Boardinghouse (film)
| Boardinghouse | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | John Wintergate |
| Produced by | Peter Baahlu |
| Written by | John Wintergate |
| Starring |
John Wintergate Kalassu Alexandra Day |
Production company |
Blustarr |
| Distributed by |
Coast Films (1983) Code Red DVD (2008) Slasher // Video (2013) |
Release dates |
December 31, 1982 (San Francisco) January 14, 1983 |
Running time | 98 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | Unknown |
Boardinghouse (also known as Boarding House and Housegeist) is a 1982 American supernatural horror film written, directed and starring John Wintergate.
Plot
On September 18, 1972, the Hoffman house was closed due to several mysterious deaths. Ten years later, the house is reopened as a boarding house by a man with telekinetic powers who inherited it. A group of nubile young women quickly move in and the killings begin all over again.
Cast
- John Wintergate as Jim Royce/Gardner (as Hawk Adly)
- Kalassu as Victoria
- Alexandra Day as Debbie Hoffman
- Joel Riordan as Joel Weintraub
- Brian Bruderlin as Richard
- Selma Kora as Sandy
- Tracy O'Brian as Suzie
- Mary McKinley as Cindy
- Rosane Woods as Gloria
- Cindy Williamson as Pam
- Christopher Conlan as Christopher
- Elizabeth Hall as Terri
- Tom Mones as The Agent
- Dean Dissico as Harris
- Elliot Van Koghbe as Officer Weston
Production
The idea for the project was developed by Elliot Van Koghbe as a result of an article he read in American Cinematographer. The article mentioned that George Lucas was experimenting with producing films shot originally on video. Van Koghbe approached Wintergate with the idea of producing a low-budget horror film on video reserving the major portion of the budget for the expense of making the transfer to film. Wintergate funded the project and wrote the script. As an assistant casting director in Hollywood, Van Koghbe had extensive experience with video equipment. It was he who chose the camera and under an alternate name (Obee Ray) shot most of the (admittedly cheesy) special effect sequences.
Boardinghouse is notable for being the first horror film to be shot on video.[1]
The film also used a movie gimmick titled Horror Vision, wherein a warning would pop up on the screen to let audiences know that a violent scene was happening soon.[2]
Release
Despite being a shot-on-video project, the movie was blown up to 35 mm film and was given a limited release theatrically in the United States by Coast Films in 1983. It was later released on VHS by Paragon Video Productions.[3]
The film was officially released on DVD by Code Red in 2008.[4] The DVD is now out of print.
On February 25, 2013, Slasher // Video founder Jesús Terán announced via a Youtube video that he had obtained the rights to release Boardinghouse for its 30th anniversary. The film was remastered from the original Betacam tape. The special features include a never before seen Director's Cut which is twice the length of the film, featuring several scenes cut from the previously released version due to the distributors request. Other features include a brand new commentary with director John Wintergate and actress/wife Kalassu, two never before seen interviews, two music videos made the same time as Boardinghouse, an extensive group of trailers and television spots, photo gallery, and more. The DVD was released on July 22, 2013 by Slasher // Video, being the first ever DVD to feature a Microsoft Xbox 360 Platinum Hits keep case.
References
- ↑ "Boardinghouse (DVD) review". 10kbullets.com. Retrieved 2011-04-17.
- ↑ "Boardinghouse (DVD) review". dreadcentral.com. Retrieved 2011-04-17.
- ↑ "Company Credits for Boardinghouse". imdb.com. Retrieved 2011-04-17.
- ↑ "Boardinghouse (DVD)publisher=dvdempire.com". Retrieved 2011-04-17.