Media 8 Entertainment, a leading film entertainment company engaged in the production, financing, acquisition, and worldwide licensing of theatrical feature films in a variety of genres, announced today that it has acquired the international rights to two new horror features, WIZARD OF GORE and MULBERRY STREET, and will be introducing these to buyers for the first time at the upcoming Cannes market.
WIZARD OF GORE stars Kip Pardue (Thirteen, The Rules of Attraction, Remember the Titans), Bijou Phillips (Hostel II, Havoc, Door in the Floor, Almost Famous), Crispin Glover (Willard, Charlie's Angels) and Brad Dourif (Lord of The Rings: The Return of the King/ The Two Towers) and is directed by Jeremy Kasten from a script by Zach Chassler.
A stylized, fresh take on the horror genre, WIZARD OF GORE tells the story of young journalist Edmund Bigelow (Kip Pardue), who stumbles upon the spectacularly terrifying show of underground magician Montag the Magnificent (Crispin Glover), who gruesomely dismembers female volunteers from his audience, only to reveal it to be an illusion. However, as real women begin to turn up dead, with wounds reflecting the tricks on stage, Edmund finds himself inextricably linked to the murders -- and he begins to fear the darkness might lie in his own heart. The film is an Open Sky Entertainment production, with Christopher Duddy, Glenn W. Garland, Daniel Gold, Dan Griffiths, and Jeremy Kasten serving as producers. The film was executive produced by Eric Rinestone, Jeffrey Silverman, and Jimmy Maslin.
Also in the horror genre is MULBERRY STREET, which is currently featured at the Tribeca Film Festival. One sweltering summer day in Manhattan, a deadly virus breaks out causing humans to devolve into bloodthirsty, rodent-like creatures. At 51 Mulberry Street, seven tenants find themselves fighting through the night for survival, as the city around them quickly spirals out of control. Nick Damici (World Trade Center, In The Cut) and Kim Blair (The Look) star for director Jim Mickle, with Linda Moran and Adam Folk of Belladonna Productions serving as producers.
Following its premiere at the Stockholm International Film Festival, the film has gone on to win rave reviews at the 2007 SXSW Film Festival and the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival, and recently won a special Jury prize at the Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival. Horror film website Fangoria.com called it “one of the highlights of the Tribeca fest -- not be missed,” while entertainment website IGN.com raved that the film's tough guy lead, Clutch, is “instantly cool…the character quickly rises through the ranks of genre movie tough-guy heroes… just about taking his place up there with such greats as John Rambo, Dirty Harry, and even Mad Max.”
Open Sky Entertainment has produced three films in the last two years: NATIONAL LAMPOON'S DORM DAZE 2 COLLEGE AT SEA, WIZARD OF GORE and COUGAR CLUB starring Faye Dunaway, and Joe Mantegna. Open Sky is currently in production on two documentaries, FEDERAL DEBT (directed by Patrick Creadon) and race horse legend JOHN HENRY: AN AMERICAN HERO. Open Sky is also in pre-production on WHILE I'M DEAD… FEED THE DOG, 12 SLAYS and SLOTS.
Belladonna Productions is the New York indie company behind many critically acclaimed films such as TRANSAMERICA, directed by Duncan Tucker, starring Academy Award-nominated Felicity Huffman; A GUIDE TO RECOGNIZING YOUR SAINTS; directed by Dito Montiel, and starring Robert Downey Jr., winner of the Venice Critics' Prize, and Sundance ‘Best Director' prize; and the critically acclaimed L.I.E. directed by Michael Cuesta. Principals, Linda Moran and Rene Bastian, are recipients of the Motorola Producers Award, and were named among ‘10 Producers to Watch' by Variety.
Media 8 Entertainment's diverse slate of features for Cannes 2007 includes THE RAMEN GIRL, starring Brittany Murphy and Toshiyuki Nishida; LOCAL COLOR starring Armin Mueller-Stahl, Ray Liotta and Trevor Morgan; ONE NIGHT WITH THE KING starring Peter O'Toole, Luke Goss and Tiffany Dupont; and the comedy documentary AIR GUITAR NATION which debuted at AFI FEST 2006.
Media 8 Entertainment's previous slate includes: the Academy Award-winning MONSTER; the critically acclaimed THE UPSIDE OF ANGER starring Joan Allen and Kevin Costner the action-drama RUNNING SCARED written and directed by Wayne Kramer and starring Paul Walker, the comedy LOVEWRECKED starring Amanda Bynes, Chris Carmack, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, and Jonathan Bennett, and the MAN ABOUT TOWN written and directed by Mike Binder, and starring Ben Affleck, Rebecca Romijn and John Cleese.
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