A while back, I posted an interview with one of the stars of the upcoming indie horror film, Sparrow.
Read the entire interview here.
The filmmakers recently released the first trailer for the film! Check it out below.
Click here to check out the official site.
I recently had the opportunity to speak with Thomas James Longley, one of the stars of the upcoming indie horror film Sparrow.
The low budget feature was shot in Poland and is set for release this Halloween. It was directed by Shaun Troke and written by Matthew Mosley.
Six teenage friends take a camping trip to a forest which is the site of a presumed historic murder. But their disbelief in this urban legend is soon changed when strange happenings begin to occur to each of them.
I’ve always been a fan of indie horror films so I was excited to find out how the film intends to stand out.
“It’s simplicity. It doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not and I think because of that it can never fall into the trap that so many horrors have done before. It’s just meant to be scary, a bit jumpy…. Hopefully the fans will respond to that.”
I couldn’t agree more. Sometimes, all a horror fan needs is a straight forward thrill ride full of scares and when it comes to low budget features, simplicity is also a great way to keep costs down.
Another great way to keep costs down these days is to use Social Media tools to your advantage. In addition to the usual suspects like Facebook, the filmmakers decided to approach film blogs individually to get the word out. (That’s how this post came to be.) It’s a lot of work but in the end it’s a great way to get the word out.
Longley credits producer Wojciech Stuchlik for the creative approach.
“A Facebook page and official site were set up, and Flickr I think too. Of course these mediums really allow for the film to to get some kind of immediate exposure/interest which naturally helps.”
Years ago, one could never have imagined connecting an independent horror production in Poland with a Toronto based film blog but that’s what makes this an exciting time. Not only can indie filmmakers network easier than ever but you can also generate a lot of buzz for your project for next to nothing.
Speaking personally, it’s great to hear from fellow filmmakers.
Sparrow is currently in post production and Longley says the film’s release is on schedule and hopes to see it accepted into festivals worldwide.
Best of luck Sparrow team!
The first All Time Best article I published dealt with my Favorite Laugh.
It’s time to talk about the movie moment that scared me the most. I didn’t even have to think about this one. When it came down to it, I just thought of the one movie scene that has haunted me since the first time I saw it years ago…
I was at my friends house. There were about 5 or 6 of us there. My buddy wanted us to watch a new horror flick that was just released on VHS. In his basement, he had lights that included a switch to dim and brighten at random intervals.
So I sat in that creepy environment and watched:
The movie’s premise is creepy enough as it is. For those who aren’t aware, the movie is about a ship that disappears in space for 7 years. A team is sent in to investigate where the ship has been and hopefully rescue any survivors.
This is indeed a horror movie so you can assume the film is packed with terrifying moments but one scene in particular will always haunt me.
In the middle of the film, they find a video of the crew taken after they disappeared. It’s the craziest scene I’ve ever seen. (Spoiler Alert) Basically, the ship went to hell and the crew members are portrayed LITERALLY tearing themselves apart. It’s violent, it’s gory and made me want to go home.
That’s when we rewound the scene and watched it frame by frame. Gross…
Watching the gruesome and horrifying images was bad enough but it was their constant screaming that scared me the most. That coupled with the concept and the lighting caused me to lose sleep for a week. (I’m not even remotely kidding about that.)
Let’s say we make a massive breakthrough in interstellar travel during my lifetime. I’m not volunteering specifically so this never happens to me. No way I’m getting on a ship like that.
I didn’t even bother looking for the clip because I don’t want to see it.
I don’t have to reiterate how much I loved Paranormal Activity.
So did everyone else. It’s about time we got a new horror film that isn’t a remake, re-imagining or sequel to an existing franchise. It’s an amazing story to watch unfold as an independent filmmaker myself. A guy takes $15,000 and makes an awesome horror film that has grossed over 60 million dollars so far. Nuts.
Here were the numbers last week:
Here’s where I get incredibly excited. About a month ago, a friend of mine from work showed me a trailer for a horror film called The Fourth Kind. Sweet. That trailer quickly made it’s way into my heart and I really can’t wait to see it.
I’m hoping that this will begin a trend I’ve been waiting years for. Original horror. The producers of The Fourth Kind must be loving their lives right now with Paranormal killing at the box office. Taking out a franchise like Saw with ease was a feat no one saw coming a year ago. You simply assume that Saw will reign on Halloween year after year. Not only did Paranormal win with less theaters, it beat arguably the best reviewed Saw film since the original. Audiences have spoken. Enough with tired franchises. Bring some new blood into the game.
This Friday, The Fourth Kind opens with a ton of buzz and an audience craving more after being slayed by Paranormal last week. It instantly benefits from a familiar style mixing home video with film. While it’s not quite Paranormal or Cloverfield, it still has the same feel and that will fill seats. And why shouldn’t it? M. Night Shyamalan is my favorite filmmaker because he created original creepy films that still entertain me once every few months. Originality like Signs (Which tops my list of favorite films by the way.) that really hit home as a filmmaker. Years later, another original alien thriller is set to kick my ass in theaters. I just hope it delivers…
If it does, we may be in for a golden age of new and original franchises. I say franchises because let’s face it, they’re already talking sequel for Paranormal Activity. Every studio wants to find the next Saw. They may kill a few here and there but I say bring on the new franchises. At least we’ll be able to see something different from time to time.
Speaking of Saw, I’m pretty excited to see that the ‘torture porn’ sub genre seems to be fading away. People don’t seem to be interested in pure sight gags and gore fests anymore. It worked for a while but it’s old. That trend is over. So long Torture Porn. Hello new trend!
