Film Name: Video Shop Tales of Terror 2 – The Portrait of Professor Solomon
Director: Debbie Lane
Writer: Debbie Lane
Voice Artist(s): – Jes Hammond – Professor Solomon, Adrian Lane – Wilton Burroughs
Synopsis: Dig out your membership cards, as it’s time to rejoin the Video Dungeon in this sequel to the retro VHS horror ‘Video Shop Tales of Terror’. There are such sights to see – four tales of terror, a myriad of trailers, and a few surprises too. Come on in and see what’s on the video racks for your entertainment – if you dare!
In a new interview on Blazing Minds ahead of the world premiere at Horror-on-Sea, I got a chance to ask writer/director Debbie Lane a few questions about her segment of ‘Video Shop Tales of Terror 2: Lust and Revenge‘ called The Portrait of Professor Solomon
Video Shop Tales of Terror 2: Lust and Revenge will have its world premiere at Horror-on-Sea on Saturday 18th January at 20:00hrs.
Q. Horror anthology ‘Video Shop Tales of Terror 2: Lust and Revenge’, has been selected to play at the Horror-on-Sea Film Festival. Can you tell us what we can expect from your segment ‘The Portrait of Professor Solomon’?
A. Professor Solomon is a stop-motion animation featuring a morally questionable entomologist / collector. Everything you will see is hand built and designed by myself, using either found, existing, or very cheap materials. And other than using digital editing software to join the shots together, and adding a few lighting effects/adjustments, everything is ‘as filmed’ with no enhanced digital manipulation. So, expect to see slightly glitchy work with a naïve charm!
Q. What were some of your influences for the concept of your segment?
A. Originally the idea developed from a negative influence! I saw a short film online which was set in the house of a collector, and at the time I remember thinking how the rooms were more-or-less empty of artefacts, and how much more could have been made of the set design. The story was completely different but the idea of designing and making all these tiny little props from all different countries seemed a lot of fun. And the idea just developed from there!
Q. Whilst you have your own unique visual style using stop motion animation, did you have any influences for the look and style of your latest film?
A. Mainly the 1970s Hammer Horror and Amicus style films. I love the look of the houses in films such as The House That Dripped Blood, and really wanted my set to look a very similar style to these. I wanted the film to almost be like a normal ‘live action’ film, but animated, if that makes sense! But I also wanted some additional gore, so I couldn’t help but be inspired by films like The Fly, and The Thing.
Q. Did you make any changes from the original concept when making the film?
A. The concept remained pretty much the same from once the idea was formed, but I never quite know how I’m actually going to achieve this. There are quite a few shots that are different than intended as I didn’t have room to put the phone/camera where I wanted, or the puppets don’t quite ‘do as they’re told’. There’s one shot where Wilton ends up falling over, this wasn’t planned, but what I was trying to do was proving far more difficult, and it just went from there. I love the final shot of that though, it’s great when the puppets do their own thing!
Q. What were some of your favourite moments during filming?
A. Always the gore! I don’t want to give any spoilers, but I absolutely loved filming the gore parts! I was so nervous about them as I didn’t know how I was going to do this, and admittedly, I re-shot one of the main parts as I wasn’t happy with it (after spending about 6 or 7 hours doing the initial one!), but I feel it’s quite an achievement to get cute puppets grossing people out!
Q. How long did it take to complete your film?
A. I started making the props at the end of January 2024 and finished the film mid-November 2024! I did have a couple of holidays in between, and some very unfortunate life issues that got in the way, but I spent any time I possibly could working on it. I think filming-wise it took around 160 hours, but prop making… many, many months!!
Q. Did you experience any issues during filming?
A. I film everything on my phone and got a new phone during production. But for some reason, despite making sure the settings are all done correctly, with exposure locks etc, the lighting would just change massively during shooting any specific part. I’ve yet to figure out why it was doing this, or how to stop it, but my word, this was annoying! I’ve tried to even this out in post, but it still flickers in places. I’ve now decided to accept this as ‘part of its charm’!
Q. What makes stand out as something different in the horror genre?
A. Again, I think the gore in animation. I use gel blood, so it does actually drip and look real. It’s quite hard to control liquids in stop-motion, so a lot of animators don’t use it. But I like the end result as it looks far more realistic!
Q. What do you hope people take away after watching the film?
A. Just to enjoy it for what it is. I will never be able to achieve the quality of an Aardman’s production, I don’t have the money, the time, or the massive teams to do this. It’s just me, so hopefully people will enjoy what can be achieved without all of the above!
Q. Do you have any other projects which you are currently working on?
A. I intend to start a new animation after Horror-on-Sea is finished. I’ve got a basic concept at the moment but am trying to figure out the full story/character motivation. I am hoping to set this in a more organic setting like an underground cave (rather than rectangular rooms like my past animations), I can see it in my head so can start making things soon, I just need to figure out the story!
Q. If someone was looking to write and direct their own film what advice would you give them?
A. I think I would say, don’t over think things. If you have a decent idea, then just start working on it. So much time can be wasted just trying to perfect things, or tick film-school boxes. I’m not saying don’t plan it all properly, but there’s a lot to be said for just getting on with things and seeing where it goes. At least you’ll end up with a film at the end of it, and if it’s not perfect, learn from it for next time.
You can find out more about Spazm Films on the website Home | Spazmfilms & Facebook
Video Shop Tales of Terror 2: Lust and Revenge will have its world premiere at Horror-on-Sea on Saturday 18th January at 20:00hrs.
You can find out more about the festival and purchase tickets here
Published in various websites, Philip is a reviewer who is best known for his interviews and media coverage of independent projects including; films, books, theatre and live events. Always on the lookout for something different to cover!
