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First Images From Calvin Reeder’s Twisted ‘The Rambler’
If you click on over to Twitch you can check out the first batch of stills from XYZ Films and production partner Brooklyn Reptyle Films’ The Rambler, which began principal photography in Roswell, New Mexico on April 15.
The film, from an original screenplay by writer/director Calvin Lee Reeder (The Oregonian), will star Dermot Mulroney (New Girl, “The Grey”) and Lindsay Pulsipher (“True Blood”, The Oregonian).
Here’s the official plot crunch: “After being released from prison, a man known as The Rambler (Dermont) stumbles upon a strange mystery as he attempts a dangerous journey through treacherous back roads and small towns en route to reconnecting with his long lost brother.” Pulsipher will once again play “The Girl”. She also starred in Reeder’s critically-acclaimed short of the same name that screened at the Sundance Film Festival and SXSW back in 2008. Reeder was also named as one of the 25 new faces of independent film in Filmmaker Magazine for 2007. You can watch said short film below; it’s a must-watch! Reeder is also the lead in our original production, V/H/S, acquired by Magnolia out of January’s Sundance.
We have an exclusive first look at A Man in the Woods With an Axe, a blood-soaked, genre-twisting homage to 1980s slasher films.
Spanning four decades, A Man in the Woods With an Axe begins in the summer of 1987 before pushing into the modern era, weaving together timelines and perspectives in a way that builds both dread and intrigue.
Drawing inspiration from genre standouts like Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, Hatchet, and The Cabin in the Woods, the film blends visceral horror with moments of dark humor, creating a uniquely balanced experience that honors tradition while carving its own identity.
Writer-director Dillon Brown (Primal Darkness) aims to deliver everything fans crave from a slasher while boldly subverting expectations with a mid-film twist that redefines the story.
“This is an unapologetic love letter to the films that made me fall in love with horror,” Brown tells Bloody Disgusting. “But I didn’t just want to recreate that feeling; I wanted to challenge it. About halfway through, the film takes a turn that completely changes how you view not only this story, but the genre itself.”
Brown describes the vintage-inspired production as “far and away the bloodiest film I’ve ever made,” with practical effects helmed by Cody Ruch (The Mill, Pig Hill), an instructor at Tom Savini’s Special Make-Up Effects Program.
From Horror Dadz Productions, A Man in the Woods With an Axe is currently in production and targeting an early 2027 release.
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