Pop Skull

Last updated
Pop Skull
PopSkull2007.jpg
Film Poster
Directed by Adam Wingard
Written byLane Hughes
E. L. Katz
Adam Wingard
Produced byLane Hughes
E. L. Katz
Peter Katz
Adam Wingard
StarringLane Hughes
E. L. Katz
Adam Wingard
CinematographyAdam Wingard
Edited byAdam Wingard
Music byJasper Lee
Kyle McKinnon
Distributed by HALO 8 Entertainment
Release dates
  • October 7, 2007 (2007-10-07)(RFF)
  • November 2, 2007 (2007-11-02)(AFI)
  • July 21, 2008 (2008-07-21)(NZIFF)
Running time
86 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$2,000

Pop Skull is a 2007 American film directed, co-produced, and edited by Adam Wingard, who co-wrote the screenplay with Lane Hughes and E. L. Katz. It stars Hughes, Katz, and Wingard. It is primarily regarded as a horror film but has been noted for incorporating elements of genres such as drama, psychedelic, romance, and thriller.

Contents

Premise

Daniel, a young Mexican-American pill addict living in Alabama, finds that his attempts to cope with his day-to-day trials collide with the increasing influence of the murderous and displaced spirits that inhabit his home.

Cast

Production

In 2003, Wingard approached Hughes with the idea of making a semi-autobiographical film about a recent breakup. [1] They conceived the film as "one-part psychedelic, one-part horror, and one-part romance" and made it on an extremely low budget of $2,000. [2]

Release

Pop Skull screened at the Rome Film Festival, American Film Institute's AFI Fest, [2] [3] and the New Zealand International Film Festival. [1] [4]

Reception

Reviews were generally mixed to positive. LA Splash said Hughes gave "a truly magnetic Manson vibe the entire time" which allowed Wingard "to make great use of the extreme close-up". Filmmaker Stephen Susco remarked that it was "unlike any horror film you've ever seenor will ever see", while Variety called it "powerful" and suggested it created a new genre called "acid horror". [5] The film won the jury award at the Boston Underground Film Festival and the Grand Jury Prize at the Indianapolis International Film Festival.

References

  1. 1 2 Palmer, Danielle Komis (2008-02-02). "Pop Skull: Hartselle man goes from working at Movie Gallery to starring in a horror movie". The Decatur Daily. Retrieved 2011-09-18.
  2. 1 2 Wildman, John (2007-11-01). "10 BURNING QUESTIONS with ADAM WINGARD (POP SKULL)". American Film Institute. Retrieved 2011-09-18.
  3. "NEWS RELEASE - AFI FEST 2007 PRESENTED BY AUDI ANNOUNCES COMPLETE FESTIVAL LINEUP" (PDF). American Film Institute. 2007-10-08. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
  4. "Film » Adam Wingard on Pop Skull". The Lumière Reader. 2009-07-22. Archived from the original on 2011-09-29. Retrieved 2011-09-23.
  5. "Pop Skull". Variety . 2007.