Portrait of a Zombie (Trailer post #16)

Galvasean

Today's evening Herald ran an article about a zombie film shot right here in Ireland. Looks quite promising so far.
http://www.herald.ie/entertainment/film-cinema/city-suburb-overrun-by-hordes-of-halfdead-flesheaters-1918744.html

Galvasean

Some pretty cool stills from the Irish made zombie film Portrait of a Zombie have been released. The film is due for release next year. The teaser trailer goes live in 5 days time at portraitofazombie.com
The makeup effects look pretty slick.







Sure would be nice to get a really decent horror film come out of Ireland for a change.. Here's hoping this is it.

Cattleforker

looks great. look forward to seeing it. Any release date?

Kevin McGahern

looks great. fair play to the make up girls. that **** was off the hook lad

Galvasean

More stills; Guns n' gore, horay!

allanb49

looks good, very good,
where was it shot. the last still with the AK looks familiar

Galvasean

allanb49 wrote: »

looks good, very good,
where was it shot. the last still with the AK looks familiar

Most of it was shot in Finglas (includingthat pic). There were also scenes shot in Ballymun and the city centre.

allanb49

wow i was way off i thought it looked like columbanus near the windy arbour luas. ooops, is it a straight up horror, or is it light hearted, dark humour, etc will it be shown in the IFI or general release,

Galvasean

It's a horror/comedy, with the emphasis on very dark humour. It has docu/mockumentary stylings too.
I'm not sure about the release, but I'm guessing limited release. I'd be mazd ifthe IFI didn't pick it up.

Medea616

awesome looks freaking cool! You should inform bloody-disgusting.com the number 1 horror website in the world!

pipqueak

Stills look really impressive. I think I read about this is the Herald a few weeks back.

Galvasean

Forgot to mention there is a Facebook page where you can get updates etc. (act fast though, as friend space is limited!):
http://www.facebook.com/#/PortraitOfAZombie?ref=ts

And a more general fan page (doesn't have as much content yet, but will soon):
http://www.facebook.com/#/pages/Portrait-Of-A-Zombie/133574205681?ref=ts

Kar Lau

yea looks cooler than described to me. A friend of mine asked me to be a zombie in this flick as a favour to her bro as he's making the film but I was in Rome, bad timing, woulda been cool to be a zombie!

Galvasean

Nice to see some of the online bloggers have begun supporting the film.


Trailer is up tomorro, I'm so excited!

Almost forgot, there is a little behind the scenes sneak peek up on the Facebook pae. It involves guns and screaming

Nevyn

I am surprised you didn't post about this in the horror forum.
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=270

Galvasean

Good call Thaed. I forgot there was a Horror Forum

News just in:
Facebook fans get to see the trailer before everyone else! It's up now:
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?comments&v=104885732861629

Galvasean

Mainstream media coverage woo!!!!

http://www.iftn.ie/?act1=record&aid=73&rid=4282740&tpl=archnewshome&only=1&force=1

IFTN wrote:

Production has recently wrapped on the set of feature film ‘Portrait of a Zombie’ from Irish born director, Bing Bailey. The low budget black comedy/horror film explores the story of a working class Irish family who become caught up in a zombie invasion of Dublin.

When son, Billy, becomes a zombie the family chooses to take care of him in the home much to the chagrin of the neighbors and the local crime boss. Meanwhile, they invite an American documentarian to film their situation and the film crew become involved in the mayhem.

’Portrait of a Zombie’ is produced by Laura Morand Bailey and Bing Bailey for Organ Hill Films. The film was shot on Red Digital 4K by Clayton Haskell (executive producer, Chinatown) and will now be edited in the U.S. The film’s cast includes Patrick Murphy, Todd Fletcher (Yard of Blondes), Diane Jennings (Dublin: A Movie in Four Days), Geraldine McAlinden (The Guards), Rory Mullen (Hunger), Gerry Shanahan (Omagh), Paul O'Bryan, Sonya O'Donoghue, Sara White, Ciaran Davies (The Haunting of Hell House) and Stephen Neeson.

Cast and crew involved in the project filmed mainly on Mellowes Avenue in Finlgas but used other various Dublin locations such as Smithfiled, College Green and the Glasnevin Cemetery.

Producer Laura Mornad Bailey tells IFTN: “The goal of the film is to reflect modern Ireland in the horror genre and to celebrate the strength and humor of the Irish in the face of adversity.”

It is expected that ‘Portrait of a Zombie’ will be released next year. A teaser trailer will be released on December 1st at www.portraitofazombie.com.

jenny2hat

Looks really good
Can't wait to see it. Any idea of a release date yet?

Galvasean

The release has yet to be confirmed. However, the scale of release may depend on fan reaction. So if you want to see it get a widespread cinema release ya'all better get viral!
Speaking of which, here's the Youtube channel (subscribe to get first dibs on trailers, featurettes etc.):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmFr-JQEZVY&fmt=22

grames_bond

Pretty slick trailer! lookin forward to this!

allanb49

looks good cant wait for it

D-Generate

IFTN wrote: »

The film’s cast includes ... Rory Mullen (Hunger)

Having a zombie film as a follow up is inspired!

I liked the teaser except for the girl saying "A woman has died". Seemed to lack conviction.

Galvasean

Good news everyone. The teaser trailer will be playing before the main feature at the underground cinema Dec 17th in Dun Laoghaire. So if anybody wants to pop along and see it on a big screen (not to mention the actual films) now's your chance.

More info @ http://www.underground-cinema.com

I'll be heading on in (pending work times of course).

Kess73

Galvasean wrote: »

Good call Thaed. I forgot there was a Horror Forum

News just in:
Facebook fans get to see the trailer before everyone else! It's up now:
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?comments&v=104885732861629

There is a horror forum on Boards?

Cool did not know that.

Galvasean

Very nice write up about the trailer on Slash Film:

Not since Once have I been so interested in the filmic output of a land that spawned my ancestors and I have to say, without question, the premise is fascinating: a kid (Billy) becomes a zombie, his parents elect to take care of the kid at home, a documentary film crew (of course) wants to tape the family, and then we watch the havoc unfold.

The trailer opens very strangely: a group of people take to the streets to protest something. It’s in slow motion, there’s no voice over, and we’re left wondering what it is they’re protesting against. We have some person getting swarmed by a pack of zombies, a woman lets us know the whole country is “****e,” a guy gets his hand cut off with a meat cleaver, and then we meet Billy. Treated more like a rabid dog than human I am impressed with the idea of where this is going.

Slow-mo shots of zombies running around, of people evading certain death, and then a mom trying to console a thrashing Billy who is bound up in a straight jacket and muzzle all the while with a minimalist touch. This feels intimate, claustrophobic.

The final seconds of this trailer are an especially nice touch considering what we’re dealing with: a first time director/writer, Bing Bailey, who obviously doesn’t have Hollywood funds but is trying to make it look like it. The execution is grand and really taps into that sense of terror that so many other, highly polished zombie films can’t match.

More here.

Galvasean

Bit more about the story has surfaced on getthebigpicture.net

"I'm very glad you picked up on the fact the film isn't the usual we're trapped in a barn and zombies are trying to get us fare. The teaser is really a mood piece. There is quite a bit of satire and dark humour in the film and it really is about the family having to cope with what's happened to their son who had hopes and dreams for his life before he turned. They want to pretend everything is ok and love him and treat him the same way just like they always have but it proves very difficult for them and they make lots of sacrifices for their decisions."

"On the crew's side it's about how long can you observe something before you have to become involved. I'm a huge fan of zombie movies that entertain but provide social commentary."

"Many zombie films deal with outbreaks and the immediacy of dealing with survival. This film goes further and asks what would a parent do if something really awful happened to their son or daughter. How far would they go to try and make it all look normal? What we can do as independent filmmakers that the studios can't is push boundaries. I believe with this film we have."

.

Full story here.

pipqueak

That is great that all these websites seem to be picking up on it. It sure seems like it's going to be alot better than Boy Eats Girl anyway...looking forward to seeing it

allanb49

any word on a release yet?

Galvasean

allanb49 wrote: »

any word on a release yet?

Not sure about release yet. I'm hearing Autumn/Winter but nothing concrete yet.

In the mean time I found a good interview with the director which rveals abit more about the film's style/themes.

Galvasean

Finally get to see this tonight. Can't bloody wait!

allanb49

awaits review

Nolanger

"The whole country's sh*te" - so true!

Mickeroo

What kind of release is this getting?

Galvasean

Tonight's screening was postponed since hardly anybody on the guest list could make it in due to this poxy snow. Absolutely gutted.
This is me:

ricero

I'm sorry but this looks ****e

entropi

Had a very interesting look at this being made from the inside at the weekend as an extra, final scenes have been shot and now just have to be put together

Looking forward to seeing it put together and on a big screen, show your support if you can

Joonaspp

Looks really promising, despite the fact that the guy wielding that blade looks like Wayne Rooney.

Galvasean

Official poster looks quite creepy:


The film has also been nominated for Best Independent Feature Film at the Underground Cinema awards taking place in September.

allanb49

has it been released yet think i've been following this for 2 years now :S

TerrorFirmer

Primarily, Portrait of a Zombie suffers from the same problem that a lot of low budget zombie films tend do - they aim far too high with too scant resources. It was actually excellent to begin with, a fairly sharply written and witty story following a localized infection, but as the movie trundled into it's main act, the attempt to stray outside of what was clearly their comfort zone doomed it with the resulting -and frankly unnecessary within the framework of the story - attempts at portraying a Dublin plagued by Zombie attacks being farcical. It was ridiculously far fetched - even given the fact that it's a movie about zombies - and the whole movie started to fall apart completely from the middle onwards as neither zombie hordes, attacks in the city center, or criminals openly carrying guns on the streets evidently manage to catch the attention of law enforcement.

As a positive, it had promise, and I firmly believe its downfall was not actually a budget issue, but rather a far too ambitious story arc for the budget - had they kept it smaller in scale and confined to the estate the action was mostly set in, jettisoning the wholly unnecessary and rubbish city scenes, it would have been twice the movie it ended up being. Although some of the acting was ropey, the main characters were mostly excellent, and the strength of said acting largely held the film together. Zombie effects ranged from mediocre to decent - the main zombie, about whom the film is largely about, was leagues ahead of the rest of the make up in this regard but the zombie attacks were wholly unconvincing and more or less were, without fail, the classic 'camera lens into the face to signify an incoming zombie', which got old pretty quick. The gore was also quite poor, with one or two decent scenes offset by some incredibly boring, drawn out and surprisingly bloodless death-by-zombie scenes.

The script was, however, pretty decent and putting aside the aforementioned scenes external to the estate in which it's based, was competently written with a good blend of drama and wit that the actors involved served well. One or two excellent lines had the audience laughing.

All in all, what's most disappointing about this movie isn't that it's not really a good one, but with some minor changes in story telling and set pieces it could have very easily been a good one. As it is, it's watchable, and some terrific acting in some lead roles - the parents, brother, and neighbor in particular - holds it together admirably, but it's s shame because I wanted to like it more than I did. I believe with a further edit restricting the action to the estate in which it's based and removing several scenes which ultimately had no bearing on the film other than to cheapen it, the film would benefit hugely - because the makings of an excellent film are there.

As it is I would give it a 4/10.