Reviews/Press
Film News/Review Site PULP MOVIES Say:
''Halloween: The Wake writer/director Russ Diapper’s tribute to John Carpenter’s genre classic. Although this is, unashamedly, a fan film it does try to do something new with the character of Michael Myers, and with some success.The film starts with a mockumentary style pre credits sequence that introduces some supernatural speculations about Myers, his bloodline and whether he can ever really be dead. For me, this extension of his character was the most problematic part of the film. I’m generally less than fond of films that delve too much into Michael Myers’ personality. For me, the strength of the character (in John Carpenter’s Halloween) comes from the fact that he is such a blank slate onto which any audience can project any and all of their fears. He is a faceless and unexplainable terror, stalking his victims without explanation, and the absence of any attempt to explain his motivations makes it impossible to rationalise him away. Obviously, this also means that the character provides a very rich template around which fans of the Halloween franchise can build their own stories. This is what Russ Diapper has done, and rather effectively. The story proper centres on the recently bereaved Stephen Strode (Tyler Coombes), one of the last remaining members of the Myers Bloodline. Stephen is convinced that Michael is not only still alive but that he’s coming back to Haddonfield. This is not an opinion that people want to hear in a town that is still coming to terms with the original massacre. Halloween: The Wake is a well paced film and it’s a cut above the usual fan film fare. It’s also a cut above far too many slashers that are commercially released these days. It is clear that Diapper is very familiar with the original film. More importantly, however, is that he also understands what made it such a powerful experience. As such, he eschews the stereotypes that litter far too many slasher films and, instead, attempts to capture the atmosphere that John Carpenter built when he first made the film that launched a genre. This is a very successful approach and one that plays to the strengths Diapper demonstrated in his earlier film, Spirits of the Fall. Russ Diapper does have a very strong sense of atmosphere and a real talent for combining sound, music, locations and imagery to to create a ambience that is both spooky and, often, genuinely unnerving. The film can be seen for free online at Openfilm.com and it is worth checking out. Not just for fans of Halloween, but also for anyone who wants to see just how effective a well designed atmosphere can be''
READ ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE.
Actor/Director DAMIAN MORTER Says:
I'm not going to spoil the film for those who have not seen it with spoilers or theories on how the filmmakers did, should, or didn't make the film, all I can tell you is, as a huge boffin and fan on the mythology of Halloween, although the film is sometimes for me slow in pace (but so were they all back in the seventies and eighties) this is a great fan film and a good edition to your Halloween collection, it's nothing totally new , however it takes Halloween to where I Believe it should have gone after Halloween 6. Russ has gone for his own approach to the franchise, I was impressed with his knowledge of the franchise and staying faithful to one of the stories of Halloween that was never fully explained. Russ even goes as far as splicing in a scene from the alternative cut of Halloween resurrection, Halloween the homecoming as it... was originally named, showing Michael at a party at his home as a child, I always loved this scene and was bewildered why producers or the director decided to leave it out and now it turns up in a fan film....excellent! Fan films are a problem for me, usually because of budget restrictions, and a lack of a credible story...this is something a little different. I have always been a fan of the thorn theory of the Halloween franchise, especially enjoying the producers cut of Halloween 6, Russ has continued that story and adds a new flavour to it, (this should have been how the franchise went). Yes, people complain about this, arguing it's an explanation of Michael's method behind his madness, well what's wrong with that? Like with other franchises; Friday 13th, A nightmare on elm street, they stuck to the same formula, Halloween did'nt! It tried to go somewhere different.
Horror Actor/Presenter NICK STOPPANI Says:
Wow, the opening of the film was outstanding, I loved it and the use of colours made me want to stay locked at the screen. In fact the use of colours throughout the film was fab. I was very impressed with the cinema photography and the performance from the cast; in which during one scene with Rami made me laugh, not sure if that was your intention but when a character is pissed off because he thinks kids are playing up does make me giggle! I loved the idea of the radio show phone in which introduced the lead actor. The score was very fitting throughout. There were a couple of scenes where I thought there may have been sound issues. It sounded like a noise from a camera from an internal Mic or I'm not sure if you created some atmospheric noises to add to the scene. Overall I was very impressed and am glad I had an opportunity to view your work.
Horror Actor NATHAN HEAD Says:
Film Maker WILL HARTMAN Says:
''After watching Halloween The wake,.... twice have you. I began plugging it to friends and family... not only because Russ is my friend... but... because the movie was great! Russ Diappers Halloween the Wake will be nostalgia for any hard core early Halloween Fans. Now I know a lot of people were not fans of 4-6...or well... I know many people were fans of 3 either.... but I loved 1-h20! I thought they all held on to their own grounds and served up something... well new yet keeping the old. Plus Michael is just plain damn creepy! Now I will admit the movie starts out slow, but it picks up in the second half. It has great atmosphere, which for me makes a movie eerie. Awesome soundtrack that just screams Carpenter! The acting was sub par, but it wasn't totally bad. One of my biggest Problems was Rami... He wasn't in it enough!!!!! And Russ makes an appearance that makes you just scream for more. Now there wasn't much hard core gore or violence in the version I saw, but Russ promises that there will be extended scenes which I am dying to see! ... No pun Intended. All in all, tis the season to....have the piss scared out of you... so check out Halloween the wake, you won't be disapointed! And if you are... let Russ know where he lacked, for.... I believe he will be doing another one... and if he doesn't ... then shame on him... because he fucking rocks, and he needs to take over the Halloween Franchise!''
''Halloween: The Wake writer/director Russ Diapper’s tribute to John Carpenter’s genre classic. Although this is, unashamedly, a fan film it does try to do something new with the character of Michael Myers, and with some success.The film starts with a mockumentary style pre credits sequence that introduces some supernatural speculations about Myers, his bloodline and whether he can ever really be dead. For me, this extension of his character was the most problematic part of the film. I’m generally less than fond of films that delve too much into Michael Myers’ personality. For me, the strength of the character (in John Carpenter’s Halloween) comes from the fact that he is such a blank slate onto which any audience can project any and all of their fears. He is a faceless and unexplainable terror, stalking his victims without explanation, and the absence of any attempt to explain his motivations makes it impossible to rationalise him away. Obviously, this also means that the character provides a very rich template around which fans of the Halloween franchise can build their own stories. This is what Russ Diapper has done, and rather effectively. The story proper centres on the recently bereaved Stephen Strode (Tyler Coombes), one of the last remaining members of the Myers Bloodline. Stephen is convinced that Michael is not only still alive but that he’s coming back to Haddonfield. This is not an opinion that people want to hear in a town that is still coming to terms with the original massacre. Halloween: The Wake is a well paced film and it’s a cut above the usual fan film fare. It’s also a cut above far too many slashers that are commercially released these days. It is clear that Diapper is very familiar with the original film. More importantly, however, is that he also understands what made it such a powerful experience. As such, he eschews the stereotypes that litter far too many slasher films and, instead, attempts to capture the atmosphere that John Carpenter built when he first made the film that launched a genre. This is a very successful approach and one that plays to the strengths Diapper demonstrated in his earlier film, Spirits of the Fall. Russ Diapper does have a very strong sense of atmosphere and a real talent for combining sound, music, locations and imagery to to create a ambience that is both spooky and, often, genuinely unnerving. The film can be seen for free online at Openfilm.com and it is worth checking out. Not just for fans of Halloween, but also for anyone who wants to see just how effective a well designed atmosphere can be''
READ ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE.
Actor/Director DAMIAN MORTER Says:
I'm not going to spoil the film for those who have not seen it with spoilers or theories on how the filmmakers did, should, or didn't make the film, all I can tell you is, as a huge boffin and fan on the mythology of Halloween, although the film is sometimes for me slow in pace (but so were they all back in the seventies and eighties) this is a great fan film and a good edition to your Halloween collection, it's nothing totally new , however it takes Halloween to where I Believe it should have gone after Halloween 6. Russ has gone for his own approach to the franchise, I was impressed with his knowledge of the franchise and staying faithful to one of the stories of Halloween that was never fully explained. Russ even goes as far as splicing in a scene from the alternative cut of Halloween resurrection, Halloween the homecoming as it... was originally named, showing Michael at a party at his home as a child, I always loved this scene and was bewildered why producers or the director decided to leave it out and now it turns up in a fan film....excellent! Fan films are a problem for me, usually because of budget restrictions, and a lack of a credible story...this is something a little different. I have always been a fan of the thorn theory of the Halloween franchise, especially enjoying the producers cut of Halloween 6, Russ has continued that story and adds a new flavour to it, (this should have been how the franchise went). Yes, people complain about this, arguing it's an explanation of Michael's method behind his madness, well what's wrong with that? Like with other franchises; Friday 13th, A nightmare on elm street, they stuck to the same formula, Halloween did'nt! It tried to go somewhere different.
Horror Actor/Presenter NICK STOPPANI Says:
Wow, the opening of the film was outstanding, I loved it and the use of colours made me want to stay locked at the screen. In fact the use of colours throughout the film was fab. I was very impressed with the cinema photography and the performance from the cast; in which during one scene with Rami made me laugh, not sure if that was your intention but when a character is pissed off because he thinks kids are playing up does make me giggle! I loved the idea of the radio show phone in which introduced the lead actor. The score was very fitting throughout. There were a couple of scenes where I thought there may have been sound issues. It sounded like a noise from a camera from an internal Mic or I'm not sure if you created some atmospheric noises to add to the scene. Overall I was very impressed and am glad I had an opportunity to view your work.
Horror Actor NATHAN HEAD Says:
''Not like any other Halloween fan film I have seen, this is more cinematic and has a deeper story than the usual “Stalk and Slash” shorts. The film work and effects were very professional, I especially loved the death on the stairs and the throat (not too many spoilers)…. The music is excellent too, really adds suspense to certain scenes. I LOVE the cemetery scene, the visuals are just amazing. What a great location, and there is a certain “he’s behind you” moment that got be jumping, even though I could see it coming! Great stuff, which proves that the horror elements worked for me. I read that the Michael mask was a cast off an actual prop used in one of the Halloween films, this acquisition seems worth it, the character makes the film more believable and it could even be seen as extra scenes from one of the earlier Halloween movies. Another aspect that I liked, was the introduction of the mythology a...nd history behind any theories behind Michaels’ behavior.This makes the film even more interesting as it adds more to the back-story and it included a little myth-and-magic for people like myself, who LOVE that sort of stuff. Some people may not like the voice-over story at the introduction, but I think it fits in well. It sets the tone for the film and adds the interesting story and history for the viewer. It builds up the interest and as you go through the film, it gets gorier and more creepy as the story folds out.Great stuff, I really enjoyed watching it''
Film Maker WILL HARTMAN Says:
''After watching Halloween The wake,.... twice have you. I began plugging it to friends and family... not only because Russ is my friend... but... because the movie was great! Russ Diappers Halloween the Wake will be nostalgia for any hard core early Halloween Fans. Now I know a lot of people were not fans of 4-6...or well... I know many people were fans of 3 either.... but I loved 1-h20! I thought they all held on to their own grounds and served up something... well new yet keeping the old. Plus Michael is just plain damn creepy! Now I will admit the movie starts out slow, but it picks up in the second half. It has great atmosphere, which for me makes a movie eerie. Awesome soundtrack that just screams Carpenter! The acting was sub par, but it wasn't totally bad. One of my biggest Problems was Rami... He wasn't in it enough!!!!! And Russ makes an appearance that makes you just scream for more. Now there wasn't much hard core gore or violence in the version I saw, but Russ promises that there will be extended scenes which I am dying to see! ... No pun Intended. All in all, tis the season to....have the piss scared out of you... so check out Halloween the wake, you won't be disapointed! And if you are... let Russ know where he lacked, for.... I believe he will be doing another one... and if he doesn't ... then shame on him... because he fucking rocks, and he needs to take over the Halloween Franchise!''
Horror Film Fan Sarah Dewey Says:
''Halloween:
The wake is a movie to keep you on the edge of your seat, with lots of
classic horror suspense, realistic blood and gore, and of course, for
all Halloween fans, the good old Michael Myers, of which I thought was
played very well by Russ. The idea behind the script was very good, the fact that Michael will never
go and stop tormenting the Strode family especially was good, keeping
to the idea behind the stories. The characters were good, especially
the lead character, of which was always very anxious and rightly so. The interpretation of the original films' theme tune and music
throughout the film was also very impressive, it gave suspense and
uneasiness. I, myself don't often get scared at horror movies these
days, but Russ has a way of always making me jump or keeping my eyes
glued to the screen. The acting was very good, impressive cast and
good storyline. Overall, I think that this movie was a success and have
already asked Russ for a copy :P''
Horror Film Fan Sarah Dewey Says:
''Halloween: The wake is a movie to keep you on the edge of your seat, with lots of classic horror suspense, realistic blood and gore, and of course, for all Halloween fans, the good old Michael Myers, of which I thought was played very well by Russ. The idea behind the script was very good, the fact that Michael will never go and stop tormenting the Strode family especially was good, keeping to the idea behind the stories. The characters were good, especially the lead character, of which was always very anxious and rightly so. The interpretation of the original films' theme tune and music throughout the film was also very impressive, it gave suspense and uneasiness. I, myself don't often get scared at horror movies these days, but Russ has a way of always making me jump or keeping my eyes glued to the screen. The acting was very good, impressive cast and good storyline. Overall, I think that this movie was a success and have already asked Russ for a copy :P''