By MICHAEL GINGOLD
The latest true-crime shocker from the creator of PIG KILLER and ED KEMPER has wrapped.
Producer/director Chad Ferrin let us know that he has finished shooting SUNSET STRIP KILLERS (which we first told you about here), and passed on a bunch of first-look pics. Scripted by Chuck Parello (HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER II) and Timothy Croteau, it stars Susan Priver, Max E. Williams, Robert Miano, Brian Foyster, Bella Glanville, Ezra Buzzington, Silvia Spross, Brenda James, Ema Masala, Patty Hayes, Neb Chupin, Marie Solimena, Katie Silverman and Kurt Bonzell; Joe Castro created the makeup effects. The synopsis: “Los Angeles, 1980. Beneath the glittering lights of the Sunset Strip, a horrifying tale of obsession and bloodshed unfolds. Carol Bundy [Priver], a lonely nurse, crosses paths with Doug Clark [Williams], a charming but dangerously unstable man. Drawn into his web of deceit and depravity, Carol’s quiet existence spirals into a nightmare she never imagined.”
“SUNSET STRIP KILLERS was my best production yet,” Ferrin tells us, “thanks to an amazing crew and cast that made every day a cinematic delight. All onboard were committed 100 percent to bringing the script to life, and it shows in every single frame.” Adds DP Jeff Billings, “The movie feels like a gritty, epic graphic novel in the best way possible. It pays homage to the period and dares the audience not to fall in love together with the killers.”
“I spent time on the set,” Parello says, “and what I saw floored me. Susan Priver disappears into Carol, playing her as a lonely, fragile woman whose descent into bloodsoaked madness is as heartbreaking as it is horrifying. Max Williams as Doug is pure evil with a slick smile. Watching him flip from charming to monstrous is enough to make your skin crawl. When those two share the screen, you can feel the air get heavier and darker. With Chad’s fearless direction and a crew that knew exactly how to wring every last drop of dread from this story, you have the makings of a true-crime horror film that will rattle people. SUNSET STRIP KILLERS is not just disturbing. It is the kind of film that sticks in your head and refuses to let go.”
“I was supposed to have a larger part in this film,” Buzzington reveals, “but I had a family emergency that took me away. Turns out it happened sooner than the shoot, so I was available after all, but the part had been recast. He offered me a teensy role that was supposed to be played by my buddy Tiffany Shepis; she had to bag, so I filled in. That role is now billed as ‘Detective T. Shepis’ in homage.
“Chad Ferrin is a madman,” he continues. “Certifiably insane. He brings an eroticism to violence that is unparalleled, and this is why I will always want to work with him. There’s a passion he brings to his work that is impressive to me. I will crawl across broken glass to work with this psycho.”
“Finding myself Full Monty with my balls resting on the presidential desk, while a nude man in a Nixon mask yelled, ‘I am not a crook!’ was not even remotely the most shocking part of this movie!” May promises, and Spross says, “It’s hard to believe that SUNSET STRIP KILLERS marks my 15th movie with Chad Ferrin. I obviously love working with him. He sets a calm tone yet doesn’t waste time, as we hear him say, ‘Good for camera? Moving on.’ Not only was this the most fun set I’ve worked on, we finished day 12 with a killer live band, The Gene Butler Band, which put everyone including the crew in a great mood. I think every set needs a live band.”
“Every time I work with Chad and his team, he takes true crime to a new level of macabre and splatter!” raves Castro. “This movie is no exception. The level of realism and depravity makes my skin crawl, and I love it.” And Bonzell recalls one gruesome highlight: “As an actor, I knew there was going to be a head in a box that I had to open, with the likeness of victim Exxie LaFaye Wilson. I did not want to see it prior to shooting, as you can only be surprised once. Chad and Joe created such a lifelike severed head of Exxie that it sent me jolting back once I saw it, so the reaction on film is as real as it gets. Moving forward, I will be cautious of opening boxes; that is now something I share with Brad Pitt!”
