Altergeist
Altergeist (also known under its working title Sighting) is a 2014 science fiction horror film that was written and directed by Tedi Sarafian.[1] The film had its world premiere on 25 August 2014 at the London FrightFest Film Festival and received a limited theatrical release in the United States on 7 November 2014. The film follows a group of paranormal investigators that find that trying to discover proof of the supernatural might be the death of them.[2][3]
Altergeist | |
---|---|
Teaser poster | |
Directed by | Tedi Sarafian |
Produced by | Aaron Heck |
Written by | Tedi Sarafian |
Starring | Kristina Anapau Mark Hapka David Weidoff |
Music by | Anthony Marinelli |
Cinematography | Aaron Heck |
Edited by | Andrew Coutts David W. Hagar |
Production companies | Heckart Studios |
Release date |
|
Running time | 91 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Plot
A group of six eager paranormal investigators have been allowed to explore King's Ransom Winery, a location with a history of strange suicides and a reputation for being haunted.
Cast
- Kristina Anapau as Theresa
- Mark Hapka as Dax
- David Weidoff as Ashen Till
- Linsey Godfrey as Sarah
- Brendan Fletcher as Jason
- Alexis Cruz as Mike
- Sarah Oh as Maya
- Olivia Stuck as Beatrice Blaine
- Richard Sarafian Jr. as Jim till
- Jessica Spotts as Rachel Till
- Ed Corbin as Henry Blaine
Development
Plans to film Altergeist (then called Sighting) were first announced in 2011, and the film moved into post-production in November 2012.[4] Michelle Rodriguez was initially set to star in the film, but later withdrew from filming.[5] Sarafian took his inspiration for Altergeist from the Korbel Champagne Cellars in Guerneville, California,[6] where Sarafian and producer Aaron Heck listened to stories about strange occurrences and a suicide in the winery's Korbel House, which also served as the set for Altergeist.[7]
Reception
Grolsch Film Works praised Altergeist, writing that it "fully exploits its unusual vineyard setting, makes fun of its own hackneyed tropes..., and finds novel ways to reverse-engineer an apparent ghost story into something with a rather different genre frame."[8] Fangoria gave the film three out of four skulls, writing that "Despite its dark setting and often fairly horrific murder sequences, ALTERGEIST is light hearted stuff, with clever banter and humor amongst the group of hunters, and actor Brendan Fletcher (FREDDY vs. JASON) being exceptionally funny throughout."[9]
References
- "Indie Haunter 'Altergeist' Heads to Cannes (Trailer)". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
- Turek, Ryan. "Demand Altergeist for Your City, Check Out the New Poster". Shock Till You Drop. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
- "Altergeist". FilmAffinity. filmaffinity.com. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
- Turek, Ryan. "Sighting Close to Completion, Final Cast Details for Supernatural Found Footage Thriller". Shock Till You Drop. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
- Barton, Steve. "Michelle Rodriguez Finds Footage in Sighting". Dread Central. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
- Ting, Yu Shing. "From Hilo to Hollywood". Midweek. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
- Turek, Ryan. "ALTERGEIST Trailer Brings Extreme Paranormal Activity to King's Ransom Winery". Shock Till You Drop. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
- Bitel, Anton. "THE BEST (AND NOT-SO-BEST) OF FRIGHTFEST 2014". Grolsch Film Works. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
- Alexander, Michael. ""ALTERGEIST" (Movie Review)". Fangoria. Retrieved 20 January 2015.