UN: Naziploitation is a genre that hasnt been touched in a very long time. How did the project first begin to take shape? Were there any films in particular that jumpstarted the creative process for the film?

Keith: The idea started in 1995, when I had finished the bulk of the editing on my then current feature The Bloody Ape. I knew that I wanted a trailer to appear at the end of The Bloody Ape, regardless of whether or not I finished the film highlighted in the trailer. Hence I shot, in 16mm, something called Schindler's Lust. Well, it never got made into a feature, but quite a bit of the premise I kept and used for the film now known as Blitzkrieg Escape From Stalag 69. Two films provided inspiration, Rossellinis Rome Open City, and SS. Hell Camp. Open City helped me formulate the plot, Hell Camp inspired the madness and carnage that Blitzkrieg delights in.

UN: So once the basic idea for the film was in place, how long did the script writing process take? Torture and violence are usually both used to great lengths in films of this sort. Did the script go into graphic detail or was a lot of the violence planned after the script was written?

Keith: It took me about three months to complete the screenplay, as I wanted to try to make a good film with a good story rather than just a gory homage to exploitation films from the past. Believe it or not, the violence in the film was written into the screenplay, the only time we improvised was if a particular effect didn't work out or if we saw an opportunity to enhance a certain scene.

UN: Casting wise was it easy to find people wanting to be involved in the project? It would seem that the subject matter and not to mention the nudity and violence usually associated with the genre might make some people leery. But when you get right down to it, it's something that hasn't been touched for awhile and actors are probably sick of the same tired horror cliches and scripts.

Keith: You hit it right on the head. Actors, whether they admit it or not, have to be sick of this slasher/zombie garbage that keeps popping up in the various projects they are offered. Also, I got responses from actors and actresses who usually don't apply to horror film notices. The bulk of my cast comes from Europe, and they take the subject matter very seriously, so believe it or not, the right people came to me, I really didnt have to go chasing them.

UN: When the cast was chosen, were all of the actors familiar with the style of film you were trying to create? Did you give them a list of films to check out to become familiar with the style or did you want them to approach the genre from a unique angle?

Keith: A few of the American actors had an idea of the genre, most had heard of Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS. But for the most part, I didn't suggest any viewing what so ever, I preferred that the cast come in with a fresh or unique take on the subject, I wanted them to approach the film as what it is, an extremely violent war picture that tells what I hope to be a unique and interesting story.

UN: How long was the shooting process for the film? With a lot of low budget films, it seems like there is never enough time. Do you feel like you had to rush or did you have enough time to get everything you needed?

Keith: Originally, I wanted the film to wrap in one years time. It actually took me a year and half to shoot. We lost about two months worth of shooting because I had to fire an actress plus my lead actors infant son took ill. In most cases, this would have shut the film down completely, but we were dedicated to pulling this off, hence we stood strong and won the battle, so to speak. We shot on weekends pending peoples availability hence that is what added all the time to the shoot. I never really felt rushed but being a no budget picture you sometimes feel that your compromises can take away from the overall idea you had for rendering the film.

UN: I was curious to ask where the movie was shot. Was it hard to find a location for the camp?

Keith: The film was shot on Long Island, NY. It's about as un-European as you can get. We did the bulk of our exteriors on a closed down psychiatric center that was built pre-world war II. It was a very frightening looking place. It had outside cages that were used for sunning the patients. It had slate roofs, brick on the outside, more like a prisoner of war camp than an asylum. We also shot in a series of homes built in the 1920's that were slated for demolition. The fact that these locations became available for shooting still blows my mind. And no, we didn't have permits, or, for that matter, permission so most of this film was shot on the sly.

UN: Thinking on your toes seems to be a big part of low budget film making. Did you run into any trouble that required any last minute changes on set or something that just didnt work that had to be fixed in a hurry?

Keith: Just about every shoot required that on your toes approach. In most cases, it was super important if you had a big shoot planned and one of the cast couldn't make it due to unforeseen circumstances. Then you have to re-work the scene and make it work without that person. You can't keep cancelling shoots, 90% of the time the show must go on. Hence you alter your script to make it work.

UN: Obviously a naziploitation film is a risky movie to make in some peoples eyes. Have you received any backlash about the subject matter? Oddly enough though, if people were familiar with the genre they would know that the Nazis are always the villains and pretty much always meet grisly deaths before the end of the films.

Keith: I hope we get lots of people complaining about it, the more attention the better, especially because folks offended by this subject matter have no clue just what it is that's offending them, they just want to react to something without checking into it and seeing what its all about. We wrote a really cool prisoner of war movie here. We created a psychiatric history for the lead bad guy Helmet, I based his character off of Charles Manson. And no, not all the soldiers and guards are bad guys, a lot of them are very sympathetic to the plight of the prisoners and try to help them, only to be cut down if Helmet finds out. We also have a couple of rotten Russian Kapos, prisoners who side with their captors. We expose what other films on the subject don't. But one of the main messages in the film is that you're only a victim if you allow yourself to be.

UN: It seems like this is the perfect time for a film like this. The classics of the genre are all receiving high quality DVD releases and despite the fact that they are indeed sleazy, they are well made films as well. Do you feel like fans of the classics of the genre will be satisfied with Blitzkrieg?

Keith: I think fans of the genre will love it because I'm not giving them the same old shit, I wrote something fresh that will hold their attention and keep them interested. Yeah, the sex and violence is there but so is a story filled with interesting characters.

UN: Will the movie be coming out directly to DVD or will it have a theatrical run first? Did you film any behind the scenes material to be included on the DVD when it is available?

Keith: The film is being geared toward limited theatrical release. We already booked a theater in NY City for a showing on May 24. We have theaters interested all the way from Philly to Texas. The DVD won't see the light of day till late Summer/early Fall. And yes, the DVD will feature about 15 minutes of footage unseen in the theatrical cut. Plus we'll have deleted scenes, bloopers, trailers, etc

UN: When can we expect the DVD of The Bloody Ape to be out? Is there a release date set yet? It just says coming soon on the website.

Keith: Bloody Ape, which had limited video release in the late nineties, will have a DVD redux that will be available at the same time Blitz comes out on disc, late Summer/early Fall. Bloody Ape is a fun film; I hope folks will give it a peak.

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