CineRidge Entertainment announced it has signed a production deal with legendary horror cult director Donald Glut to direct two motion pictures this year. The deal was negotiated between CineRidge President Gregory Hatanaka and Donald F. Glut of PecosBorn Productions.
The first project in the arrangement will be the giallo thriller BLOOD CIRCLE about a series of brutal murders that may be connected to a secret society of extra-judicious veteran female prosecutors and, in a change of pace for Mr. Glut, the second project slated for production will be AS I KISS YOU, a character drama about a young woman who experiences a sensual awakening as those around her and in her life have their existences erased. Both films will be produced by Gregory Hatanaka through his CineRidge Entertainment company (Samurai Cop 2, Mad Cowgirl, Blue Dream) and distributed by Cinema Epoch. Code Red DVD will be handling the Blu-ray releases of the films. Geno McGahee (Scary Tales, Sickle, Family Secret) will be scripting and co-producing. Acclaimed horror scream queen Brinke Stevens (Star of Cinema Epoch’s BITTEN: VICTORIA’S SHADOW)will appear in both films and the rest of the cast will be announced shortly.
Producer Gregory Hatanaka says “I’m delighted to be finally able to produce a Donald Glut film. He’s always been a busy man and his body of work and artistry will bring an air of classic cult class to these productions. I am especially excited about him directing AS I KISS YOU, an art-house Ingmar Bergman/John Cassavetes-type existential drama, a genre that he has never attempted before and is very excited about. When you watch Don’s horror work, you see the compassion, the angst, the nihilism of some characters and so that is why I thought he would be the perfect director for this film. But secretly, I wanted to work with him so I could speak with him during downtime on set about his Empire Strikes Back novelization, Land of the Lost, Hammer horror films and dinosaurs.”
Donald Glut says “I simply love being on set and excited to be working with Gregory (Hatanaka). We’ve discussed the current dismal state of the market and always felt that if we could do these small scale type dramas and thrillers maybe someone would notice and then that audience could build. I was never tied down to horror as a genre and I look forward to the versatility that I can bring to film, whatever form it exists in or genre. Stories about life and people are universal whether they are classified into a horror, thriller or comedic genre.”
Shooting begins early May on the first production.
