Getting Physical: Bree Mills Invokes the '80s With 'Girlcore'

Above, photography by Rick Garcia. See more images here. All things '80s have enjoyed a boom of retro chic over the past several years, and director Bree Mills—a child of that heady, neon-saturated decade—could not be more thrilled about it. Not only is it the milieu for her latest undertaking, a standalone series of featurettes titled Girlcore, but it has informed all of her work to date, so she asserts on the set of one of Girlcore's first six installments, this one set in an industrial-looking aerobics studio. While the gaggle of ladies who will be appearing in the scene pull their fluorescent-colored leotards and legwarmers into place and get their hair properly frizzed, Bree relates how an album called Original Motion Picture Soundtrack from electronica artist Pilotpriest—itself inspired by the scores from her favorite film, Manhunter, and John Carpenter's They Live—has served as her creative catalyst since she began making sex movies. "Everything I've ever written in adult, this has been my soundtrack to writing it," she tells Carter Cruise, one of the principals of the impending all-girl group scene, as one of the tracks from the album emanates from a nearby speaker. She goes on to explain that she licensed six of OMPS' tunes for this project, one for each episode. Above, Bree Mills With girls and crew all set to go, Bree shouts out to the room, "Who is ready for Porn Script Theater?!" Porn Script Theater—this is the director's unique method for instilling her vision into the minds of her players (since she has eschewed the use of the traditional screenplay). The cast literally plunked down Indian-style around her like a kindergarten class around their teacher for story time, Bree breaks down exactly how the scene will unfold, step-by-step, as well as the underlying theme she aims to manifest. "I'm paying homage to lesbian pulp fiction of the '50s and '60s," she tells the group. One particular such novel, 1956's Go Girls, provides the loose basis for this scene, she says, about a workout class that's actually a secret hunting ground for predatory lesbians looking to break in unsuspecting straight girls. Above, Carter Cruise, Scarlett Sage, Abigail Mac and Ryan Keely The one getting broken in is 2018 AVN Best New Starlet nominee Scarlett Sage, and the ones doing the breaking are Cruise, Abigail Mac and Ryan Keely—who shows off her porn history expertise when she remarks that the whole scenario reminds her of a Jim Holliday movie. On hand to fill out the aerobics class are Kira Noir, Liv Revamped, Katya Rodriguez and Vienna Rose. Them and all the others now fully prepped on what's about to take place, Bree announces, "All right, everybody, let's make some epic shit!" It's fair to say that for anyone who ever dreamed of seeing the music video for Eric Prydz's "Call on Me" turn into a lesbian free-for-all, that's exactly the sort of epic shit that commences. All six installments of Girlcore will be released October 23 at Girlcore.com as the first season of a planned "adult television series" to be included as part of the content library for a new premium master brand being developed by Gamma Films. Members of Gamma's Girlsway.com will have access to watch Girlcore, and it will also be offered for purchase as a "subscription" to the entire first season, which will include access to all other Gamma content under the new brand when it is launched. This article originally ran in the October issue of AVN magazine. Click here for the digital edition. Above, Kira Noir; below, Abigail Mac