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This article is no longer available on the Lancaster Intelligencer website. Below is a complete copy of their article. We would like to thank the Lancaster Intelligencer for their extemely generous coverage of The Creek. Success is starting to flow for 'Creek' creators Erik Soulliard's low-budget horror film, which had its world premiere in March at the Allen Theatre in Annville, is one of dozens of movies - short and long - to be screened this weekend at the Wildwood By The Sea Film Festival in Wildwood, N.J.
To say the Lebanon native is pumped is to grossly understate his
condition. Soulliard, who wrote, directed, edited, co-produced and acted in "The Creek," will be there, as will his wife, Nancy, a graphic designer who co-produced and acted in the film. They're coming off a surprise win in their most recent outing, the Illinois International Film Festival in St. Charles, Ill., where "The Creek" - a film made, Soulliard said, for less than the price of a new Volkswagen - was named Best Horror Feature. And it attracted the attention of two sales reps, he said, which is all part of the plan. "We knew this movie would not be big enough to garner theatrical release. This was meant to be our foot in the door," Soulliard said. "Our plan has always been to complete this project, get distribution to DVD - Blockbuster, Best Buy, Amazon, Netflix, etc. - and then move on to a bigger project with the help of investors or industry contacts." At Wildwood, "The Creek" will be screened as part of a double feature with the short film "Hold on Me" at 11 a.m. Saturday in the Strand Theater on the boardwalk. "We were surprised to be included because it isn't a horror festival, but then again 'The Creek' is more of a thriller, and I think that might have helped," Soulliard said. In "The Creek," six friends gather at a cabin in the woods to revisit the supposedly accidental death five years earlier of a friend of theirs - whose ghost has suddenly taken to dropping in unexpectedly on them. No doubt "The Creek" will find itself more at home in its next two bookings: The Atlanta Horror Fest, which will feature four nights of movies - plus a Saturday afternoon "Zombie Walk" - from Oct. 4-7; and the 2007 Spooky Movie Film Festival in Washington, D.C., from Oct. 12-14. But these showings do more than scare up legions of fans. Once a film has been accepted at a festival, it can be listed on the Internet Movie Database, or IMDB, which gives it - and the people who made it - worldwide exposure. "The Creek" is now there, much to the delight of its cast and crew. "When I saw it, I nearly fell out of my chair and wept on the floor," said Dave Foster of Lancaster, one of the film's stars. Foster won't be able to attend the Wildwood showing because he's already working on another film, "Happy Hour," which will be shooting Saturday in Philadelphia. It, too, is an indie, but not a horror film, Foster said. He calls it "a drama about how much love stinks." Like Soulliard, Foster has a plan: The IMDB gives him an online presence he can use in his search for more film projects. "It's definitely a resume item," he said. So far, the IMDB listing hasn't drawn many comments, Soulliard said, but that's to be expected. "Usually those start pouring in after the DVD hits stores," he said. For now, however, Soulliard's No. 1 task is to draw as many fans as possible to the Wildwood show. "We do know of a fair number of people from the cast and crew who are planning to attend," Soulliard said. But "The Creek" has an early show, he said, "so we might need all the help we can get." To that end, he's been busy promoting the showing on the film's Web site, www.thecreekmovie.com, and his movie company's site, www.myspace.com/annubisproductions. "Hopefully, that brings in a few more," Soulliard said.
E-mail: jroberts@lnpnews.com |
