Philip Hartman’s 
NO PICNIC

Friday, April 17 – Thursday, April 23

U.S., 1986
Written and directed by Philip Hartman
Starring David Brisbin, Clare Bauman, Judith Malina, Ryan Cutrona, Anne D’Agnillo, Luis Guzmán, Richard Hell, Steve Buscemi
Produced by Doris Kornish
Cinematography by Peter Hutton
Approx. 87 min.

Philip Hartman’s priceless artifact of New York’s pre-gentrification East Village follows down-and-out jukebox operator Macabee Cohn, played with deadpan melancholy by David Brisbin, who wanders the cheap tenements, dive bars, and derelict streets of the East Village in search of a mysterious woman in a striped dress. 

NO PICNIC premiered at the 1986 Sundance Film Festival, where Peter Hutton won the Best Cinematography prize for his gorgeously evocative black-and-white imagery, working with producer Doris Kornish, Emmy Award–winning director Mike Spiller as assistant cameraman, animator Lewis Klahr as boom operator, Christine Vachon as assistant sound editor, with assistance from, among other notables, Jacob Burckhardt and Jeff Preiss. Scored by Ned Sublette, the soundtrack features The Raunch Hands, Fela Kuti, Charles Mingus and Student Teachers.

Hartman co-owned The Great Jones Cafe, which introduced Cajun cooking to downtown NYC, became a magnet for the indie film and music communities, and flourished for 35 years until its closure in 2018. Using his gumbo money, and drawing on the rich talent of the Jones community, Hartman wrote and directed NO PICNIC in the summer of ‘85. Wim Wenders’ company, Grey City, came aboard as executive producer and the film was accepted to Sundance, but still needing $25k to finish post-production, Hartman co-founded Two Boots Pizzeria on Avenue A, now a beloved New York institution. He would also go on to make EERIE (1995), a feature starring Felicity Huffman & Will Arnett.

A FILM DESK RELEASE

by Matt Donato

While Universal has failed to relaunch its shared horror universe for decades, Larry Fessenden’s beloved bloodsucker Habit was released in 1995 and laid the groundwork for his own successful Monsterverse. Quietly, out of the mainstream’s eye, Fessenden assembled his take on the Wolf Man, Dracula, and Frankenstein for a graveyard smash of a crossover that premiered at this year’s Overlook Film Festival: Trauma or, Monsters All. It’s Fessenden’s signatures in totalum: an emotionally torn, low-budget take on the horrors of humanity as guided by cursed creatures. Don’t expect Stephen Sommers’ Van Helsing; more the mumblecore-value, Glass Eye Pix version of a Universal multi-monster classic.

…

Trauma or, Monsters All has a broken Americana vibe to its contemporary commentary, especially in how Cassie’s inquiries dredge up controversy rather than curiosity. In the vein of Frankenstein’s monster being chased by pitchforks and torches, Fessenden tests Talbot Falls’ moral compass against those characters who’ve failed such genre experiments. There’s anger in Charlie’s voice as he confronts Cassie, pre-transformation, and prods about whether she’s proud of her work in print, knowing he’ll have to ditch Adam and start over. There’s a melancholy to Trauma or, Monsters All that nails the title “trauma,” drawing a thin line that separates townsfolk and beasts.

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The question is simple: did you like any combination of Habit, Depraved, or Blackout? Splendid, Trauma Or, Monsters All is for you! Fessenden’s iconic independent horror voice is on display, as his under-the-radar monster series reaches its crescendo. He creates a world any audience can slide into: a rural creature feature built on humble intentions and honest depictions. Fessenden’s read on Universal’s legendary monsters is his own, drawing on themes of vulnerability and ostracization into our modern hellscape.

Luckily, despite its blemishes, Trauma Or, Monsters All is a minimalist take on fabled figures with plenty to say, and another notch in Fessenden’s ever-mounting legacy.

Read whole review at Daily Dead

Visit TRAUMA project page

From the essential portrait by INSIDE + OUT:

AS A PHOTOGRAPHER, WHAT IS THE MESSAGE YOU WISH TO CONVEY, AND HOW DO YOU CHOOSE A BODY OF WORK OR SUBJECT MATTER TO FOCUS ON?

Bahram Foroughi: I don’t really think in terms of a single message. For me, it’s about capturing something true, something that feels the way it actually was in that moment. That’s what drew me into working with filmmaker Larry Fessenden. Larry’s films live in that space where things aren’t over-polished or forced; they feel human, a little raw, sometimes uncomfortable, but real.

Being around that kind of filmmaking reinforced how I see things as a photographer. I’m drawn to moments that have tension, where something’s just beneath the surface. It’s not about perfection, it’s about truth. Whether it’s on a film set or in a live music environment, I’m looking for that same thing: a moment that feels like it could fall apart or come alive at any second.

TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOURSELF THAT PEOPLE WOULD BE SURPRISED TO KNOW.

Bahram Foroughi: I’m a first responder and volunteer with the Woodstock Rescue Squad, and I previously served as a firefighter in Olive for six years. That experience gave me a real understanding of the challenges first responders face, especially when it comes to dealing with PTSD.

I’m currently working on launching a nonprofit that teaches first responders how to fly fish as a way to manage that stress. It’s something I care deeply about, creating space for people who are constantly operating in high-pressure environments to slow down, reset, and find a sense of calm and balance in nature.

Read more of this intertview with this cherished collaborator since BITTER FEAST (2010)

Beck Underwood snaps Sharif El Neklawy snapping Laëtitial Hollard, Gaby Leyner and Aitana Doyle
at the Overlook Film Festival presenting Larry Fessenden’s
TRAUMA OR, MONSTERS ALL

”Larry Fessenden remains indie horror’s most singular visionary…
it’s hard to imagine any other conclusion for this story
that marries so many of his consistent obsessions.”
—J Hurtado, ScreenAnarchy

✭✭✭✭1/2
“preposterousness and poignancy…
Fessenden’s monster movie does not seem inappropriate in today’s world.
In fact, it seems like an unusually sane response.
Fiction is one of many ways through which we might explore better ways
of communicating with one another,
lest we unleash too easily the monsters from the id.”
—Jennie Kermode, Eye For Film

“Fessenden’s final outing for his “monsters” is smart, sometimes scathing
and is best when exploring how scary selfhood and otherness is.
The world is complicated and that’s how people end up putting others in boxes.”
—Nadine Whitney, In Session Film

by Shelagh Rowan-Legg

A new film by horror indie auteur Larry Fessenden is always cause for celebration, and for those lucky enough to be attending the Overlook Film Festival, they have the chance to attend the world premiere of his new film Trauma or, Monsters All, tonight. And we have an exclusive clip!

An aspiring author gets more than she bargained for when she writes an article for the local paper about her small town’s dark history, prompting unwanted speculation on what monsters may lie within. Overlook mainstay Larry Fessenden returns with the thrilling conclusion to his quadrilogy, a thoughtful and fiercely independent monster mash that can be enjoyed on its own or marathoned with his three origin stories – Habit, Depraved, and Blackout.

Laëtitia Hollard, the big breakout star of HBO hit series The Pitt for her role as nurse Emma Nolan, stars in the film, alongside Aitana Doyle, Barbara Crampton, Addison Timlin, Alex Hurt, and Fessenden. The clip that features Hollard and Doyle, helps set the stage for this dark mystery. I am jealous of those who get the first watch in New Orleans tonight. Check out the clip below.

See post at Screen Anarchy

Musings on The Devil’s Share

Having started in the theater before moving to film, my directing experience has always involved the visual medium. Even my prior experiences with the Tales series was onstage at film festivals, when Glenn or Larry needed an extra voice for a role.  So when they asked if I’d be interested in writing or directing on this new season, I was eager to have the opportunity (and the challenge!) of creating a horror tale that was completely audio-based.

I remember watching horror movies in the theater as a kid and knowing to hide when the subs hit your chest and the strings kicked in. Working in the horror genre, sound design and score has always been my favorite part of the process – the moment when everything you’ve done up until that point starts to really come together and the elements of fear are built. I’ve worked with my sound designer Owen Granich-Young and composers The Gifted on almost every single project I’ve ever done, they’re definitely my ride-or-dies and always down to experiment and dig in creatively.  I tried to think of an idea for a tale that would lean into sound as the entity of evil for them to play around with – and also thought of how we consume tales these days.

I come from a very rural rustbelt town, where tales told about the town itself down through the generations is a common occurrence – a shared communal history.  The sound of where I grew up – that Appalachia feel – is also something I really wanted to bring out in the story – growing up in that area it has a very distinct audio element in my mind – creaking trees, work boots on wooden floorboards, cicadas and a suffocating humidity – and that small town been-here-for-generations-everybody-knows-everybody closeness that can also be suffocating in its own right. That got me thinking – what if that small town ‘putting down roots’ charm wasn’t about not wanting to leave – but not being able to?  Being stuck in generational patterns and shared history.  Hence were the seeds of ‘The Devil’s Share’ born.

I’m lucky to work with so many talented folks who genuinely enjoy what they do. What I love about Zach Gilford is all you have to say is I got this idea or role I’m thinking you’d be good for and he immediately responds with ‘I’m down’ before you even tell him what it is. It also doesn’t hurt that he’s one my favorite actors both to watch and to work with.  I also have my own roots in the comedy community here in LA outside of the horror community – we’ve all ended up working on each other’s projects in different roles over the years -hence why so many comedy folks end up popping up in my work.  You’ll hear some of my ‘regulars’ like Susan Burke, Jonah Ray and Matt Peters along with comedian and Fallout Fake Talk Show host Jon Daly, and a newcomer (for me!) whose work I’ve long admired  – Liana Liberato – who is absolutely phenomenal as Taylor and has the best cackle you’ve ever heard.

And of course, writer/directors are not spared their turn at the mic – Kate Freund, Evan Katz as ‘Drunk Hank’ and the imitable Larry himself join the cast.  I could go on at length about how much we all enjoyed this process (and the ability to just do as many takes as we want and try new things without the ‘burden’ of physical production) but I feel I’ve rambled on enough and I could go on singing all the cast and crew’s praises for pages –I’ll just leave you with I hope you enjoy listening to The Devil’s Share as much as all of us enjoyed making it together. All photos probably by Jen Yamato at Monkeyland Audio.

 THE DEVIL’S SHARE
written, directed and edited by Roxanne Benjamin
An investigation into the strange goings-on
in a rust-belt factory town quickly goes south. 

Cast: Zach Gilford, Liana Liberato, Jonah Ray Rodriguez, Larry Fessenden, Jon Daly,
Matt Peters, Susan Burke, Kate Freund, Rigo Garay, Evan L. Katz, and Owen Granich-Young.
Sound Design and Mix, Owen Granich-Young
Score by The Gifted
Recorded at MonkeyLand Audio in Los Angeles
with additional recording at Underground Audio in New York City.
Produced by Larry Fessenden and Glenn McQuaid
along with Jordan Gass-Pooré and Rigo Garay. 
Tales Theme by Jeff Grace. 
Post Art: Brian Level

Visit TALES FROM BEYOND THE PALE for all 55 TALES, VIDEOS, PHOTOS & More

From Bloody Disgusting

By Alex DiVincenzo

The Larry Fessenden cinematic universe takes shape in Trauma Or, Monsters All, which crosses over three of the indie horror icon’s creature features: the 1995 vampire cult classic Habit, the 2019 Frankenstein riff Depraved, and the 2023 werewolf movie Blackout.

Bloody Disgusting has an exclusive first look at the poster and a batch of stills from the film, in which Fessenden blends social commentary with archetypes of horror into a reflection of our times through a gothic lens.

Trauma Or, Monsters All follows Cassandra, an aspiring author who travels to the small upstate town of Talbot Falls to write a book while working a day job at the local library alongside Agnes.

The new friends’ lives change when Cassandra writes an article for the local paper exposing the dark history of the town: are there monsters among them?

Speculation bubbles into conflict as a werewolf, a vampire, and a Frankenstein creation emerge into the light, revealing deep suppressed trauma in the inhabitants of the town.

Laëtitia Hollard (“The Pitt”), Aitana Doyle, Addison Timlin (Depraved, Odd Thomas), Alex Hurt(Blackout), Alex Breaux (Blackout, “Stranger Things”), and Fessenden (Habit) star.

Genre favorites Barbara Crampton (Blackout, Re-Animator), Joshua Leonard (Depraved, The Blair Witch Project), and James Le Gros (Blackout, Phantasm II) also make appearances.

The ensemble is rounded out by John Speredakos (Blackout), Cody Kostro (Blackout, “Mare of Easttown”), Marc Senter (Blackout, Cabin Fever 2), Micheál Neeson (Cold Pursuit), Joseph Castillo-Midyett (Blackout), and Rigo Garay (Blackout).

Fessenden writes, directs, edits, and produces via his Glass Eye Pix. Gaby Leyner, James Felix McKenney (Blackout), and Tilson Allen-Merry also produce.

Trauma Or, Monsters All will have its world premiere this weekend at the Overlook Film Festival, which will also feature repertory screenings of Habit, Depraved, and Blackout.

LINK TO TICKET PURCHASES HERE