Exclusive Stills and More! Filmmaker Peter Dukes Talks Little Reaper
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It’s no secret that we here at Dread Central are stalwart supporters of indie filmmakers so it’s a pleasure to bring you a first look at Peter Dukes’ engaging horror-comedy short Little Reaper as well as some exclusive stills, a poster, and word on his next project.
Written, directed and produced by Dukes, the film, a project by Dream Seekers Productions, stars Athena Baumeister in the titular role as the Grim Reaper’s (actor John Paul Ouvrier) teenage daughter, who when tasked with handling her patriarch’s daily duties, comes up rather short and with some rather amusing results. Actors John Michael Herndon, Katharine Stapleton, Allisyn Ashley Arm (of Disney channel fame), Katy Townsend and Sorsha Morava round out the cast.
“Death is a common theme in my work,” said Dukes of Little Reaper, which he funded with additional financing from Little Reaper executive producer Danny Derakhshan and associate producers Melissa Cottingham, Shane and Colin Mehigan and Justin Castillo.
“Not in any kind of macabre way, but it’s just something that I think about often,” continued Dukes of his approach to the short, “like a big clock ticking over our heads throughout life. So, it was only a matter of time before I took on the (subject of the) Reaper! Some of my previous horror has been pretty heavy stuff; gloomy and psychological. But with this, I really wanted to be able to tell this story, but to also keep it light at the same time (and to) just throw caution to the wind and have fun with the whole thing. It was a process I very much enjoyed.”
Filmed in Burbank, CA, over the course of three days late last year and into 2013 on the Red Epic with cinematography by Drew Moe and makeup by artist Jeong-Hwa Fonkalsrud, Little Reaper features a score by Giona Ostinelli and music from Rend, Pop Noir and Mad Planet.
Intended as a stand-alone film, Dukes told us that he does however see the possibility of Little Reaper receiving a feature treatment.
“It’s certainly something I’ve been mulling over,” Dukes told us. “I’ve been working on shorts for a long time, for a variety of reasons, and I do love them. However, the time has come (for me) to focus on feature films. I’m currently developing a feature werewolf film called The Beast (short below), based off a short film I did that received a tremendously positive response from critics and fans worldwide, particularly for such a small film. I’m also attached to direct an upcoming horror feature for Gothic Pictures International. Gabrielle Stone, Jessica Cameron and DJ Perry are attached as the leads. After that, we’ll just see where the road takes me.”
For more check out the official Dream Seekers Productions Facebook page.
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