Regan W. H. Macaulay
  • Home
    • Blog
    • Free Activities!
  • About Me
    • My Background and Other Projects
  • Children's Literature
    • Peter Little Wing
    • Chloe the Unfeathered Parrot
    • Merry Myrrh the Christmas Bat - new edition!
    • Sloth the Lazy Dragon - new edition!
    • Dog Band
    • Libby the Lobivia Jajoiana
    • Beverlee, la chatte de Birmanie
    • Beverlee Beaz the Brown Burmese New Edition!
    • Merry Myrrh, the Christmas Bat
    • Mixter Twizzle's Breakfast
    • Tamara Turtle's Life So Far
    • Sloth the Lazy Dragon
    • Beverlee Beaz the Brown Burmese First Edition (out of print)
    • Books COMING SOON
    • Stories and Articles
  • Novels
    • Horror at Terror Creek
    • They Suck
    • Space Zombies!
    • The Trilogy of Horrifically Half-Baked Ham
    • Novels COMING SOON
  • Scripts
    • Horror at Terror Creek
    • They Suck
    • The Aquarium
    • Paradise Lust...
    • Space Zombies...
    • Sketches
    • Watching Mr. Body
    • The Scary Bitch Project
    • The Foreign Film
    • Where are the Birds?
    • Scripts COMING SOON
    • Free Downloads!
  • Short Fiction
    • The Kiss
    • Envy
    • Space Zombies and Felines Unite!
    • The Institute
    • Reuben
    • Free Downloads!
  • Merchandise and Shop
  • Home
    • Blog
    • Free Activities!
  • About Me
    • My Background and Other Projects
  • Children's Literature
    • Peter Little Wing
    • Chloe the Unfeathered Parrot
    • Merry Myrrh the Christmas Bat - new edition!
    • Sloth the Lazy Dragon - new edition!
    • Dog Band
    • Libby the Lobivia Jajoiana
    • Beverlee, la chatte de Birmanie
    • Beverlee Beaz the Brown Burmese New Edition!
    • Merry Myrrh, the Christmas Bat
    • Mixter Twizzle's Breakfast
    • Tamara Turtle's Life So Far
    • Sloth the Lazy Dragon
    • Beverlee Beaz the Brown Burmese First Edition (out of print)
    • Books COMING SOON
    • Stories and Articles
  • Novels
    • Horror at Terror Creek
    • They Suck
    • Space Zombies!
    • The Trilogy of Horrifically Half-Baked Ham
    • Novels COMING SOON
  • Scripts
    • Horror at Terror Creek
    • They Suck
    • The Aquarium
    • Paradise Lust...
    • Space Zombies...
    • Sketches
    • Watching Mr. Body
    • The Scary Bitch Project
    • The Foreign Film
    • Where are the Birds?
    • Scripts COMING SOON
    • Free Downloads!
  • Short Fiction
    • The Kiss
    • Envy
    • Space Zombies and Felines Unite!
    • The Institute
    • Reuben
    • Free Downloads!
  • Merchandise and Shop
Search
Picture

Hallowe'en Projects, Part 1

10/12/2016

1 Comment

 
I've always been a huge fan of Hallowe'en and everything about it.  Ghost stories, tales of haunted houses, monsters, horror movies, candy...really, what's not to like?  Kevin and I were even MARRIED on Hallowe'en, way back in 2004, shortly after we finished up a movie called Space Zombies: 13 Months of Brain-Spinning Mayhem!  How apropos. 

As I sit at our iMac, listening to Blue Oyster Cult's Don't Fear the Reaper, followed by the theme to the TV show True Blood, and Warren Zevon's Werewolves of London, I'm reflecting on how much influence Hallowe'en and all things horror have had on me, my writing, my projects.  As much influence as animals have had on my life, I think.  But I've usually infused a little...or A LOT...of comedy into those projects as well.  I thought I'd post about them here and there over the month of October, starting with what I could probably consider my/Triple Take Productions' first foray into horror-comedy fare.

It was 1999, and my good friend Rob Downes and I had recently seen The Blair Witch Project that August.  And then the Blair Witch parodies sprang up like fungus in all the moist places you don't dare look.  And we had a production company, so why wouldn't we gather our creative friends in a room and crank out a short film quick as we could?  There was even a contest held in LA seeking comic Witch parody shorts for an ad hoc anthology with the promise of distribution.  Though we weren't able to get our version to that contest in time, we got that short onto SCREAM (Corus Entertainment's horror specialty channel at the time) and SPACE (as well as Space's specialty channel known as Drive-In Classics, featuring such classic films as Conqueror Worm, starring Vincent Price, as well as many Roger Corman and Russ Meyer flicks, and many, many more obscure features...Jean Rollin, anyone?  Coffin Joe?).  It ran as an interstitial for about two years, even though several years had passed since it had been made.  It also screened at the then Bloor Cinema, during a monthly festival called Video Vaudeville.
Picture
Mwah-ha-ha! Get it? "Blair" Street? :D
That short film is called The Scary Bitch Project, and it stars Kim Croscup, Jeff Hannaford, and Rob Downes.  Judy Singh and Greg Davies were our main crew.  I directed, because that's what I do and because I am bossy. 

There were bit parts for myself, Judy, Greg, several residents of Fergus, and my Mom and Step-Dad as well.  We shot it in Fergus, Ontario over the second last weekend of September in 1999.  It was a blast.  And the shoot at night, in the middle of a small forested area between Fergus and Elora, was actually pretty terrifying from time to time.  Okay, more often than not, it was terrifying.  Especially when Rob and I had to wander away from the rest of the cast and crew so we could make school bell sounds and so Rob could scream in the distance for the camera. 
Picture
The Fisherman...a favourite character for many "Scary Bitch" fans. :)
So, it's totally dark and we're surrounded by trees, as will happen when you're in the woods, and we can only vaguely see our friends in the distance.  They shout action every now and then and we wait a few seconds before making whatever noise we're supposed to make.  But between those takes, I swear I heard someone snap a twig somewhere behind us.  Several times.  Of course, we could see nothing, but fear-logic told us that it had to be that weird guy who stopped Judy and Greg earlier that day to "make sure you ain't gonna go campin' or drinkin' in the woods tonight."

That peculiar man did not resurface, thank all the gods and Odin and the little baby Jesus.  And no one from any of the neighbourhoods close to our wooded area called the police, despite the blood curdling screams Kimmie unleashed take after take after take...which was a good thing for us, but what about that fictional victim Kim was portraying?  It's good to know everyone will just mind their own business despite the sounds of violence deep in the woods.
Picture
My gawd! What could have happened to Jeff?
The catering for this film has to have been the very best of all the little shoots we've done for Triple Take.  This is entirely because my Mom, Maureen Bell, made us a fantastic lasagna dinner.  You can't beat home cooked meals, especially when your Mom knows what she's doing!  This would not have been the same if it had been a home cooked meal prepared by, say, me.  No, not the same at all.  A whole other terrifying experience.
Picture
Kimmie apologizes to Rob's and Jeff's parents...why? You'll have to watch and see. ;)
At any rate, The Scary Bitch Project was a really fun way to begin my filmmaking career outside of Ryerson University.  I hope you'll check it out sometime (those of you who haven't).

You can download The Scary Bitch Project from Triple Take's online shop.

You can also get a copy of The Scary Bitch Project as a special feature when you buy the Space Zombies: 13 Months of Brain-Spinning Mayhem! on DVD.

I'll save the Space Zombies story for the next post...
Picture
Rob is not impressed by the "creative hick" behind the toilet paper and beer bottle "crafts" in the Scary Bitch's woods...
1 Comment
Maureen
10/13/2016 08:54:30 am

Ahh - the memories of one of the most fun weekends of our (Doug's and mine) lives. I would do it again with this awesome group of people, at the drop of a hat!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

    View my profile on LinkedIn
Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
    • Blog
    • Free Activities!
  • About Me
    • My Background and Other Projects
  • Children's Literature
    • Peter Little Wing
    • Chloe the Unfeathered Parrot
    • Merry Myrrh the Christmas Bat - new edition!
    • Sloth the Lazy Dragon - new edition!
    • Dog Band
    • Libby the Lobivia Jajoiana
    • Beverlee, la chatte de Birmanie
    • Beverlee Beaz the Brown Burmese New Edition!
    • Merry Myrrh, the Christmas Bat
    • Mixter Twizzle's Breakfast
    • Tamara Turtle's Life So Far
    • Sloth the Lazy Dragon
    • Beverlee Beaz the Brown Burmese First Edition (out of print)
    • Books COMING SOON
    • Stories and Articles
  • Novels
    • Horror at Terror Creek
    • They Suck
    • Space Zombies!
    • The Trilogy of Horrifically Half-Baked Ham
    • Novels COMING SOON
  • Scripts
    • Horror at Terror Creek
    • They Suck
    • The Aquarium
    • Paradise Lust...
    • Space Zombies...
    • Sketches
    • Watching Mr. Body
    • The Scary Bitch Project
    • The Foreign Film
    • Where are the Birds?
    • Scripts COMING SOON
    • Free Downloads!
  • Short Fiction
    • The Kiss
    • Envy
    • Space Zombies and Felines Unite!
    • The Institute
    • Reuben
    • Free Downloads!
  • Merchandise and Shop