Dead Noon

A Letter from Andy

2009-02-03T20:53:00.000-08:00

I'm sitting here thinking of how best to sum up the fun, sad, maddening, tiring, joyful, crazy experience that was "Dead Noon". It's no easy task...no easy task at all. So I don't think I'm even going to try. The best I can do is just say thanks. It's been a long three years getting to this point and I just can't thank you all enough for helping me out along the way. There's no way this movie would be sitting on store shelves today if it wasn't for you guys (you know who you are).

Although the version that's out there may not be everything it was cracked up to be, it's still quite an amazing accomplishment and you can all take pride in that. We went out and made a ridiculous movie from a 40 page script in the middle of a harsh Wyoming winter with no money... and now you can walk into Wal-Mart and buy it. No doubt about it, we went against the odds and came out on top, even if the music does suck! They may have taken our movie away from us but they can't take the memories ( I know that's a cheesy line but what can I say, "Dead Noon" is a cheesy movie so it fits). I mean that though, some of my fondest memories are of working (yes, some may call it playing) with all of you on this movie. It was fun to work with old friends and get to know and love new ones (that's you Elizabeth and Andrus). All in all, despite the frustrations, "Dead Noon" was an incredibly rewarding experience. That being said, I think I speak for all of us when I say... I'm glad it's over!

Here's to the future!

Andy

In Stores Now!

2009-02-03T13:51:00.001-08:00

"Dead Noon" was released nationwide today. We bought our copy at Walmart for $15.00, we do receive a cut of each DVD sold...hint hint. We didn't see it at Target or Blockbuster (Blockbuster is switching their focus to online rentals and doesn't carry a wide selection in their stores anymore), but it is at Blockbuster online, Movie Gallery, Netflix and Hollywood Video and most independent video stores. It should also be at Best Buy, Suncoast Video, Barnes and Noble and some other places.

Even though we're not too happy about this version, it feels great to finally have it out on shelves and finished, so go out and buy or rent a copy!

This Ones for Lil

2009-01-23T10:08:00.000-08:00

This is a user comment from IMDB.
I had to post it for Lil's sake, since she is basically no longer in the movie.

Love these Low-Budget Indies, 13 January 2009
9/10
Author: biglou1984 from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

This is movie is a blast! It's "High Noon" done as a horror western. Some bandits return to take vengeance on a sheriff, who recently married and stays to protect the town rather than run away with his wife. The difference is, these bandits were killed by the sheriff's ancestor over a hundred years ago. And they've been released not from prison, but from hell and begin destroying the town.

I saw this film at the "Tabloid Witch Awards Film Festival" last year. It was there I learned they made this film for $4,000.00. Which still amazes me. This does not look or feel like a four thousand dollar film at all. It's full of action and gun fighting. And some wicked special effects considering the budget. I recently saw the version which LionsGate bought and is releasing. I must say, I liked the original better. The music was much more dirty and gritty. And the story flowed a little better. The cute blonde (Lillith Fields of Urban Legends: Bloody Mary) was in it much more (including a shower scene). There was also a lot more comedic moments. I guess a studio's gotta do, what a studio's gotta do. BUT, the LionsGate/Barnholtz version still has a hell of a bite and they added one great element to it. KANE HODDER (Jason Voorhees of Friday the 13th)! It was so nice to see Kane rocking some dialogue and looking like his extremely intimidating self.

I'm very happy to see this film got picked up and distributed. It'd be great to see more indies out there to freshen' up the film world. Once again gotta say, for a $4,000.00 dollar film, this one knocked my socks off!

Lionsgate Trailer

2009-01-12T09:54:00.000-08:00

Dead Noon is at Walmart!

2008-12-17T09:17:00.000-08:00

We just found out that Dead Noon will be sold at Walmart, as well as Best Buy.

Here's a better version of the poster where you can actually read the quote, which is, ""Combine the nonstop shoot-'em-up action of 'Desperado' with 'The Terminator' and you got a showdown at 'Dead Noon'." - Stuart Alson, Independent Film Quarterly

The Terminator???

New Poster and other links

2008-12-08T09:47:00.000-08:00

Dread Central Mention
http://www.dreadcentral.com/story/dead-noon-are-you-scared-2-february

Fangoria mention
http://fangoriaonline.com/home/news/16-dvd-a-blu-ray/601-gutterballs-final-specsart-and-more-horror-dvd-news.html

http://www.willprescott.com/?p=209

Some Special Features

2008-10-10T09:18:00.001-07:00

Andy put together some special features this last week for the Lionsgate Dead Noon dvd. Here's the behind the scenes reel that'll bring back some memories.

Dead Noon Gets Rated

2008-10-03T08:42:00.000-07:00

Dead Noon went before the MPAA and got an official rating. Check it out in the Hollywood Reporter. I love it that we got rated alongside Quantum of Solace and W.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3id98c48e90371c1119973475c4a645960

Oh yeah, this was a fun link.
http://movies.yahoo.com/showtimes/theater?id=8595&date=20081009

I couldn't resist calling this theatre and seeing what the deal was. I was disappointed to learn that it wasn't Dead Noon but Death Race. They must have typed in De and picked the wrong movie, we may not be playing, but at least we're in the data banks.

Montana Dead Noon Show

2008-08-25T08:26:00.000-07:00

Dead Noon will be playing as part of the Montana Independent Film Festival, Saturday, September 20th at 9:30 at the Wilma in Missoula, MT. http://mtiff.com

Ten Minutes 'Till Dead Noon

2008-08-23T11:10:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago, Andy cut together a fifteen minute version of Dead Noon for the Wyoming Short Film Contest. Well, "Ten Minutes 'Till Dead Noon" didn't win that contest, instead, a documentary won, for obvious reasons, since documentaries take real directing talent.

But all bitterness aside, another Wyoming film festival, the Sheridan Filmmakers Festival saw "Ten Minutes 'Till Dead Noon" and selected it for there festival. The festival will be held November 7-9, 2008 at the Carriage House Theater in Sheridan.

If any of you cast or crew will be able to make it, let us know and we'll give you the email address to RSVP to.

Dead Noon in Top Horror Festival

2008-08-20T20:02:00.001-07:00

Some more exciting news! Dead Noon will be playing at the Dark Carnival Film Festival in Bloomington, Indiana. This is considered one of the top horror festivals and gets a lot of press. In fact, they just got mentioned in MovieMaker Magazine.
http://www.moviemaker.com/festivals/article/horror_film_festivals_rise_from_the_grave_20071107/

Check out the festival at: http://www.darkcarnivalfilmfest.com/

Dead Noon playing in San Antonio, Texas

2008-08-18T14:42:00.000-07:00

Dead Noon is an official selection in the Horrific Film Fest in San Antonio, TX. The film fest will be August 29-31. Check out the website at www.horrificfilmfest.com for daily updates and showtimes.

And Another

2008-08-01T20:19:00.000-07:00

Dead Noon was also selected to play the Screamin' Athens Horror Film Festival in Athens, Greece. http://www.myspace.com/screaminathensfest

Another International Film Festival

2008-08-01T14:17:00.000-07:00

Dead Noon will be playing at the South African Horrorfest this fall in Cape Town, South Africa. http://www.horrorfest.info/

Dead Noon in Fantaspoa 2008

2008-07-14T15:21:00.000-07:00

Dead Noon will be playing at Fantaspoa: International Fantastic Film Festival of Porto Alegre in Brazil.

The schedule isn't up at the website yet, but Dead Noon will be playing August 1 at 5:00, August 3 at 9:00, and August 6th at 7:00.

You can check out the festival at www.fantaspoa.com

Dead Noon is dead on!

2008-06-22T23:20:00.000-07:00

The people over at the I-75 Film Series sent me some reviews and quotes on Dead Noon. I especially enjoyed the quote, "Dead Noon is dead on!"

I can't believe none of us ever thought of that one. It's definitely our style.

"The best movie under $5000 I have ever seen!"
-Jody Branham I-75 Film Series

"Dead Noon is dead on!"
-Casey Watterworth I-75 Film Series

The overall feeling was it was a great independent film. A couple of scenes might have been able to be shortened, specifically the scene in front of the mirror. The acting was pretty standard for an indie film. However, what is lacking in oscar nominations for best actors is made up for by the excellent story line. It was original and innovative.
The after effects were excellent and the use of sound with action was edited very well. Great locations and a great job on directing. The chase and fight scene in the woods were done nicely. It was awesome to see two genres of film combined into one film.
It is an amazing accomplishment to finish a feature film for the amount of money you had. This movie will be on our recommendations list upon it's release! Our best wishes and continued success with your film! We look forward to screening it in August, and will send you feedback from the show.

Another Festival for Dead Noon

2008-06-20T16:31:00.000-07:00

Dead Noon will be showing at The ScareFest in Lexington, Kentucky this September. They will be adding our film to the website soon. Our very own, Kane Hodder, will be there.

More Festivals for Dead Noon

2008-06-17T11:13:00.000-07:00

Dead Noon has made it into five more festivals, three of which we can't announce yet because they haven't posted their full list, but the two that we can are the Fright Night Film Fest in Louisville, Kentucky, and the I-75 Film Series in Monroe, Michigan. The I-75 Film Series will be featuring the Dead Noon trailer as the video of the month for August.

Dead Noon Poster Featured in G.A.S.P. Magazine

2008-04-21T14:52:00.000-07:00

The horror movie magazine G.A.S.P featured the Dead Noon poster, designed by artist and effects extraordinaire, James Teague. The magazine is not available in stores yet, but we received a complimentary copy. The poster is full spread on the back cover and looks gorgeous.

Issues can be ordered directly through their website, http://www.gaspmagazine.net/ so pick up a piece of Dead Noon memorabilia today!

Dead Noon Wins Director's Choice Award at Horror Dance 2008

2008-04-12T14:55:00.000-07:00

http://www.horrordance.org/

World Horror Con Pics

2008-03-30T20:03:00.000-07:00

The free showing of Dead Noon at the World Horror Convention for 2008 was success for sure. Some 25-30 people came in to support us and the viewing was very enjoyable.

Here's an article about the screening on the Tabloid Witch Awards website http://www.hollywoodinvestigator.com/2008/whc2008.htm

From left, here's Scott Philips (Logan Kane), Robert Andrus (Stuart), Matthew Taggart (Producer), and Thomas Sipos (Founder of the Tabloid Witch Awards) at the World Horror Con in Salt Lake City.

Below are some pics of Thomas Sipos and Matthew Taggart at the Film Festival Discussion Panel.

Free Dead Noon Show!

2008-03-28T16:16:00.001-07:00

Dead Noon will be playing at the Radisson Inn Downtown SLC Saturday, March 29th. It will be on the second floor in the Millcreek Room. The room seats about 50 so if you come late, plan on standing. The address is 250 W South Temple.

So be there or be square!

Dead Noon at the World Horror Con in Salt Lake City this weekend!

2008-03-27T23:04:00.000-07:00

Here is a quick update on the Dead Noon showing at the World Horror Convention, here in SLC.

Matthew Taggart, Scott Phillips and I joined Thomas Sipos (founder of the Tabloid Witch Awards) for a panel meeting at the convention this evening. Taggart did a great job representing us (DEAD NOON). Scott and I also enjoyed the meeting.

Afterwards, we found out the following. Dead Noon will be have a showing Saturday evening. The precise time is yet to be determined due to some inaccuracies on the program.

What we do know is it will show either at 10:30 or midnight. I will contact the convention coordinator tomorrow to get the locked time. We were told that the screening of Dead Noon will be FREE as long as that is your only reason for coming. If you want to make a day of it, you will have to pay the admission price. (I didn't ask. Sorry.)

Please be patient as I will update you all with email once I find out the exact show time. But you can plan on and tell others 'after 10' for sure.

Please be early if you want a seat as they are expecting a standing room situation.

Thank you.

Robert Andrus
a.k.a Deputy Sheriff Stuart Kane

Dead Noon Featured in Revenant:The Premiere Zombie Magazine

2008-03-16T15:38:00.000-07:00

Check out the review and interview at
h ttp://www.revenantmagazine.com/Deadnooninterview.htm

DN Update

2008-03-08T08:02:00.001-08:00

Well, Andy watched the new cut of the movie on Thursday.
There is still a lot of editing left to do on the movie as a whole but the new scenes for Dead Noon turned out great. I thought you all might enjoy some shots from the new footage. So here you are....

Dead Noon playing at Horror Dance 2008

2008-03-07T07:42:00.000-08:00

Dead Noon will be playing at the Horror Dance International Film Festival in Houston on April 5th, 2008. Check them out at http://www.horrordance.org/

Dead Noon Article from the Daily Inter Lake

2008-03-03T08:55:00.000-08:00

http://dailyinterlake.com/articles/2008/03/03/news/news01.txt

Backseat Film Festival's Dead Noon Page

2008-02-26T15:33:00.001-08:00

Check out the Dead Noon page at http://backseat.bside.com/?_view=_films

Dead Noon at the Backseat Film Festival

2008-02-25T16:00:00.000-08:00

Dead Noon will be playing at the Backseat Film Festival in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

We were invited to submit Dead Noon to the festival, but we still thought it would be a good idea to increase our odds by submitting a list of suggested Dead Noon drinking games. Since the Backseat Film Festival IS the self-proclaimed "Drinking Man's Festival."
The festival will be taking place Wednesday, March 12th through Sunday March 16th.
Check out the website at http://backseatfilmfestival.com for updates.

Camp Crystal Lake Phase Photos

2008-02-25T10:05:00.000-08:00

Director Andrew Wiest and Horror Legend Kane Hodder on set in L.A.

Creative differences led to the occasional dispute on set. Kane usually won.

Director, Andrew Wiest; the star of Dead Noon, Kane Hodder; and the original star of Dead Noon, Robert Bear.

Who gets top billing?Kane gets top billing.
More to come!

Rate Dead Noon on IMDB!

2008-02-22T07:52:00.000-08:00

Dead Noon was finally added to IMDB. All of the details for it haven't been updated yet, but they're on their way.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1189377/

Back of the Box Quotes

2008-02-06T13:16:00.000-08:00

I thought it would be fun to share some of the responses that Dead Noon is getting.

A ten year old down in Glendive, Montana (that's right, the birthplace of Andrew James Wiest) convinced his dad to let him watch Dead Noon (his dad is a friend of Jim's). His dad warned him that it might be too scary for him. After watching the movie, his dad asked him what he thought of the movie, he said:

"On a scale of 1 to 10, it gets a 1 for scary, but a 10 for AWESOME!"

Obviously, this is the best quote yet and we will do our best to put it on the front of the box.

Now all of the kids at the Glendive Elementary School have seen the trailers and refuse to believe that their friend's dad knows the people who made this movie because it's just too cool for that to be possible.

Let the grass roots campaign begin at recesses across America.

Dead Noon Powell Show

2008-01-26T22:26:00.000-08:00

On Friday, Andy showed Dead Noon in Powell, Wyoming. The show began and ended with a question and answer time. There was a great response; one person said that he had seen 25 million dollar movies that weren't as entertaining. Below is an article from the Billings Gazette.

http://billingsgazette.net/articles/2008/02/03/news/wyoming/24-deadnoon.txt

Here are some links from the Northwest Community College website about the show.

http://nwcnews.blogspot.com/2008/01/screenwriter-and-music-composer-talk.html

http://www.northwestcollege.edu/hum/writers.htm

Bones and Stones

2008-01-08T21:34:00.000-08:00

Here is the link to check out Bones and Stones, a collection of photos that David Vetch took during the Dead Noon shoot.

http://www.twobalanceone.com/bonesandstones.html

Introducing Dead Noon in Cody

2007-11-28T20:49:00.000-08:00

Here are some videos from the Cody show.

If you're wondering why it cuts off abruptly, it's because I was using a new camera and little did I know it had a time limit for videos...so it was not intentional that I cut off the video right before Andy thanks Jim...my apologies Jim...

...and here is me trying to catch the last of it...

Cody Premiere Pics

2007-11-27T07:42:00.000-08:00

The Cody Premiere of Dead Noon was a great success.
The movie was well received and had a great turnout with a final count of 173 people turning out for the show!

No trip to Cody is complete without a trip to Taco John's...
or Video Experience to find out what the movie of the day is.

Just doin' what Maverick Directors do.

Andy with Tony Beaverson, the owner of this fine establishment.

You're sexy you.

The whole gang, together again at last...except for you losers who didn't come to the show.

A show for all ages!

The TRIFECTA.

Dead Noon's Cody Premiere

2007-11-09T10:41:00.001-08:00

Wish you all could be there!

For your viewing pleasure

2007-11-08T22:23:00.000-08:00

The Dead Noon O.S.S.

Mouton Representin'

2007-11-03T09:47:00.000-07:00

Several Tabloid Witch Award-winning filmmakers and actors participated in the October 27 Q&A panel that followed the screenings of their horror films at the Santa Monica Public Library. The Hollywood Investigator now has an article on this event.
Check it out here:http://www.hollywoodinvestigator.com/2007/twap2007.htm

Elizabeth did a great job representing Dead Noon in Santa Monica and obviously made a good impression there since half the article was on her!

So not only is Elizabeth nicer to look at than Andy, she's now proven she's more entertaining too.

Here are some pictures from the event that Brooke took.
Elizabeth said that there was a pretty good turnout to the show and they really enjoyed the flick, at many points, even yelling at the screen!

What is your favorite Dead Noon trailer?

2007-11-01T09:09:00.000-07:00

Trailer 1

Trailer 2

Happy Halloween!

2007-10-31T15:13:00.000-07:00

Thought you all might enjoy these memories from Halloweens past.

Don't forget to have a SAFE and Happy Halloween
from the Management

Dead Noon chosen as Best Feature in Fargo!

2007-10-31T09:42:00.000-07:00

I guess there's not much more to say...

What is your favorite Dead Noon poster?

2007-10-30T13:48:00.000-07:00

The Offical Dead Noon Poster

The 80's Dead Noon Poster

The Cult Dead Noon Poster

The Barnyard Massacre Teaser Poster

The Phase Infinity Poster

A Taste of Things to Come

2007-10-30T11:18:00.000-07:00

Andy's begun work on the special features for Dead Noon and I felt that we had to share this amazing menu that Jim made for the O.S.S.'s (Obligatory Shower Sequences).

I don't know if I was as excited to have the movie done as I am to watch this amazing, upcoming shower montage.

Mouton at the Tabloid Witch Awards

2007-10-27T21:51:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone, I thought you might all enjoy some shots of Elizabeth accepting Dead Noon's awards at the Tabloid Witch Awards in Santa Monica.

After seeing these pictures, Andy has decided to just send Elizabeth to all of these things...I mean, who are we kidding...would you rather talk to this guy...
or her.....

...nuff said

Lifestyles of the Thousandairs

2007-10-24T20:22:00.000-07:00

How does one celebrate selling a movie and becoming a thousandaire?

By making the most incredible t-shirts known to man.
(eat your heart out, Mr. James "Hot Topic" Teague)

The first one needs no introduction:

note: this concept came during Jim and Andy's long hours up at the cabin doing effects. After examing the cover to Young Guns II, they began to shout Emilio at each other. This of course, arose from the unhealthy state they were living in. The sad thing is, they still think this is hilarious, illustrating the amount of brain damage they have sustained to this day.

Lil, just let me know what size you wear, because I know you want one.

What can I say?
Some days...

The Essence of Cool.

Rob, this is to kick-off The Movement.

If any of you would like to make your own t-shirt and be cool like Andy, let us know and we'll email you the design of your choice. The rest of the magic is up to you.

The names of the designs are as follows:
1. The Emilio
2. Batbomb
3. The Steve
4. Bring Back Pat Official Campaign Shirt

Dead Noon Newsletter

2007-10-16T13:13:00.000-07:00

Send your name and email address to news@deadnoon.com to be added to the Dead Noon email newsletter.

Dead Noon in the Fargo Fantastic Film Festival

2007-10-15T17:21:00.000-07:00

Dead Noon is an Official Selection in the Fargo Fantastic Film Festival!

The festival will take place Friday, October 26 thru Sunday, October 28th and winners of jury prizes will be announced on Saturday night.

Interview Question

2007-10-08T07:30:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, an online magazine contacted Andy about doing an interview, he agreed and the magazine sent him the questions. One of the questions was so good that we thought we should turn it into an open forum of some sorts. So below you will find everyone's answers to the question, which is:

It really happens - you're in the Wild West and zombies, demons, skeletons and the like start emerging from behind every cactus. Are you a hero and fight back, or do you run for the nearest bottle of rotgut whiskey and a gogo dancer to hide behind? Seriously, what would you do?

Andrew Wiest-Director
I'd stay and fight, a six gun in one hand, a go-go dancer on the other, a bottle of rot gut waitin' for me when I'm finished disposing of the undead vermin. Zombies I can handle. Zombies ain't got nothin' on the crazy, flannel sportin', red neck loggers I tussled with in a backwoods, Montana bar while taking a much needed break from editing. Just ask effects man Jim, he was there.

James Teague-Special Effects Artist
As the tune of Blaze of Glory plays over and over in my head, I would down the bottle of courage serum, lock lips with the gogo dancer, then like a drunken hillbilly charge the undead unsuccessfully ('cause I would be walking on my lips after downing a bottle of rotgut whiskey), yelling "This ones for Emilio!"

Lillith Fields-Grace
Well I don't drink, so the whiskey isn't going to do me much good and I've found most gogo dancers are usually too skinny to hide behind, so I guess my only option would be to grab my cat, put him in whatever version of a cat carrier existed in the wild west and make a mad dash for the highest vantage point I could find. Both my husband and I are pretty good shots, so I guess we'd sit back and pick of as many zombies as we could. If we ran out of ammo, than I'd have to turn my cat loose on them, but in fairness to the zombies, I'd only use him as a last resort.

Robert Bear-Frank
The Zombies wouldn’t attack me. Because I smell just as bad as them, therefore I would blend into their culture and scavenge off of their leftovers. So I would follow the Zombies and they would of course go after the Dead Noon crew. First taking out Andy. Mostly because Andy cries’s a lot and Zombies have a deep hatred for crybabies. Second they would go after Marianne cause Zombies usually don’t wake up to kill until 10 a.m. But Marianne would change their call time to 8 a.m. This usually stirs their thirst for flesh so she would go next. They would then go after Jim, only to turn away once they realized he smelled like something that homesteads in a box of kitty litter. Once again hungry they would turn their attention to Tye. Only to be blocked by Tye’s massive mustache. Starving, the Zombie’s go for an easy meal. That meal is known as Andrus. Andrus is such a nice guy that he gladly invites the Zombies (which includes myself now) to devour him. This kind act turns him into a pile of bones and a pair of aviator glasses. It is then we come across Aaron Nielson where he plays us a "soothing Zombie tune", but we still eat him cause the song was in a major key instead of a minor. We will then notice Taggert and decide he must be consumed. Once the Zombie Fella’s reach Taggert we notice he’s reading a copy of “The Walking Dead”. Impressed, he is then asked to be an honorary member of the “Zombie Fellas” clan. With more mouths to feed the “Fella’s” come across Elizabeth Mouton where before being ripped to shreds she asks what her motivation for being eaten is. After 2 hours of questions the Zombie crew gives up and searches for another meal. It is then that we stumble across Brooke Brandt. As we moisten our lips for the feast Brooke tells us that European Zombies are more sophisticated then we are and lead more meaningful lives. Half the Zombies fly to Europe with Brooke to enjoy wine and cheese. Confused we Zombies roam the land in search of food while Jim plays with dried up poop on the ground. Next the Zombie Fella’s come across Sean Marble. And before tearing him limb from limb Sean offers to buy all the Zombie’s a drink. One drink leads to another and next thing you know all the Zombies wake up the next morning with a hangover wishing they had gone to Europe for wine and cheese. All us Zombies (which now include myself, James, Taggert and Sean) book plane tickets to Europe. During mid-flight a voice comes over the speaker saying, “This is Captain Lillith Fields. There will be no peanuts served and I’m crashing this plane”. Us Zombies then notice her parachuting out of the plan giving us the middle finger. We crash on a weird island where some guy starts to tell us about some “hatch”, “ the others” and “polar bears on a tropical island”. So we eat him.
Love
Bear

Tim Schoessler-Composer
I guess it would all depend on how hot the gogo dancer is!

Keith Suta-co-writer and "Ben"
In case of actual zombie attack, I would immediately begin making wisecracks at every possible opportunity, probably throw in a few puns, too. Everybody knows the plucky comic relief buddy always survives the picture!

Matthew Taggart-Writer and Shooter
…still thinking about the British magazine, since get lost in a bottle of ginger beer isn't a choice.

Robert Andrus
A.k.a. J. Harvey Stuart Kane
A.k.a. Super Stu
A.k.a. Deputy Sheriff Stuart
The skeletons and zombies don't really pose a threat that is if the zombies are similar to those in Shawn of the Dead and the skeletons are as fragile as in Dead Noon. So far, being a hero is easy, but the tricky part is with the demons. Demons with some of the powers of Hell would be quite intimidating. I think I would try to take on as many as I could before retreating for some liquid courage, once I collect myself and have a few tall, refreshing, glasses of Jim Beam mixed with Monster Energy Drink, I immediately transform into Chatty Robert the super charged, hyper conversationalist and end up saving the world by talking the demons death and back to Hell. Hero or Superhero? You decide.

Take care.

Nick Martin-Deputy Dumas
Fight back. I have a Zombie Survival Hand Guide in my back pocket at all times, and a Chemistry 101 book in my trunk. But to be sure i grab a swig of the whiskey any way.

Mick Wiest-Doane
First, I pray. That is the most important weapon
against demonic forces. Then, by the grace of God, I
stand my ground using the wisdom God gives to find
whatever means necessary to protect the innocent from
an evil enemy bent on destruction.

Scott Philips-Logan
I would stay and fight. This choice of action would not be due to my desire of being the hero or even my nature of being violent. In fact, my nature is not of the kind. My decision to fight would be for the protection of those I deeply care about and love. The character I portray, Logan, makes this decision based upon principle. However, if the knowledge was presented that his wife had been kidnapped by the very demons and zombies that have been previously mentioned, he would not need principle to stay. The love for his wife would be powerful enough to cause every part of him to stand and fight with the hopes of not only prevailing against the evil, but also freeing the most important person in his life. I share these same strong convictions for my wife and son.

Philip Myers-zombies and “blood-flood boy”
it is funny you should ask because I had a dream that sort-of realates to this. I was guarding a church from, I am not sure what, but we can say demons, zombies and skeletons...with a stick. And since we all know that we are always ourselves in our dreams we can take my reaction for what I would do in real life.

I used the stick as a wand and fought the undead with the harry potter spell, "wingardia leviosa," which makes things float. I would make my uno deck float in the air, and with a flick, I would move it with terrifying force. The army of the dead could not come at me as fast as I was slaying them and I was gaining ground with my uno deck and stick.

but if I was awake, I would fight, if I had a shotgun or a sword. If I was weaponless, I would run, for a weapon

Nick Quintilliani-Redneck
If I were in that kind of situation: I would most
likly grab a bottle of whiskey drink some down and go
out fighting with dual pistols in hand.

Brooke Brandt-The Frantic 911 Caller
Peace out! I'm running for the whiskey and go go dancer for sure!

Tye Nelson-Kane
Now bear with me here, I know it might seem a little out of character since I indeed was THE ONE who put Frank in his grave to begin with. However, if zombies, demons and skeletons were to start emerging from behind every cactus, I would indeed run for my life, take off like a Teague through the fields and head for the next town, find the closest tavern, order up a bottle of St. Andrus whiskey, grab the closest Mouton Wench and begin to profess my undying love for her. After hours of passionate end of the world, lust dripping sweat ridden sex, which probably would have lasted only a few minutes, I'm sure I'd realize that there would be no escape for me and that the zombies would track me to the ends of the earth. After realizing I was hard screwed with a phillips, I'd sling my six shot back on my waist, kiss my wench and walk out on to the street, to face the demon hellspawns, taggart style. It would be a short fight, knowing I had nothing to lose and that my life was completely fulfilled with no regrets. I'd then commence to open a can of whoop-ass on the undead vermon, lay to rest all their sins and treachery and upon the last bullet that flies, I'd toss my gun in the dirt, swear to never fight again, and turn to my wench who, would come running into my arms and promise to make an honest woman out of her. Finally we would ride off wiest, into the sunset and live happily ever after.

THE END.

did i get everyone?

The Rest of the Hollywood Investigator Interview

2007-10-06T08:38:00.000-07:00

1. How did the idea for your film come about? What were its influences? HIGH NOON done in the style of Tarantino & Rodriguez? There also seem to be Christian themes. Was PASSION OF THE CHRIST an influence?

I am a huge fan of westerns and have been since I was a kid, so it seems that nearly everything I make is either directly or indirectly influenced by this. The fact that I was born in Montana and raised in Wyoming no doubt adds to the western perspective as well. The initial idea basically came from watching High Noon with my friend Matt (who is one of the writers of the flick) and posing the question: "What if this were a zombie movie?" That was the basis for the movie and it just sort of evolved from there, and by evolved I mean got weirder. As for the Rodriguez thing, that wasn't really a conscious decision. The guy is obviously an influence on me but I think that the style is more the result of making a movie for absolutely no money and using creativity to solve problems rather than, as Rodriguez would say, using the money hose to flush the problems away. If anything, I would consider it to be more of a love poem to Sam Raimi.
I'm impressed that you picked up on the Christian themes. I think that aspects of the movie have been missed by many who have watched it. The movie is not intended to be an overtly Christian movie but because I am a Christian those beliefs are going to find their way into anything I do. I love the horror genre because I feel that it is one of the few genres where you can really explore religious ideas. The nature of good and evil, the concept of God and Satan, the fall of man, the after life, redemption, etc. I think that many of the great horror movies have had Christian themes to some extent. In a strange way, they're probably the most morally rigid films made...you sin you die, thems the rules!

2. How did you find your actors? What was the casting process? DEAD NOON was shot out West, no? Was it easy to find crew & cast out there?

I've been making movies for a long time and have just kind of accumulated some really talented people along the way. Most of the actors were in my first feature Pizza, Pesos, and Pistoleros and for some crazy reason, agreed to sign on for my next venture. I was introduced to all of them through my friend Rob Bear who is a fellow Wyoming boy and a fine actor. He's been with me pretty much since the get go and I completely trust his judgement when it comes to casting. The majority of the actors were living in L.A. at the time and came out to Wyoming for the shoot. I'm really lucky to have such good friends who are willing to work for me for nothing despite the fact that they are accustomed to getting paid to act.
The crew consisted of me; my wife, Marianne; Matt Taggart (the co-writer who also helped me shoot the thing); a couple of friends of mine from Wyoming including Jason Scott (my sound guy who has a lot of great credits to his name having done sound work for disney at one point); and most importantly, my good friend from Montana, James Teague...the man without whom I would not have been able to make Dead Noon, period. Jim was the one responsible for pulling off all 800 or so of the effects in the picture and did it with limited equipment for absolutely no pay. Add to that the fact that he dedicated a year and a half of his life to it, working pretty much non stop and that's what you call an incredibly loyal friend. I might add, that my wife shares the "most importantly" title with Jim because without her support and willingness to live in near poverty for a couple of years, this movie /definitely/ never would've happened. There, now I'm covered with the Mrs.

3. Where did you shoot the film? An actual ghost town? How did you gain access to the locations? Permits required?

The majority of the movie, including the stuff shot in the old west town, was filmed in Cody, Wyoming, my home town. The flashbacks were shot in Kalispell, Montana, my current place of residence, and one scene was shot in Douglas, Wyoming as part of a summer class I taught there. Cody has a lot of history, having been founded by Buffalo Bill Cody, and therefore takes a lot of pride in its roots. This makes for a lot of really cool places to shoot. The old west town is a tourist attraction called Old Trail Town. What it is is an outdoor museum of sorts. They brought in all of these famous buildings from Wyoming western lore and created a town from them. For example, the hole in the wall cabin is part of old trail town and is the famous meeting place of outlaws Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Getting locations was easy since both Matt and I grew up there. Most everyone was really open to the idea of us shooting on their property. This was a real run and gun kind of movie so we didn't bother with any permits at the time. Once the movie was picked up by a distributor, however, there was a lot more paperwork.
4. What's your educational and professional background?

I have no real formal training, per se, but I have been making movies on my own since I was 13. I'm now 28 so I'm fairly well educated by this point. My grandpa owned a drive-in movie theatre so I grew up watching a lot of movies. Movies were always a big deal for my family so when I became interested in actually making them my family was very supportive. My mom was a school librarian and would bring the school's VHS camera home on the weekends so I could make my little movies and then edit them between two VCR's. I skipped out on film school and instead opted for the school of hard knocks. I made a lot of shorts and some music videos and then jumped into making features in 2003 with "Pistoleros" which screened in New York as part of a festival there in 2005. This led to the making of "Dead Noon." I've had job offers over time to make commercials, corporate videos, etc., but have always declined because my true passion is to just make movies. I love telling stories and you can't really do that shooting wedding videos. The sale of Dead Noon has opened up a few more doors for me. I actually have production companies and distributors return my phone calls and am currently shopping a script around, a family film I wrote with my dad, that seems to be garnering at least a little bit of interest.

5. What format(s) did you shoot in? Film or video? What equipment did you use? It seems much post-production visual effects were done. Using what programs, and how long did it take?

We actually shot it using the Panasonic DVX-100, a mini-dv camera. People are often times surprised by this because they think the movie looks much better than most mini-dv flicks. The key was really spending a lot of time in post to get it to look how we wanted it to look. We did this by using both final cut pro's tools and the wonderful program, Magic Bullet. I edited the movie using Final Cut Pro and the effects were all done using Adobe After Effects. The effects work was by far the most time consuming part of the entire process. We originally only planned for maybe a hundred effects but that eventually ballooned to somewhere around 800. Jim is just such a whiz that he would pull off something I didn't think we could do which would result in me then pushing him further to see what else he could do. Bad for Jim but good for the movie. We worked on the effects pretty much nonstop for a year...like 13, 14 hours a day, every day. We didn't sleep much or eat much. It was quite unhealthy, really.

6. What's the film's distribution history so far? Its festival wins, etc.

We didn't go the festival route initially because we were lucky enough to get a distributor pretty early on. Barnholtz entertainment contacted me about the possibility of picking up Pizza, Pesos, and Pistoleros, this led to them taking Dead Noon instead, which wasn't even finished at the time they bought it. After I finished the movie, it was fairly uncertain as to what was going to be done with it as far as a release was concerned so I figured I'd send it off to a few festivals while I waited. In the mean time, Lionsgate has now agreed to take it and Barnholtz is kicking in some money to change the score a bit and shoot a couple of extra scenes for it. This should all go down in the next month or so and I believe they're planning on releasing it in the U.S. sometime early next year.
Thanks again for the consideration and I hope this was helpful.

Sincerely,

Andrew Wiest

Dead Noon 1 of only 2 Features Chosen for Film Festival

2007-10-03T14:12:00.000-07:00

And James Teague won Best Visual Effects!

Here's the article, they had some great things to say about it.

Dead Noon

Dead Noon's ambitions far exceed its $4,000 budget. Running at an hour and 17 minutes, this supernatural retelling of High Noon borrows stylistically from Quentin Tarantino.& Richard Rodriguez, with Old West period shots that are beautifully composed and colored, enhanced by arresting and imaginative visual effects.

"I'm a huge fan of Westerns," said co-writer & director Andrew Wiest. "That I was born in Montana and raised in Wyoming no doubt adds to the Western perspective. As for Rodriguez, the guy is an influence on me, but I think the style is more the result of making a movie for absolutely no money and using creativity to solve problems rather than, as Rodriguez would say, using the money hose to flush problems away. If anything, I consider Dead Noon to be a love poem to Sam Raimi."

Dead Noon is also informed by Christian themes. Following a game of poker beside a lake of fire, Satan allows a deceased outlaw (in a darkly charismatic performance by Robert Bear) to return to the modern West so he may kill off the bloodline of those who murdered him.

As in High Noon, a sheriff (Scott Phillips) must choose whether to flee with his new bride (Elizabeth Mouton, who infuses her role with emotional depth), or stay and face the outlaw.

"I love the horror genre because it's one of the few genres where you can explore religious ideas," said Wiest. "The nature of good and evil, the concept of God and Satan, the fall of man, afterlife, redemption. Many of the great horror movies have had Christian themes. In a strange way, horror films are the most morally rigid films made. You sin, you die. Them's the rules."

Wiest shot most of Dead Noon in Cody, Wyoming, including in Old Trail Town, "an outdoor museum of sorts. Getting locations was easy.

Both [co-writer] Matt Taggart and I grew up there. Most everyone was open to us shooting on their property. We didn't bother with permits. Once the movie was picked up by a distributor, there was paperwork." Additional scenes were shot in Kalispell, Montana, and Douglas, Wyoming.

Most of Wiest's cast are from Los Angeles and were in his first feature,.Pizza, Pesos, and Pistoleros. "I was introduced to them through Robert Bear, a fellow Wyoming boy. Most were living in L.A. and came to Wyoming for the shoot. I'm lucky to have good friends willing to work for me for nothing, despite that they're accustomed to getting paid to act."

Wiest's crew consisted of family and friends. His sound man, Jason Scott, had done sound for Disney. Wiest also praises James Teague for executing some 800 visual effects "with limited equipment for no pay. He dedicated a year and a half of his life to it, working pretty much non-stop. An incredibly loyal friend."

Dead Noon was shot on a Panasonic DVX-100 Mini-DV, with much post production, done on Magic Bullet, Final Cut Pro, and Adobe After Effects. "The effects were the most time consuming part of the process," said Wiest. "We only planned for a 100 effects, but that ballooned to 800. Jim is such a whiz, he'd pull off something, which resulted in me pushing him to see what else he could do. We worked on the effects nonstop for a year. Thirteen, fourteen hours a day, every day. Didn't sleep or eat much. Quite unhealthy, really."

Wiest has no film school training. His self-education began at age 13 (he's now 28) with a VHS camera, editing between two VCRs. His feature, Pistoleros, screened in a New York festival in 2005.

Dead Noon was picked up for distribution by Barnholtz Entertainment before it was finished. "Lionsgate has now agreed to take it," said Wiest. He expects a release in early 2008. "The sale of Dead Noon has opened a few doors for me. Production companies and distributors return my phone calls. I'm shopping a script, a family film I wrote with my dad that seems to be garnering interest."

Andrew Wiest may be contacted through DeadNoon.com and his MySpace page.

Dead Noon would be an entirely different film without James Teague's incessant barrage of imaginative visual effects. The flaming corpse outlaws (right) are but one example out of dozens. (Or one out of 800, according to director Andrew Wiest).

James Teague easily wins Best Visual Effects.

Check out the festival at:
http://www.hollywoodinvestigator.com/2007/horrorfilm2007.htm

The Highest Form of Flattery

2007-09-21T09:10:00.000-07:00

Check out

http://grindhouse-pictures.com/contests.html

Andy has informed him he might want to change his title. In case you were wondering if it was his original idea: note the name of the website.

We are now in the process of trying to get an "official Dead Noon T-shirt" from him.

And

http://www.terrorfilmfestival2.com/id7.html

for the synopsis.

Andy's Harem Vs. Marianne's Harem: You Be the Judge

2007-06-11T09:36:00.000-07:00

Dead Noon's Name in Lights

2007-06-09T22:18:00.000-07:00

For the premiere of Dead Noon up at McGregor Lake with me, Andy, Andrus, and Jim, Jim sculpted the words DEAD NOON using a Light Bright. This was some of your greatest work yet Jim.

Barnyard Bloodshed

2007-06-06T15:06:00.001-07:00

Jim's at it again.

Dead Noon Phase Y? or Phase 89?

2007-06-05T17:06:00.000-07:00

Wow. We knew we had something we could sell but we never thought it would sell this fast and this easy!

That's right, Barnholtz Entertainment will be releasing Dead Noon in a video store near you. They are planning on putting 400,000-600,000 units in Best Buy, Netflix, Blockbuster, Hollywood Video, Movie Gallery, and as a bonus, they hope to put it Walmart. Of the last 7 movies Barnholtz released, 6 were on the top ten list of video rentals, and they told Andy they think Dead Noon will do as well. The head of the company Barry Barnholtz (he used to own Trimark Entertainment until he sold it to Lions Gate) told Andy Dead Noon was one of the best titles he had EVER heard and that they could probably sell a bunch of copies based on the title alone. Barry's assistant compared the movie to Desperado.

We will be shooting one more scene for the opening of the movie, yes, our good old standbye, a ghoul death scene. Hence, Phase 89, or is it Phase Y? It is the shoot that never ends. We're going to show what happened to all those dead bodies in the barn that Louise discovers. I should mention that Lil owes Andy one, the post production head wanted her to shoot some additional, naughtier shower footage, I'm sure you all know what that would include, but Andy talked them out of it and just kept saying, "no, no, no, we'll just add more gore." By August 15th, Barnholtz wants all of the materials, including a commentary. We will also be sprucing up the sound, the color correcting, the editing, ect. Plus, Andy will be starting a new job at the NBC station in Kalispell as the Commercial Producer (but they're going to work around him for the first month); and he thought he was busy this last year.

Andy has gone over all of the figures with them and has researched it and they are giving us an above average deal. Of course, all of the real money will be coming in from royalties which will be quarterly. They will be recuping their expenses first (which will have a cap), so don't quit your day jobs yet, but hopefully you can after 9-12 months!