A New Year’s Eve gathering turns into the latest lesson to be careful what you wish for.
Chris LaMartina, creator of the cult favorite WNUF HALLOWEEN SPECIAL, CALL GIRL OF CTHULHU and others, celebrated his 40th birthday by shooting his new feature SPIRIT TASTING in just four days for $40,000. He was inspired by such quickly shot Roger Corman classics as THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS and THE TERROR, using “this sobering horror/comedy about life at its midpoint to wrestle with the ‘what ifs’ of the past and the aspirations of the future.” LaMartina scripted with Michael Varrati, and the two also produced with Melissa LaMartina and Ted Geoghegan. Sean Doherty, Matt Lake, Melissa LaMartina, Trevor Wilhelms, Matt Baughman, Cate Paris and Tatiana Nya Ford star, with cameos by Grady Hendrix, Clay McLeod Chapman, Peaches Christ, and Henry Zebrowski.
According to the official synopsis, “SPIRIT TASTING follows three former punks [Doherty, LaMartina and Wilhelms] as they toast their late bandmate at a distillery on New Year’s Eve. When a strange sommelier [Lake] invites them to a top-shelf tasting, they discover there’s only one catch: Every bottle requires a ‘wish.’ But as each of their desires twist into doom, these old friends discover that every pour at the Red Bat Distillery comes at a deadly price.” Terror Vision will release the movie on Blu-ray with numerous bonus features including a feature-length making-of documentary, and SPIRIT TASTING will also have a roadshow tour across America, with LaMartina and cast members on hand for introductions and Q&As. The dates and locations are:
- Thursday, November 12: Baltimore, MD (The Senator Theatre)
- Friday, November 20: Chicago, IL (The Music Box)
- Saturday, November 21: Minneapolis, MN (The Heights)
- Saturday, December 5: Los Angeles, CA (Los Feliz 3)
- Saturday, December 26: Philadelphia, PA (PhilaMOCA)
- Sunday, December 27: Red Bank, NJ (Base Center Cinema)
- Monday, December 28: Brooklyn, NY (The Twisted Spine)
- Tuesday, December 29: Seymour, CT (Strand Theater)
- Wednesday, December 30: Providence, RI (AS220)
- Thursday, December 31: Salem, MA (Cinema Salem)
- Friday, January 1: Catskill, NY (Community Theater)
- Saturday, January 2: Wind Gap, PA (The Gap Theatre)
- Saturday, January 9: Ashburn, VA (Alamo Drafthouse One Loudoun)
