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SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- For Saw fans, the idea of sitting through a musical with Paris Hilton probably sounds like torture.
This is the gamble of Repo! The Genetic Opera, a blood-splattered rock opera helmed by Darren Lynn Bousamn, who directed Saws II, III and IV.
"I would call this the anti-Rent, the anti-Dreamgirls," says Bousman, a self-professed fan of musical theatre. "I like things like The Rocky Picture Horror Show, Tommy and Jesus Christ Superstar. I'm not the kind of guy who goes to Dreamgirls. I want the people who won't see Mamma Mia! to come see this, because it's different."
And how. In addition to Hilton and former Sky Kids star Alexa Vega, the cast includes Paul Sorvino, Nivke Ogre of the band Skinny Puppy and songstress Sarah Brightman.
"On the outside it's gruesome horror and whatever, but at its heart it's a father-daughter love story," says Bousman, who first adapted the stage production years ago as a 10-minute pitch to film companies.
Finally he got to shoot it as a full-blown feature in Toronto last fall.
Comparing it to his previous gig, he says, "With Saw it became like a machine -- same crew, same cast, same everything. With this, I wanted to distance myself from Saw. I wanted it to have a different look. Directing the Saws was a cakewalk compared to this."