You'll have to forgive the brevity of this post, but I'm working on so many things right now that I haven't even taken a leak since early November. As you can imagine, free time to blog is hard to come by (and my bladder hurts wicked bad)- so I gotta keep this one short.
Normally, I make a Halloween short film every year as a sort of "Halloween present" to my friends and fans. Hopefully most of you got to see THE TIVO this year as it was by far the most downloaded short that my crew and I have done in 10 years of making those shorts. Right around the time we were shooting THE TIVO, I was approached to join in on XBOX's "HORROR MEETS COMEDY" project in which a handful of notable horror directors were each given the task of creating a comedy pilot for XBOX LIVE. I gladly joined in on the fun and now... just in time for Christmas... I present to you all:
My new web pilot FAIRY TALE POLICE launches this week (Wednesday December 17th) on Microsoft's XBOX LIVE. For those of you on XBOX, simply log in to the main interface, click on "Video Marketplace" and you'll find HORROR MEETS COMEDY listed under New Arrivals, Independent, or Most Popular- take your pick. It's easy enough to find. The download is FREE and it gives you the option of full HD or standard def.
For those of you who do not have an XBOX, don't fear. The pilot will be available on a number of other websites and platforms within time. While I won't know any details or facts until later on in January, this episode could very well be the first of many more. But more on that later.
F.T.P. was an absolute joy to work on and I know that I speak for everyone involved when I say that it was nothing short of a blast to make. It's these kinds of projects that remind me why I love to do what I do. Don't get me wrong, the Hollywood stuff, the feature films, the TV development, the writing, the promoting, the touring... it's all awesome and a dream come true. But when you are given the means to gather up a small group of your friends and create something completely pure with no regard for anything other than "what you want to do" - the feeling is magical. Thank you to XBOX, Safran Digital Group, and my friend James Gunn for inviting me to participate. It was an honor and a pleasure.
So check it out anytime after Wednesday night and I hope you laugh your asses off. While I have had what is easily the best year of my life so far, I know that this year has been rough for many others. In the entertainment industry we are still reeling from a strike and a crumbling economy that is destroying our means to get projects made and I know that all across the world everyone is going through their own struggles both personally and financially. Every so often I get a letter from someone that details their recent downward spiral of events- getting laid off, projects falling apart, having to move out because they are poor... and then they'll say how they threw in HATCHET and for an hour and a half- they forgot how much everything sucked and they just laughed. While some may take that kind of compliment lightly, it actually means a whole ton of a lot to me. 'Cause that's kind of what I do. Entertain. So for those of you going into the holidays bummed out about being poor this year, being depressed at the state of the world, or being saddened by any other number of things that are bringing this Christmas down... I hope that you get the chance to watch FAIRY TALE POLICE, feel like a 10 year-old again, and even if it's just for 8 short minutes- I hope that I can help you laugh. While I can't say or do anything to fix anyone's problems, if I can help you forget about them for just a few minutes- I feel pretty blessed.
I know many of you are waiting to hear more about FROZEN, HATCHET 2, and my recent personal events (holy shit, I'm someone's FIANCEE?!). A big end-of-the-year wrap-up blog is coming with all of the highlights from this year and news of what's to come next year. Soon...
By now, most of you have heard that XBOX LIVE is about to start bringing it's 10 million or so users new original content to watch on their game consoles. As part of that endeavor, XBOX LIVE has teamed up with Safran Digital and one of my favorite filmmakers and friends James Gunn and together they are launching a series of webisodes called "Horror To Comedy". Essentially, they asked a select group of directors who are known in the horror genre, to write and direct original pilot episodes of their own web comedy series. Some of the guys included are James Wan (SAW), Marcus Nispel (TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE), Lucky McKee (MAY), and of course James Gunn (SLITHER) just to name a few. I was fortunate enough to be asked, and I of course couldn't say "yes" fast enough.
My pilot is called FAIRY TALE POLICE and it will be available to watch for free on XBOX LIVE starting this Christmas Eve. Don't have an XBOX yet, you say? You don't even know the art of teabagging a noob in Halo, you say? Well- don't fear. After awhile these shorts will be available absolutely everywhere.
So what's FAIRY TALE POLICE all about? It's a COPS inspired reality show where two human police officers maintain peace and order in a land full of comical villains and cartoonish monsters. One night I was driving behind a car with a bumper sticker that said "HUMPTY DUMPTY WAS PUSHED." And while on the outside my first reaction was to start talking to myself and saying "What idiot would put THAT on their new car?" on the inside... my mind instantly went to the place where I wondered how exactly anyone thinks they could PROVE that Humpty Dumpty was pushed. I mean, in the rhyme- do you remember any witnesses listed? A police report? It's not all that clear when all of the king's horses and all of the king's men actually GOT there, only that they couldn't put Humpty Dumpty back together again.
I arrived at my destination (a LOVE/HATE concert- yes!) and told my partners in crime at ArieScope Pictures what my idea was. We all agreed right then and there that we would just shoot it on our own someday. Kind of like the Halloween shorts that we do every year. But (I shit you not), the very next day James Gunn called me to see if I had any ideas for an XBOX series. "Um... as a matter of fact, I do." So I went over to see him, pitched him my idea- and 48 hours later I was green-lit. That's less than a WEEK from coming up with the idea to being green-lit to shoot. If only the major movies and TV shows could move that fast!
My two main police officers are being played by two of my very good friends, Rachael Leigh Cook and Parry Shen. Rachael and I have come dangerously close to working together on a variety of projects over the past 3 years, so it was awesome that schedules worked out and the timing clicked for this one. Forget the fact that we're friends, I've gone on the record in numerous interviews where I've said she is one of my favorite actresses and that her innocence and grace remind me of a new generation's Audrey Hepburn. The sheer fact that she's willing to come and play with us on such a fun little side project and argue with silly puppets on camera is a testament to just how awesome and down to earth she really is. And Parry Shen, as you all know, was not only one of my stars in HATCHET but the star of this year's Halloween short film "THE TiVO". He's another who I've often raved about over the years. After watching him kick his own ass on the floor while fighting that giant foam TiVO last month, I knew I had to work with him again as soon as possible. Both Parry and Rachael have big hearts and very good senses of humor- so they were the perfect actors for this project.
Rachael Leigh Cook
Parry Shen
And I don't want to ruin any surprises, but yes, both of my better halves (my plutonic life partner in film Joel David Moore and my beautiful girlfriend Rileah Vanderbilt) have roles, too.
Joel David Moore
Rileah Vanderbilt
But with only a month to wait and see it... you can wait for the details!
Tomorrow night we begin our actual shoot for FAIRY TALE POLICE. Stay tuned for more info about it over the next month. This is gonna be a HELL of a lot of fun!
It's official, word is on the street, and I can finally talk about it! For now, here's the press release...
Much more info to come...
A BIGGER BOAT LAUNCHES FROZEN AT THE AMERICAN FILM MARKET
SANTA MONICA, CA (November 11, 2008) Peter Block's A Bigger Boat announced today that it has greenlit the chilling thriller FROZEN, written and to be directed by Adam Green (HATCHET, SPIRAL). The company will produce the picture with Green's ArieScope Pictures.
GreeneStreet Films International (GSFI) is selling the film worldwide and has already closed deals at the American Film Market with the United Kingdom's Momentum, Spain's Aurum, France's Metropolitan, the Middle East's ECS, Brazil's Playarte, Israel's United King, Scandinavia's Svensk, and Turkey's Medyavizyon.
The story revolves around three skiers who are stranded on a chairlift and forced to make life or death choices that prove more dangerous than even freezing to death.
"FROZEN is the perfect first project for A Bigger Boat," said Peter Block. "A high concept thriller with a talented young filmmaker on board. HATCHET proved that Adam can direct fun horror comedy and attract an audience but this project will show his ability to create a realistic, tension filled thriller. I couldn't be more excited to work with him and his team at ArieScope."
"Anyone who has skied before knows the fear that rushes through their heart when the chairlift momentarily stops," said Adam Green. "FROZEN will build on such primal fears as 'heights' and 'freezing to death' and take them to terrifying new levels. It's an honor to be working with GSFI and Peter Block, a producer who truly gets the horror genre and who knows how to do it right."
ArieScope's Cory Neal added "To have FROZEN be the flagship production for A Bigger Boat has us excited beyond words."
"The response to Adam and FROZEN has been overwhelming," said GSFI president, Amy Beecroft. "It shows that when you have a strong concept and people who know how to deliver this particular genre, there's a marketplace. This has been a great way to launch A Bigger Boat's partnership with GreeneStreet Films International."
Principal photography is scheduled to commence early next year and casting is already underway. Green is represented by Endeavor Talent Agency and Industry Entertainment.
ABOUT PETER BLOCK/A BIGGER BOAT A Bigger Boat runs in partnership with GreeneStreet Films and has a domestic distribution deal with Overture Films and Alliance Films. Most recently, Block completed production on the box office smash SAW V. This year he is also overseeing production on RAMBO, THE EYE, THE BANK JOB, MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN, the upcoming DAYBREAKERS, and the Gold Circle true-life horror film THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT, while also serving as Co-Executive Producer of the NBC series "Fear Itself". Under Block's leadership, Lionsgate acquired or produced over 1,000 films including the box office sensations CRASH, SAW, OPEN WATER, FAHRENHEIT 9/11, as well as such art-house hits as THE COOLER, LANTANA and SECRETARY. Block spearheaded the company's foray into theatrical genre pictures with the acquisition of CABIN FEVER, HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES, HARD CANDY, and HOSTEL, as well as expanding the genre's international focus with Neil Marshall's DESCENT, Peter Jackson's DEAD ALIVE, Guillermo del Toro's CRONOS, Takashi Shimizu's JU-ON: THE GRUDGE, Alex Aja's HIGH TENSION, and UNDEAD from Australia's Spierig brothers. In addition, Block was the primary production executive on the Academy nominated GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING, the Bobby Darin bio-pic BEYOND THE SEA directed and starring Kevin Spacey, NARC, Rob Zombie's DEVIL'S REJECTS, and the surprise hit CRANK.
ARIESCOPE PICTURES ArieScope Pictures is a production company formed by writer/director Adam Green, producer Cory Neal, and director of photography Will Barratt. The company has produced the horror/comedy HATCHET, the Hitchcockian psychodrama SPIRAL, and recently wrapped production on the chilling thriller GRACE. Currently ArieScope is producing the comedy web series FAIRY TALE POLICE for Xbox Live. For more information contact www.ariescope.com.
GREENESTREET INTERNATIONAL GreeneStreet Films International (GSFI) is the international sales company under the GreeneStreet Films banner. GSFI launched six years ago to expand GreeneStreet's domestic presence overseas through its foreign sales of GreeneStreet's titles, as well as third party acquisitions. In addition, GSFI will sell worldwide rights to films produced by Peter Block's newly launched company, A Bigger Boat. GSFI introduced A Bigger Boat's first picture, FROZEN, a suspenseful thriller written and to be directed by Adam Green (HATCHET, SPIRAL)at this year's American Film Market. Other GSFI titles include Matthew Reeves' (CLOVERFIELD) upcoming picture INVISIBLE WOMAN; and TENDERNESS (Lionsgate) directed by John Polson (SWIMFAN) with Russell Crowe, Jon Foster, Sophie Traub and Laura Dern.
Ten years ago this month, ArieScope Pictures was born.
I had just gotten out of college and I had taken a job working on local cable commercials in the Boston area. On my first day of work, I was paired up with Will Barratt and we were sent off to Nashua, New Hampshire to shoot a commercial for a car dealership. By the time we were driving home we had hatched plans to get us out of cable advertising, break us in to Hollywood, and have us making "real movies".
And I had only known him for a few hours at that point.
That weekend we "borrowed" the cable company's equipment to shoot a short film that we could entertain friends with at an upcoming Halloween party. With a Super8 film camera and Time Warner Cable's three lights, we rounded up some friends and set out to make COLUMBUS DAY WEEKEND. The premise of the short was that Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers had stalked the same group of teenagers by mistake and the whole point of it all was really just to make our friends laugh. Little did we know how many people would actually wind up seeing that short film and what it would ultimately lead to for us.
But before I go any further, here are some funny stories from the making of COLUMBUS DAY WEEKEND while I am getting all nostalgic and thinking back to the beginning here…
We needed a location with lots and lots of woods, so I contacted a childhood friend's parents who lived on the edge of a forest back in my hometown of Holliston. For those of you who are HATCHET fans- it was Scott Barnes' parents. You know the line in the movie where Misty randomly checks her cell phone and says "Ew, Scott Barnes called me?" That was a shout out to this guy. Anyway, Scott's parents were kind enough to give us full reign over their property. Their one and only request before they went out for the night?
"Whatever you do… don't let Dusty the cat out of the house."
"No problem, Mr. and Mrs. Barnes!"
I swear, you could still see Mr. Barnes' break lights driving away down the street… and Dusty had already gotten out of the house. For the next 3 HOURS we tried everything possible to capture this filthy creature and get it back in the house, but we had no luck. Finally, in an act of desperation, I grabbed Dusty by the tail and pulled him out of the bush he was trying to hide in.
"Got him!" I yelled.
That's when Dusty proceeded to try and scratch my eyes out. Literally. The first claw hooked the inside of my right eye socket and sliced my skin wide open. My eye was bleeding everywhere.
But hey… at least I got Dusty back in the house and we could start shooting.
"Dude… you need to disinfect your eye." Will said. Not able to find ANY rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide in the Barnes household, Will pointed out that we had a bottle of cheap Tequila on set that was being used as a prop in the film. Before I could think it through, Will was pouring TEQUILLA straight into my bleeding eye.
It hurt. It hurt BAD. But finally, we were ready to begin shooting our short film. All I needed to do was find a towel to wipe the liquor out of my eyes with. So I went back into the house and when I opened the door… I let Dusty out again.
Needless to say, we didn't get much actual shooting done that night. Other problems we had were the fact that we forgot to bring enough extension cords to get the lights in to the actual woods… so instead we had to shoot the whole movie in Mr. and Mrs. Barnes' backyard… where we proceeded to build a campfire and burn an enormous hole in the center of their lawn.
I should also point out that for some reason we loaded our camera with the wrong kind of film and the footage was completely unusable when we got it back from the lab. Luckily, we had also been rolling with Time Warner's Betacam next to our film camera as it was recording the audio for each scene. So we were able to salvage the short by using the Betacam tapes. Sure, every shot was off kilter and framed wrong as the Betacam was never meant to be shooting the actual scenes- but at least we still had a little movie we could show our friends.
In editing we realized that we needed a production company name. With my birthday being March 31st and Will's being April 2nd, we somehow came up with the name "ArieScope" as it combined "something film sounding" and "something we had in common". Yes, that's literally how we came up with the name.
10 years later, ArieScope Pictures is a real Hollywood production company producing theatrically released feature films and our own original content. And though we've grown substantially and gone on to great success… two things have remained the same after all of that time. First of all, we are still laughing even though (with us) whatever can possibly go wrong WILL always go wrong. And second of all, no matter what big projects we are working on, at this time every year we still drop everything and make a new "Halloween short film".
In honor of how we got our start, every single Halloween since 1998 we have gotten our "family" of creative artists together and made a short film in one night (OK, so we've started cheating and spreading them out over two nights because we're getting old, wanna fight about it?), with absolutely no budget, and all in the name of FUN. So last week a group of us got together and we made "The TiVO" which I'm proud to unveil for you all today.
This year's short is by far the most "out-there" one that we've done yet. With inspirations coming from The Thing, The Shining, Single White Female, and a few other classics… this entry into the "ArieScope Hallowen Short Film Catalogue" is as weird as they come. I don't know how many of you have TiVO at home or how many just rough it out with DVR, but hopefully you know enough about TiVO to understand how absolutely amazing it is for your quality of life… but how entirely creepy it can be at the same time. Regardless, I can say that I've never laughed so hard on a set as I did when we were shooting this film's climax. 10 years later… I still love what I do and I can still appreciate how lucky I am to be doing it.
If you are new to all of this, be sure and click over to the official ArieScope Pictures website (www.ariescope.com) and click the link that says "View The Short Films" to see what you've missed over the past decade. Which reminds me, some of you may have noticed that the same two people who started our website for us 10 years ago are still the same two designing and running it for us now. John and Nicole Anguish are "lifers". I guess that most everybody who gets involved with ArieScope winds up in it for life. And that must be why 10 years later, ArieScope Pictures is still alive and growing beyond anything we ever hoped for.
To EVERYONE who is a part of ArieScope, from the other folks who work here alongside me, to the extremely talented pool of cast and crew that work with us regularly, to the friends and fans all over the world that have supported our work over the years… happy birthday, happy anniversary, and most of all… HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
If someone could have told us then- while we were sanding off a girl's face with a power sander and throwing spoiled meat all over another- that we'd eventually make a living… sanding off a girl's face with a power sander and throwing spoiled meat all over another…I never would have believed them.
So without any further adieu, here's the 2008 Halloween short film..."The TiVO".
I can't believe it's been this long since I've posted a full-on blog, but being this busy is a good thing, right? Where to begin? Where to begin?...
This is gonna be jam packed- so don't make any plans for the next hour, folks.
In a year that almost "never was" for much of Hollywood (the strikes, the economy crashing, studios and distributors drying up) I've thankfully been able to keep busier than ever, so for that I am extremely lucky and grateful. The year started with a huge bang with the ArieScope Pictures production of Paul Solet's GRACE (see previous blogs for all of those stories) which will be out later next year. During that time I wrote a brand spanking new horror script (which you'll hear more about later on in 2009) and as most of you know by now, I wrote an animated AQUAMAN movie for D.C. Comics/Warner Brothers (which you'll hear more about in a few months). As if that wasn't enough, throw in the hours and hours of development on the new films, a series of 5 shorts made exclusively for UK Fright Fest, and a full-on light saber fight with gorgeous half naked chicks...
But the year is hardly over and in many ways I'm just getting started, so I'll save the complete wrap up for a later date. As far as this mysterious "light saber fight" you've heard rumblings about... it's still in post-production as there are a lot of FX that need to be done when you are using light sabers. But the gist of it is that I like to shoot my own short films and projects for fun, even around the bigger more mainstream stuff that pays the bills. Call it a hobby, but I just love working so much that when I'm not working I find more work to do while I wait to work again. Rileah came to me one day and said she and our friend Clare Grant wanted to shoot some sort of light saber battle "just for fun". JUST FOR FUN? Because you know...there's um, ANYTHING more complex than that?! So I did what any loving boyfriend would do and I told her that if she could arrange a threesome between me, her, and Clare that I would consider writing and directing it.
Actually, that's just what I THOUGHT. Instead, I told her that if she and Clare could produce the whole thing, I would be in to do it. To be totally honest, I thought that would be the end of it- but low and behold these two took the bull by the horns and put the whole project together on their own. And as much as a threesome would have been awesome and I'm still holding out hope, there is no greater turn-on than watching the girl you love get ambitious, kick ass, and take names. But more on all of that when I can actually show everyone the project in a few weeks. Point is, I'm damn proud of these girls and I love my girlfriend to death.
But enough of that. Let's get to the funny.
In an effort not to make this the "eternal blog" I'm gonna limit my stories severely and just focus on the "greatest hits" of summer. Let's start with Comic Con.
This was my fourth year in a row at San Diego Comic Con. In previous years I was always there on some sort of panel, signing, promoting something- you name it. But this was my year off. In fact, I've taken great joy in NOT being at the conventions and festivals this year because I literally spent 2 straight years at ALL of them around the world. Don't get me wrong, I'm still a geek at heart and I truly love getting out there to meet the fans and promote whatever project it is I'm working on... but it's also nice to take a break from public appearances and come back swinging harder the next year. So about 6 months in advance the email went out through my group of friends saying "Who's going to Comic Con?" EVERYONE said they were skipping it this year. The traffic, the lines, the same old crap- who needs it. Cut to July 24th- and everyone I knew was down there. Including me.
And you know? I was right. It was the same old bullshit. Hours in line to sit in the back of a room and watch actors talk about the next season of their TV show, a dealer floor that resembled the worst flea market crap and prices I've ever seen, over priced food, the worst B.O. you can smell on human beings, and lots and lots of dorks like me. But you know what? Despite all all of that- after awhile I found myself able to shed the "work glasses" that I have become accustomed to seeing these conventions through and I was able to blend in and be a fan again. But no sooner had I been able to forget that I am any sort of "celebrity" in that world- that it came to bite me in the ass. Cut to the WRATH OF CON party at the Hard Rock...
This was a party hosted by the various horror websites such as Bloody-Disgusting and Anchor Bay which has become like a home away from home for me in the fact that I have about 400 different projects going with them at any given time. So to say I could let my guard down here and just have fun is an understatement. I knew everyone at this party and all of my friends were there. It was an exclusive list so there were no fans, no journalists scooping for info- just good, clean, social fun. Oh, and did I mention an open bar? Cool, cause this is where it gets interesting.
I approach the open bar and order a drink. A Bud Light, to be precise. As the bartender is cracking open the delicious ice cold watery goodness, I reached into my wallet and found that I did not have any one dollar bills. Now, to any normal human being, they probably would have just said "oh well" or (sad to say it, but) not even thought to tip in the first place since it was "free". All I had were 20's. I looked at the tip jar and it was EMPTY. (Welcome to the cheap asses that are the horror crowd, folks. I love them all- but they are cheap as fuck.) So I couldn't even ask the guy for change- which already would have been weird. "Here's a $20... can I um...have $19 back?" Ugh. So I did the typical generous Adam Green thing to do, and I just tipped the guy $20. Screw it, I can afford it, right? Besides, had I actually had to pay for the drinks- it would have been far more costly, so I felt completely justified. The guy looked at me and with great appreciation gave me a "thanks man, thank you so much". I was feeling good about myself and bad for him as this was clearly his first party serving drinks for horror 'celebrities' who are usually one step away from stealing the salt off the tables and using coupons for a buffet.
So I go and mingle with some friends and before I know it, it's time for another drink. I go up to the same bartender and ask for a Bud-Light. He gives me the nod (knowing I had already tipped him $20) and quickly hands me the beer. I nod back and walk away... only to hear the woman behind me declare: "THE ASSHOLE WHO DIRECTED HATCHET DIDN'T EVEN FUCKING TIP FOR HIS BEER!" I shit you not, WHISPERS went through the line! "You'd think he could afford to tip the bartender." "What a douchebag." "He must have spent all his money on drugs and contracted HIV." OK, maybe not the last accusation- but the point is, you'd think I just spit on the cross at the Christmas Day parade this line of people was so offended. So what did I do? In typical Adam Green/Larry David fashion I turned around and actually began to try and explain myself to these assholes.
"No, you don't understand. I'm actually a very good tipper. In fact, I'm an OVER TIPPER and my friends give me shit about it all the time. I didn't have any singles so I-"
She interrupted. "-So you should ask for change."
"No, no- there was no change in the little jar the last time I came through the line, so I gave him a 20."
She didn't believe me. "Sure you did."
"No, really! I gave him a 20. That's why he gave me the nod. Didn't you see him give me the nod? He gave me the nod."
I looked back to see that the bartender was now gone and had been replaced by someone new for the remainder of the night. There was no winning this. I briefly struggled with the thought of rummaging through the tip jar and finding my 20 at the bottom... but I knew that if 'Bartender 1' had any brains he would have pocketed that shit as soon as I walked away the first time in an effort to not have to share it with his co-workers at the end of the night. Plus, the last thing I needed was photographs of me dipping my hand into the tip jar and the way this night was going- it would have happened.
I was defeated and could do nothing but sulk away from the line of people talking smack about me while I enjoyed my 2nd of two $20 Bud Lights. Seriously, it ain't easy being Green. The lesson learned here? Next time you only have a $20 at the open bar? KEEP IT. And take as much free table salt as you can fit in your pockets before you leave. The horror crowd is on to something...
Before I get too far off subject, I do want to add that I am actually not exaggerating one bit about the cheapness of the horror community. It's a proven fact. We have a whole crew of us who go out together from time to time, and I've actually chosen to stop going all together if it involves eating. Now I just show up for drinks wherever they are going AFTER dinner. Why? Because I'm sick of ordering a cheeseburger and a beer and then having to throw in $100 because a few assholes skipped out on their bill. (Some of which have MILLIONS of dollars to their name and some of which have no business eating anything besides Top Ramen and shouldn't have come out to dinner in the first place.) Case and point, there was a lovely woman in our circle celebrating her birthday at a fairly nice restaurant at the end of August. I said "See ya at the after party around midnight, suckers." Sure enough, the first few people to walk in to the after party were LIVID that the bill had come up almost $1,000.00 SHORT. So let that be a lesson to you. If you ever find yourself dining with people who make a living working in the horror business... ask for a separate check. Call me an asshole, but I tell it like it is.
And that brings us to UK Fright Fest and the A-story of this blog. Fright Fest was a good time...
But the real story starts a year earlier. After 2 years in a row appearing there (HATCHET and SPIRAL both had their UK premieres at Fright Fest) I knew that it would be a bit before I had another horror film ready to contribute to the line-up. So in a selfless act of good will, last year (on stage) I declared that not only would I come back in 2008, but that I would return with a short film made exclusively for the Fright Fest audience. And in the cheers and clapping I also enlisted Joe Lynch and Neil Marshall who had no choice at that point but to say "Alright, woo-hoo!" Cut to Neil 9 months later "Dude, I live in the UK. How the fuck am I supposed to help out on this?" Buuut... we found a way to keep Neil involved as you will soon see.
Well, Lynch and I went to work brainstorming ideas and ultimately we came up with the concept of making Fright Fest promos to randomly play throughout the 5 days of the festival. We thought that would be more special for the festival than just making a short film that could be played and appreciated anywhere. To say making these shorts together was fun would do it no justice. It was literally one of the best times I've had all year and watching them surprise the UK horror fans in the theater each night was more gratifying than watching an actual movie I had made play before them. Though they were literally just meant as a "fun little gift" to Fright Fest- the promos wound up becoming one of the hits of this year's festival. Each time our "Douche Brothers" logo would randomly appear on screen, the audience would roar and Lynch and I would just say "holy shit". No joke, we came to the festival prepared to hear that Episode 1 got a weak reaction and we were going to PULL the remaining 4 Episodes from being shown. So it was with great relief that we got to the Odeon and heard that Episode 1 had brought the house down.
(Me, Joe, and Axelle Carolyn Marshall at Fright Fest)
Just a little more info before I post these here. The way these worked is that they played once a night before what was considered that day's "main event" film. (At Fright Fest EVERY film is a main event, but some sell more tickets than others.) These were never intended to be watched one after the other like you are about to do, so try to imagine a 24 hour break between episodes. Also, I realize I have a lot of readers on here who are NOT actually horror fans and for whom many of these jokes will fly completely over their heads. Again, understand that these were made with ONLY the Fright Fest crowd in mind. We initially weren't even planning on ever putting them on-line, but popular demand made it so. In fact, when we first put Episode 1 up on the ArieScope site, it was watched close to 14,000 times in the first 48 hours.
For those of you who are not horror geeks... I HIGHLY suggest you take the time to watch this classic film clip before you go any further. Any horror fan worth their machete knows this famous movie intro well... but if you have never seen it or don't remember it, re-watching this first will help you appreciate what Joe and I did:
Now sit back, clear the next 30 minutes of your schedule, and enjoy THE ROAD TO FRIGHT FEST by Adam Green and Joe Lynch...
EPISODE 1 "Horror Themes"
EPISODE 2 " Favorite Fright Fest Moments"
EPISODE 3 "Favorite Deaths"
EPISODE 4 "Favorite Directors"
EPISODE 5 "Adam & Joe Are Dead"
If you REALLY want to see what it was like to be at Fright Fest with the greatest audience in the world, you can click over to my website (www.ariescope.com) and watch EPISODE 5 with the LIVE AUDIENCE TRACK behind it. Quite the experience, and thanks Miss Sian for bootlegging it from the back of the theater, you sneaky girl.
Alright. What else do you want to know? Isn't that enough for one blog? Alright- how about some hints of what's to come over the next few weeks?
1. People keep writing to me asking if there is going to be a Halloween short film this year. Well, after 10 years of doing them- I decided that with the year I've already had and having already made the 5 Fright Fest shorts... OF COURSE I'm gonna make you all a Halloween short film this year! In fact... we start shooting in just 24 hours. It'll be done and available in time for Halloween, as always.
2. Have you guys heard about that XBOX project going on where some masters of horror were hired to create short comedy web series' for XBOX LIVE and MSN? James Gunn, James Wan, Marcus Nispel, David Slade, Lucky McKee, Andrew Douglas, John Clisham? Well I was recently invited to play and I can't fucking WAIT for you to see what I have in store for you all. More details very, very, very soon and THANK YOU to my friend James Gunn for extending the warm invitation. It's nothing less than an honor.
3. For those asking about the status of the other projects (God Only Knows and the sequel to that slasher movie I made) everything is GREAT. This year has been a bitch between my schedule and the fact that the industry was in the shitter with strikes for most of it- but I am happy to say that both projects are on track for next year. Sadly, until I know actual schedules and production details I still cannot say if I will be returning to the swamp with Victor Crowley... but I'm doing everything I can to make it possible. Regardless, in 2009 he's going to kick your asses again- and you can count on it.
Halloween is in the air! Can you feel it? More blogs and way more news to come. I promise I won't be a stranger for more than a few days before I'm back with more news.
I know, I know... I am long overdue for an update and a blog about what's been going on. It's coming, I swear. I'm just under some pretty heavy deadlines right now and working my ass off.
By now, hopefully most of you have heard that the short films that Joe Lynch and I made for London FrightFest are becoming available on line. Episode 1 is now up and the rest will follow EVERY Monday through early October. You can watch them at www.ariescope.com - but more on that in my NEXT blog.
For now, real quickly- I just wanted to let everyone know that I will be doing an in-store signing for a new book called THE BOOK OF LISTS: HORROR which features a collection of "Top 10 Lists" from folks like me, Stephen King, James Gunn, Ray Bradbury, Joe Lynch, Eli Roth, and more.
Just a heads up, my list is "The Top 10 Horror Movie Actresses That Should Have Gotten Naked, But Didn't..." Want to know who's on it? Well, order the book now on Amazon.com and find out! It's great bathroom reading, really.
You can meet me THIS coming Saturday, September 20th at Dark Delicacies Bookstore in Burbank, California at 2:00pm. I will be there signing with a whole group of authors from the book, including James Gunn, Victor Salva, and many more.
Of course, feel free to bring any of your HATCHET, SPIRAL, or other "Adam Green" stuff, too.
DARK DELICACIES BOOKSTORE 4213 W. Burbank Burbank, CA 91505 1-888-DARKDEL
I will officially be appearing at this summer's FRIGHT FEST in the U.K.
For those unfamiliar with FRIGHT FEST, it is pure and simply the world's greatest all-horror film festival which runs from August 21st - 25th in London's Leicester Square at the West End Odeon. I've gone on record numerous times stating that FRIGHT FEST is my personal favorite of all of the genre film festivals out there and I am keeping good on my promise to the UK fans that I would return this year.
Most importantly to note is that this will most likely be my only personal appearance in 2008.
Now before I start getting a barrage of letters calling "bullshit" on the fact that I am an American filmmaker and yet I am only doing one appearance all year and it is in the U.K.... let me just say, I hear you. But I literally toured for almost 2 years straight in 2006 and 2007 supporting both HATCHET and SPIRAL. I appeared at every convention and festival that I could physically get to and my BLOOD AND BELTSANDERS tour took me to many different countries in the process. I had a blast doing it and I look forward to doing it again the next time I have a horror project about to be released. Many of you have written asking me to come to your local convention and many of the conventions have invited me to appear- and I SO GREATLY APPRECIATE THAT! However, I just can't possibly hit them all, especially during a year when I have so many new things cooking. I know how pissed I get when a band that I like doesn't tour for awhile and then they announce one show all year and it's in fucking Bulgaria - so I understand how some horror fans can get irritated. But please don't be mad. In fact, be HAPPY that I couldn't hit the conventions and festivals this year as that means I'll have new stuff for you sooner rather than later.
To the U.K. fans attending FRIGHT FEST, I will be there for the run of the festival and I will be around and available all weekend as I plan on watching every single movie that I can with you sick bastards. If you've got DVDs, posters, or anything else you want signed- bring them and feel free to walk right up and ask. Also be warned that even though I am not returning to FRIGHT FEST with a new finished film to screen for you... I am certainly not returning empty handed. There will be surprises galore- in fact Joe (WRONG TURN 2) Lynch and I have cooked up some fun stuff exclusively for YOU.
A few of you have also written asking if I will be unveiling anything from Paul Solet's GRACE which I produced this Spring. Hmmm... will I?
See you soon, London!
Oh...and one more thing! Do you guys remember the Dr. Zaius blog I posted a few weeks back? Well 20th Century Fox just announced a new PLANET OF THE APES: 40 YEAR EVOLUTION BLU-RAY COLLECTION which will be available in November.
If you look closely, you may recognize someone you know in the packaging...
Peace, love, and gore- Adam
P.S. Austin's Fantastic Fest will be showing my short film THE TIFFANY PROBLEM on the big screen during their festival this September. If my schedule allows- I may add just one more appearance to the year. We'll see.
