Exclusive Interview: Singh Lall and Alex Churchyard Talk ‘Video Shop Tales of Terror II: Lust and Revenge’

In 2021, horror fans were treated to a delightfully obscure anthology horror film called Video Shop Tales of Terror, in which various directors within the UK’s thriving horror community got together to direct gruesome and hilarious segments centered around the theme of an old-school VHS store with shelves full of horror. The project was the brainchild of producer Singh Lall, a producer, actor, and massive horror enthusiast, who can be seen at just about every horror event in the UK.

The sequel to Video Shop Tales of Terror is aptly titled Video Shop Tales of Terror II: Lust and Revenge, and it will be released on Halloween, after premiering at the prestigious Horror-on Sea film festival (the same festival the original premiered at) last year. Lall once again brought together a huge crew of talented filmmakers for the sequel, including Alex Churchyard, Tony Mardon, Angie Darling Baby, Richard Rowntree, and Debbie Lane. The segments include stories about aliens, psychopaths, and monsters, with retro-style fake trailers being played at various intervals, to add to the overall grindhouse feel. And the cast includes a wide array of popular horror stars, such as Dani Thompson, Annabella Rich, Charlie Bond, Laurence R. Harvey, Hannah Paterson, James Hamer-Morton, William Marshall, Amber Doig-Thorne, and Ayvianna Snow. I also appear in several of the segments, so be sure to keep an eye out for me.

In the following interview, Lall and segment director Churchyard discuss everything about Video Shop Tales of Terror II: Lust and Revenge, giving an overview of everything from how the project came about down to the final stages of production. And if you would like to see Video Shop Tales of Terror II: Lust and Revenge for yourself, you can pre-order the film on Blu-ray here: videodungeon.bigcartel.com/product/video-shop-tales-of-terror-ii-lust-and-revenge-blu-ray

Exclusive Interview: Producer Singh Lall and Segment Director Alex Churchyard Talk Video Shop Tales of Terror II: Lust and Revenge

Love Horror: Can you give an overview of the Video Shop Tales of Terror franchise, and how it all came about, and why you wanted to create it?

Singh Lall: I was lucky enough to be involved in the promotion of Horror-on-Sea, via the creation of a faux Video Shop installation at the festival. I am a massive VHS fan, and missed the era of the local rental stores, so I spoke to Paul Cotgrove (Festival Director), and he was happy for me to set this up. Filmmakers would create VHS sleeves for their new titles, which would display alongside classics at the festivals. I got to know so many great indie-creatives and a few (including Sam Mason Bell) suggested we make a film based around the video shop. I thought about this and asked a few directors I had become friends with at the festival. Everyone basically said yes, and came on board. I was so happy to have Andrew Elias, Michael Fausti, MJ Dixon, Tom Lee Rutter, Alex Churchyard and Sam Mason Bell involved in our little project. I love the anthology horror genre and thought this was a good way to include the Video Shop and get everyone involved.

We ran a successful fundraising campaign and a good friend, Pete Hurren, also came on board as a producer. We were both zombie extras on Spencer Hawken’s Death Walks film. Pete was the writer of the “Guvnor” Trailer. Pete was also able to immerse himself in the “Guvnor” world and even sourced a Vintage Car for authenticity. Alex Churchyard has been a key creative force in the Video Shop world as his sense of humour and love of horror radiates from the screen. After watching I Scream on the Beach and helping TIS films on Mosaic, Alex and TIS Films were the only choice for me to create the “Video Dungeon” world and wraparound.

Alex Churchyard: I wasn’t really involved in the initial decision to create what became Video Shop Tales of Terror, but Lall had invited me to direct one of the segments, which quickly became “Mary Whitehouse, you’re a c**t!”. Later, I was filming some of one of our other features, Mosaic, at Lall’s house, and he asked if I’d be interested in also doing the wrapper for the film. We later decided on the title together, and I set about writing and then directing the “Video Dungeon” wrapper a couple of months later.

After the success of the first film, was the decision to make a sequel a natural progression?

Singh Lall: During the first production, I spoke to Alex about his desire to do a sequel, and he had so many ideas that the second was a must for me. Alex is very inventive and has done wonders on a limited budget. I am hoping Alex will lead the line once again for another Video Shop outing.

Alex Churchyard: During the production of the first film, we realised we could do another. Quite a few filmmakers were interested in getting involved, and I had ideas on how to continue the “Video Dungeon” story. There were also parts of the wrapper that I had originally had ideas for in the first film, like the Dodgy Dan character and the angry parent, that we didn’t fit into the first film, but worked well for the sequel.

We learnt a lot doing the wrapper on the first film, and when it came time to do this one, I think I knew better what worked and what didn’t. The team around me had similarly learnt from the first film. Andy Boothby, our cinematographer, knew the visual style of this world much more, coming into it the second time around, and just knocked it out of the park. Andy shot all of the stuff that I directed on this one.

It was a similar thing with Craigus Barry, who came back to score the “Dungeon” wrapper. He just knew the vibe and came back and produced another wonderful score. Likewise, Katie Grist vastly improved the Proprietor makeup from the first film.

Shoutout as well to TIS stalwart Ian Chapman, who is always on set with us doing sound, but also chipping in with whatever needs doing.

What can fans of the original expect from the sequel?

Alex Churchyard: A bigger and better film, in my opinion, with plenty of variety. But also a continuation of the “Video Dungeon” story and plenty of call-backs to the original.

Singh Lall: IMHO, the second is a better film overall, which was difficult to achieve considering the quality of the segments in the first Video Shop.  We have also been lucky to have Jay Lowe and Alexander Gent work with us on VFX, and their talent can be seen on screen. Alex and Andy Boothby have also developed even further, and this is evident even further in Lust and Revenge. The Faux trailers in Lust and Revenge also take it up a notch and are great fun. Hannah Paterson not only returns as Clara, she has also written and directed a really fun faux trailer for Lust and Revenge.

Can you discuss the individual segments and what makes them unique?

Alex Churchyard: We have an amazing stop-motion piece from Debbie Lane, who is just incredibly talented. We have another great segment by Ash Mountains Films; I got to be on set for that one, and the ending of that is not for the faint of heart.

We also have “Invasion at Studio 69”, which I collaborated on with Tony Mardon and Lauren Barnett. It was as much fun to make as it is to watch. It features some incredible alien creatures created by the uber-talented Jay Lowe and a great score from Peter Lewington.

And what about the cast?

Singh Lall: I am also a big fan of Dani Thompson’s work and we had become friends before VS1. I really wanted her initially, as the host of the anthology as she has a great screen presence and is made for her role. For me it was a no brainer to have Dani return along with Hannah Paterson, Martin Payne and a whole host of Video Shop regulars.

Alex Churchyard: We have lots of returnees, and also some fresh faces as well. I was excited to work with Cy Henty on this one. He was in Tom Lee Rutter’s segment in the first film, but here we use him throughout in various roles, and I was particularly happy with the “Silent Photographer” bit that we did.

We have Laurence R. Harvey returning in a different role as Rod Swelling in the “Studio 69” segment. He is always great to work with.

It was also lovely to work with James Hamer-Morton and Charlie Bond again on both “Invasion at Studio 69” and “Trashed”.

Singh, how did you once again get so many talented filmmakers onboard?

Singh Lall: Most filmmakers know me through Horror-on-Sea and Romford Horror. Directors have really bought into the fact that the Video Shop world is a collaborative project amongst artists. I make it very clear that I do not make any financial returns for my endeavours and everyone involved is a part of something bigger and fun to make. Richard Rowntree and the Ash Mountain team, for example, were super excited to be involved and mentioned their idea for “Gory-Hole”. As a fan of theirs, it was an honour to have them involved.

Alex, can you talk specifically about the segments you worked on, and why you are excited for people to see them?

Alex Churchyard: I am excited for people to see the variety of what we managed to achieve across very few locations. A lot of the film was shot at Freesprite Studio in Rochford. We had a great spaceship set built by Second Chance Props, as well as many sets that our team built, including an alleyway, a police station office and a strip club.

I am really excited for people to see “Trashed” and how it connects to the wider story. I love the performance James puts in as the mysterious protagonist, and the composer Dee did a great job of doing her own thing while also tying the music into Craigus’ score for the reveal.

We have a new Video Dungeon miniature that my brother Max created, which was then enhanced with some tiny props from Twisted Miniatures. Andy and I had fun shooting the miniature shop with a probe lens. There are lots of little references on the gravestones and posters within that “set”.

I hope people can appreciate the uptick in quality across the board and in particular the look and feel of the Video Dungeon stuff. Our crew did amazingly with so little.

Overall, I am just excited for people to see how it all flows together, I had a lot of help from my co-editor Greg Hayes on post with Tom Lee Rutter and Andy Boothby also jumping in on parts of the edit to ensure we got the film finished in time.

Look out for Video Shop Tales of Terror II: Lust and Revenge when it’s released on All Hallows’ Eve – 31st October. For more information, visit: videodungeon.bigcartel.com/product/video-shop-tales-of-terror-ii-lust-and-revenge-blu-ray