How John Wayne Gacy helped Todd Phillips get his film career off the ground
Todd Phillips may be best known for his American comedy movies such as Road Trip, Old School and The Hangover film series. However, he also ventured into psychological drama when he wrote and directed the Joker origin film starring Joaquin Phoenix as the titular DC Comics villain.
Interestingly, though, given Phillip’s primary experience with comedy films, his first feature film was a far cry from the kind of work we usually associate with him. He had been studying at New York University Film School but later dropped out as he could not afford to pay his tuition fees and make his cinematic debut simultaneously.
Whilst still a student at the school, Phillips had set about making a documentary entitled Hated: GG Allin and the Murder Junkies. Even though Phillips had dropped out of his course, the film became one of the highest-grossing student films of all time.
The film focused on GG Allin, the highly controversial punk musician who was known for his excessive lifestyle of violence and drug abuse. Allin’s attitudes were perfectly exemplified in his live shows, during which he often fought with members of the crowd, flung his own shit at them (and occasionally consumed it himself), exposed his genitals and performed self-harm on stage.
Phillips’ documentary is comprised of live show and rehearsal footage of Allin and his band, The Murder Junkies, as well as interview footage with Allin, his band members, friends and fans. The film ends with Allin’s funeral; he died at the age of 36 after a heroin overdose.
Amazingly, Phillips later revealed that he considered the infamous serial killer John Wayne Gacy to be the producer of the show. Allin was friends with Gacy, and Phillips asked Gacy to paint a promotional poster for the film. Gacy agreed to make the poster for just $50. In the end, Phillips sold 1,000 posters for $15 each and ended up making $10,000. “So John Wayne Gacy is really the executive producer,” said Phillips.
Allin had attended a screening of the film just a few days before he died, during which time he hurled several beer bottles at the screen, injuring a woman in the process. The screening was stopped when the police were subsequently called, and Allin fled the scene. Shortly after, Allin gave Phillips positive feedback on the film and a warm embrace. So while Phillips is primarily known for his comedy capers, the way he got started in the industry was a far cry from his usual public perception.
Check out the documentary below.
