Principal Photography Begins for The Pick-Axe Murders III

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: FIRST WEEK OF WINTER FILMS is proud to announce that principal photography on their latest film is about to get underway at the end of August. Writer/Director Jeremy Sumrall (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2877519/, star of SWEATSHOP, writer/director of POSSUM WALK, and the award-winning short film STAY WITH ME) is ready to deliver a slasher opus full of “...boobs and blood: two great tastes that taste great together!”

Dubbed THE PICK-AXE MURDERS PART III: THE FINAL CHAPTER (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2614814/), this movie sprang forth from an idea Sumrall began working on about six years ago, even before he starred as the masked killer "THE BEAST" in SWEATSHOP. “I had the idea to do a slasher sequel to a film that never existed, as if it was made in the slasher heyday of the 80s, and just languished in video purgatory on a dusty shelf somewhere, but I got sidetracked when the idea for POSSUM WALK won out instead, so that became my first feature as a writer/director, and then I produced JACOB with Odyssee Pictures, so the script for PICK-AXE just sort of lay stagnant for a while. It wasn't until my good friend Marc Schoenbach of Sadist Art Designs (http://sadistart.blogspot.com/) mocked up a teaser poster for it that the ideas – and blood – really started flowing”.

Set in the late 80s, THE PICK-AXE MURDERS revolves around the story of ALEX BLACK, a serial killer believed to be the son of Satan himself, which would explain how he keeps coming back again and again. “I didn't set out to reinvent the wheel or anything. It's a slasher flick, not an art house film. It's just my love letter to the films I grew up on.” The killer stalks a group of teenagers on a road trip to see their favorite hair metal band play a farewell show in a small town.

Not merely content with doing another “no-budget Weekend Warrior” movie, Sumrall reached out to several genre vets to bring his screenplay to life. “After casting several amazing Texas-based actors to play the main group of teenagers,” Sumrall says, “I realized I was onto something special. So, I looked into casting 'Horror Icons'.” Leading the charge is SCREAM QUEEN LEGEND TIFFANY SHEPIS playing the role of ADRIENNE, a woman who “...has dealt with Alex Black before, and it's left her with more than a few scars – emotional as well as physical”. Joining her as small town lawman SHERIFF MATHEWS is none other than A. MICHAEL BALDWIN, who horror nerds no doubt will recognize from his role as Mike in the Phantasm films. “Casting Michael Baldwin and Tiffany Shepis is a dream come true. I've been very fortunate in my horror career to work with people I've been a fan of, and this is certainly got to be the coolest thing to happen to me. I mean, my movie will have one of the only women who actually DESERVES the title 'SCREAM QUEEN' standing alongside someone who has gone toe-to-toe with THE TALL MAN!”

In addition to Shepis and Baldwin, TNA wrestler HERNANDEZ has joined the cast as VICTOR, and SiriusXM personality (and writer for the Howard Stern Show) SAL GOVERNALE has joined as LOU.

For the bloodthirsty, Sumrall also has a surprise in store. “We actually filmed the opening scene a couple of months ago. We've shown it in public to a couple of trusted groups, and we've gotten a great response from it. The natural next step is to unleash the opening scene to the horror public, so we're going to be posting it online very soon, just to whet everyone's appetites.. Stay tuned to our Facebook page for details on how you can see it!”

If you want more information on the film, or how to view the opening scene, visit www.facebook.com/pickaxemovie, or the production company's website at www.firstweekofwinterfilms.com.

Brutal 2012 - REVIEW

As an aspiring film maker myself, it gets harder and harder for me to do these Indie film reviews. It's a monumental amount of work that goes into making a film that I've witnessed first hand. Not only that but to then turn around and put it out to the public is tantamount to ripping your chest open and exposing your heart to people that may or may not accept and appreciate what you've done. I have a huge amount of respect for people that can pull a film together so it's really tough when someone submits something that they're so passionate about then you as a reviewer have to pull it apart and critique it. I don't make any apologies for my reviews, I call them like I see them and I'm fairly certain that anyone who has ever read my stuff is fully aware of that fact. BUT, that still doesn't make my job any easier.

This is normally the part of my review where I give a synopsis of the film but I'm going to forgo that this time because it's a rather complex plot and I don't want to spoil it in any way. Brutal is the kind of film that knowing too much when you're going in will ruin it for you. So you'll just have to watch it to find out what it's about.  

The performances in Brutal were way above par for an Indie film. Michael Baldwin, who's been out of the circuit for twelve years now, gives a stunning performance as Carl Gibson, the target of Brutal's (Michael Patrick Stevens) rage. He embodies the character with ease and delivers the angst and desperation in such a believable way that it doesn't take long for the viewer to connect with him. Stevens, who also wrote and directed the film, was phenomenal as Brutal. He played menacing and murderous frighteningly well.  Did I also mention that this is his film making debut?? To watch it, you'd never know it. There's a lot of actors in this film but for the most part they are just briefly on screen so instead of going through one by one, I'll just say that every single one of them did a fantastic job. 

Stevens definitely has a talent for film making. The dialogue (especially towards the end) was very well written and fit perfectly with each scene. A film can suffer from really bad dialogue but that never happens here. He also did a great job directing this film. Most of the film takes place in a small cramped basement and the mood that Stevens set here is nothing short of claustrophobic. It's frightening to try and wrap your brain around the evil that is happening in this tiny space. The images that we're given make us want to look away but you just can't bring yourself to do it because it's just that good. The effects are done very well and it's so great to see a film maker use practical effects. It takes more time and attention to detail but it's so worth it when the end result is one like that of Brutal.

Alan Howarth created an original score for this film that is to die for. It's creepy and foreboding and ominous and every other scary word you can imagine. It does exactly what it's suppose to do which is accompany the scene and help propel the story forward without over powering it. 

At first glance, this will seem like your average Hostel type torture porn film but it is so much more than that. Stevens gives the audience what they want but then goes ten steps further and gives you something completely unexpected from a film like this. It's great to see such hard work pay off in such an amazing way and I am so in love with this film that I will sing it's praises to whoever will listen. I know it's been a hard road for Stevens and his crew but I have confidence that audiences will watch this film and love it as much as I do. Great work guys!!! 

Brutal - PRESS RELEASE

"Brutal" starring A. Michael Baldwin of Don Coscarelli's "Phantasm" franchise is now completed – and looking for distribution.

Baldwin waited 12 years for the right film to to come along to make his return to the big screen. The whole world sees him as Mike Pearson from "Phantasm", a very iconic part. Many film makers who grew up as fans have offered him lead roles in their movies but he turned them down. He was never going to return to the film industry and act again, unless he could find another iconic & memorable role, that would separate him from "Phantasm". That role finally came when he read the script for "Brutal".

The music for "Brutal" is composed by John Carpenter's (Halloween) partner of over a decade, Mr. Alan Howarth. Alan has worked on some of the biggest films of all-time, Halloween 2-6, Star Trek 1-6, The Thing, and many, many more. Alan completely transformed "Brutal" with the soundtrack just like John Carpenter did with Halloween 35 years before.

Darla Rae, co-director, is an award winning director who got her start in film as an actress in John Carpenter's Halloween. Finally, special effect make-up was by Christina Kortum, who also works on the hit T.V. show "Grimm"

For more information please check out the website http://www.brutalmovie.net/

"Brutal" in IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2129932/

Also please check out the documentary about “BRUTAL” here: http://youtu.be/uraiu1sJg1A

For further information or screeners, please contact Michael Patrick Stevens at zadokfilms@hotmail.com