Contests
Horrorfest ’10: ‘ZMD’ Trailer Debut, Kevin Hamedani Interview & Theaters Announced!
In one of our final After Dark Horrorfest posts, beyond the break you’ll find our exclusive trailer debut for Zombies of Mass Destruction, along with an interview with director Kevin Hamedani who talks about the comedy/gore aspects of the film arriving in theaters January 29. Life in a conservative small town is complicated enough for a young Iranian-American woman and a not-completely-out gay couple, but now they also have to deal with zombie hordes in this splatter-filled comedy. In addition, click here for all of the theaters announced thus far.
BD: What type of comedy is ZMD? What kind of jokes can we expect?
Kevin Hamedani: “ZMD is a cross between ‘Dr. Strangelove,’ ‘Evil Dead 2’ and ‘Election’. In fact, I was very much inspired by Alexander Payne’s style of comedy in how i directed the performances and how the actors play the jokes.
The humor of the horror is drawn heavily from Sam Raimi. In other words, I tried to go as over the top with it as possible.
The kind of jokes you should expect are social and political jabs and references. It’s a political satire.
BD: Where did you find inspiration for the comedy?
Kevin Hamedani: “Alexander Payne (‘Election’, ‘Sideways’), Stanly Kubric’s ‘Dr. Strangelove’, “The Simpsons” and “South Park”.”
BD: Was it difficult translating a joke in writing onto the screen?
Kevin Hamedani: Not as difficult as I thought it’d be but that’s probably because we did weeks of rehearsals with the actors so I made sure the jokes were ready for the shoot.”
BD: Talk about the horror, how bloody or violent is ZMD?
Kevin Hamedan: “Very bloody. I’ve seen it with an audience many times and people do turn away from the gore. Even horror fans!”
BD: How was it working with prosthetics and make-up for the zombies and the victims?
Kevin Hamedan: “Fantastic. Working with Tom Devlin (1313FX) was a dream come true. he was able to do all the gags I wanted. I thought we’d have to cut some of the more extreme effects or compromise due to time and budget but Devlin NEVER compromises the director’s vision. He was able to do every effect I wanted.”
BD: What’s next?
Kevin Hamedan: “I’m developing an independent science fiction film called “COLONY”. Also, I was just hired to direct a documentary about a new controversial stem cell treatment. Production begins this April in Mexico followed by a shoot in Israel.”
Click here for info on all “8 Films to Die For.”
Corporate Retreat slices and dices into theaters nationwide starting today — and we’ve got a handful of free tickets for you!
Thanks to Passage Pictures and Western Film Services, Bloody Disgusting is inviting its readers to check out the workplace horror this Memorial Day weekend. See the markets below, enter the day you like to attend, and we’ll e-mail you the tickets as long as inventory lasts!
Read the Terms and Conditions.
—
Described as “a gory mix of The Menu and Saw,” Corporate Retreat centers around a group of young executives whose luxury team-building trip descends into a bloody fight for survival against a vengeful retreat leader.
Odeya Rush (Goosebumps) fights her way through an eclectic cast that includes Sasha Lane (Twisters), Elias Kacavas (“Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin”), Ashton Sanders (Moonlight), Zión Moreno (“Gossip Girl”), Benjamin Norris (“Never Have I Ever”), Tyler Alvarez (“American Vandal”), Kirby Johnson (The Possession of Hannah Grace), Ellen Toland, Rosanna Arquette (Pulp Fiction), and Alan Ruck (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off).
Aaron Fisher (Inside the Rain) directs from a script he co-wrote with Kerri Lee Romeo. Uri Singer (White Noise, Experimenter) produces via Passage Pictures.
Gary J. Tunnicliffe (Scream 4, Candyman) handled the film’s special makeup effects.
