Hello everyone. It's nearly a year since we last checked in on the crazy world of Richard Driscoll, so let's so what he currently has on his Cinebacker website.
Remember how the film that was eventually released as Grindhouse Nightmares was originally announced as Grindhouse 2wo? Well, Driscoll wants to make Grindhouse 3! Twelve months ago this was going to be a three-part anthology, comprising 'Breeding Ground', 'LA Takedown' and 'Road Trip. It's now just two stories, one of which will still be 'Breeding Ground', starring the late and ubiquitous Michael Madsen:
"In this gritty, lost-footage Grindhouse thriller, Michael Madsen stars as a hardened investigator documenting his hunt for a rogue militia group deep in the American wilderness. What begins as a raw, fly-on-the-wall exposé quickly spirals into something far more dangerous and far more violent." Whether he has any footage actually shot for this, or he just plans to build a new film around a few random shots of Madsen, remains to be seen.
The other 50% of the film will be a cut-down version of Once Upon a Time in Hollyweird. Which is unlikely to make any more sense than the full-length version.
The Girl in Black is still listed, but with no mention of previously attached director John Luton. Ludicrous Dune rip-off Arid is still present also, as is Clue 'tribute film' Who? The other 'tribute film', originally announced as The Transylvanians, has been renamed Jailhouse Rock(-Y) Horror Show, which is interesting as that would open the production up to lawsuits from two different IPs.
New to the site is Scrooge, Driscoll's take on the Dickens classic, to star Johnny Depp impersonator Danny Lopez in the title role. We are promised that this will be "In the blood-soaked style of Sweeney Todd, with the terror of Jack the Ripper" and also (I love this) "Directed in the uncompromising style of Richard Driscoll…" Coming Christmas 2026, apparently. There is a one-minute trailer for this but, as with all RD's trailers nowadays, it's just an AI voice reading out the publicity blurb.
Those are all listed as 'pre-launch' but what about active campaigns on Driscoll's personal version of Indiegogo? Well Trash's Revenge is still there, allegedly "currently filming in the UK", presumably drawing on the £75,240.63 currently raised from 129 backers. There are 37 days left to chip in if you want to help. This will now be both a film and a game. Oh, and Cynthia Rothrock is going to be in it!
Then there is Driller Killer 2, a sequel to the public domain power tool slasher. This will star Beverly Randolph from Return of the Living Dead and Eric Roberts from assorted Driscoll films, "with a special appearance by Hollywood legend Denzel Washington." As with Cillian Murphy's special appearance in Once Upon a Time in Hollyweird, this will be footage from an unreleased film that Driscoll has got his hands on, so it's unlikely either Washington or his agent knows anything about it. Crowdfunding perks offer all manner of speaking and nonspeaking roles in the film. The scores on the doors are that a total of three backers have donated £15,165 which is bloody generous of at least one of them.
Finally there is TCM All American Massacre (inspired by The Texas Chainsaw Massacre). Now this I can't understand at all. "In the wake of the groundbreaking success of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and its cult-classic sequel, director Tobe Hooper, his son William Hooper, and horror icon Bill Moseley joined forces to unleash a new nightmare from the heart of Texas.
That was twenty-five years ago.
The resulting footage was believed lost, spoken of only in whispers among horror fans and collectors, with repeated promises of release that never materialized.
Until now.
The original footage has been meticulously restored. The audio has been remixed. New footage has been shot, and major stars from some of horror’s most iconic cult films will join the original cast, expanding and completing the vision of the original production and, at last, delivering the film audiences were promised decades ago."
No idea what's going on there, but apparently it will star Miquel Nunez from Return of the Living Dead and Bill Moseley. £11.635 has been raised from five backers, and you have 30 days left to contribute.
And here's an interesting thing. Driscoll has launched DCA - the DRagon Creative Agency. It doesn't seem to be a real agency though; what did you expect? As far as I can see it's an attempt ot get money out of wannabe actors and crew, promising things such as 'convention appearances, a 'professional showreel' and 'exclusive discounts'. But, as far as I can tell, Driscoll won't actually represent the clients (if there ever are any) to anyone but himself.
