Shawn Lewis is tha man behind Rotten Cotten. You know them right? The guys selling the horror and exploit tshirts. But did you know he has a movie coming out soon?
Black Devil Doll!! What is it you ask, well, you just hve to read the interview and watch the trailer to find out what my words will do no justice for. Oh and if you dont know who Rotten Cotton is, then this trailer will offend you for sure….hahaha!!
Check out the interview below…
Shawn Interview by Girl Afraid
HS.com – How did you get involved as the writer/producer of this film?
Shawn – I have always wanted to be a filmmaker but Rotten Cotton has taken up most of my time. A few years ago my youngest brother Jonathan started film school and began making his own films, so this gave me the opportunity to write and produce something for my brother to direct.
HS.com – What films inspired you to create Black Devil Doll?
Shawn – Well I was a huge fan of evil doll films, you know stuff like Trilogy Of Terror, Dolls, Childs Play, ect… they have been an obsession of mine since I was a child. I always wanted to make my own, but I wanted to do something different with it. I wanted to combine elements of the killer doll genre with the 70’s Grindhouse films, especially the blaxploitation and sexploitation sub-genres. I wanted to create a weird hybrid and I think we have succeeded. Its part Killer Doll, part Dolemite, and part Faster Pussycat. Its a blast.
HS.com – How would you describe this film to someone who hasn’t seen the trailer?
Shawn – Well I’d tell them to watch the fucking trailer! But basically its Chucky meets Dolemite on the set of Meet The Feebles with lots of nudity, sex, and gore. Its fun for the whole family!
HS.com – Will you be selling Black Devil Dolls in the near future? We saw them on Precious Cox’s Myspace page and we want one!
Shawn – Those pics on Precious Cox’s myspace page are actually shots from the film. But we are in production on Black Devil Doll action figures. They will be small retro MEGO style dolls. We should have the prototypes ready and displayed on our table at the Los Angeles Fangoria Con in April. The dolls should be ready for sale when the DVD comes out in October. I think they will go for about $10 dollars.
HS.com – What do you think about big-budget horror like the Scream series? Do you feel do horror films have to have a low budget to be enjoyable?
Shawn – I don’t have any biases against low or big budget films, I usually give everything a chance. I sit through all the mainstream bullshit that comes out as well as the indie stuff. I tend to side more with the independent stuff though. I think the Scream series was a fucking joke personally, especially coming from the man that created Last House On The Left, Hills Have Eyes, and the original Nightmare On Elm Street. Wes Craven is so much better than Scream, or at least was when he was younger, I guess he is just lazy now.
HS.com – How did the idea for Rotten Cotton come about?
Shawn – I do whatever I have to do to keep from getting a real job.
HS.com – What was the most gratifying part of owning Rotten Cotton?
Shawn – Getting hate mail from angry parents who’s children were suspended from school for wearing my shirts.
HS.com – You mention Lucio Fulci is your favorite director. Why?
Shawn – I think its a childhood thing. Zombie, Gates Of Hell, and 7 Doors Of Death (The Beyond) are some of the first horror films I was exposed to, they just left an impression on my I guess. I think The Beyond is one of the best horror films ever made, the atmosphere, the cinematography, the score, the gore, it has it all and then some.
HS.com – You say on your Myspace page “I’ve met everyone I’d like to meet” – what was one of your most memorable/favorite meetings?
Shawn – Myspace is so fucking gay. But if I’m going to keep up with shit I have to be on there, plus its free publicity and it actually works… I think my most memorable meeting was meeting Lucio Fulci at the NY Fangoria con in 96. He was old, grumpy and pretty sick, he was losing his foot because of some accident and being a diabetic it wasn’t healing properly. He ended up dying shortly after that convention so it was a great to be able to hang out with him several times that weekend and even ended up having drinks with him and John Saxon in the hotel bar. Fan-boys all over the world are jealous!
HS.com – How did you get your Hearse?
Shawn – Just a lot of searching on line. If you are in California I highly recommend this Doug Scott, here is his site:
https://www.funeralcars.com/
But you have to call him, and go to his garage and see what he has, his site is rarely updated, he has tons of hearses all makes and models. His hearses are in great shape.
HS.com – What are your future plans in the movie business?
Shawn – Right now the second film in the Black Devil Doll trilogy is in pre-production, we hope to shoot it sometime this year or early next year. And I’m also producing a 70’s style female revenge film called She’s A Whore, its in the vein of Ms. 45 and They Call Her One Eye. Its budgeted at around one million and will be shooting in Oakland CA and Los Angeles. My brother Jonathan will be directing both films.
HS.com – What can we expect to see from you in the future?
Shawn – I just kind of go with the flow. We will see where Black Devil Doll takes me. But whatever I do, you can bank on it being politically incorrect and fucked up.
Thanks Shawn
Check out the site for Black Devil Doll and the high quality Trailer
