SET VISIT: Death House

SET VISIT: Death House

Back in April I had the privilege of being on set for a couple days of the much anticipated horror film Death House and I wanted to write about my experience. Being dubbed by media outlets as “The Expendables of Horror” because of its monstrous cast of horror icons is a fitting label, but it doesn't capture the feeling and essence of the film that I felt while witnessing it being made. The Expendables label feels like a gimmick, like a way to make money and cash in on a bunch of names. I'm here to tell you that Death House is much more than that.
My first impression of the production was how nice and polite everyone was. The cast and crew were extremely busy and always running around putting set pieces together or setting up cameras or ironing the outfits for the next scene to be filmed. Yet there was no tension, no arguing or lost tempers, just a well oiled machine full of people who each knew what role they played. It was a very confident atmosphere filled with a talented and hard working crew.
The next thing I noticed, being a horror fan, was the cast. The actors that were on set while I was there were Cortney Palm, Cody Longo, Dee Wallace, Barbara Crampton, Debbie Rochon, and Kane Hodder. Yeah. Can you imagine being able to watch these actors do there job on a movie set? I will admit I was a bit overwhelmed by this and quite starstruck. I sat next to Barbara Crampton for 45 minutes and watched Cortney, Cody, and Dee film a scene. I ran into Kane at the hotel the night he arrived and we chatted for a few minutes, a real nice guy. I watched the great Dee Wallace effortlessly deliver her lines perfectly and watched Debbie Rochon nail her scenes in one take and had a fantastic conversation with her about horror and Gunnar Hansen. Cody shook my hand and always said hello and I was a bit shy around Cortney out of fear of looking like a fanboy. Everyone was nice, down to Earth, and happy to be there. I didn't get photos with them as I didn't want to interfere with their work or be a bother. But the conversations, introductions, and handshakes are something I'll never forget.
As for the cast as their characters, all looked fantastic in their roles. Cody is the perfect hotshot Agent Novak and Kane is intimidating and spot on as Sieg, both came well prepared to show the nature of their characters. Dee and Barbara as Dr. Fletcher and Dr. Redmane are perfect cast choices. Dee plays the hardline, no nonsense Fletcher in a way that matches the photos of her in the film that you can see online. She's a wonderful actress and it was a joy to watch her act, and I was able to tell her that. Barbara is the more lighthearted Dr. Redmane and her youthful look coupled with her ability to act so naturally and distinctly with her eyes lead to a strong and layered performance. I was in awe watching Debbie Rochon (one of my favorite actresses) give an absolutely chilling performance! Watching her act was very special to me.
But seeing Cortney Palm as Agent Boon was probably the highlight of the characters for me, she is perfect for the role and embodies everything the character displays in the script. It's perfect casting and seeing her act in this role was very exciting. There are several scenes that she just nailed, whether it be the delivery of a line or the look on her face. Cortney Palm may not be a horror icon (yet) or the biggest name on the Death House IMDb page, but in my opinion she just may be the anchor of the whole cast. That's how strongly I believe in what I saw of her performance here.
As for writer/director Harrison Smith, I have to say the guy was a confident leader on set and well respected from the entire crew. He's open to suggestions from actors or crew, listens when someone raises a question about anything, and has a clear vision for what this film should look like, sound like, and feel like. I remember Cody Longo bringing up a concern he had for a scene and although it took him a few times to fully explain himself, Harrison listened patiently until he understood what Cody was saying. He also went out of his way to show me around and asked several times during my stay how I was doing. That's just how the set was, very thorough and very respectful. Smith is also a walking horror movie encyclopedia and has several horror Easter eggs for fans to pick up on and look out for. He truly intends for Death House to be a film made for horror fans. And they may need to see it more than once just to catch everything. Before filming one scene, Harrison got super excited about the lighting, saying it looked like A Nightmare on Elm Street 3. That's the kind of detail you can expect from Death House and Harrison Smith is the perfect guy to lead the project.
The set design is incredibly detailed and well conceived. Featuring the quality of Cayo Industrial from Upstate NY, a highly praised haunted Halloween attraction. The set pieces are detailed and gritty when needed and complex and all in sync with each other for a seamless look. Also, the practical effects from PCND/FX and SOTA FX are extremely detailed and complicated creations. These guys take great pride in what they do and it shows. The processing chair that Kane Hodder as Sieg is subjected to is an elaborate sci-fi work of art and coupled with the lighting of the scene looked stunning on the monitors and in pictures, I can't wait to see it on the big screen.
I remember driving home from my time on set feeling very confident and excited about the outcome for Death House. I was highly impressed with the work ethic of the cast and crew and even more impressed that it all has translated into the film itself. Death House isn't a gimmicky who's who of horror, it isn't a cheap looking cash grab, and it isn't your average horror film. It's a smart script with perfect casting surrounded by a hard working, very talented crew and headed by a smart and passionate director who believes very strongly in Death House.
Horror fans should get excited.  

Daylight's End

Daylight's End

Daylight's End takes place years after a mysterious plague has wiped out the planet and turned the majority of the remaining humans into crazed, bloodthirsty savages. To keep it simple we'll just refer to them as zombies. When a heartbroken and tough as nails drifter teams up with a group of survivors who currently stay in an abandoned police station, the group tries to make it out alive in search of the sanctuary they so desperately seek.

I didn't know what to expect when I sat down to watch Daylight's End. The only thing I knew was it was a low budget horror action film with zombies starring Lance Henriksen. That all sounded good to me, but I also heard it took years to make and I was nervous about what kind of experience this would be. It wasn't long into the film when I found myself feeling pretty damn impressed with what I was seeing. The film took years to make because director William Kaufman and writer Chad Law wanted it to be done right. I'm very happy to say it paid off!

The action in this movie is insane. I mean it is damn good! It's fast and crisp and loud with wonderful sound design and at times seemed non stop as the group fought endless hordes of zombies! The low budget easily holds it's own against any Hollywood blockbuster and major kudos to the film crew behind Daylight's End for showing some major talent here with close quarter gunfights, large scale scenes in city streets, and tightly choreographed physical combat. To match the action, the special effects are top notch and are equally impressive. The look of the film is also a major victory for the low budget as the make-up and wardrobe and cinematography made these people look constantly hot and sweaty (it was filmed in Dallas, so that may have been real) and dirty and you really felt as though the clothes on their backs were all they had. Every scene was full of dirt and grime and decay. Daylight's End really is the Wild West meets the apocalypse.

The brilliant action is no doubt the heart and soul of Daylight's End, but the zombies are another high quality offering from the film. While they may not bring anything new to the zombie table, they are ferocious and snarling and nasty creatures that move with a crazed briskness as they crave human flesh. And the make-up work is, once again, very well done. The characters in the group of survivors are all portrayed well by solid actors and given little back stories here and there to add a sense of lost humanity to the desperate group and the world itself. The filmmakers made sure to include moments of “what was” before the plague outbreak.

The hero of the film, Thomas, played by Johnny Strong, has the films only minor weak point that I noticed. The script does offer a heartbreaking back story to his character and does its best to create a sympathetic connection for the audience to grab onto. This only half succeeds because Johnny Strong didn't quite have the emotional range to pull it off. With that said, Strong does a fantastic job portraying the loner cowboy type who knows all the tricks to survive and was game for all the action scenes. The guy just looks like a Mad Max type hero.

Daylight's End was a fun and wild ride. I was surprised at how good it looked and how impressive the action was, it also contains a good number of scares! Lance Henriksen turns in a strong performance here as the old, battle tested, and dedicated leader of the group, and that was great to see. If you get the chance to see this action packed zombie thrill ride on a big screen, do it, you won't be disappointed!

Darling

Darling

Darling is the story of a young woman (known only as Darling), who takes a house sitting job at a house that has a horrific history. Not long after she settles in the woman begins to have terrifying visions and begins a descent into madness.

The history of the house being watched hints at tales of possession and invoking the Devil. The film is even broken up into several chapters bearing titles such as “Invocation” and “Demon”. The 'house with a history that drives its inhabitants insane' is nothing new, but the execution of Darling and the way the film not only tells its story but shows it, is nothing short of breathtaking. Darling is art house horror at its finest, it's not just watching a movie, it's experiencing a visual and audible nightmare. The movie has a surreal and unsettling way of making the viewer feel as though they are not watching a movie, but are rather watching HER, the young woman. In turn, it feels as though Darling is watching YOU. As the viewer, I felt I WAS the evil presence inside the house. I felt like an invader. The filmmakers, whether they know it or not, have stumbled on a filming technique that made me feel involved in the experience of what was happening on the screen. I almost felt responsible for what was happening to Darling yet sympathetic toward her at the same time. It's voyeurism to the max and I was blown away by the simplicity of the approach to tell the story and the devastating affect it had on me.

While the filmmakers of Darling deserve a ton of credit and kudos for what they have achieved, all their efforts would have been for nothing without a strong performance from Lauren Ashley Carter. I can't say enough about the fantastic and heartbreaking performance that Carter gives. She pushes herself and the audience to the limit in a brutally intense portrayal that still manages to keep our sympathy. Darling's descent into madness is not her fault, and for Lauren Ashley Carter to be able to pull off the ferocity of her condition while maintaining the humanism of her character is nothing short of remarkable. Her big eyes are filled with pain, innocence, aggression, and nothingness at the same time while her face is tense and seemingly restraining itself from screaming all while her body is apathetic and controlled. It's just a remarkable performance. I'm in awe.

The music is piercing and uneasy, the atmosphere is filled with dread and fear and the unexpected, and my heart was pounding the entire run time. Mickey Keating has created a timeless horror classic and a brilliant portrayal of possession. There's blood and terrifying visions and moments, but there's no demons or over the top moment of possession or anything like that, just the descent and nightmare of a young woman shown in outstanding fashion by Lauren Ashley Carter. Darling is horror in the purest and truest sense and I would highly recommend it to anyone.

Trophy Heads

Trophy Heads

Trophy Heads is about real life Scream Queens who starred in numerous horror films throughout the 1980's and 90's. While they have moved on with their lives, an obsessed fan named Max is stuck in the cinematic worlds they starred in decades ago! With the help of his mother, Max begins to collect the Scream Queens one by one and forces them to re-enact scenes from their films. The problem is, they barely remember the dialogue or scenes themselves and Max has new and deadly plans for different outcomes to his favorite movies.

The setup for Trophy Heads is definitely unique and grabbed my attention the second I read about it and left me thinking that I must see this movie! I loved the idea of using real life Scream Queens such as Linnea Quigley, Brinke Stevens, Darcy DeMoss, and others playing themselves and dealing with an obsessed and demented fan, it's a brilliant horror film concept. Now, did it live up to my immediate expectations? Quite simply, yes! It's an absolute blast seeing all of these actresses on screen together and they are undoubtedly having a great time. Seeing a new horror film play out based on the scenes of real, older horror movies with the same actresses had me in horror heaven. It's easy for a horror fan, especially a fan of 1980's and 90's horror, to get so taken with the concept and collection of Scream Queens in Trophy Heads that they just automatically like the film. I mean, come on, we're biased when it comes to these things! Luckily the movie offers a fun script and style that actually recalls the films of the 1980's and 90's. If there exists a studio that could successfully pull this concept off in the right way with the fans in mind, it's Full Moon, who know this sub-genre inside and out. It also helps that a lot of the movies are under their label.

There's all sorts of horror meta going on here and it's a ton of fun. Watching Brinke Stevens and Linnea Quigley watch themselves on screen and make comments about their movies had me smiling from ear to ear. Jacqueline Lovell is a brilliant standout in the film, she's hilarious and has an energy about her that demands your attention. Probably going to hunt down copies of The Killer Eye and Head of the Family just to see her on my screen again! Jacqueline also has great on screen chemistry with Denice Duff when the two go back and forth about their movies while held captive in jail cells, it's so funny and so fun to watch!

There's another aspect of the film that really surprised me and helped solidify Trophy Heads as a must watch for horror fans. The role of Max is perfectly played by Adam Noble Roberts. He is the perfect blend of sympathetic and crazy, I found myself hating him and identifying with him at the same time. There's a scene in the beginning that shows Max in his room watching his beloved horror movies and Scream Queens. When he goes on to his mother about how these old horror movies are his life and that VHS and Scream Queens are all fading away and dying, it's a scene that spoke to me as a fan of this special era in horror. Now, obviously I'm not going to kidnap anyone and chase them and cut heads off, but I do go to conventions and have dozens of autographed photos of horror stars, including Linnea Quigley. And couldn't those be considered my trophy heads? The film turns this sentiment into a horror story itself and takes it to an extreme, and that's what horror is: an extreme.

Watching Trophy Heads was a great experience and I absolutely loved the movie. It's bloody, violent, disturbing, and hilarious and it surprised me and entertained me as someone who loves the genre and its history. I suggest everyone check this out, it's a wonderfully twisted time!