By MICHAEL GINGOLD
And it has nothing to do with George A. Romero’s old production company…
Cinephobia Releasing has announced that THE LATENT IMAGE will have its first North American screening on Thursday, September 7 at Los Angeles’ Lumiere Music Hall; it’s also set to screen next month at Fargo Moorhead LGBT Film Festival. Written and directed by Alexander McGregor Birrell, it stars Joshua Tonks, Jay Clift and William Tippery. The synopsis: “THE LATENT IMAGE centers around thriller writer Ben. [Tonks], who, while struggling for inspiration, retreats to an isolated rural cabin to start work on his latest novel. One night, he wakes to find a wounded man [Clift] in the cabin claiming to be a hunter whose car had broken down nearby. Intrigued by the intruder, Ben decides to secretly use him as inspiration for the antagonist in his new book. But, as the man helps Ben enact increasingly dangerous scenarios for the story’s captive protagonist, Ben’s ambition may not only destroy the peaceful world he’s created, but take his life in the process.”
“Horror films and thrillers have always been my passion,” says Birrell. “The cast and crew really gave their all and it was a wonderful experience to see and feel the scenes coming to life on set, even if that sometimes meant feeling real fear in those dark woods!
“Having THE LATENT IMAGE come to North American audiences is a dream come true,” he adds. “This film is a love letter to a lot of U.S. genre cinema and I hope people enjoy it.”
“THE LATENT IMAGE is a striking example of indie genre cinema–taut, creepy, and smart with an dense atmosphere of sexually charged dread,” says Cinephobia president Ray Murray. “What’s not to love?”
