DARK BEGINNINGS was split out of the three hour edit
of SCARLET MOON. I said I cut SCARLET MOON in half and got two movies but in reality I had to start with a blank master and
edit everything all over again from scratch, seperating out all the scenes that were directly tied to huntng for the Scarlet
Moon diamond in SCARLET MOON and the rest got shifted into DARK BEGINNINGS.
Both movies have good stuff in them. DARK BEGINNINGS deals more with Santirians,
Wiccans and Satanism than SCARLET MOON. My tribute to Roger Corman's 1960 classic LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS all got shifted over
to DARK BEGINNINGS too. We actually made a full size frog eating Audrey plant and instead of Gravis Mushnick we had Boris
Mushnick, a more well to do brother or something.
A funny thing about the LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS tribute - I contacted Mel Welles
who played Gravis Mushnick for Corman in the 1960s picture and he was excited about reviving the role in my movie. I wrote
his scenes mangling the language like his character originally did and I think I really captured the funny way he spoke. Welles
was impressed with my writingand said if I ever want to be s script doctor in LA he'd set me up! Well Roger Corman and Charles
Griffith, Mel's friend since the 1950s and author of LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS didn't represent an obsticle, but the Screen Actor's
Guild did. Despite my pleadings and Mel's pleadings to both the New York and LA branches they would not sanction my using
Mel in a non-union movie. It was a shame. What harm would it have done?
Another funny story is when we went to the magical shop to see if we could use
it as a location. The owner said he would have to ask his gunga if it was alright and Dominic and I were taken into the cellar
chapel. It all had to do with Santiria and santarians kill people I was told! So here we were with Santirians asking their
spiritual guardian if we were ok. What if it said, "No! Kill them!!!"
(to be continued).
