On September 21, 2024, Roger Domian passed away. Over eight thousand people died yesterday in The United States, and Roger was one of them, but his passing deserves more than an obituary or a mere mention as a "friend" who is no longer walking among us.
First things first. Roger's true love was film. I know nobody else in my extended or over-extended circle who watched more movies than Roger. This man was a walking encyclopedia of film and remembered every movie he saw. To hammer home this point, in 2020, Roger started a Letterboxd account. His last post to that site was four days before he died, on September 17th. The movie was The Rooster (2023), the 7,759th review he had done in under four years.
I first met Roger in 2006. I was making a documentary film and was introduced to him through a mutual friend. Roger was the screenwriter of On The Downlow (2004), and I had seen the movie, but I was unfamiliar with his name. The mutual friend put us together, I suppose, because Roger was involved in independent filmmaking, and I was currently engaged in a production of my own. We hit it off right away.
After a Sunday shoot, I invited Roger to a crew lunch at a bar and grill in Orland Park, Illinois, and he was extremely warm. He gave me and the crew many tips and entertained us with stories about the pitfalls of independent filmmaking. He impressed upon us how seriously he regarded movies and the process of making them.
Fast forward to Summer 2008. Roger and I met for another talk at a pancake house somewhere on the outskirts of Burbank, Illinois. During this lunch, Roger, myself, and our mutual friend discussed putting together a take on Kentucky Fried Movie (1977) that would feature over-the-top skits and vignettes spoofing exploitation films. In a two-hour luncheon, we basically nailed down a 70-minute frame for this idea, with each of us bouncing ideas off of one another. We all left that meeting on a high note. We even spent another hour talking in a car, parked in a driveway, about the crazy shit we had come up with and pairing it all down and streamlining the idea to fit what would have been a minuscule budget.
Right then, I knew Roger was a comrade, and I had it fixed in my mind that he and I would be working together soon. That project never came to be, but such is the way of film production.
A few months later, as my movie was languishing, I had a fantastic idea of launching an internet radio station that featured nothing but movie soundtrack music and specific shows that catered to an audience that appreciated "movie talk" and everything related to it.
I thought of Roger straight away. I had been programming an online radio station since 2002 (via Live365) but wanted to pivot and do something new. My idea was to have Roger, and our mutual friend, host a weekly show called Drive-In of the Damned. Roger and our mutual "friend" would host the show, and I would produce. Still, as things often happen in the business of show, Roger and the friend couldn't agree on how to do it, or when to do it, or whatever the issue was, and Roger, like the gentleman he was, bowed out before the show began. Without Roger involved, I ended up doing the show myself, and Drive-In of the Damned ran from 2008 to 2015. That experience defined what I would do for the rest of my life. I would have instead preferred that Roger hosted the show, as he wanted to, but as it turns out, Roger's backing out gave me an actual career talking and writing about movies.
Over the ensuing years, Roger and I stayed in touch. In 2009, when Robert Freese and I were beginning to put together a Drive-In of the Damned Magazine, Roger wrote a fantastic piece on how he felt about the current spate of Hollywood re-makes. It took Robert Freese and me another eight years to get the first issue published, and because of space constraints, Roger's piece never saw print.
In 2010, Roger and I discussed collaborating on a low-budget horror film. He had already written two stellar screenplays that would fit the bill for our discussion. The first was Greasepaint, written by Roger and On the Downlow director Tadeo Garcia. The screenplay was written in 2005 but had stalled in finding financing. The other was Pumpkin Seeds (a.k.a. The Pumpkin Patch Man.) Written in 2002, Pumpkin Seeds ultimately seemed more feasible for production then, but as these things go, days bleed into weeks, weeks pour into months, and months become years. Roger and I never did work together on a film.
Roger and I never lost touch. He had health issues and other things that often interrupted the creative flow of ideas that came from people like him. He started a YouTube channel and a Letterboxd page and always did everything with the love of movies in mind.
He truly loved the art of cinema, from the classics to the not-so-classics. Roger gave a piece of his mind to everything he watched. He absolutely enjoyed every movie he ever saw. He saw something "good" in everything he took in.
In closing out this tribute to my friend, I want to share what he wrote for my magazine in 2009. I've made no edits to this. Roger was never one to bash a film in a mean way. As I said, he always found something positive to say about almost everything he ever watched. His piece for Drive-In of the Damned Magazine would have been the first of many had the winds of fortune turned just another way, and I would have been delighted to have him involved. Roger was a great friend, a lover of moving images, and the guy who finally gave me a path to use my love of movies and make something of it. Thank you, Roger. I am forever grateful.
Been There Seen That
Think now, what do these films have in common? ‘Night Of The Living Dead,’ ‘The Fog’, ‘The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’, ‘Last House On The Left’, ‘Dawn Of The Dead’, ‘The Fly’, ‘Friday The 13th’, ‘The Blob’, ‘Halloween’, ‘The Thing’, ‘The Amityville Horror’ - egad shall I can go on!
Yes they are all horror films, and true most of them have birthed multiple sequels (many unwanted). But the true horror of it is that they are all classic horror films that have been needlessly remade. Sadly there are a lot more I haven’t mentioned and damn it there are more on the way: ‘A Nightmare On Elm Street’, ‘Child’s Play’, ‘Suspiria’ and another remake of ‘The Blob’ (from Rob Zombie no less). And it’s not just limited to horror films. Are you honestly looking forward to seeing a ‘Forbidden Planet’, ‘Fantastic Voyage’, or ‘The Birds’ remade? Please make it stop!!!
It really isn’t anything new, whether it’s ‘Dracula’, ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ or recently ‘The Wolfman’ horror remakes have been on a steady flow from the beginning. Let’s just look at the Frankenstein tale for example. From the first silent film by Thomas Edison in 1910 to James Whale’s take in 1931, to the ultra cool ‘Frankenstein, The True Story’ in the 1973 right up to Kenneth Branagh’s take with his ‘Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein’ in 1994. Any others on the way, you can bet on it.
Now, to be honest not all remakes have been a waste of celluloid. David Cronenberg’s ‘The Fly’(1986) was a brilliant retelling of the original that included a smart script, some gooey special effects and an emotionally draining ending that surpassed the original (although seeing the tiny Al (David) Hedison stuck in the spider’s web still gives me the creeps). John Carpenter’s ‘The Thing’ (1982) sent new shivers down our spines while Rob Bottine’s colorful rubbery special effects were candy to our eyes giving us sights we could never imagine. Zack Snyder’s ‘Dawn Of The Dead’ (2004) elevated the zombie outbreak with a fresh new ferociousness with his running zombies. We won’t get into the slow or fast zombie debate here. They both have their strengths. In fact running zombies have done pretty well in pumping up our adrenalin in the recent flicks ‘28 Days (and Weeks) Later’ (2002-2007), the awesome British mini-series ‘Dead Set’ (2008) and most recently in the ‘zomcom’ ‘Zombieland’ (2009). But when I’m fast asleep enjoying a hearty nightmare, it’s the slow lumbering zombies that always seem to haunt my dreams. Where’s a tire iron or baseball bat when you need it?
But when it’s all said and done, the majority of these remakes are bloody awful (and not in a good way). Nothing new is introduced, characters are shallow and forgotten, the CGI gore effects are over the top or not even cool enough to yell out…’Cool’! Hollywood is getting lazy, wait what am I saying, Hollywood is lazy. There are literally hundreds of great horror tales available in novels, short stories or in comic graphic novels. True some of these great ones do slip through the cracks in the case of ’30 Days Of Night’ (2007), ‘Let The Right One In’ (2008) or ‘The Mist’ (2007). I’m just saying leave the damn classic films alone! There is no fucking need to fix something that isn’t broken.
Hey Hollywood, here’s an idea, instead of pissing all over our classic films why not remake older films that had interesting concepts but we’re tarnished by low budgets and minimal effects.
Imagine ‘Fiend Without A Face’ (1958) where the brains creatures quickly scuttle across the floor like the facehuggers from ‘Aliens’!
Imagine ‘The Amazing Colossal Man’ (1957) with Glenn Manning stepping on people, crushing buildings and playing darts with giant hypodermic needles!
Imagine ‘Invasion Of The Saucermen’ (1957) with a new cast of young teens battling the alcohol pinching aliens!
Imagine a big budget version of ‘THEM!’ (1954) Giant ants attacking the city with today’s great special effects…Wait, ‘THEM!’ is a classic and shouldn’t be remade…well maybe?
Maybe there are film makers out there trying to birth established works or original tales to be seen. But as long as Hollywood feels the public needs to see another take with a ‘Jaws’ or ‘The Exorcist’ remake, I’ll continue to search out original, complex and entertaining works elsewhere, overseas. And there have been some real great ones being made lately as with ‘REC’ (2007), ’Martyrs’ (2008) or the previously mentioned ‘Dead Set’. But every time I see an announcement of another remake of a classic horror film I just shake my head wondering why they are wasting the time and money. But, Hollywood loves to make money and will continue to dish out endless remakes, sequels and films based on TV shows as long as the public continues to fork over the dollars to see them. Every decade there will be new horror fans that will be wanting something new and fresh, not some old B&W slow moving boredom like ‘The Haunting’ (1963). But if these young horror fans are nurtured to be true horror fans, then they’ll know where the real classic horrors are.
Well so be it, remakes are here to stay and we will have to endure them as long as we can. We can’t escape them. They are the real modern day zombies, lacking drive and intelligence, dead to us true horror fans. If anything, there is one comforting thought about remakes. The next time you’re at the local multiplex waiting for some new horror remake to end, just take comfort in knowing that the original classics will always be there, waiting for your viewing.
Remember friends, just keep repeating, “It’s only a remake”…”It’s only a remake”…”It’s only a remake”…
Roger B. Domian
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