Slapface

Slapface
Poster
Directed by	Jeremiah Kipp
Written by	Jeremiah Kipp
Based on	Slapface by Jeremiah Kipp
Produced by	Mike Manning Artisha Mann Cooper Joe Benedetto
Starring	August Maturo Mike Manning Libe Barer Dan Hedaya
Cinematography	Dominick Sivilli
Edited by	Katie Dillon
Music by	Barry J. Neely
Production companies	Chhibber Mann Productions Mirror Image Films Artman Cooper Productions
Distributed by	Shudder Epic Pictures Group
Release dates	March 20, 2021 (2021-03-20) (Cinequest Film Festival) February 3, 2022 (2022-02-03) (United States)
Running time	85 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Slapface is a 2021 American Indie horror film^[1] written and directed by Jeremiah Kipp and produced by Mike Manning. A feature-length adaptation of Kipp's 2017 short film of the same name, it features an ensemble cast that includes Manning, August Maturo, Libe Barer, Dan Hedaya and Lukas Hassel as the film's monster.^[2]

The film premiered at the Cinequest Film Festival on March 20, 2021, where it won the Audience Award in the "Feature Thriller, Horror or Sci-Fi" category.^[3][4][5] It was released by Shudder and Epic Pictures Group in the United States on February 3, 2022.

Synopsis[]

After the death of his mother, Lucas, a loner who lives in a rundown home with his brother Tom, regularly seeks solace in the nearby woods. With his only “friends” being a group of female bullies, he keeps to himself most of the time. But, after a strange encounter with an inhuman monster, Lucas begins to withdraw from others. When the two reach a tentative trust, a bizarre friendship is born, and Lucas is swept up in a series of primal adventures.^[6]

Cast[]

Director Jeremiah Kipp, cinematographer Dominick Sivilli and co-executive producer Curtis Braly make cameos in the film, and real-life members of the Town of Fishkill Police Department also appear.

Production[]

Development[]

An idea for the film was inspired by Kipp's childhood and love of monster movies. Dominick Sivilli suggested to make a proof-of-concept short film. The short, completed in 2017, enjoyed a two-year film festival run and its lead child actor Joshua Kaufman was nominated for Best Performance in a Short Film – Young Actor at the 39th Young Artist Awards for his performance. After the short received positive reviews, Joe Benedetto and Mike Manning agreed to acquire and green-light the feature version, with William Sadler attached to play Sheriff John Thurston.^[7][8][9] A notable change that was made during the writing of the feature version was the re-conceiving of Lucas' father in the short version into his older brother, Tom.^[10]

Pre-production[]

In August 2019, August Maturo was cast in the lead role of Lucas and it was announced that Lukas Hassel will reprise his role as the Monster, now called the Virago Witch, from the original short film.^[11][12] That same month, Manning joined the cast as Tom and was confirmed to also produce the film.^[8] In September 2019, The (Bianca and Chiara) and Mirabelle Lee joined the cast as Donna, Rose and Moriah.^[13] In November 2019, Libe Barer was added to the cast as Anna, with Dan Hedaya announced to take over for Sadler in the role of Sheriff John Thurston.^[8]

Filming[]

The film was shot at Umbra Sound Stages in Newburgh, New York and on location in the Hudson Valley from November 10 to December 3, 2019. The bar scenes were filmed at The Golden Rail Ale House in Newburgh.^[14]

Music[]

Barry J. Neely composed the film's score, which was released on Apple Music and Amazon Music on April 6, 2021.^[15]

Release[]

The film held its world premiere virtually at the Cinequest Film Festival on March 20, 2021, where it was ranked as one of the top seven trending films at the festival and the only horror film to trend.^[3][16] Kipp then hinted on Instagram at a later 2021 wide release in the United States.^[17]

The film also screened at Arrow Video FrightFest in the United Kingdom in August 2021. Prior to that screening, Shudder acquired the streaming distribution rights to the film in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand, with Epic Pictures Group handling worldwide sales and distribution through the "Dread" banner. This was followed by a screening at Grimfest 2021 on October 8, 2021, where August Maturo won the Reaper Award for Best Actor.^[18] It was released on Shudder on February 3, 2022.^{[19][20][21][22]}

Reception[]

The film received positive reviews from critics and viewers, with the writing, directing, originality, cinematography and the performances of Maturo and Manning being singled out for praise. It currently holds a 94% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 18 reviews.^[23] Brian Skutle of Sonic Cinema gave the film an "A-" and compared it positively to the short film, while praising Maturo and Manning's performances, the cinematography, writing and directing. He further added that "It’s always fascinating to see how filmmakers approach expanding a basic idea into a longer narrative, and in doing so here, Kipp has maintained the heart of what the short film was, but expanded it successfully into an 85-minute narrative that is as unsettling as it is tragic."^[24]

Derek McCaw of Fanboy Planet wrote that "Slapface does a lot with a little — few locations and low budget. But it’s terrifically shot, suggesting more than showing and building a slow burning creepiness ... More might not have made more, and if the Virago isn’t a new entry into the ranks of iconic movie monsters, it still has some potential. Slapface is a solid monster movie with emotional undertones, and if that’s the movie you’re looking for, you’ll be rewarded."^[25]

References[]