Dark Shadows returns to the screen

Fans of the Dark Shadows television series are in for a sweet surprise -- Johnny Depp has done some Hollywood magic and is opening the creaky, locked gate of Collinwood up to the public once again! Guard your necks, and lock your doors, and.... well, it wouldn't hurt to buy some garlic and a satchel full of crucifixes along with your summer sunscreen! Read on...

Depp Steps into Shadows
by Josh Grossberg
Fri, 27 Jul 2007 04:15:25 PM PDT

Johnny Depp has never shied away from dark films like Dead Man, The Ninth Gate, Sleepy Hollow and From Hell. Now he's really found a role he can sink his teeth into. The actor is teaming with Warner Bros. on a movie version of the classic supernatural soap opera Dark Shadows, with Depp playing lead vampire Barnabas Collins.

Depp has long counted himself among the legion of Dark Shadows devotees and has stated in past interviews that he's dreamed of playing Barnabas ever since he was a kid. Through their respective production companies, Depp and Graham King purchased the rights to the spooky ABC serial from the estate of the show's mastermind, Dan Curtis, according to Variety.

The groundbreaking Dark Shadows ran for 1,125 episodes from 1966 to 1971, chronicling the strange goings-on around the mysterious Collins family in their estate in Maine. Populated by myriad macabre characters, including vampires, witches, werewolves, ghosts and zombies, the show spawned a cult following, numerous fan conventions and various attempts to resurrect the program after the network put a stake in it.

Curtis directed House of Dark Shadows, a 1970 movie adaptation starring Jonathan Frid, who originated Barnabas in the series. Curtis later updated Shadows in 1990 with a new TV series that lasted one season with Ben Cross in the immortal role. Another short-lived remake, not supervised by Curtis, featured Alec Newman as the head vampire and aired in 2004.
...
King and Depp will produce the film from a screenplay by Bruce Robinson (Withnail and I).
...
The Dark Shadows news was just one tidbit to emerge from Warners' presentation at Comic-Con in San Diego on Friday, as the studio offered previews of some of its highest profile 2008 releases.

[Read full article here: Source]

Maine State Film Commission, are you listening? We're getting a little tired of having Vancouver, et al, beat us out as settings for things that are supposed to be set in our home state.

Bigfoot in Buckfield

Michael Raymond plans to shoot a movie about Bigfoot this summer in Buckfield. Tentative title: "Big Stuff."

Imagine a movie by "Sixth Sense" creator M. Night Shyamalan, only with laughs, he said.

Raymond came up with the idea for his story, set on Buckfield's Streaked Mountain, last year.

He wrote a short screenplay and immediately began imagining whole scenes, using his mountaintop home, barn and fields as the location.

He plans to shoot the film over four days this August or September. [Source]

Casting Call: MONSTER IN THE WOODS

For all of you who've been following the saga of Emptyhouse Films' zombie film, "2," (see preview online now here at YouTube) and who are interested in taking part in their next endeavor, here's your chance to work with a great bunch of folks doing really exciting things right here in Maine! And unlike the below-mentioned movie, "Lake Placid" (a personal favorite of mine), this film WILL actually be filmed here in the state it claims to be taking place in.

CASTING CALL

Motion Media, John Lane Films and Emptyhouse Film are in the process of casting for their fifth feature-length film. The film, tentatively titled MONSTER IN THE WOODS, is a horror/comedy in the tradition of GHOSTBUSTERS, EVOLUTION and LAKE PLACID.

A casting session will be held on Monday, May 14th in Freeport Maine. Interested parties should email a headshot and resume to emptyhousefilm[at]gmail.com. At this time, we are asking that only non-union actors send their headshots to us.

Actors will need to provide their own travel, but food and lodging will be provided. LEAD and STARRING actors will receive payment, at this time there is no money for all other parts.

MONSTER IN THE WOODS is expected to begin shooting around June 10th with a 14 day shooting schedule. If you fit the part, we will email you on or before Friday, May 11th with sides and audition location.

PARTS AVAILABLE:

ARNOLD BRIER- 50-60 MALE "GRIZZLED" FEATURED ROLE

GARY- 20-25 "NERDISH" MALE

CARRIE- 30-40 FEMALE- "GRACEFUL"

KLINE-25-30 MALE- "SARCASTIC" LEAD ROLE

ANNA-20-30 FEMALE- "INTROVERTED" LEAD ROLE

LIONEL- 40-60 MALE- "HARDENED" FEATURED ROLE

REPORTER 1-MALE- STUDIO REPORTER

REPORTER 2- FEMALE- ON THE SCENE REPORTER- FEATURED ROLE

FARMER BUSHILL- "HILLBILLY" 45-60 MALE

BIOLOGY TEACHER- "EGGHEAD" 35-60 MALE

BILLY BOB- "HILLBILLY" 35-45 MALE

MAIL MAN- "HILLBILLY" 20-60 MALE

OLD TIMER- "HILLBILLY" 50-80 MALE

HORACE- "HILLBILLY" 30-70 MALE

JEB- "HILLBILLY" 30-60 MALE

NED- "HILLBILLY" 30-60 MALE

SHERIFF PATTERSON- "HARDENED" 40-55 MALE- STARRING ROLE

MAURA LAPANNE- 7-11 "CREEPY" FEMALE- STARRING ROLE

MAURA'S MOTHER- 25-45 "SINGLE MOM" FEMALE- FEATURED ROLE

ALAN- "HILLBILLY" 35-55 MALE

JACK KILLINGTON- "FULL OF HIMSELF" 30-50 MALE- STARRING ROLE

Please send your headshot and resume to emptyhousefilm@gmail.com please put the name of the character in the subject line.

We are looking forward to hearing from you all. Thank you for your consideration.

Andy, Olin, John

For more information about our projects, please visit www.emptyhousefilm.com

"Graveyard Shift" Mill Sold!

Those who shivered through Stephen King's movie of "Graveyard Shift," and then ran across the mill itself while driving Maine's back town roads, may be interested to note that the mill used in the filming has been sold. I found this story on the not-local but very stylish and informative Haunted Vampire blog at hauntedvampire.com:

186-year-old mill sold
By Morning Sentinel Staff Report
March 15, 2007 04:41 PM

HARMONY, Maine (AP) — A 186-year-old woolen mill that was used as a setting in Stephen King’s movie “Graveyard Shift” has a new owner.

Bartlettyarns Inc. was sold by Russell Pierce of Brunswick to Susan and Lindsey Rice of Barrington, N.H., who were customers of the company. The sales price was not disclosed.

The mill, which was founded in 1821 on the banks of Higgins Stream in this Somerset County town, is believed to be the oldest continuously operating yarn mill in the U.S.

Pierce said Bartlettyarns specializes in wool hand-knitting yarns and is best known for its Fisherman-brand yarns. Much of the yarn is spun on machines that are more than 100 years old, Pierce said. The newest yarn-spinning machine was purchased in 1948.

“I’m very pleased to see that a company with the history Bartlettyarns Inc. has is going to end up with owners who really have the dedication to continue the company and to nourish and flourish the company,” Pierce said.
[Original Source at Morning Sentinel website]

Italics are my own. Holy moley! Back when they knew how to make machines...

According to Wikipedia, "The movie was filmed in Harmony, Maine (outside shots) at Bartlett Yarns Inc. (historic functioning yarn mill) and Corinna, Maine (mill shots). The mill subsequently became a Superfund site."

Zombies...Coming This Way!!

Day 6 - Those horrible creatures are still outside. They seem to have an uncanny ability to slip out of sight and attack when you least expect it. While their brains appear not to function, they have come up with a clever plan to commit their carnage.
First, a few of the least threatening mill around a table with some hot steamy coffee, while one of them feigns friendliness to the unsuspecting humans. Can't you just hear her saying, "Hey neighbor....care for some freshly made coffee? Sure is cold out today, brrr."


Then when your guard is down due to your craving for a warm beverage, the zombie horde springs - like they do- from around the corner, and clomps terrifyingly towards you. You, who is torn between drinking your coffee like a fool, or escaping the blood thirsty undead.


Unfortunately in the time it takes to think, "hot coffee, or torn apart limb by limb by zombies death...gadzooks!", it's too late. Here a teenager has been swept into the raging zombie cauldron of death, never to be seen again. Oh the horror.....

If anyone was in Biddeford on Saturday, they might have seen many strange looking creatures walking the streets. Or perhaps they are so nonchalant, that they wouldn't even notice someone covered in blood standing in front of them, such as our coffee drinking zombie who reported no reaction from the person taking her toll on the highway,and the clerks and customers in her local convenience store.

Filmmakers Andy Davis and Olin Smith held an open casting call for zombies, which yielded over one hundred zombie hopefuls. People did their best to appear undead, from having elaborate makeup to simple dark smudges around the eyes. Some even showed up with no makeup whatsoever.

I was the official zombie photo- grapher for the day, which meant I got to see every single zombie. My job was to get a head shot of each one. Thankfully I'm not insane and I used my camera, not a rifle. I enjoyed taking everyone's photos, especially the ones who went all out to do their best zombie pose.

After having their photo taken, the zombies were interviewed by Andy and Olin. After a short interview, they were asked to do their best zombie impression, which involved walking towards the camera and making zombie sounds. Some of the sounds coming out of that room were scary, and one was a shrill noise that would put the fear of god into dogs.

The day ended with Andy filming all the zombies that were still outside. Twice they stumbled down the road towards the camera (first slow and then fast). Then they milled around aimlessly, like zombies do, with Andy in their midst.

I can't remember the last time I had this much fun. Let's face it, how many times am I going to get asked to take photos of zombies? A big thank you to Andy for asking me to do this. I had a fantastic time. It was unbelievably cool and I would love to do it again.

For more info on the zombie film, "2", head over to Emptyhouse Film. Also keep checking back for updates on the film as we hear them, plus I will be putting a link to my zombie photos once they are online.