The Renegade Splatter Beast: Rob Ceus – A Severed Cinema Interview
The underground is a vast and endless landscape peopled by many oddballs, maniacs, the desperate, the guerrillas, and the average folks who have found their way into the darkness unable or unwilling to climb back out again.
It’s within these mountains and deserts you find artists like Rob Ceus, the bloke behind such gory thrill spills as Zombies From Sector 9 (see review here), Slime, and Dismembered (see review here). He also does FX, acts, produces, and distributes other people’s films like The Norah Zone (see review here) via his social media pages.
I managed to corner and trap the ever-busy Rob for a short while for a quick interview about, well, as much as possible really before he wandered back into the carnage.
I reckon you’re the hardest working man I know in the world of the underground, y’know, Rob. Every time we chat, you’re always mid-way through something else. How many projects have you currently got going at the moment?
A bunch, maybe five or six. I’m working on Cement which we will continue sometime soon in spring. Working on Slime 2, Archives of Death, the shockumentary compilation. Also, The VHS Strangler Presents the Giallo Tapes compilation and the Psychonaut compilation.I’m also writing and making some props for Necro, the third part to the House of The Rotting Flesh trilogy and we are writing the sequel to Zombies from Sector 9.Oh I’m also working on a documentary about tattoos, film, and music mostly.
Yeah I’m kind of looking forwards to that last one since I’m interviewed in it a few times (laughs). I guess you don’t concentrate solely on one at a time. Do you, say, write something for one, then move to maybe do some FX on another, depending on your mood at the time?
Yeah, I switch between projects. One moment I’ll write a bunch for Necro, next I’ll switch to making some props when I get stuck with writing or start another script but for the moment it goes between writing and preparing props and testing FX.
Damn, you’re a machine, man. So, what’s your average hours per day and night absorbed in the work?
It depends. Sometimes I get up at 6:30 or 7:00 and can start right away. Other times I can’t get myself going until it’s afternoon but then I continue till I go to bed. I’d say between two hours to ten hours at times.I have days when I can’t get shit done also, it happens but I try to stay busy.
Going back a sec, Archives of Death, now I’ve heard some stirrings about this. Is it like your homage to Faces and Traces of Death?
Yeah, we’re trying to make a shockumentary with accidents and suicide cults and stuff.
Gotta know more about Psychonaut as well, man.
Psychonaut is a compilation project. The point is to direct a short bit that’s psychedelic or insane. Like a trip or a hallucination, a psychosis, and things like that.
Terrorvisions Productions, that’s your distribution label right?
Yes, that’s right
Other than your own movies, do you handle other people’s works?
Yeah, sometimes I do a release of someone else’s work. I got like six releases coming up this year.
Do you get offers to direct other folk’s films?
I once had an offer to direct some other guy’s film, but it wasn’t possible for that budget and we lost contact over time.
Who is the other name that’s seen in so many titles surrounding your creations, Inge Vanleene?
She’s my girlfriend and assistant. She helps direct, make props, and do FX. She is also getting pretty good at her editing. Yeah, she helps in pretty much every aspect she can.
I gotta shift everything to that brilliant masterpiece, Zombies from Sector 9. When I reviewed it, I was totally caught off guard, it blew my head. You and Inge made, to me, the ultimate beer and pizza flick, not afraid to be itself, never pretending, just throw shit at the wall and make it stick. What was the genesis of this gem?
Thanks so much. Well after we shot Bridezombie — which was my real first experience in making movies — I had the urge to do more so we started with what was supposed to be another short zombie film but after shooting the first part we already had near forty-five-minutes, so I decided to go for a full feature. Actually, some scenes from the beginning in the film were shot near the ending of the project.
Stephen Daemers as Bookwalker is a cult star in the making. How did you two hook up?
I remember I was checking for a lead actor on Facebook and he wanted to give it a shot and we hit it off from the start. We became good friends during the shooting of the movie. I do think he has a cult air around him if you know what I mean. I can’t wait to make a sequel.
Yeah, you mentioned to me before a possible Z9 part 2? What’s the standing with that so far?
We got 60 to 70 pages written so far but still need to find money for the budget. Gonna need ten grand probably to pull it off.
There’s so much love in Zombies from Sector 9. I can imagine a lot of stress and sleepless nights went into the formula but did a lot of fun get mixed in to?
It was pretty chaotic to get the film done and I spend a lot of sleepless nights because of some trouble with a cameraman who decided to step out the project half way and some other stuff.
Don’t get me wrong it was a lot of fun to make and we had a bunch of laughs but it was also very stressful.
As the man behind the lens, how’d you think everyone sees you? A chilled-out guy, or an arsehole?
I have no idea. Some people probably will find me an asshole but overall I’m a pretty chill and relaxed guy.
You seem to enjoy indulging in a bit of acting as well. What’s the best role you reckon you’ve had?
The insurgent guy in Variant (see review here) from Joe Meredith I think. They even made a song out of it for laughs. It’s hilarious.
You reckon the trailer seen at the start, Necro, will ever become a full blown gristly red feature?
Yeah, once I get some budget I will probably start shooting as soon as I finished the script.
Okay, let’s take it all the way back to discover the fledgling horror fan who became Rob Ceus the director, writer, FX guy and many other things. How old were you when you discovered horror and fantasy?
I am guessing seven or eight.
Hey, same age I did roundabout. Which films really dragged you into the sludge and cesspools?
Return of the Living Dead, Hellraiser, Nightmare on Elm Street — the classics. And then I discovered Ittenbach his films and I was like one day I’m going to make a movie myself.
Are you feeling modern movies as much?
Not really. Well, it depends which ones.
Sometimes I get the feeling that your movies are like backdrops to some insane unheard metal albums. What’s your music of choice?
Oh I have a very diverse style of music choice. I can listen to piano music to hardcore and metal, stoner rock, sludge, some grindcore, and black metal. I just like a bunch of different stuff.
Have your films found a well-deserved large following or do they remain in the hands of the cult and enthusiasts?
For the moment it’s in the hands of cult collectors and enthusiasts. I’m trying to sell Zombies from Sector 9 to a bigger company so that it will reach big stores and such, but I haven’t had a proper offer yet so far.
How’s Cement: The Final Brick in the Wall going?
I have no exact idea how far we stand but I think we got around thirty to forty minutes shot so far. We’ll continue in spring till winter again and I hope to have everything shot by then but there’s still a lot to shoot and do.
Tell us the story. This one sounds like it’s gonna shatter everything around it.
It’s an incestuous deranged love story between a brother and his sister. The film is about their descent into madness and their path to Hell. I mean, it’s pretty trippy and trashy, nothing like Zombies from Sector 9.
What’s the synopsis behind Hell of The Screaming Undead? I like the look of this one you’re involved in.
Three friends are held captive in a museum by two ex-convicts during a zombie outbreak in LA.
You spoke about the tattoo documentary earlier, are you still tattooing?
I haven’t tattooed in a couple of years now to be honest.
Tell us a bit more about your tattoos, what you have personally and what you’ve done.
Personally, I get crazy style tattoos. I got a flying dragon monkey thing from Dave Fox holding a banana. I mostly get crazy old school, new school or Japanese done. Might get some bio-mechanic filler done sometime soon. I also got a Mickey Mouse who’s railing Coke from Minnie’s ass.
My style was pretty similar to what I get tattooed myself, crazy experimental old school, new school and Japanese.
You’ve done so much in your life, buddy, but is there anything you feel you still need to do to be totally fulfilled?
Yeah, I’d like to make music and be in a band, but I can’t sing for shit (laughs).
Dude it’s been a hell of a rush chatting. Before we end this, man, anything else you wanna add? What’s your closing thoughts to everyone?
I just want to thank everyone who has supported us this far and I’d like to thank you for the interview.
If you want to contact Rob for any information, a talk, to offer help, or to buy any movies, here’s a link to him on Facebook.
