After garnering less-than-favourable reviews following its Fantastic Fest premiere, Brad Baruh’s Applecart re-emerged after a trip back to the edit suite with the new, if more generic, title of Dead Night. After playing at Chicago’s Cinepocalypse, the fresh cut of the film is headed to EFM, having been acquired by MPI.
The directorial debut from John Dies at the End/Phantasm: Ravager producer Baruh, Dead Night stars the inimitable and iconic Barbara Crampton, reuniting her with Beyond the Gates co-star Brea Grant and AJ Bowen, with whom she starred in You’re Next. They are joined by Sophie Dalah (Satanic), Elise Luthman (Deadtime Stories), Joshua Hoffman (Shameless) and the prolific Daniel Roebuck (Final Destination, The Devil’s Rejects).
Synopsis:
After James Pollack’s terminal cancer diagnosis leaves the family reeling, his adoring wife Casey is willing to try anything in the search for a cure. Loading up their two teenage kids Jason and Jessica, and Jessica’s best friend Becky Lane, the family treks to a remote cabin in Oregon for some recuperation. The cabin is built on iron-oxide, with alleged healing properties, and Casey is anxious for this alternative treatment to work.
As the family settles into the rustic cabin, a shroud of snow beings to fall, beckoning James outside in the search for firewood. Instead of kindling, James encounters an enigmatic woman passed out in the snow. Bringing her to the cabin for help, the family has no way of knowing that the woman’s presence is the catalyst for a series of events that will change their lives forever.
Blending a news report-style documentary format with more traditional narrative storytelling, the film is said to give a fresh twist on established genre themes, and is supposedly really gory, too.
Words: Kevan Farrow (@KevanX)
