Exclusives
‘Transylmania’ Star Patrick Cavanaugh Talks Blood, Guts…and Laughs
With Freestyle Releasing’s Transylmania arriving in theaters this Friday (December 4), Bloody Disgusting got in touch with Patrick Cavanaugh, who stars as Peter Hanson in the horror/comedy that takes place deep in the heart of the “cursed land” of Transylvania in a centuries-old castle. Razvan University isn’t your typical institution of higher learning — and the black leather-clad professors, three-foot-tall dean, instruction in crucifix-wielding, and topless vampiresses lurking in dark corners are just the start.
“I play Peter Michael Hanson (OK, I made up the middle name), your typical college student, who would rather get wasted than go to class,” star Patrick Cavanaugh tells BD in an exclusive interview. “I join a study abroad program, thinking we are going to some amazing school in Romania, which is located in an actual castle, and hilarious vampire hijinks ensue.”
Speaking of “hilarious vampire hijinks”, Cavanaugh explains that the film is NOT a spoof, but an actual comedy.
“It’s definitely the latter [a horror/comedy]. We don’t really spoof anything specific, so I think of it as more of an homage to all the great horror comedies,” he explains adding that it doesn’t reference any classic horror films either, but it more like a National Lampoon comedy. “Not specifically. I really do think it’s a fun blend of National Lampoon type comedies, with some horror elements blended in. There is also a fast tempo, swashbuckling feel to it as well. People who enjoy either genre will enjoy the film.”
Fans of Harold and Kumar and Pineapple Express might want to pay close attention…
“We run the gamut on the comedy spectrum. We have some drug humor, in the vein of Pineapple Express and Harold and Kumar. There’s a mad scientist trying to make a new body for his daughter. A very beautiful puking scene. Oh, and there’s slapstick sword fighting. It’s a nice comedy gumbo, if you will. ”
Whenever a comedy is made, one always wonders just how fun it was making the film. Cavanaugh explains that shooting in Romania was not only fun, but also bone-chilling.
“We had a blast filming this movie. I mean, first of all, we got to spend seven weeks in a far off land, half of the time filming in an actual 14th century castle. Filming in Romania in November and December was bone-chilling at times, but I had the time of my life!” He continues, “The constant off-screen comedy was trying to go out in some of the smaller towns for dinner. Not very many people spoke English and almost all the menus were in Romanian. I figured out early on that the best thing to do was follow around Irena A. Hoffman, who plays our hunch-backed hottie Draguta, since she was born and raised in Romania. I would have her read me the menu like I was a five year old, tell her what I wanted and have her translate it for me to the server. I would have starved without her!”
While it’s a comedy, will we see any blood? We better!
“Oh yes. Blood, dismembered body parts, disgusting growths, vomit…”
A gnarly infection threatens to claw its way out of a moving camper in the first trailer for Shudder’s claustrophobic Hellcat.
The feature debut of writer/editor/director Brock Bodell, who previously edited the Fantasia title Ultrasound, makes its debut on Shudder on August 14.
In Hellcat, “Lena wakes up in a moving camper trailer with a horrifying wound. She’s warned by the driver that they have one hour to get to a doctor, or she’ll succumb to an unimaginably awful fate. As the pain sets in and reality begins to fray, who should really be afraid?”
Dakota Gorman (Natural Disasters) leads the cast that also includes Todd Terry (“Breaking Bad”), Liz Atwater (The Other People), Jordan Mullins (The Bikeriders), and James Austin Johnson (“Saturday Night Live”) in a voice role. Bodell also produces alongside Andrew Duensing and Nate Eggert.
Hellcat made its world premiere last summer at Fantasia. I wrote in my review, “Hellcat is a bit of a Trojan horror that defies easy classification, by design. Bodell’s sneaky debut feature is occasionally too sparse in its worldbuilding in its bid to preserve the mystery, but not enough to detract from the thrilling road thriller that transforms into a completely left-field type of horror we don’t get nearly enough of. The stripped-down tribute to a classic horror staple catches you off guard in more ways than one, marking Bodell as one to watch.”
In other words, there’s a lot more than meets the eye to Hellcat‘s simple infection setup, delivering plenty of surprises along its bumpy road of horrors.
Check out the trailer and poster below and add Hellcat to your watchlists asap.
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