Indie
[Fantasia ’15 Review] ‘Orion’: A Taxing Fantasy/Sci-Fi Hybrid
Civilization has crumbled. The last vestiges of the human race scavenge and fend for themselves by any means necessary. People dress in rags and culture has been reduced to a primitive, mythology-steeped landscape. It’s like a Renaissance fair on crack.
This is the backdrop for writer/director Asiel Norton’s new fantasy/sci-fi hybrid, Orion. The world he has created is rich with detail and combines astrology, the tarot, and symbolism into an orgy of comparative mythology. The story itself is simple and unfortunately leaves a lot to be desired. It ultimately feels like the shell of a movie with a lot of detail rather than depth.
David Arquette stars as the Hunter, a man who roams the post apocalyptic wasteland alone, living off rats and mumbling esoteric passages to himself. He keeps his eyes peeled at night for the Orion constellation, which as legend has it, will lead him to a city where he’s to fulfill his destiny. While he camps out in a crumbing parking garage, nearby Magus the magician (Goran Kostic) keeps the Virgin (Lily Cole) captive. When she gives birth, Magus buries her baby in accordance with a ritual that’s supposed to bring about the savior of mankind. This is all explained in whispered narration and chapter cards with old timey font.
The story is essentially this: our hero Hunter comes to Magus’ well defended home and attempts to rescue the Virgin, our damsel in distress. It’s Hunter’s destiny. Along the way he’s helped by the Fool (Maren Lord) and goes through one hell of a trial. With the story’s rather straightforward hero stuff, there’s a potential for more complexity that’s never fully realized. Orion feels like the basic outline of a film with nothing emotionally substantial to actually engage the audience.
The world the film presents is ripe for a more engaging story than the one Norton delivers. The costumes and locations are fantastic and the mythology is interesting enough, there just isn’t much else there. He uses the shaky, hand-held approach a lot and when the camera isn’t jostling around, we’re treated to long shots of Arquette pondering his destiny. I really like Arquette and feel like he’s underrated a lot of the time. So I was excited to hear he was doing this bizarre little indie film. If only he was given more depth to work with here rather than just repeating abstruse dialogue for 90 minutes.
Like the Hunter’s journey, getting through Orion is an arduous task.
Orion had its world premiere at the 2015 Fantasia International Film Festival.
Her House of Horrors, the horror division of Independent Production House WOMXNOGRAPHY, has launched its Bite Size Short Grant Program, ahead of its film festival Dollhouse of Horror, which will take place in March 2025 in Los Angeles, CA.
The Bite Size Short Grant Program awards $2,000 film grants to female-identifying and queer horror filmmakers. Shorts must be able to be made for $2,000, with a minimum runtime of 8 minutes. Submissions are now open on Filmfreeway, and are being judged by a panel of horror lovers and content creators.
The 2024 Bite Size Short Grant Program judge lineup is as follows:
“James H. Carter II- A documentary director, film producer, podcaster, marketing specialist, and writer. James is the founder and co-owner of Creepy Kingdom. Creepy Kingdom was founded in 2011 and is a multimedia website, and production studio specializing in creepy content. Their primary focus lies at the intersection of childlike fantasy and the macabre, covering horror films, theme parks, haunts, and much more. Beyond their extensive media coverage, Creepy Kingdom hosts events, offers original merchandise, and engages in film production under the Creepy Kingdom Studios brand producing original films like “Foolish Mortals”, exploring Disney’s “Haunted Mansion” fan culture, and “Georgie”, featuring Tony Dakota from the original “It” miniseries.
“In addition to founding Creepy Kingdom, James has won awards for his documentary work, including the award-winning “Foolish Mortals,” which has earned him recognition. He has been featured on Freeform’s 31 Nights of Halloween special.
“Ashleeta Beauchamp is the editor-in-chief of Peek-A-Boo! Magazine, a cheeky horror magazine created to uplift marginalized writers, artists, models and other creators within the horror community. She also runs The Halloween Coalition, a community group to provide support and marketing for horror and Halloween events around the Southern California area.
“Titeanya Rodríguez is a multi-hyphenate creative, and the founder and owner of HER HOUSE OF HORRORS, home of DOLLHOUSE OF HORROR and the horror division of WOMXNOGRAPHY. As a fellow storyteller and a self-proclaimed artivist, Titeanya’s mission is to create opportunities for women of color and queer women, across film, tv, sports, music, and beyond. She is also the creator of the BITE SIZE SHORT grant program.”
Winners will have a one-night theatrical screening at Regal Cinemas. Submissions Close April 8 at Midnight. Winners will be announced on May 27, 2024. Shorts must be shot and through post-production by June 30, 2024. The screening will take place on July 8, 2024, in Los Angeles, CA.
WOMXNOGRAPHY, HER HOUSE OF HORRORS, and Rodriguez are represented by Azhar PR, Granderson Des Rochers, and Kinsella Holley Iser Kump Steinsapir.
To submit your short to the Bite Size Short Grant Program, go to the FilmFreeway link here.
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