Rants Macabre interview
The fine folks at The Rants Macabre brought me on to their awesome show for a kickass interview and you need to listen to it. We get to chat about how awesome Hanna Cheek is in the Pumpkin Pie Show, Craig Macneill's amazing feature THE BOY, and 451's glorious SELF STORAGE comic.
Listen to it here. Thanks to Rants for bringing me on! Let's do it again!
January 18, 2016
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Two 2016 Chainsaw Nom-Noms for THE BOY!
Dust off yer tuxes, ladies and gents! THE BOY just got nominated for two—count 'em, TWO, Chainsaw Awards! Forget about ol' Oscar, long live the buzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Congrats to Rainn Wilson for his Best Supporting Actor nom and Hauschka for Best Score. You both deserve to win in my humble, completely non-biased opinion. For the full lineup of nominees, click here.
January 14, 2016
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The Boy is the Best of 2015!
As 2015 comes to a close, the annual 'best of' lists have begun to crop up… And wouldn't you know it, but our own little BOY has popped up on several of them. Check it out! Our baby's all grown up!
IndieWire dropped the gauntlet by placing THE BOY at #5 on their list “The 13 Most Criminally Overlooked Indies and Foreign Films of 2015,” saying “the mounting tension is almost unbearable. It's not a question of if, but rather when the boy will snap — and when it happens, it's more horrifying than you could have imagined.”
Which, truth told, is pretty awesome of IndieWire, given the fact that they had us on their “14 Best New Indie Horror Movies You Should Watch For Halloween 2015” list back in October, claiming our leading man Jared Breeze “unquestionably offers up a creepy child character for the ages, and the scariest depiction of emerging lunacy in years.”
The Lineup went even further and pinned us at #4 on their list “The 10 Scariest Movies of 2015,” saying we can add our own Ted Henley “to the list of American psychos who have imprinted many a horror fiend’s psyche.”
Fangoria plopped us at #7 on their list “The Year in Horror: Ken's Top 10 Horror Films,” saying: “An unnerving exercise in slow-burn tension… Anchored with an atmosphere of palpable dread and inevitable tragedy, THE BOY is a horror film where the other shoe can drop at any moment, making the journey to its shocking finale all the more riveting and uneasy.”
Best New Horror Movies put us on their list “The Top 15 Horror Movies of 2015,” calling it “ridiculously powerful.”
Hitfix started off December by putting THE BOY on their “14 Great Under the Radar Films of 2015,” claiming it is “a tense and unexpectedly moving portrait of a budding sociopath.”
Hitfix then went even further and listed our “swimming pool” scene on their list of “Scariest Movie Moments of 2015,” calling it “a moment of sustained, unbearable tension.”
Bloody-Disgusting drops THE BOY at #13 on “Kalyn's Top 20 Genre Movies of 2015,” calling it a “taut, disturbing little thriller.”
THE BOY is “as brooding and intimate as psychopathic portraits can get” says Film Police Reviews. We're #5 on their “16 Best Horror Films of 2015!”
iHorror says THE BOY “is one of the most chilling movies I saw this year” on their “The Best and Worst Horror Films of 2015.”
THE BOY landed in the top 3 at Frightday's “Sam's Top 13 Horror Films of 2015,” calling it “a poignant, unflinching meditation of a blossoming sociopath.” Then Kelly plops us at the solid spot of #12 on her list “Kelly's Top 13 Horror Films of 2015,” calling THE BOY “disturbing.”
The VHS Graveyard went ahead and placed us on their list “The Best of the 31 Days of Halloween (2015 Edition),” saying THE BOY “may very well be the scariest (and most essential) film of 2015.”
Horror Galore went ahead and gave us a winning position of #4 on their list “The Most Scary Horror Movies of 2015!”
Gruesome Magazine calls THE BOY “an excellent character study of a psycho.” Look who's #8 on their “Top 10 Horror Films of 2015.”
Ain't It Cool News dropped THE BOY on their list “Quint Weighs In On His Favorite 2015 Films,” rooting for our psycho and saying that “by the end of it you're oddly on his side. At least I was, but I'm kind of a weirdo.”
Got a moment to listen to The Picking Brains Podcast? You should! Leap in at 55 minutes on their new episode #114 as they list off their “Top 13 of 2015” and we land at #5. “The Rainn Wilson masterpiece,” they call it!
Even our soundtrack is getting some love… Hauschka makes Headphone Commute's “Best of 2015 : Music For The Film Behind Closed Eyelids.”
The fine folks at Chiller Films did their own little roundup “THE BOY Named One of the Best Horror Films of 2015.”
And hey! While we're at it… As a total bonus to end 2015, my graphic novel SELF STORAGE landed on Pop Culture HQ's “Best 25 Comic Book List of 2015,” calling it “a great new twist to the zombie lore.”
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
December 27, 2015
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Episode #2 of SELF STORAGE motion comic!
Episode 2 of the SELF STORAGE motion comic is live and free for the viewing! You can watch the continuing adventures of Chris Smith and his immoral cohorts here. Enjoy, kiddies!
December 13, 2015
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Episode #1 of SELF STORAGE motion comic!
Episode 1 of SELF STORAGE motion comic is free! “A ZomRomCom with a ton of heart despite the lack of a heartbeat.” Watch it right here!
November 9, 2015
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Thank you NY Comic Con!
Hey. New York Comic Con. You were way awesome.
Thanks to the fine folks at 451 for letting me come out and sign copies of SELF STORAGE. I wish I could've stayed at the booth forever and just lived there and signed people's foreheads all day. You guys rock…
If you weren't able to snag a copy, have no fear! Issue #1 will be hitting the shelves on October 28th! Check it out! Zombies! Comedy! Romance!
October 13, 2015
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Spooooky Trailer and Preview!
Watch our spooooky trailer and read 1st five pages for our zom/rom/com SELF STORAGE! Just in time for New York Comic Con 2015… Click here to check it out.
October 8, 2015
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Fruits of our LABOR PAINS
The critics are digging this year's Pumpkin Pie Show: LABOR PAINS. Here's what folks have had to say thus far:
The Pumpkin Pie Show is “scary and engrossing… Parenting has never been dissected so closely or seemed so chilling… Storytelling of the highest caliber.” —Theatre Scene
“Clay McLeod Chapman is a modern day bard… [A] mad scientist of words and the stage.” —Manhattan With A Twist
“Each story is a mini tour-de-force…” The Pumpkin Pie Show is “like something out of a 80s Wes Craven movie.” —My Entertainment World
The Pumpkin Pie Show's “fast-paced, quick witted litany of words and emotions skyrocketed the audience to another dimension.” —Malinism
We close this weekend. Only 3 more performances to go! See you there!
October 6, 2015
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THE BOY is Coming to a Screen Near You!
It's officially official! Entertainment Weekly announced earlier this week that THE BOY will have its theatrical release this August!
We'll be rolling out the red carpet in Los Angeles on August 14th… From there, THE BOY will be popping up on VOD on August 18th and in select theatres by Friday, August 21st. Check your local listings! Go see it wherever you can! Tell your friends! Your word o' mouth can really help this awesome film get out there.
For the EW article, click here. And if you want to see our super spoooooooky trailer, click here.
THE BOY is coming! THE BOY is coming! Head for the hills!
July 16, 2015
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What’s That Itch In My Ear?
Do you love earwigs as much as I do? Than you should really read this interview “Chapman and Kudranski Take Our 'Vertigo SFX' Q&A.” Thanks to Comics Alliance for helping spread the word!
April 28, 2015
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Boy Oh BOY! The Reviews Are In…
The reviews are in for THE BOY from SXSW! Here's what the critics have to say…
“...One of the most memorable contemporary iterations [of the slasher film].” Shock Til You Drop. “The Boy, He's A Growing Slasher.” Read the review here.
Our screenplay is a “grimly poetic understatement worthy of Cormac McCarthy.” Indiewire, “The Boy' is the Chilling Start to the Story of a Psychopath.” Read the review here.
The Boy has “got a jet-black third act that'll have you squirming in your seat.” Badass Digest. Read the review here.
The Boy is “...a unique little beast. Let the dark, broody tone suck you in.” Ain't It Cool News. Read the review here.
“...(O)ur No. 1 must-see at the fest is The Boy.” The Lineup, “The 6 Scariest Films From SXSW 2015.” Read the article here.
“Haunting, calculated and confident… (H)its hard with a dandy of a finale that will leave you speechless.” The Examiner, “SXSW Film Festival Recap: The Top 10 Films.” Read the article here.
The Boy is “...a truly American sociopath. ...hauntingly powerful and disturbing.” Cinapse. “American Sociopath, The Early Years.” Read the review here.
“Slow burning but explosively rewarding, The Boy is like the great unmade redneck prequel to The Good Son.” Silver Screen Riot. Read the review here.
“We hope these people took extreme care guiding young actor Jarod Breeze to engage in the story’s dark designs.” The Austin Chronicle. Read there review here.
April 14, 2015
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Entertainment Weekly is all about THE BOY
Entertainment Weekly unveiled THE BOY's poster for SXSW! Check out the awesome interview with Craig Macneill here!
March 3, 2015
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SXSW screening times for THE BOY
We officially have our screening times and venue locations for THE BOY at this year's SXSW Film Festival. You know you want to come.
See you in Austin!
Saturday, March 14th, 3:45pm, Alamo Ritz
Sunday, March 15th, 7:00pm, Rollins Theatre at Long Center
Thursday, March 19th, 10pm, Alamo Lamar B
For THE BOY on the SXSW website, click here: http://bit.ly/16eX9dg
February 19, 2015
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Screening of Henley + The Boy & Q/A w/ Craig Macneill!
Hey, Berkeley! Look who's coming your way… Craig Macneill, the director of THE BOY, will be screening clips and taking your questions… You should totally go!
From the UC Berkeley website:
What better way to celebrate Friday the 13th than with a seriously killer trifecta of entertainment? Track the rise of a serial killer with a screening of the short “Henley” (premiered at Sundance 2012), clips of “The Boy” (upcoming film, one of Elijah Wood’s creative projects), and a Q & A with director Craig Macneill. There will be blood- and ~*free pizza*~!
***EVENT DETAILS***
Date: February 13th
Time: Doors at 7:00 pm, screening at 7:30 pm; first-come, first-served seating (capacity 70)
Location: 213 Wheeler
1. Screening of “Henley”
The 10-minute short is directed by Craig Macneill and involves a young boy whose ambition of saving money leads him to somewhat innocently do, er, unusual~ things. It’s based on the chapter “The Henley Road Motel” from the acclaimed novel “Miss Corpus.” Check out a clip here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQh1VaV2ZgA
2. Clips from “The Boy”
Directed by Macneill, “The Boy” is the first film in an upcoming serial-killer trilogy and promises to be one one of the scariest movies you’ll ever see. The trilogy is aimed at tracking the childhood of a future serial killer, depicting the character at ages 9, 14 and 18 and ending with his transformation into a mass murderer.
3. Q&A with Craig Macneill, director of “Henley” and “The Boy”
Craig Macneill will be discussing “The Boy,” produced by Chiller Films and SpectreVision (Principles: Elijah Wood, Daniel Noah and Josh Waller) .
February 12, 2015
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10 Exciting SXSW Movies You’re Going To Be Hearing A Ton About
Super special thanks to Cinema Blend for adding our feature film THE BOY to their awesome list “10 Exciting SXSW Movies You're Going To Be Hearing A Ton About.” The pressure is on now!
To read the list, click here: http://bit.ly/1A5XGfL
February 9, 2015
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THE BOY at SXSW 2015!
It's official… Our feature film THE BOY will have its world premiere in competition at the 2015 SXSW Film Festival. Austin, here we come!
THE BOY
Director: Craig Macneill, Screenwriters: Craig Macneill, Clay McLeod Chapman
THE BOY is an intimate portrait of a 9-year-old sociopath's growing fascination with death. Cast: David Morse, Rainn Wilson, Jared Breeze, Bill Sage, Mike Vogel, Zuleikha Robinson, Aiden Lovekamp. (World Premiere)
For more, visit the SXSW site: http://bit.ly/16eX9dg
February 3, 2015
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Inside the Writers House
I'm coming for you, Jersey…
January 28, 2015
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Don’t EARWIG OUT!
The word is out… POP! Vertigo just announced the first issue of their upcoming quarterly anthology: SFX. Lo and behold, I'll have a comic in it titled EARWIG OUT. Here's what Vertigo has to say: “Comics luminaries will converge with the next generation of talent as they interpret four different sound effects, leading to mind-bending innovations in story and art.”
I'm down. For more info, click here: http://bit.ly/1Bt9DJI
To order your own copy through the always awesome Midtown Comics, click here: http://bit.ly/1BtbxtC
January 27, 2015
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Time Out NY gets SEASICK!
Time Out NY just called me a “horror-drunk storytelling virtuoso master idiot” and I couldn't be happier. FOUR STARS! We're a CRITIC'S PICK! The Pumpkin Pie Show: Seasick “is thoroughly marvelous and gross and peculiar, not to mention a cause for huge, unbecoming snorts of laughter.”
To read the full review, click here: bit.ly/1nbLELI
Get your tickets now now now!
October 21, 2014
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Midtown Comics Podcast!
I was invited on the Midtown Comics Podcast last week to chat about my upcoming issue of Edge of Spider-Verse #4. Shout outs to Ellie Pyle and Elia 骨 Bonetti for helping create the creepiest Spider-Man yet! Out this Wednesday!
You can listen to the podcast here: http://bit.ly/1rzeE0c
September 29, 2014
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“A deeply eerie and evocative portrayal of what it's like to stare into the abyss and find something there waiting for you. A memorable, disquieting ghost story about stories, rendered inside a Möbius strip.”
— Kirkus
