Special

By: Orlok666
Date: May 31, 2011

Set report and pics of 'Il Campeggio dei Morti Viventi'

A couple of weeks ago a bunch of horror enthusiasts went to Amsterdam to make a tribute to the Italian masters of (zombie) horror. Things go terribly wrong on a campsite when there’s a zombie outbreak. The no-budget movie is produced by Psychocru and directed by Maarten 'Mr. Psycho' Prins. Below is a report of the set visit by Luuk van Huët.

‘Blood! I need lots of blood! Now!’ It’s not the friendliest wake-up call I ever had, but mind you, it’s not your average camping trip. The dude waking me up with his already hoarse sounding voice is my guerilla filmmaking buddy Maarten ‘Mr Psycho’ Prins and I’m on the set of 'Il Campeggio dei Morti Viventi', loosely translated as ‘The Campsite of the Living Dead’.

Photo by Janou Derckx

This no-budget zombie flick is inspired by Italian exploitation films from the seventies, by the likes of Lucio Fulci and Marino Girolami, and will even be dubbed in Italian and subtitled for the domestic release. Which is why more than 50 people have gathered on an impromptu campsite in Amsterdam Nieuw-West, on the shores of the Sloterplas, to participate in this blood-drenched shoot.

The location proved fairly hard to find, at least for my particular malfunctioning sense of direction (which is akin to that of a beached whale, to be honest), forcing myself and my better half into the sticky seat cushions of a surprisingly helpful TCA taxi driver. It turned out we were looking for a cosy scouting terrain lying on the outskirts of Amsterdam.

Photo by Janou Derckx

As we arrive, the first scene is just being shot so we drag our stuff into the main compound, which instead of happy campers is now filled with zombie enthusiasts. Some of them are already being transformed into the living dead, courtesy of the special effects team led by Suzy Terror, the uncrowned queen of this specific craft in the Lowlands. Besides your standard shambling corpse, there’s enough specialised zombie freaks to go around.

Photo by Janou Derckx

A nun, a newlywed bride, a burqa-wearing Muslim, lesbian twins, a clown, a cyclist and three close harmony singers (complete with a ukulele) are just some of the different kinds of walking dead who will roam the camping site. Even two happy little campers playing football will not be spared! Citing my impeccable journalistic records and my need to keep a professional distance between myself and my subject, I politely decline the offer to also become zombified.

My girlfriend Reinilde is quickly drafted to become zombie chow and is voraciously snacked upon and subsequently turned into one of the undead. After a quick but thorough make-up session, she looks impressively gruesome, though the fact that she has to drink through a straw because of the prosthetics adds a disarming touch.

At the height of the shoot, almost 40 zombies are staggering around the campsite, grunting and moaning whilst engaged in your basic camping activities: awkwardly tossing frisbees, fumbling around with badminton rackets and shuffling towards the toilet whilst carrying a roll of toilet paper. Is it a metaphor for our passive nature whilst vacationing? A message about consumerism that turns us all into mindless drones?

Eh… nope. It’s about shitload of people who love zombie flicks, working, playing and creating a communal experience that’ll hopefully be enjoyed by a horde of zombie enthusiasts around the world. Coming to a cinema near you in 2012!

Photography by Janou Derckx

Additional uncredited photos by Willem Kloet and Jeffrey Beekman

'Il Campeggio dei Morti Viventi' official Facebook page

Source:Unfold Amsterdam