Local horror filmmakers scream with delight at $1M windfall
Along with funding, trio gets a cross-Canada ‘theatrical event’ release in Cineplex Theatres
A trio of Toronto filmmakers is committed to making “the scariest film possible” with horror movie Hellmington — and they’re getting up to $1million to make it happen.
Michelle Aseltine, 24, Justin Hewitt-Drakulic, 28, and Alex Lee Williams, 25, came out on top of CineCoup’s Big Deal 12-week film challenge.
So did Aaron Kurmey, Kevin Johnson and Ryan Hatt, the Edmonton filmmakers of the thriller High School Brawl.
Both films get access to as much as $1 million in funding, plus a cross-Canada “theatrical event” re- lease in Cineplex Theatres.
Hellmington and High School Brawl are the latest projects to be funded by the independent “disruptive studio model,” CineCoup, which uses online fan support to determine which movies will get made, ensuring a built-in audience.
Participants took part in a 12-rung ladder competition, making weekly Filmmaker Mission video assignments on tight deadlines, ranging from a short trailer to a dramatic scene without dialogue.
Like a film-fan version of Survivor, people voted through CineCoup’s website, deciding which films from the initial 120 would go until five remained.
Those filmmakers made a final, live pitch to an industry panel that grilled them at the Banff World Media Festival on June 8.
Toronto and Calgary-based asset manager Clairwood Capital Management has partnered with Cine-Coup to provide funding.
Regina writer-director Lowell Dean’s comedic horror WolfCop came out on top at CineCoup’s 2013 challenge, hitting theatres in 2014, where it was rated 67 per cent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. WolfCop2 is in pre-production.
“We wanted to find great talent where no one else was looking,” explained J. Joly, CineCoup CEO and founder. Describing traditional filmmaking as a closed system and “very black box,” Joly responded with an idea to “pull the walls off (the studio) and invite the fans to have a meaningful role.”
Hellmington will be the first feature for the fledgling Toronto production company Blind Luck Pictures. The story was inspired by a Niagara Falls haunted house tour Williams took last fall, coupled with Aseltine’s online exploration of “extreme haunted houses” in the U.S., where visitors must sign waivers before entering.
“It’s something that terrified me,” said Aseltine, who is co-writer and producer on the film. Hewitt-Drakulic and Williams also co-wrote the script and will co-direct.
The result is Hellmington, what Hewitt-Drakulic has dubbed “handheld horror” for its melding of dramatic and documentary film styles.
The story follows two documentarians who seek to unravel the mystery of a young woman who disappeared seven years before while touring the newly opened Extreme Haunted Asylum.
The Hellmington team used social media to steer supporters to the CineCoup website, where they could watch and vote.
The fact the competition encouraged feedback “was massive for us; we were able to hear from fans and that’s something you don’t get usually,” said Williams.
“It’s amazing and not for the faint of heart. It forces you to work hard to live out your passion,” said Aseltine. The filmmakers worked long hours and late nights to complete each weekly challenge.
“It’s allowing us to push the boundaries of horror; that’s something we’re really passionate about,” added Hewitt-Drakulic, calling the result “a dream come true.”
For Williams, who literally wears his passion for horror with a tattoo depicting Canadian classic Black Christmas, his love of films was born from the first movie he saw as a youngster, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. His mom told him that while all the other kids were running around the theatre, “I was glued to my seat.”
“I think about that kid and I get teary-eyed,” Williams said. “It’s more than a dream come true. It means more than I can say.”