Undead Backbrain

Dreams From the Dark

Posted on Tuesday, February 23, 2010 by Robert Hood

Eyes in the Dark (US-2009) is a new independent film that is banking on the ongoing attraction of the first-person POV hand-held style popularised in recent times by the extraordinary success of The Blair Witch Project, [Rec] and Paranormal Activity. Judging on the footage so far released, the film may be giving it a good shot.

Synopsis:

A group of college co-eds take a trip to a mountain lodge looking for relaxation, beer, and maybe a dip in the hot tub. But when they stumble on clues about an ancient legend, they quickly find themselves fighting for their lives. Will they be able to escape this unspeakable evil? And are they the only ones who have ever crossed its path?

Made by Emerald City Pictures and director Bjorn Anderson, Eyes in the Dark is an independent film that chronicles the end-game moments of a group of college co-eds on a weekend cabin getaway in the Washington State Cascade foothills.

Eyes in the Dark combines the characters’ compulsive self-documentation and laid-back humor with the raw terror they uncover after crossing paths with an ancient evil. The filmmakers blended the improvisational talents of the actors with beautiful but brooding locations to create a vision that plays on the fear of the unknown. Set in a fictionalized area of the Cascade Range with a long history of legends and mysterious disappearances, the film quickly transports the audience to a place of excitement and terror. (Press release)

Trailer:

View the trailer in HD on Vimeo.

The film runs the conceit that the spliced-together footage was found in secret FBI archives (X files, no doubt), having been hidden away by a government fearful that the truth behind unexplained disappearances in the Pacific Northwest wilderness would be a national security risk. They know, as the characters and we the audience find out, that a dangerous, presumably supernatural presence inhabits the area. Not an unfamiliar scenario, but one that’s a pretty good starting point. It’s what comes next that will determine the film’s success.

Below: Lacy (Melissa Goad) feels like she’s being watched

Like many classic horror stories before it (such as Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, for example), Eyes in the Dark had its origin in a dream, according to Anderson:

I woke up in a terrified sweat one early morning in September of 2007. This was like numerous other mornings following my nightmares. Particularly one dream I had been having for several years. The settings changed occasionally but never the overall fear that accompanied it. I was always in the woods, in my house, or in some remote area being hunted by something, something just out of the vision of my eyes in the dark. Occasionally I would get a fleeting glance of a large tuft of fur and red eyes before I would turn and begin to run. The dreams would always end with me trapped, surrounded in the middle of nowhere by dark shadows of monsters and red eyes. It was these red eyes that would be the last things I saw before I woke up. I decided to take a cathartic approach to dealing with my dreams so I began to write the outline of what would later become the script to Eyes in the Dark.

But it was J.J. Abrams’ effective take on the giant monster genre that governed the style of the film:

Originally the film was going to be shot in the traditional horror style, with multiple cameras, lighting, etc. But when I saw Cloverfield in early 2008 I was struck with the amount of energy the first person point-of-view camera style brought with it. I immediately knew that the POV style of camera movement would be the way to go for creating the right amount of energy and audience involvement.

Indie Problems:

The Production had the inauspicious beginning that all independent films on a shoestring budget have. About a week before production began, a lead actress dropped out, the production had to overcome logistical nightmares in transportation and booking the Ski-lodge, and all of the footage had to be shot in four weekends to accommodate everyone’s schedules, and to top it all off we began shooting on Friday the 13th. Somehow it was all pulled off no doubt due to everyone pitching in together and figuring out a thousand different problems at once. (Press release)

But there’s a nice addendum to the strain imposed by filming under difficulties. “Having such a great cast and crew allowed me to bring my nightmares to life,” commented Anderson, “and in turn, my cathartic approach seems to have worked because for the last year and a half I have yet to have the nightmare of being chased by those Eyes in the Dark.”

Film Details:

Shooting format: Sony HDV 1440 x 1080i
Exhibit format: HDCAM, DVD
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Color
running time: 78 minutes
Sound mix: Stereo
Production Company: Emerald City Pictures, LLC.
Production Team: Directed by Bjorn Anderson; Produced by Mike Ash; Associate Producers Marco Scaringi, Robyn Scaringi and Joseph Cole; Executive Producer Bjorn Anderson; Cinematography by Joseph Cole; Written by Bjorn Anderson; Edited by Robyn Scaringi.
Starring Wayne Bastrup, Melissa Goad, John Symonds, Maureen Francisco, Telisa Steen, Melinda Ausserer, Jason Robison, Paul Eenhoorn, Ernie Joseph, Mike Ash, Christine Umayam, and Charlie Sims, among others. “The Beast” is played by Marco Scaringi.

Source: Official website; Press release; Facebook page. Thanks, Avery.

Note: A colour-corrected version of the trailer is available on the IMDb.

Posted in Demons, Film, Horror, Independent film, Monsters in general, News, Trailers | Tagged bjorn anderson, camera verite, eyes in the dark, hand-held camera POV | 1 Comment

Bizarre Life Institute: The Trilogy — Part 2: The Blood

Posted on Sunday, February 21, 2010 by Robert Hood

Continued from Bizarre Life Institute: The Trilogy — Part 1.

Images of Harconia:

In mid-January Undead Backbrain introduced you to the work of Peter Montgomery, specifically an ambitious project called the Bizarre Life Institute (B.L.I.) — three films set in an alternate history in which life on Earth has been twisted into monstrous forms and an organisation known as the B.L.I. is all that stands between humanity and utter annihilation. The setting is post-apocalyptic (the images above, for example, are of Harconia — the Land of the Strange) and the creatures are weird. Before continuing with this Part 2, make sure you’ve checked out Part 1, which provides synopses of all three films with copious illustrations by way of concept art, screen shots and film clips.

One of the remarkable things about these ambitious films is that the technical and directorial aspects of the film — as well as some of the acting — are the work of one man.

The Creator:

Born in Scotland in 1977, Peter Andrew Montgomery developed a passion for film-making early on. “I have had an interest in film since I was about four years old,” he told Undead Backbrain. “Having no camera then, of course, I entertained myself with the films and special effects of Ray Harryhausen. As I got older I copied his creatures from the Clash of the Titans movie in plasticine and brought them into school one day to show them to my enthusiastic classmates. I often got told off by teachers for drawing in my school maths books but continued to do it anyway.”

He continued:

“Some years later, about 1989, I got my first camera a bulky VHS one and thus equipped I made a movie with a group of friends which I called Troll using the ‘rancour’ monster from Return of the Jedi as the main beast. We would take turns on camera and operating the plastic toy just in front of the lens to make it look massive.

“Over the years I taught myself my craft and I found more and more effective ways of shooting films and creating special effects. They got bigger and better and in 1997 I won an award for an animated short called ‘The Mine’ and got two broadcast credits for that film also. The films continued and began to look more and more professional as the years went on.”

Soon enough Montgomery found himself engrossed in the epic tale of the B.L.I.

“In 2002 I remade an old movie of mine called ‘Surreal Specimen’ and renamed it ‘The People from B.L.I.’ (The B.L.I. came in later as an established institute to form the foundation of these pictures, 3 in total — 2 in pre production) and rely on stop-motion with a motion blur effect that I discovered that produces astonishing results (see previous article). It took eight years to make as we shot it on very expensive 16mm film.

“I wrote, produced, directed, acted in and created the monsters from scratch using metal L brackets for the plates and chrome balls from shower caddies to create ball and socket joints and the build up technique to give them ‘skin’. Taxidermy was also used to give the bird creature or drone its look.”

The second the films — The People From the B.L.I. — is completed, with work ongoing on the others, B.L.I. 3 being the main focus (see previous article for a synopsis). “The People from the B.L.I. took eight years to make as we shot on 16mm film at £5000 on Technicolour processing costs. The rest of the film was entirely my work. I now use Adobe Premier Pro CS3 and After Effects after a dear friend and award winning film maker; Ronnie Goodwin convinced me of it’s advantages. I use it in conjunction with practical effects and shoot on HDV Canon HV-30 widescreen.”

Animatic of B.L.I. 3: B.L.I. Mission to the Black Mountains:

Montgomery comments on this sequence:

This illustrates the fight between the bipedal spider and the angler bull fish. The party have landed on the island and are trapped as the huge monsters battle one another. This is a section of storyboard I’ve computer animated as an animatic with full audio and camera motion to carry along what I’m going for in this sequence. The entire thing isn’t here, but you get the idea. The creatures will be created with stop-motion animation on a BIG miniature set and motion blur added for super realism. The cast will be composited into the footage with Keylight shot green-screen outdoors for the perfect, undetectable key.

Creepy monster sound effects are by Montgomery. Listen to them below.

Sound Effects: The Spider • click here — and the Angler Fish • click here.

Montgomery revealed that in an earlier plan Part 3 was going to be made using cell animation.

This was the intention initially: a cell animation of Part Three of the B.L.I. movies. The idea was scrapped as it was too far removed from the other films. [The images above and below] are some test cells mocked up of Brock and a new recruit after landing on the Black Mountain island. The design for the trees will remain the same in the live-action version still in design. So will the uniforms, which now include the B.L.I. shades complete with badges. Officers’ uniforms and a variation with large black flared trousers and berets have been designed for the Zeppelin’s crew.

What Montgomery is currently concentrating all his efforts on, however, is unrelated to the B.L.I. trilogy.

“The film I am working on at the moment,” he explained, “is called The Blood. It’s a Sci- Fi horror with animatronic zombies and visual effects all created by me. I am in that one as Mike Carter, an airline pilot. This film looks like it cost a few million to make but as usual we have next to no money for the budget. I would love to get any kind of deal for the BLI trilogy and the stand-alone The Blood. A possible sequel to the latter is already percolating in my thoughts.”

Montgomery shooting The Blood on location (Picture by Paul Hunter)

It’s quite a balancing act and must keep him busy.

(Montgomery is pictured above in a moment from The Blood — teetering on a girder.)

And So The Blood Flows…

The Blood (UK-2010; dir. Peter Montgomery)

Synopsis:

Mike Carter, an airline pilot, awakens to a morning like any other. Or so he thought until an inhuman-looking man breaks into his house through a window. Carter flees and on leaving his home is dumbfounded by the sight of a city devastated by some disaster that has apparently occurred overnight. Fires burning out of control dictate the path he must take, until he meets Sergeant Paul Rhodes.

Rhodes is the only survivor of a ten-man battalion sent in to bring out other survivors. It soon becomes clear that a terrible virus is infecting the population. The virus takes the form of an intelligent blood that is passed on by vomit and acts instantly.

Rhodes and Carter head for a disused building way up the back of beyond that Rhodes has found. But on arrival they are surprised to find a giant electric fence aroun d the complex, and decide to investigate. Rhodes reveals that in 24 hours the Bomb will be dropped to cleanse the city. However they find that this megalith has horrors within far more challenging than the odds they have so far overcome. This place is the origin of the Blood…

The main cast of The Blood: From left: Paul Hunter; Brook Finch; Peter Montgomery

Jim C. Pettigrew is doing the musical score for The Blood and The People From the B.L.I.

Final Trailer:

Climactic Shoot Out: Clip

Images:

Says Montgomery: “Captain Rhodes with the M72 LAW rocket I built for the movie. It has spring up sights and extends. It works just like the real thing, but can’t fire, of course.”

Above: Full-sized animatronic robot head and body built by Montgomery. Below: Montgomery with his miniature stop-motion robot

Below: Carter and Rhodes in the Farm House

Below: Sand bag bunkers and guards

Below: The Blood River

Below: Zombies

As can be seen here, Montgomery’s plans are ambitious, but the trailer and the images suggest that the final product will be excellent and quite unique. Currently he has no distributor for his films. Hopefully, a distributor will pick up The Blood and the B.L.I. films and we’ll all be able to see them.

Check out Montgomery’s YouTube Channel for Making-Of videos, Behind-the-Scenes production moments, and more clips.

The Gallery below includes many more images beside the ones you’ve already seen.

Source: Peter Montgomery via Avery.
Note: all images and designs that are part of this and the earlier article are copyright © Peter Montgomery.

Gallery:

Posted in Film, Horror, Independent film, Robots, Trailers, Zombies | Tagged B.L.I., peter montgomery, robot, stop-motion, the blood, viral infection, Zombies | 6 Comments

G’94 Risen!

Posted on Sunday, February 21, 2010 by Robert Hood

So a few days ago, we showed you Todd Tennant’s latest picture — of Godzilla rising — for his graphic novelisation of the rejected Ted Elliott/Terry Rossio 1994 Godzilla screenplay.

Well, I can’t resist! Here’s the follow-up (click on the image to get the full effect):

If you still have checked out the previous 68 pages in this graphic novel masterpiece, why not? What’s wrong with you?

Source: Todd Tennant

Posted in Daikaiju, Giant Monsters, Godzilla, Graphic novels, Pictorial art, Todd Tennant | Tagged elliott and Rossio, Godzilla, Todd Tennant | 1 Comment

Sharktopus vs Dinoshark

Posted on Thursday, February 18, 2010 by Robert Hood

Chimeran monstrosities are destined to come into their own, as producers try to find a new way of extending the “giant monster” B-flick industry past mere Megasharks and Giant Octopi. Not that it’s a new phenomenon, of course. Japanese daikaiju eiga have been doing it for decades. But the great Roger Corman’s next production task for the SyFy Channel is a hard one: to convince its Mega-Beastie audience that a cross between a shark and an octopus is a viable alternative to his previous Dinocroc (US-2004; dir. Kevin O’Neill) and Supergator (US-2007; dir. Brian Clyde) — not to mention the non-Corman joining of those titles in Dinocroc vs Supergator (US-2010; dir. Rob Robertson).

Yes, that’s right. Sharktopus has been greenlit! Images like the ones above (top, by artist Matt Leach, the model version, middle, artist unknown; and the terrific sculpture, last image above, by Tony Colella) have been appearing around the internet in response to the news, while Corman himself wrestles with profound questions such as “How many tentacles should it have?”, “How many mouths?” and “What would it taste like cooked in a nice coriander dressing?” He has commented:

Sharktopus! is more difficult [than such creatures as Dinocroc] because you can imagine a prehistorical crocodile like the Dinocroc, but there’s no such thing as prehistoric half-shark, half-octopus. (Hollywood Reporter)

In response to these questions of geneological credibility, he came up with the idea that the Sharktopus is a genetically engineered concoction of US naval scientists designed to help deal with Somali pirates. Of course, it all goes pear-shaped pretty quickly. What were they thinking — those crazy scientists?

Really, the idea isn’t any less plausible than most giant monster scenarios, and Corman at least assures us that, given the premise, the rest will be carefully extrapolated to maintain an air of plausibility:

It’s fairly difficult to believe, but we only ask the audience to accept this one thing. After that, we take great care that everything else is logical from then on and is something that could happen.

Meanwhile, the Corman-produced Dinoshark (US-2010; dir. Kevin O’Neill) is about to air on the SyFy Channel (in March). This is one of the more readily acceptable ones, of course, because there were actually prehistoric monster sharks living in the Miocene oceans. Here’s what Corman’s looks like:

Click on his tonsils to see all the details

Corman explains the scenario:

Global warming causes the glaciers to break apart. We start the picture with real beautiful shots of the glaciers falling into the ocean. The unborn egg of the Dinoshark that has been frozen for millions of years is released.

Rather similar to the beginning of the Asylum’s Megashark vs Giant Octopus (except for the egg bit), but that hardly matters, as it wasn’t original to that film either. The same thing happened to Godzilla in King Kong vs Godzilla after all. It’s good to see that Corman is sticking to tradition. Clearly he hasn’t lost his touch!

Source: Hollywood Reporter on Dinoshark; Hollywood reporter on Sharktopus.
You can check out the first teaser and a clip of Dinoshark in action here.

Addendum:

As correspondent Jayson M. reminded me, there is an exploitation film from the 1980s that features a cross between a shark and an octopus — an Italian/French production directed by Lamberto Bava, son of the great Mario Bava. The film is Shark: Rosso nell’oceano [aka Devouring Waves; Monster Shark; Devil Fish] (It/France-1984; dir. Lamberto Bava). Here is the IMDb summary:

Several boats are torn apart, badly wrecked corpses are washed ashore… something horrible is out in the Caribbean sea. The teeth marks on the bodies don’t lead to any known animal, so scientist Dr. Stella Dickens suspects it’s a so far unknown life form and strives to catch it alive. She doesn’t know yet that ruthless scientists have genetically created this creature as a bioweapon, or that it has been designed to reproduce by asexual means. And that the company she works for created the creature and will stop at nothing to keep their secret.

Hmmmm. Is Sharktopus a remake then?

Check out the French poster below:

It featured as Number 11 in Kaiju Search-Robot Avery’s Top 20 Craziest Kaiju feature.

Posted in Dinosaurs, Film, Giant Monsters, Giant Squids, Monsters in general, News | Tagged dinoshark, roger corman, sharktopus | 5 Comments

G’94 Rising!

Posted on Wednesday, February 17, 2010 by Robert Hood

All hell’s about to break loose!

Click to get the full effect!

And make sure you keep an eye on Todd Tennant’s graphic novelisation of the rejected Ted Elliott/Terry Rossio 1994 Godzilla screenplay — 68 pages so far and counting… all available free on-line.

Source: Thanks, Todd.

Posted in Giant Monsters, Godzilla, Graphic novels, Pictorial art, Todd Tennant | 1 Comment

Fancy a Monster Cruise?

Posted on Wednesday, February 17, 2010 by Robert Hood

No, not a Pacific islands vacation on a huge cruise ship stacked to the gills with celebrities.

Instead it’s a new film from long-time genre director Jim Wynorski, whom we last saw on these pages with his now nearing-release giant monster mash-up, Dinocroc vs Supergator (US-2010; dir. Jim Wynorski). Wynorski’s Monster Cruise is described as “a fun filled romp” that tells the story “of a boy, a boat and a sea monster”.

Filmed in Franklin, Indiana (summer home of the director) on the “absolutely gorgeous” Lake Monroe, Monster Cruise stars Kayla Gill, Erin Neufer, Paul Wallace, Shay Dickerhoff, Gerard Pauwels, Stacey Dixon, Ervin Ross, Jim O’Rear, Hal Fryar, Jim Hardin, Vicky Richmond, Bill Cothron, Tammy Logsdon, Jason Smither, David DeSpain, Dennis Crosswhite and Rick Shedd.

And this guy:

The design of the monster, which was originally called Ogopogo, is reportedly inspired by the titular character from Wynorski’s favourite giant monster film, The Giant Behemoth (UK/USA-1959; dir. Douglas Hickox and Eugène Lourié):

So far, there’s not much information about the film beyond the above, though the involvement of Hal Fryar, who played in the Three Stooges movie The Outlaws Is Coming (1965) and also appeared in The Three Stooges Show during the 60s, may be indicative of the fact that it appears to have a comedic side to it. Below is Hal as he appears in Monster Cruise:

Some Images:

Below: Kyla Gill

Below: Erin Neufer

Below: Stacey Dixon

Below: Shay Dickerhoff, Erin Neufer, Paul Wallace and Kyla Gill

Below: Director Jim Wynorski in contemplative mood

Below: There’s romance!

Below: There’s Gerard Pauwels goggling

Below: There’s a Short Guy (Jason Smither), a Fist Full of Dollars
and a Tough Guy (David DeSpain)

Below: There’s the Tough Guy Getting Tough

Below: There’s Jim O’Rear (left) and Ervin Ross, testing the waters

Below: There’s an Old Guy (Jim Hardin) with a Beard and an outside lavatory

And lots else besides. Check out more images from the film and some behind-the-scenes shots in the Gallery at the end of this article.

Then, if you want more, go to the film’s Facebook page.

Addendum:

Genre legend Jim Wynorski has just finished shooting a scene in Franklin which supposedly is set in Lapland. Shay Baker and Erin Neufer were just driving across the frozen tundra, fearing that somehow they took a wrong turn on their way to Baltimore.Wynorski yells cut and the cast and crew scurry to find the nearest source of warmth.

Matt Borges, Art Director muttered, “I miss Lake Monroe,” the location where the crew shot for 2 weeks during Indian summer in September. (Press release)

Monster Cruise began three years ago, when Jim Wynorski came to Indiana on the invitaion of B Movie Celebration organizer Bill Dever. Wynorski took to the place immediately. “Franklin was so beautiful that I knew one day I would make a movie here,” he commented.

Years later Dever and his producing partner Joe Gaudin decided they wanted to “make a movie celebrating summer in Indiana”, and knowing of Wynorski’s interest, decided to suggest as much to the legendary director.

After locations shoots around Franklin and Lake Monroe beginning in September last year, Monster Cruise has wrapped. “The film turned out far better that we hoped” says Wynorski. “I think movie goers are going to come away from Monster Cruise laughing, smiling, and wanting to visit Franklin, Indiana.”

Source: Bill Dever and Jim Wynorski via Avery; Facebook page

Gallery:

Posted in Film, Giant Monsters, Humour, Lake Monsters | Tagged Franklin, jim wynorski, Lake Monroe, lake monster, Ogopogo | 5 Comments

Scenes from the Second Storey

Posted on Tuesday, February 16, 2010 by Robert Hood

“Don’t do it, Stefan. Please. Just let me go!”

“Go if you want. It’s not up to me.”

“Don’t do this, you stupid bastard!”

“Go! I won’t stop you. But you’ll be back eventually. I know you’ll be back.”

“Fuck you!”

As the door slammed shut, Merrin was still screaming at him.

Her cursing had defined Merrin in the end ― and had reconciled Stefan Clemens to her departure. What was the point in agonising about it? If all she could do during his time of need was swear at him, what sort of relationship had they had anyway?

His fingertips dragged through the condensation on the window, leaving a column of parallel lines that sliced through the reflection of a gaunt, desperate-looking man. The man might have been in his late 40s, though in fact he was only 36. Stefan stared past the lines and the man, out into a darkened street where the rear lights of Merrin’s car were lost in the gloom, swallowed whole and in an instant.

This is the opening of my story, “Ego”, which was written for the Morrigan Press anthology Scenes From the Second Storey (Australian edition — edited by Amanda Pillar and Pete Kempshall). The story — inspired by a song from The God Machine’s album of the same name — is about a man with some serious relationship problems, problems exacerbated by an egotism so profound that he can’t let anything go. It’s a nasty story, and though the anthology isn’t specifically a horror one, it’s in good company.

Contents

All the stories in the anthology were inspired by a track from The God Machine’s album Scenes From the Second Storey, which is a favourite of Morrigan Press editor-in-chief Mark S. Deniz. As the publisher’s website announces:

Quirky, dark, insightful and sometimes downright disturbing, these tales reflect the emotions and images our authors experienced when they heard ‘their’ song from Scenes from the Second Storey.

The excellent cover is by Reece Notley, and the book becomes available in September 2010.

The Monstrous Poignancy of Being a Stop-Motion Monster

Posted on Saturday, February 13, 2010 by Robert Hood

Apart from sitting in the bath and brooding, what do monsters do once they’re forced into retirement?

Writer/director Harry Chaskin tries to answer that question in his short film, Bygone Behemoth, which will be premiering next month at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas.

Trailer:

“Bygone Behemoth is a stop-motion animated film chronicling a day in the life of an unemployed B-movie monster,” explained director Harry Chaskin, “a lingering personified special-effect of the 1950s. In an age overrun with CG, I conceived of Behemoth as a tribute to great traditional special-effects artists like Ray Harryhausen and Willis O’Brien. It also features a special appearance by WPIX horror icon, John Zacherle.”

Bygone Behemoth tells the story of a washed-up movie monster reliving his halcyon days.

In an age where computer graphics are all too prevalent, the film is a nostalgic tribute to the work of Ray Harryhausen, Willis O’Brien, and numerous other forgotten wizards. Like the Behemoth itself, the film needs stop-motion to exist; it seeks to capture the ephemeral quality of a dying art form.

Chaskin created the animation and handled the photography, fully involving himself in the Behemoth’s dilemma.

Chaskin was aided in creating the film by Daniel Walter, who composed the music, and Seth Armstrong, who created all the movie posters for the Behemoth’s forgotten 50s films (as seen in the trailer above).

More Monstrous Retirement Activities:

Bygone Behemoth looks like something very special indeed. Hopefully Chaskin will put it up online for all of us to see after it’s done the festival rounds.

Source: Harry Chaskin via Avery; Official website.

Posted in Animation, Film, Giant Monsters, Independent film, Monsters in general, News | Tagged harry chaskin, harryhausen, monster, stopmotion animation | 5 Comments

More Teasing by Adèle Blanc-Sec

Posted on Saturday, February 13, 2010 by Robert Hood

Look ’em in the eye!

Then take a geek at the mummies, the pteradactyl and the period loveliness of Les Aventures Extraordinaires d’Adèle Blanc-Sec [aka The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Dry-White] (France-2010; dir. Luc Besson) in this new teaser (below the new poster):

Teaser Trailer #2:

For the previous trailer and poster, go here. For more on Les Aventures Extraordinaires d’Adèle Blanc-Sec, check out this previous Undead Backbrain article.

Thanks, Avery.

Posted in Comics, Dinosaurs, Film, Teaser, Trailers, Update | Leave a comment

Chewing the Scenery

Posted on Saturday, February 13, 2010 by Robert Hood

B-horror flicks notoriously feature scenery-chewing performances, but what happens when the scenery consists of sewers?

That’s right — you get Sewer Chewer!

Sewer Chewer (US-2010 [currently in post-production]; dir. James Hawley aka Jack Acid)

Synopsis:

A mutant amphibian goes on a killing rampage! A US space satellite falls from orbit, crashing into a small wooded area in Oklahoma. Toxic fuel spills out into the creek, radiating the local wildlife into a monstrous mutant creature that goes on a killing spree. While it’s devouring everything living in its path, a special retrieval agent from an unnamed government agency finds it’s up to him to stop the monster and keep it from the public news sources. With each new victim eaten, the chewer grows in size and teeth, becoming the ultimate predator.

With a title like that — evoking all those scenes from assorted horror films where the latest victim gets eaten while sitting on the loo or slooshing around in drain pipes — and an abundance of bloody imagery already revealed, including a puppet monster of the Yucky Kind that’s reminiscent of a tumor with teeth, you just know you’re in Troma territory here.

Face off! A victim, peeled

Tumor with Teeth? And tentacles?

So in light of all that you shouldn’t be surprised to learn that Troma boss Lloyd Kaufman is involved, in a sewer-chewing role as a headline actor. He’s seen here with director Hawley and friend:

Writer/Director/editor/cinematagrapher/special effects guy James Hawley (who goes by the name Jack Acid and also produced the synth score, with help from John Manson on the Theremin) commented that the film wasn’t all mindless gore and gross-out humour. “Sewer Chewer is also a metaphor,” he explained. “It features a man-made catastrophe that takes victims without pity, not discriminating against class or race, and growing, unstoppable with each new victim, much like the economic crisis the world now faces.”

Be Warned! There’s a high disgust factor involved in the following trailer….

Sewer Chewer

A feature film by James Hawley aka Jack Acid
Synth score by – Jack Acid
Theremin score performed by John Manson
Art Director – Tatum Cardillo
Produced by Pirate Audio
Executive Producer – James Hawley
Co-producers – Tandy Jones, Sky Splawn, Michael Jimboy
Writer/Director/editor/cinematagrapher/special effects – James Hawley
Web – www.sewerchewer.net
Filmed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Tagline: Mother nature left the seat up

Run time 1:54:04
Language – English
Aspect ratio – 16:9 widescreen

Cast:

Lloyd Kaufman
Jiffy Houghton
Dan Hoganson
Michael Jimboy
Steve Jones
Theodore Drake
John Manson
Butch Canfield
Sean Dressler
Tandy Jones
Sky Splawn
Christopher George
Ash Barker
Kuper Banks
Christy Harper
Jack Acid
Jimmy Kennedy
Kyle Walker
Matt Pierson

Below some victimising in progress — first Tandy Jones gets chewered, and then Jiffy Houghton gets peeled:

Trivia:

Apparently the cast and crew of Sewer Chewer — which is still in post-production — are all well known Oklahoma musicians from the punk/rockabilly scene, harking from the bands Captain Eyeball and Billy Joe Winghead. The film also features members of the DJ collective Pirate Audio Sound System. Says Hawley:

“Pirate Audio began working on film projects in 2006 under the moniker PAX23, and carry the same artist collective philosophy that we followed when releasing albums and throwing concerts. No one gets paid and all profits go back into the next production, either spent on new gear, web maintence or promotion, etc. Everything is self-financed, with no outside investors, and usually self distributed.”

Above: director Hawley mixes up his secret blood formula. Hey, catering’s important for crew morale.

In terms of trivia, it’s worth noting that, according to Hawley, the ditch sequence in Sewer Chewer takes place in the same ditch/creek that Lon Chaney Jr was dunked in by his father Lon Chaney Sr. after he was still-born — and the ice-cold waters revived him. Which might explain his subsequent film career…

Apparently no film permits were used for the shooting of Sewer Chewer, which was entirely filmed “guerrilla style”, except for the private residence sequences.

One evening, while filming at the Penn Avenue ditch, a body prop was left behind and discovered the next day by some kids, who promptly called the police. The police had to have forensics come out to determine if the body was real. News 9 OKC ran a story about this and then a follow-up feature on the filmmaker and the movie.

Behind-the-Scenes:

Above: Actor Steve Jones about to be Chewered

Above: Steve Jones and James Hawley try to work out how the Stage 2 Sewer Chewer monster fits together

Did I mention that the monster ends up about the size of a van?

Sewer Chewer is set to premiere in Oklahoma City on Saturday March 20th at a special double-feature screening of Sewer Chewer and Incest Death Squad — with a live performance by Billy Joe Winghead. “Two indie grindhouse feature films, BOTH starring Lloyd Kaufman, and one super-charged kickass band”. The venue is Route 66 Bowling Alley and the doors open at 8pm. Go to the film’s Facebook page for more details as they are revealed.

Source: James Hawley via Kaiju Search-Robot Avery
Official Website
Facebook page
YouTube Page, where you can see clips and behind the scenes vids

Addendum: About the Director

Over the last 20 years, James Hawley’s projects have included visual effects, designing and publishing music trade periodicals, advertising, gallery exhibitions, art installations, branding, writing and directing feature film and music videos. His work for clients such as Honda and XM Satellite has established him as a corporate designer, while his work with numerous concert promoters and grassroots enterprises has garnered him a reputation as a cutting edge contemporary designer. James is a true multi-discipline artist and designer, with hands-on experience from the pre-computer age of graphic design using wax paste-up methods to today’s Adobe standards and has auxiliary skills in binding from saddle stitch to glue methods, and silk screening.

Hawley’s film interests began in elementary school when given an old Bell and Howell Super-8 camera and he quickly began shooting his own films. After cutting his teeth in guerrilla film-making in high school, using his family’s VHS camera, he started making skateboard videos: videos that were both cutting-edge and on the fringe. An early highlight included shooting a daring skateboard sequence in a local bank. True to his renegade roots, James began throwing underground rave parties in the 1990s where he established himself as a DJ, and as one of the pioneers of the traveling rave culture, solidifying himself a permanent spot in history when he was included in Dr John St. Clair’s book, Technomads. (See Wikipedia entry on music culture.)

James currently resides in Oklahoma City with his wife of 18 years and son. In his spare time he records for multiple dance music labels, travels as a celebrated DJ at various parties and festivals around the globe, and still likes to kick it on his skate board.

Sewer Chewer is James’ second feature film.

Posted in Exploitation films, Film, Giant Monsters, Horror, Humour, Independent film, News | Tagged Horror, jack acid, james hawley, Lloyd Kaufman, sewer chewer, theremin, troma | 15 Comments

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