The answer: A vampire, a mad doctor, a padded cell, a hearse, a graveyard, a dungeon, a coffin — and sex in the last five.
The question: What in hell is Michael Zen's new movie about?
For followers of Zen's XXX-career, Thirst has all the elements you'd associate with him even though, surprisingly, he's never done an actual vampire movie before. (Just to catch you up: the vampire and doctor are twin brothers, both played by Rod Barry. The doctor runs a sort of experimental sexual facility and watches a lot of sex on his surveillance cameras. The vampire, as vampires do, bites people. Barry, one of XXX's finest actors — and cocksmen — is actually a replacement for someone who bowed out at the last minute. After seeing him in costume and watching him work, however, it's difficult to imagine anyone else in the part.) For those less familiar with Zen, his stylish movies nearly always have a touch of the bizarre, supernatural, or otherworldly. They're also about yearning and love, not just sex.
This is the final day of filming. It's expected to be a long one (and it is: 14 hours). One of the reasons for this is that Zen is trying to get enough footage to be able to do a softcore film-festival version. Another is, he wants to get it right. Thirst is a rather big movie in porn terms. It has an 18-page script and 59 setups.
The call is for 9 a.m. Filming begins around 11:00. After shooting bracketing scenes in which "Dr." Barry enters and leaves the padded cell (the sex scene in the cell was shot the day before), Zen films a third scene in a hallway that has hustler Kid (Andy Kirra) desperately trying every door to escape from the facility where he and buddy Buddy have been brought after having sex in a hearse which was traveling through the city. Pleased with the frantic Olivia De Havilland quality of the scene, Zen moves on to a long acting scene between Andy and Rod in the Dr.'s office.
One of the technical puzzles of this scene is a television monitor that must show what the surveillance cameras see. The screen isn't the right shape. "I'll have to scale it," Zen says. "It won't be easy, but... " Zen likes the contrast of color and black-and-white. "Black-and-white really gives the feeling of surveillance and makes you appreciate color when you see it."
Rod and Andy rehearse their lines under Zen's direction. "It's almost like Mr. Smith in Matrix, you're so cool and collected," Zen advises Rod. Then he tells them where and when to move, giving them reasons to move and hints about what words of dialogue to emphasize. The shot is good in one take, but they run the scene several times to get close-ups and reaction shots. "I need all these pieces to play with," Zen says to me. "That way I can balance the production in editing."
Next comes the murder scene. As Andy "watches" the horrors on the blank TV screen, Zen tells him what his character is seeing on the surveillance cameras and Andy reacts accordingly. Following this, while Rod is telling Andy the story of his vampire brother, videographer Ross Cannon closes in with his lens until Rod's face fills the screen. "Andy, listen to every word. Don't take your eyes off him," Zen instructs. After Kid kills the evil Dr., instead of giving him the blowjob he's expecting, everyone breaks for dinner.
After a sequence of caped vampire Rod descending the staircase to his dungeon is filmed, photographer Mick Hicks shoots the box cover art and the first flesh of the day is seen: Andy's cherubic bum sticking out as Rod enfolds him in his cape.
After another dialogue scene on the threshold of the vampire's dungeon is completed, Rod and Andy, in a long, passionate kiss, gradually get naked. It's been a 12-hour wait, but sex is finally about to happen!
The dungeon is fully enclosed and the coffin, the camera, and the actors take up so much of the space that Zen and I must watch the action from another room on the monitor. Rod carries Andy into the frame and says, "Welcome to my lair," as he sets him down. They kiss again and Rod moves Andy's head down to his dick — and the screen goes blank! We hear sounds of a great blowjob, but can't see a thing. Zen whispers, "They just don't want to share." Once the picture is restored we see Andy deep throating Rod to his commands.
Zen asks for softcore coverage, then they switch to another position. Rod sucks Andy who's sitting on the edge of the coffin. Rod really goes to town licking and sucking cock and balls, eagerly slurping, almost gagging on Andy's beautiful dick. Andy's tongue is really long and agile and Cannon gets some great shots of it teasing Rod's hole. When Rod's ass is fingered he moans in surprise and delight.
After a break to cool down a bit — the enclosed space is heating up from the lights — they resume with Andy on his back, wanking, as Rod's cock glides in and out of his ass. As Andy sits on Rod's cock and bounces he announces that he can come any minute. "Hold it," Zen commands and asks for a new camera angle: now from the side we see Rod pumping furiously upward into Andy. The screen goes black again. What's happening? "I don't know," Zen says, "I just don't want to hear 'I'm coming!' yet."
When the screen fills with sex once again, Zen asks for simulated cum-shots for cable, then the real ones for the DVD. On their backs, butt-to-butt in the coffin, Rod and Andy stroke until the squirt flies. And it's a wrap.
Now it's up to Michael Zen to fit the pieces together for Thirst's release on Halloween.
Adonis is distributed by Paladin Video: 800-228-8395.
Rod Barry, Andy Kirra photo courtesy of AdonisPictures.com
