Recorded in a barn in upstate New York in the last week of January 2021,
with Larry Fessenden on sax and vocals
and Jack Fessenden on drums, bass, guitar, keyboards and tamborine,
Mad 4Ever is a hand-hewn hodgepodge of 9 ragged pop tunes
with a raging and melancholic hue as befits the times.
Mix and Mastered by Matt Rocker at Underground Audio, NYC. Released March 4.
From The Austin Chronicle: Fessenden is in his own second act of sorts. Initially a writer/director, in recent years he has achieved an almost totemic reputation among indie horror directors (there’s an old joke that killing Fessenden in your movie brings you good luck), but he’s also a generous collaborator behind the camera. Stevens said, “Larry, with what he brings as a filmmaker and his understanding of how to keep people’s spirits up, was just insanely helpful.”
Read Article from The Austin Chronicle HERE
NYC’s Metrograph Theater has been celebrating Pizza in movies for two weeks. You can still check out the last of the series and read essays on pizza by local hipsters. Always good to see what’s going on at the Metrograph.
“This film is a masterpiece.”
“This documentary will have you questioning what is normal.
It’s a movie that I’d recommend to everyone.”
“Heartwarming and Heartbreaking. Who is Markie? A human being,
in all their marvelous complexity. That’s all we need to know.”
—Hammer To Nail
“The movie is not just about Mark or Markie;
it is a window into the souls of all of us.”
“With its light touch, candid camera approach,
this documentary gets under the skin of the issue.”
“Director Matt Kliegman completely immerses us in
Mark’s life without sugarcoating his feelings.”
“This film generated some of the most powerful emotions
we experienced while screening this year.”
—True/False Film Festival
“Markie in Milwaukee is a vitally important film in today’s climate.
Markie Wenzel has been dealt a raw hand in life, but her story
can help future generations to avoid the same hardships.”
“We need more stories like
Markie in Milwaukee in the public eye.”
“Every once in a while, we stumble across
people whose stories beg to be heard.”
“Markie in Milwaukee offers an uncertain but hopeful tone”
“A significant contribution to the contemporary canon
of transgender narratives.”
—Tabitha Jackson Sundance Institute Documentary Fund
Dementer proves to be a pseudo-cinema verité, satanic psych-out hybrid style flick that encompasses a brutal escape from a fiendish cult.
…
Katie Groshong is exceptional as Katie as she shows off her wonderful acting range when she handles a complex character who is caring when lucid but, due to her brainwashing by a demonic cult, places her in an occasional trace-like state culminating in bizarre and disturbing rituals. Larry Fessenden is wonderfully creepy as the cult-leader Larry whose hearty charisma and heavy words which inhabit and bend Katie’s mind to his dark will is a disturbing delight.
…
Read full review by Paul Grammatico
…
DC: You guys are having a bit of a reunion and obviously Katie was in Jug Face as well. Also, I didn’t realize until just recently that Stephanie is actually Chad’s sister which is so incredible.
LF: Well, when he would write to me and say I’m thinking of doing this thing, he wanted to involve his sister. That’s what I think is just so profound. This is not an opportunist, this is truly an artist. When you’re in the lower depths of horror and indie filmmaking, you meet such great talents that maybe aren’t going to be immediately swept up by the Hollywood machine. Chad is such a sensitive smart guy who’s really exploring some deep shit. So, I think when he wanted to work with his sister it was really to feel something and explore something. That’s why I said, ‘Sure, I’ll hop on a plane, man.’ He had the absurd impression that I would help his film get promotion. Most of all, I want to be part of these things that are, you know, obviously Harmony Korine or whoever. People who want to really push the envelope of what’s possible in storytelling.
…
read full interview by Drew Tinnin
…
Showcasing the unique abilities of a diverse group of people, and how inherent evil can ultimately affect them all, is a powerful driving force in many films. Highlighting the harmful consequences of that corruption on the most innocent victims in horror movies can be an even more harrowing experience. That catastrophic aftermath is exhibited in veteran genre filmmaker Chad Crawford Kinkle’s latest horror feature, ‘Dementer,’ which is based around, and stars, his sister Stephanie, who has Down Syndrome.
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Recorded in a barn in upstate New York in the last week of January, with Fessenden Sr. on sax and vocals and Fessenden Jr. on drums, bass, guitar, keyboards and tamborine, Mad 4Ever is a hand-hewn hodgepodge of ragged pop tunes with a raging and melancholic hue as befits the times.
Fessenden has recorded with the band Just Desserts since the late 70s and penned a number of songs over the years. Still, he’s pretty rusty. He has also played sax for various projects including The Wharton Tiers Ensemble, Unwanted Houseguest and Holiday.
Jack Fessenden has recorded with the band The Strangers since he was 13 years old and they have released 4 albums as well as a record under the name Holiday. Jack has also recorded with Dino-Boy and Unwanted Houseguest.
Mad 4Ever is now streaming on Bandcamp and will be available as a limited release CD.
Keep an eye out for a music video.
Indie horror auteur Chad Crawford Kinkle follows up his backwoods freakfest JUG FACE (starring Glass Eye faves Lauren Ashley Carter, Sean Young and Fessenden) with the startling and twisted DEMENTER, featuring Fessenden and Kinkle regular Katie Groshong along with a cast of non-actors including Kinkle’s own sister with Down’s Syndrome in a tale of aspiration and damnation. Outsider Cinema at its most challenging.
The Only Thing I Love More Than You Is Ranch Dressing (2019)
Length: 1 minute Director: Sydney Clara Brafman Starring: Madison McGhee, James Soller
“It’s impressive that Brafman tells an entire story in a matter of seconds
… a fun bit of horror that packs a bite”
Where you can find it: Streaming on Alter’s YouTube beginning March 12.
The House Of The Devil
Collector Edition Blu-Ray
WENDIGO Figures
From Glass Eye Toyz
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!
