KillRoy Was Here

Last updated

KillRoy Was Here
Killroy Was Here Poster.png
Official teaser image
Directed by Kevin Smith
Screenplay by
  • Kevin Smith
  • Andrew McElfresh
Based on Kilroy was here
by United States servicemen
Produced by
  • Andrew McElfresh
  • Tony Stopperan
  • Joseph Restaino
  • Nick Morgulis
  • Adam Yeremian
Starring
CinematographyBrandon D. Hyde
Edited byBrian Chamberlain
Music bySimon Taufique
Production
companies
Distributed byLegendao
Release date
  • July 12, 2022 (2022-07-12)
Running time
63 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1 million [2]

KillRoy Was Here is a 2022 American comedy horror anthology film [3] directed by Kevin Smith and written by Smith and Andrew McElfresh. The film stars Azita Ghanizada, Ryan O'Nan, Harley Quinn Smith, Chris Jericho, Justin Kucsulain, Jason Mewes, and Ralph Garman. [4]

Contents

The film was released as 5,555 exclusive non-fungible tokens on July 12, 2022, on Legendao, Secret Network's NFT minting platform. It is the first feature film to be released as an NFT. [5]

Premise

The film is a comedy horror anthology centred around the phenomenon of the "Kilroy was here" graffiti. [3]

In the wrap around, a teenager tries to scare a child by telling her about legends involving Killroy and to never ever say his name 3 times. When the teenager finds out her boyfriend has been cheating on her, she tricks the child into killing her boyfriend thinking it’s Kilroy, only to reveal it was to save herself from blame. Soon after, Killroy appears and kills the teenager. The child managing to summon Killroy for real. After the killing the child takes Killroy's hand and he leads her into the nearby dark forest, their fate unknown.

In the first story, a mother poisons her daughter for multiple years in order to pull off a charity scam, talking to the news and churches in order to get false donations for their sick daughter. The daughter, confused about whats happening with her, looks up the plant used in the tea her mom makes is poisonous. At a church meeting where her mother is raising funds, the daughter reveals the truth to everyone and kills herself in the name of Killroy, who soon appears and kills everyone in the building.

In the second story, a woman attempts to put on a play at an elementary school, where one of the children tells her that another performer keeps trying to summon Killroy. When the woman looks more into the legend, she learns that Killroy is used by parents in the town to scare their children into behaving. When she sneaks into the school to investigate further, she uncovers hundreds of drawings and stories about Killroy, spiraling into insanity, its soon revealed to be a prank set up by the Janitor in order to scare her, revealing that once a year: Students disappear and, in order to save themselves, make a deal with Killroy to trick an adult into summoning him so he can claim a sacrifice. Killroy appears suddenly, killing her and becoming more powerful.

In the third story, a priest takes children on a road trip to a camp site, but things take a turn when the children catch him smoking weed while driving, and a gas station cashier warns the boys that if anything bad happens, to summon Killroy. Making a different turn than the one to the campsite, the priest and children arrive at a motel, where its revealed that the priest is a part of a pedophilia ring of priests that take immigrant children with parents in legal limbo and sell them to pedophiles. The boys summon Killroy when the priest start to attack, who quickly kills the priest.

In the fourth and final story, presented as a found footage film, a southern live streamer lures gay men for sex, then shames them on camera by insulting and attacking them, while viewers laugh. After shaming someone on a live stream, the victim commits suicide and the streamer holds a celebration stream for it, showing no remorse. Soon, the streamer is kidnapped and tied to a tree, where its revealed that the victim's wife found the stream and wants revenge by feeding him to gators, the streamer summoning Killroy before his death. Soon after the incident, Killroy appears and ties the wife to the same tree, killing her as well.

Cast

Production

Development

In April 2014, Kevin Smith announced the Christmas-themed horror movie Anti-Claus, with a script based on the episode The Christmas Special of his Edumacation podcast. [10] The script was co-written by his Edumacation co-host Andrew McElfresh, marking it the first script Smith collaborated on with another writer. Filming was initially scheduled for September 2014, with Tusk (2014) actors Justin Long, Michael Parks, and Haley Joel Osment returning as cast. [10] The movie centered around the European folklore figure Krampus, a devil-esque creature who punishes naughty children. [11]

The film is a horror anthology based on the graffiti phenomenon that Smith directed, [12] based on a script co-written by him and Andrew McElfresh, marking the first time he shares writing credit on one of his movies. [13] [14] The script is a retooling of their Anti-Claus movie, which was initially cancelled after the release of Krampus (2015) due to the similar story. [15]

Filming

Principal photography began on June 15, 2017, in Sarasota, Florida, with Brandon D. Hyde serving as cinematographer. [16] [17] The film also shot scenes in areas around Ringling College of Art and Design and Nathan Benderson Park, before moving to Longboat Key. [18] In January 2018, Azita Ghanizada, Ryan O'Nan, Justin Kucsulain, Kathryn Parks, Brendan Ragen, Michael Perez, and Cindy De La Cruz were confirmed to be starring in the film, [8] while Andrew McElfresh, Tony Stopperan, Joe Restaino, Nick Morgulis, Jordan Monsanto, and Adam Yeremian signed on as producers. [19] In the same month, Smith's daughter, Harley Quinn Smith, joined the cast. [20] In August 2018, Chris Jericho was confirmed to star in the film, [21] [22] [23] [24] before filming wrapped in October 2018. [25]

Post-production

In April 2020, Smith revealed that the tone and style of KillRoy Was Here were inspired by Creepshow (1982), another comedy horror anthology film. [26] Robert Kurtzman designed the titular character, describing it as a "long-nosed monster". [9] Simon Taufique was revealed to have composed the score for the film. [27] By April 2022, Jason Mewes and Ralph Garman were confirmed to appear in the film. [28]

Release

In February 2020, before the COVID-19 lockdowns, the film was set for a 2020 theatrical release. [29] [30] In July 2020, during San Diego Comic-Con@Home, Smith indicated that the theatrical release had been pushed back to 2021. [31] [32] [33] [34] In April 2021, it was announced that the film would be released exclusively as a non-fungible token (NFT). [35] The film's distribution rights were set to be auctioned off in May 2022 at Jay and Silent Bob's Crypto Studio. [36] KillRoy Was Here was ultimately released via NFT minting platform Legendao as 5,555 exclusive tokens on July 12, 2022. [37] [38]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Smith</span> American filmmaker (born 1970)

Kevin Patrick Smith is an American director, producer, writer, and actor. He came to prominence with the low-budget comedy buddy film Clerks (1994), which he wrote, directed, co-produced, and acted in as the character Silent Bob of stoner duo Jay and Silent Bob, characters who also appeared in Smith's later films Mallrats (1995), Chasing Amy (1997), Dogma (1999), Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001), Clerks II (2006), Jay and Silent Bob Reboot (2019), and Clerks III (2022) which are set primarily in his home state of New Jersey. While not strictly sequential, the films have crossover plot elements, character references, and a shared canon known as the "View Askewniverse", named after Smith's production company View Askew Productions, which he co-founded with Scott Mosier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Mewes</span> American actor (born 1974)

Jason Edward Mewes is an American actor, comedian, film producer, and podcaster. He is best known for playing Jay, the vocal half of the duo Jay and Silent Bob, in longtime friend Kevin Smith's films.

View Askew Productions is an American film and television production company founded by Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier in 1994. Actors Ben Affleck, Jeff Anderson, Matt Damon, Chris Rock, Walter Flanagan, Bryan Johnson, Jason Lee, Jason Mewes, Brian O'Halloran and Ethan Suplee are people that frequently appear in projects under the View Askew banner.

Ralph Garman is an American actor, comedian, musician and radio host best known as the host of The Joe Schmo Show, for his voice work on the Fox animated series Family Guy, former entertainment reporter and impressionist for the Kevin and Bean morning show on Los Angeles radio station KROQ-FM, and his podcast with co-host Kevin Smith Hollywood Babble-On. Garman can currently be heard on his daily podcast, "The Ralph Report" on the Patreon platform.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Dougherty</span> American director, screenwriter, and producer

Michael Patrick Dougherty is an American writer, director, animator, and producer known for his work in a variety of genre films, both big and small.

Azita Ghanizada is an American television, film and stage actress. She is known for her work on the television series Alphas, and the Broadway musical The Kite Runner. In addition to her acting work, Ghanizada is also the founder and President of the MENA Arts Advocacy Coalition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harley Quinn Smith</span> American actress and musician

Harley Quinn Smith is an American actress and musician. Smith is most known for her role as a convenient store clerk in the film Tusk and starred in its spin-off Yoga Hosers, both written and directed by her father, filmmaker Kevin Smith. She is also the bass player and one of the singers in the punk rock band The Tenth. She also appeared in Jay and Silent Bob Reboot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexandra Daddario</span> American actress (born 1986)

Alexandra Anna Daddario is an American actress. She had her breakthrough portraying Annabeth Chase in the Percy Jackson film series (2010–2013). She has since starred as Paige in Hall Pass (2011), Heather Miller in Texas Chainsaw 3D (2013), Blake Gaines in San Andreas (2015), Summer Quinn in Baywatch (2017), and Alexis Butler in We Summon the Darkness (2019).

SModcast Pictures is an American film distribution company and a film and television production company founded by Kevin Smith in 2011. Kevin Smith announced at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival that he would release his latest movie Red State himself under his own distribution company SModcast Pictures by touring the film instead of having a traditional release.

<i>Tusk</i> (2014 film) Body horror comedy directed by Kevin Smith

Tusk is a 2014 American independent body horror comedy psychological thriller film written and directed by Kevin Smith, based on a story from his SModcast podcast. The film stars Michael Parks, Justin Long, Haley Joel Osment, Genesis Rodriguez, Lily-Rose Depp and Johnny Depp. The film is the first in Smith's planned True North trilogy, followed by Yoga Hosers (2016).

<i>Krampus</i> (film) 2015 film by Michael Dougherty

Krampus is a 2015 Christmas comedy horror film based on the eponymous character from Austro-Bavarian folklore, directed by Michael Dougherty, who co-wrote with Todd Casey and Zach Shields. The film stars Adam Scott, Toni Collette, David Koechner, Allison Tolman, Conchata Ferrell, Emjay Anthony, Stefania LaVie Owen, with Krista Stadler, and introducing Lolo Owen, Queenie Samuel, Maverick Flack, and Sage Hunefeld. In the film, a dysfunctional family squabbling causes a young boy to lose his festive spirit. Doing so unleashes the wrath of Krampus, a fearsome, horned demonic beast in ancient European folklore who punishes naughty children at Christmas time. As Krampus lays siege to the neighborhood, the family must band together to save one another from a monstrous fate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Krampus in popular culture</span>

Krampus, the "Christmas Devil" of Austrian and Bavarian folklore, has entered the popular culture of North America; Christian Jacobs notes that "thanks to the Internet and YouTube, [Krampus] is now very much on America's Christmas radar." Tanya Basu interprets this as part of a "growing movement of anti-Christmas celebrations": a "bah, humbug" rejection of – or novel alternative to – mainstream festivities. Brian Joines of Image Comics suspects that the reason Krampus has not been historically popularized in America is a social artifact resulting from "the nature of how we view Christmas in this country, both as a big day for kids and as the birth of a big religious figurehead". In some North American depictions, Krampus is an antihero who seeks to prevent children from becoming spoiled by rampant consumerism flowing from the economics of Christmas.

<i>A Christmas Horror Story</i> 2015 Canadian film

A Christmas Horror Story is a 2015 Canadian anthology horror film directed by Grant Harvey, Steven Hoban, and Brett Sullivan. It premiered on July 20, 2015, at the Fantasia International Film Festival and had a limited theatrical release on October 2, 2015, along with a VOD release. The film is a series of interwoven stories tied together by a framework story featuring William Shatner as a radio DJ.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Smith's unrealized projects</span>

The following is a list of unproduced Kevin Smith projects in roughly chronological order. During his long career, American film director Kevin Smith mostly has worked on projects which never progressed beyond the pre-production stage under his direction. Some of these projects are officially cancelled and scrapped or fell into development hell.

<i>Krampus: The Reckoning</i> 2015 American film

Krampus: The Reckoning is a 2015 American horror film written and directed by Robert Conway, and co-written by Owen Conway. Released direct-to-video, the film stars Monica Engesser as a child psychologist who is attempting to unravel the link between a mysterious young girl and the mythological creature known as Krampus.

<i>Krampus Unleashed</i> 2016 horror film written

Krampus Unleashed is a 2016 horror film written and directed by Robert Conway. Premiering on video on demand before being released direct-to-video, the film stars Bryson Holl, Caroline Lassetter, Tim Sauer, and Emily Lynne Aiken as members of a dysfunctional family who run afoul of the mythological creature Krampus while spending Christmas with relatives in the Southwestern United States.

Ryan O'Nan is an American actor, writer, and director, best known for his role as King George in Queen of the South.

References

  1. ↑ "'KillRoy Was Here' (2022)". The Numbers . Retrieved November 25, 2023.
  2. ↑ Napoli, Jessica (April 22, 2021). "Filmmaker Kevin Smith to release 'Killroy Was Here' movie as NFT". Fox Business . Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  3. 1 2 Drum, Nicole (January 2, 2018). "Kevin Smith Shares Photo From Set of His New Movie". ComicBook.com . Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  4. ↑ Hough, Q.V. (October 24, 2019). "Upcoming Kevin Smith Movies". Screen Rant . Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  5. ↑ Lindahl, Chris (April 6, 2022). "Kevin Smith's 'KillRoy Was Here' Will Be Exclusively Available to 1,000 NFT Holders (with a total supply of 5,555. Remaining editions in treasury)". IndieWire . Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  6. ↑ Burwick, Kevin (August 16, 2018). "WWE Superstar Chris Jericho Joins Kevin Smith's 'Killroy Was Here'". MovieWeb . Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  7. ↑ Burwick, Kevin (March 14, 2019). "WWE Superstar Chris Jericho Bodyslams the Set of 'Jay & Silent Bob Reboot'". MovieWeb . Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  8. 1 2 Squires, John (January 8, 2018). "First Look at the Villain in Kevin Smith's 'Killroy Was Here'". Bloody Disgusting . Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  9. 1 2 "Kevin Smith previewing new Horror film 'Killroy was Here' and more in Virtual Comic Con panel". Indie Mac User. July 13, 2020. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  10. 1 2 Sneider, Jeff (April 28, 2014). "Kevin Smith Casts 'Tusk' Stars in Christmas-Themed Horror Movie 'Anti-Claus'". TheWrap . Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  11. ↑ Brew, Simon (April 29, 2014). "Kevin Smith to make Christmas horror film, 'Anti-Claus'". Den of Geek . Dennis Publishing. Archived from the original on July 16, 2019. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  12. ↑ Hough, Q.V. (October 9, 2019). "'Clerks III' Story Is Inspired by Kevin Smith's Real-Life Heart Attack". Screen Rant . Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  13. ↑ Goldberg, Matt (June 15, 2017). "Kevin Smith's 'Comes the Krampus' Is Now the Horror Anthology 'Killroy Was Here'". Collider . Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  14. ↑ Fraser, Kevin (June 15, 2017). "Kevin Smith's New Horror Anthology 'Killroy Was Here' Begins Shooting". JoBlo.com . Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  15. ↑ Suzanne-Mayer, Dominick (June 15, 2017). "Kevin Smith's 'Krampus' film is now an anthology called 'Killroy Was Here', production now underway". Consequence of Sound . Consequence Holdings, LLC. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  16. ↑ Giroux, Jack (June 15, 2017). "Kevin Smith's Monster Movie 'Killroy Was Here' Begins Filming At A Florida College". /Film . Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  17. ↑ McNary, Dave (June 15, 2017). "Kevin Smith Filming Horror Movie 'Killroy Was Here' at Florida College". Variety . Penske Media Corporation . Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  18. ↑ Geurts, Jimmy (August 3, 2018). "Kevin Smith returns to finish filming 'Killroy Was Here' in Sarasota with Ringling students". Jacksonville Daily News . Gannett . Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  19. ↑ "First Look at Kevin Smith's Horror Anthology, 'Killroy Was Here'". MovieWeb . January 3, 2018. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  20. ↑ Sprague, Mike (January 6, 2018). "Kevin Smith's Daughter Harley Quinn Smith Joins His New Film 'Killroy Was Here'". Dread Central . Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  21. ↑ Collinson, Gary (August 19, 2018). "Chris Jericho to star in Kevin Smith's horror anthology 'Killroy Was Here'". Flickering Myth. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  22. ↑ Collinson, Gary (March 16, 2019). "'Jay and Silent Bob Reboot' adds Shannon Elizabeth, Chris Jericho and more". Flickering Myth. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  23. ↑ Quarrinton, Norm (March 14, 2019). "Chris Jericho Films Cameo In 'Jay And Silent Bob Reboot'". Pro Wrestling Sheet . Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  24. ↑ Squires, John (August 15, 2018). "Wrestling Legend Chris Jericho Joins Kevin Smith's Horror Anthology 'Killroy Was Here'". Bloody Disgusting . Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  25. ↑ Geurts, Jimmy (October 22, 2018). "Ringling College brings filmmakers to Sarasota despite loss of Florida tax incentives". Daily Commercial . Gannett . Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  26. ↑ Cavanaugh, Patrick (April 7, 2020). "Kevin Smith Compares His New Horror Anthology to 'Creepshow'". ComicBook.com . Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  27. ↑ "Clients | Simon TaufiQue - Composer". Musiquetaufique.com. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
  28. ↑ Collinson, Gary (April 6, 2022). "Kevin Smith to sell horror anthology KillRoy Was Here as NFTs, new trailer released". Flickering Myth. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  29. ↑ Geurts, Jimmy (February 25, 2020). "Kevin Smith returns to Sarasota to visit Ringling College". Sarasota Herald-Tribune . Gannett . Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  30. ↑ Hamman, Cody (February 26, 2020). "Kevin Smith's Horror Anthology 'Killroy Was Here' Aiming For Fall Release". JoBlo.com . Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  31. ↑ Bui, Hoai-Tran (July 27, 2020). "'Killroy Was Here' Trailer: Kevin Smith Unveils Schlocky Comedy-Horror Anthology Movie". Slash Film . Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  32. ↑ Johnston, Rich (July 12, 2020). "Kevin Smith Unveils 'Killroy Was Here' and Funko POP at Comic-Con@Home". Bleeding Cool . Avatar Press . Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  33. ↑ Burwick, Kevin (July 25, 2020). "'Killroy Was Here' Trailer Comes to Comic-Con from Kevin Smith". MovieWeb . Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  34. ↑ Crow, David (July 25, 2020). "Kevin Smith Reveals Trailer for New Film 'Killroy Was Here'". Den of Geek . Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  35. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 13, 2021). "Kevin Smith To Sell Horror Movie 'Killroy Was Here' As NFT, Launches Jay And Silent Bob's Crypto Studio". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  36. ↑ Alexander, Bryan (April 15, 2022). "Kevin Smith reveals why he's auctioning off new his film 'Killroy Was Here' as an NFT". USA Today . Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  37. ↑ Grobar, Matt (April 6, 2022). "Kevin Smith Partners With Secret Network's Legendao On Distribution Of 'KillRoy Was Here', First Film Minted As NFT". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  38. ↑ Jirak, Jamie (July 13, 2022). "KillRoy Was Here: Kevin Smith's NFT Movie Released". ComicBook.com. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.