WWTW Interview: ‘Creep!’ director Pete Schuermann

Pete Schuermann thought he had seen every movie monster imaginable as a young boy glued to his parents’ TV set.

That was before he experienced “The Creeping Terror.” The 1964 feature left a vivid impression on the youngster even though it stands with “Troll 2″ and “Plan 9 From Outer Space” as one of the worst movies of all time. So when he learned some of the back story behind film as an adult, including its morally twisted director, he decided to craft a documentary on the topic.

“Creep!” sheds light not just on a memorably tacky film, but the curious circumstances behind its creation. WWTW checked in with Schuermann, a fellow Colorado resident, to learn more about “Creep!“

WWTW: Tell me your earliest memories of “The Creeping Terror” – did you appreciate just how terrible it was when you first saw it?

PS: I grew up on Long Island during the 70s and, at that time, there was an abundance of vintage monster movies playing over the airwaves on WPIX TV.  Both my brother and myself became aficionados of films like the Godzilla series, the Harryhausen films, “Earth vs. The Spider” and “It Came from  Outer Space.” As we grew, there became more and more of a fascination with the craft of these films over the content in many cases. Some of this can be attributed to age, of course, but it was clear which was a bad film and which was good with the growing awareness of production value and quality vs. bad filmmaking.

My parents, in their infinite wisdom, had decided to move us worldly city boys from New York out to the then tiny Montrose, Colo. and access to our favorite genre was pretty much completely gone. Finally, after our ritualistic watching of “Saturday Night Live” we stayed up a litter longer to discover one “Scream Theater” which of course was a horror/sci-fi/monster film showcase provided by KOAA TV of Colorado Springs.  But those A or B-list  films we were accustomed to were not to be found.  Strangely, we were treated to one obscure film after another, all absolutely bottom of the barrel in terms of quality, films like Plan Nine from Outer Space, Curse of Bigfoot, the Avco Embassy Paul Naschy series of horror films.

Then one night, “The Creeping Terror” was shown. We were absolutely dumbstruck and in awe, and the rest, of course, is history.

WWTW: How did the idea of making a documentary about the film’s colorful history come about? Is there anyone else circling such a project?

PS: One of the producers on our previous film, “Haze,” Nancy Theken, and myself were tossing around ideas as to what would be the best route for our next production. For the most part we had been considering another rather heavy documentary, this time a look at the culture and behavioral trends of young women in America and the effect of the sexual revolution. Though excited about the potential of that project I had a growing sense of dread when faced with a couple years of exhaustive research and marrying myself to something so serious. “Haze” had taken its toll, let’s say.

Anyway I was thumbing through one of my favorite books, “The Son of Golden Turkey Awards” by the famous Medved brothers, Harry and Michael. The entire last chapter was dedicated to the production of “The Creeping Terror” and it hinted at the rather bizarre story of enigmatic filmmaking A.J. Nelson. The Medveds had included a hilarious photograph of the creature prop stuffed into the back of an old pickup truck driving down Hollywood Blvd. as a publicity stunt for the film.  I would say it was that image more than anything else that told me that a story about the making of this incredible film was really something that would be fun and surely a riveting experience.

WWTW: Can you talk about your effort to duplicate the film’s monster?

PS: We have reached out to Ken Jones of LSI Studios in Denver to recreate the monster prop. Ken tells us he plans on touring many junk yards and knick-knack shops to look for similar low-budget materials to pull off the recreation. Interestingly, Ken (along with others who we had bid the job) had asked if it was my intention to reinvent to creature or at least to improve on the original in terms of aesthetic.  Of course I want this to be a completely accurate depiction and to follow what we see onscreen in “The Creeping Terror” with precise duplication.  Naturally this means forgoing modern casting and sculpting techniques in lieu of the ultra-low budget approach.

The more we found out about the original design (by monster maker Jon Lackey) the more our research revealed that there was a definite attempt to evoke certain sexual overtones in its appearance. “The mouth has to evoke some very feminine characteristics whereas the head is rather bulbous and sits atop a slender shaft-like neck” and similar discussions were common place.

Additionally we had discovered that during the production of the original film, the first monster suit had been “stolen” back by the creator when payment had been neglected. We had to discuss ways of easily modifying one suit in order to demonstrate this change without getting into making two creatures.  I’ll keep our solution a secret for now.

WWTW: Will the production happen in Denver? What are the pros/cons of shooting in the Mile High City?

PS: In terms of casting, I would say that 90 percent of our actors will come from the Denver area.  Shooting will take place in and around the Colorado Springs areas. The biggest advantage of shooting in Denver/Colorado is that there are so many incredibly talented people practically dying to be discovered. Let’s face it, we are not the first place on everyone’s mind when it comes to a centralized location for film production. This makes those of us who love the craft try that much harder.

Of course I wish I could pay everyone a full salary for their participation in the film – this goes for all of the actors as well as the crew. I think until the local investment pool truly appreciates the potential and value of filmmaking as an industry so many of us with a steadfast dedication to the craft will have to revel in “art for art’s sake”. Regardless, the talent is there and we can all enjoy the wonderful lifestyle living in Colorado affords us as we dabble in the medium of film.

WWTW: How did the public’s fascination for “so bad, it’s good” cinema play into your decision to make the movie?

PS: Not much to me personally, to be honest. I think it has helped others see the merit in “Creep!” but for me appreciation of bad cinema has been a lifetime obsession. I am grateful of course there has been a recent rebirth of this appreciation on a large scale.

WWTW: Any production time line you can share? Thoughts on distribution models?

PS: If all goes well we will dive into principal photography in June with a shoot schedule that will encompass much of the summer.  Post production should wrap in time for Christmas. We have our connections within the film industry thanks to past successes like “Haze” and we will be pitching the film hard from the early stages of pre-production through to its completion. The interest thus far should certainly yield domestic and foreign sales. Our loftiest goal is to try to reach a limited theatrical release with and art house run, but you never know.

WWTW: Why do you think people are so intrigued by terrible movies?

PS: The best way I can sum that up is because it’s like the classic “slip on the banana peel” gag in a way. You mess up at work and try your best to conceal or minimize the impact this has on yourself, your career and of course you self-esteem.  When we see a movie fail there is a certain solace in seeing someone else take a fall in a big way and do it in a funny way.  Of course, it could just be that things like people reacting in absolute terror to an ambulatory carpet is just plain funny.

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