Strange Things Happen at Sundown (2003) (V)

Director:

Marc Fratto

Writers:

Steve Gonzalez (co-story)
Marc Fratto (co-story)
(more)

Release Date:

30 November 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Action | Comedy

Tagline:

The Sickest Bloodsuckers

Plot:

What happens when normal people find they need to kill, in order to survive? This is the story of such a group of people...

Plot Keywords:

Vampire | Born Again Christian | Mobster | Blood | Mini Skirt

Cast

J. Scott Green	...	Marcel
Masha Sapron	...	Narrator
Jocasta Bryan	...	Amy
Joseph DeVito	...	Jimmy Fangs
Joshua Nelson	...	Joey the Butcher
Shannon Moore	...	Annabelle
Melissa R. Bacelar	...	Vicky (as Melissa Bacelar)
Livia Llewellyn	...	June
Giovanni DeMarco	...	Nicky the Tooth
Steve Gonzalez	...	The Reaper
Gina Ramsden	...	Cynthia
Michael Massimino	...	Paulie Hands (as Mike Massimino)
Robert M. Lemkowitz	...	The Reaper (voice)
Kenny Kauderer	...	Smooth
Sal Verderame	...	Fat Frankie
Nikki Bohannon	...	Annette
Tom Scarola	...	Jonathan
Tracy Campoli	...	Jimmy's scumbag employee #1
Benjamin Bauman	...	Jimmy's scumbag employee #2
Vera Vanguard	...	Nicky's psycho girlfriend
Jasi Cotton Lanier	...	Bloodsucking nurse
Talya Matia	...	Woman writhing on hallway floor
S.A. Sebastian Gnolfo	...	Dude in silver shorts
Spike	...	Gratuitous naked chick
Jason Adams	...	Christopher
Nicholas Nace	...	Hippie
Meredith Faltin	...	Girl on operating table
Joseph Anthony	...	Micky Balls
Jacqueline Van Bierk	...	Pink haired goth chick
Patrick Welsh	...	Spear in ass guy
Justine Bone	...	Orange haired girl
Amy Margaret	...	Convulsing girl / spooky vampire in mask
Susana Baker	...	Big haired victim (as Susana Jelenic)
Katherine Petty	...	Woman writhing in pool of blood
Delina Scarpone	...	Gut puking hottie
April Martucci	...	Bong packer in red dress
Tony Harry	...	Dreadlocked stoner
Jessica Jolly	...	Violently convulsing stoner girl
Jenny Greeman	...	IV Girl
Brenda Kate	...	Writhing, disemboweled girl (as Brenda Partello)
Yamil Vargis	...	Convulsing guy in hallway
Stephanie Sine	...	Zombie in catholic school outfit
Krista Rayne Reckner	...	Frothing girl in miniskirt (as Krista Rayne)
Joseph Anthony	...	The Reaper's face
Sabrina Miller	...	Blonde girl writhing in agony (dream sequence)
Rani Free	...	Narrator's victim 1 (in flashback)
Talya Mirkin	...	Narrator's victim 2 (in flashback)
Tom Wendling	...	Quiet Zombie
Karis Emmachild	...	Squirming victim on attic floor
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Matt Backman	...	Panty clad girl's boyfriend
Chris Balleste	...	Screaming guy with face wounds
Kelli Barksdale	...	Stoner on couch
Sarah Ellenore Carl	...	Writhing woman in dress
Christopher	...	Himself (Cameo)
Andrew Dantonio	...	Gawky pedestrian
Kurt Fitzpatrick	...	Stoner on Couch
Isabelle Flachsmann	...	Screamer on couch
Rosie Gioia	...	Abducted girl in street
Laura Hofrichter	...	Blonde victim in kitchen
Marc Hofrichter	...	Flopping dude in kitchen
Rabe Hong	...	Projectile vomit girl
Nalina Mann	...	Freaked out zombie
Natalie Ostapiak	...	Leather clad zombie
Amber Paul	...	Screaming Girl on Porch
Jack Reiling	...	Screaming Man / Attic Vampire
Stacia Swan	...	Convulsing woman in dream squence
Elaine Tuttle	...	Back up singer
Angela Ward	...	Panty clad girl
Ben Wilson	...	Narrator's husband (John)
Kelli Wilson	...	Victim in attic
Kim Sky	...	Screaming victim (uncredited)

Directed by
Marc Fratto

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Marc Fratto		co-story
Marc Fratto		screenplay
Steve Gonzalez		co-story

Produced by
Marc Fratto	....	co-producer
Frank Garfi	....	co-producer
Steve Gonzalez	....	co-producer
Brandi Metaxas	....	producer

Original Music by
Marc Fratto
Frank Garfi

Cinematography by
Marc Fratto

Film Editing by
Marc Fratto

Costume Design by
Brandi Metaxas

Makeup Department
Catherine Sparsidis	....	key makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Andrew Dantonio	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Frank Garfi	....	boom operator
Frank Garfi	....	sound designer
Frank Garfi	....	sound mixer
Frank Garfi	....	sound re-recording mixer
Frank Garfi	....	sound recordist

Special Effects by
Marc Fratto	....	special effects

Stunts
Frank Garfi	....	stunt driver
Jeff Schelero	....	stunt driver

Camera and Electrical Department
Pat Bocchino	....	grip
Ron Forte	....	grip
Jerry Holder	....	grip
Kelly McCann	....	grip
Stefano Montanari	....	key grip

Music Department
Christopher	....	composer: song "Nokturne"

Production Companies

• Insane-O-Rama Productions

Distributors

• Brain Damage Films (USA)
• Maxim Media International (2003) (worldwide) (all media)
• Mill Creek Entertainment (2010) (USA) (DVD)
• Starmedia Home Entertainment (2005) (Germany) (DVD)

Runtime:

USA:135 min | Germany:115 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

USA:Unrated | USA:R (special edition) | Germany:18 | UK:18

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Insane-O-Rama Productions

Trivia:

The Reaper, and his wife, June, are supposed to be a modern day Vlad the Impaler, and Elizabeth Bathory.

Quotes:

Marcel:[staring at a convulsing victim] I love it when they flop around like that.

Modern Vampire Masterpiece

I would imagine a lot of you are like me, and are pretty sickened and disgusted by the latest wave of Vampires, with Twilight, and whatnot. So, for anyone too old, or just too smart for the latest Vamp-craze, and for anyone who was already bored with everything from the original Dracula to Blade, well, there is light, make that darkness at the end of the tunnel.

Strange Things Happen At Sundown is by far the best case I've ever seen of a director thinking outside the box, as far as Vampire cinema goes. A true love for the sub-genre is evident. At first I wasn't sure about this one considering I'm not a huge fan of Mafia movies, but the Vampire goodfellas (goodfangs) actually kinda work.

The movie doesn't focus on any one situation for too long, which makes it impossible to get bored. Instead, Strange Things takes us from the mafia guys to a couple of young Vampires who ripped them off (Marcel and Amy) And we are also let in on the disturbing world of the reaper, who has been hired to find and kill them.

Marcel has only been a Vampire for a few years, and "the kill" is what he lives for. Torturing, killing, drinking blood, and even eating flesh. Amy, on the other hand, isn't much of a Vampire. She can't even figure out how to make her fangs come out. Amy's lack of callousness, and signs of sympathy for those her any Marcel slaughter puts a real strain of there relationship.

Marcel is now devoid of all humanity, and Amy, scared and insecure, is starting to have doubts about this whole Vampire thing. These 2 just better hope the reaper doesn't catch up to them, because this is one Vampire who is not above killing one of his own, although, his problems with the wife might complicate things. And as for the goodfangs, well, they got bigger fish to fry, like, for example, the human race.

The Vampires in this movie not only need human blood to survive, but they just flat-out need to torture and kill to maintain peace of mind. A quality which adds to the mean-spirited tone, and makes Vampires seem like something that could actually exist. Besides being gory, and completely awesome, Strange Things Happen At Sundown is also quite interesting. Exploring what goes on in the minds of these creatures. The differences between the mentality of someone like Amy, who is still relatively new, and someone like the Reaper, who has been around for thousands of years. It's kinda like HBO's Trueblood, which I consider the only thing good to come out of the latest Vamp-craze. It's movies like this that really give me hope. Not for Vampire flicks, so much as modern B-cinema. Forget all the B-movie stereotypes like comically lousy acting and humiliatingly low budgets. That stuff is wonderful, of course, but this is one you can totally take seriously. And even the extremely well-timed comic relief is just subtle enough not to overshadow the Horror aspect in the very least. Strange Things Happen At Sundown is pure quality Horror. Beautiful, dark Horror. Real Horror for the real Horror fan. And on top of all that, it's also well over two hours. A modern B-Horror epic if there ever was such a thing. So, if the huge budgets and the predictable story lines of safe/normal mainstream Horror makes you yawn, check out Leif Jonker's Darkness or Andy Warhol's Dracula, that is, if you dig gore and weirdness. But for a real example of rare quality B-Horror, and no doubt, a future cult classic, Strange Things Happen At Sundown is a must see. 10/10