Exclusive First-Look Photos and More for The Ghosts of Garip

Debi Moore   |  

Jun 13, 2016

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If you’ve been reading the site for a while, you may recall hearing about a film called Jacob (review) a few years back, which Mr. Dark was pretty high on.  The writer/director and co-star of that film, Larry Wade Carrell, got in touch to share the news about his latest project, The Ghosts of Garip; and we’re thrilled to present some exclusive photos, the sales trailer, poster art, and a travelogue of sorts provided by Carrell.

The loquacious actor discusses his experiences on set, what it was like traveling to Turkey from Texas, working with an international cast and crew, and shooting in the actual location believed to be the final resting place of Vlad the Impaler.  The images below include a mix of behind-the-scenes photos, production stills, and screencaps from the movie.

Carrell begins, “So these three guys, a Cuban, a Texan, and a Scot, walk into a restaurant in Istanbul with a beautiful Ukrainian woman… Sounds like the beginning of a joke, but it is not. I am describing the international cast of FBR Productions’ latest feature, The Ghosts of Garip… As an actor from Texas and the only American on the production, I wanted to share this experience with Dread Central as well as an exclusive first look at the film.”

Establishing shot of Istanbul; all photos by FBR Productions ©2016

Things didn’t start off totally rosy for the actor; upon learning The Ghosts of Garip would incorporate found footage, “my heart sank a bit. I mean, does the world really need another found footage movie? Personally I am not a big fan of found footage movies. Most of them are poop with a few exceptions: Cloverfield; Trollhunter; As Above, So Below…” But upon learning more, he quickly changed his mind.

“Researchers had recently uncovered a secret tunnel and two dungeons beneath Tokat Castle in northern Turkey, where Vlad the Impaler (aka Dracula) was believed to have been imprisoned in the mid-1400s. They also had unearthed some human remains that they believe to be… yep, you guessed it.”

Carrell continues, “Loris Curci, my good friend and a producer of the film, let me know the production had made arrangements to shoot there in Turkey at these actual locations. I thought to myself, ‘Vampire movie… cool. Vampire movie actually shot in Romania, Istanbul, and the tunnels and dungeons of Tokat Castle where the remains of the man the world would come to know as Dracula were just found… moving past cool into awesome!”

“Then he tells me that the director of this movie is Chilean director Patricio Valladares. Here is where I slipped past ‘awesome’ into a full-on state of ‘FUCK YEAH!’ Loris told me that what he and Patricio had planned was a ‘hybrid.’ A movie that would be shot in Patricio’s style, but seamlessly intercut with the found footage elements as they were occurring. And he was putting together an amazing team casting-wise [more on that below] so I was like, ‘Hells to the YES! Count me in!'”

Director Patricio Valladares

Excitement aside, it was going to be a different shoot than what Larry was used to as he would be living in Turkey for about a month. His expectation was being in “a small city in the desert with buildings made of clay and locals wrapped in light-colored robes and turbans, much like the market scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark. I could not have been more wrong. What I found there was one of the most beautiful and interesting places in the entire world. A city bristling with 14 million people… Almost instantly I was seduced by Istanbul’s charm. I felt as if I had stepped into a living storybook where anything was possible… One of my concerns about working in Turkey was the language barrier, which turned out to barely be a factor at all. Most of the department heads spoke English, and honestly, a film set is a film set. Things work the same no matter where you are or what you call them.”

“I have to say that shooting in Turkey really made an impact on this movie… Sometimes when you are shooting a horror movie, as an actor you have to work really hard at it to play ‘scared’ and make it look real. But shooting in the tunnels underneath Tokat Castle, deep inside the earth in an old and forgotten dungeon… it affects you. When Patricio would call ‘action’ and the lights would go out, the fear came easy and at times was totally real. I believe that is one of the factors that is going to make this movie rock… that and the fact that the end delivers a chilling and gruesome climax! Most found footage flicks do not.”

L-R: Gianni Capaldi as John, Laia Gonzàlez as Ana, Guillermo Iván as Carlos, Natalie Burn as Bella

In closing, Carrell states, “Shooting in Turkey with FBR Productions has been one of the best experiences of my life. I got to spend a month in one of the most beautiful and magical places in the world, and I traveled to and shot in places most people will only ever read about or see in a movie. Best of all, I got to work with a group of passionate and talented people that I can now call friends, and we were doing what we all love, which is making movies. So go to Turkey, make a movie, and watch for The Ghosts of Garip coming soon!”

Natalie Burn (The Mechanic 2, The Expendables 3), Gianni Capaldi (Wicked Within), Guillermo Ivan (Vantage Point), Selma Ergec (The Magnificent Century), Selim Bayraktar (The Magnificent Century), and Larry Wade Carrell (Jacob, She Rises) star in The Ghosts of Garip, in which a small documentary crew that is doing a story on Vlad The Impaler gets mixed up with a secret cult that lures them to their demise. Patricio Valladares (Hidden in the Woods) directs from a script by Barry Keating with story by Loris Curci.

Our thanks to Larry for all the goodies! We should have lots more for you shortly so stay tuned.

Synopsis:
World-renowned documentary filmmaker John Gillespie (Capaldi) and his team of filmmakers are in Romania shooting a docu-film about Vlad Tepes, the Romanian emperor known as Vlad the Impaler, when they learn about the recent discovery of 600-year-old human remains in the tunnels under Tokat Castle. These remains are believed to be that of Vlad Tepes. Quickly they re-route their course, flying into Istanbul to meet these researchers and travel to the newly discovered gravesite. Along the way they learn of a local legend about missing children believed to have been abducted and brutally sacrificed in a village not too far from Istanbul, apparently the very same place where Vlad had been kept prisoner prior to his death. This lures them to the town of Garip and into the secret tunnels where they learn the real truth about The Ghosts of Garip.

Selim Bayraktar as Ali

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