Director Parris Reaves’ fourth film, ghost story “The Evil One,” has been released on DVD nationwide. “We’re everywhere?even in Target,” Reaves said.
Shot in summer 2003 on a six-figure budget on Super 16mm, the DVD was released by Deerfield Beach, Fla.-based financier Breakaway Films, a division of Maverick Entertainment, on its own horror label, Creep FX.
“The Evil One,” set in Reaves’ modern-day Englewood neighborhood, draws upon the legend of real-life turn-of-the-century Englewood mass-murderer H.H. Holmes, also the subject of John Borowski’s recently-released documentary, “H.H. Holmes: America’s First Serial Killer.”
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| “The Evil One” director Parris Reaves with actors Candace Carey and Eric Lane |
“The Evil One” stars Candace Carey, Eric Lane, hip hop artists Big Gipp of Goodie Mob and Ludacris’ backing vocalist Shawna, along with Chicago Community Cinema event director Mike McNamara and Arthur Simone.
It premiered last July at Miami’s American Black Film Festival.
Reaves plans to finance his new and fifth film, the Christian psychological thriller “The Heart of a Man,” through his own Hawkfilmz. “I know the business a little bit now and I’m going to try to get a theatrical run with it,” he said.
As with “The Evil One,” Reaves plans to have Joey Domaracki as DP, post at Film & Tape Works, and sound design at Studio 11 Chicago.
Reaves is in post on the 30-minute short “Hades Door,” which he shot last summer. He hopes to include “Hades Door” as an extra on the “Heart of a Man” DVD.
“Hades Door” was Reaves’ first experience with 24P DV after starting his career in film, and he’s hooked. “I’ll shoot ?Heart of a Man’ on 24P,” he said. “It looks just as good as Super 16. I won’t spend that kind of money on film unless it’s 35mm.”
Breakaway/Maverick had a distribution deal with Artisan Entertainment, which released Reaves’ prior film “When Thugs Cry,” but Maverick’s distribution deal fell through after Lion’s Gate acquired Artisan last year.
Reach Reaves at 773/737-0747 or email hawkfilmz@aol.com. His site www.hawkfilmz.com goes online in March.
