It's Going Down This Weekend, Peeps!

Never Look Back Again

Well, tonight is the night.  My blog and my writing have been on the backburner since October because I decided to make a movie.  Tonight is the big premiere; Never Look Back Again is playing at Hollywood Cinema in Martinsville, Virginia.

Here's the official synopsis for Never Look Back Again:

Get ready to take a trip into darkness and despair.
Reeling from a painful divorce, Wes Matheson (Travis Thompson) comes home to a place he always feared. He’s there to clean up the decrepit factory he inherited from the father he never liked, relying on a few friends to help him spruce the place up.
If all goes well, he’ll sell the factory and move on with his life, but nothing goes well in the gruesome spiral into horror that ensues. Never Look Back Again is a mindbending tale of terror that will make you doubt your own sanity.
Is it a nightmare? Is it a hallucination? Or is it madness?

My good friend Rudy Law served as Executive Producer for the picture, and I was fortunate enough to cast Travis Thompson in the lead role.  Mal Rorrer did the score, designed most of the artwork, and plays a small part in the picture, among other things.  Chris Gibbs, Ryan Culver, and John Reinhold also appear in the movie, and both Rudy and I played parts as well.  Chad Culver was a huge help behind the scenes, and Raven Kai has managed our web presence.  It has definitely been a journey, and I'm very pleased with the end result.  I certainly couldn't have done it without the cast and crew, and as difficult as it was, working with them was also a lot of fun.
I can't wait to share our picture with the general public and see how people respond to our little stroll through The Twilight Zone on acid.  We're also making the DVD available this weekend.

Mal Rorrer, Rudy Law, James Wayland, and Travis Thompson at Hollywood Cinema

Never Look Back Again is the first feature from Pirate Pug Productions, a joint venture that Rudy and I have started.  Our plan is to continue to make movies and bring other creators on board to help us produce outlandish material.  We chose the name because we dig pugs and, well, a pirate pug is a rather adorable concept that suits our "doing it our way" approach.

This is our awesome logo c/o Mal Rorrer.  He nailed it, but that's no surprise.

As I noted before, we'll be selling DVDs at the premiere, and we'll have other merch available as well, to include pins, hats, and tee-shirts.  The movie was shot in 1080i HD, so there are Blu-Rays coming.  We're definitely looking to maximize this opportunity and we're looking forward to having a blast with anyone and everyone who comes out to support us this weekend or buys a copy of the movie.  Additional showings are in the works, and I'll certainly keep you posted.  

Here's a link to our trailer so you can scope it out:
Never Look Back Again Trailer

And here's a link to our website in case you're looking for additional information:

Never Look Back Again website

Finally, I'm going to leave you with a few stills from the movie:

Travis Thompson as Wes Matheson and Chris Gibbs as Terry

Mal Rorrer designed the costume for "Shudder" and he also played the part

This can't be good . . .

Ryan Culver plays Marlon and I play Rick, here we're having a bit of a disagreement . . .

Are supernatural forces out to get Wes or is he losing his mind?

Rudy Law as Old Ron, the creepy caretaker

Travis Thompson stars in Never Look Back Again

Notes from Indiana

I spent a few days in Indiana helping a good friend with what will soon be his new home.  He recently bought the place and we were just taking a few steps toward making it nice and cozy.  Here are a few of the highlights from my grand journey with the great Rudolfo.

-Spending somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 hours in a box truck with Rudy was like combining one of the best history classes ever (topics we covered included early presidents, the Revolution, the Civil War, the Alamo, Custer, and so much more) with the Cannonball Run.

-West Virginia State Trooper interrogation:
Trooper: What are you hauling?
Rudy: Furniture.
Trooper: (suspicious) Furniture?  What kind of furniture?
Rudy: Furniture to put in a house.  Dressers, nightstands, stuff like that.
Trooper: (eyes narrow) Did you make it?
Rudy: Um, . . . no.
We got off with a warning.

-Those who know me well know that I don't dig heights or working with electricity.  So there I was, perched on a ladder, attaching a live wire to Rudy's house.

-A boy from the country operated a chainsaw for the first time.  On a roof.  While sweating bullets because I was standing on a slope.  True story.  Man, I dig heights.

-Touring Summitville with Rudy and Tabby in the convertible.  Top down? Check.  Sunglasses on? Check.  Summitville is so very Haddonfield, Illinois, and it's always growing.  It doubled in size during our little tour.

-Eating various meals with Rudy's in-laws, Tom and Lois Kilgore.  I'm a fan of corn, but fresh corn from Indiana--wow!  Also, sugar cream pie.  Boom!  My response when Lois asked if I would like another slice: "Only a fool would say no to that."  Tom and Lois really made me feel at home, both the company and the food were nothing short of fantastic.  I can't thank them enough for their hospitality.

-Mowing the grass with "Frankenstein", the riding mower Rudy cobbled together from various sources.  I think you could mow bamboo stalks with that beast.

-Bella, the pirate pug.  Awesome pet, and one hell of a road dog.

-Indiana is different, and I'm not just saying that because it's flat.  I'm not going to throw rocks at my hometown, but I was amazed that there was no litter anywhere along the road.  The yards were freshly mowed, and there was no debris anywhere.  It was so quaint and it reeked of pride, which are good things, yet it almost felt like an episode of The Twilight Zone at times.  The reason why is simple enough: the grass police are on it.  Seriously, you might be unloading a box truck and trying to get some furniture in your new house when you get your first warning. 

All things considered, it was a neat trip.  Good people of Indiana, you're doing a fine job, but stay on top of the grass situation or you'll be next.