We received a rash of interesting press releases regarding a bunch of new upcoming indie horror films; first we have Island Gateway Films' Evilution and Basement Jack; Nothing Sacred is now nearing completion as they've finally cast the main villain... William Sadler; Albino Farm will see WWE superstar Chris Jericho as the lead; and Trailer Park of Terror is now shooting in Los Angeles. Read on for details on all of those newly announced indie pics. Watch for more on each soon!
EVILUTION & BASEMENT JACK:
Island Gateway Films starts horror division; producing two films in 2007
(Los Angeles, CA) – Island Gateway Films producers Eric Peter-Kaiser and Brian O’Toole announce the creation of their horror film division called Black Gate Entertainment. The new company is producing a series of horror pictures, the first of which will be EVILUTION. EVILUTION begins principal photography on May 23rd in Los Angeles.
Black Gate Entertainment is gearing up for their first three fright films. “Right now, we have two very interesting genre pieces that ride the full spectrum of terror and give classic horror characters a 21st Century facelift,“ explains producer Eric Peter-Kaiser.
The premiere line-up for Black Gate Entertainment are EVILUTION, a claustrophobic piece about tenants inside a mysterious apartment building who become infected with an alien intelligence that has developed a taste for human flesh and BASEMENT JACK, a slasher picture where the killer’s murder spree is triggered by lightning and some very bad memories.
Parent company Island Gateway Films will self-finance each film, with budgets ranging between $500k to a million. Brian O’Toole says, “We are looking to develop films that have the ability to crawl up a spine and leave a never-ending shiver. At our current budgets, we may be limited to the old ‘one monster, one location’ rule but I believe that financial restraint helps bring out the creativity in talented people.”
EVILUTION stars Eric Peter-Kaiser in the heroic role of Captain Darren Hall, a young scientist who goes AWOL after stealing from the government a medicine bottle containing an alien intelligence in hopes of communicating with it. “What I like about the role of Darren,” says Peter-Kaiser, “is that he is a sympathetic character, not unlike Dr. Frankenstein, who’s intentions were good but, unfortunately, could not foresee the terrible evil that he was unleashing onto the world.” Brian O’Toole adds, “With EVILUTION, my goals was to re-imagine the zombie genre. There will be many acts of cannibalism of course, but the heart of the story is that the US military tries to enslave an alien life form to use as a super-weapon but the alien fights back by invading humans and turning them into flesh-eaters.”
Film editor Chris Conlee will direct EVILUTION. Conlee has cut such horror titles as ABOMINABLE, RAZOR, DREAMLAND and SIMON SAYS. O’Toole says of Conlee, “Chris’ understanding of what works to make a horror film scary is impressive.” EVILUTION will be Conlee’s feature directorial debut.
EVILUTION stars Eric Peter-Kaiser (MIRACLE), Tim Colceri (FULL METAL JACKET), Sandra Ramirez (THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA), Guillermo Diaz (HALF BAKED), Nathan Bexton (GO), James Duval (ID4), Billy Morrison (Bassist for The Cult), Peter Stickles (SHORTBUS), Kristin Novak (DEATH TUNNEL) and Noel Gugliemi (TRAINING DAY).
BASEMENT JACK, Black Gate’s second feature, will also star Eric Peter-Kaiser , this time as a tortured serial killer who invades homes in order to observe happy families; hoping to replace in his head the memories of an abusive childhood by the hands of a demented mother. However, whenever an electrical storm rolls into town, lightning triggers the killer’s bloodlust. He kills, and then he sets up the victims like a mannequin populated Happy Home Display in a department store. Eric Peter-Kaiser says of his role as a silent maniac, “Jack Riley is a fascinating character. In his mind, the victim must fit the crime. If you look back at all the successful movie maniacs, their genesis came from some deep loss of innocence; as a child Freddy Krueger was beaten by an alcoholic father; Jason Voorhees saw his overly-protective mother beheaded; Michael Myers didn’t understand puberty and lashed out. My character, Riley, was raised by a sadistic mother who used electricity as a way to discipline. Although there is never an excuse for murder, BASEMENT JACK tries to explain a bit of the madness by getting into the head of this tormented soul.”
Black Gate Entertainment has signed visual effects artist Michael Shelton to helm BASEMENT JACK from Brian O’Toole’s original screenplay. “I also worked with Michael Shelton on another feature,” tells O’Toole, “and I was blown away by his artistry and ability to bring horrifying images to life. But beyond the magic he creates with his computer, Michael impressed me with his deep commitment to story and character. Each effect he does comes with its own tale, which reveals incredible talent.“ Michael Shelton has worked as visual effects artist on the recent horror films THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE, HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL, BIG BAD WOLF and THE WIZARD OF GORE.
BASEMENT JACK will be Michael Shelton’s feature directorial debut. It is scheduled to shoot in Los Angeles in August of this year.
Actor/Producer Eric Peter-Kaiser began his career as a professional hockey player, which lead to being cast in the role of Olympiad hockey player Mark Johnson in the Disney sports film MIRACLE. Eric recently performed the duties of Executive Producer on the comedy TRIPPING FORWARD and the wrestling documentary VERITAS.
Writer/Producer Brian Patrick O’Toole’s past horror projects include DOG SOLDIERS, the cult werewolf actioner from THE DESCENT director Neil Marshall; SLEEPSTALKER, a supernatural slasher picture and one of the first films to utilize a computer generated character; and CEMETERY GATES, a blood soaked homage to the “Killer Animal” movies of the ‘70s featuring PHANTASM’s Reggie Bannister and Academy Award winning make-up artist Howard Berger. Beyond the realm of horror, O’Toole has co-produced director Van Fischer’s dark romantic drama NEO NED starring Gabrielle Union (TV’s NIGHT STALKER) and Jeremy Renner (28 WEEKS LATER); and MOJAVE, a suspense thriller starring Eric Christian Olsen (TV’s THE LOOP) and Jennifer Cortese (TV’s WILDFIRE).
Island Gateway Films LLC ("IGF") is a motion picture production company with offices in Los Angeles and Vancouver. IGF was founded in June of 2005. In 2007 IGF opened up its horror division called Black Gate Entertainment. As a film company, IGF's goals are to create independent movies that inspire and give opportunity to young talent that has been unable to break through the studio system. IGF’s core production team consists of Eric Peter-Kaiser and Brian O’Toole. Details of the company can be found at www.islandgatewayfilms.com
ALBINO FARM:
Writer-director Sean McEwen updates us on his horror project with WEE champion set to star Chris Jericho. The film is called "Albino Farm" and is based on a legend centric to southern Missouri and the Ozark Mountains. Principal photography begins next Monday, May 21. McEwen tells B-D, "We are shooting entirely on location in Missouri and have assembled and amazing cast and crew. Also, the creatures we've developed are absolutely incredible - Jason Barnett, our creature F/X artist, has designed some visuals that are truly unbelievable. There are things in our story that have never been seen in a horror film before." We'll keep you posted as things move forward.
TRAILER PARK OF TRAILER:
The effects on Trailer Park of Terror are being created by the Academy Award winning fx house Drac Studios (Todd Tucker, Greg Cannom, Harvey Lowry), whose numerous film credits include the upcoming Brad Pitt starrer The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Mrs. Doubtfire, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Pirates of the Caribbean, Apacalypto and Titanic.
In Trailer Park of Terror, six troubled high school students and their chaperon, an optimistic youth ministries Pastor, return from an outdoor character building retreat in the mountains. During a raging storm, their bus crashes, hopelessly stranding them in the middle of the Trucker's Triangle, a forgotten locus of consummate evil in the middle of nowhere. The hapless group seeks shelter for the night in a seemingly abandoned trailer park they find down the road. However, when the sun sets, it's not refuge they find. Instead, terror finds them in the form of Norma, a damned redneck reaper with a killer body who dispenses vengeance and death aided by her cursed companions, a bloodthirsty brood of Undead trailer trash..
Starring in a cameo appearance is country music legend Trace Adkins along with Nichole Hiltz (The Riches), Ryan Carnes (Desperate Housewives), Haley Marie Norman (Norbit, Deal or No Deal), Priscilla Barnes (The Devil’s Rejects), Michelle Lee (Pirates of the Carribbean III), Lew Temple (The Devil’s Rejects), Tracey Walter (The Manchurian Candidate), Myk Watford (The Hoax, Law & Order: SVU), Ed Lee Corbin (Chrystal), Matthew Del Negro (The West Wing, Sopranos), Jeanette Brox (Art School Confidential), Cody McMains (Vicious Circle) and Ricky Mabe (Beautiful People).
Trailer Park of Terror is directed by Steven Goldmann (Broken Bridges, and over 200 music videos, including for artists such as Faith Hill, Shania Twain, Alan Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Brooks and Dunn), with a screenplay by Timothy Dolan, produced by Jonathan Bogner (Super Cross) and executive produced by Ralph Singleton (Pet Sematary).
NOTHING SACRED:
Nothing Sacred has finally caught its villain. Though the majority of the fantasy/horror movie was shot late last year, the film’s co-directors Dylan Bank and Morgan Pehme insisted on waiting to wrap Nothing Sacred until they could cast the actor they envisioned as their heavy when they wrote the part: William Sadler.
“For us, it was Bill or nobody,” explained Pehme from the film’s editing suite in New York City. “Dylan and I maintained from the beginning that Nothing Sacred wouldn’t work without a villain terrifying enough to justify the build-up to his big reveal.”
Sadler, who plays the ruthless sorcerer “Chambers” in the film, is no stranger to incarnating evil on screen. The actor, best known for his roles in The Shawshank Redemption and Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey, played Bruce Willis’s nefarious nemesis in Die Hard 2 and the unscrupulous Federation officer, Sloan, in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Although Sadler had enthusiastically committed to Nothing Sacred months before filming, his busy acting schedule kept him from doing the part. Only a week before the shoot, he wrapped The Mist with Thomas Jane, a movie that reunited him with the creative team behind Shawshank, Stephen King and director Frank Darabont. Rather than cast another actor, Bank and Pehme decided to make the unorthodox decision to wait until Sadler was ready to finish the film.
In the interim, they edited the picture with the exception of the scenes that involved Sadler. “It turned out great for us from a creative standpoint,” said Bank. “It’s a rarity for filmmakers to see how their movie fits together before shooting some of its most crucial moments. Ultimately, it allowed us to do even more than we had planned.”
A Belgian-American co-production between Merlion Entertainment and Uncut Films, Nothing Sacred tells the story of a pair of twins prophesied to avenge their mother’s death at the hand of their father, Chambers. The twins, portrayed by up-and-comers Alan Barnes Netherton and Naama Kates, are accompanied by an internationally renowned ensemble cast, including French box office superstar Thierry Lhermitte (The Dinner Game), Philippe Nahon, the star of horror hit High Tension, and cult movie queen Debbie Rochon (Terror Firmer).
FARM HOUSE:
Having recently completed production of the highly-anticipated action-thriller "Hotel California," Alliance Group Entertainment today announces the pre-production of its psychological horror thriller "Farm House."
With the recent success of horror films such as "Disturbia,"-- which relied more on plot than the use of big name talent to drive moviegoers to theaters in large numbers to support the film--Alliance Group Entertainment feels confident that the plot for "Farm House" will be just as appealing to fans of the horror/thriller genre. "Farm House," a modern day psychological horror thriller follows a young married couple, plagued by a horrible and tragic secret, trying to leave the past behind them and start all over.
"Farm House is a horrific story laced with the nail biting tension and suspense that will keep the audience on the edge of their seats." Says executive producer Mike Karkeh.
"Farm House," will be the second feature film directed by George Bessudo who recently helmed the Alliance Group Entertainment horror film "Lake Dead," ( www.lakedead.com ) a fast-paced, action-packed, slasher-style horror film set in the modern day backwoods of "Anytown" USA. The film has been described as a "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" meets "Wrong Turn" with just the right touch of "Deliverance."
"Because George was able to produce such a high quality project on an extremely small budget, and make it look amazing, I knew that Farm House would be the perfect film for his sophomore project. I can't wait to see what he delivers with more resources available to him." Says executive producer Mike Karkeh.
Alliance is currently casting the project in house and has Steven Weber (NBC's Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Wings), Sam Sarpong (MTV's Yo Momma), and Drew Sidora (Step-Up) attached. Alliance is in talks with Kelly Hu (X2: X-men United, ABC's In Case of Emergency,) to play opposite of Mr. Weber and is currently casting the final two leads. Shooting is set to begin on June 4, 2007.
Mike Karkeh (executive producer of Hotel California, Lake Dead, and Confessions of a Pit Fighter) will serve as executive producer with Alliance Group Entertainment as the production company. Farm House" is written by Daniel Coughlin, who also penned "Lake Dead."
I saw on Sandra Ramirez' IMDB that she is in the film Evilution. I'm a huge fan of hers and I'm glad she's doing another horror film. She's the hottest chick ever. If you're a fan of dark and mysterious girls check out her website. I can't wait to see Evilution when it comes out!
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(Los Angeles, CA) – Island Gateway Films producers Eric Peter-Kaiser and Brian O’Toole announce the creation of their horror film division called Black Gate Entertainment. The new company is producing a series of horror pictures, the first of which will be EVILUTION. EVILUTION begins principal photography on May 23rd in Los Angeles.
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