MAITLAND, Fla. – Orlando-based band The Killer Robots are getting ready to take over the Enzian Theater with their latest movie, “Robotica Destructiva.”
“It’s gonna be the theatrical premiere,” said Sam Gaffin, the band’s bassist and the movie’s director. “We’re gonna do a question and answer afterward and answer questions about the making of the movie.”
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The four members of the band — Gaffin, Mike McGowan, Charles Harris and Samuel Williams — will be in attendance for the event, but they will not appear in character.
“We’ll be in our human disguise,” Gaffin said. “Part of the way I was able to get some of the guys to come out (was to say), ‘You don’t have to wear the costume.’”
“Robotica Destructiva” is actually the third film for the band.
The group got their start in 2004 — inspired by theatrical metal bands like Gwar and Kiss — and always intended for The Killer Robots to be a multimedia art project.
“For longest time it was just a band,” Gaffin said. “Eventually we started we made our first movie.”
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In 2009, group released their first movie “The Killer Robots and the Battle for the Cosmic Potato.”
“I think we started filming in 2008 with a DV camera and with some really primitive special effects,” Gaffin said. “We looked at that one and said, ‘We could do better. Let’s just do all like practical effects.’ We were taking recyclables and gluing them together and making spaceships and stuff. So we made the second one.”
The second film, “The Killer Robots! Crash and Burn,” was released in 2016.
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“We looked at that one and said, ‘You know what, we could do a little bit better.’ So now we’re here with ‘Robotica Destructiva,’” Gaffin said.
The latest movie started filming in 2018.
“Everybody pretty much volunteered to help out and two friends of mine — they have this huge property in Apopka they call ‘Dead Spider Studios.’ So we go out there and we film in a garage. They move all their lawn equipment out of the way (and we put) our green screen stuff there,” Gaffin said.
The new movie sees The Killer Robots stealing a doomsday device from a planet called “Radium” which prompts the planet’s denizens to awaken a trio of “android warrior sisters” from a “10,000-year sleep to do battle with a series of mechanized warlords.”
“So all these adventures through time and space happen — all in a 78-minute package,” Gaffin said.
The movie is set to premiere Friday at 11:59 p.m. at the Enzian Theater, 1300 Orlando Ave. To purchase tickets, click here.
The director said he plans to get the new movie added to streaming services as well. His first two Killer Robot movies are available to stream on the Troma Now streaming service. The second film, “The Killer Robots! Crash and Burn,” is also available on Tubi.
Gaffin said he wants to do more with The Killer Robots, another movie and more music.
“After every movie, I always want to stop,” Gaffin said. “I know after a couple of weeks of not working on anything (it’s like) suddenly I can’t sit here (without something to do.)”
The filmmaker said he has also made some short horror films.
“So we might delve into other horror movie projects, aside from the robot stuff,” he said.