Captivatingly showcasing the intense physical and emotional torment of the lead character is one of the most important elements of effectively frightening audiences of any horror film. Since that main character is often the protagonist who viewers often hope can escape their menacing tormenters, it’s not often that a seemingly horrific villain can begin to garner sympathy from from the audience. But that long-needed overhaul of the often predictable inspirations the diversely-motivated characters have in horror movies grippingly occurs in the new independent horror film, ‘Anarchy Parlor.’ The unique story, which is now playing in theaters and on VOD, was the creation of writers Devon Downs and Kenny Gage, who made their feature directorial debuts on the fascinating project.

‘Anarchy Parlor’ follows several American and English tourists, including the somewhat naïve Amy (Tiffany DeMarco) and the care-free and over-indulgent Brock (Ben Whalen), who are enjoying their vacation in a nightclub in Vilnius, Lithuania. While there, they’re offered the chance to attend an invitation-only mansion party, and they readily accept the offer, as they’re eager to further explore the city and have more fun. Once they arrive at the party, Brock enthusiastically embraces the advances of a woman who approaches him, the heavily tattooed and pierced blonde, Uta (Sara Fabel). He readily decides to go back with her to the tattoo parlor where she works, in hopes of spending more time with her. When she learns Brock’s plans with Uta, Amy decides to go with them, despite the objections from the rest of their friends, as she wants to get a tattoo before she returns home and starts medical school.

When the three later arrive at the parlor, Amy and Brock meet its owner, The Artist (Robert LaSardo), who also serves as Uta’s mentor. The tourists’ worst nightmare soon comes true, however, when the tattoo enthusiasts unexpectedly begin physically torturing them. But The Artist soon becomes protective over Amy when he emotionally begins connecting with her and appreciating her innocence. But Amy and Brock’s future becomes even more uncertain when their remaining friends begin investigating their disappearance, and begin asking questions that put The Artist and Uta’s work in jeopardy.

Downs and Gage generously took the time recently to talk about making their feature film writing and directorial debuts on ‘Anarchy Parlor.’ Among other things, the filmmakers discussed how they decided to pen and helm a movie together after being friends and working on other projects together for almost two decades, and they were drawn to tell the story of The Artist in their first feature after being intrigued by the lifestyle of tattoo culture; how they wrote the role of The Artist specifically for LaSardo, and then cast the rest of the characters with actors who would support his portrayal, including DeMarco, who effortlessly embodied Amy’s innocence; and how they filmed as many of the visual effects, including the stunts and make-up, practically on the set, so that they would add a more natural feeling to The Artist and the tourists’ story.

ShockYa (SY): You co-wrote the script together for the new horror film, ‘Anarchy Parlor.’ What was the inspiration in telling the story? What was the collaboration process on scribing the script together?

Devon Downs (DD): Well, Kenny and I have been friends for years, and we have written multiple projects together. The genesis for the idea for this film came from tattoo culture, including the practice of people being tattooed when they’re on vacation. It’s a big thing when you go to different cities and get a new tattoo.

We combined that with the idea of an artist who had been practicing an ancient art form, and the question of where he would be hiding today in plain sight, and what he would be doing. We thought he would be using tattooing as a cover, since he is an artist. So the heart of the film is about him, an artist who’s hiding in broad daylight.

Kenny Gage (KG): To add to what Devon said, we’ve been friends for about 20 years, and we began writing together around 2001. It was shortly after another film I was a producer on, ‘Raze,’ was released that Devon and I had an opportunity to direct a horror film.

SY: Speaking of helming ‘Anarchy Parlor’ together, you both also made your feature film directorial debuts on the movie. Was it always your intention to helm the movie together as you were working the script? What was the process of delegating the directorial duties once you began filming?

KG: Well, Devon and I have been friends for so long that we approached directing the film as one. We did so much research together that we knew what we wanted. So by the time we got on the set, we were super prepared. We storyboarded the entire film prior to even knowing where the locations were going to be. We storyboarded again once we were at the actual locations.

We believe in being very prepared, including having the entire cast and crew knowing exactly what we were thinking. So by the time we began shooting, Devon and I directed every other scene…

DD: …and every other shot.

KG: Yes, so that way we came together as one, and were in sync the entire time.

DD: That way we were both engaged in every scene, from a directing team perspective. It was important that the actors didn’t receive mixed feedback, as everyone needs to be on the same page. So we were both actively engaged on everything throughout the shoot.

SY: Speaking of the actors, what was the casting process like for the main characters in the film, particularly Robert LaSardo, who plays the Artist, and is a tattoo enthusiast in real life, and Tiffany DeMarco, who portrays Amy, the tourist with whom he forms an emotional connection?

DD: Well, we’ve known Robert for years, and we think he’s extremely talented. We wanted to make a movie around him, so we actually wrote the role of The Artist for him. Then after we had him in place, it was about building a team around him.

KG: We knew we wanted to have a mixed group of tourists, so we cast a few of the characters in the United States. We also wanted to cast the rest of the characters overseas, including in the U.K.

With the character of Amy, it was important to us to have her be the opposite of one of the main villains, Uta. We wanted to find the innocence in the character of Amy, and Tiffany DeMarco knocked it out of the park during her audition-she really gave life to the character.

SY: Once the actors were cast, what was the process of collaborating with them before you began filming, in order to build the characters’ backstories and relationships?

DD: When everyone flew out to Lithuania, we actually lived together in the same hotel for a couple months. So the kids were able to become extremely close during pre-production, as far as becoming friends. We were all fish out of water in a way, which mirrors how they were in the film.

KG: We also spoke over Skype or phone calls, depending on whether they were in the U.S. or overseas. We spent a countless number of hours talking to each one of the actors. Like Devon mentioned, we wanted them all to be together for a period of time, so that they could become friends. They’re still friends today, which was really important, and unusual in some cases when you film. They really did have a great chemistry together.

SY: With ‘Anarchy Parlor’ being an action-driven horror film, what was the process of working with the actors to create the stunts once you began filming? Did you mainly use practical stunts while you were shooting?

KG: Yes, the idea was to use as much practical stunts and effects as we could, but obviously, we had some time constraints. For the action sequences, we had awesome input and help from (the film’s second unit director) Nick Benseman. We intensely went over the fights and action sequences before we went overseas.

For instance, the fight between Uta and Amy was literally a page-and-a-half long. We worked with some great stunt actresses, and Sara Fabel, who played Uta, and Tiffany worked hard on the fight. We were supposed to have a day-and-a-half to film the fight, because it’s the climax of the film. But when we arrived on the set that day, we were told that we only had two hours to shoot it, because there was a conflict in time with the owner of the building. So we had to shorten the fight, and just go for it.

DD: With the practical gore effects, Christina Kortum flew out to the set from the States. She actually did practical effects for the TV show ‘Grimm,’ among other things. She did the back prosthetics ahead of time, and flew them all out. We shot as much of that practically as possible. Stargate Studios, which does ‘The Walking Dead,’ did the film’s visual effects and enhancements. But almost everything was done practically, although some of the visual effects were later enhanced with CG.

SY: ‘Anarchy Parlor’ was shot and set entirely on location in Vilnius, Lithuania, like you mentioned. What was your experience of filming the movie there independently? How did it help create the characters’ and story’s authenticity?

KG: When we originally envisioned the film, we were thinking of filming in Eastern Europe, as we wanted this medieval-Renaissance look. But when we decided to instead film in Lithuania, we still wanted to capture as much of that as we could. We wanted to shoot wide and big, so that we could capture the essence of filming in Lithuania.

DD: The cool thing is that we were able to shoot the entire film on location, so there isn’t a soundstage in the entire movie. It didn’t make any sense for us to fly half-way around the world to just shoot on a soundstage, and have it look like other movies. The city in the film acts like its own character, and gives a unique look and feel to the story. You can’t get that look anywhere else.

So when the characters are in a dungeon in the film, the actors are actually in an eleventh century dungeon. Everything in the movie is real, from the streets to the tattoo parlors we went into, which adds an authenticity that’s hard to achieve if you’re not on location.

SY: The film is (currently playing) in theaters and on VOD. Are you both personally fans of watching films On Demand, and why do you think the platform is beneficial for independent movies like this one?

KG: When you release films on VOD, there’s an incredible amount of piracy that goes on. When a studio releases a movie, they’re going to be hit with piracy less than an indie film, which doesn’t have the same reach. So in that sense, having a theatrical release for us was a big win.

DD: But the great thing about VOD as a platform is that it allows indie films to reach so many more people. But having the theatrical release is awesome, too. So having the chance to open in both platforms is great for us, and we couldn’t be happier with the distribution.

KG: (The film’s distributor) Gravitas Ventures is an incredible partner for us. As filmmakers, we’re extremely grateful for the reach they have for a multi-platform release, including on VOD and iTunes.

SY: ‘Anarchy Parlor’ premiered at the 2014 Screamfest Horror Film Festival. What was your experience of bringing the movie to the festival? How did audiences react to it there?

DD: That experience was really awesome. We were the opening night film, and we had a sold-out theater in Hollywood. The theater were the film screened, the Chinese 6 on Hollywood and Highland, has 437 seats. It was great, because the audience really responded to the satire and humor in the film. Everyone was laughing at the over-the-top moments, which is what we were going for. But at the same time, we went over-the-top with the gore, and people had to look away from the screen.

So anytime as a filmmaker, when you’re making an impact, and the audience is reacting, and they’re right there along with the ride with you, that’s really cool. So being on the festival circuit was a really special time for us.

SY: Have you both always enjoy watching horror movies? Are there any particular horror filmmakers who have inspired you both as writers and directors?

KG: We do have our favorites. We’re fans of foreign horror, specifically a lot of the French extreme horror. We were also obviously influenced by the ‘Hostel’ films, and how Eli Roth brought the extreme blood and gore to a mainstream audience. We also love some of the classics, like ‘Halloween,’ which really struck our interest in the horror genre when we were kids. So the mix of classic, modern and foreign films influenced our interests.

SY: With ‘Anarchy Parlor’ marking the feature film directorial debuts for both of you, are there any lessons you learned that will influence the way you approach making your next movies?

DD: We learned a million lessons. (laughs) You learns something new in this business everyday. I think working with the actors taught us about filmmaking being such a collaborative process. The great thing about it is that we had a lot of people who were working on this project for the love of it. They all got behind it and put their blood, sweat and tears into it. I think we were able to come out with something special because of that.

KG: Like Devon said, I think what we took away from how we shot the film is the appreciation of extreme collaboration, as well as respecting the crew and cast. Everyone respected each other and had a good time. Also, being over-prepared was really helpful, because you don’t know what obstacles you’re going to face.

DD: We also valued the ability to adapt, and rewrite scenes, on the fly in all situations, like if locations don’t come in. We also adapted to using different props and sets, as well as dealing with timing issues. The number one lesson we learned was having adaptability in all things in the film business.

SY: Besides ‘Anarchy Parlor,’ do you have any upcoming projects lined up that you can discuss? Are you planning on writing and directing another project together?

DD: Absolutely. We have an action thriller coming up called ‘No Good Kind,’ which is about dirty cops in Los Angeles who are running a human trafficking ring. We also have another horror film, called ‘Feral,’ which is about a feral dog population who goes to extreme measures in urban Detroit.

Written by: Karen Benardello