That's a good question. I think the real fascination is with William Friedkin and the seedy side of New York in the seventies. I had never seen Cruising until Film Forum here in New York showed it as part of a modern noir series. My friends and I kept talking about it, mostly trying to figure out where the movie went wrong.

Where did the idea to remake it with dolls come from?

After talking about Cruising for so long and making so many suggestions on how it could have been clearer, we decided to do something about it. At first, we joked about using a cast of children, but dropped the idea because it probably would be quite illegal. Then we thought of using dolls. Since Ken seemed to have a questionable sexuality to begin with, it was an approach that just made sense.

The doll work looks really good. Were they easy to work with?

They were total pros. Luckily we found a couple of very detailed action figures from a company in Asia to play the police chief and officers. Not only do they look very cool and intense, but they add an extra element to the movie: Steve Burns really is a Ken doll stuck in an action figure world.

It was really amazing how those blank faces would seem to emote when they were in front of the camera. We started the project as a bit of a joke, but once we saw how unsettling the dolls could be, we took it much more seriously. It's an experience that gets repeated each time we show the movie to someone: they start off thinking it's going to be a goof; then about three minutes in, they find it strangely compelling. It was a real lesson in how the basics of filmmaking--composition, lighting, and editing--can really bring a story to life.

How long did Boy Toys take to make?

The whole project took about six months. We spent roughly a month shopping for dolls and props and quickly learned that Ken is stuck with some pretty awful clothes. After that we spent about four months of weekends and vacation days on actual photography. Editing took a few weeks. We also had to do some quick re-shoots. There were about three last minute trips down to the meat packing district at some very odd hours.

What was it like filming in the meat packing district?

It was great. The area has gentrified a lot since the days of Cruising, but they still pack meat down there and the streets still get greasy. It could get a little stinky and creepy at night, but it looks great in the movie. One night we bumped into a pair of transvestite hookers who didn't like us hanging out on their corner. We found a few of the original locations from Cruising, like the doorway to club 837 and the sleazy motel. In fact, we show the door to the Hellfire Sex Club, which is where the club interiors for the original movie were shot.

What equipment did you use?

We shot it on a Sony TRV 900, which is a great camera, and edited it on an iMac.

Any other movie plans?

Well, Linnea and I just finished working on a short film with James Smith, who is the other contributor to evil-g.com. He and his friend Ted Alexandro (www.tedalexandro.com) wrote a feature film about the lives of some inept guys who run high school spelling bees. In order to shop the script around, they wanted to film a reduction of the story.

The next project, I'm afraid, is another doll movie, which is inspired by Richard Matheson's short story "Prey." After that, I swear we'll stop playing with dolls... in public, at least.