Video: Richard Elfman Releasing FORBIDDEN ZONE Director’s Cut!
Josh Millican
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Filmmaker and Oingo-Boingo founder Richard Elfman is re-releasing his cult comedy/fantasy/musical Forbidden Zone! Best of all, we’ll finally be seeing Elfman’s madcap opus as it was meant to be experienced: In color!
Find out more in the video below. After that, you can read a statement from Richard himself!
“Richard Elfman here, director of Forbidden Zone. It’s been a long journey, my friends. I originally shot the film in black & white and went broke before it was edited. My insane plan was to send the black and white negative to China and have the underworld sequences hand colorized, an arty technique tried in Paris in the ’20s.
Related Article: Exclusive: Richard Elfman Talks ALIENS, CLOWNS & GEEKS + Image Gallery
“Well, the slow boat never made it to China and colorization never happened. Then, amazingly, 10 years ago, a company offered to colorize the film with my full artistic input. They did an amazing job! I remember sitting with the colorists; they asked what color Danny’s eyes were. Duh… I know the kid’s birthday and shoe size but had to call Bridget on that one. Hazel with brown undertones. They nailed it! Forbidden Zone is a human cartoon—it pops alive in color! I can’t even watch the black & white anymore. The colorized version is actually closer to my original vision.
Related Article: FORBIDDEN ZONE and Political Correctness
“Speaking of which, going back to our very first test screening in 1980, there were a few things that really bugged me. Forbidden Zone is an absurdist fever-dream with hundreds of crazy, cartoonish images that spewed volcano-like from my crazy clown-brain. I regretted the few seconds of Max Fleischer-era black-face images and wanted to change it to ‘clown-face’ instead. But I had lost control of the film and didn’t have the means to change things the way I wanted.
“Well, with technology and some cool special fx friends, I’m finally fucking able to get things the way I originally wanted. Forty years later—yes life is strange! And the cherry on the cake is we’ve been approached by some big cannabis brands to do double feature drive-in runs of FZ: Director’s Cut along with my new film Aliens, Clowns & Geeks. Apparently, they can sell their product legally at selected venues. Who the hell might have a little fun at that!?”
Richard and his wife Anastasia Elfman were guests on the first season of Chronic Horror! You can revisit their appearance below.
Chronic Horror is a short form interview series that crosses the streams of the worlds of horror filmmaking, horror fandom, and cannabis culture. Join our host Josh Millican, a cannabis and horror expert who takes you on a ride full of laughs and enlightenment.
In this episode, our guests are Richard Elfman and Anastasia Elfman! Kaci “The Homicidal Homemaker” whips up some munchies that are tasty and healthy. After imbibing, we enjoy Sam Raimi’s Drag Me to Hell! Join us!
Are you a fan of Forbidden Zone? Are you excited to check out the Director’s Cut in 2021? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram! You can also carry on the convo with me personally on Twitter @josh_millican.
