It's that time of year again and my annual Halloween Movie Night is in the planning stage. This time I've decided to go with a Karloff triple feature.
I've already settled on 2 films: The Body Snatcher (1945) and Targets (1968). I'm going to screen them in order by release date but I need YOUR help in selecting the all important first or second feature!
Check out this poll and give me your vote! Be sure to watch the embedded trailers/clips/reviews if you have time, otherwise vote your favorite, vote the one you've never seen, or simply vote how you like! Comments appreciated.
Last night the Eggs Kickstarter campaign failed to meet its goal of 12k, despite lots of hard work and support from friends, family and some wonderful people within the horror community. All told we reached nearly 5 thousand dollars in pledged donations from 53 backers.
Kickstarter has an "all or nothing" policy, however, so no one will be charged for their pledges and we will not receive a penny of those pledged contributions.
As of today, we are accepting direct donations via Paypal, with the following reward structure:
$5,000 and up
Executive Producer credit on the film and on IMDB.com
Free admission to any festival screenings of the film (pending availability and notice)
VIP seating for you and a guest at the film's premier
Invitation to a private
karaoke party with members of the cast and crew
Invitation to
the wrap party
Limited and numbered Eggs production photo print signed by the cast
Official cast and crew Eggs production T-Shirt
DVD copy of the finished film
Download access to music by Composer Ryan Orvis
Download access to behind the scenes photography by Set Photographer Tina Molina
NOTE: All travel-related expenses are yours.
$1,000 to $4,999
Executive Producer credit on the film and on IMDB.com
VIP seating for you and a guest at the film's premier
Invitation to a private
karaoke party with members of the cast and crew
Invitation to
the wrap party
Limited and numbered Eggs production photo print signed by the cast
Official cast and crew Eggs production T-Shirt
DVD copy of the finished film
Download access to music by Composer Ryan Orvis
Download access to behind the scenes photography by Set Photographer Tina Molina
NOTE: All travel-related expenses are yours.
$500 to $999
Special Thanks credit on the film and on IMDB.com
VIP seating for you and a guest at the film's premier
Invitation to a private
karaoke party with members of the cast and crew
Invitation to
the wrap party
Limited and numbered Eggs production photo print signed by the cast
Official cast and crew Eggs production T-Shirt
DVD copy of the finished film
Download access to music by Composer Ryan Orvis
Download access to behind the scenes photography by Set Photographer Tina Molina
NOTE: All travel-related expenses are yours.
$100 to $499
Special Thanks credit on the film and on IMDB.com
VIP seating for you and a guest at the film's premier
Official cast and crew Eggs production T-Shirt
DVD copy of the finished film
Download access to music by Composer Ryan Orvis
Download access to behind the scenes photography by Set Photographer Tina Molina
NOTE: All travel-related expenses are yours.
$25 to $99
DVD copy of the finished film
Download access to music by Composer Ryan Orvis
Download access to behind the scenes photography by Set Photographer Tina Molina
Every single person who donates (no matter the amount) receives the following:
Notice of
any festival screenings of the film
Special Thanks on the Production Blog
Personal mention by name in the Eggs 'Thank You' shout-out video!
Please use the "donate" button below to give directly to the project, or contact me for address info if you'd rather donate by check. Thanks!
Ryan Stockstad
Director of Eggs
hollywoodpsychic@hotmail.com
Thanks to everyone who came out and celebrated Lynn Lowry's career with us at The New Beverly Theater last month. Despite some aggravating sound problems (which resulted in quite a late evening as the issues took time to fix, yet somehow added to the whole grindhouse feel of the thing) Lynn and I both had a fun time.
Lee Christian was kind enough to take a bunch of nice pictures (some of which are displayed here), so please respect that and don't go re-posting them without asking his permission first! Thanks!
I briefly introduced the movies and of course I forgot to thank everyone I wanted to thank (notably Michael Torgan and The New Beverly for being so incredibly awesome). Then we showed an amazing video tribute to Lynn Lowry which Damon Packard was kind enough to cut for us especially for the event. Check it out!
After that we showed a really rough edit of the Eggs Kickstarter video to help raise awareness of my new project starring Lynn. Hopefully no one will ever see that rough cut again, but the finished video can be seen HERE.
Then it was time for the movies, starting with a nicely worn print of The Crazies (1973), loaned to the occasion from Quentin Tarantino's personal library. This was my first time seeing it on the big screen and I wasn't disappointed. It was every bit as bleak and hopeless as I remembered, and of course it has all those great scenes that the remake was afraid to touch!
When The Crazies ended we had a quick Q&A between myself, Lynn and the audience. Thanks to Andrew Kadikian you can watch that here:
After another raffle (which included a VHS copy of The Double-D Avenger spontaneously donated by the amazing G. Larry Butler) we showed J.T. Seaton's fantastic short film Divination (2011) w/ Lynn Lowry playing a scam psychic. It's a great short and the audience seemed really into it.
Finally we watched a personal favorite of mine, Paul Schrader's Cat People (1982). I've seen this a number of times over the years but never on the big screen. It timed out nicely as April was the film's 30th anniversary!
Photo courtesy of Lee Christian
I hope everyone who attended had a great time. It was certainly a memorable evening for Lynn and myself!
As always, thanks for reading and be sure to throw us some love over at the Eggs Kickstarter campaign.
Phillip Semenik
Cynthia Lugo
Andrew Kimble
maetrix fitten
David Garry
mei-lynn
Guilherme
Ryan Orvis
Garon Cockrell
Jarad Coats
Howard Dorre
Doug Cassidy
Cecilia Orvis
James R Mullett II
Thomas Lady
Jeremy Feig
Elissa
Richard Castillo
Kate Bundy
Ben Eisen
julia marchese
Melanie Larsen
Tiffiny Alden
haleh
Jo Atienza
I'm sure I speak for the entire cast and crew when I say...
Sorry I didn't post this sooner but I've been exceptionally busy the last few days.
Essentially I'm in the process of finding a replacement for Stephen Geffreys, who is no longer involved with the project. I announced this change to the project as my first update over at Kickstarter. Read all about it HERE.
Meanwhile, the Kickstarter campaign is progressing nicely. If you haven't yet pledged a donation, PLEASE consider doing so today. The more backers and pledges the project gets the easier it will be to attract pledges from the Kickstarter community and beyond.
Don't forget, you're getting something for your money! $5 gets a mention on the
project's shout-out video, $10 gets music downloads, and $25 gets a DVD
of the finished movie plus a bunch of other stuff. There are lots of
other rewards too, including autographed items, T-Shirts, private events, etc.
Even if you can't afford a donation, a
friendly post on Facebook or Twitter (or better yet, taking a minute to
email it to your friends who like horror movies) would all be helpful.
Last night we celebrated Lynn Lowry at the New Beverly Cinema with screenings of The Crazies (1973) and Cat People (1982), plus J.T. Seaton's amazing short film Divination (2011). When I have a moment I'll put up another post with a recap.
In the mean time, I'm thrilled to officially announce that the Kickstarter campaign for Eggs (2012) is LIVE and taking donations! It launched Thursday afternoon at about 3:30 PST. I will be making tweaks to the campaign in the following days, most notably adding a video just as soon as possible. If you're planning to support the project, PLEASE consider pledging your donation right away. You will not be charged until May 25th when the campaign officially ends, but it sends a message to the Kickstarter community that this project has the support of people who want to see the project made!
We've assembled some cool rewards and would really appreciate your support. In fact, for just $25 you get a DVD of the finished movie, plus a bunch of downloads (music, set photos, etc.). If you're feeling really generous, we have a 3k reward tier that includes an extremely rare, limited edition production book that will be VERY personalized by the cast and crew. Think of it as like a year book with Lynn Lowry and Stephen Geoffreys and lots of blood.
If money is tight, you can still get in on the action with a simple $5 donation and receive a personal 'thank you' in the end-of-funding shout-out vid. I LOVE $5 donations because if everyone I knew were to pledge just one five dollar bill, I'd have about a third of the funding in place!
This is a big project and I really feel an important film, so I'm counting on friends and fans alike for support!
Also, Andrew Kadikian posted a new Vlogasm post with me REALLY out of my element at a sports game. (If you know me, that's tantamount to me going into a church... which is to say it almost NEVER happens.)
If you missed Eggs on the radio Sunday you can listen to the archive HERE.
Ben Eisen and Ryan Blake (hosts of All Time Top Ten With Ryan and Ben) were kind enough to invite me to be a guest on their show. They asked me to choose a theme so I picked Top Ten Songs About MADNESS! The date was set and then Ryan Blake had to miss out due to Easter festivities. Ben and I soldiered on, however, and the resulting lists are pretty solid.
Eggs writer Jon Rosenberg even played the movie game on my track #9 and called in and won tickets to An Evening with Lynn Lowry!
I'm happy to report that Zombie Jesus stayed out of the radio station, but I did have momentary flashes to that fantastic Chop Top scene in Texas Chainsaw Massacre II.
If you want to know my top ten songs you'll have to listen to the show, but click on the links below to hear my alternate picks:
This past Friday I had a meeting with Richard (Producer) and Derrick (A.D.) at Sonic in Duarte. (From here on, I think all production meetings should include tator tots and cherry lime aid.)
While we were discussing the script breakdown and working out a schedule, some guy showed up across the street at the trailer park carrying a cross on his back! Of course I pulled out my camera and started taking pictures.
After a few steps, the journey proved too difficult for the guy and he had to take a break beneath the shade of a tree, resting his christ-y load on the grass.
Then a woman showed up and the two began heatedly arguing, with lots of exaggerated body language. They were too far away for us to hear what they were saying, but I imagine it was fraught with biblical fervor. Of course I can't be sure... It may simply have been:
Woman: "Hey guy in the grass... I really like your gigantic wooden cross!" Guy with Jesus complex: "Why thank you, kind and wonderful lady! I like the way you wag your finger in my face as you scream friendly words at me!"
I suspect not, though.
It all came to an end when the guy's buddy pulled up, took the cross and put it on the back of his pickup. Then the two guys drove off on the next leg of their holy cross-bearing trek, presumably making new friends all the way.
If only Jesus had access to a buddy with a pickup, perhaps the stations of the cross would've ended much differently.
I'm finally able to announce the specifics of the event that I teased about in my last post:
Thursday, April 19th at the New Beverly Theater: The Crazies (1973) and Cat People (1982), with Lynn Lowry in person! A portion of the ticket sales go toward Eggs, so PLEASE come to the show and support!
For only $8 you get TWO badass movies on the big screen, with an audience, the way they were meant to be seen, and Lynn Lowry in person. Plus I'm giving away raffle prizes before each movie, and I've got other surprises planned. For 8 bucks, you can't beat that price!
I cannot officially announce details just yet, but you will want to be there. Seating is limited. An amazing time will be had. Stay tuned for more information.
In the mean time, today I had a fantastically productive 2 hour meeting with Dave Wilson, aka the Special Effects Supervisor on Eggs. We're in the process of designing some pretty gnarly effects shots for a number of kills, as well as a sequence involving a pretty nasty custom prop fabrication. Let's just say the topic quickly turned to Thousand Year Old Eggs. Ew, gross.
Also present was the wonderful and amazing Cathie Horlick. Much brainstorming occurred regarding promotion of the above-mentioned April 19th secret mystery event that you have all now marked on your calendars.
More on that soon. But seriously... put a big red circle on that date!
I have been very sick the last 3 weeks or so, and as a result I've slacked on a lot of my responsibilities to this project. We still have a lot of work to do before production, such as raising the budget and finding a Grocery Store location. (I've scouted up and down the valley and have narrowed it down to 3 locations, so with any luck I'll be able to lock this down soon.) One thing that is almost totally in place, however, is the crew. At least the major positions are all mostly filled.
I'm especially excited to announce the involvement of our amazing DP, David Hardberger, who did the miniature photography on the Lord of the Rings trilogy and whose imdb page reads like a list of some of your favorite movies of the last 30 years!
Anyway, this crew list is incomplete... notably lacking still is a Production designer/Set Dresser, Sound Department, Craft Services and Caterer, various Production Assistants, etc. The bulk of the crew is in place, however, and I'd prefer to express my pride and thanks to these wonderful people now rather than wait for the few remaining positions to be filled. I can always post the updated list later when it's ready.
With the recent addition of Stephen Geoffreys, the Eggs cast is now complete. Check out the full cast list below, and be sure to click on the links to see everyone's credits. I couldn't be happier about this fantastic cast!
Mildred: Lynn Lowry (Shivers, The Crazies, Cat People) Reginald: Stephen Geoffreys (Fright Night, 976-EVIL, Sick Girl) Nick: Marc Fajardo ('You, Me & the Circus', Party Foul) Debbie: Julia Lehman (Cheerleader Massacre 2, Bring It On: Fight to the Finish) Steven: Aaron Lee Harvey (Party Foul, A Tale of Two Zombies) Tanya: Tina Molina (Panman, A Tale of Two Zombies) Hank: Carl Soloman (The Video Dead, Panman) Jackie: Tiffiny Alden (A Tale of Two Zombies) Sheriff Keating: G. Larry Butler (Frankenstein vs. the Creature from Blood Cove, Panman, The Janitor) Officer Burke: Maetrix Fitten (Hancock) Cop: Michael Doherty (Grandmother Winsome's Variety Minute, A Tale of Two Zombies)
Reginald is the largest supporting character in the story. Essentially, he manages a grocery store in the small town where our story takes place. The script describes him simply:
"REGINALD (40), the store manager, a tall, plump man with illfitting pants and an infectious smile..."
In a larger sense, Reginald represents that segment of society that is perhaps least caring about his fellow man. He's not a jerk, exactly... he simply has a cynical view on life and a tough-love approach to other people. He's worked hard to get his small piece of the American pie and he certainly didn't get there by giving money to the homeless or reading to the elderly. He's smart enough to see the warning signs that something is very wrong in his community, but he figures it's someone else's problem, not his. He's about to be proven very wrong!
I knew I wanted someone great to play this part, so Jon and I brainstormed and came up with a list of about fifteen dream cast choices. I narrowed that down further and reached out to one actor over the weekend.
Today I'm happy to announce that Reginald will be played by the wonderfully talented Stephen Geoffreys! (Fright Night, 976-Evil, Sick Girl, New Terminal Hotel, etc.)
I can't tell you how thrilled this makes me.
With this final part now filled, the cast for Eggs is officially locked and in place. I'll post an introduction to the rest of the cast later this week. Thanks for reading!
Welcome to the production blog for Eggs (2012), a short horror film starring Lynn Lowry and directed by Ryan Stockstad!
In the coming months, I'll post news and updates regarding the project here. But first, some backstory: About a year and a half ago, with the help of a fantastic cast and crew, I made a 6 minute zombie movie for the Los Angeles 48 Hour Film Project called A Tale of Two Zombies (2010). The 48HFP is a particularly challenging exercise because each team has just two days to make a movie, from writing and directing to editing and scoring, etc. Considering the limitations, the team and I were all very proud of the resulting movie. You can check out the trailer HERE:
Now, Jon Rosenberg wrote the script and Ryan Orvis composed the music. After recovering from the intense weekend, the three of us decided that we should collaborate on another horror project, this time without the ridiculous constraints involved with making a movie in mere hours. 'Eggs' began that day.
Well, truthfully, 'Eggs' began sometime earlier, as a short story by Garon Cockrell. (Garon runs the entertainment website Pop Culture Beast.) As Jon and I discussed the types of stories we might like to tell, I recalled Garon's short horror fiction and asked if Jon and I might adapt his work. Garon agreed and Jon and I set about turning 'Eggs' into a screenplay.
A lot has changed from the original story to the current script draft, but the basic concept remains the same: A lonely woman in a small town snaps and shoots up a local grocery store. What I particularly liked about the story was the realistic, small town horror tone, reminiscent of Stephen King. That and a fascinating lead female character.
After many script meetings and a number of drafts and revisions, Jon and I finally felt the script was ready in December, 2011. I began attaching talent shortly after.
I'll post the full cast list soon in a future blog, but I'm thrilled to announce now that Lynn Lowry has signed on to play the lead part!Jon and I had her in mind almost from the start and I can't think of a more talented actress with as much horror cred as her! She's perfect for the role and I'm beyond stoked about her involvement.
I'm sure I'll have plenty more news and updates in the coming weeks, so please come back often! Or click the FOLLOW link at the top of the page to get notified of new posts. Thanks for reading,
Phillip Semenik
Last night I joined the people behind Pop Culture Beast for their 18th podcast episode of Pop Culture Beast Presents SHOW. We talked about our favorite 80s movies, Eggs and of course this Thursday night's screening of The Crazies (1973) w/ Cat People (1982).
If you missed Eggs on the radio Sunday you can listen to the archive HERE.
I'm happy to report that Zombie Jesus stayed out of the radio station, but I did have momentary flashes to that fantastic Chop Top scene in Texas Chainsaw Massacre II.
It's Easter and Eggs is celebrating by going on the radio!
This past Friday I had a meeting with Richard (Producer) and Derrick (A.D.) at 
Sonic in Duarte. (From here on, I think all production meetings should include tator tots and cherry lime aid.)
Of course I pulled out my camera and started taking pictures.
break beneath the shade of a tree, resting his christ-y load on the grass.
Woman: "Hey guy in the grass... I really like your gigantic wooden cross!"
(1973) and Cat People (1982), with Lynn Lowry in person! A portion of the ticket sales go toward Eggs, so PLEASE come to the show and support!
And purchase tickets HERE:
I have been very sick the last 3 weeks or so, and as a result I've slacked on a lot of my responsibilities to this project. We still have a lot of work to do before production, such as raising the budget and finding a Grocery Store location. (I've scouted up and down the valley and have narrowed it down to 3 locations, so with any luck I'll be able to lock this down soon.) One thing that is almost totally in place, however, is the crew. At least the major positions are all mostly filled.
still is a Production designer/Set Dresser, Sound Department, Craft Services and Caterer, various Production Assistants, etc. The bulk of the crew is in place, however, and I'd prefer to express my pride and thanks to these wonderful people now rather than wait for the few remaining positions to be filled. I can always post the updated list later when it's ready.
Terminal Hotel, etc.)
