Darlene C. Deever Editor-in-Chief & Publisher @DC_Deever Marion Berdoati Sauzedde Marketing & Business Development Director @MarionBerdoati
Chris Barnes Marketing & Art Director @SlaughteredBird @BRUTALPosters Emilie Flory Creative Director @EmilieFlory Richard Charles Stevens Editor-at-large @RiversofGrue Roy Bheer Editor-at-large @ShockingMag ON THE COVER Ravish Starring Sloan Vicious Photo courtesy of HARD-ON / DSL The Dark Synth Label
Contributors Laura MacLeod, Greg Palko, Mike Blehar, David Dubrow, Kriss Pickering, Sooz Webb, Dub Meter Special Thanks to Kelly B FOLLOW US
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Editor’s Letter
The Mission of Creators Unite Magazine is to provide artists the platform they deserve to showcase their work to audiences and potential investors alike. It is our aim to help them convey their message loud and clear! Together, we can achieve that much more and this publication aims to bring passionate people together for a truly positive collective cause. Creators Unite is a very visual magazine, looking to engage the reader inside through showroom-like presentation and high-quality content. It relies on the loyalty of a readership eager to delve into numerous informative and entertaining featured articles. THE EDITORIAL Art in all its forms, that's what we wish to celebrate in our magazine. The horror genre in particular is too often misunderstood and neglected and we believe it deserves a platform to match its grand ambitions. With Creators Unite, we plan to showcase the work of a vast network of artists, all of whom are deeply passionate about what they do. Our offer is to connect our readership to a number of talented artists, with the purpose of creative synergy. By sharing this vision, we can inspire one another to push through boundaries with our art. As birds of a feather, we believe it is best to flock together. DC DEEVER NO. 01 RAVISH
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003 Letter from the Editor 005 Identikit : John Amplas
MEETING JOHN AMPLAS by Richard Charles Stevens
024 Le Boudoir : Interview by Roy Bheer with famous composer King Burke Covering Ravish & his work with dark synth Star Sloan Vicious
033 Inception : Richard Rowntree’s Feature Film Dogged Story and Interview by Dub Meter 055 Vault of Creation : SLOAN VICIOUS: RAVISHED A Creative fiction based on Starfucker by Richard Charles Stevens 070 Showroom : Fritz Lang, The Laplace’s Demon, The Recursion Theorem Reviews by Laura MacLeod
085 Inspiration Box : The Legacy of Alexander Mc Queen, Ballet Boyz, Sofi Tukker, Meute & David Hockney A Selection by Emilie Flory 094 Stimulus : Ligeia’s Muse by Greg Palko NO. 01 RAVISH
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MEETING JOHN AMPLAS
Identikit Story by Richard Charles Stevens Visual Conception by Dub Meter
In life, there are certain special moments. How many of these blessings arrive depends largely on the kind of life you lead and the people you fill it with. I've been fortunate enough to have plenty, none of which could ever hope to surpass the birth of my first and only son, Jacob Nathaniel. I've never felt closer to creation than I was in that moment; never once felt such monumental pride in my achievements. Another cherished memory entails walking into my local video store for the very first time with my father ;;;:;;;‌/‌
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as a ten-year-old boy. From the first whiff of rich mahogany and handrolled tobacco, to the optical stimuli I was presented, courtesy of row upon row of meticulously lined VHS sleeves stretching as far as the musty haze allowed me to see, this was a real precious one. As I scanned my wide eyes across the glittering treasure trove before me, my entire future flashed before them in an instant. This was to be no isolated incident; this place was to become my second home throughout my entire adolescence and I damn well knew it in that moment. The first pubic sprout may have been some way off at this point, but this was unquestionably my very first taste of seduction. Naturally, one of such tender years will invariably hone in on the real attention grabbers - The Thing, The Howling, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre - or, in my case, Harry Bromley Davenport's ludicrously lovable Xtro. This turned out to be our primary rental and I wouldn't have had it any other way. You see, it opened the floodgates for further acquisitions, one of which had a particularly profound effect on me, I recall. That film was George A. Romero's Martin. By all accounts, I was too wet behind the ears to ever hope to understand a film this cerebral and should have dismissed it out of hand, through fledgling hormones alone. But something inexplicable drew me towards it and I took a punt on this unknown quantity. That evening, as I slid Martin into my toploader, something previously dormant was awakened inside me. My dear friends, I do believe that is what is known as a special moment right there. Watching movies with my father was by far my favorite pastime as, while his muscles steadily wasted away, his devilish sense of humor never once threatened to diminish. NO. 01 RAVISH
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Ordinarily, banter played a tremendous role in the customary father-son movie nights but not this time. Indeed, I didn't actually discern his presence until the end credits had rolled. The reason for this was simple - a certain baby-faced twenty-seven-year old debutant by the name of John Amplas. Romero's original script called for a much older actor but, after witnessing John's performance on stage, he rewrote the character with him specifically in mind. The result was a performance so quietly commanding that I found myself hopelessly transfixed on him throughout and took something truly inestimable away from the experience, come the end. I've witnessed a lot of memorable turns in over thirty-five years as a student of film, but precious few that have resonated on as intimate a level as this one.
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I often liken the character of Martin to a cat as he displays so many feline characteristics. Timid and wary at first, he prefers not to be approached and would rather come to you on his own terms, but only when he feels secure in his environment. Sudden actions startle Martin and cornering him is certainly not advisable. Just like a cat, his most potent weapons are his eyes, and they happen to act as rather exquisite windows to within. Should you not have had the exclusive pleasure of Martin, which Romero himself openly professed his undying love for, then I ain't too proud to beg. It's an extraordinary achievement in filmmaking featuring one of the most stirring lead performances in seventies cinema, period. Naturally I always wondered what John Amplas would be like in real life. The funny thing is, I reckon I always knew. The eyes don't lie or, at least, these ones didn't. Indeed, my love affair with cinema intensified after watching this gentleman ply his trade and the true significance of this transaction wouldn't be known to me until many years later. John continued to work with Romero, claiming roles in Dawn of The Dead, Knightriders, Creepshow, and Day of the Dead, not to mention a chilling turn as a spiteful Satanist in John A. Russo's Midnight among others. What people may not be so aware of is his work on stage both as an actor and director, particularly his celebrated turn as Ricky Roma in David Mamet's magnificent Glengarry Glen Ross. As a huge fan of James Foley's flawless 1992 screen adaptation, I'd have paid my life savings plus the full contents of my pocket to have sat in on that one. In 2015 I finally appraised Martin. I've written over 800 appraisals now and, if I'm lucky, then someone involved may just take the time to peruse what I've written. John didn't only read the piece, he was ‌/‌, NO. 01 RAVISH
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the very first person to comment and this spoke volumes about a character that I could literally write tomes about. There wasn't a trace of ego to be discerned from his gushing response, indeed, you'd have suspected by his reaction that the tables had been reversed entirely and he was the lifelong fan in the text bubble, not I. It came as no surprise, given that he is one of the most humble and dignified gentlemen in the industry. But it was still something of a joy to behold. We shared a lengthy conversation on the phone soon after and I'm not sure I can even begin to explain what that delightful little tĂŞte-Ă -tĂŞte meant to me. Neither do I possess the correct verbs to elucidate the meaning of receiving a signed Martin still in the post just a few days later, touched by the great man himself. My soul was in disarray most utter in 2015, but unbeknownst to him, John Amplas gave it the kiss of life it was crying out for in the precise moment I opened that package.
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I've been bowled over a fair few times in my life but this was one strike made all the sweeter by the fact that I just didn't see it coming. My initial response was to book the first outward flight to Pittsburgh, track him down in the least stalker-like way, and plant a gentle kiss on his forehead for what this had meant to me. Alas, my money tree hasn't been faring so well of late, so I decided to do the next best thing instead. Given that words are my thing, it seemed a no-brainer to offer a few up just to show my intense gratitude. But a simple thank you would no way suffice here. Thus I wrote The Amplas Effect, an affectionate tribute to a man who epitomizes the salt of the earth and also an actor who truly understands the true meaning of soul and how to access this tool for the sake of your art. It's no coincidence that John has gone on to teach acting to young adults looking to follow their dreams as he's been there, done that, and is only too happy to pass on that experience. And there simply isn't a solitary whiff of pretense about him. NO. 01 RAVISH 13
Now that we've established the kind of lofty esteem I hold John in, how about we get to the big news that is eating me up from the inside? You see, one of the things John told me during our telephone conversation was that, one day, he'd thank me in person and I never felt like this gesture was hollow. Naturally I was never going to hold him to it as a 7,500-mile round trip is rather a long pilgrimage to undertake just to show your gratitude. But I lapped up the sentiment nonetheless as I knew full well it came from a sincere place. Two years later, and with timing no less than uncanny, I receive a message from John that very near cost me my seating. It has been requested that I join him for dinner in Covent Garden, London this Friday evening and no prizes for guessing my answer. It's not every day you get to meet one of your all-time personal heroes but one thing's for sure - it'll be one I remember for the rest of my life. So what do you say we go eat then?
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Tonight we were to be joined by two guests - John's close friend and coorganizer of the upcoming Weekend of The Dead event in Manchester, Marcus Lewis, and his treasure of a 15-year-old daughter Natasha. Naturally, I arrived first like the eager beaver that I am and took my seat simply brimming with excitement. There's usually a risk with meeting your idol that they won't measure up to your expectations but I already knew that wasn't applicable here. Don't ask me how; some things you just know. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that John bared his soul to me the very first time I saw him on-screen all those years ago. Or simply the feeling I got from our telephone conversation that we were very similar creatures. Whatever it was, I was just thrilled to be proved right in my estimations. NO. 01 RAVISH 15
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Now let's just crystallize something here shall we? I'm a shameless hugger and make absolutely no bones about it either. None of this "awfully nice to meet you" and polite handshake business, I'm going in for the kill and won't return until either the cuddle has reached its natural conclusion or mace has been sprayed in my eyes. Actually that just makes me sound vaguely creepy but the point I'm trying to make is that I'd much rather start as I mean to go on than play it cool and work my way up to anything. Needless to say, I'd rein it in if I were meeting someone who I suspected would find the ordeal awkward but I get the sneaking feeling that John knew just how much this meant to me. If he didn't, then he sure as shit did by the time our platter arrived. And what a handsome platter that was. I'm digressing but, as I clapped eyes on the prize just a few feet from my coordinates, I leapt from my seat like a Vegan in a steakhouse and landed directly in his personal space. That is to say, we hugged it out. Eventually we took our places, placed our orders, and got straight down to current affairs. Weekend of The Dead will be celebrating its third year in Manchester this November and the guest list reads like a who's who of Dead zone survivors and shufflers. Tom Savini, Lori Cardille, Judith O'Dea, Jarlath Conroy, Lynn Lowery, Russ Streiner, Sharon Ceccatti, Taso Stavrakis and, of course, the gentleman sitting to my left - them's nine damn good reasons to be getting feverish. Of course, there is an even greater poignancy to this year's festival as we lost our very own Godfather of The Dead, George A. Romero, just months ago and each of us paid our respects to George in our own way. But it was John who knew him best and, listening to his affectionate recollections, it was more than clear the kind of genuine friendship they shared. NO. 01 RAVISH
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We're all in agreement - there's a star on the Hollywood walk of fame that should already have this great man's name etched into it. The film industry may have repeatedly passed George over, but none of us will ever forget him or the significant part he has played in our lives. My attachment to Weekend of The Dead is now deeply intimate thanks to John and, in turn, Marcus. When John was recently approached to provide a written introduction for the event's glossy A5 70-page programme, he instantly volunteered my name and asked my permission to include my 2015 tribute, The Amplas Effect. Needless to say, no blessing need be granted as this was an honor almost too tremendous to me. I've been a fulltime scribe for four years now and never once have my words appeared in print. That duck is already being plucked as we speak and I wasn't about to leave this dinner date without letting both men know just what this means to me. I haven't once made a solitary nickel from my art but money can't buy the kind of riches this gesture has lavished upon me.
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Precious few people I come face-to-face to in my pretty sheltered everyday life show an interest in my art. John does. Indeed, he was fascinated to learn more of what makes me tick as a writer and I could barely spit my response out fast enough. You see, passion and soul play headlining roles in my output. I know John would have been aware by the manner in which my eyes lit up that I was beside myself at being afforded a rare chance to elucidate my motivation. Both men made the kind of cherished observations about my writing style that keep me keeping on, whenever my task appears thankless. I spy an enhanced sense of purpose on the horizon and reckon I owe a fairly hefty wedge of debt to the wonders of this evening's acts of goodwill. My soul has done a great deal of cleansing and healing in recent years and has come through when I've needed it most, time and again. This felt like its reward for all those long nights in the trenches; a rare night off to bask in the wondrous rays of others.
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It's funny, I'm usually more of your in-and-out kind of diner. Tonight I found myself attempting to channel my inner Man of Steel and slow the earth's polarity; just to hang things out a few precious moments longer. Alas, the London Underground threatens its own unwelcome witching hour curfew, and doesn't take kindly to any moonlight stragglers. With chances of a lockin looking decidedly slim, the time had come for us to bid one another our fond adieus and conclude an evening that I don't feel could have been any more vital right now. It was a ten-minute walk from the restaurant to John's hotel and I used this time asking him about his bountiful career on the stage NO. 01 RAVISH
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and discussing a project or two currently in the pipeline that I'm looking to place him at the heart of. But there was one more thing I wanted to do, a potentially uncomfortable moment I pre-empted way back at our telephone conversation in 2015. You see, I hadn't forgotten about the gentle forehead kiss I aimed to plant on him, and have never been one for blowing hot air around. Tonight has meant so much to me and, as I stated at the offset, the timing couldn't have been more uncanny. I've had to fight tooth and nail to reclaim my soul and it seems fitting that I wind up breaking bread with the person who inspired me to use it for the sake of art in the first place. What Marcus and his team have achieved with the independently financed and run Weekend of The Dead through passion and love alone is simply extraordinary, so it just seemed poetic that I meet this fine gentleman also and I love that Natasha was present to as there were three generations all around one dinner table. As for the mercurial John Amplas, one of the sweetest and most genuine men I've ever met, well I'd like to quote a certain Martin Madahas and put this line to bed once and for all. "Things only seem to be magic. There is no real magic. There's no real magic ever." Thanks to tonight, I'm starting to wonder - maybe there is magic, after all. Richard Charles Stevens @RiversofGrue CLICK ON THE POSTER TO READ THE AMPLAS EFFECT NO. 01 RAVISH
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KING BURKE and SLOAN VICIOUS take Dark Synth to the next level
Le Boudoir
Interview by Roy Bheer
Photo Courtesy by DSL –The Dark Synth Label
She is the new musical phenomenon of the Decade. We know her through her impressive titles that hit worldwide festivals where she performed for two years: Her hits Sextator and Hustlerr ("bitch" in urban language, Ed.) caused a real revolution in the world of Dark Synth Music. The Hyper talented King Burke, responsible for the turn taken by Sloan Vicious in 2015 and her dazzling success, tells us more about his muse... ROY BHEER: What convinced you to work with Sloan Vicious? How did you guys meet? KING BURKE: I met Sloan in a trendy club in Manchester where she performed to a sold-out crowd. Andy Williamson (The saxophonist of The Bombay Royale, Ed.) told me about her work. Her universe intrigued me. I was looking for a voice, a face, a personality in harmony with my music, an artist able to capture the essence of my pieces and bring them somewhere between the kind of romantic walk and nightmarish trip that I had in mind… I’m more focused on the instrumental. My encounter with Sloan Vicious changed everything; She pushed me to take a 180-degree turn. ROY BHEER: Your partnership started immediately? How did that happen? KING BURKE: Sloan knew me by reputation. She also knew the quality of my work even if she was not familiar with all my production. In fact, I had to fight to get her a first recording session! When I saw her in this club, it was like a revelation. NO. 01 RAVISH
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She was the artist with whom I had always wanted to work and wanted to join. Sloan radiates this softness, this light while, at the same time, a fervour and mystery full of danger and eroticism which makes you turn over straightaway. ROY BHEER: Hard to resist! KING BURKE: I took my courage in both hands to talk to her: I had to tell her how I saw things, what I felt. ROY BHEER: I should take a cue from you. Not sure it works to get an interview with her anyhow! KING BURKE: Try it out! ROY BHEER: You could ask her to arrange an interview with me. She won’t refuse! NO. 01 RAVISH
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KING BURKE: ... Could do… the first time I talked to her, I thought she had just a vague idea of who I was. In fact, she was perfectly aware of what I was doing. She impressed me. She impresses me all the time. Our admiration for each other is total. I'm gonna surprise you: it's as if the universe had guided us toward each other, as if it had whispered to us that we were designed to meet and that a huge change was going to come that would finally allow us to shine together through our art. She and I have been on the same wavelength since the very beginning. Actually, we were suffocating separately. Sloan had just slammed the door on her record label and I was on the verge of depression. ROY BHEER: Without her, music industry would have been deprived of one of its best artists! KING BURKE: Our encounter is a miracle. Sloan Vicious inspires me and fascinates me. She is both unique and multiple. I see all the faces in her. NO. 01 RAVISH 27 …/…
I see all her many-sides. At the same time, I am never able to synthesize them. It's impossible to explore her personality entirely. She is both the light, the mystery and the passion. It would take more than one lifetime to learn the secrets of her soul and, even if we had longer, I don't think we could make it! ROY BHEER: You know her darn well!... Precisely, King Burke, tell us about the photographs that begin to circulate... In fact, we don’t really know what Sloan Vicious looks like... KING BURKE: With all that comes out? ROY BHEER: Heck no. We can't be sure of anything since she masks her face during her concerts! ‌ Yet, it is true, we saw pictures of actresses presented as Sloan Vicious and having apparently been hired to embody her in a feature film in development... NO. 01 RAVISH 28
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KING BURKE: Ravish, the new age giallo inspired by the short film Starfucker. ROY BHEER: If I’m right, Starfucker recently won a Silver Award at the Hollywood Independent Filmmaker Festival. KING BURKE: You've tweeted that, thank you very much indeed Roy! What would you like to know exactly? If Sloan is that girl that you see on the cover of magazines? ROY BHEER: I know your taste for provocation. In addition to that you're a creative. It would be no surprise to me if you had hired a super model to grace the cover of Shocking Magazine.
KING BURKE: I wouldn’t have thought of it myself! ROY BHEER: That's hard to believe! KING BURKE: Yet it's the truth! ROY BHEER: Then? Sloan Vicious on the cover of magazines, infox (toxic information, Ed.)? KING BURKE: You will get the answer when Ravish is released! ROY BHEER: Don't tell me that Sloan Vicious will play her own role? From what I know, the Director had already asked permission to use her name and her path for her short film Starfucker. KING BURKE: The Director first contacted us because she wanted to make a film inspired by the true story of Sloan Vicious. She thought that what Sloan NO. 01 RAVISH
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had to undergo with her sordid story splashed across newspapers a few years ago was a real topic; She thought she had something very special and very strong. Sloan Vicious and I were recording Glowing when Starfucker was being shot. We were too busy to take part actively in the making of the film. As a result, producers hired a French actress to play the role of Sloan... I think we saw her on the cover of the Hollywood Reviewer (a satirical English magazine on cinema, Ed.). ROY BHEER: That’s right! Besides Starfucker received rather unexpected recognition at festivals in the US and also in Europe! KING BURKE: That's why the associate producer of Starfucker (Richard Stevens, Ed) decided to develop a feature film based on it! Tony and Kerry Newton, the creators of the concepts Grindsploitation (The Horror Anthology distributed by Lloyd Kaufman and Troma, Ed.) and 60 Seconds to Die agreed
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to develop the project with him. Ravish is produced by them in association with Vestra Pictures and Slaughtered Bird Films. ROY BHEER: And this time, Sloan Vicious has decided to associate her name with the project and to play her own role! What a challenge! The editorial is all very eager to see her on the big screen. KING BURKE: Less than I am! Filming should start as soon as we finish the tour! ROY BHEER: I hope we get the opportunity to hear from you before the release of the film. Do you have any new title in preparation? KING BURKE: Our next EP Prickteaser! Currently, we are finishing the musical arrangements. ROY BHEER: Well it is noted! Good luck with Ravish, King Burke and thanks for all the valuable information! Roy Bheer @ShockingMag For more information about Ravish, visit: www.iconelabelpictures.com
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Inception
“DOGGED” \ˈdȯ-gəd\ “Having or showing the attitude of a person who wants to do or get something and will not stop trying: stubborn and determined” A modern folk horror film Directed by Richard Rowntree Special Feature by Dub Meter
Synopsis
“The tragic death of ten-year-old Megan Lancaster forces Sam to reluctantly return to the remote tidal island where he grew up to attend the funeral. A testing relationship with his disconnected parents, a reunion with his estranged girlfriend Rachel, and a cryptic message from the island’s doctor forces Sam to delve deeper into the circumstances surrounding the little girls’ death. Sam searches for the truth surrounding the events leading up to Megan’s death, and he encounters characters living on the very fringes of this seemingly idyllic and close-knit community – a group of vagabonds living in isolation at an abandoned farm and a mysterious old hermit with his own sinister agenda. NO. 01 RAVISH
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As the horrifying facts about Megan’s demise become apparent, Sam’s life begins to spiral out of control in a macabre descent of paranoia. He must race against tide and time to expose the seedy underbelly of the island – and to save the lives of those he loves.” Based on the award winning micro-short of the same name, Dogged is the debut feature film from director Richard Rowntree and Ash Mountain Films Ltd. A disturbing folk horror film which draws on classical dark fairy-tale inspirations and taps into our primal fear of authority and what lurks in the woods. NO. 01 RAVISH
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About the production In the summer of 2015, Ash Mountain Films Ltd. created a micro short (4 min TRT) horror film called Dogged. Shot in a single, tortuous, 18-hour day for a budget of just GBP£200, the film went on to win critical acclaim – finishing fifth overall on the BBC Three show “The Fear” – a televised competition designed to unearth the most promising new horror directors, as judged by Eduardo Sanchez (The Blair Witch Project). Official selections followed for a number of festivals over the following 12 months, culminating in winning the award for “Best Micro Short” at the Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival in November 2016.
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Buoyed by their success and the outstanding critical reviews of the film, director Richard Rowntree and co-writer Matthew Davies set about developing their popular short into a feature length film. Following a successful Kickstarter campaign to raise the funds, the project began shooting in August 2016 and wrapped in early November. Director Rowntree set out to make a modern folk-horror film which taps into the audiences primal fears of establishment and the unknown, with a heavily character driven script, and relying on his usual method of visual story telling under his belief that film is, first and foremost, a visual art form. NO. 01 RAVISH
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With outstanding performances from the cast and utilising historically important horror film locations (including Black Park in Bucks & Osea Island in Essex), as well as practical FX and a unique selection of shot choices, Dogged is far from your average micro-budget horror film. With allusions to the dangers presented in the worldwide current political climate (Brexit &Trump), Dogged explores the modern-day dilemmas posed by both – the dangers of isolating the community of a small island – and how “absolute power corrupts absolutely”.
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Richard Rowntree Writer, Producer, Director Award winning filmmaker Richard Rowntree knew he wanted to make movies from the tender age of six. He soon exhausted the small supply of movies his local mom-and-pop video store had to offer, and began widening his viewing habits with borrowed VHS tapes from older siblings of his friends. Although not always suitable or age-appropriate, he soon fell in love with the world of horror films and the exhilaration they offered to their audiences. Working voluntarily on student productions since the age of 15, he learned a great deal about filmmaking, and following completion of his degree in film studies from the University of Kent in 2002, he went straight to work in the bustling world of Soho post-production.
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His adventurous nature then took him all over the world, working in different departments to hone his skills and understand more about the filmmaking process from every angle. After working on more than 80 feature films and large-scale TV dramas (mostly in the art department), in 2014 he decided it was high time he put all that he’d learnt into action, and make his first short film. 3 years (and 6 short films) later, and he has now completed directing his debut feature, Dogged – a modern day folk horror film with a difference. He is a passionate fan of the fantastic film genre and has stamped his own unique visual style of storytelling on this, his passion project.
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Interview with Richard Rowntree by Dub Meter What was the budget for the film? The final budget for the film was GBP£14,500. This money was raised entirely through the crowdfunding platform www.Kickstarter.com – the fundraising period was 60 days in February/March 2016, and a unique variety of backer “rewards” were available, including personal video messages of thanks from cast & crew, the chance to be a supporting artist in the film and having dinner with the producers. I even raised £250 by shaving my head bald for the first day of shoot! The campaign focused on harnessing the popularity of the micro-short version of the film, which acted as a “proof of concept” for the feature.
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Why horror for your first feature? There’s several reasons I chose to make my debut feature film within the horror genre. Firstly, the core crew (myself included) are all huge horror fans – we felt that the genre was largely devoid of intelligent, original and psychological horror elements – and we wanted to make the kind of film that we, as an audience, would want to engage with. Secondly, the old adage of horror being an easily accessible genre for micro-budget filmmakers came into play. We knew what our capabilities were, and we also knew what our restrictions would be given our extremely limited budget. So we harnessed our creative ideals and used everything possible to our advantage – from creepy locations to convincing props, to stand-out performances from our cast. Finally, we were aware of the current rise in popularity of the so-called sub-genre of “folk horror”, one which lends itself perfectly to remote rural locations and character driven stories – and, perhaps, more discerning, mature audiences who feel a waning affinity with the genre and need re-invigorating. With the current political climate, I also felt that this story was a great way to subtly explore themes of isolation (Brexit), dictatorship (Trump) & that feeling a lot of people have in this day & age of being helpless in the face of mass delusion & skewed ideals. How did you adapt a 4 minute micro-short into a full-length feature film? When we made the micro-short, it was always meant to be a small snippet from a much bigger story (as with all of our short films). As the short entered the festival circuit, our minds were whirring with different ideas about the expansion – often with very different origins and conclusions. NO. 01 RAVISH
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When we had agreed on the most fitting of these, Matt Davies (co-writer) and myself sat down and thrashed out 19 drafts of the feature script over a period of several months before we were happy with the outcome. The short was visual story telling in its simplest form – and the feature combines this with a very character driven script which focuses on the psychological aspects of horror rather than relying on the cheap and overused jump scare approach of so many modern horror films. It’s far from generic! What makes this different from other horror films? Falling into the re-emerging “folk horror” sub-genre, Dogged is a hybrid of both classical films from an era when horror attempted to branch out and explore the horrors of rural settings, deeply entrenched with folklore and mysticism, and more recent psychological horror and its’ subtle symbolism and character driven storylines. With a dark fairy tale inspiration, it draws on aspects of the horror of environment and establishment rather than aiming for the lowest common denominator of scares.
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How long did it take to shoot? Principle photography was 18 days from the end of August through to early November 2016, with one pickup day in January 2017. The film was shot over successive weekends in a variety of locations, utilising an entirely volunteer cast & crew. Why now? The core crew of the film are primarily industry professionals who have contributed a great deal to the films of other people over a number of years. In 2014 we decided to branch out and make our own films. With six shorts under our belt in two years, we felt it was a “now or never” situation – if we didn’t take that leap and try to make a feature, we’d forever be stuck in limbo not knowing if we could do it. Once our crowdfunding goal was reached, we had to kick production into action, and follow through with our promises to the best of our abilities. Every single person who worked on the film from day one gave their all to create something we believe to be truly unique.
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What/who are you most influenced by as a filmmaker? I think every film you watch, whatever the quality, has something you can take from it – whether it be an unusual colour pallet, a plot twist you didn’t see coming, or even a single shot choice. In terms of aesthetic, I’m heavily influenced by David Fincher and Stanley Kubrick. Their visual storytelling is magnificent, often in its’ simplicity and tone. Genre directors such as John Carpenter, Wes Craven, David Cronenberg and David Lynch have also played an important role in influencing me – their back catalogues speak for themselves in terms of popularity and originality. For Dogged, I studied a number of films which bore a resemblance to the dark fairy tale inspirations that informed the scriptwriting, and of course the classics of the sub-genre: Blood on Satan’s Claw, Witchfinder General, the more recent films of Ben Wheatley, and the granddaddy of them all, The Wicker Man. NO. 01 RAVISH
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Music plays a very important role in the film, what inspired your musical choices for this film? Our composer, James Griffiths, has done a magnificent job with the orchestral score for the film, and all of the music has been written and recorded specifically for us – which is a dream come true as a filmmaker. I was acutely aware of the importance that music plays in horror films generally, but in folk horror, even more so, as it has to tie together elements that don’t necessarily factor in other films – such as creating a sense of fear of the landscape itself. Along with his assistant for the film Christoph Allerstorfer, they have managed to combine the music to the picture in a way that makes everything flow, in a lucid, dream like way. James was able to watch the locked picture cut and then work from that – and honestly, every single cue he sent me was spot on the money – there was no negative feedback at all – he nailed it first time in almost every instance.
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How did you choose the actors for the roles? With Sam and Aiysha, they had done the short film with us, and this is a continuation of their characters. Everyone else was new to us – and we were incredibly lucky that so many wonderful actors put themselves forward for the film. We initially put out an ad on a couple of websites, and we had about 500 responses. It was a little daunting to consider the prospect of auditioning that many people – so initially we made a shortlist having watched the show reels that were sent in to us. From there, we sent the script out to the shortlisted actors to gauge their feedback. We were expecting a few dropouts at that stage – but there wasn’t a single one! So then we auditioned everyone on the shortlist. A few of them had prior commitments on the day we had chosen, so they sent in self-tapes. It was a terribly difficult decision on who to cast in the end as every one of them was very talented, but I think we made the right decisions – certainly all of them put in great performances and showed a magnificent attitude to the project – and they’re all keen to work with us again which is a good sign! The locations for the film are very impressive – how did you find those? The setting of the island is a really impressive place! We filmed at Osea Island in Essex, which is a privately-owned island, about 500 acres in size. It has a wonderful, mile-long causeway which means the island is only accessible for a couple of hours twice a day. The script was written with the location in mind, and we were very lucky that the owners agreed to letting us film there. I had worked there in the past on Hammer’s The Woman in Black with Daniel Radcliffe, so I knew it would be the perfect way to isolate …… NO. 01 RAVISH 48
our characters without cutting them off from the world permanently.
With the other locations is was very important that we made them suit the script. So, we shot in a 1000-year-old church and a 400-year-old pub, all trying to add authenticity and history to the community of characters in the film. Other locations included a couple of stunning private homes, where the homeowners were kind enough to let a rag-tag bunch of filmmakers in to shoot – and I think they actually enjoyed the experience of seeing us work! A lot of our exteriors had to be shot very early in the morning and very late at night to keep them “secluded” from the trappings of normal life – if we’d have had cars going by in the background, the illusion of the rural nature of the island would have been blown – and I think we managed to conceal quite well the fact that most of the films is shot within about 20 miles of central London!
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What does folk horror mean to you? It’s a sub-genre of horror that I’ve always been fascinated with – fear of the landscape, fear of outside communities and seclusion from everyday life. The idea that cults can spring up in these isolated areas is very real – you only have to look at real life cases where this has happened. It’s probably because I watched too many horror films too young, but for me, the real monsters are the people in this world – not imaginary creatures – and so that ever present threat surrounds us – and becomes even more pertinent when it’s in a rural place where your antagonist feels unfamiliar. How difficult is it to make a feature length film with this little money? Not as hard as it is raising the money in the first place! The Kickstarter campaign ran for 60 days, and we spent pretty much that entire time tweeting, sending Facebook messages, text messages, emails – everything you can think of to try and gain the support we needed. It was very difficult to engage people into wanting to give away their hard-earned money, and rightly so! NO. 01 RAVISH 50
Once the money was in though, it was extremely liberating to know that we now had the wherewithal to actually go out and make a feature film, particularly as it gave us the freedom to make it as we wanted to, without feeling pressured into making it a 90-minute cut, or adding in unnecessary nudity and so on that might have come from more traditional financiers. A bulk of the money was spent on catering and travel expenses for the cast and crew, as they were all working for free, so we needed to make sure they were treated well and not out of pocket – these guys gave up 11 consecutive weekends of their lives for us, so we had to make sure they didn’t go hungry! The rest of it was easier than you might imagine – and again, this was largely down to the commitment of everyone involved. It became a fun thing to do – we all wanted to make a film where people would find out what our budget was and say “wow, how is this possible?!”
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We portioned small amounts to each head of department, and not a single one was over budget, but they all provided everything they said they would, and always to a better standard than we could have ever dreamed. James Blakemore-Hoy was our costume designer, and he managed, using his ingenuity, to gather together 72 full costumes, plus make all of the animal head masks from scratch. Mel Wignall, the production designer, actually came in considerably under budget, but was presenting us with these incredible graphics, props galore, set dressing – it was amazing! It’s unfair of me to single people out though, as everyone did a fantastic job! NO. 01 RAVISH
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How has the film been received so far? There’s been a real buzz about the film from a number of outlets. The press have, on the whole, been very positive. We’ve had about 30 reviews so far, none have been what I would consider bad – there’s been a couple of neutral ones, but most have been praising us, which is a great feeling – to know that there’s a critically receptive audience out there for our film. Festival selections have also been great – we’ve got 9 confirmed selections so far, and we’re hoping for a few more. We had our world premiere over in Massachusetts in early October, and we were thrilled to win two awards – best horror feature and best actor for Sam (Sam Saunders, Ed). We’ve also been selected as closing night film at both Glasgow Horror Festival and Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival – and our European Premiere is in London on Halloween at the Unrestricted View Horror Film Festival. All in all, we’re thrilled with how people are receiving the film. We made the film as something we’d want to watch ourselves – we were bored with seeing the same old thing regurgitated, particularly where micro budgets were concerned – so we tried to make it artistic and thoughtful – and I think audiences are recognising that and are receptive to what we’ve tried to accomplish. What’s up next for you? I have several more genre scripts in a production-ready format – two more of what I would loosely deem to be my “spiritual delusion” trilogy of films (following on from Dogged). Both are centred around characters who are searching for meaning in their lives following sustained trauma and who are subjected to manipulative influences of an ominous nature. I also have a horror-comedy hybrid in the works. NO. 01 RAVISH
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We’ll see what kind of reception Dogged receives before deciding which of the projects to push ahead with, but another crowdfunding campaign will almost certainly proceed sometime in early 2018 to gauge what our audience wants to see next. You can stay up to date with our project through our social media channels which we update regularly, and we love to engage with fans and critics alike, so do feel free to get in touch! Social media @DoggedTheMovie - @AshMountainFilm - @r_rowntree Dogged_the_movie www.Facebook.com/doggedhorrormovie NO. 01 RAVISH
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Vault Of Creation
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"Jesus Christ. Is that her?" "The one and only. That's Sloan Vicious and I'd advise approaching with extreme caution if I were you" "She looks pretty harmless to me" "You'd think right? Well don't be fooled. She's anything but"
"What's she gonna do? Fuck me to death?" "That depends if she's feeling generous" "Doesn't sound like such a bad way to go" "You'd think right?" "I'm sorry. Maybe I'm missing something here but she doesn't have that stone cold killer look if you ask me. High maintenance perhaps but far from my worst nightmare�" NO. 01 RAVISH
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"Suit yourself" "Is that it then?" "What?" "Suit myself? No other helpful tips for me?" "Just don't let her suck you in. Ms. Vicious has been known to be quite the persuader when it suits her" "Got it. Although I have to say, small talk wasn't really on my agenda tonight" "I'm sure it's not on hers either" "Whatever. Look, I'll buzz you when it's done alright?" "Make it clean"
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"Are you kidding me? You think my fee is so high because I don't clean up after me?" "I think you're overrated" "Great pep talk. Go fuck your mother" Overrated? Where the fuck does he get off calling me overrated? And what was all that shit about watching myself? I mean, look at her. Hardly Joan of fucking Arc is she? Of all the hits I've ever performed (47 at last count), this proposes to be the easiest by far. There's no security system to override, she clearly lives alone, weighs no more than 100 lbs wringing wet, and couldn't look less threatening if you glued a pair of tiny deer antlers to her head for Chrissake. Yet I'm supposed to be shaking in my Converse here.
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Sorry to disappoint you eye in the sky but you seem to have me confused with someone who won't put a bullet in an innocent woman's head because there's $50k riding on it. My kids have got to eat you know. I can't help it if they have expensive tastes. Fuck it, may as well just get this over with. Suit myself? Yeah, I might just do that.
It looks like our Ms. Vicious is about to run a bath and I have to say good for her. They say never to mix business with pleasure but I never really saw the logic in that one. When in Rome right? That's just one bundle of bloody linen I won't be expected to dispose of and, should I cop an eyeful of the wares she's packing beneath that satin gown (which clings rather delightfully I might add), then she's hardly going to file for an injunction is she? It's hard to protest with a six-inch serrated hunting knife rammed through the reverse of your skull. That's right, no messing around here, she could boil a kettle now and I guarantee I'll have her gift-wrapped heart signed, sealed, and primed for delivery before it can so much as percolate. NO. 01 RAVISH 60 to Sloan Vicious.
At any rate, it appears as if she is headed upstairs to the boudoir, so I guess I should slip inside and introduce myself personally to Sloan Vicious. Isn't it correct that a person's home is supposed to say something about them? If that's the case, then I reckon I'll be doing her a favor by snuffing her out. Talk about cold and clinical, almost to the point of sterility, this place may as well be a mortuary for all the character it has and I'd hedge a bet that few are going to miss this nonentity when she's gone. Where are the family photos? The proof of existence? Has she simply failed to unpack all the boxes in her attic yet? Don't get me wrong, I'm hardly what you'd call a pack-horse, and it comes with the territory to travel light as I'm always on the move. But I'm beginning to feel sorry for this chick. I'm no longer sure whether to level her or put her in touch with an interior decorator and hope he can add that bit of “je ne sais quoi� this soulless NO. 01 RAVISH 61 show home sorely needs.
Not my problem. Right now, I only have a solitary objective and I'm not about to compromise that out of pity. She's already upstairs and I can hear her making her way to the bedroom so I'll just hang back and wait for the perfect moment to strike. Naturally I'll be required to let her perform whatever rituals she ordinarily partakes in before watching the light in her eyes fade. She's even done me a favor by leaving her boudoir door ajar so it would be positively uncivil not to linger just for a moment or two, particularly given the full-length mirror she's currently eyeing up with intent. Don't mind me Ms. Vicious, just pretend I'm not here. Oh that's right, I forgot. You haven't got the faintest clue what's planned for you this night. Keep doing what you're doing and all will become crystal clear the moment I've committed the next few seconds to memory.
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Goddamn. It almost seems a shame to destroy such a thing of beauty. Almost. It's a good job I'm a professional as I know some pretty unscrupulous cats who would give this baby a test run before or shortly after finishing the job. As for me, well watching has always been my thing and my eyes are working overtime right now running over every last contour of the exquisite work of art before me. There's something about her that I can't put my finger on you know. Even though she is totally oblivious to my presence, it almost feels like she is watching me watching her, and getting off at the very prospect. NO. 01 RAVISH
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Sloan Vicious may be lacking a little in the creature comforts department; but body confidence is certainly not at a premium here. Of course, once I introduce her to my trusty bone saw, it'll be little more than human refuse, but I feel obliged to spend just a little longer celebrating this fine fondue of flesh before taking things there.
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She's on the move. This is where every second becomes significant as my window of opportunity will be slight if I wish to get in and out with minimum fuss. To reach the bathroom, she will be required to pass by the open doorway I'm currently tucked behind and will be absolutely none the wiser as the cold steel of my blade gets acquainted. I'd be lying bare-faced if I suggested that this part of the process didn't supply me a kick as the thrill of the kill is what gets my dick hard. Ask any hitman worth their cut and they'll tell you the exact same thing. The money is just a tidy bonus for services rendered and my bank account is hardly in arrears right now, so greed need not supply my motivation. Judging by the intoxicating aroma dancing tantalizingly around my nostrils and the soft pad of her feet approaching from my right, I'd say it's game time. NO. 01 RAVISH
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Honestly, is that the best you can do? Look at the sorry face on this silly little rabbit as his worthless life flashes before his fast fading eyes. He really didn't see it coming, did he? It tickles me that he actually believed he had an iota of control when the truth is so far from the illusion. I especially like the way that he's fighting it to the very last, as though the major artery in his chest I just cleaved wide open with my scissors hasn't already sealed his fate.
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I should put him out of misery and would, if it weren't for the fact that I can provide it such good company for the last few pitiful moments of his life. It should take a minute or so before he passes out and that suits me fine as I can bring myself to climax by the big sign-off and it would be frightfully wasteful not for one of us to benefit from this transaction. Regrettably for him, this particular gift is about to keep on giving, as I fully intend on benefitting once again once I'm in the tub. Nothing drives me wilder than a good hearty death rattle you see. The joys of being multiple orgasmic. NO. 01 RAVISH
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So don't keep me in suspense, was that as good for you as it was for me? I could have drawn things out a little longer admittedly but bath water soon loses its appeal once you acclimatize to its temperature and the fun part is still to come as disposal provides all the opportunity I desire to get creative. It just so happens that there are two bathtubs in my residence and the other, down in the storm cellar, is rather handy when it comes to the allimportant breakdown. Five minutes soaking in hydrofluoric acid should do it. I plan to use this time pouring myself a cocktail. This hardly constitutes as an excuse to break out the best crystal ware but I'm feeling frivolous tonight and what's life without a dash of whimsy? In case you didn't catch it, the name is Sloan Vicious and you'd better pray to whatever false idol you worship that we're never formally introduced as the pleasure will be all mine if we are. Run along now. Richard Charles Stevens @RiversofGrue
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Showroom
THE RECURSION THEOREM Written and Directed by Ben Sledge Starring Dan Franco Plot: Imprisoned in an unfamiliar reality with strange new rules, Dan Everett struggles to find meaning and reason in this sci-fi noir short. You know how sometimes you wake up abruptly for some reason and can't quite figure out where you are at first? It never lasts for more than a moment or two, thankfully, but it's always a strange and unsettling sensation. NO. 01 RAVISH 71
In The Recursion Theorem, that feeling takes on a life of its own. A man (Dan Franko) finds himself awakening in a room he's never seen before, an old-fashioned room where the comfy touches like a bowl of fresh fruit and vintage books to read can't quite counteract the effects of the apocalyptic paintings on the walls. The man remembers at least part of his name, Mr. Everett, but everything else is rather shaky. He's wearing a slightly rumpled suit of no particular style, with nothing in the pockets, and none of the few items he finds around the room -- a knife, a heavy iron key, a crystal decanter and glasses -- offer any clues as to where he is. No one else seems to be around, so naturally he decides to go look for some help.
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But no sooner has he stepped out of the room than he's stepping right back into it again from the other side. In fact, no matter how he tries to leave he only circles back around in impossible ways and finds himself right back where he started, all his experiments getting him nowhere, literally. Whatever he does, the room refuses to let him go. Recursion is a term from math and computing, referring to the repeated application of a rule or procedure. That dry little definition is turned into something compelling here, as we're drawn into Mr. Everett's increasing desperation -- not just to escape, but to hang onto his sanity in this new, impossible world. He imagines a 'bartender' of sorts, who looks exactly like him but acts uncomfortably like the bartender from The Shining at times. But in the end, he has only himself to rely on, and whether or not that will be enough to get him through is a tricky question.
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Reviews often say that a particular actor carries the whole film, but it's rarely so true as in this case. And Franko does an excellent job, portraying a great deal of emotion without ever going too far over the top even when talking to himself, in more ways than one. Reminiscent of the Twilight Zone, it's a wonderful brain teaser of a film full of striking images that will keep you watching and wondering right along with the hapless Mr. Everett.
Columbia Film Festival 2016 Best Actor Dan Franco Friday audience choice 2nd place Review by Laura MacLeod @MovieCriticND
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THE LAPLACE’S DEMON Written by Duccio and Giordano Giulivi. Directed by Giordano Giulivi Starring: Silvano Bertolin, Fernandino D’Urbano, Carlotta Mazzoncini Plot: A glass in free fall. Have you ever thought if it is possible to calculate into how many pieces it can break into? After numerous experiments, a team of researchers succeeds in doing just this apparently impossible task. Attracted to their experiment, a mysterious professor invites the scientists in his isolated mansion to know more about their studies. However, when they arrive, they are not greeted by their host, but they are faced with a strange model of the mansion, in which some absolutely normal but incredible actions are acted. The researchers will soon understand to be involved in a new experiment in which they'll have to play a very different role than usual: that of the glass in free fall.
The Laplace's Demon begins like a
classic 1950's monster B-movie, as a group of co-workers led by boss Isaac (Walter Smorti) travel by boat to an isolated island, answering an invitation from a mysterious, reclusive scientist none of them have met. The island is really just a huge pillar of rock, improbably topped by a mansion that takes up every inch of flat surface. Cell service is naturally out of the question. There's even a storm brewing, insists the boat's captain, Alfred (Simone Moscato), …/… NO. 01 RAVISH 76
who can't wait to dump his passengers and get home. Naturally reluctant to be stranded, however, said passengers drag Alfred with them onto the island and into a ridiculously tall elevator. This is the only way in or out of the house, a serious design flaw that their mysterious host views as a feature, not a bug. He's fascinated by the team's work: a computer program that can predict with startling accuracy how many pieces a dropped glass will break into. This sounds like a party trick, but imagine being able to know exactly how and where a building will crack during an earthquake. Certainly Karl (Silvano Bertolin), the team's physicist, takes the work very seriously, even now trying to refine the program. The others are more inclined to relax on the trip -- Bruno (Simone Valeri), for instance, mostly tells the same story over and over, perhaps trying to impress Sophia (Carlotta Mazzoncini); while Jim Bob (Duccio Giulivi) plays tourist, taking pictures with an old Polaroid. Yes, his name is actually Jim Bob. Roy (Alessandro Zonfrilli) doesn't ever seem to relax, remaining suspicious of the strangely empty house -- for good reason, unsurprisingly. Their host, you see, informs them via videocassette that they are now all inside his experiment and none of them can leave. Like them, he is studying prediction, though he's taken his studies quite a bit further. A large clockwork model of the house has been pre-programmed to show where each of them will be at any moment by moving white chess pawns, and this model is so far frighteningly accurate. Then danger arrives in the form of the black Queen, and suddenly there's a lot more at stake than scientific bragging rights. NO. 01 RAVISH
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The Laplace’s Demon is real, or at least a real theory: if a powerful enough intellect could know the exact position of every atom in the universe at any given moment, every past or future position of those atoms could be calculated. It's as much a philosophical exercise as it is mathematical: How much room is there for things like free will in such a model? To put it in terms of the movie, if you do something unpredictable with the hope of keeping yourself safe from the Queen, is that action truly unpredictable? Is randomness real?
But the film also doesn't overthink itself, thankfully. The use of the model and the chess pieces seems like it should be awkward but actually works beautifully -- a surprising amount of suspense can be derived from the clockwork performing its steady, impersonal duties. There's an excellent build of tension as both pawns and characters disappear one by one, and the conversations on the independence of human thought never weigh things down. Under the monster-movie facade, it's an intelligent film that doesn't talk down to the audience even as it skillfully plays with the viewers' minds. Sometimes things are only impossible because we think they are. Fantasia Film Festival 2017 Most Innovative Feature Film 2nd place
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FRITZ LANG Written by Gordian Maugg & Alexander Häusser Directed by Gordian Maugg Starring: Heino Ferch, Thomas Thieme, Samuel Finzi Plot: Filmmaker Fritz Lang seeks inspiration for his first sound film by immersing himself in the case of serial killer Peter Kürten. First let me state that I cannot get enough of black and white movies. It isn't possible. Of course color had to muscle in and change everything eventually, but well before that was the seismic shift that was the invention of the talkie. The title character in Fritz Lang (Heino Ferch) was already a powerful figure in silent cinema -- Metropolis would have been enough to cement the reputation of any director / screenwriter -- but as 1931 rolled around it was time for him to make the leap and add sound to his next masterpiece, the classic that would be known as M. There's just one problem: he doesn't have a script, or much inspiration for one. His wife, Thea von Harbou (Johanna Gastdorf) is also his co-writer and she has some ideas for a movie about extortion, but their partnership is already crumbling in more ways than one. Lang habitually leaves her behind in favor of nocturnal adventures to doubtful parts of town, but no outlet can get him past the frustration. Then he catches sight of a fateful newspaper headline and sets off on a very different kind of adventure. A serial killer, discovered to be a man called Peter Kürten (Samuel Finzi), is targeting children and women in Dusseldorf, and the city is in an uproar. Sensing his inspiration at hand, Fritz unhesitatingly goes there, strange as it seems for anyone to treat a major criminal investigation like a tourist attraction. But he has a history with the police detective in charge, Ernst Gennat (Thomas Thieme), who seems quite happy to see the filmmaker, letting him become an integral part of the investigation.. NO. 01 RAVISH
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Suddenly the inspiration is gloriously there, with Lang hardly able to write fast enough. But as he walks in the killer's footsteps, sometimes literally, it gets harder to tell how much of what he experiences is real and how much is part of his vivid, drug-fueled imagination. Lang also befriends a witness named Anna Cohn (Lisa Friederich) whose friend was killed. Anna is one of the few to have seen the Dusseldorf Monster and lived, and her testimony may be vital. But for Fritz, she's also important in another way, as a double for his dead first wife, Lisa, and the past mixes dangerously with the present. NO. 01 RAVISH
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The film is visually stunning, done in black and white (with the occasional unsettling touch of red), which allows for the seamless addition of footage from M as well as evoking the era. The historical Lang's work was a huge influence on film noir and those crisp shadows and lines are very visible and starkly beautiful here. As with M, the movie has a certain quiet sympathy for its villain, even when he speaks calmly over tea about how he met and murdered a particular girl. It's much simpler to call him evil and be done with it, but that's only part of the story. I’ll give it four and a half out of five. It seems strange to rave about the editing, but the blending of Fritz Lang with parts of its predecessor was fascinating and wonderfully handled, an excellent lure to draw the viewer in. It can't have been easy to compete with Peter Lorre's memorable cinematic psychopath, but Finzi easily rises to the challenge, creating a terrifyingly normal murderer -- sometimes seeming a good deal more normal than the obsessive, tortured artist Lang. More proof, if any was needed, that there can be a very fine line between genius and insanity. Jupiter Award 2017 Best German Actor Heino Ferch by Laura MacLeod @MovieCriticND
Laura MacLeod is a self-taught critic who's loved movies of all kinds since the Night on Bald Mountain scene from Fantasia scared her half to death at the age of four. She's been sharing that love (along with the occasional healthy dose of sarcasm) online since 2006 as the Movie Critic Next Door. NO. 01 RAVISH
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Inspiration Box
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CLICK HERE TO WATCH FULL VIDEO Emilie Flory @EmilieFlory Stimulus
Back of the Book Cover Design: Ligeia’s Muse by Greg Palko @palkodesigns NO. 01 RAVISH
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available to read on issuu.com/creatorsunite