Diabolique News: Coming Soon MELTOWN
New Zombie Film From Director Jake Mulliken
Director Jake Mulliken says...
"I have always loved horror, especially Zombies. No other horror genre has reached the cultural peaks of everyone's favorite, cuddly flesh eating corpses. Living in Pittsburgh these past few years has only driven that point home. However, as a filmmaker, I always had an issue. Zombie films, despite the rare few, always provide a story that lacks the human element, or never gets past the "everyone must die in less than 90 minutes" format. It is that glaring issue that inspired me to write my feature length Zombie film, Meltdown."
"I wanted something different, something in the style of classic eighties horror with a Grindhouse feel. Meltdown, can be described as Shaun of the Dead meets Mad Max. Thematically, Meltdown is a ZomCom partially set in a post apocalyptic landscape. The goal is to provide a setting in which not only the Zombies evolve into a new and dangerous threat but the main characters evolve, highlighting what they have to become to survive in a new world. The goal is to do a Meltdown trilogy combining various genres into a consistent and entertaining story line. The feature was is an extension of the Meltdown short, which we shot in 2012 here in Pittsburgh, the trailer is below and the whole short can be viewed on Youtube."
Official MELTDOWN Trailer
MELTDOWN - A Full Length Feature Zombie Film Produced by Lucky4Productions. Directed by Jake Mulliken. Starring: Robert McMurray, Alicia Marie Marcucci, Seth Gontkovic, Jake Mulliken Dave Petti, Rebecca Gruss
LUCKY4PRODUCTIONSand THE MELTDOWN FEATURE
My name is Jake Mulliken and I am the president of Lucky4Productions, formerly OutofPocketProductions, a Pennsylvania based production company. I am a native of Kentucky and worked in various special education environments across the nation while finishing my bachelors and masters degrees. Before moving to Pittsburgh to build my own production company, I was the head of the performing arts department at a private high school in Northern California that serviced students with language based learning differences, Autism, Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, ADD, ADHD, etc. While there I developed the school's Film Deaprtment and inhereted the Performing Arts Department.
After two years at the school, my program was sadly cut due to budget cuts, and I made my way to Pittsburgh with the goal of focusing my attentions solely on the arts. My first project in Pittsburgh was my short film Meltdown. On a meager $1,200 budget my friends and I were able to pull the short together. A majority of the revenue came from our Zombie Car Wash, an event that had members of cast as well as volunteers, dress in full Zombie costumes and dump buckets of blood on willing motorists.
In less than a week we finished filming the short, and in a month post production was complete. The following year we entered the short into the independent arts group RAW Artists. The Meltdown short, coupled with our work on Ghost Hunt, a documentary about the late Dr. Hunter S. Thompson (The trailer is included in the RAW Awards video below) I was able to win Pittsburgh's RAW Artists Filmmaker of the Year for 2013.
After our success at RAW, I began the process of developing the short into the feature length film. After months of re-writes we finally adapted a script that was, not only true to the Zombie genre, but also provided a new perspective through the implementation of integrating various genres. Specifically, the integration of Post Apocalyptic and Comedic themes. We received our investment in April and by June11th, we began filming in Somerset, PA and Venango Co., PA. In two weeks we shot 89 scenes and 1338 takes, involving travel, full lighting set ups as well as effects and set design. By August 16th, 2014 we presented our first screening at Tailgatez in Somerset, PA and on Wednesday, September 24th we had our Pittsburgh premiere at South Side Works. We were able to shoot the entire film on a budget of $20,000.
The goal of Lucky4Productions is not only to make movies, but work in close proximity with the community we are involved with, as was the case in Somerset, PA. Not only was the majority of our Zombie and background cast pulled from the citizenry of Somerset, but we worked in close conjunction with local businesses as well as the local Chamber of Commerce and Mayor's Office. Through making the film making process inclusive, were we able to introduce film to a community that had never enjoyed the process of film making. Aside from Meltdown, we also worked with the local government to launch Somerset's first annual independent film festival, entitled The Roof Garden Independent Film Festival. Aside from the festival, we were honored by Mayor Scott Walker as well as the city council of Somerset with an official proclamation deeming August 16th as "Meltdown Day," in honor of our collective work and the world premiere of Meltdown.
About DIABOLIQUE
DIABOLIQUE "The Premiere Horror Genre Magazine" is jam packed with exclusive photos and interviews, insightful commentary, criticism, reviews, featured articles from acclaimed horror writers and much more in full color! Every two months you are presented with the ultimate insider's guide which explores every aspect of the fascinating world of horror movies, literature and art. A visually stunning bible for horror genre fans of all ages, engage your heart, your mind and your taste for terror with-in the pages of this indispensable and lavishly illustrated collector's magazine printed on the highest quality glossy paper!
Get VIP access to all of the biggest names in the horror industry. DIABOLIQUE brings you the first look and the last word including fresh analyses to subjects old and new, foreign and domestic - from ancient folklore and Gothic classics to contemporary horror film releases and modern literary gems. Past issues have included contributors from such horror luminaries as Jonathan Rigby, David Del Valle, Colin McCraken, David Huckvale, Paul Murray, and Elizabeth Miller among many others! Subscribe here
Quotes from reputable sources:
"DIABOLIQUE takes its horror seriously, and the content reflects it... A heady, well-written excursion into the horror world...One of the best produced horror film mags introduced in recent years... A top 'Best Of' contender." - Monster Magazine World
"Horror Happenings highly recommends DIABOLIQUE. A great horror magazine." - Examiner.com
"I love DIABOLIQUE. Elegant magazine... Beautiful." - Chris Alexander, Editor-in-Chief, Fangoria
"I just saw the new issue of Diabolique and seriously almost teared up. Blown away with the whole thing; layout, theme, and overall tone of it. One of the reasons that I love this magazine is the care and attention which they put into the presentation of the material. When you put days and weeks into an article, it's wonderful to know that it will be done justice on the printed page. Hats off to Max Weinstein, Dima Ballin and Greg Petaloudis for their outstanding work on issue #19. It's a beauty." - Colin McCraken zombiehamster.com
"DIABOLIQUE brings back the feeling of joy and awe you experienced when you cracked open your first horror magazine... Truly the cream of the crop!" - Fatally Yours Horror Reviews
"Quite insightful. An intriguing look into the history of horror while also keeping readers abreast of current events." - Flamesrising.com
"Still a relatively new kid on the block, DIABOLIQUE is already cementing its reputation as a horror mag with class... I would urge anyone to pick up an issue of DIABOLIQUE and give their brain a workout." - Cyberschizoid.com
"Thought provoking writing on venerable horror classics, side-by-side with pieces on lesser known works... Meaty, detailed pieces on horror writers old and new... Think of DIABOLIQUE as the 'Vogue' of the horror genre. (Maybe even the 'Vogue Paris')." - Kyle Marffin, author of Gothique, Waiting for the 400 and Carmilla: The Return
