Jonathan Sothcott, executive producer of the killer-doll flick WISHBABY got in touch to give Fango the first word and pics from the intriguingly titled THE KARMA MAGNET. The 20-minute horror short was penned by Phillip (THE EVOLVED) Barron and produced by Sothcott and his production partner Martin Kemp under their Black and Blue Films banner. Directed by Kemp (a member of the immensely popular ’80s synth-pop band Spandau Ballet, and an actor many will recall for his turn as the vamp who terrorizes Alyssa Milano in 1995’s EMBRACE OF THE VAMPIRE), KARMA MAGNET is completing post-production this week and stars Kemp’s brother Gary (KILLING ZOE), British TV star Adele Silva and Catherine Siggins.
The story revolves around “celebrity chef Joel [Gary Kemp], dubbed ‘the luckiest man in the world,’ who prepares to jump off a roof, believing that his multitude of good luck has terrible repercussions for the rest of the world,” Sothcott tells us. “With his wife Sandra in labor, Joel believes he has to kill himself to save his unborn child…but does he?
“Martin’s an immensely talented guy,” the producer continues, “but this was his first time directing, so I wondered if it would come as easily to him as did his massive success in pop music and acting, and of course it did—he was an absolute natural. He is no longer just the best-looking actor in the UK, he is now the best-looking director too. He was absolutely superb, and got exactly what he wanted out of the cast and crew. I’m very proud of THE KARMA MAGNET.”
Sotchcott is equally excited about his cast: “We were blessed. Gary is a world-class actor with blockbuster films under his belt, and he’s utterly compelling. Adele is just impossibly beautiful and was absolutely superb as Gary’s high-maintenance wife. She was a pleasure to have on set, and everyone fell in love with her!”
Regardless of the fact that “raising money for independent horror in London isn’t easy,” Sothcott’s love of the horror genre endures—specifically his desire to produce a remake of the 1975 British shocker STRAW HILL. “I just had lunch with [original writer/director] James Kenelm Clarke regarding the STRAW HILL redux, and we are still hoping to do it next year. I have a new script by a great writer who I really like.” Sothcott plans to produce, with Clarke serving as executive producer on the update. Further projects for Black and Blue Films include “a major drama series on which we are currently in heavy development, as well as a half-hour anthology series; think THE TWILIGHT ZONE for the SAW generation, with each episode being an indie horror minifilm.
“We started the company with a view to making independent movies—edgy, slightly dark stuff,” Sothcott says of Black and Blue’s mission statement, “but since then we have got off a couple of television projects that will see the light of day next year.” He’s looking to the future as well, a wise move given “new media”’s growing presence. “We aren’t just interested in the 90-minute model. I want Black and Blue to be a progressive company, and with generations reared on YouTube and MySpace, I believe that byte-size storytelling is perfectly, and commercially, acceptable.” Black and Blue Films’ official website can be found here.
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