Writer/director Tate Hoffmaster has unleashed an exclusive clip from the shot-on-VHS horror meta-comedy Pizza Guy 8, a collaboration with fellow Troma alum Dylan Mars Greenberg, who serves as co-producer, DP and actor. In the surrealist slasher, “after being pushed around, a kind, down-on-his-luck pizza delivery boy is finally pushed too far and goes on a killing spree. However, he soon discovers he is actually in a movie and tries to escape his murderous fate in this surrealist slasher, “after being pushed around, a kind, down-on-his-luck pizza delivery boy is finally pushed too far and goes on a killing spree. However, he soon discovers he is actually in a movie and tries to escape his murderous fate,” and it features Troma royalty Lisa Gaye, Lloyd Kaufman and Amanda Flowers, as well as an appearance from cult favorite band Crazy and the Brains as themselves. This is Hoffmaster’s second feature. Hoffmaster Says about the film:
“In respect to my first movie, we didn’t shoot this all in one go with pick-ups. We shot over multiple weekends over a year in both Lancaster, PA and New York City. I worked closely with my friend Dylan Mars Greenberg. She helped produce the film, shoot it, act in it, edit it and so much more. And then the film started growing. Dylan helped me crowdfund the film with the producing help of Michelle Nessk and her debut feature with advice from Addison Benek. It was a success, and through more connections, we brought on talents like Lisa Gaye, David “the Rock” Nelson, Purple Pam, and more! We employed more filmmaking techniques and were able to make a much larger film than expected! This was a much more ambitious project than the first and I still had fun with friends. I think it shows!
I like the idea of heyoka- a joke that mirrors what is being taken too seriously. This movie reminds the viewer it’s not real and it’s not perfect. To let loose while viewing and to remember a movie is only a piece of time to be observed and experienced. Not to say there isn’t a message. As film becomes increasingly monopolized, ideals become homogenized. We need films with different moral compasses. Films that remind us of community and that at the end of the day the world is not about products. A good movie makes you want to go out and live.”
The film will premiere at Museum of the Moving Image in Queens on Saturday, February 22, with director Hoffmaster and co-producer Greenberg in attendance. Tickets and details on that screening are here, and you can pre-order Pizza Guy 8 from VHSHaven.