Summary
Dwellers is an American found footage horror film written by, directed by, and starring Drew Fortier.[1] The plot of the film follows a documentary crew who eventually go missing while uncovering the truths behind the disappearances within a homeless community.[2][3] The film stars Drew Fortier, James L. Edwards, and Douglas Esper as themselves.[4][5]
| Dwellers | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Drew Fortier |
| Written by | Drew Fortier |
| Produced by | David Ellefson James L. Edwards |
| Starring | Drew Fortier James L. Edwards Douglas Esper |
| Edited by | Drew Fortier |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 80 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $0 |
Cast edit
- Drew Fortier as Drew
- James L. Edwards as James
- Douglas Esper as Doug
- Omar Baig as Dotani
- Rick Jermain as Detective Jenkins
- Dustin Boltjes
- William S. Tribell
- Mitch Lafon as Mitch Lafon
- Jeffrey Hatrix as Serious Hobo
- Tharasa DiMeo as Sewer Hobo
- David Ellefson as Ellefson
- Isabelle Fox as Mr. Hands
Production edit
Production was held over five non-consecutive days in the summer of 2019 with a budget of zero dollars.[6] Included locations are: Barberton and Cleveland, Ohio, Chicago, Indianapolis, and Nashville.[7][8]
In August 2019, the poster and teaser trailer were released for the film which includes a voiceover by Mitch Lafon from Rock Talk with Mitch Lafon as well as the Nine Inch Nails song "The Day the World Went Away" covered by Indie rock band The Foxery.[7]
In November 2019, the full trailer for the film was released which features a cover of the Nine Inch Nails track "We're in This Together" performed by Ajna Cova .[9][10]
According to a Q&A panel held at Rue Morgue's Frightmare in the Falls convention, David Ellefson and Drew Fortier explained that the film will be a gritty cinéma vérité experience with the story being told through the documentary being filmed as well as the behind the scene footage that the Drew character insists on being shot. Dwellers is described by Fortier as being heavily influenced by the films The Blair Witch Project and C.H.U.D..[11]
Premiere edit
In February 2021, Dwellers had its world premiere at the Mad Monster Party horror convention in Concord, North Carolina. The film's producer David Ellefson along with writer, director, and star Drew Fortier were in attendance for the event where they were presented with the Best Horror Feature award from the event's film festival.[12]
Reception edit
Dwellers has received positive reviews amongst horror film critics including JoBlo.com who concluded that, "Drew Fortier's passion for the genre is ever-present, and I'll raise a drink to that type of love as it was integral to my youth as well. It's clear that Dwellers is a labor of love and working within some stringent limitations makes me appreciate the end result more. Drew, Doug, and James have good chemistry, with a few funny moments giving me the notion that these guys are friends in real life. With a sh*t load of cameos, It may be safe to say this is the heavy metal edition of The Blair Witch Project."[13]
In April 2022, Dread Central included Dwellers on their 4 Subterranean Features To Pair With 'C.H.U.D.' list which describes the film as "It’s a better sequel to C.H.U.D. than the one we got, which, granted, isn’t a high bar. But I digress. There’s a good bit of heart and fun throughout the film, which you know always resonates with me."[14]
Awards edit
| Year | Event | Award | Recipients | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Mad Monster Film Fest | Best Horror Film[15] | Drew Fortier | Won |
| Horrors4u | Best Ensemble Cast[16] | Drew Fortier, James L. Edwards, Douglas Esper | Nominated | |
| Bridgefest | Best Horror Film | Drew Fortier | Won | |
| Screamwriting Festival | Best Horror Film[17] | Won | ||
| Vegas Movie Awards | Best Horror Film[18] | Won | ||
| Best Producer | David Ellefson | Won | ||
| LA Sci-Fi & Horror Festival | Best Actor | Drew Fortier | Won | |
| Horrorhound Film Festival | Midnight Madness Drinking Game[19] | — | — | |
| The Thing in the Basement Horror Fest | Best Director[20] | Drew Fortier | Won | |
| Best Feature Film | Nominated | |||
| Hollywood Blood Horror Fest | Best Documentary[21] | Won | ||
| Five Continents International Film Festival | Best Horror Feature Film[22] | Won | ||
| Best Editing Feature Film | Nominated | |||
| Best Screenplay Feature Film | Nominated | |||
| Horror Bowl Movie Awards | Most Disturbing Scenes[23] | Drew Fortier | Won | |
| Crypticon Film Fest | Most Shocking Indie Film (Minneapolis) [24] | Won | ||
| Most Shocking Indie Film (Kansas City) | Won | |||
| Houston Horror Film Fest | Best Feature Film | Nominated | ||
| Best Actor | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actor | James L. Edwards | Nominated | ||
| B Beside the Seaside | Best Comedic Sidekick | Douglas Esper | Won | |
| National Independent Film Association | Best Microbudget Film | Drew Fortier | Won | |
| 2022 | Rome International Movie Awards | Best Actor[25] | Won | |
| Best Director | Won | |||
| Best Documentary | Won | |||
| White Unicorn International Film Festival | Best Horror Feature Film | Won |
Release edit
Dwellers was released on Blu-Ray and Digital on October 12, 2021.[26]
References edit
- ^ Blabbermouth (2019-05-31). "MEGADETH Bassist DAVID ELLEFSON To Produce Horror Film 'Dwellers'". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Archived from the original on 2019-06-04. Retrieved 2019-06-03.
- ^ Price, Jason (2019-05-31). "Megadeth Bassist David Ellefson To Produce 'Dwellers' Horror Film From Director Drew Fortier". Icon Vs. Icon. Archived from the original on 2019-06-03. Retrieved 2019-06-03.
- ^ Lats, Tom (2019-05-31). "MEGADETH Bassist DAVID ELLEFSON To Produce Horror Film 'Dwellers'". Hard Rock Radio Live. Archived from the original on 2019-08-13. Retrieved 2019-08-13.
- ^ bravewords.com. "MEGADETH Bassist DAVID ELLEFSON To Produce Upcoming Horror Film, Dwellers". bravewords.com. Archived from the original on 2019-06-03. Retrieved 2019-06-03.
- ^ "MEGADETH Bassist David Ellefson Posts Trailer From His New Horror Movie Dwellers". Metal Injection. 17 November 2019. Archived from the original on 2020-02-07. Retrieved 2019-11-18.
- ^ "Video Interview! Megadeth's David Ellefson & Drew Fortier talk Dwellers!". JoBlo. 2021-04-06. Archived from the original on 2021-08-17. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
- ^ a b Price, Jason (2019-08-08). "Director Drew Fortier Unveils Teaser Trailer For David Ellefson Produced Horror Film 'DWELLERS'". Icon Vs. Icon. Archived from the original on 2019-08-08. Retrieved 2019-08-08.
- ^ Bob, Gothic (7 August 2019). "Dwellers – Ellefson Films 'Dwellers' Poster Release, Teaser Info and Discussion – A Fitz of Horror Exclusive! – Fitz of Horror". Archived from the original on 2019-08-08. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
- ^ Miska, Brad (2019-11-15). "Trailer for 'Dwellers', Produced by Megadeth's David Ellefson [Video]". Bloody Disgusting!. Archived from the original on 2019-11-16. Retrieved 2019-11-16.
- ^ "THE TRAILER FOR DWELLERS GOES UNDERGROUND". THE HORROR ENTERTAINMENT MAGAZINE. 2019-11-18. Archived from the original on 2022-12-10. Retrieved 2019-11-21.
- ^ Blabbermouth (2019-11-15). "See First Trailer For DAVID ELLEFSON-Produced Horror Film 'Dwellers'". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Archived from the original on 2019-11-15. Retrieved 2019-11-16.
- ^ "Mad Monster Party Hosts the World Premiere of David Ellefson's Dwellers". Mad Monster. 2021-01-12. Archived from the original on 2021-02-18. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
- ^ "Dwellers (2021) - Movie Review". JoBlo. 2021-04-15. Archived from the original on 2021-08-17. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
- ^ "4 Subterranean Features To Pair With 'C.H.U.D.' [Double That Feature]". Dread Central. 2022-04-27. Archived from the original on 2022-04-27. Retrieved 2022-04-28.
- ^ BraveWords. "DAVID ELLEFSON And DREW FORTIER Win "Best Horror" Award For Dwellers". bravewords.com. Archived from the original on 2023-04-11. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
- ^ "Blood Moon Awards – 2021 – Horrors4You". Archived from the original on 2022-12-10. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
- ^ FM, Player (4 May 2021), SS #111 | DWELLERS: w/David Ellefson (Megadeth) Drew Fortier (Director/Guitarist), archived from the original on 2023-04-11, retrieved 2022-11-14
- ^ "Vegas Movie Awards March Winners". Vegas Movie Awards. Archived from the original on 2021-04-23. Retrieved 2021-03-16.
- ^ Sheldon, Jeremy. "Virtual HHW: DWELLERS". horrorhound.com. Archived from the original on 2022-11-14. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
- ^ "Services 4". The Thing In The Basement Horror Fest. Archived from the original on 2022-11-14. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
- ^ Blabbermouth (2021-03-10). "MEGADETH Bassist DAVID ELLEFSON Announces Release Date For His Award-Winning Horror Film 'Dwellers'". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Archived from the original on 2023-02-04. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
- ^ "FICOCC #5-2". festival (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2022-11-14. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
- ^ "Edition 5". Horror Bowl. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
- ^ "Interview: Drew Fortier (Dwellers) and David Ellefson (Dwellers/Megadeth)". Horror News | HNN. 2021-03-09. Archived from the original on 2022-12-04. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
- ^ Awards, Rome International Movie (2022-03-05). "Rome International Movie Awards: FEBRUARY 2022 - WINNERS". Rome International Movie Awards. Archived from the original on 2022-10-14. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
- ^ "Trailer: DWELLERS is a Found-Footage Creeper Produced by Megadeth Bassist David Ellefson". Dread Central. 2021-03-11. Archived from the original on 2021-03-14. Retrieved 2021-03-12.
External links edit
- Dwellers at IMDb
- Official Website
