November 13, 2020
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BODY featured on Shudder December 2020 Lineup

BODY (Directors: Dan Berk, Robert Olsen)
A darkly funny and twisted journey taking place entirely on one unforgettable Christmas Eve, Body revolves around a trio of college co-eds whose dalliance with breaking-and-entering goes horribly awry. Following a freak accident, the girls find themselves entangled in a Hitchcockian nightmare steeped in tension, suspicion, double-crossing, and murder, where no one is to be trusted and a new twist lies around every corner. From the team behind last year’s Villains. Starring Helen Rogers, Alexandra Turshen, Lauren Molina, Larry Fessenden (Also available on Shudder Canada and Shudder UK)

Read Full Article HERE

December 12, 2015
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Berk and Olsen’s BODY opens theatrically 12.11.15 at Midnight

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Fessenden with costars Molina, Turshen & Rogers
at the midnight premiere at IFC, NYC

from the review at rogerebert.com;

The film follows three twenty-something women on the night before Christmas Eve. Cali (Alexandra Turshen) and Holly (Helen Rogers) visit their friend Melissa (Lauren Molina) at Melissa’s parents’ house.

Turshen, Roger, and Molina have genuine sisterly camaraderie, so much so that it doesn’t matter that the dialogue and situations they find themselves in before being discovered is so light that you’ll barely remember it when the film ends. That’s actually the secret of the film’s success: it maintains a certain tempo and interest that you’re so immediately involved you don’t even realize you’re being sucked in.

A perfect example of the unassuming spell “Body” casts: Larry Fessenden’s excellent performance as … well, I can’t really tell you that. Fessenden, a horror filmmaker who has nurtured several talented American indie horror filmmakers at his own Glass Eye Pix distribution label, is an exceptional character actor. He steals every scene he’s in, and his big scene in “Body” is no different. Fessenden is an ideal bit player: he lures viewers in without going so far over the top that his performance seems to hail from a completely different film. He can be a ham, but Fessenden’s performance in “Body” is magnetic, and leaves you feeling like you’ve been turned inside-out.

But “Body” is not about Fessenden. He’s a key part of the film’s success, but no single part of the movie is more important than the rest. The film’s exceptionally consistent mood is its main appeal. For that reason, “Body” reminded me of supposedly minor Alfred Hitchcock masterworks “Dial M for Murder” and “Rope.” In those earlier thrillers, Hitchcock’s unmistakable talent serves ideas that seem to evaporate, or at least lose their thematic weight as soon as soon as you’re done watching. One can only hope that Berk and Olsen’s body of work grows to the point where “Body” is unfairly remembered as a minor success.

Still, right now, we’re at the beginning of Berk and Olsen’s promising career, and most viewers don’t know that “Body” is a must-see. “Body” may be the kind of genre film you take for granted, but there’s nothing inessential about a sharp, well-crafted thriller just because it’s not particularly flashy, and doesn’t have any big ideas. No, “Body” may not be the kind of modern-day B-movie that wins awards, but it does exactly what it sets out to, and that’s a fair amount. So go ahead: see this film for yourself. You won’t know what hit you.

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September 9, 2015
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Fessenden interview in The UK’s SCIFINOW

Appearing in three films at London’s Fright Fest, Mickey Keating’s POD, Ted Geogehan’s WE ARE STILL HERE and BODY by Dan Burk and Robert Olsen, Scifinow took notice and posts this extensive interview with Fessenden.

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It’s a bastard genre and I stand by it. I think the world is a frightening place and people should be shocked out of their complacency. Now the irony is, I don’t know that everybody thinks of horror that way, but I think of it as a confrontational genre, a way to scream from the rafters, ‘Look at humanity, it needs fixing, it’s a mess, look at how we treat each other.’ So I use it as a punishing genre! [laughs]

I love it, and I also love the aesthetic of horror, the creepy, the cobwebby cellars and corridors, I like the darkness and I like the night and a big full moon and a creaking tree. So these are actually purely aesthetic things and you can almost not quite put your finger on why you’re like that. I think it’s literally psychology or something dreadful happened when I was a kid that I don’t remember [laughs].

But at the same time I do resent not being taken seriously as a filmmaker because you’re involved in the genre. I think that’s just an oversight of the culture and so it will be. People actually are afraid of death and they’re a little wary of people who are constantly harping about death [laughs]! So you’re a little bit like the weird guy in the room, let’s face it, and that’s like being a punk rocker, it makes me feel OK, I don’t mind. I don’t know that the pristine glowing happy smiling society is particularly accurate to our experience in life so I’d rather call it like it is: a bit of a scary place.

read the full article at scifinow

September 2, 2015
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A New Oscilloscope Poster for BODY

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There’s a new, bold poster for the suspense/thriller BODY. Starring Helen Rogers, Alexandra Turshen, Lauren Molina, and Fessenden star, the movie follows three college students as they accidentally end up in a terrifying situation.

A darkly funny and twisted journey taking place entirely on one unforgettable Christmas Eve, Body revolves around a trio of college co-eds whose dalliance with breaking-and-entering goes horribly awry. Sneaking off to a secluded mansion to party, the young girls are faced with dire choices after they unexpectedly encounter the property’s groundskeeper. 
 
Following a freak accident, the girls find themselves entangled in a Hitchcockian nightmare steeped in tension, suspicion, double-crossing, and murder, where no one is to be trusted and a new twist lies around every corner.
April 22, 2015
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Oscilloscope Acquires ‘Body’!

Bloody Disgusting just got the scoop that Oscilloscope acquired the US rights to Body, starring Helen Rogers (V/H/S), Alexandra Turshen (The Maladjusted) and Lauren Molina (Martha Marcy May Marlene), featuring Fessenden. Body is directed by Robert Olsen and Dan Berk, who also wrote and produced.

From the BD News Piece:

We had two positive reviews out of Slamdance, with Patrick Cooper calling it “a morbidly satisfying thriller” and Jess Hicks stating that it “isn’t your normal girl’s night out“.

Body is the story of three girls that break into a mansion and inadvertently kill the groundskeeper. They slowly self-destruct as they decide what to do with the dead body in the living room.”

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January 5, 2015
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Exclusive Eerie Trailer For BODY on Indiewire

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From Indiewire.com:

“The time is now for new voices in the horror/thriller genre…And at the Slamdance Film Festival, co-directors Dan Berk and Robert Olsen are hoping they too will join those filmmakers with “Body.”

Starring Helen Rogers, Alexandra Turshen, Lauren Molina, and Larry Fessenden, the wintry thriller kicks off with a killing and turns the screws from there. Here’s the official synopsis: After three twenty-something girls break into a mansion and inadvertently murder the groundskeeper, they slowly self-destruct as they decide what to do with the dead body in the living room. And as you’ll see from this eerie teaser, “Body” promises a spine-tingling atmosphere and some carefully calibrated suspense.

“Body” will have its first screening at Slamdance on Sunday, January 25th at 10:30 PM at the Treasure Mountain Inn in the Ballroom…”

Check out the trailer and more images from the film here.

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December 1, 2014
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BODY Set For Slamdance World Premiere

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Congrats to our friends at Last Pictures, whose thriller BODY is set to world premiere at Slamdance. The film features Fessenden alongside Helen Rogers, Alexandra Turshen, and Lauren Molina. It’s written and directed by Dan Berk and Robert Olsen, and produced by Berk, Olsen, Chadd Harbold, Bryan Gaynor, and Michael Gray.

Synopsis:
After three twenty-something girls break into a mansion and inadvertently murder the groundskeeper, they slowly self-destruct as they decide what to do with the dead body in the living room.

Check out the announcement in Variety, and keep up to date with BODY by following the film on Facebook and @LastPictures on Twitter.

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