Digging Up the Marrow

Last updated
Digging up the Marrow
Digging up the Marrow poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Adam Green
Written byAdam Green
Produced byCory Neal
Starring
Cinematography Will Barratt
Edited by
  • Will Barratt
  • Josh Ethier
  • Adam Green
Music byBear McCreary
Production
company
Ariescope Pictures
Distributed by Image Entertainment
Release dates
Running time
88 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$10,969 [1]

Digging up the Marrow is a 2014 American horror comedy film written and directed by Adam Green. It stars Green as a fictionalized version of himself who, in the process of making a documentary about monsters, is contacted by a man, played by Ray Wise, who insists that he can prove monsters are real.

Contents

Plot

Filmmaker Adam Green begins a documentary about artwork that features monsters. Green is surprised when William Dekker, a retired detective, contacts him and claims to have proof of the existence of monsters. Green's wife reacts skeptically, but he reworks his documentary to focus on Dekker and his efforts to expose the monsters' underground home, which he calls "The Marrow". Green interviews Dekker at his house, who claims that he has seen many monsters and identified some of them through sketches. Dekker mentions his son once but diverts from the topic when Green inquires. The shooting crew of Green and his cameraman wait at the Marrow's entrance; a dug-up hole in the cemetery in the woods. On the first night they do not see anything although Dekker keeps claiming that he could see one of the monsters.

Next time they do capture a footage of a monster for a brief time interval, but there is a disbelief as to whether it is a hoax setup by Dekker. Then they make an arrangement of five cameras and light to capture footage in the absence of their cameraman. One of the cameras, Camera-2, goes missing. Other cameras capture monsters, and later reveals that Dekker visits often and communicates, or feeds, one of the monsters at the Marrow. However the footage is not very clear. Meanwhile, Green finds out that Dekker had approached other directors with his story and the Boston police department do not recognize him. This arouses suspicion and Green tries to gather more footage to confirm hoax (or reality) at the Marrow one night with his cameraman. Dekker arrives there too, and soon they are violently attacked by monsters. They escape in their car. Green and his cameraman leave the house. Next morning they find that Dekker has abandoned the house and they couldn't trace him. However, there is a room with broken chains, implying a monster had been trapped there. Dekker probably believes that one of the monsters is his son and used to trap him there. The movie ends with footage from camera-2 showing a monster that keeps Dekker trapped in a cage, and attacks Green at his home.

Cast

Tony Todd, Steve Agee, Joe Lynch, Lloyd Kaufman, Don Coscarelli, Corri English, Oderus Urungus, Laura Ortiz, Evan Dickson, and Steven Barton all cameo as themselves.

Production

The initial concept for the film came from fan mail sent by Alex Pardee that purported to tell the true history of a character Green had created, Victor Crowley. Green was taken with the mail and wanted to interview the author, but he could not interest anyone else in the project, as they were worried that the fan could turn out to be unbalanced. The project further coalesced when Green met Pardee at a convention. Pardee, an artist, shared his story Digging Up the Marrow, in which an artist is commissioned to paint purportedly real monsters. Green then combined the two ideas. Casting for Dekker was difficult for the filmmakers, because they were not sure whether they should use an unknown or a famous actor. Ultimately, they decided that it would be too distracting for audiences to suddenly be taken out of the film when real monsters were introduced. As a result, Wise was cast so that it would be obvious from the start that the film was not an attempted hoax. Though Wise's casting was initially controversial among people to whom Green showed a work print, they came around to his point of view when he explained the reasoning. [2] Of casting himself, Green said that it grounded the film and made the events seem more real. [3] When writing the script, Green wanted to make sure that the in-jokes did not impact on the enjoyment of general audiences unfamiliar with his work. Green said that they were added bonuses for fans who noticed them. [4]

Production began in 2010 and slowly progressed over the next four years whenever Green had free time between projects. [2] Green suffered two major setbacks during filming: the death of his friend Dave Brockie, and his divorce from Rileah Vanderbilt. Both events caused him to question the project, and he was tempted to remove their scenes. In both cases, he was convinced not to. In order to keep a low profile, Green announced that he was making an art documentary. He said this because he believed that the only way the film could work was if it were not hyped, and he knew that the film would attract unwanted attention if its true subject matter were leaked. The opening interviews were unscripted, but everything else was. The actors were not given a full script but had to work with only their own lines. [2] Barratt was the only actor who read the entire script. [5] Despite some reviews that praised the film as a guerrilla production, it was not. [4]

Most of the film's effects were practical. Sculptor Greg Aronowitz worked off of Pardee's designs, and Pardee supervised. Robert Pendergraft created the make-up effects, fabricated the monsters, and operated them. [5] Green knew that he would have to show monsters in a self-described monster film, but the team had difficulty in creating working animatronic monsters, as Pardee's designs were so surreal. [6] Green said there were no ego issues involved in the process, and Pardee and Aronowitz still enjoy collaborating in their spare time for fun. [7] When each monster was designed, it would inspire different monsters. Green said that he wanted to use monster designs that were unique, instead of redoing designs that had been seen many times before. According to Green, because the studios were uninterested in original designs, the film was only possible as an independent production. [8]

Release

An early cut was shown at Butt-Numb-A-Thon in 2013. [5] Digging up the Marrow premiered at the London FrightFest Film Festival on August 23, 2014. [9] In October 2014, Image Entertainment purchased the distribution rights to the film. [10] It was released to video on demand on February 20, 2015, and Green went on a tour to distribute the film. [11] Green said of the self-distribution that it is impossible to get a fair deal with sites like Netflix and Hulu without a major distributor. In order to avoid these poor deals and issues with distributors who claim to have not made any money, they decided to handle everything themselves. [4] It was released on DVD and Blu-ray on March 24, 2015. [11] This version contains 25–30 minutes of extended footage that was cut from the film. [7]

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, reports that 60% of 20 surveyed critics gave the film a positive review; the average rating is 5.7/10. [12] Metacritic rated it 45/100 based on eight reviews. [13] Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter called it "a playfully self-reflexive exercise whose endless in-jokes will best be appreciated by only the most ardent genre aficionados". [14] Maitland McDonagh of Film Journal International wrote, "A meta-variation on Clive Barker's Nightbreed , Digging Up the Marrow tackles all the same questions–what makes a monster, are they good or bad, et al.—with considerably less grace and intelligence." [15] Michael Rechtshaffen of the Los Angeles Times called it "more mind-numbing than bone-chilling". [16] Nick Schager of The Village Voice wrote that after poking fun at found footage films, it becomes "the very dull, clichéd thing it mocks." [17] Ignatiy Vishnevetsky of The A.V. Club rated it B− and called it "more playful than genuinely creepy" and said that it does not live up to its potential. [18] Ken W. Hanley of Fangoria rated it 2.5/4 stars and described its ambition as both its greatest asset and downfall. [19] Simon Abrams of RogerEbert.com rated it 1.5/4 stars and wrote, "Digging Up the Marrow is a decent idea, but beyond some fun creature effects, and a surprisingly grounded performance from character actor Ray Wise, the film just sits there." [20] Wes Greene of Slant Magazine rated it 2/4 stars and said that it "ultimately becomes the shopworn horror story that Green purports to upend with plenty of self-aware snark". [21] Matt Donato of We Got This Covered rated it 3.5/5 stars and called it "a tense, confident, and gorgeously terrifying monster movie that turns Alex Pardee's artistry into vibrant, eye-catching horrors." [22] Mike D'Angelo of The Dissolve rated it 3/5 stars and called it "more of an affectionate comedy than a horror movie, despite a third act that features some tense moments and hostile critters." [23] Patrick Cooper of Bloody Disgusting rated it 2/5 stars and wrote that the film "can be very fun at times, but overall Digging Up the Marrow is a tiresome and exasperatingly self-aggrandizing trip." [24] Scott Hallam of Dread Central rated it 4/5 stars and wrote, "Not only is it an extremely clever and unique movie experience, it gives Green’s fans exactly what they want: more Adam Green." [25] Patrick Bromley of Daily Dead rated it 4/5 stars and wrote, "Digging Up the Marrow isn't just a terrific horror movie; it's a movie about why we are drawn to horror movies." [26]

Related Research Articles

<i>Pumpkinhead</i> (film) 1988 film by Stan Winston

Pumpkinhead is a 1988 American horror film. It was the directorial debut of special effects artist Stan Winston. The film has built up a cult following in the years since its release. The first in the Pumpkinhead franchise, it was followed by a direct-to-video sequel, two TV film sequels, and a comic book series. The film was originally called Vengeance: The Demon and it was inspired by a creepy poem written by poet Ed Justin. The film inspired a video game called Bloodwings: Pumpkinhead's revenge.

<i>Fangoria</i> American horror film fan magazine

Fangoria is an internationally distributed American horror film fan magazine, in publication since 1979. It is published four times a year by Fangoria Publishing, LLC and is edited by Phil Nobile Jr.

Mick Garris American filmmaker and screenwriter

Mick Garris is an American filmmaker and screenwriter born in Santa Monica, California. He is best known for his work in the horror film genre, as well as making Stephen King adaptations.

Alex Pardee

Alex Pardee is an American freelance artist, apparel designer, and comics creator writer, best known for illustrating the Used's album artwork.

<i>The Dead Pit</i> 1989 film by Brett Leonard

The Dead Pit is a 1989 American horror film co-written and directed by Brett Leonard, in his directorial debut. Cheryl Lawson stars as a mental patient who must defeat an undead serial killer who previously worked at the asylum, played by Danny Gochnauer.

Adam Green (filmmaker) American actor and filmmaker born March 31, 1975)

Adam Green is an American actor, filmmaker and musician, best known for his work in horror and comedy films, including the Hatchet franchise, 2010's Frozen, and the television series Holliston.

<i>A Virgin Among the Living Dead</i> 1973 film

A Virgin Among the Living Dead is a 1973 European erotic horror film directed by Jesús Franco. Franco shot the film in 1971, but it was only released in 1973 after some additional erotic footage was added to the film without Franco's involvement. It was later re-cut with some extra zombie footage and redistributed to theaters again in 1981 as a zombie film. It has since been restored on DVD to Franco's original director's cut.

<i>Grabbers</i> 2012 Irish-British monster film by Jon Wright

Grabbers is a 2012 monster film directed by Jon Wright and written by Kevin Lehane. A co-production of Ireland and the United Kingdom, the film stars Richard Coyle, Ruth Bradley, Bronagh Gallagher and Russell Tovey among an ensemble cast of Irish actors.

<i>Holliston</i> (TV series)

Holliston is an American horror sitcom created by Adam Green, which debuted on April 3, 2012 on the FEARnet cable television network as their first ever original series. Aside from the FEARnet cable television network, the show is also offered to watch on outlets such as Hulu, iTunes, and FEARnet On-Demand.

<i>The Frankenstein Theory</i> 2013 American film

The Frankenstein Theory is a 2013 American horror film directed by Andrew Weiner and stars Kris Lemche, Joe Egender, Timothy V. Murphy, and Eric Zuckerman. The film is distributed by Image Entertainment. It is presented as "found footage", pieced together from a film crew's footage. The film relates the story of a documentary film crew that follows a professor who journeys to the Arctic Circle in order to prove that Mary Shelley's classic 1818 novel, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, was based on fact.

The Battery is a 2012 American drama horror film and the directorial debut of Jeremy Gardner. The film stars Gardner and co-producer Adam Cronheim as two former baseball players trying to survive a zombie apocalypse. The film premiered at the Telluride Horror Show in October 2012 and received a video-on-demand release June 4, 2013. It has won audience awards at several international film festivals.

<i>WolfCop</i> 2014 Canadian film

WolfCop is a 2014 Canadian comedy horror film written and directed by Lowell Dean, and starring Jesse Moss, Amy Matysio, Jonathan Cherry, Sarah Lind, Aidan Devine, Corrine Conley and Leo Fafard. The film's plot concerns an alcoholic small town cop who transforms into a werewolf after being cursed; he still possesses his human intelligence in wolf form and continues his work as a police officer even in wolf form.

<i>The Walking Deceased</i> 2015 American film

The Walking Deceased, originally titled Walking with the Dead, is a 2015 spoof of zombie films directed by Scott Dow and written by Tim Ogletree. It stars Ogletree, Joey Oglesby, Dave Sheridan, Troy Ogletree, Sophie Taylor Ali, Danielle Garcia, Andrew Pozza, and Mason Dakota Galyon as survivors of a zombie apocalypse who attempt to locate a safe haven.

<i>Malignant</i> (2013 film) 2013 American horror film

Malignant is a 2013 American horror film written and directed by Brian Avenet-Bradley. It stars Gary Carins and Brad Dourif as a patient who undergoes involuntary treatment to cure his alcoholism and the mad doctor who performs it, respectively.

<i>Ghoul</i> (2015 film) 2015 Czech film

Ghoul is a 2015 Czech 3D horror film, directed by Petr Jákl, written by Jákl and Petr Bok, and starring Jennifer Armour, Jeremy Isabella, and Paul S. Tracey. An American film crew goes to Ukraine to investigate stories of widespread cannibalism, only to summon the spirit of Andrei Chikatilo, a notorious serial killer and cannibal. It is shot in found footage format.

<i>Hooked Up</i> (film) 2013 film

Hooked Up is a 2013 Spanish horror film directed by Pablo Larcuen, written by Larcuen and Eduard Sola, and starring Stephen Ohl, Jonah Ehrenreich, Natascha Wiese, and Júlia Molins. It was shot entirely on an iPhone and is presented in the form of found footage. Hooked Up premiered at Sitges Film Festival on 15 October 2013 and has a video-on-demand release date in the US on 7 April 2015.

<i>The Veil</i> (2016 film) American supernatural horror film

The Veil is a 2016 American supernatural horror film directed by Phil Joanou and written by Robert Ben Garant. Jason Blum serves as a producer through his production company Blumhouse Productions. The film stars Jessica Alba, Lily Rabe, Aleksa Palladino, Reid Scott, and Thomas Jane. The film was released on January 19, 2016, through video on demand prior to being released through home media formats on February 2, 2016, by Universal Pictures.

<i>Valley of the Sasquatch</i> 2015 American film

Valley of the Sasquatch is a 2015 American horror film written and directed by John Portanova and starring Miles Joris-Peyrafitte, Jason Vail, David Saucedo, D'Angelo Midili, and Bill Oberst Jr. as a group of hunters who encounter a family of Sasquatches. It premiered in February 2015 at the Nevermore Film Festival.

Adam Egypt Mortimer is an American director, comic writer, and producer known for directing Daniel Isn't Real and Archenemy.

References

  1. "Digging Up the Marrow". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved 2015-03-26.
  2. 1 2 3 Bromley, Patrick (2015-02-18). "Exclusive: Adam Green on Getting Personal and Chasing Monsters for Digging Up the Marrow (Part One)". Daily Dead. Retrieved 2015-03-26.
  3. Hallam, Scott (2015-02-17). "Exclusive: Adam Green Talks Digging Up The Marrow – Part 1". Dread Central . Retrieved 2015-03-26.
  4. 1 2 3 Bromley, Patrick (2015-02-19). "Exclusive: Adam Green Talks the Indie Horror World, His Fans & Combating the Found Footage Label for Digging Up the Marrow (Part Two)". Daily Dead. Retrieved 2015-03-26.
  5. 1 2 3 Collis, Clark (2015-02-16). "How Adam Green's Digging Up the Marrow turned into a real-life horrorshow". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved 2015-03-26.
  6. Hanley, Ken W. (2015-02-12). "Q&A: Adam Green on "DIGGING UP THE MARROW", Part One". Fangoria . Archived from the original on 2015-02-12. Retrieved 2015-03-26.
  7. 1 2 Hanley, Ken W. (2015-02-20). "Q&A: Adam Green on "DIGGING UP THE MARROW", Part Two". Fangoria . Archived from the original on 2015-05-02. Retrieved 2015-03-26.
  8. Barone, Matt (2015-02-19). "Digging up the Marrow: Where Are All the New, Creative Monsters in Horror?". Shock Till You Drop . Retrieved 2015-03-26.
  9. Miska, Brad (2014-08-20). "Adam Green's 'Digging Up the Marrow' Proves Monsters Are Real! (Exclusive)". Bloody Disgusting . Retrieved 2015-03-26.
  10. Yemato, Jen (October 23, 2014). "Image Snags Adam Green's Digging Up The Marrow – AFM". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  11. 1 2 Squires, John (2015-01-19). "Adam Green Announces Tour Dates for Digging Up the Marrow". Dread Central . Retrieved 2015-03-26.
  12. "Digging Up the Marrow (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  13. "Digging Up the Marrow". Metacritic . Retrieved 2015-03-26.
  14. Scheck, Frank (2015-02-19). "'Digging Up the Marrow': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 2015-03-26.
  15. McDonagh, Maitland (2015-02-20). "Film Review: Digging Up the Marrow". Film Journal International . Retrieved 2015-03-26.
  16. Rechtshaffen, Michael (2015-02-20). "Review 'Digging Up the Marrow' a monster of a found-footage teaser". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 2015-03-26.
  17. Schager, Nick. "Digging Up the Marrow". The Village Voice . Retrieved 2015-03-26.
  18. Vishnevetsky, Ignatiy (2015-02-19). "Adam Green plays fast and loose with found footage in Digging Up The Marrow". The A.V. Club . Retrieved 2015-03-26.
  19. Hanley, Ken W. (2015-02-20). ""DIGGING UP THE MARROW" (Film Review)". Fangoria . Retrieved 2015-03-26.
  20. Abrams, Simon (2015-02-20). "Digging Up the Marrow". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved 2015-03-26.
  21. Greene, Wes (2015-02-17). "Digging Up the Marrow". Slant Magazine . Retrieved 2015-03-26.
  22. Donato, Matt (2015-02-16). "Digging Up The Marrow Review". We Got This Covered. Retrieved 2015-03-26.
  23. D'Angelo, Mike (2015-02-17). "Digging Up The Marrow". The Dissolve . Retrieved 2015-03-26.
  24. Cooper, Patrick (2015-02-19). "[Review] 'Digging Up the Marrow' Is Fun But Exasperating". Bloody Disgusting . Retrieved 2015-03-26.
  25. Hallam, Scott (2015-01-23). "Digging Up The Marrow (2015)". Dread Central . Retrieved 2015-03-26.
  26. Bromley, Patrick (2015-02-20). "Review: Digging Up the Marrow". Daily Dead. Retrieved 2015-03-26.