Boneyard Racers
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Boneyard Racers is a 2021 short film directed by David Heacock, produced by Preston Ewasiuk, and co-produced by Lindsay Christopher, in association with the Canadian film company, Brimstone Pictures. The screenplay was written by Neil Chase and was inspired by drag racing, hearses, and the concept of the supernatural aspects of Halloween.
Plot[edit]
Sam and Jackie after leaving a school Halloween party are having an argument about the events at the party which caused them to leave. As they are driving home they get lost on a dark highway trying to figure out where they are suddenly a ghoulish man "Chuck" appears on the road with tire marks on his jacket and a stop sign. Before he car hits the man Sam slams on the brakes just narrowly avoiding a collision. Chuck approaches the car and asks the couple if they were there for the race. Not knowing what the stranger is talking about the couple dismisses his comments to talk to Johnny and drive safe and proceed on their way.
As the couple continues down the road they spot the race that Chuck was talking about and decide to check it out because Sam thinks it looks cool. As they arrive at the race they quickly discover that a party and drag racing are in full swing with live music and dancing people who appear in many different scary and ghoulish costumes. Once they stop the car in the parking lot of the party they are approached by a beatnik looking goth girl who introduces herself as Dee-Dee. After she assesses the young couple for a moment Dee-Dee invites Sam and Jackie to meet Johnny. On the way to see Johnny on the other side of the party Sam seems to get into a party mood while Jackie is freaked out by the party attendees and starts to see disturbing aspects of this motley crew of characters.
Once through the main party Jackie and Sam are introduced to a demon greaser named Johnny who is having a conversation with Chuck from earlier on the highway. Dee-Dee promptly grabs Johnny's attention and introduces the couple to Johnny. Johnny assesses the couple and performs a magic trick in which he lights his cigarette without actually touching it impressing Jackie but causing confusion with Sam. Johnny then proceeds to ask what seems like insulting questions about Jackie when in fact he is asking Sam about the classic Corvette the couple arrived in. Sam starts to get more confused by the questioning when Johnny challenges him to a drag race for vehicle pink slips. Sam declines at first but accepts once Johnny shows more interest in Jackie as she becomes more hypnotized by Johnny's presence.
As the racers bring their respective cars, a 1978 Chevrolet Corvette and a 1967 Cadillac Hearse name Countess Bathory to race Jackie and Dee-Dee have a conversation. Jackie admits to Dee-Dee that this whole scenario is her fault because she kissed a girl name Erin Schwartz at the school Halloween party earlier in the evening. This kiss caused the fight between the young couple. As Dee-Dee listens to Jackie she is reminded about her own past which she then tells Jackie that there is no time for regret in life before hearing Johnny's horn honk that they are ready to race.
Dee-Dee asks each driver if they are ready to race. Sam revs his engine in response as Jackie tells Sam that no matter what happens in the race to keep going no matter what and Johnny flashes a devilish grin towards the couple. Dee-Dee, standing in-between the two cars, grabs her scarf from her neck revealing a very dark and long wound on her neck as if caused by a rope, holds up the scarf and then starts the race in true 60's style street racing fashion.
The two cars race down the dark road with each car briefly taking the lead slightly from the other as Johnny howls and laughs through out the entire race. As the car approach the finish line the race is so close that both fire barrels at the end of the race shoot steam from the top at the exact same time. Johnny quickly applies the brakes with an sinister laugh as the couple speeds away from the end of the race to get away. The couple clearly believes they won the race with Sam celebrating. Jackie in a monotone voice asks if they can go home. Sam turns to Jackie telling her that he loves her when Jackie turns to him with a devilish grin and says "I love you too, Dreamboat" with a voice that seems to combine hers and Dee-Dee's. Johnny's laugh can be heard in the distance which the road is show without any cars fading into darkness.
Cast[edit]
- Thomas Kassian as Sam, the football star from Chamberlain High School
- Ryley Shandro as Jackie, a cheerleader from Chamberlain High School
- Neil Chase as Johnny, a greaser demon that races a hearse called Countess Bathory
- Lindsay Christopher as Dee-Dee, a beatnik greaser goth girl
- David Heacock as Chuck, the hapless sidekick ghoul
Production[edit]
Development[edit]
Boneyard Racers was conceptualized by Preston Ewasiuk, Neil Chase, and David Heacock during production of the short film, Babageddon. At the end of the last Babageddon shooting day Preston approached Neil and David and asked them if perhaps they could do something with racing hearses and a film with a Halloween theme. The response from David and Neil was with a simple question to Preston "You can get some hearses?" which he replied with a resounding "Yes". On the way home from filming Babageddon this very short conversation inspired Neil and David to discuss many ideas on how a movie with that subject matter could work. That evening Neil wrote the entire screenplay for the short movie and presented it to David and Preston the next day. Upon reading the script they decided that this film was to be made and immediately proceeded to begin production of Boneyard Racers.
Pre-Production[edit]
Planning Boneyard Racers proceed quickly with Preston arranging the budget, film crew, locations, costumes, music band, cars, and locations allowing the production within a couple months of the first conceptualization to begin filming. The budget for Boneyard Racers was $500.00 CDN. All cast and crew volunteers their time and talents to make the film possible.
Filming[edit]
Principal camera production for Boneyard Racers occurred on Sept 2020 over the course of four evenings. Filming exclusively in the industrial area of Sherwood Park, AB at night time the production was cold but very high energy with all cast and crew in very high spirits. On the first evening of the production, two events happened causing a delay with filming but adding an additional energy to the cast and crew. These two events included a fire alarm set off at the primary parking lot location by the local building cleaners and a police man-hunt in the area looking to capture a fugitive that ran a stolen truck through the Suncor Refinery gates and powerplant down the main access road to the location. After these unusual events the rest of the production proceeded smoothly each evening.
Post-Production[edit]
During post production it was decided that the goal of Boneyard Racers was the make it feel and sound like a Hollywood production. This decision to make the film the very best it could be drove all of the decisions in the edit, sound, ADR, coloring, foley production, and credit construction resulting in a film that has won many awards worldwide.
Music[edit]
The Boneyard Racers award winning soundtrack was provided by Punch Drunk Cabaret, a rock band based in Edmonton, AB. The three songs used "Bad Crush On Goth Girls", "Damnation Station Radio", and "Too Tired For The Devil Tonight" come from the bands CD release titled, 'Vampire Anthems". An additional theatrical score was also provided by musician and director, David Heacock, for the rest of the film.
Release[edit]
Film Festivals[edit]
Boneyard Racers was available for viewing exclusive via Film Festivals in Canada, USA, Europe, and Japan from January 2021 to March 2022 at which time the film was placed on YouTube for public viewing.
Online Streaming[edit]
Boneyard Racers was available on YouTube via the Brimstone Pictures[1] channel for two months at which time is was removed from the platform due to a worldwide distribution deal.
Distribution[edit]
In May 2022 Brimstone Pictures entered into a multi-year deal with short film aggregator, Shorts.TV that will see Boneyard Racers distributed in 99 countries around the world including broadcast and streaming platforms such as DirectTV, Amazon Prime, and other platforms in these countries.
Reception[edit]
The film was initially released via various worldwide film festivals in January 2021 and immediately caught the attention and accolades the festivals. Boneyard Racers has won 17 awards for the short film including the Academy Awards Certified Edmonton International Film Festival 2021 Best Alberta Short. In addition to the short film awards, Boneyard Racers has won four script writing awards for the feature film length version of the film.
Short Film Accolades[edit]
| Award | Category | Nominees(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| AMPIA Rosies | Best Soundtrack | Punch Drunk Cabaret and David Heacock | Nominee |
| Best Actor Awards New York | Best Actor in a Fantasy Film | Neil Chase | Won |
| Best Actor Awards New York | Best Actress in a Fantasy Film | Lindsay Christopher | Won |
| Best Actor Awards New York | Best Director | David Heacock | Won |
| Crimson Screen Horror Film Festival | Best Cinematography | Logan Wilson | Won |
| Dark Story Festival | Best Soundtrack | Punch Drunk Cabaret and David Heacock | Won |
| Edmonton International Film Festival | Best Alberta Live Action Short - Jury Award | Brimstone Pictures / Internet Matrix Inc. | Won |
| Horror Bowl Movie Awards | Best Costume | Brimstone Pictures / Internet Matrix Inc. | Won |
| Horror Bowl Movie Awards | Best Color Palette | Preston Ewasiuk | Won |
| Independent Horror Movie Awards | Best Atmosphere | Brimstone Pictures / Internet Matrix Inc. | Won |
| London International Monthly Film Festival | Best Original Score | Punch Drunk Cabaret and David Heacock | Won |
| Monsterflix | Best Short Film | Brimstone Pictures / Internet Matrix Inc. | Nominee |
| Monthly Indie Shorts | Jury Choice | Brimstone Pictures / Internet Matrix Inc. | Won |
| Motor City Nightmares Film Festival | Best Fantasy Short | Brimstone Pictures / Internet Matrix Inc. | Won |
| NOVA Film Festival | Best Horror | Brimstone Pictures / Internet Matrix Inc. | Won |
| NOVA Film Festival | Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy | Brimstone Pictures / Internet Matrix Inc. | Won |
| NOVA Film Festival | Best Action Film | Brimstone Pictures / Internet Matrix Inc. | Nominee |
| NOVA Film Festival | Best Action Choreography | David Heacock | Nominee |
| NOVA Film Festival | Best Supporting Actress | Lindsay Christopher | Nominee |
| Only The Best International Film Awards | Best Fantasy | Brimstone Pictures / Internet Matrix Inc. | Won |
| 13Horror Film and Screen Play Contest | Best Film | Brimstone Pictures / Internet Matrix Inc. | Won |
| Vegas Movie Awards | Best Action Film | Brimstone Pictures / Internet Matrix Inc. | Won |
| Vegas Movie Awards | Best Original Story | Brimstone Pictures / Internet Matrix Inc. | Nominee |
| Vegas Movie Awards | Best Ensemble Cast | Brimstone Pictures / Internet Matrix Inc. | Nominee |
| Vienna International Film Awards | Best Horror | Brimstone Pictures / Internet Matrix Inc. | Nominee |
Feature Film Screenplay Accolades[edit]
| Award | Category | Nominees(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hollywood Dreams Film Festival | Best Demonic Action Comedy
Feature Film Screenplay |
Neil Chase | Won |
| Hollywood HorrorFest | Best Feature Film Screenplay | Neil Chase | Won |
| 13Horror Film and Screen Play Contest | Best Feature Film Screenplay | Neil Chase | Won |
| Vegas Movie Awards | Best Fantasy/Sci-Fi Feature Film Screenplay | Neil Chase | Won |
Feature Film[edit]
Due to the success of the Boneyard Racers short film a feature film screenplay was developed for the Intellectual Property by the principals of Brimstone Pictures in conjunction with screenwriter, Neil Chase. This feature film script has also been successful at winning awards at film festivals. The Boneyard Racers Universe and film treatments is planned to be a trilogy of films to be produced by Brimstone Pictures.
Press[edit]
Boneyard Racers has been reviewed by film festivals and news outlets:
Horror Society - Boneyard Racers[2] (Short Review) - Blacktooth - Feb 24, 2021[3]
Horror Patch - Boneyard Racers (film short) Review[4] - Chris Hammond - Feb 21, 2021[5]
Horror News Network - BONEYARD RACERS – Now Online![6] - Adrian Halen - Mar 10, 2022[7]
Rome Prisma Film Awards - "BONEYARD RACERS" BY DAVID HEACOCK[8] - Primsa - Dec 22, 2020[9]
Monthly Indie Shorts - Boneyard Racers Review[10] - Dec 19, 2020[11]
CBC Radio - Edmonton AM with Mark Connolly, Tara McCarthy[12] - Writer and star of 'Boneyard Racers' discusses the appeal of horror films ahead of film festival. - Oct 1, 2021[13]
NY Elite Magazine - Writer, Actor, and Story Coach Neil Chase on "Boneyard Racers"[14] - Jan 18, 2022[15]
Edmonton Journal - Songs turned soundtrack wins local band international awards[16] - Tom Murray - Mar 16, 2021[17]
Beaumont News - Punch Drunk Cabaret making waves with local film soundtrack[18] - Emily Jansen - March 12, 2021[19]
References[edit]
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChKlPbGqWFOSq2Dm9lubZBw
- ↑ https://www.horrorsociety.com/2021/02/24/boneyard-racers-short-review/
- ↑ Tooth, Black (Feb 24, 2021). "Boneyard Racers (Short Review)". Horror Society.
- ↑ https://horrorpatch.com/2021/02/21/boneyard-racers-film-short-review/
- ↑ Hammond, Chris (Feb 21, 2021). "Boneyard Racers (film short) Review". Horror Patch.
- ↑ https://horrornews.net/172246/boneyard-racers-now-online/
- ↑ Halen, Adrian (March 10, 2022). "BONEYARD RACERS - NOW ONLINE!". Horror News Network.
- ↑ https://www.romeprismafilmawards.com/2020/12/22/boneyard-racers-by-david-heacock/
- ↑ Admin, Prisma (Dec 22, 2020). ""BONEYARD RACERS" BY DAVID HEACOCK". Prisma Rome Independent Film Awards. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ http://monthlyindieshorts.com/boneyard-racers-review/
- ↑ Indie Shorts, Monthly (Dec 19, 2020). "Boneyard Racers Review". Monthly Indie Shorts. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-17-edmonton-am/clip/15869719-writer-star-boneyard-racers-discusses-appeal-horror-films
- ↑ McCarthy, Tara (Oct 1, 2021). "Edmonton AM with Mark Connolly, Tara McCarthy". CBC Radio.
- ↑ https://nyelitemag.com/2022/01/18/writer-actor-and-story-coach-neil-chase-on-boneyard-racers/
- ↑ Magazine, NY Elite (Jan 18, 2022). "Writer, Actor, and Story Coach Neil Chase on "Boneyard Racers"". NY Elite Magazine.
- ↑ https://edmontonjournal.com/entertainment/local-arts/album-turned-soundtrack-wins-local-band-international-awards
- ↑ Murray, Tom (Mar 16, 2021). "Songs turned soundtrack wins local band international awards". Edmonton Journal.
- ↑ https://www.thebeaumontnews.ca/news/local-news/punch-drunk-cabaret-making-waves-with-local-film-soundtrack
- ↑ Jansen, Emily (Mar 12, 2021). "Punch Drunk Cabaret making waves with local film soundtrack". Beaumont News.
External links[edit]
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