Page 195 - Alternative Europe Eurotrash and Exploitation Cinema Since 1945

C H A P T E R 1 5
T R A N S - E U R O P E A N E X C E S S : A N I N T E R V I E W W I T H B R I A N Y U Z N A

Xavier Mendik

Interview transcribed by Adam Rodgers

While many of the chapters in this volume see European trash and alternative cinema as legitimate
reflections of the national cultures from which they have emerged, this often obscures the increasingly
trans-national nature that European genre filmmaking is adopting in the face of high-budget
Hollywood competition. While this degree of co-operation has always existed between European
countries, it is also witnessing major fantasy filmmakers relocating to Europe to take advantage of
these structures.
One such director is Brian Yuzna, the creator of such American gore classics as Society (1989),
Return of the Living Dead III (1993) and The Dentist (1996). In 2000, Yuzna and prolific Spanish
producer Julio Fernandez formed the Fantastic Factory, with the intention of creating a Barcelona-
based outfit able to draw on leading acting and production talents from around the world. As Yuzna

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