Movies
Sundance ’11: ‘The Legend of Beaver Dam’ Short Screens Before ‘Hobo’!
There is a rock musical short film that has been making quite the splash–of blood, that is. Ever since its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival this past September (trust me, it’s AWESOME), “The Legend of Beaver Dam” has been touring film fests around the globe, picking up awards and delighting horror and non-horror audiences alike. Now, this January, it arrives in Park City, Utah for the Sundance Film Festival 2011, screening ahead of the highly-anticipated Hobo with a Shotgun (starring Rutger Hauer) in the “Park City at Midnight” lineup. Details and trailer inside.
The film tells the story of Danny Zigwitz, a nerdy youngster who needs to save his fellow campers from a bloody massacre when a campfire ghost story comes to life. Little kids, an evil monster, a gory fight to the death in the woods–and it’s a rock musical.
It has already won several awards, including “Best Horror Short Film” at Fantastic Fest, and “Best Short Film” at both Screamfest LA and SITGES Festival Internacional de Cinema Fantàstic de Catalunya, the number one fantasy/horror fest in the world.
The Legend of Beaver Dam is the brainchild of Sable & Batalion, a musical theatre duo from Montreal, Canada comprised of writers-composers Jerome Sable and Eli Batalion, who have now made the transition to filmmaking with Sable at the helm directing. “We wanted to do something that both horror fans and musical geeks like us would like,” says Sable, who got his MFA in directing from USC film school. “So we hand-picked the cream of the crop musical theatre talent for the cast, and then assembled the best horror special effects filmmaking team for the crew. What comes out at the other end is, we hope, a scare and a laugh and a catchy tune.”
Premiere: Friday, January 21, 11:30 p.m. (Library Center Theatre, Park City)
Sat., Jan. 22, midnight (Broadway Centre Cinemas VI, SLC); Wed., Jan. 26, 11:30 a.m. (Egyptian Theatre, Park City);
Friday, January 28, midnight (Egyptian Theatre, Park City); Sat., Jan. 29, midnight (Tower Theatre, SLC)
story, music, and lyrics by Jerome Sable & Eli Batalion ~ directed by Jerome Sable
starring L.J. Benet, Seán Cullen, and Rick Miller
Universal has been having a hell of a time getting their Universal Monsters brand back on a better path in the wake of the Dark Universe collapsing, with four movies thus far released in the years since The Mummy attempted to get that interconnected universe off the ground.
First was Leigh Whannell’s The Invisible Man, to date the only post-Mummy hit for the Universal Monsters, followed by The Last Voyage of the Demeter, Renfield, and now Abigail. The latter three films have attempted to bring Dracula back to the screen in fresh ways, but both Demeter and Renfield severely underperformed at the box office. And while Abigail is a far better vampire movie than those two, it’s unfortunately also struggling to turn a profit.
Where does the Universal Monsters brand go from here? The good news is that Universal and Blumhouse have once again enlisted the help of Leigh Whannell for their upcoming Wolf Man reboot, which is howling its way into theaters in January 2025. This is good news, of course, because Whannell’s Invisible Man was the best – and certainly most profitable – of the post-Dark Universe movies that Universal has been able to conjure up. The film ended its worldwide run with $144 million back in 2020, a massive win considering the $7 million budget.
Given the film was such a success, you may wondering why The Invisible Man 2 hasn’t come along in these past four years. But the wait for that sequel may be coming to an end.
Speaking with the Happy Sad Confused podcast this week, The Invisible Man star Elisabeth Moss notes that she feels “very good” about the sequel’s development at this point in time.
“Blumhouse and my production company [Love & Squalor Pictures]… we are closer than we have ever been to cracking it,” Moss updates this week. “And I feel very good about it.”
She adds, “We are very much intent on continuing that story.”
At the end of the 2020 movie, Elisabeth Moss’s heroine Cecilia Kass uses her stalker’s high-tech invisibility suit to kill him, now in possession of the technology that ruined her life.
Stay tuned for more on The Invisible Man 2 as we learn it.
[Related] Power Corrupts: Universal Monsters Classic ‘The Invisible Man’ at 90
Dev Patel’s ‘Monkey Man’ Is Now Available to Watch at Home!
Five Underseen Vampire Horror Movies to Stream This Week
‘Stream’ – Horror Movie from the Team Behind ‘Terrifier’ Sets August Theatrical Release
‘The Blair Witch Project’ – Original Stars Release a Statement Asking Lionsgate for Residuals & Recognition
‘Mountain Man’ – Joe Manganiello Will Battle Zombies in Upcoming Horror Movie
