By MICHAEL GINGOLD
Some familiar genre folks spoke up for the movie premiering this weekend.
The Canadian independent horror feature VIEW FROM THE EDGE will have its world premiere this Saturday, March 7 at the Gasparilla International Film Festival in Tampa, FL. Written, produced and directed by Troma alumnus Michael Lippert, it stars Adam Zuniga, Eli-Bella Wood, Tre Ryan, Debbie Rochon, Vanessa Tamayo, Steve Kasan, Ashley Rose Caputo and Matt Gallagher. Among the voice cast are fright veterans John A. Russo (NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD), Brinke Stevens (SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE) and Troma topper Lloyd Kaufman. The synopsis: “The film follows three couples who spend the weekend at the lake-front cottage of Charles F. Benjamin [Gallagher], a very peculiar man they meet at an online event. As the weekend unfolds, drugs, sex and intimate fears guide the outcomes of their individual journeys as their host grows increasingly sinister and deranged.”
“I wanted to make a horror film that wasn’t just about a monster fixated on killing anyone in his path,” Lippert says, “but instead develop the relationships of these characters and make more of a visceral and emotionally penetrating experience than just an outright graphic one. It was important to try to understand what goes into creating these dark wills and desires in people.”
“I love how Michael’s movie talks about today’s nuclear condo-couples and the social isolation that can happen even if you’re in a relationship,” Wood tells us. “His deep understanding of the punk and horror genres made me really excited to be a part of this film. Kate was a very compelling character for me to play, especially in the context of horror. I was drawn to what she’s afraid of, and how she can and can’t express her love. It’s a rare first role, especially a lead, for an actor, and I’m really grateful I got that opportunity.”
“I go way back with Mike Lippert to our Tromaville NYC roots,” Zuniga adds, “but what hit me hardest on this one was the army of fearless, wildly talented cast and crew who hauled themselves to a remote cabin for nothing but the love of cinema. That kind of madness is rare. And sharing the screen with scream queen Debbie Rochon? Absolute horror royalty. That sealed the deal. Like my character warns…your doom awaits.”
Rochon shares, “One of my newest specialties? Unhinged side characters—and in VIEW FROM THE EDGE, I go full throttle. Dolores is loud, obnoxious, outrageous and rules a middle-of-nowhere gas-station convenience store like it’s a dictatorship. She still dresses like it’s 1984. She takes zero sass and dishes it out in industrial quantities. And don’t even think about sitting down in her store without buying something. There are even wooden carved bears guarding the entrance—very CREEPSHOW 2 energy. You half-expect one to blink.
“The real-life owner of the location was the sweetest guy imaginable,” she recalls. “We went into overtime, and he just rolled with it. At one point he politely asked if there was anything he might’ve seen me in. I said, “Perhaps WHO WANTS TO BE AN EROTIC BILLIONAIRE?”—purely to mess with him. He silently shook his head no—worth it. Working on a Canadian production felt fantastic; it brought out my inner Canuck. Polite in real life, completely feral on screen.”
The aforementioned genre voices are heard during one particular, key scene, Lippert explains: “It’s a long scene that we didn’t have much time to shoot, and features all seven actors on screen at once. I was looking at it afterwards, thinking, ‘How can we liven this up without shooting anything else?’ Well, it’s a public scene, so I started reaching out to old Troma colleagues and people who had auditioned but didn’t get a part and high-school friends. Before I knew it, there were over 100 individual lines of dialogue in the background. You really must hear it to believe it.” We’ll keep you posted on when a wider audience will be able to hear and see it.
