‘Best Worst Movie’ Team Will ‘Destroy’ All Vampires
by Ben Bussey
Michael Paul Stephenson made his name (kinda/sorta) as the kid from Troll 2, one of the most gloriously horrendous films ever made. He relaunched himself in film as the director of Best Worst Movie, the acclaimed documentary examining the bizarre cult phenomenon around that same legendary schlockbuster (which it galls me I still haven’t seen - any chance of a UK DVD, people?) Now, Mr Stephenson ventures back into the world of fiction as he steps behind the camera for Destroy, a “fast-paced dark comedy” which promises a distinctly different take on the vampire movie.
From the press release:
In DESTROY, vampires don’t exist, but that doesn’t stop well-intentioned would-be vampire hunter Steve Howard from leaving a trail of blood-splattered wooden stakes across Bavaria. While he thinks he’s saving the world, he and new assistant Elise are mistakenly murdering sweet, innocent old men.
DESTROY’s tone lands it somewhere between ’80s genre classics like An American Werewolf in London and contemporary comedies like Shaun of the Dead. The script is penned by Alamo Drafthouse lead programmer Zack Carlson and Bryan Connolly. The pair recently co-authored the internationally successful 2010 book “Destroy All Movies: The Complete Guide to Punks on Film.”
It seems inevitable that any new horror comedy will draw comparison with Shaun of the Dead, but I daresay this is a concept with considerably more promise than that other Shaun-wannabe, Lesbian Vampire Killers (or - erm – Vampire Killers as they called it in the US).
Destroy will be co-produced by Stephenson’s Magic Stone Productions and Jennifer Roth, producer of The Wrestler and Black Swan. The astral bodies of Aronofsky and Troll 2 converge… imagine the possibilities.
Oh, and how cool is that concept art by Johnny Sampson (above)? Love the EC vibe. Click on it to see it bigger.
