Actress Brande Roderick (Dracula II: Ascension, Hood of Horror) heads behind the camera for the upcoming Wineville, and Bloody Disgusting has been provided with exclusive first-look images today. Additionally, Roderick has sent over a statement that further previews the upcoming movie, which is said to be in the vein of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
Check out the images below and read on for Roderick’s statement.
“People might not know it to look at me, but I’ve loved horror films my whole life,” Brande Roderick tells Bloody Disgusting. “I have clear memories of sitting on the sofa sharing popcorn with my mother, who was letting me watch The Exorcist for the first time – at the age of six.
“You could argue six is too young for that movie, but ever since that night, I’ve loved everything that goes bump in the dark. I’ve worked as a model and an actress for most of my life, and I’ve been lucky enough to act in a few horror movies, including Hood of Horror, and the Dracula 2000 sequel, Dracula II Ascension.
“At a certain point in their career, many actors find themselves with an itch that merely performing will no longer scratch. My first foray into producing was a talking-horse Christmas movie, and while that was a nail-biting experience, it wasn’t exactly in the wheelhouse of my favorite genre. So when my friend Dominic Galleano offered to let me make a movie at his historic and beautiful – and yet also somewhat ominous – winery, I jumped at the chance.
“My producing partner and confidant Robin DeMartino introduced me to filmmaker Richard Schenkman (Mischief Night, Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies, The Man from Earth) and we bonded immediately over our love for dark, twisted tales of the macabre. Knowing I wanted to tell a story centered on a mother who would do anything for her son, that I wanted to keep the story grounded in real human behavior (avoiding the supernatural), that it had to take place in a winery, and that I wasn’t afraid of going pitch dark, we worked up our tale of a seriously f-ed up family whose roots in evil go as deep as the roots of their ancient vines.
“We were equally influenced by such classic pictures as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Last House on the Left as we were by more recent films like We Are What We Are and You Won’t Be Alone, knowing that we wanted a realistic, real-world look and tone to help us bring complicated, recognizable characters to life.
“We were early in the development process when we realized that the movie should actually take place in 1978, which opened the door to a flood of fun, creative, and challenging decisions related to wardrobe, hair/makeup, props, and art direction.
“Directing, I aimed for a Hitchcockian smooth, steady style (as opposed to handheld or jumpy), making the images as beautiful as possible – while incorporating a 16mm “home movie” look for the key flashback sequences. We built the best team we could, from our award-winning makeup and effects crew to our brilliant cast, stunt team, and art department, filling every slot with the best person we could find. And we managed to shoot the whole thing under the weight of Covid protocols.
“The result is Wineville, an emotional family tragedy… with gore. Lots of gore.”
We’ve been told that a trailer for Wineville is coming soon. Stay tuned.