Midnight Movie Review, Trailer and Synopsis

Midnight Movie will have audiences squirming in their seats, as the killer from the movie emerges from the screen to hunt down each viewer one-by-one before dragging their dead bodies back into the film to be tortured for eternity…

At a run down theater in a sleepy suburban town, a group of friends get together for a midnight screening of an early 1970s horror film. What they do not know is that the Director/Star of the film has something more in store for them than just a movie.

While he is thought to have died five years earlier in a psych ward massacre, the detective and doctor who witnessed the aftermath of the bloodbath suspect that the director was not a victim, but the perpetrator of the killings and is still on the loose.

What none of them understand is that he has enshrined his soul into the film itself.

As the film starts, the kids heckle the old black-and-white scenes, but are jolted when the movie’s gruesome killer butchers one of their friends on screen! They realize that it is not the prank that they had hoped it was as they soon become the stars of the very movie they are watching on the screen.

Caught between the world of reality and the screen’s flickering shadows, these unsuspecting viewers fight to stay alive in the locked theater.

DTA’s Thoughts …

This movie is a must watch for fans of old school horror! It pays homage to all our old favourite slasher films yet still manages to stay unique, fun and genuinely scary in places.

The setup is good, and it is refreshing to see a ‘bad guy’ with a little bit of originality these days. Granted, he’s no Freddy Kruger or Michael Myers but he does have the same eerie essence that those classics brought to the screen. The menacing slow but scary walk, the ability to seemingly be in two places at once and all those other things that made the old style horror movies work are present in Midnight Movie.

Don’t get us wrong though, this isn’t a big budget film, with loads of special effects but it does do very well for it’s budget and gives the latest horror movies out there a good run for their money!

Fans of old school horror will be pleasantly surprised by what Midnight Movie brings to the table, and we can see this becoming an instant cult classic for its tongue in cheek take on the classic horror’s we all know and love.

DIRECTOR’S NOTES
Jack Messitt

The horror genre has gone through a great transformation in the past decade. We have left traditional slasher films like Friday the 13th behind and brought the world of the supernatural to a new level with Japanese films like Ringu and Ju-On and their US remakes The Ring and The Grudge. With Saw and Hostel, horror movies elevated to a realm of gore that had been only touched on by their predecessors. Our challenge with Midnight Movie was to try to create a more traditional slasher film that would satisfy the audience that had embraced these newer films.

Due to the supernatural nature of our story, we were able to create a villain that paid homage to the past, but with a fresh approach. It was fun to explore what a more traditional slasher villain would do in a modern film.

To help achieve this, I structured Midnight Movie to mirror the history of horror films. In the beginning, you see what happens just before and just after a massacre. The next kill reveals a bit more and with each successive murder, you see even more, escalating to the gore that today’s audiences expect.

But when shooting the gruesome climax of Midnight Movie, we retreated a bit from the obvious gore because I believe what you don’t see is much scarier and ultimately more satisfying. The mind will always fill in the gaps in a much more terrifying way than a filmmaker can portray.

ABOUT THE CAST

Rebekah Brandes – “Bridget”
Originally from Baltimore, Rebekah studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Hollywood. Since completing the program, Rebekah has performed in numerous plays, commercials and films. Midnight Movie is her fifth horror film, her most recent being the Lionsgate feature Grim Reaper. Rebekah recently completed a pilot for Showtime and starred in an original musical revue at the Next Stage theatre.

Daniel Bonjour – “Josh”
Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, Daniel began acting at the age of three and starred in commercials, TV shows and theatre. In 1995 Daniel took on his first lead in an American film as Ricky in Night Siege: Project Shadowchaser 2 (produced by Nu Image/ Avi Lerner). Shortly after, he made the move to America where he took time off to finish school at Boston College. Since arriving in Los Angeles, Daniel has kept busy with a wide variety of roles ranging from award-winning festival films to outrageous mockumentary comedies. Later this year you can look for him in two Lionsgate projects; Richard Speck and Bram Stroker’s: Dracula’s Guest, as well as the title role in Simon, an award-winning independent drama.

Greg Cirulnick – “Mario”
Born and raised in Brooklyn, Greg graduated from Binghamton University with a Bachelors in Marketing and Information Technology. Greg studied privately under acting coach Harold Guskin and at The William Esper Studio in Manhattan. Once in LA, Greg continued his studies at the Howard Fine Acting Studio. Greg recently worked on theatrical productions of Danny and the Deep Blue Sea and In Arabia We’d All Be Kings. And he has guest starred on General Hospital and in the remake of Revenge of the Nerds.

Mandell Maughan – “Samantha”
A native of San Diego, California, Mandell performed musically and in pageants, winning the title of Miss Cabillor, Portuguese in 2001. Mandell then headed to the University of Arizona where she graduated with a BFA in Professional Acting Training. Since Mandell moved to Los Angeles, her credits include a guest star in Spike’s The Playbook, the lead in Fox’s new mobisode, Prison Break: Proof of Innocence, several commercials and the lead in the feature film Girl Talk: Confidential.

Stan Ellsworth – “Harley”
After serving 8 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, Stan completed a Bachelor of Arts degree from Bringham Young University. After playing in the NFL for the Detroit Lions and the Seattle Seahawks, he was a defensive coordinator at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Arizona and completed a PhD in Sports Psychology from the University of Utah. Since starting his acting career, Stan has appeared in numerous feature films and television including Unaccompanied Minors, Church Ball, History Hogs, The Luck of the Irish and the soon to be released Animals.

Melissa Steach – “Babe”
Melissa Steach graduated from the Alabama School of Fine Arts. She has worked on the stage and behind the scenes for countless Off-Off-Broadway productions. Since arriving in Los Angeles, Melissa has appeared in the feature film The Kid and I with Henry Winkler; starred in the independent films Glenna’s Bedroom and What About Jane, and various television shows. She also starred in Psyche at the Hudson Theatre and in Angel for the Award-winning Unity Players Ensemble.

Jon Bridell – “Detective Barrons”
Jon Bridell began his professional acting career in 1989 performing in a Second City (Chicago) affiliated sketch comedy show. Since his arrival to Los Angeles, his credits include over 20 feature films, constant television guest appearances, numerous commercials, infomercials and print campaigns. Most recently, Jon played Dr. Burns in multiple episodes of Fashion House, opposite Bo Derek, as well as the District Attorney on NBC’s Heist, and as Officer White in 20th Century Fox’s The Heiress. His series, What Goes On, aired in the fall of 2007 on the N network.

Michael Swan – “Dr. Wayne”
In the early seventies, Michael Swan began working in a recurring role on Medical Center. This led to 17 years of starring and guest appearing in some of the most popular prime-time shows of the ‘70s and ‘80s; including MASH, The Rockford Files, Magnum PI and Murder She Wrote. In 1986, he began a decade stint in the role as the Scottish Adventurer, Duncan McKechnie, in As the World Turns. He continued in the soap opera world in The Bold and the Beautiful, as well as worked in commercials, voiceovers and films.

Michael Schwartz – “Sully”
Michael Schwartz is a graduate of the University of Southern California and also studied at the British American Drama Academy in London. In the past year, Michael has been seen on various Los Angeles stages performing in Company (Bing Theatre), Marat/Sade (Sacred Fools Theatre, LA Weekly Award: Best Production of the Year), and 42nd St. (Fullerton Civic Light Opera). After filming Midnight Movie, Michael participated in the Director’s Lab at Lincoln Center in New York.

Justin Baric – “Timmy”
Justin Baric began appearing on TV at the age of four weeks old, playing Paul Rizer’s and Helen Hunt’s baby on Mad About You (along with his twin sister Alyssa). Justin has had a varied career ever since, including a National commercial spot for Office Depot. He played an orphan in the Sarah McLachlan and DMC music video Cats in the Cradle and had a principal role in the short film R.P. where he played the role of Young Matt, a boy losing his sight.

Arthur Roberts – “Radford”
A Cum Laude graduate of Harvard and holding an MBA from NYU, Arthur Roberts learned his craft with the Harvard Summer Players, with Faye Dunaway and Jane Alexander. There, he played the title roles in Mr. Roberts and Poor Richard. Theatrically, he played the title role in Not of This Earth opposite Tracy Lords and starred in Revenge of the Ninja. On television, Arthur was a series regular on General Hospital and Air America opposite Lorenzo Lamas. In New York, he played Hank with the original cast of The Boys in the Band, starred on Broadway in the Tony-winning Borstal Boy, and won critical acclaim as Karenin in Anna Karenina.

Lee Main – “The Killer”
Lee Main has played numerous monsters and creatures throughout his career. Some of the highlights include the man-eating plant from the Original Off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horror’s, Baby Godzilla in Godzilla, numerous creatures for the TV program Special Unit 2, Starship Troopers and the shark in Lethal Weapon 4.

Check out the official website here: http://www.midnightmovie.com