“Whilst the Frankenstein story has been told hundreds of times across the world of cinema,
Depraved somehow manages to feel completely fresh.”
– HOLLYWOOD NEWS

“a dramatic character piece that will reward those looking
for a thoughtful take on Mary Shelley’s masterpiece.”
– HORROR FUEL

“Depraved marks one of Fessenden’s best films to date,
showcasing the director’s ability to craft a memorable,
stylish and creatively astute narrative on a small budget.
His status as a darling of horror and New York indie cinema
has only be reinforced with this feature.”
– FILM PULSE

“A moving drama of post- millennial conflict.”
– PROJECTED FIGURES

 “DEPRAVED is an inspired Gowanus-grungy DIY Frankenstein,
with director Larry Fessenden pushing through to the subtext of parentally irresponsible men.
Grabs you with its ideas (and imaginative production moxie). Somebody buy this.”
Josh Rothkopf/ TimeOut NYC

“DEPRAVED might be Larry Fessenden’s best movie yet.
Certainly his best since “Skin and Bones,”
his fantastic 2008 episode of FEAR ITSELF.”
Simon Abrams (Vulture/ Robert Ebert)

‘Depraved’ Review: Larry Fessenden’s No-Budget Delight Brings Frankenstein into the 21st Century

New York and Los Angeles-based Yellow Veil Pictures has come on board to handle worldwide sales on genre and industry veteran Larry Fessenden’s horror film Depraved. 

The title is set to receive its world premiere tomorrow (20) at the IFC Center’s What The Fest?! and is styled as a contemporary reimagining of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.

Depraved centers on a field surgeon (David Call) who builds a man from body parts in a makeshift lab in Brooklyn. When he succeeds, the surgeon is overcome with remorse and tries to protect his creation (Alex Breaux), although it soon becomes unclear who is in greater need of protection. Joshua Leonard, Ana Kayne, Chloe Levine, and Addison Timlin also star.

Yellow Veil Pictures co-owner Joe Yanick said, “Depraved represents everything that is great about Fessenden’s work. It’s an honour to be able to work with a director I’ve so greatly admired.”

“It is very exciting to be working with Yellow Veil on this project,” said Fessenden, whose New York-based production company Glass Eye Pix produced Depraved alongside and Joe Swanberg’s Forager Film Company. “I am enthused to partner with a young company that is finding its groove in this fickle business, and I look forward to seeing what they can do to get my movie out into capable hands.”

Read Full Article HERE

By Popular demand,
WTF has added a second show to the opening night presentation of
DEPRAVED
Wednesday 20 March at 7:30 Get tickets while they last

“Fessenden’s macabre, inspired take on the Frankenstein story is heartbreaking as it is horrifying…
Alex Breaux’s performance is stunning in its physicality and pathos.”
—Dennis Darmody, Cinemaniac

Review by Dennis Dermody of Original Cinemaniac, March 17

Depraved. Larry Fessenden’s macabre, inspired take on the Frankenstein story is heartbreaking as it is horrifying. Set in a warehouse/loft in Brooklyn, Henry (David Call) is a former army surgeon suffering PTSD who has stitched together body parts and brought to life Adam (Alex Breaux). He reluctantly becomes a father-figure to this re-animated creature, training Adam how to talk, think, dress himself, play puzzles and ping pong and learn that “gravity” is his friend. Fessenden gets to the core of Mary Shelley’s story, this go-round the science used is more drug-related that electrical. But it also gets the folly of the God-like doctor learning to regret and fear his own creation. Alex Breaux’s performance is stunning in its physicality and pathos. Fessenden truly is a hero of mine- he has consistently made some of the most lyrical, bizarre, thought-provoking genre films. This Frank ‘N The Hood is one of his very best.

From Indiewire: What’s better than a modern take on Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein,” shot on the novel’s 200th anniversary? A modern take on “Frankenstein” set in Brooklyn. Veteran genre writer-director Larry Fessenden has teamed up with indie producer and fellow filmmaker Joe Swanberg for his unique vision of the literary classic. “Depraved” will make its world premiere as the opening night film of What the Fest!?, a genre festival put on by New York’s IFC Center.

IFC programmers promise it’s “the best film version of the Frankenstein legend in decades,” while an official press release called it a “meditative reimagining of the novel” that “explores the crisis of masculinity and ideas about loneliness, memory and the subtle psychological shocks that shape us as individuals.”

The official synopsis reads: “Alex (Owen Campbell) leaves his girlfriend Lucy (Chloë Levine) after an emotional night, walking the streets alone to get home. From out of nowhere, he is stabbed in a frenzied attack, with the life draining out of him. He awakes to find he is the brain in a body he does not recognize. This creature, Adam (Alex Breaux), has been brought into consciousness by Henry (David Call), a brilliant field surgeon suffering from PTSD after two tours in the Mideast, and his accomplice Polidori (Joshua Leonard), a predator determined to cash in on the experiment that brought Adam to life. Henry is increasingly consumed with remorse over what he’s done and when Adam finally discovers a video documenting his own origin, he goes on a rampage that reverberates through the group and tragedy befalls them all.”

A fixture of New York’s indie film scene, Fessenden last directed the Chiller-produced monster movie “Beneath,” and has produced countless low-budget projects through his Glass Eye Pix, including Ti West’s “The Innkeepers” and Jim Mickle’s “Stake Land.” As an actor, he has appeared in Jim Jarmusch’s “Broken Flowers,” Kelly Reichardt’s “Wendy and Lucy,” Martin Scorsese’s “Bringing Out the Dead,” as well as dozens of independent horror films.

Watch Trailer HERE

Jenn Wexler’s THE RANGER: A Punk Rock Manifesto for Women

“Chelsea’s survival is about more than being fated to the status of some Final Girl. Her story evokes a woman’s struggle, in a world hellbent on remaining binary in countless ways, to realise her identity without being constrained to the scrutinous rules of society, and a patriarchal one at that. Or maybe it’s just a kick ass, punk rock slice of horror. (It can be both.) Either way, Father Gore remains ready to see whatever Wexler does next.”

Read Full Review HERE

Dread Central: “Opening Night’s Depraved is quite the coup. What made director Larry Fessenden choose WTF!? to have his World Premiere over other better-known festivals?”

“Larry, first of all, for the little bit I know him, is a beautifully mad man who keeps his filmmaking family and true love for genre close to him. He sensed something last year when [his production] The Ranger was our Closing Night Film. There was a special atmosphere in the air, the audience loved the film, we had a punk band from the film crash the Q and A and we ended up smashing a piñata on the stage… Some form of trust was made then, which is definitely tied into his long-lasting relationship with the IFC Center. He sees What the Fest!? as a place that brings the filmmaker family and love for genre together and wanted to, if one can say so, invest into that. I have an odd feeling he might enjoy giving a middle finger to the system of “premiere at a prestigious festival to be validated as an author.” Plus, we love the film.”

Read full article HERE