Usually known for turning out horror films at a rapid pace, seemingly two per year, our friends at Black Fawn Films were not the first people to come to mind when anyone mentioned the word slacker. However, its been a number of months since any word has come from them since their last film The Heretics hit the festival circuit and had a short release in the Fall.
I thought I was prepared. I had talked with director Chad Archibald about this upcoming creative sabbatical. I knew it was coming. I knew that the Black Fawn crew wanted to take things slow and take more time to focus on the next project. Still, not having anything to report about the crew and a project for this long felt weird. News broke yesterday about their next film, now that it has finally entered into production. The new project is called I'll Take Your Dead.
From the press release...
I'll Take Your Dead follows William (Aidan Devine) who has a simple job, he makes dead bodies disappear. This isn’t something he likes to or even wants to do but through circumstances out of his control, his little farm house in the country has become a dumping ground for the casualties of the gang related murders in the nearby city. His daughter Gloria (Ava Preston) has become used to rough looking men dropping off corpses and is even convinced that some of them are haunting their house. After a woman’s body, is dumped at the house, William begins his meticulous process when he realizes, she’s not actually dead. As the gang activity increases, William patches the woman up and holds her against her will until he can figure out what to do with her. As they begin to develop a very unusual respect for each other, the woman’s murderers get word that she’s still alive and make plan to go finish what they started.
Aidan Devine and Ava Preston are joined by Jess Salguerio (TV’s Workin’ Mom & The Strain), Brandon McKnight (The Shape of Water), Michael Reventar (Kidnap Capital & TV’s Impulse) and Ari Millen (Rupture and TV’s Orphan Black).
The bulk of the press release is below.
From Black Fawn Films and Breakthrough Entertainment, the powerhouse team behind genre indie film such as, The Heretics, Let Her Out, Bed of the Dead and Bite has started production on their newest collaboration, I’ll Take Your Dead. The film has begun principle photography in Orillia, Ontario and continues an eight-picture deal signed in 2014 between the two companies.“We’ve been in development of I’ll Take Your Dead, for awhile. Usually we find ourselves in production most of the year, however recently we’ve taken time off to really focus on this film. It’s incredible to see it finally coming to together. This is by far Black Fawn Films & Breakthrough Entertainment’s biggest collaboration yet, and we promise you haven’t seen anything like this” - Chad Archibald, Black Fawn Films.Following the success of THE HERETICS & BITE, director \ producer Chad Archibald returns with writer, Jayme LaForest to create a film that’s a mixture of a crime thriller threaded with paranormal elements. I’ll Take Your Dead follows William (Aidan Devine) who has a simple job, he makes dead bodies disappear. This isn’t something he likes to or even wants to do but through circumstances out of his control, his little farm house in the country has become a dumping ground for the casualties of the gang related murders in the nearby city. His daughter Gloria (Ava Preston) has become used to rough looking men dropping off corpses and is even convinced that some of them are haunting their house. After a woman’s body, is dumped at the house, William begins his meticulous process when he realizes, she’s not actually dead. As the gang activity increases, William patches the woman up and holds her against her will until he can figure out what to do with her. As they begin to develop a very unusual respect for each other, the woman’s murderers get word that she’s still alive and make plan to go finish what they started.I’ll Take Your Dead stars; Aidan Devine (Suicide Squad, WolfCop), Ava Preston (TV’s Odd Squad, Blood Honey), Jess Salguerio (TV’s Workin’ Mom & The Strain), Brandon McKnight (The Shape of Water), Michael Reventar (Kidnap Capital & TV’s Impulse) and Ari Millen (Rupture and TV’s Orphan Black). The film is produced by Cody Calahan, Chad Archibald, and Christopher Giroux, with cinematography by Jeff Maher and special effects by the award-winning Shaun Hunter of Hunter FX. I’ll Take Your Dead will be made with support and partnership from William F. Whites, Panavsion Canada, Redlab Digital and Urban Post, who have supported Black Fawn Films & Breakthrough Entertainment throughout the 8-picture deal thus far.Black Fawn Films and Breakthrough Entertainment together have strengthened a brand that genre fans clearly recognize for its chills and high entertainment value. We are delighted to, once again, be working together on “I’ll Take Your Dead”, their latest film that will further solidify Black Fawn’s place in the horror genre.” - Nat Abraham, Breakthrough Entertainment.Black Fawn Films and Breakthrough Entertainment are also in the final stages of development on the recently announced television series entitled, The Cleaners, which has plans to shoot shortly after I’ll Take Your Dead wraps. More details about I’ll Take Your Dead and The Cleaners coming soon.