UNIVERSAL CITY (2010)

 20 minutes

I found this ad on craigslist:

“VACATION RENTAL/ SUBLET: COME LIVE ON “LOVE STREET” This Chateau was the former home of iconic Doors frontman Jim Morrison in the late ’60s and is in the epicenter of Laurel Canyon Village; you will feel the exclusivity of a getaway with a gated private entrance leading to an open courtyard. The entrance at the top of the stairs has the feel of a Mountain Chalet… The dining area has a wooden gothic table and the living area is extremely comfortable to hang out and feel the historical significance of this Nostalgic Home. Despite the recent remodeling, it is still very true to the period of when the Doors were at the height of their fame. A balcony overlooks the Canyon Country Store .There is a lot of outside space as a fresh bouganvilla breeze of cool air perfumes the grounds complete with an outside shower, firepit and garden. Come stay on Love Street.”

I printed the ad and photos of the house and taped them to my studio wall. The pictures of the house, in contrast to the craigslist ad, had a determined kind of neutrality to them. As is the style with vacation rentals, the place looked just inviting enough to make guests feel comfortable in its luxuries, while consistently reminding them it wasn’t theirs. But this rental broke the mold; with its Warhol-inspired oil paintings of Jim Morrison and its placement of guitars, drug paraphernalia and pornography, your stay on ‘Love Street’ was an opportunity, not only to fake a life in someone else’s house, but to also mimic Morrison’s hedonistic last years on earth, just as long as you’re out by 10am and don’t break any dishes.

I spent the first night in the house by myself, writing the script for the next three days of shooting in the house with the cast and crew. Although it was made very quickly, with many elements improvised, Universal City is an upheaval of the original ad I had taped onto my studio wall three months prior, made while experiencing the structure in time. The plot borrows from the tacit expectation of houseguests to die in the bathtub after reinventing themselves as Morrison’s ghost, using footage of actors and frequent collaborators Roxie Fuller and Ben Smith’s previous acting work* as stand ins for actual spectres.

*From a 1995 episode of Beverly Hills, 90210 called ‘Squash It’, in which Ben was a guest star, and a film Roxie had a featured role in called Manic (2001), starring Don Cheadle. Ayana Hampton plays Don Cheadle’s fictional daughter, Grace, in Universal City.

Written & Directed by Jason Underhill

Story by: Jason Underhill, Rena Kosnett, Roxie Fuller, Ben Smith

Cast: Ben Smith, Ignacio Genzon, Roxie Fuller, Ayana Hampton