On Screen: Providence Queer Filmmakers Serve Up Gore in Saint Drogo

Bleak and bloody are the takeaways from Saint Drogo, the second feature film from Providence-based filmmakers Monster Makeup Productions. Their first creation, Death Drop Gorgeous, received international acclaim from critics and fans of gay horror cinema for being unabashedly queer while honoring and celebrating the much-beloved traditions of classic slasher films. The movie won awards at festivals across the country including Audience Favorite at Salem Horror Festival in nearby Massachusetts.

In Saint Drogo, there are recognizable stylistic and thematic changes that set it apart from their first effort, a conscious decision by the filmmakers. As co-director, writer, and actor Michael Ahern explains, “We were ready to try something new. We love folk horror, so that was our main inspiration, films like The Wicker Man and Rosemary’s Baby,” he says of the sub-genre that tends to employ rural settings and superstitions. Where Death Drop Gorgeous paired horror with humor, Saint Drogo takes a more haunting, eerie approach, in part due to incredible special effects. No spoilers here, but several scenes are not meant for the faint of heart. The crew at Monster Makeup Productions admits that they are all about pushing the genre’s limits.

Brandon Perras-Sanchez, the film’s co-director along with Ahern and Ryan Miller, addresses the gore factor: “We would have included more gore if we could. In some of the horror films of the ‘80s – that aren’t the greatest films – the special effects are really fun and they give them their rewatchability. We always like to run some fun practical effects and make it gross and crazy.” Ahern adds, “The only thing we cut back on was the sex stuff. It used to be worse.”

Saint Drogo is screening to great reviews at film festivals around the country, and the team at Monster Makeup Productions is already planning their next feature, The Queen of the Rats, which revolves around the warehouse music scene in Providence during the early 2000s, the Rhode Island mafia, and of course, a Lovecraftian monster. Learn more at MonsterMakeupLLC.com