Kevin Smith; the man who’s name is synonymous with numerous adolescent comedies (including the hilarious Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, and Dogma); has branched out from his comfortable comedy roots, and created a film that is starkly different to anything he has made before; a rather bleak horror movie based around religious extremism, titled Red State.
Just like with his most popular comedy films, Smith has both written and directed Red State, and even took on the role of editor for the new film; which is partially modeled on the 1975 thriller Race With the Devil (where some unfortunate campers get on the wrong side of some satanic cultists), and described by Kev, as a real “love child”.
Unlike Race With the Devil however, Smith’s movie doesn’t involve satan worshippers, but goes to the other end of the scale, and becomes what he says is “an angel worship movie”; where fundamentalist Christians prove to be every bit as creepy, and dangerous, as devil worshippers; following a preacher based on the real-life leader of the Westboro Baptist Church (the church famous for picketing soldiers funerals, and loudly spouting anti-homosexual rhetoric).
Michael Parks (Kill Bill) is playing the role of the extremist preacher, and heading up a cast that also includes John Goodman (Roseanne), Anna Gunn (Breaking Bad), Melissa Leo (21 Grams), Michael Angarano (Almost Famous), and Stephen Root (Dodgeball), in a film where the majority of the plot still remains largely unknown.
Filming only wrapped on Wednesday, yet Kev has been hard at work editing the picture, and already has a cut that’s practically complete (Smith’s obviously quite proud of the cut, which he says isn’t “some bullshit assembly” but is “fine-cut”), and includes an “end credit sequence that’s not to be believed.”
And not only has Kevin finished editing the movie to what sounds like a pretty high standard, but over at his blog (which where he even made all of the major casting announcements) he has now released the film’s first teaser poster; a poster that was created by Producer’s Assistant Melissa Bloom, and uses some amazing lighting and atmosphere to create an image that’s “moody, weird, and pitch perfect for the tone of the film”, and not only gives Smith’s team “a starting point from which to launch their home-grown marketing campaign”, but an image that’s better than any ad agency could create.
Yet despite the amazingly intriguing concept, the curiosity that arises from wanting to see how Smith tackles the new genre, the strong cast, amazing poster, and clear draw this film will have with not only extreme horror fans, but with casual viewers as well, Red State still lacks a distributor; something Kev undoubtedly hopes will be rectified, after he gets it screened at Sundance, next January (provided it gets accepted by the festival).
