It’s been a busy few months to say the least. I know, I know. I haven’t been a good blogger. I don’t call, I don’t write… but that’s because I’ve been hard at work creating new stuff for you. After all, you’re here for the movies not the blogs, right? (Please say “right”.) But I’ll get into all of that stuff in just a few.
My whole life I’ve had this odd gift which is both a blessing and a curse. In addition to all of the pets I have had (cats, dogs, hamsters, parakeets, iguanas, etc.) it seems that injured animals have a way of finding me because they know that I’ll help them. My parents have lived with the same dilemma. When I was a little kid there was an injured baby goose that had been attacked and was left behind by its family when they flew south for the winter. We nursed it back to health and he lived in our garage all winter long. When spring arrived, various families of geese would show up in the pond behind our house. Each family passing through would take a rest stop on their way back up north. So each day my mother and I would bring the (now healthy) goose down to the water’s edge to see if he could find his family. It was a long shot, so you can only imagine our delight (and our tears) when one day our goose actually DID find his family. They all started honking and bobbing their heads up and down and we watched as our pet goose swam away with his family to live happily ever after. Then there were cats, dogs, pigeons, doves, a duck missing the top of its beak… you name it. There was always something showing up at the door in need of assistance.
Last summer a baby squirrel walked right up to me in front of my house and literally got onto my foot. Turned out he had fallen out of a tree and was lost and injured. Eventually I found someone who takes care of squirrels and “Johnny Hammasticks” (that was what my wife and I called him) was nursed back to health and released again. He’s still living in my yard and eating nuts out of my hand. Only he’s much bigger these days.
(Rileah and I with “Johnny Hammasticks”.)
Just about two months ago we were shooting some insert shots for CHILLERAMA at the ArieScope office/studio. Everyone was doing their thing when a baby chicken stumbled in through the front door and waddled right up to me. Keep in mind our office is in the middle of Los Angeles! There isn’t a farm within miles so your guess is as good as mine as far as where this chicken came from. Long story short we gave “Nugget” (that’s what we called him) a place to live and get back on his feet and eventually my producing partner Cory Neal and his wife Annie found a “no-kill” ranch out in Malibu that “Nugget” could live happily ever after at.
(“Nugget.”)
The very next week my wife and I got a call from a close friend who told us that a litter of puppies had just been born and needed homes quickly. “No way.” I told my wife. “We already have 3 cats and the last thing they want in this house is a dog. Plus, look at our lifestyles! We’re never home. We work 24/7 and we always travel. No way.” I put my foot down and had to tell my wife that we were absolutely not adopting a dog.
(The puppy that I was not adopting. No way.)
So about four hours later we adopted “Arwen”. She is a Yorkie puppy named after the elf princess in LORD OF THE RINGS. I fought valiantly to name her either “Spooky” or “Detective McManus” but I lost. She’s brought us bundles of joy, loads of poop, and she’s spared no expense at destroying household items but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t completely in love with her.
(Baby “Arwen”, dressed and ready for the battle of Hoth.)
Which brings me to “Patches”. About six months ago I found this raggedy looking cat just sitting on the hood of my car one morning. She wouldn’t let me get too close to her, so it kind of became a morning routine where each day she would be waiting outside for me, I would try to say hello, and she would run away. I assumed she must be a neighbor’s cat and tried my best to think nothing of it. But she was always there. We started calling her “Patches” because she looked like she was stitched together from many different cats. I was pushing to call her “Frankenkitty” or (once again) “Detective McManus” but I lost. Again. Finally just about a month ago I put down some food for her to see what she would do. She wouldn’t eat in front of me, but hiding inside the house I watched her devour the entire bowl of cat food in just a few minutes. Finally, one night “Patches” gave in and walked right up to me for some much needed affection. This elusive cat was so love-starved that she was physically shaking from being touched. I don’t know how or why it happened, but “Patches” had lost her person. She wasn’t feral or wild, she was lonely. Once I began petting her more frequently I noticed a bite on her neck that didn’t look so good. About two weeks later that bite had become abscessed and it was infected into the size of a golf ball. I had to do something.
With the help of some tranquilizers from the Vet, I was able to capture her and get her treated. I paid for her surgery and her vaccinations and the next day she was home safe in the backyard brandishing some nasty stitches all over her shaved neck. And now? Well, now we have 4 cats and a dog. “Patches” still lives outside, though she sits by the front door and cries all night to come in, much to the dismay of the three cats who already live here. This is my life. As my friends like to joke, I’m “the Snow White of Horror”. I just wish I could save them all.
(“Patches von Frankenkitty”)
So aside from trying to save all of the animals of the world, I’ve also been insanely busy wrapping up CHILLERAMA, working on KILLER PIZZA, and getting several other projects started. So where do these all stand? Here are my personal updates on all…
CHILLERAMA is in the final days of technical completion, meaning color correction, sound, and visual effects. As you may have seen it has already been announced that the film will be playing UK FrightFest in London this August and many more worldwide screening dates will be announced shortly. And by shortly, I mean within hours of when this blog posts to the ArieScope site. In fact… one of the screenings we’re going to announce is happening in a matter of days in the United States. CHILLERAMA is going to come at you fast and furious which makes me so happy I can’t even express it. Festivals and special theatrical screenings/events will be quickly followed by the On-Demand premiere and DVD, so you won’t have to wait long for it at all. However, this movie was made to be the ultimate midnight drive-in movie. It’s a ridiculous good time and it is meant to be seen with a rowdy crowd… so if you have the chance to see it theatrically (especially in a drive-in or other outdoor environment) – DO IT. We’re going to try and do what we can to bring the experience we were so lucky to grow up with to a whole new generation of fans who never got to see a B-movie at the drive-in, so pay attention to your favorite genre news source (or the ArieScope website) and keep both of your eyes out for screening news.
CHILLERAMA is an anthology movie made by yours truly, Adam Rifkin (Detroit Rock City, The Dark Backward), Joe Lynch (Wrong Turn 2, Knights of Badassdom), and Tim Sullivan (2001 Maniacs, Driftwood) that celebrates a century of cinema. What makes it so unique is that each segment is not only made by a different filmmaker, but made in the style of a completely different time period and sub-genre. Even better, the whole film actually ties together as a complete story rather than just a bunch of short films thrown together. It’s “film noir on acid” with a horror/comedy twist and it is a movie that we are all so very proud of. What started out as a side project for all of us (“yeah, sure- sounds fun, let’s do it at some point when our schedules mesh if that ever happens”) became a two year production and an absolute labor of love. What I think you’ll love about it is that it is everybody (not just the writer/directors but also the cast, crew, etc) having FUN and it is one of those films where you can tell that not a single person involved was in it for the paycheck. It is pure, it is silly, and it is full of heart. Are there sex zombies, nazi frankensteins, giant sperm monsters, leather daddy werebears, demon semen attacks, and lots of scenes depicting genital mutilation? Yes. But it is one giant and very innocent love letter to EVERYTHING that came before us and I can guarantee that you’ve never seen anything else quite like it. My advice, leave your expectations at the door and go in knowing as little as possible. Just sit in your seat and raise a toast to the history of B-movie cinema.
What else? Oh- KILLER PIZZA. This is a big studio movie so unfortunately it isn’t like one of my independent productions where I can decide for myself how much information to spill and when I can spill it. Here’s what I can say without overstepping my boundaries, the producers are in the process of closing their deal with the major studio they intend to make the movie with. Once that happens perhaps they’ll announce the news. My script is done but once we get things going with the studio there will inevitably be more suggestions, comments, and changes for me to address in rewrites as is the norm with these size projects. In fact, I’ll likely be making changes and tweaks right up through the film’s eventual production, so don’t expect to hear major news anytime soon and just trust that once I’m allowed to share information… I won’t forget to share it with you. In doing press for CHILLERAMA a big question has been “Are you directing KILLER PIZZA?” My answer right now… “I don’t know.” I would love to if given the chance and it has certainly been discussed- but let’s see how it all plays out. What I can say is that so far it has been a fantastic experience and over the past year I’ve gotten to work with a team of producers that I couldn’t respect or adore more. The process has been the kind you dream about as a writer. Best of all, once again I’ve found myself getting to meet and work closely with someone who was a childhood idol of mine… and once again they have lived up to every expectation I could have put upon them. Chris Columbus and his team at 1492 Films have treated me amazingly well and they are all truly class acts. All is well.
In a few more weeks I’ll be able to spill the beans on something else I’ve been working on for years and years and years that finally started to come to fruition a few months ago. A project I have been working on all day and all night obsessively writing since March. For me it’s actually the most important of all of my “children” as it is the project I’ve been tied to and working on the longest and therefore the one closest to my heart. I just need some legal i’s to be dotted and some contractual t’s to be crossed and then all will be revealed. My only hint is that it is something that is going to bring me back to my original comedy roots… but I’m also bringing the horror with me.
And what of Victor Crowley’s return? HATCHET III will likely start production early next year- at least that is the first potential time period where it seems all of the players involved could actually be available do it. ArieScope and Dark Sky recently had our first serious “let’s buckle down and get started ironing this out” call since the third installment was green-lit a few months ago and we’re all thrilled to be making the next chapter in the franchise. The reactions to HATCHET II have been astounding and we’re all so blown away by how well the film did- even with the travesty of the movie being so unceremoniously assassinated by the powers that be during it’s theatrical run. Point is, the second film was such a big success critically and financially and the Hatchet Army was so happy with it that we have a lot of pressure to deliver on Part 3 and we want to raise the bar yet again. So this isn’t something we can rush into doing. Also, even if I indeed choose not to be in the director’s chair this time- you can bet I’ll still be standing over it doing everything I can to help keep the ship on course. “What’s the plot? Who’s in it? If you’re not directing it- who is?” Too soon to reveal that stuff even if I already have some of the answers. Point is, the soonest it’s going to start shooting would be early 2012- which is actually not that far away now. Right now the major players in the HATCHET universe are all occupied with other projects, especially myself. There is a collective heart and tight knit family behind HATCHET and we’re not going to create the next chapter until we’re all available and ready to play. Thankfully, our partner and distributor Dark Sky Films totally gets that and feels the same way about doing it right as opposed to just doing it fast. For those that think it’s taking too long to get started, keep in mind that I waited 5 years between the actual making of HATCHET and the making of HATCHET II. I need to be ready and I need time to focus on my other stories and projects. Thankfully so many of my fans understand and appreciate that between every HATCHET film I also need something like a SPIRAL, a GRACE, and a FROZEN to feel creatively complete.
Next week at Comic-Con there’s gonna be a big announcement involving a collaboration between myself one of my favorite comic book creators/writers. As soon as it happens I’ll post the details here in the “news” section- but you guys are gonna be psyched to hear the news, I’m sure. And I suppose that now is as good a time as any to also drop the news that my good friend (and my favorite artist of all time) Alex Pardee and I are working together on a documentary about “monster art” that we’ve already begun production on. We’ve been referring to the project as DIGGING UP THE MARROW- but don’t expect too many other details on it for awhile. It’s a documentary so production is going to be spread out over a long time- but if you love genre based art and have often wondered what kind of reality an artist’s fantastical creature design comes from, I think you’ll find this project fascinating. ArieScope also has another genre project in the works (a film like GRACE where I am personally only producing and not actually writing or directing) with a writer and a director that we couldn’t be more excited to be working with, and we hope to be spilling some serious details about it after the summer if all goes as planned.
(Alex Pardee’s limited HATCHET II poster.)
So there you have it. A debriefing on all things Green. I can’t wait to see some of you out there when I get back on the road for the CHILLERAMA tour (I hope) and as always, feel free to follow along and keep in touch with me on Twitter (@Adam_Fn_Green) and on my Facebook fan page (which I personally respond to fans on). In the meantime, I’m going to enjoy my last day of relaxation before I return back to LA and all hell breaks lose for the next 5 months of my life. Wish me luck.
Peace, love, BLOOD & GUTS-
Adam
(My current view as I write this blog here on Craigville Beach – Cape Cod, Massachusetts.)