Director Darren Lynn Bousman

As director of the second, third and fourth entries in the "Saw" franchise, director Darren Lynn Bousman has certainly more than flirted with mainstream horror. But his hallmark has been operating around the fringes of the usual; even "Saw," while a mainstream hit, was largely outside the norm.

The prime example of this, perhaps, is his 2005 film "Repo! The Genetic Opera," a bizarre, operatic film about a dark, dystopian future where organs are traded freely, much in the way cars and homes are sold in the real world. And like those items, when people are unable to pay, their organs are repossessed.

"Repo!" has found itself a cult following, and Bousman, along with co-writer/star Terrance Zdunich, will be in Indianapolis to host a screening of the film at the Irving Theater (5505 E. Washington St) Nov. 8.

Before his screening, Bousman sat down with The Film Yap to discuss his film, its similarities to the 2010 film "Repo Men" starring Jude Law and what he loves about horror films.

So why do this revivial with "Repo!"? What is it about this movie that has sparked it to have such a following?

I think it spoke to an audience who possibly felt marginalized. Here we were, this crazy, insane, bigger-than-life rock opera. We were our own thing, and we didn't give a hell about trying to conform to movies that came before us.

The premise for the film is really tremendous and provocative and speaks a lot to modern society. There are some really heavy political overtones there. Can you talk about what this (albeit exaggerated) ghastly version of society speaks to modern society? In real life, our repossession only ruins lives in a figurative sense —your car, your house — as opposed to your entire life.

We live in a world where people are controlled and, dare I say, manipulated by whatever the “in” fad is. A new iPhone is released and, like sheep, we all line up, wait hours for that new toy that, in reality, we don't need. We want what’s popular. We want what's shiny. Do we need it? No, but we want to fit in. We don't want to be the one person without it. Most of the time, we can't afford it, but it’s better to be in debt and have than to be rich and have not, so we become slaves to our possessions. They own us. So let's take that another step further: We want to look like everyone else. We want to achieve perfection with our bodies, so, like the iPad we don't need, we go out and spend money we don't have. Before we know it, we are swimming in debt. Then one morning, we wake up and realize this all could be taken away. The repo men could come a'knocking.

The other part of the movie however, deals with insane addiction to look a certain way, to have the biggest breasts, the strongest muscles, the bluest eyes. We are never happy with who we are and what we have, so we go out and think, “If I only had bigger tits, I would be happier.”

Can you talk about the movie "Repo Men," starring Jude Law, and the similarities to the subject matter with "Repo!"?

Here, this will be better: http://www.darrenlynnbousman.com/a-brief-lesson-in-history-repo-vs-repo/. The pictures are gone, but my response is still there.

Talk about your cast: It's pretty eclectic. You have Anthony Stewart Head, whom people may know as Giles from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," you have Paul Sorvino, a very well-respected actor in a variety of genres, Sarah Brightman, who is known more for her stage work...and Paris Hilton, who is probably the most famous of them all, but not for her acting. How did this cast help the film?

I think the main reason this film has achieved a cult-like status is the cast. It's a cluster-fuck of WTFs? There is no reason that Paris Hilton should be sharing the screen with Sarah Brightman. In what parallel universe is it OK for Paul Sorvino to be singing a song with OhGr from Skinny Puppy? And that is what makes this movie awesome. It shouldn't work. It should fail miserably, but for some reason, it doesn't. It's so odd, so wrong that it's just right.

I cast who I like, who I want to work with, not just who is hot right now or who is the biggest star at the moment. I cast who I would want to see. I wanted to see Paris Hilton signing with her face falling off. I wanted to see Sarah Brightman rip her eyes out. I wanted to see GILES screaming out power ballads.

Was there an actor who surprised you with how they reacted to the material? Who, why, and in what way?

It's a hard question, as I am literally in love with the entire cast. The risks they took to do this strange quirky rock opera are humbling. It was a lot of firsts for everyone. Take Sarah Brightman, a world-renowned opera singer. This was her first movie.

Alexa Vega comes to mind. Known for being a Spy Kid, having her on set she was a Spy Kid no more. She was Shilo. Watching actors transform is an amazing process.

Paul Sorvino was an interesting one as well. He is an intimidating pressence. He terrified me. I saw him as Paulie from “Goodfellas." He and I didn't get along at all at first. I went home nightly convinced I was going to get "whacked." After about a week I started cutting scenes together and started showing Paul. After he saw the first scene, and saw that it worked, all the walls crumbled, and Paul and I became (and still are) the closest of friends.

You're a horror film veteran. What is it you like about making horror films?

I love making people feel. Horror is an interesting genre, as it's a genre that can upset, offend, frighten and truly terrify. Terror is such a raw feeling. It stays with you. It's a rush. I want to create feelings in people they remember. Horror allows me that luxury.

From a directorial standpoint, what does a good horror film need to have, and why is that important?

That's a hard question. And maybe that's why I love horror. There are so, so many subgenres — zombies, slasher, religious, comedy horror, gore-based. The list goes on and on. Each subgenre has its own rules.

However, for me, the most important thing I ask myself before doing any film is, “Could anyone else tell this story?” If the answer is yes, odds are I shouldn't direct it. I want to do films that only I can do.

I also make a list before starting any film. I say, “What are my favorite things within this subgenre?” I literally list them out. Once I have my list, I make sure not to do any of them.