The Spine of Night was written and directed by Philip Gelatt and Morgan Galen King. The film follows a group of heroes from different eras and cultures as they band together to save mankind from an ancient dark magic that has fallen into sinister hands…
Featuring the voice talents of Richard E. Grant, Lucy Lawless, Patton Oswalt, Betty Gabriel, Joe Manganiello, Larry Fessenden, Rob McClure, and Abby Savage (GEP pal and sound designer on FOXHOLE!).
Even though the Wendigo has appeared in a variety of TV shows and movies, the creature started out as a mythical spirit from Algonquian folklore. Wendigos were originally seen as humanoid spirits that possess humans and induce feelings of greed and cannibalism within them. Over the years, their pop culture representations have added some new alterations.
Usually, the Wendigo is depicted with ram horns, glowing eyes pushed back into the sockets, emaciated skin, and yellowed fangs. Films like The Wendigo and Pet Semetary make use of such popular depictions which are in turn influenced more by Algernon Blackwood’s 1910 short story The Wendigo instead of the original myths.
The Last Winter (2006)
Barring the third act, the Wendigo never appears in The Last Winter. But it is the fear of its existence that contributes to an eerie atmosphere throughout its duration. The plot involves a team of environmentalists protesting the construction of a pipeline in the Arctic. With fatal accidents and gas leaks, the team begins to hallucinate and die one by one. The desolate setting only makes it worse for the characters.
Towards the end, the Wendigos make an appearance as nature spirits leaving a lot of space for interpretation. Essentially, the film is a tale of humans changing the flow of nature. So, in this sense, the Wendigos can be nature’s guardians instead of the monstrosities they are usually seen as. As director Larry Fessenden said in an interview with RogerEbert.com, “When the world falls out of balance as it has, there is hell to pay. The wendigo is a way to discuss that. It’s manifested in different ways.”
Wendigo (2001)
After a city-dweller accidentally hits a deer in the woods, he believes that he’s haunted by the Wendigo as revenge in Wendigo. The protagonist also gets a Wendigo figurine at a local souvenir shop that adds further to his scares.
The visions of the Wendigo as well as the recurring motif of the figurine add a sense of mystery to the creature. The blurry hallucinations are stress-inducing and feature the character in night-vision-like lighting. This goes beyond the formulaic depictions making the titular monster more ominous. For most of the movie’s duration, viewers keep on guessing whether the cannibalistic spirit is real or not.
… Featuring Interviews with Adam Wingard, Simon Barrett, Barbara Crampton, Joe Swanberg, et al (and some rambling from Fessenden and a beefcake shot with makeup man Al Tuskes.)
Gravitas Ventures and Kamikaze Dogfight exclusively shared with Bloody the red band trailer Isolation, a feature-length anthology that weaves together nine standalone-yet-interconnected tales of terror from all corners of the world as people confront their darkest fears, in an attempt to survive an increasingly deadly pandemic.
The film had its world premiere in London at FrightFest Uk 2021 and will have its North American premiere on October 15th at Screamfest LA, followed by a release on VOD platforms Friday, November 2nd, 2021.
Isolation was directed by Dennie Gordon (Jack Ryan, Legion, Hunters, Waco), horror legend Larry Fessenden (The Last Winter, Habit, Depraved), Bobby Roe (The Houses October Built 1 & 2), Andrew Kasch, (Tales of Halloween), Zach Passero (Wicked Lake) and Christian Pasquariello (Alien Invasion: S.U.M. 1). The anthology also gives rise to new voices in horror with films by Alexandra Neary (The Innocent), Alix Austin & Keir Siewert (Retch), and Kyle I. Kelley & Adam Brown (The Music Lesson).
Dashcam, from director Christian Nilsson, starring Genre Icon Larry Fessenden, arrives October 19th 2021. Inspired by Antonioni’s Blow-Up, Brian De Palma’s Blow Out, and Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation, Dashcam is a stunning psychological thriller that follows Jake (Eric Tabach, “Blue Bloods”)—a timid video editor at a local news channel who fantasizes about becoming a reporter. While editing a piece on a routine traffic stop that resulted in the death of a police officer and a major political official (Larry Fessenden, Dementer, Jakob’s Wife), Jake is inadvertently sent dashcam video evidence that tells a completely different story.
This week Liz and Alrik welcome writer, director, producer and actor, Larry Fessenden on the show to talk about his latest role in the new film Jakob’s Wife. Larry talks about how he got the role in the film, how he treats his acting work differently than when he is behind the camera and we dive into how he has produced over 80 projects and directed over 20, including ten feature films. This is a really great conversation to illustrate the struggles of an indie filmmaker and to see how a sustainable career can be achieved with a ton of hard work. We also have filmmaker AJ Starzak on the show to talk about his new short film, My Monster and I, which is currently raising money on indiegogo and we read a slew of new youtube comments!
“For its technical and political ambition, ability to compel and surprise, and inventive use of cinematic tools on a minimal budget, the jury awards the Ultra Indie Award to FOXHOLE, directed by Jack Fessenden. We appreciated the way Fessenden rotated his actors to create three different stories of military life in three distinct historical moments, injecting questions of race and gender into a genre that is too often all-white and all-male. This is a deft and accomplished piece of work.”
Jack Fessenden, Larry Fessenden and Meira Blausteinat the 2021 Woodstock Film Festival.
Photo by John Mazlish
Tom Efinger (sound mixer, associate producer), Cody Kostro (actor), Chris Ingvordsen (producer), Collin Brazie (cinematographer), Jack Fessenden (multi-hyphenate),
Eugene Lehnert (VFX) and Adam Scherr (producer)
attending the screening of FOXHOLE in Saugerties NY Oct 2
Glass Eye Pix is the fierce independent NYC-based production outfit headed by award-winning art-horror auteur Larry Fessenden with the mission of supporting individual voices in the arts. Read more...
