Tag Archives: Horror

Going In Deep w Chad Ferrin on Lovecraft and One Filmmaker’s Vision…

21 Apr

Jeff-Billings-and-Chad-The-Deep-OnesBy Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

To find local show times, please visit Facebook

Chad Ferrin‘s The Deep Ones will soon get a limited theatrical release in the United States beginning April 23rd and for fans of H.P. Lovecraft, the themes this film dives into are faithful to the ideas this seminal author conceived long ago. I spoke to this filmmaker, and he’s revealed that he grew up watching the classics–namely The Twilight Zone, Hitchcock Presents and The Outer Limits. He studied theatre in college; the passion to make movies was a natural evolution for his career, and he knew the proverbial move to Los Angeles was required.

He was lucky to be connected. Mike Leahy of Phantoms and Pulse fame gave him his break, and when the call came, he was ready! Ferrin worked hard to get to where he is now. He’s been involved in every aspect of the movie making business, and he was everywhere. On the list includes working as a production assistant in Back to Back with Michael Rooker and being a “double” in No Way Back with Russell Crowe. He noted how his hands look similar to his, so he did it all–including becoming a fall guy (stunts). 

“I’d have a smile and be wide-eyed every day. I loved every second. Knowing the right people will help you out down the road,” acknowledged Ferrin. His hands on learning showed him how other departments work by the time he was ready to be a director. 

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It’s no ‘Brain Freeze’ that Montreal’s Fantasia’s Going Digital for a 2nd Year

9 Apr

Fantasia International Film Festival (@FantasiaFest) | TwitterThe Fantasia International Film Festival will be celebrating its 25th edition as a virtual event accessible to audiences across Canada, with a dynamic program of scheduled screenings and premieres, panels, and workshops running from August 5 through August 25, 2021, once again using the leading-edge platform created by Festival Scope and Shift72.

As the summer approaches, the festival will be following advice from local health authorities, with the possibility of also adding a range of flagship physical events to the lineup.

Last summer’s virtual edition was a phenomenal success, screening to 85000 spectators and amassing a record amount of media coverage, with 475 accredited journalists from around the world covering Fantasia and its titles. The lineup showcased 104 features, a quarter of which were World Premieres, with the majority securing distribution out of the festival, with highlights including The Block Island Sound selling to Netflix, Come True to IFC, The Paper Tigers to WellGo USA, Anything for Jackson to Shudder, PVT Chat to Dark Star, and Minor Premise to Utopia.

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Kauan Explores “The Terror” with Ice Fleet & RPG Concept Album

30 Mar

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Artoffact Records 
Preorder available on Bandcamp

There’s been a handful of doomed expeditions to the Arctic circle early in exploratory history, and perhaps the most famous is Sir John Franklin’s doomed expedition. This particular case is well known in Canada since it was found near our waters. AMC’s The Terror gave their take on what may have happened, and its legend still sends shudders to those wanting to find definitive answers. 

Although only two boats were involved, Russia’s own home grown terror is not well known and perhaps covered up! Anton Belov from the folk metal band Kauan learned about this tale from his research into his country’s unsolved mysteries and turned it into a concept album, aptly named Ice Fleet. He said, “The only real artifact is the hand-written letter of a person whose grandfather was part of a scientific expedition on the northern shores near the Laptev Sea. This man was involved in blowing up huge ice layers to find the right place to build a meteorological station. After one explosion, the snow revealed a dozen masts. This is where our story begins. The letter itself is carefully translated to English and presented in the next chapters in its entirety.”

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Godzilla and Kong in Print; The Clash of the Prequels

28 Mar

 

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Legendary Comics
Release Date:
April 6, 2021

Godzilla vs Kong is a tale of two titans that one movie cannot fulfill alone. The previous films show how terrifying they are separate, and these beasts will clash. It’s been foretold! We’ve seen this in King of the Monsters, in a very short act where Dr. Ishirō Serizawa and his pilot found an Atlantean-like ruin depicting a time where the titans ran amok, and the humans back then disappeared. 

The graphic novels Godzilla: Dominion and Kingdom Kong add a layer of lore. Both of the works serve as a prequel to the showdown coming to select cinemas and HBO Max. It’s amazing that Godzilla faced many creatures in the past, but yet they don’t hold a candle to the mightiest ape. 

Godzilla: Dominion is a huge exposition. What readers get is a fantastic look back at how long he survived the epochs and who he once fought. We are presented with monsters who may have been creatures from myth once. The biblical leviathan is one, and Tiamat is another. While they are nothing like the myths paint them as and if the film series can continue, I’d love to see how past civilizations worshipped or feared these titans.

Writer Greg Keyes delivers a nicely written wrestling ring style narrative that captions over the action and artist Drew Edward Johnson imagines the beast just like the last movie. Allan Passalaqua‘s colours highlight the titan’s might as the veritable demons they are. Much of the work is done with the creative team of Barnaby Legg, Josh Parker, Katie Aguilar and Brian Hoffman handling development of the lore in this Monsterverse to ensure continuity. 

The pinups and concept sketches by Johnson in this book look better in black and white than in colour. The designs are terrifying! I can only dream of having the action figures, but I doubt they will be made. Not every fan will be aware of this extension to the Monsterverse. If you’re one, I recommend it for the cover art by Art Adams alone. He’s a long time devotee, and any product with his endorsement is worth obtaining.

PREVIEW

 

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When Infighting Causes Problems with a Nest of Vampires

10 Mar

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Coming to Digital
March 15th
Amazon, Tubi, iTunes

Exclusive screening on Facebook March 13, 2021 at 1 PM PST

When human blood suckers gather, what are they called? Is it a coven or a cauldron like the bats they are? It’s hard to say, but Chris Sanders’ Nest of Vampires is an aptly named film about a cadre who is having trouble keeping quiet in a small town in England. Kit Valentine (Tom Fairfoot), a top MI5 agent, lost his wife to a group of them and the authorities are not investigating. His daughter, Anna (Daria Krauzo), is kidnapped and no self-respecting father will let this case go cold.

Had Dracula ever wanted to lay down an empire as detailed in Bram Stoker’s novel, this movie would be a perfect followup! There’s no relation to the Victorian work. Instead, this crowdfunded film project by Sanders is styled to fit in the world of The Lost Boys. Yes, the setup is cheesy, and this nest is in over their heads, but the concept nicely works.

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