You saw it on the big screen in stunning 3-D, now read the story that started it all!
Yes indeed horror movie junkies James Baack's unique take on Sasquatch cinema is now available in book form on Amazon Kindle!
If for some reason you are not familiar with this one let me summarize it for you. A serial killer in a pig mask, a maniacal clown, a pair of sexy witches who are into the rough stuff and ... of course ... Bigfoot come together in a roller-coaster of a tale of occult, mystery and cryptozoology.
Got your attention didn't it?
Here is a brief synopsis:
Bigfoot Horror master, Eric S. Brown, returns with an adaptation of Great Lake Films' The Bloody Rage of Bigfoot. Like a 1970s Marvel horror comic, The Bloody Rage of Bigfoot blends action and horror as two witches and the world's leading Sasquatch expert seek vengeance and attempt to stop the legendary monster's latest killing spree.
Once you read 'The Bloody Rage of Bigfoot' you will never think of Bigfoot the same way again!
Never mind the fact that my name is in the credits ...
Have you ever had dreams of being an independent film maker? Is there a movie idea inside of you just screaming to to be made? Do you think you have what it takes to make it happen?
Think again.
Working on a movie isn't as easy as you may think. The questions I should have asked were:"Do you like ulcers?" "Do you like pulling out your own hair?" "Do you believe that the entire universe is conspiring against you?"
A great example of just how many problems a film maker can encounter can be found in the words of indie film maker James Baack in regards to his latest project "Dracula's Orgy of the Damned". Here is how Baack explains it:
"This movie has had more problems taking off than the production of Alien 3.
I have more angry actors, schedule conflicts, script rewrites, and MIA's than you can shake a garlic necklace at. First off, we WERE able to get footage of the Carpathian Mountains in Romania but unfortunately, due to severe rainfall and heavy flooding we failed to get footage of Dracula's Castle.
Our beloved actor from England, Tim Pollard's motorcycle just can't seem to get the gremlins out of it so we can capture a merry little ride across the English countryside for the opening credits.
And finally schedule conflicts seem to be this summers theme. I just cannot seem to get everyone together for a shoot. We do have a few dates locked down for August so we hope to take full advantage of this. Plus I have about half the cast ready to walk due to all this.
So I guess I have to either get the Billy Goat out to remove the curse or take a trip down to the Crossroads so we have finish this up successfully."
Trust me .... ask any film maker out there and they will tell you that this sort of stuff is pretty typical.
Baack did not however that he has added two more names to the cast of DOOTD, namely Dr. Erik Gregersen (a real doctor ... and scientist) to play Dr. Frankenstein and Rick Mohr who's credits include "The Gladiator" and "The Color of Money".
So is Dracula's Orgy really Damned? Baack doesn't think so. He still plans to have the whole production wrapped up in October for a 2012 release.
I just got an email from my buddy, Chicago area film maker, James Baack with a new retro style promo poster for his film "Dracula's Orgy of the Damned" attached.
Baack also included an update on the production in which he reveals that Dracula is not the only classic monster who will be appearing in his homage to Hammer horror.
"We have been doing alot of filming and are heading into the home strech at this point.
We have 4 more scenes to shoot and that will be a wrap.
We are planning a HUGE exorcism scene that will be chock full of special effects and way "over the top" visuals. Including a levitating bed and more vomit than a St. Patrick's Day party.
Then we need to shoot our 'cat fight' scene where Dracula will host a bizarre circus "freak Show" where women will fight with baseball bats, chainsaws, and other weapons of mass destruction in a dirty pit while the audience cheers and places bets. The scene will also include disturbing clowns, monkeys, and other mayhem.
We hope to get the entire project completed and pressed by September or October. (Just in time for Halloween.)
The film not only includes Dracula, but it also features Dr. Frankenstein and his monster, a werewolf, and enough ghouls to fill a barnyard."
Women fighting in a pit with baseball bats? Vomit filled exorcisms?
Oh God! You really gotta love James he knows how to make his films interesting and he always surprises you by pulling out all the stops.
My kindred spirit from the frozen tundra of Chicago James Baack just sent me a whole bunch of new behind the scenes photos from his latest film "Dracula's Orgy of the Damned. In fact, I think he sent them to me via his cell phone while he was stranded in his snow covered car somewhere on the vast motorways of the windy city.
Good luck to you James ...... hopefully you'll be found before spring.
Anyway, enough of my silliness, "Orgy of the Damned" is Baack's tribute to the great Hammer horrors of the 60s and 70s. Though with James nothing is quite as it seems, as these photos will attest. From the looks of things one can only gather that this film will be a cross between "Nosferatu", "Blade", "Resident Evil" .... um... "Rambo" and of course Hammer.
Then again, I could be way off base with that.
The cast, which includes Claire “Fluff” Llewellyn, Cassandra and Colleen Carajval, Shawn C. Phillips and illusionist Ron Fitzgerald as Dracula, and crew have been braving what has turned out to be one of the harshest winters ever to make "Orgy of the Damned" a reality. Filming in between blizzards since the beginning of the year.
Written By: Ken Hulsey Sources: James Back / Avery Guerra
Just as promised, Chicago area film maker James Baack is keeping us up to date with all the latest news on his latest movie project, "Dracula's Orgy of the Damned." As you can probably gather from the film's title, "Orgy" is Baack's homage to the classic horror films produced by the UK studio, Hammer, in the 1960s. In keeping with that overall feel, Baack has pulled out all the stops for this one, even more so than he did for his last epic, "The Bloody Rage of Bigfoot", and is taking his time to 'get it right'. The film maker has found the best locations possible for filming, including a castle in Illinois that looks like it belongs in Eastern Europe.
Baack is also taking the casting of his film very seriously, hiring Max Shrek look-a-like, master illusionist Ron Fitzgerald, to play Dracula.
What tribute to Hammer would be complete without lovely ladies? Well, Baack has covered his bases there by casting the twin sisters Cassandra and Colleen Carajval, along with the newly added Claire “Fluff” Llewellyn (photo above), who will be playing the lead in the film.
According to Baack, "Claire will be playing the character Patricia Hughes who spends a better part of the story hunting down Dracula on a path of revenge."
Sounds rather "Hammer-like".
Another recent addition to the cast is actor Shawn C. Phillips who has also appeared in “Assault of the Sasquatch", "Hell House" and "President's Day."
Though filming for "Dracula's Orgy of the Damned" began last September, the project has been put on hiatus until the beginning of 2011, in Baack's words, "to capture the gray and 'wintry' feel of the movie."
Look for more "Orgy" news in the near future!
Oh, and before I forget, James also sent along two new 'teaser' posters from his film as well:
Written By: Ken Hulsey Sources: James Back / Avery Guerra
As you probably remember from last week, I reported that Chicago area film maker James Baack had opted not to go with his "Nuns with jet packs fighting monsters" film, "The Sisters of St.Tommy Gun" as his fallow-up to "The Bloody Rage of Bigfoot" deciding instead to forward with a tribute to classic Hammer horror films entitled "Dracula's Orgy of the Damned."
At that time Baack reveled many of his casting choices, namely his lovely leading ladies, sisters Cassandra and Colleen Carajval, but he failed to mention who exactly would be playing Dracula in the film.
Realising his fopa, Baack was quick to shoot us an email announcing that he been able to entice master illusionist Ron Fitzgerald to play his vampire.
For those of you who aren't familiar with Fitzgerald, here is his bio provided by Baack:
Master Ron Fitzgerald is an Actor, Gothic Illusionist and Host for strange, dark fun! Fitzgerald has performed from Hollywood to Hong Kong with his wicked and weird style of Illusion in his live show "Fitzgerald's Realm of Magic", which includes Ron eating razor blades! He is the only illusionist edgy enough to close the second stage at Lollapalooza. Fitzgerald has appeared as an actor in the feature films "The Item", "The Thirsting", "Blood Gnome", "MAGUS" and others, with more on the way. Ron is the voice of the creature in the upcoming Horror movie "Contagion". He has been a host at the Chicago Horror Film Festival, In The Dark Burlesque and Chad Savage's Zombie Pin Ups as well as other productions including his own cable TV show. One thing is for sure, Fitzgerald is so much freaky fun, he'll leave you screaming for more!
I have to say that this is a great casting choice by Baack, Ron Fitzgerald certainly has that "Nosferatu" (Max Schreck) quality about him that should translate into a great vampire character.
True to his word, Baack has shipped us the first two teaser posters from "Dracula's Orgy of the Damned" along with some shots from the first night of filming, which took place earlier this week.
Look for more updates soon, as you very well know, once Baack starts filming he is all about keeping the fans abreast of whats going on set wise.
Here are the pics (check out the great castle location Baack was able to film at!):
Chicago area film maker James Baack has been very eager to get back behind the camera after producing his first full-length feature film "The Bloody Rage of Bigfoot", so he has been essentially been juggling two film ideas, going back-and-forth between them trying to decide which one to tackle first. Right after "Bloody Rage" was in the can Baack announced that his next film would be "Orgy of the Damned" which would follow the exploits of two Salem era witches. Soon after that announcement, the film maker switched gears and announced that "The Sisters of St.Tommy Gun", a film about Elite Female Mercenaries fighting bad guys and monsters in Mexico, was soon going to begin filming.
Well, after assessing how much "St. Tommy Gun" was going to cost to make, Baack again has gone back to his initial movie idea, though it has now been reworked and renamed "Dracula's Orgy of the Damned."
According to Baack, this film will be a lot more tame than "Bloody Rage" and is more of a tribute to classic horror than pure grind house, "This movie will be a lot shorter than BROB. I'm hoping for 80-90 min running time and will have little or no swearing. I'm kind of tipping a hat to the old Hammer films but not a copy at all."
That's good, nobody likes a copy-cat.
Along with a new script, "Orgy" will feature a couple of new leading ladies, along with some familiar faces. Baack adds, "I have 2 AWESOME new ladies Cassandra and Colleen Carajval. They will play Dracula's minions. Karolina and Alicja (Kasha and Gosha) will be returning as well as Ron Feryeriesen. Andrea (Satantha) may play a small role."
No word from Baack yet about the new story line for this one, but the film maker promises to keep us up to date about everything that goes on, just like he did for "Bloody Rage".
Written By: Ken Hulsey Sources: Brent Thomas / James Baack / Avery Guerra
Well, the Bigfoot movie craze that exploded throughout 2009 and the early part of 2010 seems to be coming to a halt, or at least taking a breather for a bit.
It seems like all that I have been writing about lately is stories about monsters from the sea, but fear not, I do have a couple of noteworthy items from the world of Sasquatch cinema to pass along to you.
I don't know if you remember back to a October of last year when I wrote an article about a very promising Bigfoot related film project called "Nightbeasts", which was written, produced and directed by film maker Wes Sullivan.
The film was to be Sullivan's first foray into 'live-action' cinema after a very successful career as a animator on such classics as "Aladdin", "A Goofy Movie", "Pocahontas" and "Hercules" for Disney.
At the time I didn't really do much of a write-up on the film, mostly because I was literally overwhelmed with harry hominid movie stories at the time, though I though the trailer that was out for the film at the time was quite good, and I thought that the story was rather interesting.
Well, almost a year has gone by since that time, and I had pretty much forgotten about "Nightbeasts" until I received an email about it's premiere earlier this week.
Also attached to the email was a link to a brand-new trailer for "Nightbeasts", which has rekindled my interest in seeing this one.
Here is the skinney:
"Nightbeasts" stars Zach Galligan (Gremlins 1&2), Audra Wise (Nip/Tuck, Miss Cast Away) and young Chad Trager, as common everyday people who, along with a group of Native Americans, are menaced by a clan of angry Sasquatch.
I know that's not much of a synopsis, but there is no official info out there about the film, so I had to go with a 'Readers Digest" condensed summery of what is seen in both trailers.
"Nightbeasts" is set to premiere at the Arpa International Film Festival at the historic Hollywood Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood California on September 24th 2010.
At this time the website for the Egyptian doesn't reflect that festival, yet, but when it does you can find out more info - HERE
I am happy to report that James Baack's film, "The Bloody Rage of Bigfoot", is now available on DVD through Amazon.com!
As I first reported back in July, Baack was able to secure a distribution deal for his film through Cheezy Flicks Entertainment, the same company that owns the rights the Charles Pierce classic, "The Legend of Boggy Creek." Well, now that deal has bore fruit and the film has been unleashed on the unsuspecting populous.
If you have been even a casual reader of MIN for the past year-and-a-half then you should know all about "Bloody Rage", due to the fact that Baack has been feeding me exclusives about the film since it was first announced in March of 2009.
If for some reason you are either new to the site, have short-term memory loss, or ya just missed it somehow, let me some up the film this way ......um ...... Bigfoot (obviously, right?) ..... um ....... hot sadistic witches, a nutso clown ..... really cheesy special effects, blood, guts, a Godzilla/Sasquatch hybrid .... oh, and it's all in 3D!
Okay, that makes the film sound crazy right? Well, there is much more here than meets the eye. The film really is a psychological thriller that incorporates all of the elements that I mentioned above, plus, and most importantly, it's a fun film to watch.
Written By: Ken Hulsey Sources: James Baack / Avery Guerra
If you were wondering what film maker James Baack, and the folks over at Great Lakes Artists Group, had up their sleeves as a follow-up to their psychological thriller, with Sasquatch in it, "The Bloody Rage of Bigfoot", then I have a treat for you.
The answer is, "ass-kicking nuns".
What happened to, "Orgy of the Damned", which was supposed to be Baack's next film?
Well, that one still may be coming, but instead the Chicago area film maker has opted to do a film that looks like it came straight out of 70s grind house.
Baack explains, "'The Sisters of St.Tommy Gun' is a story about a squadron of Elite Female Mercenaries. They are hired to go undercover (dressed as nuns) to over through a sinister plot by a Small group of super villains in a secret base in a jungle in Mexico."
Like I said, pure grind house.
But wait, we are talking about James Baack here, isn't there going to be some kind of strange twist?
Oh yes there is my friends, and it's a real dozy.
It seems that Baack has figured out a way to add a little giant monster action to his bad-ass nun movie.
The film maker adds, "Due to the recent Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico, it has caused the “bloop” creature to arise from the depths and Wreak Havoc on a large city. (Godzilla Style.)"
"It will all come together in the end when the nuns also fight the giant monster armed with machine guns and jet packs."
Okay, now we have a classic James Baack style film on our hands.
Here is some background on the 'bloop' that Baack was talking about:
The Bloop is the name given to an ultra-low frequency and extremely powerful underwater sound detected by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) several times during 1997. The source of the sound remains unknown.
Thank you Wikipeadia.
Baack's two favorite leading ladies, Tina Boivin and Andrea Hutchison of "Bloody Rage" fame, will also be in "St. Tommy Gun", though this time around Boivin will be the main star, with Hutchison only appearing in a limited role.
Baack's "The Bloody Rage of Bigfoot" will be available soon on DVD via Amazon's 'On Demand' service.
I just received an email from film maker James Baack stating that he has just signed a distribution deal for his film, "The Bloody Rage of Bigfoot" through Cheezy Flicks Entertainment, the same company that sells the Charles Pierce classic, "The Legend of Boggy Creek."
James didn't go into any details, except that the contract was inked on Wednesday, and that the deal would expand the availability of his Bigfoot horror movie that doubles as a psychological thriller.
In related news, Baack also passed along the news that his production company, Great Lakes Artists Group, a co-op between James, Steve Galayda, Ron Feyereisen, Tina Boivin, and his brother Paul Baack, had just launched a brand-new website. (Go Here)
Here is the info on Great Lakes Artists Group:
The Great Lakes Artists Group is an association of Chicago-area artists, filmmakers, musicians, and writers. Founded in 2006 by noted cryptozoological artist and painter James Baack, the group focuses on creative expressions representing the outré and fantastic side of reality. The group has recently celebrated a team milestone with the release of its first motion picture, the horror comedy The Bloody Rage of Bigfoot. The enthusiastic reception the film has received from fans of the genre has inspired the group to begin planning a follow-up feature, tentatively called The Sisters of St. Tommygun. Watch this site for news of further developments!
"The Sisters of St. Tommygun" film is a new one on me, I may Baack revealed to me that his next film would be "Orgy of the Damned", (originally titled, "The Uninvited Alien Invasion"). I guess we will just have to wait and see on that one.
Along with news and information about the groups upcoming film the site is also the new home of Satantha & Loosey-Fur's House of Sin, a sub-site that features actresses Andrea Hutchison and Tina Boivin from "Bloody Rage" and the proposed "Orgy of the Damned". If you like girls with guns and girls posed on motorcycles go - HERE
I tip my hat to Baack and his comrades up in the Chicago area. I wish them continued success in their endeavors to keep pumping out their over-the-top horror movies.
Written By: Ken Hulsey Sources: James Baack / Paul Baack / Avery Guerra
Film maker James Baack has been working night and day for just over a year now to create what very well might be a very unique entry into the Bigfoot movie genre entitled, "The Bloody Rage of Bigfoot."
From day one, the images, and video clips, that have come out of Baack's camp have been, well, confusing.
There was the first teaser trailer with images of crazed clowns. There were the early stills with Bigfoot, who looked like he had "Godzilla-like" spines on his back. There have been the numerous images of the film's two attractive female stars posed on motorcycles, and with guns. Oh, and let us not forget the battle scenes with lightning effects, cult rituals and pig masks.
What does all this mean?
Well, we are all about to find out.
This past April, Baack put the finishing touches on his movie, and now it is ready for it's premiere at the "Flashback Weekend" Horror Convention in Chicago sometime this summer.
Presently, that show is looking for a new venue, so the exact date of that premiere is still tentative.
For months I have been reporting that "The Bloody Rage of Bigfoot" would be some kind of crazy, blood-soaked, splatter-fest with hot girls and a Bigfoot thrown in just for the heck of it. Now Baack has informed me that I am only partially right with my analogy, pointing out that there is more to his film than all the publicity photos and clips have let on.
Baack explains, "When you watch it (the movie), get good and comfortable because it's a wild ride. It's more of a psychological thriller than a splatter fest."
"I'm very pleased with how it turned out, but it does require your full attention. It's not like watching a 'Friday the 13th' type of movie. As I said before, we wanted to make a horror film unlike any other before and I really think we succeeded."
I don't think that there was ever any doubt of that.
Baack was kind enough to send along an image of the movies brand-new poster, which the film maker will have available for $25.99 at his website.
Also, both Baack, and his lovely starlets from "The Bloody Rage of Bigfoot", Andrea Hutchison, who plays "Satantha, and Tina Boivin, who plays "Loosey-Fur", will be part of a live call-in show on Blog Talk Radio, sponsored by the Minnesota Bigfoot Research Team (MNBRT), this Friday (5/21/10) at 6 PM. Here is a link to that - MN.B.R.T. Radio with the Cast & Crew of The Bloody Rage of Bigfoot. The number to call in is - (914) 803-4401
Hold on to your seats, because the film maker is already making plans for his next movie, "Orgy of the Damned", originally titled, "The Uninvited Alien Invasion", set to begin filming soon for a 2011 release.
Once again, this new film will star Hutchison and Boivin as a pair of Salem witches, circa 1692 (Salem Witch Trials), who help repel an Alien invasion.
I'm sure there will be more there than meets the eye as well.
Here are a few publicity photos of Andrea Hutchison and Tina Boivin from "The Bloody Rage of Bigfoot":
