“Dissecting Horror” Virtual Panel Series Continues August 19th @ 6 PM (PST) with the Creatives of CRUISER
Josh Millican
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The next installment of the “Dissecting Horror” digital panel series will take place Wednesday, August 19th at 6 pm (PST) and be with the creative talent from Gravitas Venture’s upcoming film Cruiser.
Synopsis:
After murdering a police officer and stealing his patrol car, a mysterious, hulking figure begins a night of carnage and terror in a small Georgia town, pulling over innocent victims until a shocking final confrontation reveals the killer to be even more monstrous than anyone imagined. The mayhem is recorded in a uniquely cinematic found footage style, all captured through police cruiser car cams, cell phones, and surveillance cameras. The footage was edited together to assist in the capture of the perpetrator of these heinous acts.
Panelists include director Randy Ser (All You Need), art director Dustin Fletcher (Goosebumps, Ozark), producer and writer Sam Hensley, Jr. (All You Need), and the film’s star Shuler Hensley (Van Helsing, The OA). It is also worth mentioning that Randy served as the production designer for Sam Raimi’s Darkman, which is now celebrating its 30th anniversary and also won an Emmy award for his production design on Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella starring Whitney Houston. Shuler is also a Tony winner for his role as Jud Fry in Oklahoma!. Dread Central Editor-in-Chief Joshua Millican (that’s me!) will be moderating. Cruiser will be released on VOD August 25th.
“Dissecting Horror” will be streamed on Dread Central’s Facebook page through Facebook Live (as well as other streaming platforms). The panel will also be made available on our official Youtube channel.
Dread Central and Impact24 launched the “Dissecting Horror” digital panel series April 15th with a focus on horror film scores. Panelists included composers Ronen Landa (Dark Sky Film’s 1BR), Devin Burrows (IFC’s The Wretched), Christian Davis (Vertical Entertainment’s Behind You) and Rafaël Leloup (IFC Films’ The Other Lamb).
The second installment of the series took place May 6th and spotlighted the stunts of some of your favorite genre projects. Panelists included Emmy-winning stunt coordinator Hiro Koda (Netflix’s Stranger Things), stunt double and coordinator Jahnel Curfman (Netflix’s Bird Box), stunt coordinator Harry Dakanalis (Universal Pictures’ The Invisible Man) and stunt coordinator and double Jennifer Badger (The WB’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer).
The third panel took place May 27th and focused on effects. Panelists included Heath Hood (special effects coordinator for Universal’s Halloween & Halloween Kills), Marcus Taormina (visual effects supervisor for Netflix’s Bright & Bird Box) and Jeremy Hays (special effects supervisor for Sony Pictures’ Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, Warner Bros. Pictures’ Doctor Sleep) and Jason Piccioni (visual effects supervisor for Hulu’s Castle Rock, FX’s American Horror Story).
The fourth panel on June 17th was centered around LGBTQ+ creatives for pride month. Panelists included John Berardo (writer/director of Dembanger), Carla Patullo (composer of Porno), Paul Etheredge (director of Hellbent) and Chris Crane (production designer for Disappearance at Clifton Hill).
The last panel took place on July 8th and was with the creatives of Followed. Panelists included director Antoine Le, composer Jason Soudah, writer Todd Klick and editor Matthew Brewbaker.
ABOUT THE PANELISTS:
Randy Ser, Director
Randy Ser was born in New York City and raised in Miami, Florida. He attended The Florida State University School of Theater, where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in acting and a Master of Fine Arts degree in directing magna cum laude.
As a director, Ser has staged numerous theatrical productions, including Tennessee Williams’ Suddenly Last Summer, The Frugal Dictum, Zippo Gets a Rub, and a Southeastern touring production of An Evening with Mark Tain, which he co-produced, as well. After moving to Los Angeles, Ser directed in-house productions for Paramount Pictures and served as the second unit director for the pilot episode of NBC’s dramatic series Against the Grain and for a season of the Universal Television/UPN series The Burning Zone.
In 2001, Ser made his feature film directorial debut with All You Need, starring Kellie Martin (ER), Janet Carroll (Risky Business, Force of Nature), and Robert Pine (CHiPS, Independence Day). All You Need won the Best Feature Film prize at the Savannah Film and Video Festival, as well as the Audience Award at the Big Bear Lake International Film Festival. The film also received a commendation at the Prism Awards. Porchlight Entertainment signed on as the worldwide sales agent for All You Need. After a regional theatrical release of the film, the Lifetime Channel bought the cable premiere window as well as an extension for the Lifetime Movie Network.
During his career, Ser has worked on over fifteen feature films and numerous television productions and commercials. He has been active with major studios such as Disney, Universal, and Warner Brothers, as well as independents such as Cannon Films, Roger Corman, and Crown International. Some of his most prominent work has been as production designer for the feature films The Mighty Ducks, Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken, and Darkman. In 1998, Mr. Ser was awarded an Emmy for his production design of The Wonderful World of Disney’s presentation of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella.
Ser production designed the television series My Name is Eral, as well as the hit ABC comedy, The Middle. Ser also directed the 30th Anniversary of The Dukes of Hazzard special. Most recently, Ser directed the second unit on the feature films Dirt and Bennett’s War for Forrest Films and production designed Same Day Next Christmas for ABC.
Ser drew on his experience working with such horror masters as Roger Corman and Sam Raimi and co-produced and directed the low-budget, found-footage horror movie, Cruiser. This movie represents another step in the evolution of the wildly popular found-footage genre and stars Tony-Award winning Broadway and film star Shuler Hensley.
Sam Hensley, Jr., Writer & Producer
Sam Hensley, Jr., resides in Marietta, Georgia, and graduated magna cum laude from Duke University, where he played varsity football and studied creative writing under acclaimed novelist Reynolds Price. Hensley was then awarded the Woodruff Scholarship (a full, academic-based scholarship) to the University of Georgia School of Law, where he graduated cum laude.
Hensley now works as a writer, film producer, and attorney in Atlanta. His first novel, Family Portrait, garnered him a nomination as Georgia Author of the Year by the Georgia Council of Authors and Journalists. Mr. Hensley wrote and co-produced the feature film All You Need, starring Kellie Martin from the NBC Television series ER. All You Need won the Jury Award for Best Feature Film at the Savannah Film and Video Festival, the Audience Award at the Big Bear Lake Film Festival, and a commendation from the Prism Awards. After a regional theatrical release of All You Need, the Lifetime Channel purchased the exclusive cable premiere rights to the film.
Hensley also wrote and produced the 30th Anniversary of The Dukes of Hazzard special.
Most recently, Hensley wrote and produced the low-budget, found footage horror movie, Cruiser, starring his brother, Tony Award-winning Broadway and film star Shuler Hensley. Cruiser was screened at the 2016 Rome, Ga., International Film Festival.
Hensley has several other projects in development, including feature films, scripted episodic televisions shows, podcasts, and a series of documentaries.
In addition to his involvement in the film industry, Mr. Hensley has also been active in politics and civic life. He has served as an intern for former United States Senator Sam Nunn in Washington, D.C., and as campaign manager for his father, former Georgia State Representative Sam Hensley, Sr. He currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of The Georgia Ballet and has served as Chairman of the Board of Kennestone Hospital, part of the WellStar Health System, one of the largest health care systems in the nation.
Shuler Hensley, Star of Cruiser
Shuler Hensley is a multi-award winning star of film, television, and the Broadway stage. He graduated from the Manhattan School of Music with a degree in vocal performance, then earned a Master’s Degree from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.
Shuler’s film credits include the hit musical The Greatest Showman, with his long-time friend Hugh Jackman; the romantic comedy Someone Like You, starring Jackman and Ashley Judd; Van Helsing (also alongside Jackman), in which he played Frankenstein’s Monster; Monday Night Mayhem, in which he played the role of sport’s commentator Keith Jackson in the docu-drama about the early days of Monday Night Football; Odd Thomas, alongside the late Anton Yelchin of Star Trek; Opa!, with Matthew Modine; The Legend of Zorro, alongside Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, directed by Martin Campbell and produced by Steven Speilberg; A Wedding for Bella; and Murder of a President, in which he played President James Garfield for PBS.
Shuler’s TV credits include guest-starring roles in the hit series The O.A. for Netflix; Cartoon Network’s Neon Joe Werewolf Hunter; Shades of Blue with Jennifer Lopez and Ray Liotta; Banshee; The Americans with Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys; Law and Order: Special Victims Unit; Law & Order: Criminal Intent; Barry Levinson’s The Jury; and a recurring role in the NBC comedy series Ed.
Shuler’s professional performing career began on the stage with roles such as Pitkin in On the Town, Joe in The Most Happy Fella, and Miles Gloriosus in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, plus appearances in the Gilbert and Sullivan operettas Pirates of Penzance and Patience.
Shuler then moved to Hamburg, Germany, to play the lead in The Phantom of the Opera. Later, Shuler was cast by Susan Stroman and Trevor Nunn as Jud Fry in London in the National Theatre’s revival of Oklahoma! alongside future X-Men star Hugh Jackman, who became a lifelong friend. Shuler wowed critics and theatre-goers alike for his haunting interpretation of Jud, and he received the coveted Olivier Award– London theatre’s equivalent of the Tony – for Best Supporting Performance in a Musical.
Shuler subsequently made his Broadway debut in November 2000 portraying the relentless Inspector Javert in Les Miserables. In February 2002, the Trevor Nunn version of Oklahoma! was transferred to Broadway, and with it the opportunity for Shuler to reprise his critically acclaimed performance of Jud Fry. Shuler again became a proud award winner, this time of Broadway’s “Triple Crown”– the Tony, the Drama Desk, and the Outer Critics’ Circle.
Shuler has also starred on Broadway in Disney’s Tarzan and Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein, in which he originated the role of The Monster.
Shuler was most recently seen on Broadway in Jez Butterworth’s Tony Award-winning play The Ferryman, directed by Sam Mendes, the director of 1917, Spectre, and Skyfall, and alongside Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, and Billy Crudup in Waiting for Godot and No Man’s Land.
Shuler also played the lead in the horror rock musical, Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, written by Stephen King, with music by John Mellencamp and musical direction by blues legend T-Bone Burnett. The show debuted at Atlanta’s Alliance Theater.
Off-Broadway, Shuler has starred in The Whale, for which he received the Lucille Lortel and Obie Awards, as well as OCC, Drama League, and Drama Desk nominations (his role was named “Stage Performance of the Year” by New York Magazine); Sweet and Sad (Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Ensemble); That Hopey Changey Thing; and The Great American Trailer Park Musical; and Sweet Charity, along with Sutton Foster.
Shuler has performed in operas and with symphony orchestras throughout the United States, including the New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Detroit Symphony and the New World Symphony. He has played leading roles in operas such as Don Giovanni, La Bohemme, and The Magic Flute.
Shuler is also the annual host of the Georgia High School Musical Theater Awards, known as the Shuler Awards. He is currently the Associate Artistic Director at City Springs Theatre Company, and on the founding advisory board for the new Musical Theatre Program at The Manhattan School of Music.
Shuler co-produced and starred in the found-footage horror movie, Cruiser, in which he plays a mysterious killer who, not coincidentally, sings opera.
Dustin Fletcher, Art Director
Dustin Fletcher is a Specialty Costumer for film and television focusing on the superhero and horror genres. His credits include Avengers: Infinity War, Endgame, Captain America: Civil War, Constantine, Goosebumps, Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Powers, The Walking Dead, Venom, Black Lightning, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Lovecraft Country and More. He is also the Co-Creator and Co-DM of the hit weekly streaming show, D4, a 5th Edition Dungeons and Dragons Actual Play produced by RockPunch and partnered with Wizard of the Coast.
About Impact24 PR:
Impact24 PR is dedicated to capturing the spotlight for the talent behind-the-camera and behind-the-curtain. From Hollywood to Broadway and beyond, our agency offers a full range of services including public relations strategies, media outreach, social networking, awards campaigns and event programming.
Based in Los Angeles, we are a team of passionate and experienced communications experts who shape and define the public profiles of many of the industry’s leading creative artists, including composers, directors, costume designers, cinematographers, production designers, music supervisors, makeup artists, VFX, VR/AR and more.
We pride ourselves on strategically elevating each client’s personal and professional brand in alignment with their objectives, identity and persona. With thousands of print publications, millions of blogs and billions of social media interactions, we guide our clients through the complex world of entertainment with an effective, positive and results-driven approach.
Are you excited to tune in to our “Dissecting Horror” Cruiser Panel next Wednesday, August 19th at 6 pm (PST)? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram! You can also carry on the convo with me personally on Twitter @josh_millican.
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