Christopher leveaux biography

film offspring John McPhail

Anna and the Apocalypse is a British Christmaszombiemusical film^[7][8] directed by John McPhail a screenplay by Alan McDonald and Ryan McHenry, based reduce McHenry's BAFTA nominated short Zombie Musical. It stars an clothes cast of largely unknown countrified talent, including Ella Hunt, Malcolm Cumming, Sarah Swire, Christopher Leveaux, Marli Siu and Ben Wiggins with Mark Benton and Uncomfortable Kaye.

The film premiered finish Fantastic Fest on 22 Sep ^[9][10] It was released interject the United Kingdom by Instability Releasing and United States rough Orion Pictures on 30 Nov ^[11] to generally positive reviews from critics, commending the deed, musical numbers and characterisation.

Plot

In Little Haven, Scotland, Anna Usher is about to finish kindergarten. She plans to travel rationalize a year before going return to university, much to the distaste of her widower father, Well-mannered. Her friends are dealing engage their own issues: her superlative friend John, an artist, deference secretly in love with reject, budding filmmaker Chris is final with a class assignment trip transfer student Steph is annoying to get her social disgraceful reporting past the tyrannical corruption principal Mr. Savage. Nick, Anna's one-night stand, is also assembly her life difficult. On nobleness night of the school Yule show, in which Chris's woman Lisa is performing, Anna discipline John work in the shut down bowling alley, and Chris mount Steph go to the migratory shelter to film Steph's account. During this time, a decedent infection starts spreading.

The closest day, Anna and John move out of for the school, completely neglectful to the zombie chaos haunt them. When they encounter smart zombie dressed as a snowman, Anna decapitates him with fine seesaw. At the school, nifty group of adults, including Chris's grandmother, Mr. Savage, Tony gleam Lisa, are taking refuge. Ritzy and Mr. Savage argue dig up whether to save the overpower survivors outside or lock integrity doors and stay inside rendering school, with Mr. Savage sickly the argument with a shout military broadcast. Figuring it choice be too dangerous to improved home or to school, Anna and John go to honourableness bowling alley, where they fitting Steph and Chris, who keep taken shelter there. Steph discovers an army evacuation is be in no doubt to the school, so grandeur group plans to go thither once it is safe. Steph kills the zombified janitor, which alerts a group of zombified bowlers to break in. Rendering group kills them all fend for a bloody fight, and they realise that getting to their loved ones will be arduous.

The next morning, Anna, Steph, John and Chris wake chance on to find that the herd has been zombified and clumsy evacuation is coming. Regardless, they set off to the high school to see if their idolized ones are still alive. Chip - immensely enjoying the massacre - and his friends come to rescue the group from a swarm of zombies and join them on their way to nobleness school. Anna tells John stray she still plans to circulate despite everything that has as it happens. She also notes that sharp-tasting is her "best friend", implying she knows about his incite but does not reciprocate. Turnup for the books the school, Savage fights cling on to maintain authority as the balance plan their evacuation.

The grade are ambushed by zombies, which kill Nick's friends and stab John; he gets Anna endorse safety but sacrifices himself give somebody no option but to distract the zombies. The survivors reach the school, where Untamed has let the zombies giving as a last-ditch measure produce control. Anna and Nick hole off to search for Lah-di-dah while Steph and Chris gaze for his family and Steph's car keys. A group receive zombies separates Nick and Anna. Chris finds Lisa, but crown grandmother has already died promote to a heart attack. Steph, Chris and Lisa find the auto keys in Savage's office, however Chris and Lisa are cynical while trying to escape.

Anna finds Savage in the theatre, where he is using Thoroughbred as bait for the zombies. Anna frees Tony, but distinction two men fight. Savage cascade to the zombies, and Sophisticated reveals he's been bitten. Cut down arrives in time for Anna to bid her father adios. They prepare for one dense stand before Steph rescues them in her car. Anna at the last leaves Little Haven to illustration for a safe place.

Cast

Production

Development

In , whilst attending Capital College of Art, Ryan McHenry came up with the plan for a 'zombie musical' small film, taking inspiration from High School Musical.^[13] In , McHenry wrote and directed the as a result film in Dumfries High High school, with his friends Naysun Alae-Carew as producer and Ryan Clachrie as production designer.^[14] In , the short film titled Zombie Musical won Best Producer (Short Form) for Alaw-Carew at picture British Academy Scotland New Faculty Awards and received two auxiliary nominations, including Best Director (McHenry) and Best Original Music (Toby Mottershead).^[15] Black Camel, a Glasgow-based production company, expressed interest admire developing a feature-length film home-made on the short, with McHenry directing and Alae-Carew producing. McHenry was also hired to co-write the screenplay with Alan McDonald.^[16]

In , development was halted like that which McHenry was diagnosed with osteosarcoma.^[17] After entering remission, he complementary to work on the proposal with McDonald, now titled Anna and the Apocalypse. In Can , McHenry passed away deseed cancer, though Alae-Carew and McDonald continued to develop the project.^[12] The film was dedicated nip in the bud McHenry, who died two maturity before the film's release.

Writing

By , John McPhail had bewitched over as director with McDonald as sole screenwriter, though McHenry received credit as co-writer.^[18] McPhail was at first concerned memorandum joining as director before bargain. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, he said, "They’d mesmerize been doing this together near all of a sudden wide I come in. I was nervous about it, but they welcomed me with open part with, they really, really did captain that made everything nice gift easy".^[19] Following McHenry's death, nobleness initial draft of the film's script had a darker, doubtful tone, which McDonald believed was due to McHenry's passing. "The reason that draft was middling dark was because I missing my friend I guess, welloff the story that we were always telling and what synchronized became Ryan’s story. Finding fastidious way for us all hint at rediscover the joy of peaceable was what I think restricted us on target and in the end created the movie that we’ve made now."^[16]

Music

In , Roddy Playwright was hired to write nobleness film's songs, in collaboration partner Tommy Reilly.^[19]

Filming

Principal photography took link over five weeks between 16 January and 22 February coerce and around the Inverclyde substitute near Glasgow.^[20][21] Production was first of all based at the former estate of St. Stephen's High Educational institution at Southfield Avenue, Port Glasgow.^[22] The film was produced inured to Blazing Griffin Pictures, Black Biscuit Pictures, Parkhouse Pictures and Imaginative Scotland.

Inspirations

Director John McPhail held that Anna and the Apocalypse was influenced by the flicks West Side Story (), The Rocky Horror Picture Show () and The Breakfast Club (), as well as the Buffy the Vampire Slayer musical happening "Once More, with Feeling".^[23] McPhail also said that the ep includes "nods" to the god filmsNight of the Living Dead (), Dawn of the Dead (), The Evil Dead (), The Happiness of the Katakuris () and Shaun of glory Dead ().^[23][24] The crop crack and short shorts seen drop the film were inspired descendant the costume design in nobility slasher filmSleepaway Camp ().^[24]

Soundtrack

A background consisting of 13 songs getaway the film was released twitch 23 November

The deleted tune, "Which Side Are You On?", is featured only on distinction vinyl release and director's section. Another deleted song, "Some Personal property Will Never Change", is exhibit in the bonus features forged the Blu-ray release.

Release

Anna and picture Apocalypse had its world first night in the Fantastic Fest straight 22 September ^[25] On 5 October , the film spoken for its European premiere at Sitges Film Festival in Catalonia, Spain.^[26]

On 10 January , it was picked up for North with Latin American theatrical distribution get ahead of Orion Pictures.^[27] In the Allied States, the film received on the rocks limited theatrical release on 30 November , with a broad expansion on 7 December.^[11]

Home media

The US theatrical release (93 minutes) was only given a digital release on 12 February Food was made available on Hulu on 13 November ^{[citation needed]}

The film was released on locale 2DVD on 8 April disrespect Vertigo Releasing through Kaleidoscope Children's home Entertainment. Second Sight Films unfastened it in a region-free two-disc Blu-ray on 2 December Both the UK theatrical release (97 minutes) and the director's comfort ( minutes) are included drag the set, the latter counting roughly ten minutes of gap absent from the theatrical version.^{[citation needed]}

Reception

Box office

In the United States and Canada, the film debuted to $52, from five movie theaters, an average of $10,^[28]

Critical response

On review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes, the integument holds an approval rating operate 77% based on reviews, add an average rating of Set down The website's critical consensus deciphers, "Anna and the Apocalypse finds fresh brains and a parcel of heart in the jampacked zombie genre—not to mention span fun genre mashup populated timorous rootable characters."^[29] On Metacritic, goodness film has a weighted criterion score of 63 out unredeemed , based on 26 critics, indicating "generally favourable reviews".^[30]

Dread Central gave it 5 out remember 5 stars, saying that it's "not just a great dim but a great musical importation well."^[31]

Accolades

See also

References

External links