It's trash, with a gloss.

"Planet of the Vampire Women," the latest exploitation film from Sacramento's Trash Film Orgy Productions, hews to TFO's established camp/sci-fi/horror principles of topless women and gratuitous violence yet classes things up with abundant computer-generated effects and scenes shot on actual sets instead of outside.

"We are trying to be less cheesy, though at this budget level, there is a certain amount of cheese," said Christy Savage, 40, a partner, with husband Darin Wood, 44, and Amy Slockbower, 36, in Trash Film Orgy Productions, also the outfit behind last summer's Zombie Walk and the annual TFO film festival held at the Crest Theatre.

With a $25,000 budget and an LLC behind it, "Vampire Women," premiering Saturday night at the Crest and focused on a band of female space pirates battling vampires and other monsters on a strange planet, is a sci-fi cut above TFO's previous feature "Monster From Bikini Beach." Or at least its obvious influences – more mainstream Hollywood than Ed Wood – are a cut above.

"When we were getting ready to do the sets and pre-production, we watched 'Alien' a lot," Savage said.

The film's short-haired heroine (played by Liesel Hanson, who stays clothed throughout) was modeled on Ripley, Sigourney Weaver's character in "Alien."

"She is a very tough character, and also very cranky," Hanson said with a laugh.

The TFO filmmakers also watched a lot of "Star Trek" episodes, Savage said, for tips on designing their spaceship set, which was built, along with separate space-casino and planet sets, for the "Vampire Women" shoot in a warehouse space along 65th Street. ("Bikini Beach," budgeted at $5,000, was shot mostly on a beach).

Funding such a comparatively lavish production meant seeking out investors to pony up $500 or more for a piece of potential profits.

"We really took this one seriously," Savage said of 'Planet.' "('Bikini Beach') we did for art, and after it was done, we thought, 'Hey, maybe we could sell this!' "

They found DVD distribution for "Bikini Beach" in Japan and other markets that speak the universal language of fake-looking monsters and barely clad women. The film's distributor also worked out a deal to show it on YouTube, earning money through advertising.

The new venture, "Vampire Women," drew $20,000 from friends and family, with the filmmakers generating most of the rest of the budget through a pitch on the crowd-funding site IndieGogo.

Tony Sheppard, co-director of the Sacramento Film and Music Festival and an advocate for local filmmakers, gladly became an initial investor.

"In a short amount of time, they have come an enormous distance" as filmmakers, Sheppard said of the TFO producers. Sheppard said the filmmakers' technical know-how has improved immensely since they entered a short film in the Film and Music Festival's 10 by 10 filmmaking competition several years ago.

"And they figured out distribution, which is huge," he said. "('Vampire Women') was a solid investment."

This time out, the TFO producers contacted potential distributors before the film was finished. They have had several bites already, Savage said, "but at this budget level, they are all waiting to see the finished film." (The filmmakers were putting final touches on the movie last week).

"Vampire Women," like all TFO projects, was made with ample volunteer participation. Most of the cast and crew are veterans of TFO films or the stage events that accompany the film festival.

"Vampire Women" lead Hanson, a Los Angeles resident raised in Citrus Heights, previously appeared in "Bikini Beach" and in a serial the TFO filmmakers shot before that.

The filmmakers' skill level increased so dramatically between those two pictures that "it was as if there were several movies missing in between," Hanson said by phone from L.A.

Hanson, currently appearing in the hit L.A. stage musical "Re- Animator," also credits the Trash Film Orgy film festival with introducing her to the 1985 cult film on which the musical is based.

Darrell York, 30, a key member of the TFO group, said he has seen "everybody's willingness to try new things grow by leaps and bounds" over the course of TFO's filmmaking projects, whether they are building sets or using special effects. York, who works for the state Department of Water Resources, also is an investor in "Vampire Women."

"I saw all the places ('Bikini Beach') had played and been, and I saw the business plan, and I jumped right on board," York said.

Savage said she hopes to pay all loyal TFO crew members (not just the ones who invest) on future projects. Until then, they can be satisfied knowing TFO projects – unlike a lot of indie films that never get finished – always see the light of day, or at least the dark of the Crest, and thus can be added to reels and résumés.

Rather than waiting for all the funding to come in before shooting, the TFO filmmakers shoot as they go, with whatever is on hand.

"We will say, 'OK, we are short on money this week – we either need to get another investor or find out how to make this work,' " Savage said. "We are all about problem-solving."

'PLANET OF THE VAMPIRE WOMEN'

WHAT: Film premiere (for mature audiences only)

WHEN: 9 p.m. Saturday (Doors open at 8 p.m.)

WHERE: Crest Theatre, 1013 K St., Sacramento

COST: $10 or $35 for VIP (includes entry to 7 p.m. party, preferred seating and a "Vampire Women" DVD)

INFORMATION: www.tickets.com (800-225-2277) or www.trashfilmorgy.com.

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