I met Duane Graves while studying TV/Film at Texas A&M University in Corpus Christi, TX. In April of 2001, after a yearlong tour of film festivals with his first feature Up Syndrome, Duane contacted me about the possibility of producing a short horror film. He had recently purchased a mint-condition Bolex H16 on E-bay and was itching to run some celluloid through it. Having finished a "macabre" chapbook, and itching to do some acting myself, I faxed over a few that I thought might make good short stories.
Duane was particularly interested in "The Voyage Home," a poetic short story about the inner strife of a deranged man, Legion, while on a pilgrimage to a deserted Texas town to cleanse his soul. It was loosely based on a chapter in the New Testament, Luke 8:29, and Duane felt it was just the right tone for the type of project he had in mind. Within two days, he had storyboarded several of the key sequences.
While in college at A&M, Duane and I studied screenwriting under Kim Henkel, the scribe of the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre film. Both of us are huge fans of the original, and we managed to locate a map on the Internet to several of the film's shooting locations in and around Austin, Texas. After visiting Quick Hill (the ruins of where Letherface's house once rested), we realized it was perfect for our project. Although our short has absolutely no chainsaws or cannibals, Quick Hill conveyed the sense of tortured isolation that Headcheese needed.
Throughout the summer of 2001, we shot primarily on the weekends in record-breaking heat. Quick Hill was completely fenced in so we were forced to not only trespass, but to tote heavy equipment to and from the hill through several barbed wire fences and curious wild cattle. We also managed to find the original graveyard and country gas station/BBQ shack, both of which are featured in our film. Rene Moreno, the subject of Duane Graves' Up Syndrome, also joined the cast for a small part.
In October, 2001, all the 16mm film was transferred to digital video and we began editing on both Final Cut Pro and Premiere systems. For four weeks straight, the material was sculpted into a 22 minute black and white short. Sound design was developed by James "MOZ" Brand and Justin "Ardabus Rubber" Baker. Describing their music as "harmonious chaos and intense brainwave manipulation," they added the abrasive touch to Headcheese.
Upon completion, we have screened the film for several individuals involved with the original "Chainsaw," including Kim Henkel who immediately agreed to come on board as a producer of the project. Duane and I have also begun writing the screenplay for our next project, which will be a feature. The hands-on experience of producing Headcheese was invaluable and has proven more educational than any film school classroom.
-- Justin Meeks, co-director, Headcheese
Correspondence: info@headcheesemovie.com