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It sounded like fun.
Three student filmmakers set out to a forest in Maryland in
hopes of shooting a documentaryabout a local urban
legend.
SpookyMovie International Horror Film Festival
When: Oct. 9 through 18 with night showings ranging
from 8 to 11:45 p.m.
Where: AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, 8633
Colesville Road, Silver Spring
Tickets: $12 a ticket, $80 for all festival passes.
More information: afi.com/silver; 301-495-6700
Theywere never found again. The onlyremnant left behind
was their footage, which was compiled into a movie —“The
Blair Witch Project.”
Directed byEduardo Sanchezand Daniel Myrick, “Blair
Witch” redefined the genre of “found footage” and petrified
moviegoers. Now, Sanchez, 45, of Urbana, is back with a
new urban legend to explore.
“Exists,” which Sanchezcategorizes as a “Bigfoot movie,”
will be shown at the ninth annual SpookyMovie
International Horror Film Festival held Oct. 9 through 18 at
the AFI Silver Theatre in Silver Spring.
The festival, founded and directed byCurtis Prather,
invites fright fans and filmmakers from all walks of life to
celebrate the best in horror cinema, Prather said.
“One of the reasons I did this in this area,” Prather said, “is I know the fans are here and I wanted to help that local
communitygrow. For manyfilmmakers, theywant the audience response —theywant to see their work on a real movie
screen. Alot of the unexpected can happen in the lobbyoutside these movies when film fans and filmmakers get
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October’s Spooky Fest in Silver Spring brings 9 nights of
the best in horror cinema
Sanchez brings latest scary movie to ninth annual festival
ByImanSmith
SPECIALTOTHEGAZETTE
Photoby EduardoSanchez
Thelatest horror filmfromEduardoSanchez (“TheBlair
WitchProject,” “Lovely Molly”) has peopledealingwitha
Sasquatchin“Exist.”
converted by Web2PDFConvert.com
2. together.”
SpookyFest will present 17 features and 29 shorts, as well as post-screening Q&A’s from various directors.
The inspiration for “Exists,” a tale of two brothers whose partyweekend with their friends is terrorized bythe legendary
Sasquatch, stems from his childhood, Sanchezsaid.
“I’ve been wanting to make a Bigfoot movie ever since I was a kid,” Sanchezsaid. “It was one of these things that really
scared the crap out of me and there was always this notion that it was real. Bigfoot, to me, was kind of the star and the
thing I was more interested in.”
Shot in May2012 on 110 acres on the Colorado River in Austin, Texas, the film perpetuates numerous cinematic
features such as an original score and conventional lighting, Sanchezsaid. Shooting lasted four weeks on location at
SPIDERWOOD Studios, a production facilityin Texas.
The experimentation with different cinematic techniques —such as sound design and lighting —differentiates “Exists”
from “Blair Witch,” Sanchezsaid.
“‘Blair Witch’ was an experiment,” he said. “We had this idea of a fake documentarybut we wanted it to feel real to the
audience. For ‘Exists,’ we did a lot more sound design than we did on ‘Blair Witch.’ It doesn’t look like a typical
Hollywood movie but the fact that we could bring music in, was a new thing for us.”
Sound design, which was provided byStudio Unknown in Catonsville, and cinematographyare not the onlyunique
facets of the film.
Bigfoot, or what Sanchezcalls “The Creature,” played byprofessional suit actor Brian Steele, is not computer-animated,
otherwise known as CGI, he said.
“When I was a kid, there was no CGI,” Sanchezsaid, “so for me, Bigfoot has been a real physical presence —he’s not
a special effect. I think sometimes, like everything, CGI is overused and you can tell it is a computer image.”
Steele’s talent, along with special makeup engineering companySpectral Motion, the team responsible for creature
effects in films such as “HellboyII: The Golden Army,” helped bring Bigfoot to life.
“It was reallyamazing because we did these camera tests and Brian comes out in his Bigfoot suit,” Sanchezsaid.
“Based on Brian’s performance and how good the suit looked, we found that we could get reallyclose to his face and
keep the integrityof the suit. It looks incrediblyauthentic.”
It’s the authenticityof The Creature, that makes the film that much more terrifying, Sanchezsaid, a filmmaker who
ironicallyisn’t a huge fan of being scared.
“I make horror films because it’s how I make a living,” he said. “I’m not a crazyfan of horror movies. For me, I’m
speaking as an outsider because I don’t like being scared but I have to because that’s the filmmaker I am.”
Sanchezsaid when it comes to financiallysupporting low-budget films, it allows for more creative license.
“I dig the challenge of trying to fixthings without deep pockets,” he said. “I find it creativelyverysatisfying [because]
creativity—it makes for more unique kinds of films.”
When it comes to horror, Sanchezsaid participating in SpookyFest is, locally, the best for filmmakers.
“AFI is state of the art,” he said. “It’s one of the best film festivals around here and one of the best horror film festivals
that I’ve been to.”
Director Chris LaMartina, another filmmaker whose work will be showcased at SpookyFest, also didn’t let expenses
stand in the wayof completing his piece titled, “Call Girl of Cthulhu,” a storyabout a virginal artist who falls in love with a
girl who is slated to end humanity.
The neon-lit H.P. Lovecraft-inspired film, was financed bythe help of Kickstarter, which raised about $27,000.
LaMartina, 29, of Baltimore, said he began making short films at the age of 12. His film was shot in 40 days in Spring
2013 around various locations in Maryland including, Frederick, Baltimore and Howard County.
LaMartina’s film features aspects of ’80’s style horror, with exaggerated neon colors and a DIYsoundtrack.
“I wrote music that I thought thematicallywould work with the story,” LaMartina said. “I spent months writing music with
dissonance and a lot of piano. We also embraced practical special effects with ’80’s style lighting. It’s verydifferent
compared to most modern films.”
The influence of Lovecraft, an American author well-known for his horror fiction in the 1900s, is present within the film,
LaMartina said.
“H.P. established so manyof the tropes that exist in horror,” he said. “I wanted to figure out how we could take that
cultural importance and use the Cthulhu Mythos and talk about sexualityand other sociopolitical issues.”
The production of “Call Girl of Cthulhu” didn’t go without challenges.
While filming, the crew experienced a location discrepancy, LaMartina said.
“Making an independent movie is like going to war,” LaMartina said. “In the film, one of the major set pieces is the
Church of StarryWisdom. Alot of the action happens there.
Clarksburg collision victim identified1.
MCPSsubmits snow-daywaiver request to state2.
Vigil held for 20-year anniversaryof Greenbelt
teen’s murder
3.
I-270 victim identified4.
Principal retiring from Bethesda-ChevyChase
High
5.
Bill would create public records fines, review board6.
Adventist opens urgent care center in Rockville7.
Congressional Art Competition for high school
students accepting entries
8.
Annual Watkins Mill student vs. staff basketball
game brings surprises
9.
Rockville lawyer who represented John Dean dies10.
Subaru
Forester
$27,450
Fitzgerald's Auto Mall Gaithersburg
www.fitzmall.com
2014 Toyota
Camry
$19,790
Fitzgerald's Auto Mall Gaithersburg
Gaithersburg, MD|(866) 497-4449|www.fitzmall.com
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Local sharespassion for ancient
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greatest riskfor hepatitisC;
group helpsseniorsfind jobs;
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Initial PARCC test reactions mixed in
Montgomery3d
GreenFest expands on Silver Spring events 1d
r e c o m m e n d s
Dr. Gridlock: Montgomery chooses route for
new road between Gaithersburg and
Clarksburg 1d
The Washington Post on Trove
Montgomery seeks state waiver that would
allow school year to end on time 2d
The Washington Post on Trove
converted by Web2PDFConvert.com
![together.”
SpookyFest will present 17 features and 29 shorts, as well as post-screening Q&A’s from various directors.
The inspiration for “Exists,” a tale of two brothers whose partyweekend with their friends is terrorized bythe legendary
Sasquatch, stems from his childhood, Sanchezsaid.
“I’ve been wanting to make a Bigfoot movie ever since I was a kid,” Sanchezsaid. “It was one of these things that really
scared the crap out of me and there was always this notion that it was real. Bigfoot, to me, was kind of the star and the
thing I was more interested in.”
Shot in May2012 on 110 acres on the Colorado River in Austin, Texas, the film perpetuates numerous cinematic
features such as an original score and conventional lighting, Sanchezsaid. Shooting lasted four weeks on location at
SPIDERWOOD Studios, a production facilityin Texas.
The experimentation with different cinematic techniques —such as sound design and lighting —differentiates “Exists”
from “Blair Witch,” Sanchezsaid.
“‘Blair Witch’ was an experiment,” he said. “We had this idea of a fake documentarybut we wanted it to feel real to the
audience. For ‘Exists,’ we did a lot more sound design than we did on ‘Blair Witch.’ It doesn’t look like a typical
Hollywood movie but the fact that we could bring music in, was a new thing for us.”
Sound design, which was provided byStudio Unknown in Catonsville, and cinematographyare not the onlyunique
facets of the film.
Bigfoot, or what Sanchezcalls “The Creature,” played byprofessional suit actor Brian Steele, is not computer-animated,
otherwise known as CGI, he said.
“When I was a kid, there was no CGI,” Sanchezsaid, “so for me, Bigfoot has been a real physical presence —he’s not
a special effect. I think sometimes, like everything, CGI is overused and you can tell it is a computer image.”
Steele’s talent, along with special makeup engineering companySpectral Motion, the team responsible for creature
effects in films such as “HellboyII: The Golden Army,” helped bring Bigfoot to life.
“It was reallyamazing because we did these camera tests and Brian comes out in his Bigfoot suit,” Sanchezsaid.
“Based on Brian’s performance and how good the suit looked, we found that we could get reallyclose to his face and
keep the integrityof the suit. It looks incrediblyauthentic.”
It’s the authenticityof The Creature, that makes the film that much more terrifying, Sanchezsaid, a filmmaker who
ironicallyisn’t a huge fan of being scared.
“I make horror films because it’s how I make a living,” he said. “I’m not a crazyfan of horror movies. For me, I’m
speaking as an outsider because I don’t like being scared but I have to because that’s the filmmaker I am.”
Sanchezsaid when it comes to financiallysupporting low-budget films, it allows for more creative license.
“I dig the challenge of trying to fixthings without deep pockets,” he said. “I find it creativelyverysatisfying [because]
creativity—it makes for more unique kinds of films.”
When it comes to horror, Sanchezsaid participating in SpookyFest is, locally, the best for filmmakers.
“AFI is state of the art,” he said. “It’s one of the best film festivals around here and one of the best horror film festivals
that I’ve been to.”
Director Chris LaMartina, another filmmaker whose work will be showcased at SpookyFest, also didn’t let expenses
stand in the wayof completing his piece titled, “Call Girl of Cthulhu,” a storyabout a virginal artist who falls in love with a
girl who is slated to end humanity.
The neon-lit H.P. Lovecraft-inspired film, was financed bythe help of Kickstarter, which raised about $27,000.
LaMartina, 29, of Baltimore, said he began making short films at the age of 12. His film was shot in 40 days in Spring
2013 around various locations in Maryland including, Frederick, Baltimore and Howard County.
LaMartina’s film features aspects of ’80’s style horror, with exaggerated neon colors and a DIYsoundtrack.
“I wrote music that I thought thematicallywould work with the story,” LaMartina said. “I spent months writing music with
dissonance and a lot of piano. We also embraced practical special effects with ’80’s style lighting. It’s verydifferent
compared to most modern films.”
The influence of Lovecraft, an American author well-known for his horror fiction in the 1900s, is present within the film,
LaMartina said.
“H.P. established so manyof the tropes that exist in horror,” he said. “I wanted to figure out how we could take that
cultural importance and use the Cthulhu Mythos and talk about sexualityand other sociopolitical issues.”
The production of “Call Girl of Cthulhu” didn’t go without challenges.
While filming, the crew experienced a location discrepancy, LaMartina said.
“Making an independent movie is like going to war,” LaMartina said. “In the film, one of the major set pieces is the
Church of StarryWisdom. Alot of the action happens there.
Clarksburg collision victim identified1.
MCPSsubmits snow-daywaiver request to state2.
Vigil held for 20-year anniversaryof Greenbelt
teen’s murder
3.
I-270 victim identified4.
Principal retiring from Bethesda-ChevyChase
High
5.
Bill would create public records fines, review board6.
Adventist opens urgent care center in Rockville7.
Congressional Art Competition for high school
students accepting entries
8.
Annual Watkins Mill student vs. staff basketball
game brings surprises
9.
Rockville lawyer who represented John Dean dies10.
Subaru
Forester
$27,450
Fitzgerald's Auto Mall Gaithersburg
www.fitzmall.com
2014 Toyota
Camry
$19,790
Fitzgerald's Auto Mall Gaithersburg
Gaithersburg, MD|(866) 497-4449|www.fitzmall.com
See all internet specials
See all>FEATURED JOBS
CASHIER
NICK'SOFCLINTON - Waldorf
FOREMAN
LONGFENCE- Capitol Heights
INSTALLERS/SUBCONTRACTORS
LONGFENCE- Capitol Heights
Gazette Seniors,
Winter 2015
Local sharespassion for ancient
Indian dance; boomersat
greatest riskfor hepatitisC;
group helpsseniorsfind jobs;
more...
MOSTREAD
MOREFROM
Gazette.Net
Initial PARCC test reactions mixed in
Montgomery3d
GreenFest expands on Silver Spring events 1d
r e c o m m e n d s
Dr. Gridlock: Montgomery chooses route for
new road between Gaithersburg and
Clarksburg 1d
The Washington Post on Trove
Montgomery seeks state waiver that would
allow school year to end on time 2d
The Washington Post on Trove
converted by Web2PDFConvert.com](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)