The Spine of Night

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The Spine of Night
Spine of night.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by
Written by
  • Philip Gelatt
  • Morgan Galen King
Produced by
  • Will Battersby
  • Phillip Gelatt
  • Jean Rattle
Starring
Music byPeter Scartabello
Production
companies
  • Gorgonaut
  • Reno Productions
Distributed by
  • Shudder (United States)
  • RLJE Films (International)
Release dates
  • March 18, 2021 (2021-03-18) (SXSW)
  • October 29, 2021 (2021-10-29) (United States)
Running time
93 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Spine of Night is a 2021 American adult animated dark fantasy horror film written and directed by Philip Gelatt and Morgan Galen King.[1] It stars Richard E. Grant, Lucy Lawless, Patton Oswalt, Betty Gabriel, and Joe Manganiello.

The film was completed using rotoscoped animation, and traces the centuries-long journey of a magical plant that bestows terrible power upon the user, as it inspires despots, empires, and black magic.[2]

Cast[]

Production[]

The Spine of Night was directed by Philip Gelatt and Morgan Galen King, who also wrote the script. While King previously worked as an animator, Gelatt is known for his previous work on live-action films. He made the cult horror film They Remain and wrote the script for the science fiction mystery drama Europa Report. He also wrote the script for 15 episodes of the series Love, Death & Robots.

They wanted to tell an adult story within the fantasy genre. The aesthetic they found appropriate for this was the hand-drawn rotoscope animation, which was preferred in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The drawings were created on the computer, but classically at 12 frames per second, as is usual in rotoscope animation. In this animation technique, artists hand-draw over live-action footage, frame by frame.

Gelatt and King drew inspiration for their work from fantasy and science fiction illustrations by Frank Frazetta and the work of Ralph Bakshi, who made animated films for adults. Especially the 1983 film Fire and Ice was a clear inspiration.

Release[]

In 2021, RLJE Films and Shudder acquired the U.S. distribution and streaming rights. It premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival (SXSW) on March 18, 2021, Annecy International Animation Film Festival on June 16, 2021,[3] Art Film Fest on June 26, 2021, Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival on July 4, 2021,[4] Melbourne International Film Festival on August 7, 2021,[5] FanTasia on August 14, 2021,[6]

The film also screened at the Beyond Fest on October 2, 2021,[7] Sitges Film Festival on October 8, 2021[8] and at the Fantasy Filmfest on October 17, 2021.[9] It was released on digital and theatrically on October 29, 2021.

Reception[]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 76% based on 50 reviews, with an average rating of 6.40/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "With a hard fantasy story that stands in service of its eye-catching animation, The Spine of Night is a distinctive treat for genre enthusiasts."[10] According to Metacritic, which sampled six critics and calculated a weighted average score of 57 out of 100, the film received "mixed or average reviews."[11]

References[]

  1. ^ Hipes, Patrick (March 29, 2021). "SXSW Horror Pic 'The Spine Of Night' Lands U.S. Deal With RLJE Films And Shudder". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 2, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ^ Lodge, Guy (27 March 2021). "'The Spine of Night' Review: Ultraviolent Throwback Animation Mixes Muscular Spectacle With Muddy Storytelling". Variety. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
  3. ^ "Annecy 2021 Announces Juries and More Special Programs".
  4. ^ "The Spine of Night - NIFFF".
  5. ^ "The Spine of Night - MIFF".
  6. ^ "Fantasia International Film Festival 2021 Preview: 15 Films to Look Forward To".
  7. ^ "The Spine of Night - Beyond Fest".
  8. ^ "The Spine of Night - Sitges".
  9. ^ "Fantasy Film Fest - The Spine of Night".
  10. ^ "The Spine of Night". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  11. ^ "The Spine of Night Reviews". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved October 30, 2021.

External links[]

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