GRAVEYARD FILMWORKS OPENS FOR BUSINESS
The folks at Kismet Entertainment Group (makers of DOG SOLDIERS) have just launched a new genre label, Graveyard Filmworks, and announced a slate of low-budget horror flicks. Company chairman/producer David Allen and a few of his filmmakers gave FANGORIA the scoop.
The first Graveyard film out of the gates will be BOO, a supernatural movie written and to be directed by longtime Fango scribe Anthony C. Ferrante. BOO is a ghost story revolving around a group of friends and strangers whose paths cross at an abandoned, haunted hospital. I wrote BOO several years ago as a response to the endless self-referential horror films that came in the aftermath of SCREAM, says Ferrante, who will make his feature directorial debut on BOO. The scribe first came up with idea for the movie while supervising FX on 1999s THE PROGENY. No one really was making truly scary movies at the time, although after writing the script for BOO, both THE SIXTH SENSE and THE OTHERS came out and proved audiences did want to be jolted.
So my intentions are still the same, Ferrante continues, to make a truly scary and terrifying film in an old-fashioned way, namely without the reliance of heavy CGI. I want to create mood and suspense through the story, camerawork and practical effects. I am also excited to be working with Kismet and especially David Allen, who is giving me an incredible opportunity. Kismet also has an option on the Mario Bava library, and there is a subtle homage to the A Drop of Water segment from BLACK SABBATH in BOO, so its very cool Im getting to do this film with people who truly understand horror.
Next up for Graveyard will be SERVANT OF THE DARK, which Allen himself will direct from a script by Anthony Valletta. SERVANT is a psychological horror tale, Allen tells Fango. Sort of FALLEN meets SEVEN. Its about a professor studying evil who finds himself getting a lesson in ultimate darkness from a serial killer. Its a very well-written, absolutely terrifying tale. It scared the shit out of me!
CEMETERY GATES follows SERVANT OF THE DARK in the Graveyard lineup, from a script by Kismet creative vice president Brian OToole. The story, Allen says, begins when a genetically altered creature is liberated by eco-terrorists from a secret government lab. The monster then wreaks havoc on a group of college students who have ventured into its new home beneath a woodland cemetery. We are currently interviewing potential directors for this wildly original creature feature. If I can talk him into it, Brian may direct his own work. He previously produced SLEEPSTALKER: THE SANDMANS LAST RITES, as well as co-produced the original DOG SOLDIERS and co-wrote the story for the current sequel. Graveyard also has another Untitled Horror Project written by OToole on tap, to be directed by Dagen Merrill, who was one of the top four PROJECT GREENLIGHT 2 finalists.
Barking loudest in the Graveyard bullpen will most likely be DOG SOLDIERS: FRESH MEAT. The Eric Miller-scripted follow-up is currently seeking a director. The DOG SOLDIERS franchise will be the cornerstone of Graveyard Filmworks, Allen says. Although it will have a much bigger budget than these other features, we feel that it represents our company well. The story picks up in the woods at the end of the first one. Weve added Americans to the mix because they taste better! FRESH MEAT will be bigger, badder and bloodier than the first film. We also have a part three and a prequel in the works.
Allen adds that a few actors from the first DOG SOLDIERS will be asked back, even some (like Liam Cunningham as Capt. Kidd) who didnt survive the previous picture (We love Liam, Allen says). Also returning will be the Chainsaw Award-winning originals salty dialogue. The characters will have the same foul mouths, says writer Miller. Since this is for the British theatrical market, why hold back?
Meanwhile, Kismet has just finished shooting the dark romantic drama NEO NED, starring Jeremy (DAHMER) Renner and Gabrielle (BAD BOYS 2) Union. The company is currently producing the desert survival thriller MOJAVE, which Allen describes as DELIVERANCE for 20-somethings.
Courtesy of Fangoria
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