Interview: T.G. Finkbinder
T.G. Finkbinder of Class Reunion Massacre fame talks with Ryan about his not-so-love of horror.
Living-Dead.com: I gotta tell you that 'The Redeemer' is one of my all time favorite characters....were you the first person to be chosen to play the part of 'The Redeemer' or did you have to audition against a few people for the part?
T. G. Finkbinder: I was just out of Graduate School in Theater at the University of Maryland, and a friend told me about an audition for a film in the Washington Post. Several people auditioned and it came down to me and some other guy -- I can't remember his name, but I saw his screen test and it was pretty good. The producer (Sheldon Tromberg) liked the other guy. The producer's wife and the director (Constantine Gochis - a senior editor >
Living-Dead.com: Sounds interesting Mr. Finkbinder...It's pains me to think that someone else may have gotten your 'coveted' role as the Redeemer.
T. G. Finkbinder: Some things are just meant to be, Ryan.
Living-Dead.com: I am just curious here...were you friends with any of the other cast members before the shooting of 'The Redeemer'? And if you were, do you still remain in contact with any of them?
T. G. Finkbinder: I knew John Hertzler who plays the sleezbo in the dance bar -- the one who hits on a drunken Jeanetta Arnette. He and I went to graduate school at the University of Maryland and had worked together in several plays. The last I knew of him, he was working at ACT in San Francisco. He also appeared opposite Irene Pappas on Broadway in The Bacchae. Jeanetta, as you may know, has gone on to a respectable career in mainstream cinema and TV. She was the vice principal for several years on Head of the Class (she was hired to be Howard Hessemann's love interest, but that never quite came to fruition) and did some very good work on Hill Street Blues and other drama series. Fairly recently she played to good effect Hillary Swank's Trailer Trash Mom with a Penchant for Younger Men in Boys Don't Cry. Other than John Hertzler, I didn't know any of the cast members before filming, but I did become friends with several members of the cast and crew during the shoot. In particular, I was friends with Nikki Barthen, Jeanetta, Michael Hollingsworth and Eric Pedersen -- who plays the small role of the maintenance worker who gets offed in the swimming pool. He also did some of the stunt work. It's been almost thirty years since the film was shot (Oh My God!), so although I remained in pretty close contact with the aforementioned bunch for several years after the wrap, these ties no longer bind.
Living-Dead.com: I know that on the set things can get a little hectic...can you give me an idea of a couple of the 'good' and 'not so' good moments you experienced while portraying your role as 'The Redeemer'?
T. G. Finkbinder: By and large things went pretty smoothly. The director consumed (pretty much on his own) a case of beer on most days. I got along well with everyone. The good -looking director of photography - John Beymer (Richard Beymer's brother [West Side Story, The Diary of Anne Frank, Twin Peaks] - was having an affair with one of the married actresses. A film thing. Didn't last. Eric Pedersen got drunk on July 4th and began doing acrobatics on a ledge outside one of the dormitory windows. He slipped and fell thirty-five feet to the asphalt driveway below. He recovered but lost his pretty boy profile. He was showing off for one of the cast members when he took the plunge. The flirtation was unrequited. The only time I recall myself getting on my high horses occurred when make-up was being applied for my scene with the puppet in the darkened theater -- the scene where Michael Hollingsworth gets it in the head with a scimitar. The guy who was working on me didn't have a clue as to what he was doing, was under pressure of time, poked at my face like it was a pin cushion, and flew by the seat of his pants. After about two frenetic hours he was done, and I looked like a drag version of Ethel Merman. This was not the look I wanted. I made my dissatisfaction known in no uncertain terms. They brought in his assistant, she worked patiently and painstakingly for another two hours -- and the result was one that pleased most everyone. So I guess my li'l snit paid off. I recall that we had to shoot some additional footage, which among other things, included the kid (Christopher Flint) coming out of the quarry -- footage, which like a lot of the film doesn't make precise sense. Anyway, most of the film was shot in July, but this new stuff was filmed at the very end of a very cold December. Poor Christopher just about succumbed to hypothermia -- but he was a trooper and did as he was told -- emerging from the Black Lagoon in what had to be close to forty degree water temperature. As I recall, his lips turned blue. But as I said, mostly I remember good times. The bars closed early because of strict local drinking laws, but still, a fun time was had by all.
Living-Dead.com: I know that you and I have discussed this before Mr. Finkbinder, but for everyone else who doesn't know, where was the location of the 'abandoned' school or the 'Class Reunion Massacre'?--nice little pun don't you think?
T. G. Finkbinder: Staunton Military Academy a venerable school in Staunton, VA had been in business for over a hundred years. But a year before, the school had gone into bankruptcy, and the producers took advantage of this fact by giving the campus a last hurrah of sorts. The Statler Brothers lived in a house across the street, but I didn't meet them. Staunton was a nice, sleepy Southern town -- lots of hills -- Mary Baldwin College -- two movie theaters at the time. I remember seeing a reissue of Peter Pan. I think Woodrow Wilson's home is also there. The town has a bunch of nice hills and a quarry (the one from which poor, blue lipped Christopher Flint emerged). The best restaurant was at the Holiday Inn -- which I suppose tells you something.
Living-Dead.com: Ok...I'll be 'perfectly frank' ...there was always one thing about the film that I could never fully understand. The kid with the 2 thumbs. Could you maybe give us all a little insight on the purpose behind the relationship between the priest(Redeemer) and the 2 thumbed menace?
T. G. Finkbinder: You're not the only one who didn't get the double digits -- you can include me among the confused. And if you recall, The Redeemer himself also had an ill-placed extra thumb. This was producer Sheldon Tromberg's idea of a creepy touch. Something Biblical about the Mark of Cain. He told me he had the epiphany to implement it one evening in his back yard -- it just came to him. God only knows what he was doing. Anyway, both I and the kid were stuck with this horrid little prothesis which kept falling off every time it got hot and never matched our own flesh tones. New to filmdom, I wasn't in a position to protest, plus I thought I might as well acquiesce to Sheldon's little artistic indulgence. The damn thing was a nuisance, makes no sense, and is never developed plot-wise. There are enigmas and then there are just plain ill-conceived ideas.
Living-Dead.com: There are alot of great scenes in 'The Redeemer'.. The editing was done with skill and as I have mentioned to you before, I thought the cinematography was top notch...almost like something from a Dario Argento film in some shots. I love the scene where you stand at the fence in broad daylight in the Reaper suit and rake your huge scythe across the fence. I thought that was just plain creepy as hell.
T. G. Finkbinder: Nice to know you scare so easily . . . well, I guess it is kind of bizarre; at the time I thought it was funny -- but I'm glad it didn't translate that way on screen and did transmit tingles instead
Living-Dead.com: I also love the scene where you are dressed in that weird costume onstage, as if something from a deranged Shakespeare play spouting out those verses like an insane madman...that is just plain surreal and marveously done. You really outdid yourself there T.G......
Aw, shucks. That's one of my favorites, too -- although the dialogue makes no sense whatsoever. I liked the jumbo puppet, and I actually think the scimitar in Mr. Hollingsworth's head still looks pretty good. They cut to a wig dummy's head for that one -- the music supports that sequence fairly well, too.
Living-Dead.com: But I guess my all time favorite scene in the film was when you drowned Jenetta Arnette in the sinkbowl. Did you find that scene or any other scenes of that nature hard to do? And when I say this I mean in both terms, did you find them disturbing in anyway and did you have to go through quiet a few takes to get them right?
T. G. Finkbinder: Jeanetta is a dream to work with. She takes her work very seriously and psyches herself up before the cameras ever roll. Even then, you could see she had potential. She's the kind of actress whose work transmits well on camera, she's willing to take risks and does not avoid the improvisational moment. She also dies really well -- holds her breath, doesn't blink her eyes -- I'd have trouble doing that. We did almost everything in one take: time constraints, a limited budget, and a director who liked to drink. It's interesting that you should ask if I found any of these scenes disturbing to film because what transpires on a set is not always commensurate with what appears on the screen. I would guess that at times the best atmosphere on the set does not necessarily mean the best film in the can -- and vice versa. You want to create a milieu that gets the desired results. I do recall being concerned about Jeanetta's well-being because I had to be somewhat rough with her to make it look right -- but we talked this out ahead of time, had a mutual respect for one another and gave it our best shot. The only times I got my dander up was when I was subjected to a surfeit of professionalism or planning. My memories of the experience even after twenty-eight years are fond; my students are still fascinated by the fact that I had this gig. I am gently amused.
Living-Dead.com: Ok..Mr. Finkbinder....Just a few more questions I promise.... -- )
I understand that the DVD for the film 'The Redeemer' is now available under the title.."Class Reunion Massacre"...or will be in the next couple of months. Do you have any information about this?
T. G. Finkbinder: This is news to me. I wonder what "bonuses" they will add. Hmmmmm.
Living-Dead.com: As you may have learned through my emails and this interview, I am a very curious person indeed, I was wondering just what does 'The Redeemer' do in his leisure time when he's not drowning, shooting, or torching someone?
T. G. Finkbinder: If you're referring to me, and I guess you are, I collect antiques, art glass, like to commune with nature, am an avid film historian and enjoy my family -- not necessarily the stuff from which torso murderers are made.
Living-Dead.com: As you know, I am a big fan of classic horror films. Just curious to know...what is your favorite horror film of all time? Past or Present?
T. G. Finkbinder: Favorite Horror Films: The Haunting, Horror Hotel, Black Sabbath, Terror in the Crypt, The Little Shop of Horrors (original), Curse of the Cat People, The Uninvited, The Hammer Catalogue, Most Vinny Price Movies (a hammy delight), Night of the Living Dead, Evil Dead II, etc
Living-Dead.com: Well, I am just about done...I bet you are sighing a sigh of relief huh Mr. Finkbinder? -LOL--
Well, again, I already know what 'The Redeemer' does since his days on celluloid, but for everybody else, can you maybe give them a little insight on what you are up to now?
T. G. Finkbinder: I teach high school. AP Lit and Language and Theatre in Bethesda Maryland at Walter Johnson High School. I love my work, but it's hard as hell. I still get to perform five times a day. However, I have no discipline problems -- I just show the little cherubs The Redeemer -- and they are filled with a suitable sense of terror that may befall students who stray.
Living-Dead.com: Well, I guess this about wraps it up Mr. Finkbinder. I want to thank you very much for your time and patience. Ever since seeing this movie I was intrigued by alot of things. I was amazed at how stylish the film was shot and especially the style of acting you gave us. I dug it right from the beginning. I have always wondered what the vengeful 'Redeemer' was up to these days and especially his thoughts on the film. It means a great deal to me and everyone else at Living-Dead.com to have you give us some of your precious time to fullfill our insatiable appetite for classic horror films. It would be an honor for everyone to have you swing by Living-Dead.com to comment on your own film. Hell, stick around, you can even join the forum if you want....we all would love that! -LOL- Again Mr. Finkbinder I want to thank you on behalf of everyone at Living-Dead.com. We wish you the best in life and may all good things remain in your life. Hopefully we can keep in touch...I know I would like that.
