“Dead@17: The Short Film” Debuts June 29
A short film based on the hugely popular Dead@17 series of graphic novels will receive its debut screening at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, on Friday, June 29.
Mark Steensland, independent filmmaker and a lecturer in media production in the college’s School of Humanities and Social Sciences, produced and directed “Dead@17: The Short Film.” The 10-minute piece is based on the first issue of writer-artist Josh Howard’s series, which was published in 2002 by Viper Comics.
This first screening for the film’s cast and crew also is open to the public, and co-sponsored by the annual Eerie Horror Film Festival. The screening and follow-up discussion will begin at 7:30 p.m. in 117 Reed Union Building; admission is free. Steensland characterizes the film as PG-13 material.
“The plot of ‘Dead@17′ begins when Nara Kilday, a 17-year-old girl who lives in a sleepy suburb called Darlington Hills, is brutally murdered,” Steensland said. “Suddenly zombies start appearing, including the undead Nara, who exhibits decidedly un-zombie-like behavior by saving her best friend, Hazy, from an attack by fellow zombies armed only with girl-power and an ax. Although this is where my film ends, the Dead@17 story as a whole takes off from this point.”
Steensland filmed “Dead@17″ in Erie using local talent and technical crews, including make-up effects artist “Monster” Mark Kosobucki, a recent Edinboro University graduate who will continue his education this fall in special effects production. Music for the score was contributed by British film composer Patrick Savage and the bands Fewleftstanding, Impellitteri, and Demon Hunter.
Although “Dead@17: The Short Film” was made with Josh Howard’s blessing, the commercial film rights to the series are owned by Reveille Productions, producer of the television shows “Ugly Betty” and “The Office.” “Rick Hautala, my writing partner, and I are trying to get the film into Reveille’s hands as a kind of audition tape for the future feature-length production,” Steensland says. “Especially in the horror genre, it’s not unusual for fan-made films to grow into something much larger. It’s the way the first ‘Saw’ movie was made.”
After this first showing, “Dead@17″ will enter the horror film festival circuit. Steensland also hopes to screen the short at this summer’s NECon and Comic-Con International comics conventions. Additional information about the film, including still photos and production notes, is available on Steensland’s Web site, www.MarkSteensland.com.
