Bloody Disgusting has the skinny: Fresh from its SXSW premiere, the animated fantasy-horror movie The Spine of Night has been acquired for U.S. release by RLJE Films and Shudder. Written and directed by Philip Gelatt and Morgan Galen King, the animated film stars Richard E. Grant, Lucy Lawless, Patton Oswalt, Betty Gabriel and Joe Manganiello. Abby Savage, Larry Fessenden and Rob McClure also star.

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2016; Toby Huss, Tommy Nohilly and Fessenden attend
SXSW for IN A VALLEY OF VIOLENCE, a western by Ti West.

portrait by The Dude Designs

THE HUNTER: writer/director Benjamin Gray. (2007, 20 minutes)
cinematography: Thomas Krivy
featuring Larry Fessenden, Joel Marsh Garland, David Warshofsky.
Editor: Paul Frank. Music: Jeff Grace.

watch the teaser below
and join us in the CineZone to see the film

NOTES:

Synopsis: Each winter, Tub hunts with childhood friends Frank and Kenny. Approaching middle-age and still the butt of every joke, Tub wants this year to be different. And it is: deep inside a snow-covered forest, his long-buried aggression comes raging to the surface. Based on the Tobias Wolff short story ‘Hunters in the Snow’.

From Fessenden: The experience of making THE HUNTER was one of my fondest memories making a movie. We were treated to fantastic home cooked meals by the director’s mom, and slept in big beds and then suffered long hours in the snowy location. I love a winter movie. On the shoot I met Joel Garland who would later be cast in Glenn McQuaid’s I SELL THE DEAD, and several Tales from Beyond the Pale, including “The Hole Digger”. I also enjoyed working with David Warshofsky, who had stories of being on set with a young James Le Gros that can’t be repeated on this website. Jeff Grace did the music for THE HUNTER, based on introductions I made, and right around this time I employed Mr. Grace for my own project SKIN AND BONES, and you can hear the influence of THE HUNTER’s music on that score.

From Benjamin Gray: And at the time I wrote this in my director’s statement…still true I think…. “The Hunter” is a specifically American story, specifically rural, yet set in no particular time or place. With Tobias Wolff’s subtle humor it explores masculinity, aggression, the question: “What makes a man?” And in a world dominated by machismo, saber-rattling, and swagger, what better time to ask this question?

Watch now in the CINEZONE.

From the Review by Meagan Navarro

“Written and directed by Philip Gelatt and Morgan Galen King, The Spine of Night evokes the breathless wonder and art style of Fire and Ice, unfurling a meditative and existential tale. This anthology is steeped in a world of magic, heroes, and villains across time told with a distinct and measured cadence. Assembling a talented and impressive voice cast that includes Patton Oswalt, Betty Gabriel, Joe Manganiello, Larry Fessenden, and Rob McClure, it’s not characters- though there are many- that connect this sprawling story but a concept.

…

“The Spine of Night packs so much into its roughly 90-minute runtime that it doesn’t always give its emotional peaks room to breathe, but it never fails to arouse a feeling of wonder. This movie is a breathtaking rarity.”

read the full review

“Does your modern indie horror movie really exist if it doesn’t feature Barbara Crampton or Larry Fessenden? The two horror icons, who have been so good in so many genre movies for so long, are busier than ever, popping up in (and often propping up) countless films made by filmmakers who clearly grew up watching them on well-worn VHS tapes.

“But Jakob’s Wife, a gory new horror comedy about a marriage on the rocks before vampirism rears its ugly fangs, understands their appeal more than most. In fact, it knows what horror fans really want: to see them placed front-and-center as leading man and leading lady rather than relegated to supporting role or amusing cameo. And while there are other pleasures to be found in Jakob’s Wife (especially the geysers of blood that erupt with some regularity), these two, together in the spotlight, are the main draw.

…

“While this is not the first time Crampton and Fessenden have been in the same movie together (gems like You’re Next and We Are Still Here are among their shared credits), co-writer and director Travis Stevens gives them characters worthy of their talent. Too often, casting these two feels like a wink, a filmmaker nudging the audience to say “Yes, I too enjoy Re-Animator and/or Wendigo!” Stevens understands that these two aren’t just well-liked names – they’re terrific actors, more-than-capable of carrying an entire movie. And he obliges them.

…

“Cast against type as a buttoned-down, conservative preacher, Fessenden digs into the “straight man” dynamic of the film’s duo, finding low-key humor in his exasperation. His eventual turn to vampire hunter is less of a heroic move and more of a reflection of an impatient man desperate to get shit done. It’s fun stuff.”

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Featuring Barbara Crampton and Larry Fessenden

Director Travis Stevens’ film costars Larry Fessenden and wrestler-turned-actor Phil Brooks.