LA RAGAZZA CON IL CAPPELLO ROSSO

LA RAGAZZA CON IL CAPPELLO ROSSO

with Silvia Collatina
Sidd Web Productions

YouTube:  https://youtu.be/0HRkwCKZXEI (like and share if you dig it!)

In keeping with the “voices from the beyond the grave” motif seen in A VIEW FROM A FORGOTTEN GRAVE, LA FLEUR DU DIABLE, etc. Sidd Web Productions brings a similar experimental horror art film sans actors — La Ragazza con il Cappello Rosso (The Girl in the Red Hat.) While this very short work was inspired by Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s painting  The Two Sisters (On the Terrace,) the film is not so much narrative driven as much as it is an exercise in atmosphere. Features voiceover by Italian cinema veteran Silvia Collatina (Lucio Fulci’s HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY / Sergio Martino’s THE GREAT ALLIGATOR.) A secondary purpose of the film is to document the largely forgotten (and empty) Bickley Crypt in Bensalem, PA.

A VIEW FROM A FORGOTTEN GRAVE

 

A VIEW FROM A FORGOTTEN GRAVE
with Franco Garofalo
Sidd Web Productions

YouTube: https://youtu.be/JB4ASEcLJZ8 (like and share if you dig it!)

This short horror art film is admittedly not so much a "real" film as it is more of an exercise in b-roll and atmosphere. Give a bored filmmaker a forgotten cemetery, a little bit of snow, and and hour or two and this is what you get. Sure, it's a little bizarre, ridiculous, and out there, but it is what it is. The locations seen throughout the film comprise the ruins of the Eden Hall cemetery in Philadelphia, PA. The cemetery, established in the 1800s for nuns of the Convent of the Sacred Heart, was ultimately abandoned in the 1970s and its residents relocated. But there's more... The great Italian actor Franco Garofalo — from such Italian cult classics as HELL OF THE LIVING DEAD, THE OTHER HELL, and my personal favorite Bruno Mattei flick, THE TRUE STORY OF THE NUN OF MONZA — was posthumously included via archive footage from a 2015 THE WORLD OF SHADOWS voiceover session. Permission to use the footage was given by his daughter who noted that Franco “would be more than happy if you use that clip for your next film.” While it's certainly not going to win an Oscar, this short work is dedicated to the memory of Franco Garofalo!

THE TRUE STORY OF THE CHRIST'S RETURN

THE TRUE STORY OF THE CHRIST'S RETURN

With: Paolo Clevare

Music: Alva White

Director of Photography: Daniele Mastroianni

Written, edited, & directed by: Mario Murgia

Sidd Web Productions

YouTube: https://youtu.be/mfiEAixecWc (like and share if you dig it!)

THE TRUE STORY OF THE CHRIST'S RETURN is an attempt at recreating the atmosphere of obscure 16mm experimental / art cinema of the 1970s. As typical of most Filmiracle / Sidd Web Productions, the usual Italian-style (ala Lucio Fulci) remains prevalent as does the departure from contemporary trends. Dedicated to the memory of Guilio Questi, whose final works inspired this film. (If you get it, you get it.)

"The film offers a rather unique experience - that's well worth a watch." -(re)Search my Trash

For an interview with Chris Milewski focusing on THE CITY OF DUNWICH, please check out Mike Haberfelner's (re)Search myTrash.

It is worth noting that the almost non-fitting poster art is heavily inspired by French poster artist Raymond Savignac.

THE CITY OF DUNWICH

THE CITY OF DUNWICH

Starring: Ryan Capizzi, Wayne Camp (voice)

Soundtrack by: Carlo Maria Cordio

Director of Photography: Giancarlo Franco

Edited by: Eugenio Landi

Special Effects: Sidd Web

Produced by: Chris Milewski

Written & Directed by: Luciano Imperoli

YouTube: https://youtu.be/FhtWEp7JmHY (like and share if you dig it!)

THE CITY OF DUNWICH is a short horror film that pays homage to the films of Lucio Fulci and Joe D’Amato. Directed by Luciano Imperoli and starring Ryan Capizzi (THE THOUSAND STEPS,) the film notably features an original score by maestro Carlo Maria Cordio (Fulci’s AENIGMA, D’Amato’s ABSURD, Fragasso’s TROLL 2, etc.) There is also minor participation from Wayne Camp (D’Amato’s DEEP BLOOD, WAR BABY, etc.) for an added touch of authenticity. One can expect a mysterious, twisting tale in Fulci-style about a marina owner and a steamboat explosion.

“Intriguing story, very Fulcian, good editing and good music“ -Nino Celeste (DP, Lucio Fulci's The House of Clocks & The Sweet House of Horrors)

"A rather wonderful homage to vintage horror cinema" -(re)Search my Trash

For an interview with Chris Milewski focusing on THE CITY OF DUNWICH, please check out Mike Haberfelner's (re)Search myTrash.

LA FLEUR DU DIABLE

LA FLEUR DU DIABLE

Starring: Jonathan Faugeras (voice,) Mireille Marceau (voice)

Soundtrack by: J. Daniel Blanc

Directed by: C.M. Mariaux

Sidd Web Productions

YouTube: https://youtu.be/1-_BbDC56rM (like and share if you dig it!)

LA FLEUR DU DIABLE is a brief French / Italian horror-inspired short in the style of Jean Rollin and Lucio Fulci, with a dash of Jess Franco thrown into the mix. Shot during the covid lockdowns, director C.M. Mariaux had to get a little creative as there is only so much one can do with no live actors—though a few rotting corpses were on hand. Initially started as a b-roll project on a windy day, it soon snowballed into a poetic picture that was developed on the fly. Even though there was no outline, script, of even general idea, the end result provides a nice dose of atmosphere, if only for a fleeting moment.

It may be very simple. It may be very short. But its one our personal favorites.

THE THOUSAND STEPS

THE THOUSAND STEPS

Starring: Ryan Capizzi, Karen Barbeau, Terry Reilly, and Tom Meyers

Soundtrack by: Peter Krasinski

Director of Photography: Fabio Imperoli

Written by: Mary Smith

Directed by: Benjamin Peyton

YouTube: https://youtu.be/eorRvxxfiD0 (like and share if you dig it!)

Pioneering silent film actress/producer Mary Pickford once said, "I never had sympathy for those who wanted to produce 'art' pictures and ignore the public. These weird ideas that appeal only to a minority--they're not for me." (Motion Picture Herald, February 17, 1940.) With that said, it's probable that Mary wouldn't exactly approve of THE THOUSAND STEPS, but this short silent horror film utilizes some of the very same locations seen in Pickford's earliest films and contains many little nods to her work. Stylistically influenced by the films of D.W. Griffith and European silent horror like NOSFERATU, DESTINY, and HAXAN, THE THOUSAND STEPS makes use of period cinematography, editing, and effects and incorporates the dust and scratches needed to create the feeling of a long-lost silent film of yesteryear. The film was the Jury Prize winner at the 2021 Barrymore Film Center Short Film Festival.

The priest, Tom Meyers, and Chris Milewski.

THE THOUSAND STEPS was the Jury Prize winner at the 2023 Barrymore Film Center Short Film Festival.

GARDEN OF SOULS

GARDEN OF SOULS

Starring: Karen Lynn, Betty Roehm Widdoss, Eric Bower, Jackie Capizzi

Soundtrack by: Peter Krasinski

Director of Photography: William Griff

Written by: Mary Smith

Directed by: Christopher Milewski

YouTube: https://youtu.be/_ZJ25g8X90Y (like and share if you dig it!)

In the tradition of such silent classics as NOSFERATU & HAXAN, and with a dash of early American film (Famous Players Film Company, D.W. Griffith, etc.,) comes GARDEN OF SOULS. A horror photoplay in that harkens back to the old tinted silent films of yesteryear. Partly filmed on-location in Hollywood before Hollywood—Fort Lee, NJ. Peter Krasinki’s improvised score for this film was the first and only take and recorded on the 1913 Hutchings-Votey Organ in Providence, Rhode Island. This short is dedicated to film pioneers D.W. Griffith and Mary Pickford.

"Nothing short of brilliant..." -Tom Meyers, Fort Lee Film Commission

Chris Milewski preps a shot.

Chris Milewski shooting the Hudson Palisades. Incidentally, the stretch of road obscured by trees in this shot appears in Lucio Fulci's City of the Living Dead.

GARDEN OF SOULS screened along with Edison's FRANKENSTEIN at the 2019 Ghost of the Palisades Cliffhanger Film Festival.

A comic book based on the film was published by Blood Scream Comics as part of their Silent Universe series.

PHANTOMS OF THE FOG (Grindsploitation 8: Drive-In Grindhouse)

PHANTOMS OF THE FOG

Starring: Ryan Fargo, Terry Reilly, Karen Lynn

Soundtrack by: Luca Coscarella

Director of Photography: Franco Massaccesi

Edited by: Eugenio Landi

Produced by: Chris Milewski

Written & Directed by: C.M. Lazer

YouTube: https://youtu.be/2ROcHWFyrZw (like and share if you dig it!)

C.M. Lazer delivers a well-received Italian horror inspired short with PHANTOMS OF THE FOG! This 11-minute affair consists of a heaping dose of, you guessed it, Italian horror, with a dash of those classic Vietnam War action flicks churned out around the world during the mid to late 80s. Starring Filmiracle Productions regulars Karen Lynn and Terry Reilly, newcomer Ryan Fargo plays the part of an American soldier wandering around in the jungle for reasons unknown. This time around, Chris has recruited Luca Coscarella (known for his amazing cover tracks, most notably his renditions from BURIAL GROUND: NIGHT OF TERROR) to deliver a hypnotic musical score. 

"... could be described as a Lucio Fulci achievement based on a script by Bruno Mattei and Claudio Fragasso." - toxiccrypt.fr

"Atmosphere that reminds me of the films I’ve shot for Lucio Fulci. Good tension. An excellent short." - Nino Celeste (DP, Lucio Fulci's HOUSE OF CLOCKS, SWEET HOUSE OF HORRORS)

"... it's Italian horror." - Claudio Lattanzi (director KILLING BIRDS)

This short film ended up on Grindsploitation 8: Drive-In Grindhouse distributed by Troma.

For an interview with Chris Milewski focusing on THE CITY OF DUNWICH, please check out Mike Haberfelner's (re)Search myTrash.

The Burial Ground-inspired zombie mask in the works.

Ryan Fargo and Karen Lynn.

From Grindsploitation 8: Drive-In Grindhouse.