Buttman is the flagship studio under the Evil Angel banner. Started by John Stagliano (who often features himself in his films as his ass-obssessed alter-ego, Buttman) in 1989, the Buttman line is often credited with being one of the founding studios of gonzo porn. Buttman also helped spearhead the shot-on-video revolution, which allowed more movies to be filmed and let several directors who couldn’t afford expensive film to grace us with their own visions of erotica.
But(t), Buttman is far more than just a trailblazer in the industry. Stagliano’s unique sensibilities led to Buttman’s European Vacation in 1991, considered by most critics as one of the greatest films in adult history. Not content to rest on his gonzo laurels and follow the same template, Stagliano delved into the medium of 35mm film with 2002’s artistic and kinky masterpiece, The Fashionistas. The film is considered an all-time great, and spawned the very well-received sequels, Fashionistas Safado – The Challenge and Fashionistas Safado – Berlin.
John Stagliano is always in the mode of tinkering and stretching the limits of what porn can and should look like. A good example is his Voracious series – a dark and moody, story-driven vampire epic that spans multiple discs and features industry icons like Stoya, Manuel Ferrara, Rocco Siffredi, Lea Lexis, and Chastity Lynn. Stagliano called his vampire movies his “most creatively satisfying to make,” and refers to them as a true “labor of love.”
Now, 30 years into his Evil Angel venture, we asked Buttman himself what he thought the most historically significant moments in the history of his company were:
“Me not being sent to jail by the Feds in 2010 is the most, then Christian Mann [former General Manager of Evil Angel, friend of Stagliano, beloved industry figure, and free speech activist] dying of cancer in 2014, but really inventing Buttman in the middle of my first year of Evil in 1989, that is the biggest reason for our success, and that movie was supposed to be just a fill-in between my feature movies!”
Even with all those decades behind him, Stagliano is looking to the future. When asked for his vision for the future of Evil Angel and Buttman, he said:
“Reality porn, porn made by people who love it. Honest porn, like I Am Angela; movies that treat porn with the fascination and respect it deserves.”
As Evil Angel and Buttman grew in popularity, the studio attracted other name talents to its roster of directors. Many have been former or concurrent performers, but all have had their own idiosyncratic tastes that tend to land on the harder side of hardcore, and with an especial taste for all things anal. The roster of directors continues to evolve, but the auteurs that get recruited have rightfully given Evil Angel the self-appointed alternate title of the Evil Empire. Prompted to mention the most overlooked series in his vast library, Stagliano looks to longtime friend and collaborator, Rocco Siffredi:
Rocco’s Animal Trainer: really we are all just trying to keep up with him.
Stagliano always has a vision for the ever-growing nature of Evil Angel. He has his eyes constantly on current performers for the next directorial crossover star. Asked about what current performers he feels have the greatest potential as future directors, he had this to say:
“I have several people I am interested in seeing succeed at Evil. Leigh Raven with Nikki Hearts, they direct together and they have recently done some very interesting things, soon to be released.”
Buttman and Evil Angel have been around and releasing hot and unique porn for 30 years now, but it is easy to see that John Stagliano and company show no signs of slowing down. They will continue to be one of the major power players in the industry for many years (and decades) to cum!
Watch the legendary Buttman catalog on HotMovies!
Follow @JefftonB and @HotMovies on Twitter