Greetings my shambling shuffling friends.
Last holiday season, I gave the gift of review for the short endearing tale, "Christmas with the Dead", by Joe R. Lansdale, with dreams of a movie soon to follow. Well good things come to those who wait, and the wait is over, "Christmas with the Dead", is now traveling the film festival circuit.
But wait there is more, because Joe R. Lansdale and the team behind the movie were kind enough to share a few words about the film with me along with some screen shots, and in the spirit of the upcoming holiday season, I am going to pay it forward by sharing all of that with you too!
It’s really a short story, so it would have made about a fifteen or twenty minute film. We had the chance to make a film, and we picked "Christmas with the Dead" because it was essentially a solid idea with a simple framework and we felt we could make it less expensively.
We worked in co-operation with the SFA Film Department. They supplied equipment and most of the crew. The director I brought in, Terrill Lee Lankford, is a friend, and has had a lot of film experience.I also brought in Damian Maffei as the lead. Damian is a good actor that I thought wasn’t getting enough attention. I had a hunch he’d be great, and he was. Everybody else was local.
Brad Maule, for instance teaches acting at the University, and he was on GENERAL HOSPITAL and had done a number of other roles over the years and he was perfect for the character of G.M. There’s a dog in the short story, but not in the movie. My son expanded the story, and in doing so he had built in limitations due to time and money, and the fact that a lot of our crew weren’t experienced. We couldn’t have a dog, because they’re too hard to work with, and the kid had to be minimal because of the work schedule, and kids are as notorious to work with as dogs so we joke that Brad got the dogs role.
We knew we would have to cut a lot of corners, but we brought in Marcus Koch and Cat Bernier, who made it all look better with their makeup and effects work. We had a good DP in Bil Arscott, and Marion Arscott, our art director was great. It was a kind of family affair. My daughter played the wife and sang two of the songs in the film and co-wrote them as well. Friends like Judy Pancoast contributed music and singing, and Spence Peppard, a local, friend and sometimes band member of my daughter’s band, created the song "Dead Beat" for the film. My son-in-law, Adam Coats is in it, and friend and writer, Chet Williamson has a very nice role. Most of these roles were either expanded on from the story, or were made up out of whole cloth.
The locals of Nacogdoches were great, helping us with locations and information and played small roles in the film. As for my contribution, my wife and I donated a bit of money and helped put people together, but it’s their film, not mine. The story I wrote is the inspiration, but that’s about it it. The film doesn’t look like a big expensive production, but it doesn’t look cheap either. It’s playing at the Torino Film Festival in November, and we’re about to start looking for a distribution deal.
Wow my shambling shuffling friends, I am absolutley excited about this film and cant wait to see it myself, and for a double bonus, I am providing my review I wrote last december for the short story "Christmas with the Dead" and I am glad I aquired it when I did because it is now out of print!
Tis the season for giving, and I am giving a big thumbs up to "Christmas With The Dead" by Joe R. Lansdale.
This short story is perfect for being read aloud to lil kiddies in bed who are waiting for the jolly fat man to squeeze his butt down the chimney and give them presents. But don't expect them to have visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads, no no no. This story will give them unjolly nightmares ho ho ho.
Two years after the zombie apocalypse began and he was forced to put down his wife and daughter like rabid dogs, Calvin is tired of spending Christmas alone. That lonliness finally gets to him causing him to brave the streets and risk flesh and limb for Christmas supplies so he can have the hap-hap-happiest holiday.
I loved this story, and will be making it a Christmas tradition to read to my kids (or at least myself) every jolly holiday from now on as my new twisted tradition.
Time for the G.R.E.A.T. score.
G-ore: nice and meaty, great descriptions of putrid faces and exploding heads. 10
R-ealism: some of the elements in the story convince me the author actually thought about survival in a zombie apocalypse. 9.0
E-ntertainment: Well, I loved it, it kept me interested, my wicked Grinch smile spread from ear to ear, and my heart grew three sizes at the conclusion 10
A-ction: Non stop, of course there was a lil backstory, but that's what made me root for the hero even more. I wanted to see him celebrate Christmas after two years of isolation. 9.5
T-hrills: there were some great close calls and the pace remained steady. 9.0
The total G.R.E.A.T. score comes to 9.5 !
So before I finish off my eggnog, let me pose these questions: Will our hero get the supplies he needs to light up his house for Christmas Eve? Will he celebrate the holiday alone? Will his trip bring him unexpected company, and is it possible to hang christmas lights, or will the dead just make a mess of all his preparations? You will have to read CHRISTMAS WITH THE DEAD to find out.
Thanks for reading, and until my next post, I will be shuffling along with the lost.
Jimmy Blue Eyes
jbe.zombieblog@yahoo.com
www.jimmyszombieblog.com
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