Cinefear

 

 

 

Major congrats to me today. For the past ten years I've been working on the screenplay for Rasputin on Campus, a film that I formulated in my head back in college in the late 80's. I had borrowed a video tape of Rasputin- The Mad Monk from Howard Carson, one of the co-owners of the Magic Shop in Hicksville. He was also one of the earliest guys to boot Hammer films from 16mm transfers. Anyhow, I loved the film so much that I dreamed up an opening and an ending for a film to be called Rasputin on Campus. Long story short, a revived Rasputin becomes a history teacher on a New England college campus circa 1950's. 

 

In 2010, I shot a promotional trailer for the film (it's on Facebook under my videos, it's on YouTube and it's on the current DVD re-releases of Bloody Ape and Blitzkrieg. It's also on this blog site). At that point, I started writing the film. Then Christina and I found ourselves on the run, we were losing the apartment we had and decided it was house time, no more renting. Needless to say, the screenplay took a back seat. Once we found a house and moved in, I tried picking up the screenplay again and suddenly it was "house fix up time"...screenplay took a back seat. On top of that, I had to up my game with teaching and presentations, so my spare time went bye bye.

 

Now, in the past year or so some breathing room started to happen. Christina challenged me this Winter to complete the screenplay by March. I did. I finished it yesterday. I love to write, but I'm often distracted. Bloody Ape was written by both myself and George Reis. We actually wrote it as we shot it. A very pleasant experience. Blitzkrieg I wrote myself, took over a year to complete. Felt like work. Of the fourth coming Three Slices of Delirium, Christina and I co-wrote two stories together, I wrote the third. Very pleasant. Rasputin on Campus was all me, I always had the opening and closing in my head, but the middle was murder. Hence a screenplay ten years in the making. 

 

Both Three Slices of Delirium and Rasputin on Campus are period pieces. They would be expensive to make. Christina and I do have an 'ace in the hole" screenplay we are going to co-write this Summer, that one should be able to be done on nothing. Always have a back up. And going forward, drumming up funds for Three Slices and Rasputin. It's a long, long road!