The Devil’s Carnival
Catch Emilie Autumn in The Devil’s Carnival, a new film by the minds behind Repo! The Genetic Opera
Come one! Come all! To the place where sinners are tested. To where the Devil sings in his baritone voice and where you will abide by all 666 rules or suffer the bloody consequences. This is The Devil’s Carnival.
Fa-la la, It’s Off to Hell We Go
The 666 Song, with Emilie Autumn as the Painted Doll in the Devil’s Carnival
The Devil’s Carnival is an exotic, lush, sinful creation from director Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw II, III, and IV) and writer/actor Terrance Zdunich, the minds who brought you Repo! The Genetic Opera.
The film takes place in Hell, of course, where three damned souls who have have had the ‘luck’ to ‘win’ carnival tickets are tested by ever-mysterious ringmaster Lucifer and his devilish carnies.
The damned souls in question are gullible teen Tamara (Jessica Lowndes), a grieving father (Sean Patrick Flanery) and Ms. Merrywood, a petty thief (Briana Evigan). Paul Sorvino is cast in the role of God and Terrance Zdnuich plays (surely no great surprise to Repo! fans) Lucifer. The three damned souls and their fates intentionally echo Aesop’s Fables (The Scorpion and the Frog, The Dog and its Reflection, and Grief and his Due). But it’s Lucifer holds the structure of the film together as kind-of narrator.
Meet the Carnies… and the Painted Doll
The cast of the Devil’s Carnival has many returning faces from Repo! including Bill Moseley, Nivek Ogre, Alexa Vega, Paul Sorvino and J. LaRose. So many new faces have been added to the mix, however: Emilie Autumn, internet star Hannah Minx, Sean Patrick Flanery from The Boondock Saints, Ivan Moody from Five Finger Death Punch, Jessica Lowndes from 90210, Briana Evigan from Step Up 2… and near-countless others.
You can’t have a carnival without carnies that are by turn macabre, grotesque and enticing, encouraging you to roll up, roll up to see the show… and the carnies here are a feast for the eyes, including a Woe-Maidens, a Hobo Clown, a Ticket-Keeper, a Scorpion, and a sexy Painted Doll. The last is, of course, the role of Emilie Autumn in the Devil’s Carnival. Oh, she makes a lovely Painted Doll…
The Devil’s Carnival Road Tour, An Experience to Sin For
The road tour of the Devil’s Carnival is on its second leg; though it’s halfway over the good news is that the movie will be out on DVD in October.
I managed to catch the second tour in Springfield; my mother and I got Ringmaster tickets for a VIP experience and I celebrated by wearing an outfit that included vertical striped thigh high stockings and a black steel-boned corset. As part of the Ringmaster experience we got pre-signed tickets, were treated to a Ringmasters only Q&A and had photos taken with Terrance and Darren. Oh, and there was a costume contest and a local circus act who swallowed a neon-lit blade and a sword. All the good things.
Shelly grabs some quality time with The Devil’s Carnival creators Darren Lynn Bousman and Terrance Zdunich
When we went to buy merch (tees, signed albums, posters… my mother kindly treated me to an Emilie Autumn Painted Doll poster) it’s worth noting how amazing and thankful Terrance and Darren were to their fans; I’m really grateful to them for signing my sketchbook and poster, and for the smiles all round.
The Devil’s Carnival ends at around 55 minutes and creators Darren and Terrance say that due to high fan demand a second episode will be made soon. Though it can currently be only be seen on the Road Tour, this movie is worth seeking out… it’s witty and fun, each song flows right into the next and fans of Repo! are sure to love it.
For those who can’t attend, go order the Devil’s Carnival album online, get a poster, keep an eye out for the DVD this autumn and support these guys. You never know when they’ll be coming to a city near you.
Support the Devil’s Carnival…
– Buy the MP3 soundtrack album.
– Includes the Emilie Autumn track Prick! Goes The Scorpion’s Tale
