Automaton Transfusion (2006)

Director:

Steven C. Miller

Writer:

Steven C. Miller

Release Date:

19 May 2008 (UK)

Genre:

Action | Horror

Tagline:

Blood...Will...Run

Plot:

Three teens find themselves in a town over run with zombies. Deciding to fight back, they go on a punch you in the throat, action packed, non stop ride through the city, woods, and schools.

Plot Keywords:

High School | Survival Horror | Gore | Bare Breasts | Cliffhanger

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Garrett Jones	...	Chris
Juliet Reeves	...	Jackie
William Howard Bowman	...	Scott
Rowan Bousaid	...	Tim
Ashley Elizabeth Pierce	...	Simone
Kendra Farner	...	Melissa
Joel Hebner	...	Lance
Kevin J. O'Neill	...	Dr. Swartz
John Youmans	...	The Bartender
Larry Miller	...	Lee
Jeff Denton	...	Jon
Chris Shepardson	...	Charles (as Chris Nice)
Jason Brague	...	Matty
Steven C. Miller	...	Professor Latt (as Steven Miller Sr.)
Timothy Miller	...	Brad
Kyle Safieh	...	Morgue Zombie
Rita Manyette	...	Matty's Zombie Mom
Hilary Clevinger	...	Mustang Zombie
Tyler Ross	...	Jaw Ripper Zombie
Ariel Lazarus	...	Christine - Limbs Ripped Off Girl
Annabelle Howard	...	Head Ripped Off Girl
Sara 'Swany' Swan	...	Fetus Girl
Brad Carlson	...	Couch Guy #1 / Lake Zombie
Channing 'Deebo' Robinson	...	Couch Guy #2 / Mourge Soldier
Odell Wharton	...	Hallway Gas Mask Soldier
Tom Anderson	...	Hallway Gas Mask Soldier
William Clevinger	...	Hallway Gas Mask Soldier
Valensky Sylvain	...	Big Dawg
Michael Jamaal Nelson	...	Zombie
Chele André	...	Student
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ralph Cahill	...	Red Headed Zombie
Ria Gonzalez	...	Long Locks Zombie
Andrew Blood	...	Zombie with earrings (uncredited)
Colin Bowman	...	Alley Zombie (uncredited)
Ryan Cimino	...	Featured Zombie (uncredited)
Michelle Dion	...	High School Student (uncredited)
Wael Georgey	...	Ball Player Zombie (uncredited)
Amy Lyn Howell	...	Burnt Zombie (uncredited)
Megan Jones	...	Zombie (voice) (uncredited)
Lydia Joyner	...	Featured Zombie (uncredited)
Todd Justin	...	Bald Zombie (uncredited)
Bettye Keefer	...	Zombie Woman (uncredited)
John Archer Lundgren	...	Zombie Guy (uncredited)
Kenneth Matthews	...	Creepy Guy (uncredited)
Michael Munro	...	Zombie Man (uncredited)
Alexie Schauerte	...	Featured Zombie (uncredited)

Directed by
Steven C. Miller

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Steven C. Miller

Produced by
Kurt Anderson	....	executive producer
Todd Casey	....	co-producer
Geoffrey James Clark	....	producer
William Clevinger	....	producer
Aaron Fiehn	....	executive producer
Adam Goldworm	....	executive producer
Joel Hebner	....	associate producer
Nathan Marks	....	co-producer
Jeremy McCormick	....	producer
Javier Ortiz	....	associate producer
Kyle Safieh	....	associate producer
Jovoan Sanders	....	co-executive producer
Mark Thalman	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Jamey Scott

Cinematography by
Jeff Dolen

Film Editing by
Steven C. Miller

Casting by
Rita Manyette

Production Design by
Jerry Eller

Art Direction by
Jerry Eller

Costume Design by
Melissa McCoy

Makeup Department
Teri Bledsoe	....	special makeup effects artist
Sabrina Conn	....	special makeup effects artist
Oz DeShaw	....	special makeup effects artist
Rick Gonzales	....	makeup department head
Jenn Hall	....	special makeup effects artist
Dano Needhammer	....	special makeup effects artist
Vee Robles	....	special makeup effects artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Rob Hugel	....	second second assistant director
Nathan Marks	....	first assistant director
Kyle Safieh	....	second unit director
Kristin Wemlinger	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Adam Baker	....	art department
Yessenia Gonzalez	....	art department
Keith Norstein	....	art department
Douglas Rowland II	....	art department
Kenneth Scruggs	....	art department
Josh Williams	....	art department

Sound Department
Jeremy Butler	....	sound effects editor
Jeremy Butler	....	sound re-recording mixer
Matthew DeYoung	....	boom operator
Ryan Dodson	....	boom operator
Ryan Dodson	....	sound mixer
Jamey Scott	....	adr recordist
Jamey Scott	....	foley artist
Jamey Scott	....	sound designer
Jamey Scott	....	sound mixer

Special Effects by
Oz DeShaw	....	mechanical effects
Oz DeShaw	....	special effects crew
Rick Gonzales	....	special effects makeup
Rick Gonzales	....	special effects technician
Jenn Hall	....	special effects crew
Dano Needhammer	....	special effects crew
Vee Robles	....	special effects crew

Camera and Electrical Department
Jonathan Austin	....	third camera operator
Nahod Bjelic	....	grip
Andrew Blood	....	grip
Lawles Bourque	....	director of photography: third unit
Sean Brown	....	second assistant camera
Chris Garofalo	....	director of photography: second unit
Axel Llorens	....	key grip
Alex Martin	....	electrician
Kristopher Olds	....	grip
Christina Ortiz	....	first assistant camera
Wilson Quiroz	....	dolly grip
Wilson Quiroz	....	grip
Benjamin Rabbers	....	third electrician
Douglas Rowland II	....	grip
Aaron Schnobrich	....	lighting designer
Benjie Solorzano	....	second assistant camera: second unit
Sara 'Swany' Swan	....	still photographer
Mark Thalman	....	camera operator
Adrian Thomas	....	best boy grip (as Thomas R. Adrian)
Randy Valdes	....	best boy electric
Maynard Williams	....	grip

Other crew
Elena Barrio	....	production assistant
Shannon Cooney	....	production assistant
Matthew DeYoung	....	production assistant
Rich Diamond	....	production assistant
Jason Hinds	....	caterer
Janie Johnson	....	production assistant
Ana Lanzas	....	production assistant
Emily Lescynski	....	caterer
Kate Luebbert	....	production assistant
Rafael Meija	....	production assistant
Steven Morgan	....	production assistant
Kim Muirhead	....	production assistant
Erik Nickerson	....	title designer: main titles
Josh Overland	....	production coordinator
L.J. Sollberger	....	script supervisor
Ben States	....	epk director
Brandon Steele	....	production assistant
Mario Webley	....	production assistant
Jamie Williams	....	production assistant
Daniel Krone	....	production assistant (uncredited)

Thanks
Sam Eigen	....	special thanks
Andrew Lee Hendren	....	special thanks
George Hobbs	....	special thanks
Brandon Paine	....	special thanks
Brian Sweet	....	special thanks
Edmond Vinh To	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Through the Heart

Distributors

• Weinstein Company, The (2007) (USA) (all media)
• Dimension Extreme (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Genius Products (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Dimension Films (2007) (USA) (all media)
• Elephant Films (2009) (France) (DVD)
• Filmfreak Distributie (2010) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Momentum Pictures (2008) (UK) (all media)
• Pinnacle Films (2011) (Australia) (DVD) (as "Zombie Transfusion")
• Sunfilm Entertainment (2009) (Germany) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Rick Gonzales Studios

Other Companies

• Alexander, Nau, Lawrence, Frumes & Labowitz  legal
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  dollies
• Dramatic Audio Post  post-production facilities
• Dramatic Audio Post  sound post-production
• Dramatic Audio Post  sound re-recording
• Full Sail Real World Education  grip and lighting equipment
• Hollywood Rentals Productions Services  grip and lighting equipment
• Indie Rentals  camera equipment provided by
• Last Stage Out of Town  grip and lighting equipment
• Martini Shot Casting Co.  casting

Also Known As:

Runtime:

75 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | UK:18 | Netherlands:16 | Australia:MA15+ (2011)

Filming Locations:

Florida, USA

Company:

Through the Heart

Trivia:

Automaton was first made as only a Trailer by Steven C Miller while still in school.

Movie Connections:

References Evil Dead II (1987)

I don't even know where to begin...

I can only think of very few good things to say about this movie. The best way to sum it up is that it's a low-budget zombie horror flick. Don't go in expecting anything more. In fact, the lower you set your expectations, the better off you are. Honestly, this movie was such poor quality I had a hard time sitting through it. The filmmakers seem like they were out to have a good time when they shot this, but the end result is barely tolerable. The movie is barely 75 minutes long, but it felt like it took FOREVER to watch.

The list of what makes this movie near-unwatchable is long, so I'll try to keep this somewhat brief. The first thing I noticed about this movie was the picture quality. I don't know how best to describe it other than saying it looked as if they took a frame or two out every couple seconds. Motion in the movie seemed to have a jerky, stop-n-go feel to it that got old real fast.

On top of the odd choppy visuals, the movie appeared to be shot nearly all hand-held and, therefore, most of the best action was undecipherable. You can barely tell what exactly is going on in some of the zombie attacks. I think the biggest example occurs later in the movie when the protagonists are running through the woods with their newly-acquired weapons, the zombies attack and everything gets shaky. Next thing you know, one of the protagonists is in a car with someone who wasn't there before and they drive off. Moments later, everything goes shaky again the the two of them fall from the sky into a lake. WTF, mate? How did they maneuver from Point A to Point B here....?

The film suffers from the usual low-budget horror issues: terrible continuity, poor acting, horrendous dialogue, a mediocre story, and plot holes the size of the the Grand Canyon. And another thing: what's the deal with the title of this movie? I can't understand how it makes any sort of sense, at all. It's odd when someone asks what you're watching, you answer "Automaton Transfusion", and their eyes glaze over in confusion. Is it a medical documentary? Does it have some to do with machines? No, it's a zombie movie. Bah?

There is one decent quality to this entire film: the gore effects. They weren't spectacular, but they were pretty good for the meager budget they were working with. Rick Gonzalez did a fantastic job with some of the feasting and attack scenes in this movie. Honestly, if you can overlook the other issues with this movie, it's worth at least one watch-through to check out some of the effects.

One final thing (and this is more of a WTF question): after all hell breaks loose at the house party, why did the one blonde chick climb into her CONVERTIBLE and pause to think, as if "Ahhh...a moment of piece of gather my thoughts...". It's not as if the car has windows, a roof, anything to SLOW DOWN an attacking zombie and give her a moment to drive away. All it has to do is CLIMB OVER THE BACK SEAT. Seriouly....come on....