You Can't Kill Stephen King

[mae]

http://www.shocktillyoudrop.com/news/topnews.php?id=15324


A call for cast and crew made today landed on our radar and involves a film prepping to shoot in Maine this August.

Monroe Mann, of Unstoppable Artists, is looking for key players in a "story centers around Stephen King. No more can be said about the story at this time except that it is unique, with a concept that everyone seems to like and a fun twist ending," says the announcement. Mann breaks down what he's looking for (right down to the cup size on his actresses?!) at the Rhode Island Film Collaborative (http://rifcannouncements.blogspot.com/2010/05/cast-and-crew-call-horror-film-shooting.html) site.

So, with scant details to go on, what can we expect from the film? Something akin to George Lucas in Love? Full of in-jokes that puts the author front and center as the main character? Or perhaps something in the vein of Necronomincon, which found H.P. Lovecraft up against, well, Lovecraftian evil?

[Girlystevedave]

Interesting :orely:

[mae]

Some relevant quotes from the crew/cast call:


We are shooting an ultra low budget horror feature film in Maine this August.

We are shooting on Canon HF 100 cameras, High Def

One of the scenes involves a severed head

The lake house is literally 20 feet from what National Geographic calls 'one of the top five most beautiful glacier lakes in the world'.

the owner of the local marina on the lake, a skeevish looking person, country bumkin, think 'deliverance', odd person for sure, eerie and unsettling, a lascivious person who likes to lick his lips

local warden who patrols the lake. Professional, but again, eerie and unsettling

[BillyxRansom]

This is probably going to be awful.

[Brice]

Denzel Washington will be playing the part of Stephen King.





















:cyclops:

[Girlystevedave]

:rofl:

or Chuck Norris

[DanishCollector]

I'm sure King won't be too fond of this one

[gsvec]

Be funny if he did a cameo.

[LadyHitchhiker]

I thought perhaps David Hasselhoff or Carrottop should play the part of Stephen king.

[Brice]

Be funny if he did a cameo.

It'd be even funnier if he agreed to play any part EXCEPT the role of SK. :lol:

[mae]

A video: http://www.wcsh6.com/news/watercooler/story.aspx?storyid=124564&catid=108

[mystima]

did you see the comments at the bottom of the article...someone is not happy about horror movies at all.

[Ricky]

"It's a story about a lot of people getting killed -- murdered -- in the same way that Stephen King's characters die in his books," Mann explains.


Oh my God. :lol:

[Ben Eads]

His life is indeed worthy of telling.

How someone came from such a meager background, and above all odds followed his dream to success... that's priceless.

[IrishEyes]

It doesn't matter how horrifying (haha) it is...I'll watch it...twice...

[mae]

http://www.fangoria.com/images/stories/DEC11/youcantkingtrailernews1.jpg

http://www.fangoria.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6234:you-cant-kill-stephen-kingheres-why&catid=36:demo-articles&Itemid=56

Monroe Mann and Ronnie Khalil have a sense of humor about horror movies—and interviews. When Fango contacted them for a chat about their new slasher takeoff YOU CAN’T KILL STEPHEN KING (for which we premiered the trailer here (http://www.fangoria.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6219:trailer-premiere-exclusive-pics-you-cant-kill-stephen-king&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=167)), they replied by providing the questions as well as the answers regarding how the film came to be.

Mann and Khalil directed YOU CAN’T KILL STEPHEN KING with Jorge Valdés-Iga, wrote it with Bob Madia and appear in it as actors, along with Crystal Arnette, Kayle Blogna, Kate Costello, Jus Brown, Polly Humphreys, John Mancini, Michael Bernstein and Arthur S. Brown. It’s a takeoff on the genre that promises to be as irreverent as its creators…

FANGORIA: How would you describe YOU CAN’T STOP STEPHEN KING?

MONROE MANN: It’s a campy horror film about six friends who visit a lake where Stephen King lives and start to get killed off one at a time. Oh wait, did I just give away our amazing plotline?

RONNIE KHALIL: What can I say? We really wanted to do something groundbreaking in the horror genre by having friends get killed in a forest near a lake. We thought we’d be even more original and throw in some hot girls in bikinis. We fairly confident this will revolutionize horror as you know it.

FANG: What led you to come up with this idea?

KHALIL: Monroe and I met literally a week before we wrote the script at a book fair in New York. One of his friends cancelled on a trip to Maine the following weekend, and I took his spot—it happened to be the same lake where we shot the film.

MANN: Yeah, I grew up in Maine, on that very lake, and so the town has a lot of Stephen King lore surrounding it. It was raining that weekend, dark and gloomy, with lots of fog over the water, and I ended up sharing with Ronnie a true story about King. Next thing we knew, since we were stuck inside all day, we had written a first version of the screenplay. But it didn’t actually get finished and fully fleshed out until we brought on our co-writer and Stephen King expert, Bob Madia, who helped us complete the first official draft. We’re really grateful to Bob for throwing in all of the subtle—and not-so-subtle—King references.

FANG: Does King know about this film?

KHALIL: Mr. King was kind enough to read the script and smart enough to pass on it. But yeah, he is aware and was actually around the area during some of the filming.

MANN: I ran into him twice during shooting at the local markets. This film is really a homage to his great work and how much he’s influenced our generation. Fortunately, he has always been really supportive of young filmmakers. So even though he is not involved with the project, we’re hoping he likes the finished film and finds it both fun and funny.

FANG: Speaking of fun, this seems like it was a fun film to make. How was the production process?

MANN: Define “fun”…just kidding. It was tough—and anyone who was on set will agree. But looking back, I think we can all laugh about it. The on-set antics were just like a reality show. Half of our entire cast and crew were living in the cabin that was also one of the primary sets. More than 25 people were crammed into a lake house built for five, so there was definitely some drama. We are grateful for three saving graces: our co-director Jorge Valdés-Iga, co-producer John E. Seymore and the team at The Maine Studios—we couldn’t have done it without them.

KHALIL: I remember at one point, our AD looked at me and said, “So, you wanted to make a movie, huh?” then walked away laughing. We definitely had a lot of fun, but it was also a lot of work. We had three directors because there was so much to handle, and Monroe and I were both acting in the film. At one point, in between takes, I asked our production manager to find where the closest hospital was because I was losing consciousness.

MANN: We may have slept during a few takes too—

KHALIL: Yeah, we were pretty exhausted. Some of the crew were literally working 19-hour days. They weren’t complaining, though; I think it was because they were too tired. That was our strategy.

FANG: The trailer is very tongue-in-cheek; is the entire film like that?

KHALIL: That’s the goal. While watching the classic films of the late ’80s/early ’90s, what we liked the most was how seriously everyone takes the ridiculous moments, so we did our best to take everything seriously and shoot this like a real ’90s horror film. We also did our best to include the stereotypical characters, the ridiculous lines that move the plot forward for no reason, the cheesy wakeboarding scenes—it’s all intentional, but we never wanted the characters in on the joke.

MANN: When we wrote the original draft, we thought it was going to be a horror film with a few bits of comedy. However, after subsequent drafts and read-throughs with the cast, we realized how much goofiness ended up in the script and really embraced it. Our editor Gabriel Cullen and sound designer Bruce Chianese added the finishing touches. The movie definitely does have a few good scares in it, provided by our effects guys: Anthony Jones, who created all the prosthetics, and Eric Anderson, who made things horrifically bloody.

FANG: What are your hopes for YOU CAN’T KILL STEPHEN KING?

KHALIL: One of my friends just Facebooked me, asking me to let him know when this movie is coming out, ’cause he has “Wednesday Horror Nights” with his friends where they all get drunk and watch horror flicks. Most directors want their films to be released in 3,000 theaters, but to me, there is no greater honor than having your film watched by a bunch of good friends getting together, then quoting obscure lines in class or at their jobs.

MANN: Oh, I am one of those directors who wouldn’t mind 3,000 screens. Do iPod screens count?

FANG: What are your future plans?

MANN: Before I got deployed to Iraq with the Army in 2004-05, I was in the midst of producing a wakeboarding romantic comedy I co-wrote with Andrew Hyatt called IN THE WAKE. The war disrupted those plans, and I’ve been trying to get that project back on track ever since. I also have a comedy about my time in Iraq called OPERATION: JESSICA SIMPSON.

KHALIL: I’m working on a comedy/action flick that is blatantly politically incorrect, and is a little like HOT FUZZ meets TROPIC THUNDER. I’m also trying to produce a horror film in Cairo, Egypt, based on the Pharaohs.

FANG: What are some of your favorite horror movies?

KHALIL: I always liked the comedic horrors, like ARMY OF DARKNESS, SCREAM or DEAD ALIVE. Of course, there are the classics like ALIEN, MISERY and THE EXORCIST.

MANN: I like the SAW series a lot, I think because—in the end—the films always have a positive message: Don’t be bad. Of course, the means don’t justify the ends… But yeah, I liked those movies.

FANG: Any last words?

MANN: Great work to the amazing cast and crew, and special thanks to our executive producers, John Mancini, Carolina Vensius, Yassar Hosni and Debbie Bordelon. We all should be very proud of ourselves…we did it. Soul fist!

KHALIL: Last words? What is this, a snuff interview?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64XdWcf8zqQ

[mae]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnKhJb-GTwE

[jhanic]

That thing looks so bad it might actually be good!

John

[mae]

Hehe, where do I buy the blu-ray? :panic: Did you see that nice shot of King hardcovers, mmm... books on a movie screen...

[Flygrl]

Be funny if he did a cameo.

He actually might. By complete accident, lol. The producer said "a very low-level budget" and by the looks of things, most of this will be filmed using smartphones. However, I did lol a little @: Fake blood, hot babes, babes on babes, fog, more fog, creepy twins and low budget gratuitous violence.
:lol:

[mae]

The trailer is pretty genius, I have to admit. At first I thought this would be ultra-terrible, but it looks very fun.

[Randall Flagg]

I loved the trailer. Where the hell can I view the actual film?

[mae]

I don't think it's released yet. Here's their official Facebook page, it's probably gonna be announced there: http://www.facebook.com/pages/You-Cant-Kill-Stephen-King-The-Movie/179328272161554#!/pages/You-Cant-Kill-Stephen-King-The-Movie/179328272161554

[Brice]

I wanna' see this NOW!

[Heather19]

:lol: I've been waiting for you to post in here Brice

[Brice]

I would travel just to see it...like hitchiking. :D

[mae]

http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20120212-NEWS-120219936

A film with a humorous take on Stephen King will premiere in the horror writer's home state of Maine in April.

"You Can't Kill Stephen King" will be part of this year's Lewiston Auburn Film Festival. The film will be shown on April 14 at the Community Little Theatre in Auburn.

The film follows a group of friends who visit Maine in hopes of meeting King, but come face-to-face with several eccentric characters. It's already received national mainstream attention in cinema magazines.

Festival organizers and the film's creators plan to send invitations to King, welcoming him to view the world premiere of the film. Co-director Monroe Mann says he hopes it will make King smile.

[Shannon]

I wanna see this! Will be YouTubing the trailer when I get home. At the girlfriend's office waiting for her to finish up so we can go hooome.

[Garrell]

This looks fun:)

[Shannon]

Just watched the trailer, it really doesn't look that bad! I laughed a number of times, and man oh man, pablo was right, seeing those books on screen gave me quite an off feeling of awesomeness.

[BROWNINGS CHILDE]

Just watched the trailer.....looks awful.

[Merlin1958]

He's gotta be loving this!!!! Browning you're a bit nuts, sorry!!! The "Camp" of it all is too delicious!!!!

[Heather19]

Yes! The badder the better right :lol:

[Garrell]

This is can't miss Cinema!!!! Bad is good:)

[mae]

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/stephen-king-immortalized-in-new-campy-horror-film-you-cant-kill-stephen-king-2012-04-11

Stephen King has long been a staple in the horror genre, penning such box office hits as The Shining, Carrie, Apt Pupil, and many more. But on Saturday, a new film premieres that immortalizes Mr. King, making him not only the subject of the film but possibly one of its killers.

“You Can’t Kill Stephen King” is a campy horror parody about a group of friends that vacation near a lake where Mr. King lives, and begin to get killed off one at a time in ways from his books. The friends must piece together a string of clues to stop the copy-cat killer, or risk falling victim themselves.

Judging by the trailer on YouTube, which is both funny and self-deprecating, the film doesn’t take itself too seriously and labels itself as “a horror film that breaks all the rules by not breaking a single rule.”

The film is the brainchild of Monroe Mann and Ronnie Khalil, an attorney/Iraq vet and a stand-up comedian respectively, who came up with the idea during a rainy day at the very lake they shot the film.

What does Mr. King think about the film?

“Well, he declined being in it,” says Khalil. “But we did get him the script very early on and he was kind enough to feature our trailer on his ‘unofficial news’ section of his website, so we’re thrilled about that.”

The premiere will take place at the Lewiston Auburn Film Festival this Saturday, April 14th, in the Mr. King’s home state of Maine, where so many of his books took place. The film is a hot ticket item at the Festival and Mr. King was sent a personal invitation.

“Well, I’m not really sure that’s going to happen,” says Mann. “But this film is an homage to him and his films, all of which have obviously influenced us as well many of the cast and crew. If he does come, we hope he laughs and enjoys it.”

To learn more about the film, visit www.cantkillking.com .

The Lewiston Auburn Film Festival will take place on April 13, 14 and 15, opening with a concert by Don McLean at the Franco-American Heritage Center in Lewiston. For ticket and film information, visit www.lafilmfestival.org .

[Shannon]

Yay! :)

[tumbleweed]

It just goes to show that King is immortal :)

[Brice]

You didn't know?

[mae]

http://www.pressherald.com/life/go/stephen-king-inspires-creators-of-horror-spoof-made-in-maine_2012-04-12.html

Sure, the Maine woods can be a little scary at night, but the real reason our fair state has a reputation for spine-chilling horror can be traced to one man.

Stephen King, I'm looking at you.

And so are the makers of the new comedy horror film "You Can't Kill Stephen King," which has its world premiere on Saturday as part of this year's Lewiston Auburn Film Festival (where it's nominated for best director and best film).

Featuring the typical horror movie gaggle of friends traveling to meet their idol King, the movie was filmed right in King's backyard of Bangor and other locations all over Maine (including Portland). The trailer (tinyurl.com/youcantkillSKtrailer) promisingly pokes fun at essentially every horror cliche in the book while delivering buckets of fake gore.

I spoke via email with two of the film's three directors -- Center Lovell native Monroe Mann and Ronnie Khalil -- about the challenge of making a successful horror spoof, and why Maine's master of horror was the only choice for the title.



Balancing horror and comedy is tricky business. What was your approach in finding the right mix?

Mann: Ronnie, (co-director) Jorge Valdes-Iga and I spent a lot of time watching old '80s and '90s horror movies prior to shooting in an effort to become comfortable with the genre.

Khalil: I think the secret is taking the hokey dialogue and ridiculous story with extraordinary seriousness.



The trailer indicates the movie is of the "pointing out horror cliches while engaging in them" school of horror comedy (a la "Scream"); what's your strategy there?

Mann: Yes, the trailer (and the film) are very campy, tongue-in-cheek. It's a fun, campy horror film, and we're very proud of how it turned out.

Khalil: Our film is funny if you're in on the joke, which we try to establish early on (and) then get away from. Our goal was to make a fun film that is also interesting to watch, 'cause if you're just playing the same gags over and over again, no one ever cares about the characters or the story. It was a tough balance, and we had quite a few "passionate discussions," aka "yelling at each other" about it.



Why did you pick Stephen King?

Mann: If anything, King picked us. Ronnie and I were vacationing in Maine (in the very lake house where we ultimately shot the film, and on the very lake where King lives), and it was raining the entire time. We couldn't go out on the lake, so we decided to write a funny horror story about Stephen King, whose lore helped inspire the plot. Two days later, we had a rough draft, and very soon we were off and killing.

Khalil: We felt a horror film about Judy Blume wouldn't be as interesting.



In naming it after him, was there any thought that King would champion it in some way?

Khalil: We were simply coming up with titles, and I think our sound guy suggested it, and everyone was laughing immediately. We knew it was a winner.

Mann: Any "championing" would be more an ancillary benefit than a purposeful strategy. In other words, should King decide to do some championing on our behalf, we'll be happy to welcome him aboard.



Any word from the man himself so far?

Mann: He read the script years ago and politely declined a cameo appearance in the film. However, he did recently post the trailer and a short blurb about the film on his official website, www.stephenking.com. So that's nice. We're hoping he will get a chance to see it -- we think he'll find it pleasantly amusing.

[Jimimck]

"No Stephen Kings were harmed in the filming of this movie"

Love it.

[mystima]

Woohoo...People's choice award!!!!!!

http://talkstephenking.blogspot.com/2012/04/film-fest-you-cant-kill-stephen-king.html

[RichardHawes]

Really cant wait to see this...Does anyone know if he actually attended?

[LadyHitchhiker]

Oh! I hope he did!!!!!

[mae]

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/camelot-takes-stephen-king-to-cannes-150803945.html

Camelot Entertainment Group, Inc. (OTCBB: CMGR) ("Camelot") announced today that Camelot Distribution Group ("CDG") has acquired worldwide all-media rights for the horror comedy YOU CAN'T KILL STEPHEN KING, which will screen at the Marche Du Film in Cannes, France on May 17. Produced by Loco Dawn Films and Clownfish Productions, the film follows a group of friends in search of Stephen King.

"When I saw this trailer in November, I couldn't wait to see the feature," said Co-President of Distribution Jess Kelly. "It's well done with such a great hook. Camelot is excited to be selling the film at Cannes. It's this year's 'Tucker and Dale'."

The film was written by Monroe Mann, Ronnie Khalil, and Bob Madia and was directed by Mann, Khalil, and Jorge Valdes-Iga. The cast includes emerging talent from Crystal Arnette, Kayle Blogna, Kate Costello, and Justin Brown.

"14 years ago, I acted my way into the Cannes Film Festival as a 20-year-old wannabe; I'm pretty excited to be returning to Cannes, this time as a legitimate player, thanks to our cast, crew, and of course, Camelot. Pretty exciting!" stated Mann.

'KING' has garnered interest from festivals and fans from around the world, just recently winning the Peoples Choice Award at the Lewiston Auburn Film Festival.

"It's great to see we've gotten so much attention overseas," says Khalil. "The great thing about this film is you don't have to be a die-hard King fan to really enjoy it."

'KING' is about a group of friends who make a clueless and ill-fated decision to visit the lake where horror author Stephen King lives. As dead bodies begin to mount, one thing becomes clear: all the killings are straight out of Stephen King novels.

Reviews and press can be viewed at www.cantkillking.com

CDG will be at Cannes May 16-24, 2012 with Co-Presidents Jessica Kelly and Michael Kananack in attendance.

[mystima]

wow does this mean that it might actually be a real movie eventually?

[mae]

It already is.

[mystima]

No, I mean like the movies they actually get put in theaters after the film festivals are over...like they did with 'Saw.'

[stkmw02]

Widespread theatrical releases of true independent, low/no budget films are incredibly rare. "Saw" cannot be compared to a movie like this... Perhaps they could strike a deal with a certain theatre chain?

[RichardHawes]

Any news on this? I want to see it pretty bad

[mystima]

They haven't posted much lately on Facebook so no telling what is going on.

[mae]

Seems the movie was just released on DVD in the UK and is about to be released on Blu-ray in Germany. No US release yet?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00EDM2QUS/
http://www.amazon.de/dp/B00F36V9CE/

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51rxa88Wu7L.jpghttp://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61XTsDORMIL.jpg

[herbertwest]

It's definitely not the best movie ever ;-)

[mae]

You watched it?

[Shannon]

I saw it a few months ago. It was ... eh. A few King references here and there, but nothing special.

And also, is it just me or does the girl look "thinner" in the left (red) image above than on the right?

[Jean]

I downloaded it ages ago, still can't get around to watching. Will try tomorrow.

[nocny]

BAD movie ;)

[mae]

I'm thinking it's supposed to be bad.

[Bad Penny]

I tried to watch this piece of "filmed entertainment" when it was first released here in Australia (plain old DVD, not Blu-Ray - so at least I didn't waste any more money than necessary) - succinctly, it was a steaming pile of koala crap (I couldn't get past the first 30 minutes before using it as a frisbee over into the neighbours back yard) :P

[nocny]

I'm thinking it's supposed to be bad.

It's not bad "let's make our movie like these old B-class movies, it will be fun" movie. It's just bad movie ;)

[Bev Vincent]

You know what? I didn't think it was terrible. Return to 'Salem's Lot was terrible. Creepshow III was terrible. This one had some good moments and a wry sense of humor that made me chuckle from time to time. With the exception of one actress, it had some decent performances, and one very good performance. I wouldn't write it off -- I'll review it more fully for FEARnet soon.

[Jon]

NP: Born to be Bad - George Thorogood.

[Bev Vincent]

Here's my review: http://www.fearnet.com/news/news-article/news-dead-zone-you-cant-kill-stephen-king

[Randall Flagg]

Here's my review: http://www.fearnet.com/news/news-article/news-dead-zone-you-cant-kill-stephen-king
All I want is to actually obtain a copy (gladly pay).
Outstanding review. That's why Bev Vincent (http://www.bevvincent.com/) is highly regarded.

[Jean]

Here's my review: http://www.fearnet.com/news/news-article/news-dead-zone-you-cant-kill-stephen-king
Thank you! Now I really want to see the movie, not purely out of curiosity.

[Bev Vincent]

The producer-director-stars tell me that they should have some news on US distribution soon and it will likely be available here somehow in 2014.

[mae]

The blu-ray is easily obtainable from Amazon Germany.

[Bev Vincent]

That Region 2 DVD won't play on most standard machines in the US.

[mae]

Many DVD players have a way of making them region-free. Is the blu-ray also region-locked?

[Bev Vincent]

The region codes are different for Blu-Ray: A, B and C: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blu-ray_Disc#Region_codes. The one at amazon.de is marked region B/2, which includes most European, African, and Southwest Asian countries plus Australia and New Zealand.

[Jean]

bears will be watching it in a couple of minutes

[stroppygoblin]

Goblins are watching it on their GoblinPhone - 1/3 through. Its OK so far, i'd give it 2 tomatoes...

[Jean]

well, I have watched it. The idea was good, but the rest just God-awful. The King references are nice, though; when/if enough people have seen it, we might have something like a game or a contest based on this.

[skyofcrack]

I love that the SK references in this mediocre film are mostly old school and/or obscure titles like: The Man Who Loved Flowers, Beachworld, The Last Rung on the Ladder, The Stand