Long Live the Dead! Director Reese Eveneshen unleashes Dead Genesis
By: David Briggs
(Originally posted May 17, 2011 on Tri-City Film)
Zombies are everywhere. Long the go-to monster of the low-budget
filmmaker, zombies continue to infect popular culture. When not chewing their way into the literary classics on your shelf, they appear on your TV, in advertising, and lest we forget, in most large cities they perform an annual walk. With such zombie infestation, do we need another zombie movie? Reese Eveneshen pondered the question. He concluded that yes, we do. And because so many zombie flicks exist, to ensure your film survives the zombie horde, “you have to get something in there to set yours aside,” he explains. “So you’ve got to push that envelope a little bit.”
filmmaker, zombies continue to infect popular culture. When not chewing their way into the literary classics on your shelf, they appear on your TV, in advertising, and lest we forget, in most large cities they perform an annual walk. With such zombie infestation, do we need another zombie movie? Reese Eveneshen pondered the question. He concluded that yes, we do. And because so many zombie flicks exist, to ensure your film survives the zombie horde, “you have to get something in there to set yours aside,” he explains. “So you’ve got to push that envelope a little bit.”
The Guelph filmmaker does just that. The opening scenes of Dead Genesis feature a recently zombie-fied parent gnawing through their infant. A scene at the zombie brothel is particularly disturbing. Grind into the mix a dose of zombie shootings and a dash of zombie feasting, and we have the formula for an envelope pushing zombie film.
After reflecting on some of these scenes, I had to ask Reese a question usually reserved for those affiliated with extreme sports or militias: How do you know if you’ve gone far enough? “I don’t think you know until you show the movie,” he exclaims. “I mean, I have personal filters and I know what I can watch and what I can handle and that thing with the kid is pushing it for me but it spawned out of a couple of things. We needed a crunchier opening to the movie. Let’s do something that really sets the tone and sort of shifts things a bit so we came up with this scene with the kid.”
“I didn’t realize how potentially shocking it was until we showed it for the first time,” he continues. “We showed it at the Festival of Fear in Toronto to a group of
hardcore horror fans and I had people getting up and leaving for the first time
ever.” Certainly, having people walk away from on-screen violence is one way to
calibrate public taste. “I think the limits only come when you see the audience
react.” Fortunately, for fans, Reese offers these reassuring words: “I don’t
think I’d cut it back anymore.”
After reflecting on some of these scenes, I had to ask Reese a question usually reserved for those affiliated with extreme sports or militias: How do you know if you’ve gone far enough? “I don’t think you know until you show the movie,” he exclaims. “I mean, I have personal filters and I know what I can watch and what I can handle and that thing with the kid is pushing it for me but it spawned out of a couple of things. We needed a crunchier opening to the movie. Let’s do something that really sets the tone and sort of shifts things a bit so we came up with this scene with the kid.”
“I didn’t realize how potentially shocking it was until we showed it for the first time,” he continues. “We showed it at the Festival of Fear in Toronto to a group of
hardcore horror fans and I had people getting up and leaving for the first time
ever.” Certainly, having people walk away from on-screen violence is one way to
calibrate public taste. “I think the limits only come when you see the audience
react.” Fortunately, for fans, Reese offers these reassuring words: “I don’t
think I’d cut it back anymore.”
Reese dealt with certain financial limitations while making Dead Genesis. However, to the credit of
his cast and crew, the film looks incredible. Erin Stuart helmed the costume and wardrobe department, created makeup effects, and played Cricket in the film. The gore and zombie effects came to life by Mitchell Stacey with great results. These three formed the core film crew for what was “probably the hardest thing we’ve had to make.”
Asked to elaborate, Reese mentioned the typical trappings of the low-budget filmmaker—the lack of crew, a tight shooting schedule, and again, having little money. The results make it all worthwhile. Dead Genesis is worth watching and stands out in the saturated zombie market.
his cast and crew, the film looks incredible. Erin Stuart helmed the costume and wardrobe department, created makeup effects, and played Cricket in the film. The gore and zombie effects came to life by Mitchell Stacey with great results. These three formed the core film crew for what was “probably the hardest thing we’ve had to make.”
Asked to elaborate, Reese mentioned the typical trappings of the low-budget filmmaker—the lack of crew, a tight shooting schedule, and again, having little money. The results make it all worthwhile. Dead Genesis is worth watching and stands out in the saturated zombie market.
The cast certainly elevate the film, a point not lost on Reese. “I think the best parts were watching the cast really bond with each other,” he explains. “It was fun to
watch them turning into the characters.” Some might say that adopting the
various characters of “the deadheads,” a post-apocalyptic group of zombie slayers, would be challenging for most actors, yet the cast manage to pull off natural, believable performances.
“They really knocked it out of the park,” Reese emphasizes. Discussing the various acting talent within the film would take too much space, but please consult Dead
Genesis on the IMDB for more information about the actors. That being said, it would be negligent not to mention the superior performance of Christopher Lee Grant who plays Rafe, the slimiest bartender to sour the screen in a long time.
Also stellar is Emily Alatalo who plays protagonist Jillian Hurst. “The girl has great acting talent,” Reese exclaims. As director, his opinion toward Alatalo may be biased, but watch for yourself and you too will agree with his summation. In a perfect world, we will soon see her again. Pray to the indie film gods. Until then, be sure to keep an eye out for Dead Genesis to hit DVD. After all, zombies are everywhere, and I would hate to hear that you missed this one.
watch them turning into the characters.” Some might say that adopting the
various characters of “the deadheads,” a post-apocalyptic group of zombie slayers, would be challenging for most actors, yet the cast manage to pull off natural, believable performances.
“They really knocked it out of the park,” Reese emphasizes. Discussing the various acting talent within the film would take too much space, but please consult Dead
Genesis on the IMDB for more information about the actors. That being said, it would be negligent not to mention the superior performance of Christopher Lee Grant who plays Rafe, the slimiest bartender to sour the screen in a long time.
Also stellar is Emily Alatalo who plays protagonist Jillian Hurst. “The girl has great acting talent,” Reese exclaims. As director, his opinion toward Alatalo may be biased, but watch for yourself and you too will agree with his summation. In a perfect world, we will soon see her again. Pray to the indie film gods. Until then, be sure to keep an eye out for Dead Genesis to hit DVD. After all, zombies are everywhere, and I would hate to hear that you missed this one.
