Luke Zwanziger's Eco-Body Horror Film Gets Streaming Premiere
VINES, an eco-body horror film from Writer/Director Luke Zwanziger will have its SVOD streaming premiere on SCREAMBOX Friday, September 11, as the first episode of the 19th season of BLOODY BITES, the flagship anthology series from producer Tony Wash in association with Bloody Disgusting.
The eco-body horror of the film centers around a mad botanist wanting to give plants a fighting chance against human-caused climate change.
The timely film examines climate change through the lens of mad science in the twenty-first century. The director, Luke Zwanziger, speaking about his inspiration for the project, said, "Vines came from a place of frustration about humans' indifference to global climate change. I wondered how drastic of steps we might actually need to save our local ecosystems. The idea of a mad botanist who actually isn't wrong in his ideology took shape in this homage to pulp horror."
The film was a horror festival favorite with a run of over 42 festivals including the prestigious Overlook Film Festival, Dances With Films: NY, Portland Horror, and more. Over the course of the run the film was nominated for 26 Awards, with 14 wins including Best Horror Short (Seattle Film Fest), Best Special Effects (Hollywood HorrorFest) and Audience Choice (HorrorHaus).
The film stars Emmy award winner Lowell Deo (GRIMM, Z Nation) as the mad botanist Dr. Harold Madsen and Joel Austin as Rowan, a hapless gardener who is experimented upon and finds himself transformed.
Stop motion work was done by artists who worked on GUILLERMO DEL TORO'S PINOCCHIO, WENDLE AND WILD, and WILDWOOD.
Produced by Sophya Vidal, (Netflix, Laika Studios, Refuge VFX), both working in several departments (Compositor, Set Design, Puppet Fabrication). Our score from Robinton Hobbs (Score Supervisor Cabinet of Curiosities, The Exorcist (TV), Minari, and more). Makeup Effects was designed by Claire Ameada (Crypt TV, SyFy) and many more talented collaborators.
PRESS
"A blue ribbon short whose blend of creeping dread and blooming rot never fails to show its roots" - Brian James O'Connell Director/Co-Writer of BLOODSUCKING BASTARDS
"....an essence of the same cosmically terrifying body horror filmmakers like David Cronenberg, George Romero, and Alex Garland." A+
Andres Benatar, film critic at FilmSpeak
"Sure to entertain and engage its audience"
FILM THREAT 8.5/10
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Luke Zwanziger is a horror writer and director. His feature screenplay BIOLOGICAL won HorrOrigins 2021. His scripts have placed at various competitions including PAGE, ATX, ISA Emerging Writers, FilmLabtv, NYC Midnight, and more.
He works as a freelance video editor and video professional. He has live directed over 700 multicam comedy shows including talent like Amber Ruffin, Jaime Moyer (AP BIO) and Stephnie Weir (MADtv).
His writings have appeared in Lovecraftian Microfiction Volumes 10 and 11 from Arkham Bazar. He is also directing an unscripted cosmic horror comedy show "The Bureau of Madness" this October at the Bridge City Improv Theater.
Check out the film's webpage here, and visit Luke's member profile at https://www.iwclist.com/team/luke-zwanziger.
