Pi Day Die Day

Last updated
Pi Day Die Day
Pie day die day.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Michael E. Cullen II
Written byLindsey LaForest
Produced byMichael E. Cullen II
Clinton LaForest
Lindsey LaForest
Starring Ari Lehman
Justin Rose
Colton Tapp
Spring JoyLynn
CinematographyZak Kolhoff
Clinton LaForest
Gabriel Rios-Hannon
Jack Warfield
Edited byMichael E. Cullen II
Clinton LaForest
Music byChad Fletcher
Matthew Haase
Production
companies
One Stoplight Productions
Cullen Park Productions
Release date
  • 12 March 2016 (2016-03-12)(U.S.)
Running time
92 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Pi Day Die Day is a 2016 horror comedy produced by One Stoplight Productions and Cullen Park Productions that revolves around a group of detectives seeking to thwart the plans of a killer at a local high school on Pi Day. It was directed by Michael E. Cullen II and written by Lindsey LaForest and stars Ari Lehman. Shot on location in Ohio, a fundraising campaign was started on Indiegogo to help supplement the film's budget. The film had its official premiere on March 12, 2016, gathering mixed reviews, and was also released on home media.

Contents

Plot

A killer is on the loose at a respectable high school in Euclid Falls, and the principal and a group of detectives must enlist the help of a mathematics teacher to discover the killer's identity and thwart his diabolical plans.

Production

Pie Day Die Day was directed by Michael E. Cullen II, and most of the filming took place in Haskins, Ohio; the film was written by co-producer Lindsey LaForest, who described it as a "slashomedy" (slasher-cum-comedy). [1] Actor Colton Tapp, who stars in the film, also expressed that the film "pays homage to the big teen slashers". [2] The entire cast comprises "local talent" [3] including Tapp and Ari Lehman ( Friday the 13th ), [2] as well as comedian Steve Sabo, who made a cameo appearance. [4] One Stoplight Productions and Cullen Productions also received an additional $3,970 in funds through the crowdfunding website Indiegogo. [5]

Reception

Pie Day Die Day had a limited release in the United States on March 12, 2016. It premiered at the Cle-Zel Theatre in Bowling Green, [3] and was screened at the Maumee Indoor Theatre two days later on Pi Day. [1] It is also available on DVD. [1] [6] The film was given 2.5 out of 5 stars by Matt Boiselle of Dread Central , who writes that "the schizophrenic mix of both practical and CGI effects" overwhelm the "entertaining" aspects of the film. [7] "Reverend Leviathan", writing for the web magazine DarkestMagazine Goth, gave the film a positive review, lauding in particular the "tongue-in-cheek humor" and the "surprise ending". [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evil clown</span> Pop culture trope and horror staple

The evil clown, also known as the killer clown, is a subversion of the traditional comic clown character, in which the playful trope is instead depicted in a more disturbing nature through the use of horror elements and dark humor. The modern archetype of the evil clown was popularized by DC Comics character the Joker starting in 1940 and again by Pennywise in Stephen King's It. The character can be seen as playing on the sense of unease felt by sufferers of coulrophobia, the fear of clowns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broken Lizard</span> American comedy troupe

Broken Lizard is an American comedy troupe that comprises Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, and Erik Stolhanske. They collaborate on the screen-writing, acting and productions of their films, with Chandrasekhar and Heffernan being the primary directors; the team however does not have any single leader and they work collaboratively when choosing material and writing projects.

<i>Saw</i> (2004 film) American film by James Wan

Saw is a 2004 American horror film directed by James Wan, in his feature directorial debut, and written by Leigh Whannell from a story by Wan and Whannell. It is the first installment in the Saw film series, and stars Cary Elwes, Danny Glover, Monica Potter, Michael Emerson, Ken Leung, and Leigh Whannell.

<i>Killer Klowns from Outer Space</i> 1988 film by the Chiodo Brothers

Killer Klowns from Outer Space is a 1988 American science fiction horror comedy film written, directed and produced by the Chiodo Brothers, and starring Grant Cramer, Suzanne Snyder, John Allen Nelson and John Vernon. It is the only film written and directed by the Chiodo Brothers, who also created the practical effects and makeup. It concerns a clan of evil extraterrestrials who resemble clowns. They arrive on Earth and invade a small town in order to capture, kill and harvest the human inhabitants to use as sustenance by drinking their blood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phil Brown (actor)</span> American actor (1916–2006)

Philip Mortimer Brown was an American actor.

<i>Saw</i> (video game) 2009 video game

Saw, also known as Saw: The Video Game, is a survival horror video game that was developed by Zombie Studios and published by Konami for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. The game was released on October 6, 2009, in North America and later that year in other regions. The Microsoft Windows version was released on October 22, 2009. Part of the Saw film franchise, the game is set between the first and second films.

<i>Night of the Living Dead: Darkest Dawn</i> 2015 American film

Night of the Living Dead: Darkest Dawn, also known as Night of the Living Dead: Origins and Night of the Living Dead: Origins 3D, is a 2015 computer-animated horror film directed by Krisztian Majdik and Zebediah De Soto and produced by Simon West. The film is a re-telling of the original Night of the Living Dead in a contemporary setting.

<i>Birdemic: Shock and Terror</i> 2010 film by James Nguyen

Birdemic: Shock and Terror is a 2010 American independent romantic thriller-horror film written, directed, and executive produced by James Nguyen, and starring Alan Bagh and Whitney Moore. Inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds, Birdemic tells the story of a romance between the two main characters as their small town is attacked by birds. It also was inspired by the environmental documentary An Inconvenient Truth, which led to the film having an environmental message.

<i>Faster</i> (2010 film) 2010 film by George Tillman, Jr.

Faster is a 2010 American action thriller film directed by George Tillman Jr. with Dwayne Johnson and Billy Bob Thornton as a criminal seeking vengeance and the corrupt cop who pursues him, respectively. Tom Berenger, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje and Carla Gugino also appear. Faster was released on November 24, 2010, it received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $35 million against a production budget of $24 million.

<i>The Remake</i> 2006 American film

The Remake is a 2006 American slasher film directed by Tommy Brunswick, and written by Todd Brunswick and Dwayne Roszkowski.

<i>Birdemic 2: The Resurrection</i> 2013 film by James Nguyen

Birdemic 2: The Resurrection is a 2013 American satirical romantic thriller-horror film directed and story & screenplay by James Nguyen and produced by Jeff Gross. The sequel to Nguyen's 2010 film Birdemic: Shock and Terror, which has been considered one of the worst films of all time, Birdemic 2 features self-referential humor about the reception of the previous film. Taking place two years after the first Birdemic, the film follows another mass bird attack caused by global warming, this time in Hollywood.

Ari Lehman is an American performing artist, composer, and actor. He is known for playing the child Jason Voorhees in the Paramount horror film Friday the 13th, becoming the first actor to portray the horror icon. Lehman currently performs in a punk rock/heavy metal band, First Jason.

<i>Cross Bearer</i> 2013 American film

Cross Bearer is a 2013 horror film written and directed by Adam Ahlbrandt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonas Wolcher</span>

Jonas Wolcher is a Swedish director and producer known for best known for Die Zombiejäger, Dragonetti: The Ruthless Contract Killer and Cannibal Fog. Jonas Wolcher's storytelling style is characterized by immediate narrative delivery, with minimal exposition of past events. In "Cannibal Fog," he explored the cannibal genre, placing a strong emphasis on storytelling rather than relying solely on special effects.

<i>The Funhouse Massacre</i> 2015 American film

The Funhouse Massacre is a 2015 American slasher film starring Robert Englund, Jere Burns, Scottie Thompson and Clint Howard.

<i>The Barn</i> (film) 2016 American horror film

The Barn is a 2016 American horror film written and directed by Justin M. Seaman, and starring Mitchell Musolino, Will Stout, Lexi Dripps, Cortland Woodard, Nikki Howell, Nickolaus Joshua, Linnea Quigley, and Ari Lehman. The film is set on Halloween night 1989 and follows two teenage friends that end up accidentally resurrecting a deadly curse. A sequel, The Barn Part II, was released in 2022.

<i>The Evil Within</i> (2017 film) 2017 American film

The Evil Within is a 2017 American horror film written and directed by Andrew Getty and starring Sean Patrick Flanery, Dina Meyer, Frederick Koehler, and Michael Berryman. It was originally titled The Storyteller. The film's conception and development was a personal project of Getty's, who largely self-financed it at the estimated cost of $4–6 million; production took fifteen years to complete. Following Getty's death in 2015, editing for the film was completed by producer Michael Luceri.

<i>Rock, Paper, Scissors</i> (2017 film) 2017 American film

Rock, Paper, Scissors is a 2017 American psychological thriller film directed by Tom Holland and written by Kerry Fleming and Victor Miller.

<i>Terrifier</i> 2016 slasher film by Damien Leone

Terrifier is a 2016 American slasher film written and directed by Damien Leone. The film stars Jenna Kanell, Samantha Scaffidi, David Howard Thornton, and Catherine Corcoran. The plot centers on partygoer Tara Heyes (Kanell) and her sister Victoria (Scaffidi), who become targets of the enigmatic serial killer only known as Art the Clown (Thornton) on Halloween night.

Colton Dayne Tapp is an American actor, model and musician. Tapp is known in film for his roles in Three Days in August, Solar Eclipse: Depth of Darkness, Pi Day Die Day, The Boundary and Expulsion.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Ruggiero, Jon (March 10, 2016). "'Pi Day Die Day' set to premiere at Clazel and Maumee Theatre". Toledo City Paper.
  2. 1 2 Peel, Adrian (May 12, 2016). "An exchange of dialogue with up and coming actor Colton Tapp". Digital Journal. Archived from the original on November 1, 2016.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  3. 1 2 ""Pi Day, Die Day" is a calculated horror movie". 13abc. March 12, 2016.
  4. Heaney, Aaron (March 31, 2016). "Elks Lodge brings the funny with comedian Steve Sabo". Star Herald.
  5. "Pi Day Die Day filming in Northwest Ohio". Indiegogo. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  6. "Pie Day Die Day". One Stoplight Productions. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
  7. Boiselle, Matt (April 25, 2016). "review: Pi Day Die Day (2016)". Dread Central . Retrieved June 18, 2017.
  8. Leviathan, Reverend (June 11, 2016). "Pi Day Die Day[INDIE FILM REVIEW]". Darkest Goth Magazine. Retrieved 18 June 2017.