YouTube and Posters

My apologies for not updating in over a week - I've been most busy working on the movie - that and waving glosticks at Sankeys (in case you're curious, photos from that here). There's only three more scheduled nights of filming left now - one for the extended introduction that makes up Caroline Webster's part, a lengthy sequence that takes place in one of Manchester's oldest nightclubs, The Ritz, and finally a re-shoots night involving Sarah Cunningham, Emma Tollefson and Kyle Webster. So we're right on track for that Christmas day release date, if all goes according to plan.

I've updated the YouTube page ready for the teaser trailer that will be arriving on YouTube at some point during the next few days. This will be, for a lot of you, your first glimpse at the movie, so I'll keep you updated on when it's going to arrive. After that, there's going to be plenty of treats arriving on a regular basis, so if you haven't already, bookmark the page or, even better, subscribe to the channel. Click on the above hyperlink or here to go straight through to that page.

Also, over the past week since I last updated you cast member Jenny Brook has moved to Australia. The last I heard, she'd reached Bangkok (which I'm fully aware isn't in Australia - they're making a whistle-stop there for a few days to break up the mammoth flight time) and was having an excellent time.

Finally, I thought you might want to see this... Here's the first look at the draft of the poster for the movie. I'm not entirely sure I'm happy with it yet, but I thought I'd give you a look so you can feedback on it. Get back to me!

Ghost Hunt, Eye Candy and Jessica...

How-do all,

Even though it's two minutes to four, I have to be up in five hours to wrap Jenny Brook's day-time sequence before her big move to Australia on Sunday (sob), I only had approximately four hours sleep last night and I'm off to the opening night of The Warehouse Project tomorrow/tonight, here I am updating you on all the latest goings-on in the Torso universe, as I won't be able to catch up with you until Sunday now. I'm off dancing/drinking/waving glowsticks/fighting/having a fantastic time at Sankey's on Saturday too, you see.

There was something of a cast meeting on Wednesday, as Sarah, Rory and me went out for dinner as one of our pals, Sarah, is visiting from Austria. Whilst eating the sloppiest pizza I've ever eaten in my life (was duck and hoi sin sauce ever really designed for a cheese and tomato base), we managed to plan our final shooting night for Sarah's "library" scene, that you won't have heard mentioned (at least I don't think) so far in the blog (cor, there's far too much use of brackets in this post). Anyway, we've sorted out that night for a few weeks time in Manchester, and we've recruited an extra in the form of Chris Madden, who wanted in on the action when he realised 75% of his pals were in the movie already. I'm not 100% what I'll do with him yet, but we'll squeeze him in somewhere. After all, you can never have too many suspects in a giallo. GOOD TIMES.

Also, Rory proved that this movie has the best eye candy since - hmm, maybe Friday the 13th Part III: 3D (1982) by pulling a variety of lovely poses for the camera.


What a dish.

As for tonight, Jenny and I went out into Preston for a "historic murders" walk around the city sorta thing, which was kind-of like Most Haunted but less inside places and more in doorways. We found out some delightful horror stories about the town - including the Prestonian version of Bloody Mary, 'Bannister Doll' (GREAT name) - and that someone stabbed their husband to death in Naseeb's Tandoori House in 1906. I was paying more attention to the architecture in the town centre, and I'm desperate to get a shot of The Harris Museum in the movie (see left). Lit up at night, it really reminds me of the piazza where the blind fellow gets eaten alive by his guide-dog in Suspiria (1977)

Speaking of Dario, more on La Terza Madre (2008), which I checked out last weekend, coming up in the next couple of posts. Also, I've recently caught Let's Scare Jessica to Death (1971) and Che Sei? (1974) - opinions/general thoughts/inspirations are not too far away.

Anyway, it's 4.20 now, and I'm going to have Jenny knocking on my door wanting to wrap her scenes (after I've claimed the past four shooting sessions would be the FINAL shooting session) at 10am, so I best make tracks to bed.

Expect a similar incoherent, rambling post when I'm in my hungover state on Sunday. I've discovered some scenes I shot for the movie I'd almost forgotten about so I'll be filling you in on how they look then.


Just as a goodnight treat, here's another behind-the-scenes photo you might like. Shame they're not on reels... yet!

Eye Eye!

As we get ever closer to finishing, trying to keep the blog spoiler free is proving harder and harder. If you want it to remain spoiler free DON'T READ ANYMORE of this post. For those of you that just can't wait until Christmas, here's a couple of snaps from the final shooting night with Jenny that reveal a little bit too much about her character's fate, but I couldn't resist showing them to you.

Final Filming Night with Jenny...

I've just seen Jenny home for the last time on a Firefly Media horror movie before her big move to Australia on Sunday. BAD TIMES. However, we just wrapped all of her night-time sequences. GOOD TIMES.

All that remains is one short sequence on location - in Emma's kitchen - on Thursday, before we're off into Preston for a ghost hunt. And who knows when I'll see her after that? SAD TIMES.

Jenny's relationship with the Firefly Media Productions take us right back to the start, back in the days on 8mm cassettes and filming sessions pl high school Monday through Friday. She made her debut in an ill-fated (read: never completed) remake of Amy Jones' feminist slasher classic/tripe The Slumber Party Masacre (1982) back in 2001. Since then, she's been involved in almost every major project - the Christmas themed trailers for Silent Night (2002), which was awarded super high grades for an A-level project; Slashdance (2003) (see poster left), the 80s-themed slasher movie filmed around Runshaw College; last year's YouTube sensation Halloween Redux (2007); and the as-yet unreleased, as-yet untitled romantic drama. Watch this space... it WILL be coming soon!

I'm sad to see her go. There's going to be one less person to terrorize with a kitchen knife next week. If, like me, you can't get enough of Jenny, check out this retrospective I made of her and usual co-star Andrew Hardman, a couple of years back.



No time for tears now though, as Torso's really coming into it's own - we're edging ever closer to finishing and we're right on target for that Christmas day release date. Fingers crossed!

Enter... a Psychosexual Mind

Just before I sign off for the evening, here's another vintage Torso treat for you to peruse. Here's the American one-sheet for the movie's 1974 release by Joseph Bremner Associates. It's pretty rare, but I managed to pick one up on eBay for a small fortune. Are you jealous?

Love that hacksaw motif!

September Barbeque and Cast Exodus

How-do all, just a little update today to let you know what's been going on with the film. A little update because, to be honest, not much. I spent Sunday at Jennifer Brook's house as she, like 90% of the cast of Torso, is emigrating.

Following in the footsteps of Anna Henderson (who moved to Jersey to work for KPMG), Dominic Verdon (who moved to Spain to start his pilot training course) and Martin Blakemore (currently lost somewhere between Quebec and Toronto), Jenny and her boyfriend are moving to Australia. And she's not the only one. Sarah and Rory are moving to the other side of the world next month. Which kind of scuppers a premiere, but makes the concept of an "online" premiere all the more exciting.

Anyway, Jenny threw a goodbye party (see Torso stars Sarah and Kyle Webster above right) to bid us all farewell. Not that it was time to become an emotional wreck just yet - we've still got filming to do tomorrow night.

Which means I have to get all of her scenes edited tonight just in case there's any re-shoots to be getting on with.

Better scoot.

Speak tomorrow.

Vintage Torso Goodies

Oh, whilst I'm here - No goodies from the new movie today; but a treat relating to the original movie instead. I unearthed a blog by the name of Moon in the Gutter which had a collection of lobby cards from the movie. I saved them, tidied them up a bit and uploaded them here, as I thought you might find them interesting. Check out the source at mooninthegutter.blogspot.com. The guy who runs that seems to have similar interests to me - including an unhealthy obsession with Catherine Spaak and Tina Aumont.