From the folks who brought you STAKE LAND, director Jim Mickle and writer Nick Damici comes Joe Lansdale’s HAP AND LEONARD, Wednesdays at 10PM on the Sundance Channel.
Tonight, episode 2 features a very special cameo for Glass Eye Pix fans… Keep eyes and ears open…
Fans of indie horror are no doubt familiar with the work of Larry Fessenden — not only through his deeply personal horror films like HABIT and THE LAST WINTER, groundbreaking audio drama series TALES FROM BEYOND THE PALE and memorable roles in I SELL THE DEAD and WE ARE STILL HERE, but also through his production company Glass Eye Pix, which recently celebrated its 30th Anniversary.
But if you’re really serious about Larry’s creative output, you might have noticed a recurring motif running through much of his work: North America’s indigenous legend of the Wendigo, one of the most powerful mythological creatures ever to terrorize humankind.
Fessenden pays loving tribute to his diabolical muse in the new book Sudden Storm: A Wendigo Reader, in which he has compiled numerous essays, tales, journal entries and other literary works about the Wendigo legend and its influence on history, culture, art, and psychology… all accompanied by incredible illustrations by acclaimed artists like Gary Pullin, Graham Humphreys, Isabel Samaras, Trevor Denham, Betsy Heistand and Fessenden himself.
Having delved into this book from cover-to-cover, I can say that it came as quite a revelation; while I’d seen his feature film WENDIGO and his amazingly creepy “Skin and Bones” episode of FEAR ITSELF (my all-time favorite Wendigo tale), I had no idea how intimately the lore of this horrific monster was woven into Larry’s creative life.
I won’t divulge some of the best surprises in store, but rest assured you’ll be bowled over by some of the research Fessenden and his fellow authors bring to the party… say, for example, did you know that U.S. President Teddy Roosevelt knew at least one tale of the Wendigo? Me neither, but it’s right there on page 41 (in my copy, anyway).
Some of my favorite contributions include Alison Natasi’s intriguing analysis of the link between Ruggero Deodato’s CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST and the Wendigo legend; Carter Meland’s examination of the Wendigo’s influence on Antonia Bird’s horror-western RAVENOUS; and Samuel Zimmerman’s overview of the Wendigo’s treatment on television shows like THE X-FILES, SUPERNATURAL, SLEEPY HOLLOW and — of course — FEAR ITSELF. Also enlightening is Chris Hibbard’s historical account of “Wendigo Psychosis” (a well-documented condition) as it relates to real-life crimes throughout North American history.
It’s still shocking to me that this terrifying, archetypal monster hasn’t become as entrenched in American folklore, media and popular culture as vampires, werewolves and zombies… Larry’s taken some significant steps to changing all that, and hopefully this book may inspire other creative minds to further explore this monstrous myth.
SUDDEN STORM: A WENDIGO READER is available now from Fiddleblack Press, and can be ordered from Amazon.
Get a taste of Fessenden’s passion for the Wendigo mythos in Adam Barnick’s short film, THE SHAPE OF THE WENDIGO:
This gorgeous comic book created by Fessenden, James Felix McKenney and illustrator Brahm Revel is now available for Digital Download through ComiXology. Taking a decidedly different approach to the titular creature, this completes an unofficial trilogy of Wendigo-themed comic books by Fessenden, all available from Glass Eye Pix Comix. (and don’t forget to order your copy of Sudden Storm: A Wendigo Reader)
Entertainment Weekly has the exclusive festival poster for GEP Pal Ti West’s, er… Western… starring Hawke, Travolta, James Ransone, Taissa Farmiga, Karen Gillan, and featuring Fessenden among a fantastic cast of supporting players. Pic was produced by long-time Glass Eye collaborators Peter Phok and Jacob Jaffke for Blumhouse.
Larry Fessenden (Tales From Beyond The Pale, I Sell The Dead) will hit the fest’s main home, the venerable arthouse Brattle Theatre in Cambridge, MA, for a special 15-year anniversary screening of his film Wendigo on 35mm.
Fessenden will have copies of his new book Sudden Storm: A Wendigo Reader at the event, as well as copies of his Wendigo-themedcomic books Wendigo, The Last Winter, and The wendigo of Manitou Valley.
More from the press release:
The comic book adaptation of WENDIGO (now reprinted digitally on Comixology) by Fessenden, Brahm Revel, and Peter Chung, makes The Creators Project’s list of the best comics of the week.
Story by Larry Fessenden, art by Brahm Revel, letters by Peter Chung.
Based on the Glass Eye Pix film Wendigo (2001) written and directed by Larry Fessenden, this comic adaptation originally hit shelves almost 15 years ago. Now, thanks to Comixology, the frenetic work is available again digitally. The story follows a family taking a weekend off in the woods, and follows a tenuous relationship between a father, a son, a mother, a hunter, and a Wendigo—an Algonquian cryptozoological spirit of the forest. Full of tense moments and complicated family dynamics, and illustrated in stark black-and-white by Revel that invoke everything from early American woodcuts to Chick tracts, Wendigo is a 70-page love letter to folkloric horror.
This Fantastic vintage Glass Eye Pix black & white comic book written by Fessenden and illustrated by Brahm Revel is now available for Digital Download through ComiXology. This book was the launch of an ongoing collaboration between Revel and Fessenden that spawned several subsequent comic books, design projects, advent calendars, and an audio drama. Featuring a brand new rendition of the original cover. See where Fessenden’s Wendigo fetish began (and don’t forget to order your copy of Sudden Storm: A Wendigo Reader)
Our 30th Anniversary Hootenanny continues with this series of Legacy Docs celebrating the community and collaborators that have kept us honest all these years…
Glass Eye Pix 30th Anniversary Mini-Doc: Makeup artist Brian Spears has been creating monsters and gore effects for Glass Eye Pix since 2007’s I SELL THE DEAD. With his partner Peter Gerner, Spears has created ghosts, vampires, zombies and even an old man in GEP films BLOOD RED EARTH, BITTER FEAST, STAKE LAND, HYPOTHERMIA, THE INNKEEPERS, BENEATH, LATE PHASES, DARLING and RIDING SHOTGUN. Spears recalls the family atmosphere at Fessenden’s production company over the years. Edit by Chris Skotchdopole.
The Films of Larry Fessenden: Vol 2
Wendigo & The Last Winter
The Films of Larry Fessenden: Vol 1
Habit & No Telling
The Innkeepers
Limited Edition Blu-Ray
The House Of The Devil
Collector Edition Blu-Ray
WENDIGO Figures
From Glass Eye Toyz
CRUMB CATCHER Blu-Ray
From Arrow Video
BLACKOUT BLU-RAY
From Dark Sky Selects
FOXHOLE BLU-RAY
From Vinegar Syndrome
9 Tales From Beyond The Pale
on Amazon!
THE LARRY FESSENDEN COLLECTION Blu-ray
on Amazon!
BENEATH Blu-ray & DVD
on Amazon!
