by Nicole Rebsher
 
 
 
 

What a lucky coincidence: two movies I'd waited many months to see were suddenly screened at  the Cinenygma filmfestival in Luxembourg, "Faust-Love of the Damned" and "The Attic Expeditions". But what was best: Jeffrey Combs, Brian Yuzna and the makers of "The Attic Expeditions" were supposed to make a personal appearance! So I jumped into my car saturday afternoon and drove to Luxembourg. You can't miss the huge cinema complex "Utopolis"; it's just at your right when you come to the city from the east. I bought my ticket and still had one hour left, so I waited nervously in a restaurant nearby, checked the digital camera  I had borrowed from a friend (thanks a lot, Alex) and worried whether I would be able to meet Jeff or even talk to him. At 7 pm I entered the cinema, wondered about the rating "Faust" had got (14 years?!) and went to cinema number 6. Only a handfull of people were already there and I almost ran into my favourite actor who was standing in front of the VIP  lounge with a glas of champagne in his hand. He actually looked like Dan Margolis in Faust with a black leather jacket, sideburns and no glasses. Before I could start to think how to adress him properly, he stepped towards me and said hello (we'd met before last year at Page's Bar in London and the Nexus Con in Berlin). We talked a bit about his new project, Fear.com:

Fear.com is sort of a dark thriller movie about people dying in mysterious ways and the police [is] investigating. It stars Steven Dorf. He plays a police detective, and I play his partner. He's a very good detective and I guess maybe at one point I was but I don't care anymore. I'm just burned out and ready to quit. I just kinda go along for the ride for a while in the movie until he pairs up with his love interest [...] Stephen Rhea is in the movie, too. There are these murders and it just turns out that people are dying from their worst fears, and so it's a journey to figure out why that's happened. It's like "The Cell" meets "What lies Beneath".

Jeffrey Combs

Very soon I forgot that he was the celebrity and I just a fan. Instead, it was more like chatting with an old friend. Then a group of German horror fans approached and asked for autographs ("You were great as 'Re-Animator', Mr. Combs"), which they immediately got. Brian Yuzna, the director of "Faust", was sitting in the back of the VIP lounge and the  guys left to talk to him. Finally  Jeff was called to give an interview, but reappeared together with Brian Yuzna to open the screening of "Faust". The movie was a blast, and I was very happy as I left Luxembourg at 10p.m. to drive back home. 

On monday I came back to see the world premiere of "The Attic Expeditions". Originally this movie was supposed to be released at halloween 2000, but financial problems had delayed the production. This time, I was prepared to meet Jeff and brought a tape recorder to conduct a short interview with him. Again we met in front of the VIP lounge and talked a bit about Faust and "The Attic Expeditions". Unshaven and  with glasses he looked totally different and even more like the guy next door. I could  tell he was very proud of "Attic Expeditions" ("You will like it!") and  happy to be reunited with director Jeremy Kasten and the producers Dan Gold and Melissa Balin. Jeff and Jeremy went on stage before the movie started and Jeff told the audience how the movie was completed despite severe financial problems:

"... most of these movies never get finished after that happens, but because of the tenacity and the absolute inability of these three people ever to give up they finally put this thing back on its feet and finished it. And that is a phenomenal thing, especially after you see this movie. This is not your typical American movie. I think that you'll be pleasantly surprised at how complex it is and at times, a bit of an enigma, which is so appropriate for this festival. So, enjoy the movie, on many levels."

Jeffrey Combs
 

The movie was fantastic; without exageration I can say that it was one of Jeffrey Combs best performances (see "A Dream within a Nightmare"). We met again afterwards and discussed the different interpretations one can have about "The Attic Expeditions". We finally made the interview and soon, a very sympathetic Jeremy Kasten joined us. Later I even had the chance to have a few words with Dan Gold, the producer. I just had the urge to tell him how much I had enjoyed the movie. Way too early I had to leave the little party; but during all the drive back I was still cheering about this very pleasant evening.
 

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