Richard Driscoll, Britain's greatest cult film-maker, has a whole bunch of projects which he is hoping to raise money for on his own personal crowdfunding site Cinebacker, which he launched last November. Let’s look at them one at a time.
Trash’s Revenge
https://cinebacker.com/pre-launch/trashs-revenge-rotld-universe/
This is the 40th anniversary Return of the Living Dead meta-sequel that Driscoll and Linnea Quigley have been touting for some time now. There was a legal hooha over the rights last year but that seems to have no been resolved.
According to this video, many of the original ROTLD cast and crew are aboard, and anyone who is inconveniently dead can be brought back through CGI. The Cinebacker campaign for this launched four weeks ago – allegedly.
This has, according to the website (which we have no reason to doubt) raised 30 grand from 37 backers. There are some obsessive ROTLD fans out there so this is possibly true.
Apparently you will be able to be a zombie in the film by videoing yourself against a green screen. And this offers includes an IMDB listing and “photoshoot on set”. But wait, if someone is going to be on set, why would they need to be shot separately using green screen?
- Will it ever get made? Probably. But that's not the same as being released.
Who? A Clue Tribute Film
https://cinebacker.com/pre-launch/who/
"From the creators of a new murder mystery, in the spirit of Clue, comes a new murder mystery that will have you die laughing..." You can watch the rest of the promo video for yourself.
Tricky Dicky is going to star in this one himself, he tells us, using his standard 'Steven Craine' pseudonym. And it will be directed by his other pseudonym 'Chris Newman'.
The cast includes Robin Askwith (of course), Eileen Daly (of course), Eric Roberts (of course) and Jenna Jameson. I wonder if any of them know.
"Set in the dilapidated ruins of an old porno movie theater, a bizarre group of characters gathers for the reading of the will of adult film mogul James Winkle, founder of Little Winkle Pictures. But what starts as a seemingly routine event soon spirals into chaos, as the group is plunged into a murder mystery where trust is scarce and secrets abound. Each guest hides a dark past, and as tensions rise, the game of survival begins.
"Could the killer be the suspiciously helpful theater manager? Perhaps the sharp-tongued Professor Bloom? Or maybe the shadowy and ever-lurking Mr. Custard? Then there’s Miss Blue, a former adult star with unclear motives, and the lawyer conducting the will reading, who may know more than he lets on. As skeletons from their pasts emerge and bodies start to pile up, who the killer is becomes the burning question."
- Will it ever get made? Not a snowball's chance in hell.
Grindhouse 3
https://cinebacker.com/pre-launch/breeding-ground/
A three-part sequel to Driscoll's 2017 two-part anthology Grindhouse Nightmares (originally announced as Grindhouse 2, to cash in on the Tarantino/Rodruguez double-bill). Unfortunately the promo video is set to private on this one.
This will combine:
Breeding Ground, starring Michael Madsen (of course): "A young film enthusiast stumbles upon an old VHS tape at his local market. What starts as a nostalgic find quickly descends into a harrowing tale of survival. The tape reveals Hollywood legend Michael Madsen, playing himself, as he becomes embroiled in a dangerous investigation against a bloodthirsty militia with plans to overthrow the nation. Is this a snuff film documenting real events, or is it a cleverly disguised thriller?" On the other hand, a press release over on Horror Screams Video Vault describes this as "a gripping, suspense-filled zombie thriller", so who knows what it's about, if anything.
LA Takedown, starring Steven Craine (of course) and Tom Sizemore (of course). "When a high-stakes heist takes a disastrous turn, chaos erupts. As the fallout unfolds, suspicions of betrayal arise. Was someone from the crew feeding information to the police? In a web of deception and desperation, the line between friend and foe blurs." Driscoll has been touting this as a feature for a few years now over on the Maha Films website, where Julie Stevens, Adrian Dalton and Danny Lopez (of course) are listed in the cast. The still on the Cinebacker page shows Lopez, so I think this segment, at least, already exists in some form.. Tom Sizemore, of course, passed away in 2023.
Road Trip: "Brace yourself for sheer madness as Funky Frank, a deranged clown, embarks on a gruesome road trip, leaving a trail of chaos and carnage in his wake. With every mile, the body count grows in this terrifying journey of unrelenting horror." I love that not only has Driscoll used an A.I. image for this, but he has actually left in as a caption the wording he put into ChatGTP to create it.
- Will it ever get made? I suspect yes, but not like this.
Beyond the Door
https://cinebacker.com/pre-launch/beyond-the-door/
Driscoll would love to rip off The Exorcist, but since he can't do it directly he wants to do it in a roundabout way by remaking this famous Exorcist rip-off.
There's not much to the promo video but you can watch it if you want.
Like LA Takedown, this has been listed for a couple of years on the Maha Films site.
- Will it ever get made? Nah, mate.
The Transylvanians: A Rocky Horror Tribute film
https://cinebacker.com/pre-launch/the-transylvanians-a-rocky-horror-tribute-film/
Again, there's very little to the promo video beyond an announcement. Now, you might assume this would be some sort of documentary about the Rocky Horror phenomenon. But no, it's an actual sequel!
"The story follows a young priest dispatched on a peculiar mission to uncover the truth behind the mysterious disappearance of a couple from Denton. Their last known location? An eerie old Gothic house alive with wild parties, hosted by the enigmatic Dark Lord ALUCARD. Upon arrival, the priest is greeted by a colorful cast of eccentric relatives and a flamboyant group of vampires known as The Transylvanians. These glamorous, twisted undead revelers are devoted followers of the Dark Lord, embodying a world of decadence and bizarre charm."
This will allegedly have "many original cast members" but that would obviously be Christopher Biggins rather than Susan Sarandon - if this nonsense were ever to get made. Which it won't, for really obvious copyright reasons.
Crowdfunder allegedly launches in April. Don't hold your breath.
- Will it ever get made? I literally just told you: no.
Arid
https://cinebacker.com/pre-launch/arid/
This Maha Films rip-off of Dune isn't listed anywhere on the Maha Films website, which probably just means they haven't updated their site for a while and may possibly have forgotten their password. But there is at least some (A.I.) visuals in the promo video.
It will be directed by 'Gideon Quin' which is, as we all know, yet another Richard Driscoll pseudony,
For extra value, they are going to stick some dragons in there to rip off Game of Thrones a bit too.
An 'all star cast' is 'to be announced', which almost certainly means Michael Madsen, Dame Eileen Daly, stock footage of the late Tim Sizemore, 'Steve Craine', Danny Lopez and The Ask.
- Will it ever get made? Perhaps, but if so it will be almost entirely green screen and A.I.
The Girl in Black
https://cinebacker.com/pre-launch/girl-in-black/
This is an odd one because the name attached to it is John Luton, who does seem to be a real person and not just another Driscoll pseudonym. Nevertheless, this has all the usual Driscoll hallmarks, not least the unimaginative rip-off title.
There is a promo video full of generic gothic horror footage that may be from a stock library or may have been specially shot (though not necessarily for this).
John Luton has another project on Cinebacker, a six-part documentary about the First World War called The War That Changed the World. The fact that so much of the stock footage in that promo video still has Getty Images watermarks, and the captions include an obvious typo, again suggest Driscoll's direct involvement.
- Will it ever get made? I'd give this 50/50, but don't expect it for a few years.
