HELLO, FRIENDS...
ABOVE: What lurks in the mist of THE DEAD MATTER?The world premiere of the movie THE DEAD MATTER, featuring myself, Andrew Divoff (WISHMASTER, LOST), Tom Savini (FROM DUSK TIL DAWN, PLANET TERROR), and Jason Carter (BABYLON 5, ANGEL) was held this weekend in Cleveland, Ohio, and what a screening it turned out to be! THE DEAD MATTER, directed by Edward Douglas (MIDNIGHT SYNDICATE) and co-produced by Robert Kurtzman (WISHMASTER, SCREAM, AUSTIN POWERS) and Gary Jones (XENA, HERCULES, ARMY OF DARKNESS), tells the story of a vampire relic with occult powers that falls into the hands of a grief-stricken young woman, played by Sean Serino (THE RAGE), who will do anything to contact her dead brother.
ABOVE: The aftermath of a vampire / zombie war in THE DEAD MATTER.As most people who follow me know, I prefer to drive to events and movie sets that I’m working on, whenever possible, because it allows me to enjoy the country and culture that I would normally miss by just flying over it. So, I hopped in the car and left for Cleveland early Saturday morning, blaring jazzy and crooner-ific tunes from Frank Sinatra, Michael Buble, and The Brian Setzer Orchestra on the stereo. During my drive I was treated to a beautiful sunrise and, later, some of the bluest skies I have ever seen in my life.
I think these sights were casual messages from God sent to remind me that it’s not the grand, earth-shattering events that make life worth living… it’s the simple pleasures that most of us take for granted every day that really make life special. And, to reaffirm that God has a sense of humor, notice my GPS moving average speed for the journey:
I know… I know… You want me to stop messing around and get on with it. So, here ya go!
ABOVE: Jim O’Rear as Vampire Junkie Ernie in THE DEAD MATTER.I arrived in Cleveland early enough to take a look around Tower City, the location where the world premiere was being held. Wow! What a sight. It was an enormous city inside a city, basically. I was quickly amused by the mix of people wandering through the area. You see, Taylor Swift was playing a concert across the street. Looking through the crowd, you could see an interesting blend of horror fans and cowboy-boot-wearing country teen idol fans. Okay… maybe I was the only one amused at this sight.
ABOVE: Jim O’Rear and Jason Carter.The first person I ran into was Jason Carter (BABYLON 5, ANGEL, CHARMED). He had arrived early, as well, and was desperately needing a smoke break. We stepped outside and briefly caught up with each other on our travels before going into the theater for check in.
ABOVE: Jason Carter… vampire slayer!Stepping into the lobby of the theater I was immediately greeted with a hug and a handshake from Andrew Divoff (WISHMASTER, LOST, CSI: MIAMI). I found out that Andy has been spending a lot of his extra time working on his yard at home. I tried to convince him that I needed some work done at my home, too, but couldn’t talk him into taking on the extra job!
ABOVE: Jim O’Rear and Andrew Divoff.
ABOVE: Andrew Divoff as Vellich… master vampire.It wasn’t long before Andy and I were joined by Robert Kurtzman (WISHMASTER, SCREAM, PULP FICTION) and his lovely wife, hands full of popcorn, and Gary Jones! Bob and Gary, both, have a lot of interesting things going on, right now… some of which I can’t currently mention… but, keep your eyes open for more news from these multi-talented gentlemen in the near future!
ABOVE: Jim O’Rear and Robert Kurtzman.Soon, I heard a familiar voice behind me calling my name. I turned around to be greeted by Tom Savini, looking great, as always. We caught up on a few things and he filled me in on the details of MACHETE, Robert Rodriguez’s new film that Tom just finished working on with Robert De Niro, Jessica Alba, Steven Seagal, Lindsay Lohan, Cheech Marin, Michelle Rodriguez, Danny Trejo, Don Johnson, and the list goes on. What a cast lineup!! From what Tom tells me, this film is not to be missed!
ABOVE: Jim O’Rear and Tom Savini.
ABOVE: Tom Savini as Sebed in THE DEAD MATTER.It was time for the movie to begin so we all filed into our reserved seats. The film was premiering to packed houses on two screens in the multiplex. Within just the first few minutes I was completely drawn into the movie as it opened with a bang… a war between humans, zombies, and vampires. It’s a movie filled with action, mystery, monsters, and a really wicked sense of humor. It becomes very apparent that this film was made for horror fans by horror fans. One thing that genre hounds will be happy with, as well, is that the movie doesn’t treat you as if you’re stupid. Forget about explaining how to a destroy a zombie by killing the brain or preaching that vampires don’t like sunlight and crosses… the filmmakers figured that if you are sitting in the theater watching this movie then you already know the history of the monsters involved. It was a fantastic and refreshing change! Not only that... the story told in this film is completely original. I’ve been watching horror movies a long time and I can honestly say that I have not seen this story on screen before.
ABOVE: One of the many zombies to be found in THE DEAD MATTER.I can’t say enough good things about this film. Ed Douglas and the entire cast and crew really poured their hearts into it. The acting, music, cinematography, makeup, special effects… everything is top notch. I can’t wait until this one reaches the general public to see how the genre audiences react.
ABOVE: The crowd travels up the marble staircase toward the premiere’s after-party.After the screening it was time to cut loose and have a good time with the cast and crew at the after party. The crowd moved toward the great marble staircase and headed upstairs. This was another fun-filled event loaded with food, drinks, music, slideshows, and more. I missed seeing Sean Serino (THE RAGE) at the screening so she was the first one I had to hug at the after party. Sean does a great job in this film as the female lead, carrying the bulk of the story on her shoulders.
ABOVE: Sean Serino and Jim O’Rear.The party got started as more of the cast and crew filed in, including C.B. Spencer (ALLY MCBEAL), Brian Van Camp (NEW WORLD DISORDER), Donna Williams (THE RAGE), Al Tuskes (MEN IN BLACK 2, GODZILLA, PLANET OF THE APES), Chris Robichaud, David Greathouse (POWER RANGERS, TALES FROM THE CRYPT), comic book model Nutopia Kim, and more. Of course, there was also writer, producer, director Ed Douglas, who deserved all of the praise he was getting that evening.
ABOVE: Ed Douglas and Jim O’Rear.I could go on and on telling you about the event, but let’s have some of the photos do the talking instead…
ABOVE: Ed Douglas greets the crowd as C.B. Spencer and Jason Carter clown around behind him.
ABOVE: Andrew Divoff and Brian Van Camp watch the events onstage unfold.
ABOVE: Robert Kurtzman and Andrew Divoff take to the stage for a duet! Just kidding!
ABOVE: Jessica Cameron and Jim O’Rear pose for the camera.
ABOVE: Sean Serino and Gary Jones mingle in the crowd.It was a great night to go along with a great film. It was so nice to see everyone again and I hope that we all get to work together on another project in the near future. If you’d like to learn more about THE DEAD MATTER, check out the last issue of SCARS MAGAZINE (available for order at www.scarsmagazine.com) for a multi-page in-depth article about the making of the film.
Thanks for reading!!
Jim O’Rear
www.JimORear.com
