over you.

"There are certain things I have to have my way. If you ask the girls who perform for me, they have to do it my way. If you're sucking this guy off, I want it done this way."

Luke: "Are you into power exchange?"

Chris: "Nope."

Luke: "Do you prefer women who are aggressive or submissive?"

Chris: "Aggressive. I like women who are independent and have a fiery temper. I was in a relationship several years ago in Italy. I was living in Rome. She was Italian. She was dominant. She had a fiery temper. I come from a family like that. When your grandparents have to flee Germany to escape from the Nazis..."

Luke: "What brings you the most meaning and pleasure in your personal life aside from work?"

Chris: "My work. You won't find another person like me who lives to make movies, whether it is porn or mainstream. It's who I am."

Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl

Christopher Gregory blogs:

So I'm wrapping up some things for Blood Lake, I'm getting some of the contacts filed as I close this production. It was a really strange production to say the least and I learn so much shooting that movie. I got to speaking with one of the crew leaders and we started laughing about some of the craziness that went on that particular film. LOL, man, what a trip. All I can tell you is, if they had made a documentary film of the making of Blood Lake, I feel it more than likely do better than the movie. But I think we did okay.

One thing I did learn is to never, NEVER, pour 35 gallons of gasoline out onto a frozen lake and set a match to it. Wow. I never thought flames could actually do that.

But over all it was fun. I'm currently now in production for my next film as many of you know for The Kentucky Fried Horror Show. It's been a really interesting development as of late so I'm hoping that things pick up and I find the right distributor. I guess that leads me to my thoughts on filmmaking. It's been a long hard trip for me. I have never wanted anything as I do this business. And of course I've had my share of falls and failures. King Tori for one. I don't regret a lot of things in my life but I do regret selling the script for such a low amount.

Anyway, I'm anxious to see what develops with my career in this genre. Don't get me wrong, not interested in doing horror forever, not that I don't mind it, but there's so much more to me than monsters. Although I HATE, let me repeat that, I HATE romance films. BLEH! So we'll see what fate has in store for me. All I know is that with all I see and seem to see from others in this business, and it's downfalls and uphill climbs, I love it. I feel as though I was really meant for this business. I've given up so much of my life for this industry. I eat, sleep, dream this industry, it's apart of my life. Hell, every aspect of my life is a television show. I feel connected to the industry on many levels.

Yes, I've heard the arguments, the whinning by some industry failures who had bad moments or bad experiences and I feel that they truly are angry and bitter. But on the other hand, it is what it is. You knew what you were doing when you took the cup of vanity and drank it to your fill, so why complain now? Like Al Pacino once said as his character in the Godfather part III to young Vincent, "You are what you are".

Oh well, I think sometimes though, people forget that. I think life, success, fame, fortune is what you make it. If you are blessed to be famous, rich, powerful, then you have a much more responsibility to be adult in your actions and what you do and how you behave. That is where people goof up I believe.

People forget that they are representing not just themselves, but their fans, the studio, producers, agents, managers. Oh dont' get me wrong, it's okay to have fun, let lose from time to time, but jesus, why be a nut about it sometimes? Well, just my thoughts on it all. So go out and enjoy the day and keep your heads on straight folks and let's enjoy life for while we can, Bush plans on blowing it up soon anyway so have fun.

Zoe Hunter (her website horroractress.com, ZoeHunter.com) replies: "I am with you on this crazy lil industry. I fell into it by accident, but am thoroughly in love with it. The blood, the guts, the laughs..the good and the bad. I think their is a path for each and every one of us. I wish you the best with whatever you decide to do..you will find it."

Larry Flynt and the Kansas based Church of God

Christopher Gregory writes May 8, 2006 on MySpace:

Many of you know or have read that I have worked for LFP as a director. And one of the things I have admired about Larry Flynt was his passion for freedom of speech, even the kinds of speech some hate. After all, it was Larry Flynt that took on Jerry Falwell for his right to say anything that he damn well pleased. Thankfully the Supreme Court agreed and ruled in favor of Larry Flynt which in essence ruled for freedom of speech and once again supported the rights of ordinary americans to voice a view that although may not be liked, loved, embraced, it was in fact protective speech under the Bill of Rights and our Constitution.

Which leads me to all of the hoopla over the Church in Kansas run by the Ropers and Rev. Phelps and their agenda of protesting funerals of dead servicemen who died in the war in Iraq.

Now, let me just say I'm a member of the ACLU and very proud of it. I hold my membership dearly and as such, it has been no stranger to many that I believe in total, unabashed freedom of speech. Even the kind that hurts people. Some have even asked me why I even support the right of Rev. Phelps and the Ropers to say anything they wish. Well, it's easy to figure out. I love freedom.

One of the things that makes this nation great is the fact that we all have our ideas. We can voice that belief without fear of violence, without fear of retrobution, without fear of persecution or prosecution. Let me make this very clear. I dislike nor do I approve of these individuals that protest at a funeral. I look at that and I just cannot believe that there are those that would even dare do such a thing. But then I am reminded that freedom isn't free and that one time a great price was paid for freedom. That price made it so that ALL views, actions, and beliefs were protected. Even those that are not good, that are evil, that are terrible.

My state of Indiana recently passed a bill, which our Governor signed into law, which made protesting at any funeral against the law which inturn made it a crime -- a felony, that would give anyone up to 7 years in prison. What the fuck? Did you read that? It made speaking out against anyone at a funeral -PROTECTED speech a CRIME that would send people to jail! This is the most disturbing thing I have ever seen in my life. Where was the uproar? Where was the notion that ALL speech, good or bad was protected? Where was the media when the Governor signed this piece of facist legislation into law??? They were no where to be seen. Thank God the ICLU and the ACLU has recently stepped into the fry and is now taking this matter to court.

This leads me to the Kansas based Church and it's agenda to go to the Supreme Court to seek these laws ruled UNCONSTITUTIONAL. It reminds me of another man, who people hated, despised, who believed he was evil who took it upon himself to wage war over his right to say any goddam thing he wanted, to print anything he liked and to believe any damn thing he wished. So will the church be successful? I hope so. Again, please read this again, I do not support this church, nor their views, but I support 100% of their right to do anything they wish as long as it's peaceful. When we ignore our rights to speak and voice our discent and we ignore the rights of the smallest person, then we are one large step away from facism and tyranny.

My heritage is jewish, my faith is jewish and I know first hand how destructive doing nothing can be to a nation. For those that argue against these people, well, I hope that you raised enough voice over the laws that are being passed outlawing their right to chant their hideous views. If you don't, those same supporters of censorship will decide that what YOU believe and openly speak of, will take aim at you and soon the hammer of silence will fall upon YOUR life and upon YOUR ideas and you will have no one to help you as they too have been silenced.

This nation is getting more and more out of character it once was. We fight a war based on lies, we condemn those that preach a view point we do not accept and wish them silence, we kill for land, we rape the environment and we do it all out of selfishness. They say that every great empire eventually falls from within, Rome- Egypt- Ming Dynasty, and many more have eventually all have fallen. I believe this nation will also eventually fall as well, and it will be done NOT by terrorism, not by war from our enemies, but out of fear of one another. This will be our downfall. When we ignore the very fundlementals our founding fathers deemed were the rights of every man, then we will no longer BE that great nation our founding fathers created and fought for. Think about it.

Christopher Gregory writes about himself on MySpace:

There's so much stuff to say about me. But regardless, here's the quickie version. I am a filmmaker by right. I grew up on films, television shows, music videos, late night horror hosts features and books since I was literally 6 yrs old. My father took me on set to a horror film when I was 8 which changed my life. Well, it didn't change my whole entire life, that would happen later with the release of Raiders of the Lost Ark in which I knew from that moment on that I wanted to be a filmmaker. I just competed our bigger project to date - Blood Lake. It is my first real studio project through VCA Pictures. Currently the movie is being cut as I write this and I believe it's going to change the views on adult entertainment, well, at least for the mixing of adult and mainstream horror films. My goal? To make the best grindhouse horror films possible. My next project is a homage to the graphic grindhouse features of House of a 1000 Corpses, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It's called The Kentucky Fried Horror Show. Hopefully it will really shock and turn on audiences everywhere with it's mixture of true horror/fear/and sex. My future goal is to work in every avenue possible in Hollywood. I worked when I was younger with the WWE (yeah that WWF) as a young camera man and I've worked with some great pro-wrestlers. I've worked for Disney, PBS, and Viacom on MTV's The Real World. I also really enjoyed my time at VCA, and I enjoyed working with some of the hottest women in the adult business. But eventually I know I have to grow and move on and that's fine, but right now I'm content as long as I stay in horror and Sci-Fi. Stay Undead! Christopher Your ghoulish horror director www.midnite-films.com.