American
Film Market: A November to Dismember
Part
Four
By ANTHONY TIMPONE
In the first
two parts of my American Film Market journal (see previous
articles here
and here),
I reviewed a raft of new horror flicks. Last
time, I revealed some of the foreign fright-film action
going on at the
AFM (www.afma.com)
headquarters, where attendance during the November 2-9 industry
event reached an all-time high of 8,014. Everyone had plenty
to scream about.
“The insane
volume of horror titles on display there was so overwhelming,”
one participating Canadian producer told me later on the
Fangoria.com bulletin boards. “It’s a miracle
to me that anybody gives a rat’s ass about it at all…
[Because] 90 percent of that stuff is Z-grade, microbudget
crap that no one in his or her right mind would ever want
to see. The genre is so watered down and mired in these
derivative, storyless, talentless excuses for horror ‘films’
that it’s impossible to differentiate one from the
other.”
Well, I’ll give it my best shot.
MARKET OF
THE DEAD
Despite the box-office disappointment of George A. Romero’s
LAND OF THE DEAD, zombie movies are in no short supply at
the 26th edition of the AFM. The high-profile remakes number
Nu Image’s DAY OF THE DEAD (with HALLOWEEN: H20 director
Steve Miner and TAMARA scripter Jeffrey Reddick attached)
at the top. Romero’s film has been reimagined to include
a bioterrorist origin for the ghouls, who also display more
intelligence and cunning while preying on the living. Writer/director
Bob Clark’s redux of his own CHILDREN SHOULDN’T
PLAY WITH DEAD THINGS adds new elements to the story of
his 1973 original as well: The zombies talk this time and
eventually commandeer a Coast Guard cutter and a helicopter
as they seek to leave their island setting behind for the
bright lights of Miami!
In other living
dead news, DAY OF THE DEAD recyclers Nu Image also began
presales on ZOMBIES, about the reanimated corpses of children
killed in an old mine collapse who return to exact revenge.
Writer/director Damon Lemay (a former cameraman on THE LEGEND
OF LUCY KEYES and ICE QUEEN) infects an entire ZOMBIE TOWN,
where the blame falls on mysterious parasites for transforming
the locals (and their pets!) into cannibalistic fiends.
Co-writer/director Scott (SILENT ASSASSINS) Thomas unleashes
PLANE DEAD, in which a lethal virus transforms passengers
and crew on an airborne 747 (hopefully FLIGHTPLAN’s
Jodie Foster and RED EYE’s Rachel McAdams are on board).
AV Pictures claims Norman (BLADE II) Reedus and Terence
(SUPERMAN II) Stamp will visit director Phil (ALONE) Claydon’s
ZOMBIE ISLAND, a UK/Hungary co-production in which sleazy
producers pit reality-show contestants against you-know-whats.
In the postapocalyptic
world of tyro director Milko Davis’ RAIDERS OF THE
DAMNED, Richard (EVIL BREED) Grieco leads a group of commandos
into the zombie quarantine zone to rescue a brilliant scientist.
And finally, just when undead cinema couldn’t get any
sillier, a legendary wrestler squares off against pulseless
opponents at a besieged castle in Japan’s bizarrely
titled OH! MY ZOMBIE MERMAID.
IDT: I DO
TERROR
Besides hawking Mick Garris’ MASTERS OF HORROR series
for international outlets, New Jersey-based IDT Entertainment
descended on Santa Monica with a full slate of horror films
for overseas buyers (expect these titles from Anchor Bay,
an IDT subsidiary, in the U.S.). IDT signed TV producer
Stephen (THE A-TEAM) Cannell to some kind of output deal,
so witness here Cannell’s THE GARDEN, a new Antichrist
tale with DAMIEN: OMEN II’s Lance Henriksen back as
a servant of evil (Sean Young and Claudia Christian pay
the bills too); the religious-themed LEFT IN DARKNESS, in
which Monica (FREDDY VS. JASON) Keena plays a young woman
who literally struggles between angels and demons and heaven
and hell after her untimely death; and, previously mentioned
on this site, Cannell efforts TOOTH FAIRY, IT WAITS (from
LEFT IN DARKNESS’ Steven R. Monroe) and DEMON HUNTER.
IDT is also peddling
several films from Mindfire Entertainment (ROOM 6), among
them Kevin (THE FALLEN ONES) Vanhook’s genre star-packed
VOODOO MOON (see item here)
and Rob Zombie’s animated THE HAUNTED WORLD OF EL SUPERBEASTO,
based on the metal star/director’s own comic book.
Zombie describes EL SUPERBEASTO as “AUSTIN POWERS meets
THE MUNSTERS by way of HARD DAY’S NIGHT.” How
could he leave out Santo?
STILL SLASHING
The zombies keep comin’ and so does the similarly played-out
retro slasher trend. We already told you about actor/director
Conrad (MORK & MINDY) Janis’ BAD BLOOD here,
but body-count fans can also keep their eyes peeled for
HARVEST OF FEAR (has the notorious killer returned to Devil’s
Lake 20 years after his original crimes?); actor/director
Rick Jordan’s STAGE FRIGHT (a maniac knocking off performers
in an old theater); SACRIFICE (four students go camping
and…); Michael Bailey Smith (of the new HILLS HAVE
EYES), ex-TARZAN Miles O’Keeffe and Lee (NECROMANCY)
Purcell facing THE UNKNOWN (four teens head into the woods
and…); TRESPASSERS (four surfing buddies hit a desolate
beach where…); the gory SHUTTER (not the Thai hit)—the
tagline warns “He just wanted a girlfriend,”
but the poster has a buxom babe holding a bloody knife;
and director Kevin (CHEERLEADER NINJAS) Campbell’s
BACK\SLASH, in which, the flier promises, a maniac goes
after “hot college girls listed on a popular website.”
Meanwhile, THE ZODIAC, based on the true-life serial killer
who plagued 1960s-era Northern California, toplines Justin
Chambers, Robin (END OF DAYS) Tunney and AMITYVILLE HORROR
2005’s Philip Baker Hall. The film bears no relation
to the big-budget David (SEVEN) Fincher movie tackling the
same subject, or the recent bottom-of-the-barrel Uli Lommel
knockoff.
CREATURE FEATURES
Everybody loves a good monster movie, and the ratings popularity
of Sci Fi Channel’s Saturday-night originals has inspired
an ongoing rash of CGI critterfests. The two that stand
out the most at the AFM:
• THE BREED:
A killer-dog opus, helmed by former Romero/Wes Craven assistant
director Nick Mastandrea. The footage I watched at the First
Look suite seemed exciting enough, buoyed by the presence
of Michelle (LOST) Rodriguez. Craven executive-produced
this South Africa-lensed film. The same country played host
to PREY, where lions hunt humans Peter (ROBOCOP) Weller
and Bridget (I, ROBOT) Moynahan. Local boy Darrel (DRACULA
3000) Roodt directs.
• MINOTAUR (art pictured on homepage):
First Look teamed with Lions Gate on this Bronze Age horror/fantasy
about a young shepherd battling the ancient mythical beast
from Greece. The genre-friendly cast (Tom Hardy, Tony Todd,
Rutger Hauer and Hammer queen Ingrid Pitt), monsteriffic
CGI work and strong production values (added value courtesy
of stages in Luxembourg) may raise MINOTAUR above the norm,
at least in the impressive clips I spied.
Here’s a
checklist of other coming monster mashes:
• THE BONE
EATER: An Indian legend returns to menace an Arizona work
crew.
• SSSSLITHER (see item here):
Not to be confused with James Gunn’s upcoming horror/comedy
of almost the same name, this one comes via veteran Roger
Corman producers Mike Elliott and Rob Kerchner and involves
mutant eels terrorizing the Florida Everglades.
• SAVAGE PLANET: British director Paul Lynch, who brought
us the Canadian chillers HUMONGOUS and PROM NIGHT during
the crimson-soaked ’80s, makes an overdue genre comeback
with this sci-fier. The plot: Space colonists (among them
TV DEAD ZONE’s Sean Patrick Flanery) encounter a man-eating
thing of some sort.
• WITHIN: Following in the footsteps of THE CAVE and
THE DESCENT—but at a fraction of the cost—eight
spelunkers seeking adventure in the bowels of the earth
(this time in Central Asia) wind up pursued by an unknown
presence. Cast and crew on this HD feature remain equally
unknown.
• SWARMED (see item here):
Killer bees take wing again in this Paul (SNAKEHEAD TERROR)
Ziller film, scripted by BEYOND RE-ANIMATOR’s Miguel
Tejada-Flores. Tim (TRANCERS) Thomerson, Michael (STARGATE
SG-1) Shanks and model Carol Alt try not to get stung. The
same producers, Canada’s Tom (SCREAMERS) Berry and
his Imagination Worldwide shingle, also completed KAW (killer
ravens; see item here)
and the new John (GINGER SNAPS) Fawcett thriller LAST EXIT
(two women drivers make a deadly wrong turn), with a DECOYS
2 in active development as well.
• BOA and VENGEANCE: Twin titanic Thai terrors. In
the first, engineering students in the jungle get squeezed
by an oversized reptile, a “stronger version of Anaconda…even
more vicious than the deadly Python,” while the second
introduces a giant snakelike demon seeking to collect human
souls.
• CHOKER: Alien FX by Todd (SLITHER) Masters and music
by Harry (FRIDAY THE 13TH) Manfredini distinguish this entry,
which also throws in a serial killer amongst its extraterrestrial-intruders
scenario for good measure.
• TIKI: An evil little package from producer Fred Olen
Ray and director Ron (HOLLYWOOD MORTUARY) Ford, with the
titular Hawaiian doll on the warpath.
• CHAIN REACTION: Germany’s resident goremeister
Olaf (LEGION OF THE DEAD) Ittenbach transforms a man into
a hideous monstrosity in this film from Mainline Releasing.
The same company goes back to CHAIN REACTION’s apparent
inspiration for JEKYLL + HYDE, co-writer/director Nick Stillwell’s
modern take on the often-told Robert Louis Stevenson chestnut.
• SCORPIUS GIGANTUS and TYRANOSAURUS WRECKS: Two “new”
Roger Corman presentations produced by his New Concorde
company, both starring Jeff Fahey (well, he shot the first
one in the morning and the second one after he got back
from lunch). The lousy-looking CGI insects in SCORPIUS GIGANTUS
represent bioengineered mutations comprised of scorpion,
cockroach, human and titanium (?) DNA, while poor Tony Todd
joins Fahey in John Carl Buechler’s TYRANNOSAURUS,
battling recycled CARNOSAUR footage for the umpteenth time.
• CREEPIES II: LAS VEGAS ATTACK: Just when things couldn’t
get any schlockier, along comes the latest from producer
Dave (THINGS) Sterling’s cheese grater. Director Jeff
Leroy handles the big bug wrangling once more.
• WEEEVIL, EELS, THE ANTS and THE VAULT: A British
outfit called Rebellion Films set up shop at the AFM to
raise money for this self-explanatory quartet. Huge crawlies
figure into the first three, while THE VAULT tosses together
Vlad Tepes, an ancient supernatural creature and zombies
(of course!) in modern-day Romania.
FAMILIAR FACES
It’s fun noting the roster of recognizable genre stars
and TV favorites turning up in obscure AFM product. For
example:
• David
(KILL BILL) Carradine looks into THE MIRROR, which reflects
murder and dark secrets at an old house. Former editor Stephen
(BLOODY MURDER II) Eckleberry steers this vehicle.
• Karen (HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES) Black and Michael (BLOODRAYNE)
Pare spill ANGEL’S BLOOD, about an entity messing with
a mentally ill woman.
• Udo (BLOOD FOR DRACULA) Kier takes part in CHILDREN
OF WAX, in which battling Eastern European gangs get blamed
for a serial murder spree.
• THAT ’70S SHOW’s Wilmer Valderrama toplines
the CROW-esque/comic book-derived EL MUERTO (for DAHMER
producer Larry Rattner), while his Fox co-star Laura Prepon
plays the true-life Canadian serial killer KARLA.
• FINAL DESTINATION and DISTURBING BEHAVIOR’s
Chad E. Donella discovers that the 9 LIVES OF MARA belong
to an evil witch masquerading as a stepmom.
Whew! As you
can see, with all this horror, the American Film Market
appears to be rapidly turning into the American Fango
Market. Be on the lookout for some of these movies in the
year ahead. The more of these that make it to DVD and late-night
cable, the more likely we will see much of the same offerings
at the next AFM. Happy screenings.
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