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A SKINterview with Paul Fishbein, Producer of 'Time Warp: The Greatest Cult Films of All Time' Part Two

Cult movie lovers rejoice as there's a new three-part documentary series set to scratch every conceivable itch you've got!Time Warp: The Greatest Cult Films of All-Timewas a true passion project for producer Paul Fishbein, whose credits include Showtime'sSubmission,Sex with Sunny Megatron, and the two-parterX-Rated: The Greatest Adult Movies of All TimeandX-Rated 2: The Greatest Adult Stars of All Time. This new three-part series features—to crib from Louis B. Mayer—more stars than there are in the heavens talking about some of the greatest, weirdest, most hilarious, most heartwarming, and most infamous movies ever made.

Following last month's Vol. 1: Midnight Madness, today—May 19—sees the release of Vol. 2: Horror Sci-Fi covering some of the goriest, bloodiest, spaciest, weirdest, most far-out flicks of all time. It is available to stream right nowviaAmazon Prime Video,iTunes, andFandango Now!

All the heavy hitters of the horror and sci-fi genres are here from Night of the Living Dead and Texas Chainsaw Massacre to Blade Runner and A Clockwork Orange. However, they also pull some deep cuts with smaller, but no less rabid and devoted fan bases from The Devil's Rejects and Death Race 2000 to Liquid Sky and Brother From Another Planet. In other words, if you think you've seen and heard every story there is to tell about these films, you're in for the surprise of your life!

Also contained within the confines of Vol. 2: Horror Sci-Fi are the final on-camera interviews with such luminaries as Tobe Hooper, Stuart Gordon, and Sid Haig, as well as a newly poignant interview with the late, great Fred Willard. Fishbein and company also managed to license a late period interview with George A. Romero, making it one of the most essential docs around for lovers of the macabre and those who brought those dark visions to life.

However, it should also be said that newbies to these films, or those who consider themselves horror averse should also find plenty here to enjoy, as some of the biggest names in Hollywood line up to tell you why these are such great films.

A SKINterview with Paul Fishbein, Producer of 'Time Warp: The Greatest Cult Films of All Time' Part Two

Once again, the four-person panel headed by Joe Dante (Gremlins) is on hand to shoot the breeze and give some crucial context to these films, with Illeana Douglas, Kevin Pollak, and John Waters helping him to set the table in the glorious fashion. Coupled with talking head interviews from the film's directors, Hollywood luminaries, and highly respected film critics like David Edelstein and Amy Nicholson, it makes for comprehensive and entertaining viewing from beginning to end.

Time Warp: The Greatest Cult Films of All-Time Vol. 2—Horror Sci-Fi is available to stream now via Amazon Prime Video, iTunes, and Fandango Now, and you can prepare yourself to experience it by checking out the second of our three-part interview with Paul Fishbein below...

A SKINterview with Paul Fishbein, Producer of 'Time Warp: The Greatest Cult Films of All Time' Part Two

Tucker Bankshot: Why did you choose to call them Cult Films and not Cult Movies?

Paul Fishbein: I don’t think there was any reason except that we thought it sounded better. Yes they are also movies (-:

TB: Are you surprised by how many cult films have been released by The Criterion Collection? It seems like such a highbrow company, but they’ve released dozens of cult films, including Night of the Living Dead.

PF: One of the things that makes Criteriongreat is that their love of the movies showsthrough, whether it’s Bergman and Fellini or George Romero and Russ Meyer. They treat each movie as its own masterpiece, even some films that seem minor. And it helps peoplerediscover lost gems. Their treatment ofBeyondtheValley of the Dolls, which is featured in Part 3 of the our doc series but is one of my favorites, is fantastic, using a great print and fun extras, including a great JohnWaters interview. Fox never knew what to do with BTVOTD so it’s great that’s it preserved by Criterion.

A SKINterview with Paul Fishbein, Producer of 'Time Warp: The Greatest Cult Films of All Time' Part Two

TB: Were you surprised to hear a renowned film critic like David Edelstein say that no movie affected him as much, viscerally, as Night of the Living Dead?

PF: No, because I had the same reactionwhen I first saw it. WhyNight of the Living Dead is such anessential cult film is not onlybecause it started a genre that thrives today, zombie movies, but it also defines what a cult film is. Failure on its release, discovered atmidnight screenings, spread by word of mouth, becomes a must-see amongst its growing devotees, and standsthe test of time. It is now considered a classic when upon its release, it wasthrowaway B-movie.

TB: Because they're obviously not chronological nor do they seem to be sorted by subgenre, how did you find the through line and order for all of these films?

PF: The thing we knew was that so many of these films could be in multiplecategories. Night of the Living Deadended up in Horror but obviously also could have ended up inthe MidnightMadness volume.Freaks, which ended up in the midnight section, easily could have been inforeign, BUT we felt it was anaesthetic cousin toEraserhead so it ends up there. Pink Flamingosis in“Midnight Madness,”but easily could haveslipped into Part 3,“Comedy and Camp,” because what movie is campier thanPink Flamingos? Truly, if you view this three-part series as one 5 1/2 hour doc, it makes sense.

A SKINterview with Paul Fishbein, Producer of 'Time Warp: The Greatest Cult Films of All Time' Part Two

TB: Is there a bigger contrast between a person in real life and the films he creates than Tom Six? He just seems like a very gregarious Dutchman who makes some of the absolute most depraved films ever.

PF: Tom Six is an outsized character and he’s fun. I love watching him seriously discussHuman Centipede as an auteur, because stitching people ass-to-mouth is its own genre, right? You can’t take it too seriously. Irv Slifkin, our associate producer, wanted us to takeHuman Centipede out completely…..he is that revolted by it. But revolting is another sub-definition of cult, right?

A SKINterview with Paul Fishbein, Producer of 'Time Warp: The Greatest Cult Films of All Time' Part Two

TB: Docs like this are always great because you learn things you can’t unlearn, such as David Gale being the model for Dudley Do Right. That’s all I’ll be able to think about the next time I see his disembodied head going down on Barbara Crampton. Any other stories like that from these interviews that really stands out for you?

PF: I don’t want to give too much away but Bruce Campbell’s discussion of what reallyhappened onthe set of Evil Dead sticks with mebecause you can see how it may have affected himpermanently. He’sreally passionate when hetells those stories.

A SKINterview with Paul Fishbein, Producer of 'Time Warp: The Greatest Cult Films of All Time' Part Two

TB: I loved Mary Woronov’s story about Stallone writing Rocky while making Death Race 2000, is there any more Paul Bartel coming in the next installment (fingers crossed for Eating Raoul)?

PF: How can you make a documentary about cult films and leave out Eating Raoul? It is anessential film in Part 3,“Comedy and Camp,” that releases June 23.Mary’s stories about that film are great too.

A SKINterview with Paul Fishbein, Producer of 'Time Warp: The Greatest Cult Films of All Time' Part Two

TB: It was so interesting to see Joe Morton, Malcolm McDowell, and various others all debate what genre A Clockwork Orangebelongs in. Did you put it with sci-fi because that’s sort of the only place it could have gone for your purposes?

PF: Yes and no. For our purposes we put it in sci-fi because of thefuturistic setting, but it’s also a satire. Idon’t think you could put it in comedy so maybe inthe second part of“Midnight Movies” where we discuss subversive directors like Samuel Fuller and Russ Meyer? Hard to say. But Malcolm McDowell is so good and Ithink itworks here.

A SKINterview with Paul Fishbein, Producer of 'Time Warp: The Greatest Cult Films of All Time' Part Two

TB: Iwasfloored by how good Sean Young still looks, why do you think we don’t see her as much as we used to?

PF: Don't know because we interviewed her on twodifferent occasions, in Los Angeles for Blade Runnerand in New York last year for our next doc onthe history of nudity in the movies, which you’ll behearing more about soon. She couldn’t have beenlovelier. Of course we’ve read the stories about her that are of Hollywood legend, but she was great.

TB: LOVED seeing John Sayles' Brother from Another Planet get some love on here. Were there any similarly obscure films you wanted to include but couldn’t for one reason or another? The Man Who Fell to Earth maybe?

PF: Dark Star and A Boy and His Dogwere two sci-fi cult gems, on the obscure side, that we wanted to include but you run out of time, money, and space. If weever do more volumes, we’ll cover those and others.

A SKINterview with Paul Fishbein, Producer of 'Time Warp: The Greatest Cult Films of All Time' Part Two

TB: Can you think of any other sequel promised by a film that didn’t end up happening that you lament more than Buckaroo Banzai Against the World Crime League?

PF: Well becauseThe Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai wasn’t initially a hit and took years to find its cult audience, I guess a sequel was a long-shot. Would have loved to have seen it. Maybe now when this documentary helps find it a brand new audience!!!

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Time Warp: The Greatest Cult Films of All-Time Vol. 2—Horror Sci-Fiis available to stream now...

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