What makes a B movie? ‘Blood, Boobs & Beast’

by Mary Helen Sprecher
newsroom@baltimoreguide.com

Documentary films—for so long a subculture in the movie industry—have gone mainstream. From “March of the Penguins” to “Fahrenheit 911” to “An Inconvenient Truth,” the movies have emerged from art houses and into big theaters.
Horror movies, by contrast, have always been mainstream, and B-horror movies have always had a cult following. So what will be the reaction to a hybrid of the two—a documentary about a B-horror filmmaker?

Hard to say. But it’s pretty easy to imagine what Don Dohler would have made of that amount of attention. In true Don fashion, he would have quietly shuffled his feet, shaken his head and looked amused. Then he would have wandered off to one of his many other commitments—his family, his latest idea for a film, or the newspaper where he worked.

Dohler, editor of the Times-Herald, longtime resident of Perry Hall and Baltimore’s leading independent horror filmmaker, died of cancer in December of 2006. But long before that—before the onset of his symptoms and the diagnosis of his disease—he was living the life of an average Baltimorean, with the exception that he spent his weekends going about the business of making his latest slasher film, “Dead Hunt.”

And while Dohler worked his cameras, checked sound, managed lighting and worked with actors on the set (a snack food distribution warehouse in Timonium), he was being trailed by documentary filmmaker John Paul Kinhart, who had long been fascinated by Dohler and his craft. Kinhart had broached to Dohler the idea of creating a documentary, and Dohler had agreed. Production began in 2004.
The result is “Blood, Boobs & Beast,” a documentary about Dohler’s life and his art. The film has been accepted into the 2007 Maryland Film Festival, to be held May 3-6.

The film takes its title from the classic formula for horror movie success. After all, if a movie is going to please its fan base and distributors, it has to have the trifecta of blood, boobs and beast: gore (and lots of it), nudity (female, bigger bra sizes preferred) and a bloodthirsty baddie (human or otherwise).

And boy, did Dohler deliver all three. After getting over his initial squeamishness about asking his actors—some of whom were friends—to undress on camera, he brought forth some classic horror scenes. A naked woman literally bathing in a tub full of blood in “Harvesters.” Three well-endowed vampires enjoying a gore-fest while nearly popping out of their bustiers and thongs in “Vampire Sisters.” Organs torn out of a body in “Dead Hunt.”

It was only late in his career that Dohler began remarking that he was “sick of the gratuitous stuff” and was considering giving up the BB&B formula of film-making. He makes this remark during the course of filming “Dead Hunt.” Whether he would have followed through, or whether the lure of movie-making would have drawn him back, is anyone’s guess.

The film chronicles Dohler’s career as a filmmaker, as well as his work filming “Dead Hunt.” It chronicles his careers as a cartoonist and as the publisher of a magazine dedicated to horror film-makers as well. The intro and opening credits include an on-camera interview in which Dohler describes the less than pleasant muse that drove him into moviemaking.

In the mid-1970s, an armed man held up the business where Dohler was working. When the gunman aimed his weapon at Dohler’s head, Dohler had an epiphany of sorts. He realized that at age 30, he had fulfilled few of his true ambitions, one of which was to become an independent filmmaker. When he escaped the incident unharmed, he bought a movie camera and embarked on his second career.
In 1978, Dohler produced the low-budget movie, “The Alien Factor,” which eventually became a cult classic. Others followed, including “Blood Massacre,” “Nightbeast,” “Vampire Sisters” and “Galaxy Invader.” (“Galaxy Invader” was shown—and lampooned—on the classic sci-fi television show, Mystery Science Theater 3000). Dohler’s movies, according to press materials for “Blood, Boobs & Beast,” were reviewed in terms that ranged from “strangely brilliant” to “a sinkhole of suckage.”

Dohler’s response to his critics was always the same—a shrug, a smile and a continuation of what he was doing.

All of which plays into the documentary. “Blood, Boobs & Beast” includes clips from various movies and interviews with cast and crew members. It also provides the backdrop against which everything was shot, literally and figuratively. Dohler used his own back yard for much of his work (the bath tub is still out there, although the blood and the naked babe are long gone), and many times, he used his own children as extras.

There are interviews with Dohler’s two children, now adults, and footage of him with his first grandchild, and with his developmentally disabled sister, Joy, for whom he served as guardian. There are also shots of Dohler with Leslie McFarland, the woman whom he would marry in 2006. His devotion to his family is clear, but not a point the film belabors.

Above all, “Blood, Boobs & Beast” is a documentary about the man who made independent films, and who was willing to navigate an often complex series of obstacles to do so. Dohler is shown dealing with weekend film shoots of “Dead Hunt” (many independent films are shot on weekends because actors and crew members have regular jobs) and all their problems.

“Their production suffered every problem that a low-budget movie could have,” stated a behind-the-scenes synopsis in the “Blood, Boobs & Beast” press kit.
Shortly after filming began, one actor quit unexpectedly. After Dohler substituted his longtime collaborator and business partner, Joe Ripple, for the absent actor, he learned that Ripple had a new job which would require him to miss the shoot every other weekend. Ripple’s character, a key figure in the film, was in many scenes, which meant that production would have to be pushed back. Dohler’s irritation is evident, and at times, creates a palpable tension on the set which is picked up in the documentary.

Bad weather, which wasn’t written into the script, made an appearance several times. The warehouse burglar alarm was set off accidentally (more than once), forcing the cast and crew to scramble to call the property owner (more than once) and assure him that all was well before police could show up and discover bleeding bodies and a man dressed as a knife-wielding maniac inside the building.

Watching the ongoing trials of an indie filmmaker might make for tedious viewing, but in Kinhart’s hands, it becomes a mechanism to generate greater respect for Dohler and his final product. Kinhart balances the movie-within-a-movie warehouse scenes with separate on-camera interviews with Ripple, George Stover, Leanna Chamish and others who worked with Dohler in various productions. Rabid fans Dan Snyder and Jim Wood add their commentary—and comic relief—by reciting lines from the films and demonstrating drinking games that they devised to enhance the viewing experience.

But the heart and soul of the film is Dohler. A scene where he pieces together a jigsaw puzzle with Joy is treated with quiet respect. It doesn’t seek to beatify Dohler; it simply shows him as caretaker and loving family man.

The circumstances of Dohler’s death, too, are treated with stark simplicity; nevertheless, there are unexpectedly emotional moments. (Spoiler warning: Skip to the last italicized paragraphs if not interested in hearing more).

Late in Dohler’s illness, Ripple has arrived at his friend’s house to pick up boxes and bags of movie equipment that it is clear Don will never again use. The two men are nearly silent as they load Ripple’s truck. Then Ripple turns and speaks to Dohler about an idea—a sequel to “Vampire Sisters.” Dohler, looking drawn and emaciated, his hair gone from chemotherapy, cocks his head and listens intently as Ripple struggles to get the words out without breaking down. When Ripple finishes and takes a deep breath, Dohler nods.

“Yeah,” he says softly. “That’s a good idea.”

Whether Ripple was whistling in the dark, trying to buoy his friend’s spirits by talking about another film they would someday make together, or whether he was assuring him that his movies would live on, remains unknown. And in a way, it doesn’t really matter. The scene—completely unrehearsed and caught by Kinhart in its stark emotional detail—is the finest part of the movie.

Note: “Blood, Boobs and Beast” will be shown during the Maryland Film Festival. Screenings are on Friday, May 4 at 7 p.m. at the UB Student Center, and on Sunday, May 6 at 5 p.m. at the MICA Brown Center. For information, directions, tickets and more, go to the website, www.md-filmfest.com/ Other information about the movie itself can be found at the “Blood, Boobs and Beast” website at www.bbbmovie.com.
Those who want to catch one of Don Dohler’s horror/sci-fi classics can watch the free outdoor screening of “Nightbeast” on Saturday, May 5, 9:30 p.m.-midnight at the Filmmaker Tent Village. In this 80-minute long film, circa 1982, a bloodthirsty alien crash lands in a small town, and wreaks havoc. It’s up to a brave sheriff and his deputy to save the townsfolk and defeat the alien. More information is available on the Maryland Film Festival website.