John Doolan, the screenwriter of Synthetic Cinema International’s fifth feature SASQUATCH ASSAULT, got in touch to give us the skinny on the movie, currently shooting in Norwalk, Connecticut. Co-produced by Vijaya Cine Enterprises, the film is being produced and directed by Andrew Gernhard (who previously served as producer on Synthetic’s genre outings BANSHEE!!!, BLOOD DESCENDENTS and WEREWOLF: THE DEVIL’S HOUND, among others, and dropped us some FX-test and early set photos—see below).
“I took a lot of inspiration from some of John Carpenter's films, like THE FOG, THE THING, PRINCE OF DARKNESS and ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13,” Doolan tells Fango. “I have to admit that I also watched a lot of the not-so-successful Sasquatch films to avoid making any similar mistakes.” Starring Synthetic alumni Greg Nutcher, Hank Torrance, Cristina Santiago, Michael Wrann and Kevin Shea, along with newcomers Alex Exum, Cuyle Carvin, Sarah J. Ahearn and Andrea Sáenz, SASQUATCH ASSAULT details the plight of a bear poacher who, following his arrest deep in the woods of a state park, finds himself in a prison cell in the heart of the city. Unfortunately for him, and all those involved, his now-impounded vehicle contains a very alive, very pissed-off Bigfoot that’s hell-bent on exacting revenge on those responsible for ripping it from its verdant surroundings.
In bringing the beast to life, Doolan assures that the SASQUATCH team’s approach is definitely old-school—more in keeping with the likes of Ryan Schifrin’s ABOMINABLE than with the recent spate of CGI-heavy Sci Fi Channel fare. “The effects are being done by Ben Chester,” the writer says. “He created the costume, which looks phenomenal, and will be on set to provide the extensive special makeup needed for the complex death scenes. If everything goes according to plan on set, the effects should end up being around 75 to 80 percent practical, with CGI aiding in postproduction only when necessary.” Donning the suit will be SASQUATCH ASSAULT production manager Jason Criscuolo, whom Doolan describes as “one large dude. We coincidentally had cast actors who were generally on the smaller side, which emphasizes Jason's intimidating structure even more.”
The film is lensing on location in an abandoned police station (with additional locales in Hartford and Middletown, CT), and Doolan says of the its inception, “We had a meeting with the other producers and sketched out a rough structure of the story. I absolutely loved the idea, but it didn't hit me until I sat down to bang out the treatment that a script about a Sasquatch loose in the city and attacking a precinct could either be really good or really bad. This isn’t high art we’re making, but when it’s your name on it, you want it to be as good as it can be. I tried to infuse the script with unique and likable characters and fun setpieces, and the end result came out better than I could have hoped for. As a fan of these kinds of movies myself, I’m confident that the film will really entertain and surprise its target audience.” For more info on Synthetic Cinema, visit its official site here.
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