For most everyone (alive, that is), death is something that looms far off on the horizon. And although it’s an unavoidable reality, the perception of it differs widely from person to person. In the documentary THE LIFE OF DEATH, filmmaker Kevin J. Lindenmuth (pictured) explores how death is perceived by an eclectic group of individuals who work in the media and how it influences (or not) how they go about their lives and work. The interviewees include FANGORIA’s own Tony Timpone, author Jack Ketchum, actresses Caroline Munro and Debbie Rochon, Troma’s Lloyd Kaufman, director Scooter McCrae, Synapse Films topper Don May Jr. and others.

Lindenmuth has worked in the film/video business for over 25 years. Most of his professional life was spent working in New York City in all major aspects of video production; he’s also a published author and an independent filmmaker, his most popular genre title being the vampire/serial killer movie ADDICTED TO MURDER. For the past 10 years, he’s primarily been a documentary director/producer, with many broadcasting nationally on PBS. In addition to the aforementioned people, his LIFE OF DEATH interview subjects include spiritual journalist David Crumm, author/artist Bob Fingerman, author Keith R.A. DeCandido, special FX artist Tom Sullivan and ADDICTED star/professional tarot-card reader Sasha Graham, all sharing their thoughts on, well, life and death.

FANGORIA: What motivated you to make THE LIFE OF DEATH?

KEVIN J. LINDENMUTH: This feature is meant to bridge my horror filmmaking and PBS documentary work. In the 1990s, I wrote and directed a whole slew of low-budget horror and sci-fi movies, notably VAMPIRES AND OTHER STEREOTYPES and ADDICTED TO MURDER, which was widely distributed through Blockbuster in ’96. But by 2000 there wasn’t a viable market anymore, so I switched gears in order to make an income. This turned out to be documentaries, which is the complete opposite—from content to how they are shot and edited—of doing narrative features. The majority of the past ones were health-related, on food allergies, multiple sclerosis, etc.

But then I got the itch to do something different, maybe another feature. So I mulled that idea over, but I just didn’t have the budget available to do any of my scripts justice. Then I thought, “If I do only one more documentary, what would it be about?” And because of the previous health ones, I thought, “Death.” I’ve also probably hit the halfway mark in my life, and believe me, you look at things slightly differently at 45 than you did at 25. While the previous documentaries were made specifically with PBS in mind, this was not, so I didn’t have to worry about content or tone specific to that venue. I could do anything I wanted.

FANG: Why did you choose people who work in the media as the interviewees? And how were they selected?

LINDENMUTH: In addition to the whole independent director/producer thing, I’m also a writer, having written for quite a few genre mags, including FANGORIA. And since one of my main interests is horror, both film and fiction, I’ve been introduced to a lot of those folks. I knew what I wanted my documentary to be about—the perception of death in our modern society—and I thought I needed a connecting hook. And since horror films are often connected with death, I thought that was a natural way to go. I knew Scooter McCrae, Debbie Rochon, Tony Timpone, Sasha Graham and Don May from when I lived in New York City. I was introduced to Caroline Munro years ago through a mutual friend. And I’ve been a fan of the writings of Jack Ketchum, Keith DeCandido and Bob Fingerman for a long time. I simply contacted them, and they were interested in the project. I saw Tom Sullivan act in Mike Watt’s SPLATTER MOVIE and thought he was great in that—plus he did the effects for EVIL DEAD—so that also worked out.

But not everyone is horror-related. I knew that Art Regner, a Michigan broadcaster I’ve known since my college days, had an intense story about the death of his sister. And David Crumm, who wrote for the Detroit Free Press for 20 years as their spiritual columnist, had interviewed me for that paper years ago. The one thing that connects them all is that they work in the media.

FANG: Which of the interviewees did you find most fascinating?

LINDENMUTH: I like all of them, for different reasons, since they each bring something specific to the program. Don, for example, is sort of the “Everyman.” Scooter always comes off so wise. Lloyd is off-kilter. Bob brings up a lot of great points. I don’t have a favorite, actually. They all mix very well together with their different—and similar—viewpoints.

FANG: What was the reasoning behind having tarot-card reader Sasha Graham as one of the subjects?

LINDENMUTH: That was pretty much luck. Years ago, Sasha had acted in quite a few of my movies, such as ADDICTED TO MURDER as the vampire Angie. Then she got into tarot, and at least to me, the one image that comes up with that is the Death card. I thought that was a good point of conversation. She’s also a mother, which adds a different perspective.

FANG: Why have two “scream queens,” Debbie Rochon and Caroline Munro, in the film, and how would you describe/compare/contrast the two?

LINDENMUTH: Well, I’ve seen Caroline in movies since I was 7, with the DR. PHIBES flicks, and she definitely had a presence in the ’70s and ’80s. Believe it or not, I love AT THE EARTH’S CORE! She’s worked with everyone from Vincent Price to Christopher Lee. I had never seen her in anything like a documentary, so I thought that would be unique to see her in this type of program.

Debbie appeared in a few of my movies in the ’90s—and in addition to acting, she’s a journalist and radio host, so she’s much more than a “scream queen.” She’s articulate and can really get a point across.

FANG: The interviewees are very frank and candid, and some share extremely personal stories. How do you earn a person’s trust so they feel comfortable talking about touchy and/or painful subject matter?

LINDENMUTH: With this documentary, I basically had a list of 10 questions I wanted to form the program around, so after I contacted all those involved, I sent them the questions beforehand. As I said, I know most of these people personally, so they already had that trust. I think the ones I wasn’t expecting were Tom Sullivan—I didn’t know his wife drowned!—and Tony Timpone, who’s usually so unemotional in interviews. The most challenging was getting Lloyd to be somewhat serious.

FANG: There’s a segment concerning death and horror films. What are your views on why horror films are made, why people watch them and what audiences get out of seeing people die on screen?

LINDENMUTH: My view is that death in movies and death in real life are two completely different things, mostly because of the emotional component. When I’m watching a SAW movie, I’m watching a special effect. When I have pet die on me, it’s a loss.

Horror films, to me, are fun. Death is just sort of incidental in them—it’s the payoff. People watch them because it’s a thrill—it’s a sort of experience they wouldn’t have in their normal life. They see death, but it’s safe. And I suppose there’s a kind of catharsis about it, especially if there’s an asshole character who deserves a violent end.

FANG: What movie(s) about or involving death have had the biggest impact on you?

LINDENMUTH: There’s a period film called JUDE, with Kate Winslet and Christopher Eccleston, that has one of the most disturbing death scenes I’ve seen. Makes me cringe. And, of course, Spock’s death in STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN and Kong being shot off the Empire State Building in Peter Jackson’s KING KONG.

FANG: Jack Ketchum doesn’t believe in the afterlife, and says in THE LIFE OF DEATH that what counts is what we do when we’re here on Earth. How do you feel about his response?

LINDENMUTH: Well, that’s true. I think most people would agree with, “What counts is what we do when we’re alive.” Everything else is just guesswork and opinion.

FANG: How surprised were you to hear Tony’s response to the question, “How do you want to die”? He replies that when he was younger, he wanted to die in a car crash and a fiery explosion!

LINDENMUTH: That didn’t surprise me. In fact, I’ve wanted to put Tony in an exploding car on several occasions. Just kidding.

FANG: Tony also talks about Forrest J Ackerman’s living wake. What are your thoughts on his unusual decision? Is that something you would feel awkward dealing with?

LINDENMUTH: I thought that was an interesting way to go about it, because it makes absolute sense. I’ve been to many, many old-age homes where the residents can’t move, can’t talk and are basically being held hostage and not able to do anything about it themselves. So, if someone is that age and can make a decision about their quality of life, they should be able to do that.

I wouldn’t feel awkward dealing with that at all. I’ve had lots of friends die the past 20 years, and have dealt with a lot of uncomfortable health situations. And I’ve put a few dogs to sleep in my arms. It doesn’t faze me at all. I know what to expect.

FANG: How did making this film affect you, in terms of your feelings about mortality, death and how people handle and accept the fact that we’re all going to die?

LINDENMUTH: It basically reconfirmed everything I’ve already believed, or not. Remember, there’s a few hours of interviews per person that were shot, and maybe 10-15 minutes used of each one in the documentary. So I very much decided what to use and not use to get the responses I wanted. But people in general can’t deal with death at all—I think most believe it simply won’t happen to them.

FANG: How would you like to die?

LINDENMUTH: I would rather it be quick than something slow and lingering. But I wouldn’t want to get run over by a Zamboni.

FANG: You end the film with people’s thoughts on leaving a legacy. What legacy, if any, do you want to leave?

LINDENMUTH: I honestly don’t give that very much thought. Sure, it would be great if these programs and books I’ve done are around for a long while, but I’ve basically done all of these things for myself. I think that after I’m dead, I won’t care so much what happens to any of my work.

You can go to Lindenmuth’s website for more on the filmmaker and THE LIFE OF DEATH.

---

MOVIES/TV - Fearful Features