New: Muckman

Prolific B-horror film writer/director Brett Piper has a mission in life:

I’ve come to realize that keeping B-movie clichés alive is my mission. After all, we all enjoy old movies like The Blob and I Married a Monster From Outer Space, but what’s going to happen when all those movies have been seen? Who’s making more? Not Spielberg or Lucas, that’s for sure. Just me, baby!

Less cliché than monster archetype perhaps is the Thing That Rises Out of the Swamp, which Piper is currently resurrecting in his now-in-production film, called, attractively, Muckman.

Set to bring the swamp-gas back into horror, Muckman is seen by Piper as being in the tradition of such quagmire epics as Swamp Thing (US-1982; dir. Wes Craven), The Return of Swamp Thing (US-1989; dir. Jim Wynorski) and the more recent Man-Thing (US-2005; dir. Brett Leonard).

Swamp Thing (Image Source: Wire Image)

With an absolutely mind-blowing career in independent filmmaking behind him, Piper’s films have involved giant spiders, big bugs, mutating bacterium, monsters from the drains, werewolves, zombies, aliens, nymphoid barbarians in dinosaur hell, and God knows what else. Swamp creatures sound like a reasonable addition.

Among others, Muckman stars Alison Whitney and Anju McIntyre, who will undoubtedly end up in an impromptu mudfight with the algae-covered villian. They are poictured below with Brett Piper, on location during recent shooting.

Finally, an intriguing shot from the early rushes. I have no idea where it fits in the plot, but I look forward to finding out!

• Sources: Brett Piper’s website; Fearzone.com (where you can read Piper’s diary of the shoot); thanks to Avery Battles.