Do you like Rosemary’s Baby but didn’t get to see it in the theater? Well my friend, you’re in luck! This weekend (Feb 17-19th) The Nevermore Film Festival will be showing the 35 mm version of Rosemary’s Baby at the Carolina Theatre in Durham, NC. You can catch it Friday evening or Sunday at noon. Last year we premiered Scarecrow at Midnight at Nevermore. We had a great time. We stayed the entire weekend and watch tons of movies including Silence of the Lambs!
Rosemary’s Baby was released in 1968 and stars Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes and Ruth Gordon. The film was directed by Roman Polanski and produced by none other than Robert Evans. I like this movie and also like all of Robert Evan’s stories about some of the drama he went through to get it made. One of these incidents involved Frank Sinatra telling Mia Farrow (his wife at the time) that if she stayed in the picture, then he would divorce her. Mr. Evans tells that he showed her footage of the film and she decided to finish the film. He also tells that Sinatra had divorce papers delivered to the set.
Learn more and watch some interviews and the trailer after the leap… Continue Reading…
Posted 3 months, 1 week ago at 12:00 pm. Add a comment
Have you seen The Wolf Man on the big screen in 35mm? Friday February 3rd is your chance at Carolina Theatre in Durham, NC! It will be playing right after Dracula. This is one of the cool things about Retrofantasma at Carolina Theatre, they show 35mm versions of the classic films you love! Retrofantasma and Retro Classics also have these classics coming soon: Child’s Play, It’s Alive, Blue Velvet, Blow Out, This Island Earth, War of the Worlds and many more.
This week for Classics Corner we’re going to focus on The Wolf Man after leap. Continue Reading…
Posted 3 months, 3 weeks ago at 12:00 pm. Add a comment
Mutantville Productions first learned of Robert W. Filion during our epic adventure to take Devil Comes Down to George A. Romero’s American Zombie Film Contest in 2009. During said contest Robert’s movie, See The Dead, went on to sweep his competitors into the grave including MVP’s own Devil Comes Down. Robert reaped the rewards of the contest and MVP was left rubbing our collective bruised egos and has been plotting revenge ever since.
Over the years, MVP has come to know and respect Robert as a man of many talents. Robert follows MVP’s filmmaking philosophy in that he is always ready to do whatever needs to be done to get his movies made whether it’s working as the writer, director, producer, director of photography, editing or doing his own digital FX. Robert is a filmmaker with twenty years of experience and any time he brings his considerable talents to bear it is always worth taking notice. Most recently, See The Dead played at the prestigious Nevermore Film Festival at the Carolina Theatre in Durham, NC.
Robert’s company Image Impact Group has been responsible for countless shorts and films over the years including Lot 66, Chekov’s Children, The Promise Jar and The Parcel. Robert never seems content to create run of the mill horror, instead he always tries to push the boundaries of the art-form technically as well as through the narrative. His films may feature undead, zombies and other sorted beasts of mayhem – but there is always an attempt to marry the surreal or psychological to the narrative.
In a recent interview with Fangoria magazine, Filion states that “I find the scariest place to navigate is my own head. I was raised in a military family and never had longterm friends, so I never really fit in, since we moved around a bunch. Though very outgoing, I found the cruelty of children a bit much to take. Even back then, I wrote stories of a fantastical nature and retreated into my own world.” Filion comments that “people are emotionally fragile, and the question I come up with time and again is, what if you push the right buttons?”
Years later, the stars would align as MVP and Filion no longer found themselves at odds, instead teaming to create a new horror anthology entitled Tales From Mutantville. This past October, Robert teamed with Mutantville Productions to shoot three short films back to back. Producer J.T.McRoberts commented on working with Filion by saying that “Robert is an inspiration to work with. He is very professional and possesses a drive and determination to create something new and exciting. He may know how to do everything that needs to be done on a film set from production manager to gaffing and beyond but he never lets work get in the way of having a good time on the set. Working with him was a real blast and I look forward to future collaborations.”
Never one to rest on his laurels, Robert has been keeping busy with projects such as Seeing and is still currently in post-production on Indigo Child for Tales From Mutantville. This weekend he is hosting a private screening of his latest project Ghost Trek. Ghost Trek was developed by writer/co-director Michael Plumides and stars Michael Melendez, Johnny “Fairplay” Dalton, Mikey B. Bartone, Gia Allemonde, Christy Johnson, and Addy Miller (of The Walking Dead).
For his dedication and professionalism to the art and craft of filmmaking, MVP is proud to chose Robert W. Filion as the inspirational filmmaker of the week.
Posted 1 year, 1 month ago at 7:55 pm. Add a comment
That time is upon us once again, oh true believers. Where it once took decades before the master of modern horror would release another film in his epic zombie series, now over the course of the past five years – George A. Romero has released three new dead films and counting! This weekend, George A. Romero’s latest zombie opus Survival of the Dead opens on VOD, Amazon, X-Box Live and in a limited theatrical run. The Mutantville Players were fortunate enough to catch an early showing of Survival of the Dead during an advance screening premiere at the historic Carolina Theatre in Durham, NC back on April 2nd, 2010. MVP was pleasantly surprised by Romero’s latest zombie yarn as it was a light-hearted departure from the nihilistic overtones of the previous entries in the “Dead” series. Fans expecting another dark and depressing bloodbath will most likely leave the theater disappointed – but fans of enjoyable zombie romps such as Shaun of the Dead, Dead Alive, and Return of the Living Dead should enjoy Romero’s latest zombie pic.
Check out the official trailer on Youtube:
Here’s a nice little sneak peek behind the scenes of the making of George A. Romero’s Survival of the Dead. As an interesting side note – MVP was able to view this early footage way back in February of 2009 when George Romero hosted the American Zombie Film Festival here in North Carolina.
Hop on over to Break.com and listen as the master George A. Romero discusses his ideas for his latest effort Survival of the Dead. Romero discusses what has been called his neo-western approach taken in his most recent zombie film.
In case you don’t like George A. Romero’s Survival of the Dead, that is fine – we all have different tastes – but if you say some kind of nonsense like Romero needs to stop making zombie films – then you need to stop critiquing movies and in the words of the immortal Captain Rhodes – you should CHOKE ON ‘EM! CHOKE ON ‘EM!!! Haters will hate.
Keep on making zombie films, George. We’ll keep watching!
Posted 1 year, 12 months ago at 6:16 am. Add a comment
Our long odyssey to find closure in the saga of Devil Comes Down and the American Zombie Film Contest has come to an end. This past Friday, MVP’s little zombie film opened before a raucous house at the historic Carolina Theatre in Durham. Devil Comes Down served as the curtain raiser for an amazing double feature of George A. Romero’s Survival of the Dead and Night of the Living Dead as part of the Retrofantasma film series. The Retrofantasma crowds at the Carolina Theatre are the best in North Carolina as they appreciate the genre and always set out to have a good time. Before the show – door prizes were given out including several one sheets for Romero’s latest film as well as three vintage Fangoria issues and an ultra rare G.H.O.S.T. t-shirt provided by Mutantville.com. The popcorn was plentiful, the screams raised the roof and the laughs kept coming as the packed house enjoyed the show from beginning to end. Romero’s latest film did not disappoint as it combined his trademark social satire with gut munching zombie antics.
As with all Retrofantasma showings – the movies were preceded by contemporary trailers to set the stage which on this night included Stanley Kubrick’s 2001, The Thomas Crown Affair, Barbarella, Herbie the Love Bug and many more! The very rare 35mm print of Night of the Living Dead looked crisp and sounded clear. Romero’s movie played as well as it always has with it’s stark imagery and social commentary carrying resonance even for today’s turbulent times.
MVP enjoyed another unforgettable night at the movies courtesy of the Carolina Theatre and Retrofantasma. If you are in the Raleigh/Durham area and you haven’t been attending the Retrofantasma shows – then you don’t know what you are missing. The Mutantville Players would like to thank Jim and the Carolina Theatre for allowing us to show our little movie in such a spectacular setting. We feel truly honored and blessed to have shared this moment with all of you.
This past weekend, yours truly made the trip out to the historic Carolina Theatre in Durham, NC for the annual Nevermore Fundraiser. Every year, the Carolina Theatre hosts the Nevermore Festival featuring fantasy and horror films both new and old. This past weekend marked their fundraiser event for this year’s Nevermore Festival. What better way to get the event started than by hosting a double feature of Jim Henson’s fantasy epic – The Dark Crystal and the final film of Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead trilogy – The Army of Darkness?
Ignoring warnings of encroaching winter storms – I traveled to Durham to partake of the weekend’s festivities. I arrived a good half hour before the events started – allowing me enough time to tour the facilities and take in all the sights and sounds of the theatre. I wandered through the halls like a stricken country mouse – mouth agape as I looked in wonder at the array of rare horror and cult film one sheets adorning the walls. I appeased my inner geek by taking a few photos of the amazing collectibles staring down at me. I stopped by to sign up for the zombie walk scheduled for the Saturday of the Nevermore event. I figured if I’m going to check out the festivities – I might as well go all the way and get in on the gutmunching action. If you want to go with me – shoot me an email at streebo [AT] mutantville.com. I grabbed one slice of pizza and a nice beverage and plopped down into some primo seats ready to begin the night’s activities!
Before the movies – we were treated to a greatest hits assortment of classic movie scenes ranging from Rocky to Wargames to Scooby Doo and so on and so forth. There was a brief announcement about the upcoming Nevermore festival including the scheduled films and special guests which will include director Kevin Tenney hosting his cult horror flicks Witchboard and Night of the Demons! Once the announcements were out of the way – the entire theatre turned into a way-back machine and transported us all to 1982 and opening night of Jim Henson’s dark fantasy epic The Dark Crystal!
First up – we were treated to a bevy of period trailers from 1982 including the ultra rare early promo for the third film in George Lucas’ true Star Wars trilogy – Revenge of the Jedi! That’s right – this was the original trailer that aired the year before its release. The title was subsequently changed to Return of the Jedi leading to months of confusion amongst the card carrying members of the Star Wars fan club as we were suddenly expecting two Star Wars movies in the coming year! Alas that was not meant to be. Back to the present and the amazing presentation of The Dark Crystal in glorious 35mm. This was audacious filmmaking at it’s finest. Long before James Cameron came along with the waterhose of money to spray 3D blue tint on the celluloid of Avatar, The Dark Crystal left audiences awestruck by it’s breathtaking visuals. Every frame of The Dark Crystal featured new and amazing sights – imaginative creatures, new cultures, and lifeforms that seemed to crawl from the depths of our collective subconsciousness and wiggle their way across the screen. If you have never watched The Dark Crystal – do yourself a favor and pick up the special edition DVD on the cheap at Wally world and experience it for yourself. You will thank me later.
Our next stop was 1993 and the premiere of The Army of Darkness! This film was preceded by trailers of it’s own era – featuring the Stephen King adaptation Needful Things and the mainstream hit – Grumpy Old Men. To say the trailers of 1993 reminded me of a less than stellar time of cinema would be an understatement. But enough of that – we were here for one thing and one thing only – to get down with that deadite bashing badass Ashley Williams! Ashley was never a very heroic name – that’s why we know him better as Ash – the man with a chainsaw for a hand and a boomstick at his back. As long time Evil Dead fans will know – the movie begins with a five minute prologue explaining the convoluted history of Ash and the Evil Dead and introduces a third actress in the role of ill fated girlfriend Linda! I can only imagine how confused first time viewers must have felt at this moment – but this movie wasn’t for them – it was for us – the fans that know better. Luckily once all of that backstory is out of the way – Army of Darkness never let’s exposition get in it’s path again and sets off like a rocket through this medieval landscape. It’s not long before Ash gets pushed into the pit and puts his deadite bashing fu to good use. And that was when the sound went out!
This crowd wasn’t about to be deterred by a little thing like the sudden loss of sound. We had risked life and limb to make this trip, sat through two hours of movies and trailers to get to this moment. So what should one do in the event of the loss of sound during a showing of an Evil Dead movie? A) complain to the manager? B) get up and walk out? Or C) make up your own damn dialogue? If you guessed C) then you are correct. Suddenly this turned into a make-shift Rocky Horror Show as the crowd started making sound effects and shouting out key lines from the movie. Yours truly had to get in on the action by shouting out a “groovy” or two of my own. of course the technical issues were solved and the movie played on as planned.
All in all – it made for an amazing night at the theatre. I am glad that I was able to attend. I met some fun new people, saw some great memorabilia, and enjoyed some classic movies. To me this is what it means to be a Mutantville Player – to show an eagerness to enjoy oneself by sharing the love and appreciation of the arts with our fellow fans. I’m sorry that you couldn’t join me – but perhaps in reading my recap – you will have lived it vicariously with me. At least you didn’t have to worry about the drive home. Suddenly the movies were over, it was 12:30 AM and the streets were piled with snow. I had to drive home across what looked like the frozen wasteland of Hoth – but it was a small price to pay for another night at the theatre.
Be sure to join us as we attend the Nevermore Festival next month. Check the Carolina Theatre website for further information.
Posted 2 years, 3 months ago at 5:52 pm. Add a comment
on the big screen in 35mm? Friday February 3rd is your chance at Carolina Theatre in Durham, NC! It will be playing right after Dracula. This is one of the cool things about Retrofantasma at Carolina Theatre, they show 35mm versions of the classic films you love! Retrofantasma and Retro Classics also have these classics coming soon: Child’s Play, It’s Alive, Blue Velvet, Blow Out, This Island Earth, War of the Worlds and many more.
