The Familiar (film)
The Familiar | |
---|---|
Directed by | |
Written by | |
Produced by | |
Starring | Torrance Coombs Paul Hubbard |
Cinematography | George Campbell |
Edited by | |
Music by | |
Release date |
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Running time | 22 minutes |
Country | Canada |
Language | English |
The Familiar is a 2009 comedy horror short film starring Torrance Coombs, Paul Hubbard and Rachel Sehl. It tells the story of a naive vampire fan who becomes the personal assistant to a belligerent vampire. It won awards at the Sitges Film Festival, , Charleston International Film Festival, the Rincon International Film Festival, the Seattle True Independent Film Festival and the River Bend Film Festival. It has been nominated for several Leo Awards as well as Best Short Film at the DGC Awards.
Plot[]
Sam (Torrance Coombs) has always been obsessed with vampires from the time he was a child watching them on children’s programs to when he was a college student reading horror novels on the side. On Sam’s 21st birthday, a mysterious gentleman offers him a peculiar career choice: become an assistant to a real-life Vampire. Intrigued and enthusiastic, Sam takes the job and meets Simon Bolivar (Paul Hubbard), a 400-year-old Vampire. Everything about the Vampire does hold some truth to it; a truth followed by a dose of hard-reality. Sam soon realizes that it is not so cool or pleasant to serve his corrupt and neurotic behavior.
Cast[]
- Torrance Coombs as Sam Matheson
- Paul Hubbard as Simon Bolivar
- as Alice
- as The Old Gentleman
- as Thomas Holland
- as Penny
- as The Vampire's Escort
- as Virgil
- as Nosferatu/The Jogger
- Rosette Sharma as The Vampire's Call Girl
Inspiration[]
came up with the idea reading Dracula while working as an actor's assistant: "I felt like...the vampire was a metaphor for the boss from hell. I was always interested in the Renfield character in Dracula, and no one ever really did his story – that I know of. What kind of a person would devote himself to this sinister, Satanic agent and still call himself a human being? I thought that was the connection – you are crazy for being part of this world, but you are not exactly the main character, either. I wanted to bridge those two things, and I think it fit well while I was writing it: serving this greater being while being caught up in this insanity. A lot of us go into these jobs where we ask ourselves, 'why are we doing this'".[1]
Awards[]
Wins[]
- 2010: for Best Short Film
- 2010: Sitges Film Festival Official Fantastic Competition Panorama for Best Short Film
- 2010: for Outstanding Vampire Short
- 2010: for Best Horror Short Film
- 2010: for Best Screenplay
- 2010: Mile High Horror Film Festival Audience Award for Best Short Film
- 2010: Best Short Film
- 2010: for Best Short Film
- 2010: for Audience Favorite Best Horror Short Film
- 2010: for Best Fiction Film
- 2010: Seattle's True Independent Film Festival (STIFF) Fangbanger Award
- 2010: Hight Point Award
- 2010: Rincón International Film Festival for Best Horror Short
- 2010: for Best Short Thriller
Nominations[]
- 2011: for Best Screenplay ()
- 2011: for Best Screenplay ()
- 2011: for Best Horror Short
- 2010: for Best Director ()
- 2010: for Best Cinematography (George Campbell)
- 2010: for Best Actor (Torrance Coombs)
- 2010: for Best Actor (Paul Hubbard)
- 2010: for Best Horror Short Film
- 2010: Action On Film International Film Festival for Best Make-Up
- 2010: for Best Short Film
- 2010: Leo Award for Best Screenplay in a Short Drama ()
- 2010: Leo Award for Best Overall Sound in a Short Drama (, , David Green)
- 2010: Leo Award for Best Sound Editing in a Short Drama (, , , Graeme Hughes, David Green)
- 2010: Leo Award for Best Performance Male Lead in a Short Drama (Torrance Coombs)
Official Selections[]
- 2013: The Days of the Dead Horror Convention/Atlanta
- 2013:
- 2012:
- 2011:
- 2011:
- 2011:
- 2011: South African Horrorfest
- 2011:
- 2011: Singapore International Film Festival
- 2011:
- 2011: The Horror Imaginings Film Festival
- 2011: Horror Quest Film Festival
- 2011: PollyGrind Film Festival
- 2011: New Orleans Horror Film Festival
- 2011: Killer Film Festival
- 2011: IATSE 669 Women's Mini Film Festival
- 2011: The HorrorFind Film Festival
- 2011: Renovation Film Festival
- 2011: The Days of the Dead Horror Convention/Seattle
- 2011: Crypticon
- 2011:
- 2010:
- 2010: Mile High Horror Film Festival
- 2010:
- 2010:
- 2010: International Horror and Sci-Fi Film Festival
- 2010: Sacramento Horror Film Festival
- 2010: Rhode Island International Horror Film Festival
- 2010: Sitges Film Festival
- 2010:
- 2010:
- 2010:
- 2010:
- 2010:
- 2010:
- 2010:
- 2010:
- 2010: Action On Film International Film Festival
- 2010:
- 2010:
- 2010:
- 2010: Seattle's True Independent Film Festival (STIFF)
- 2010: River Bend International Film Festival
- 2010: Rincón International Film Festival
- 2010: A Night of Horror International Film Festival
- 2010: Charleston International Film Festival
- 2010: Nevermore International Film Festival
- 2010: Spokane International Film Festival
- 2009: New York City Horror Film Festival
- 2009: Screamfest Horror Film Festival
References[]
- ^ Alyse Wax (2009-10-16). "Exclusive Interview: Kody Zimmermann, writer/director of 'The Familiar'". FEARnet. Retrieved 2011-10-16.
External links[]
- 2009 films
- English-language films
- 2009 short films
- 2009 horror films
- Canadian short films
- Vampire comedy films
- Cultural depictions of Simón Bolívar
- Canadian films
- Canadian vampire films