Thane of East County, also known as Blood Will Have Blood, is a 2015 black and white horror drama film written and directed by Jesse Keller in his feature film debut and is adapted from William Shakespeare's play Macbeth. The film won Best Drama at Poppy Jasper International Film Festival and stars Carr Cavender, Molly Beucher, Connor Sullivan and Karl Backus.
| Thane of East County | |
|---|---|
 Poster | |
| Directed by | Jesse Keller |
| Written by | Jesse Keller |
| Based on | Macbeth by William Shakespeare |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Nate Elegino |
| Edited by | Jesse Keller |
| Music by | Son of Lone Cat |
Production company | Folk Process Films |
| Distributed by | Summer Hill Entertainment |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $65,000 |
Plot
editJames (Macbeth) and Jen (Lady Macbeth) become intertwined with each other as they rehearse a theatrical production of Macbeth. Duke (also Macbeth) is Jen's husband, Drew (Banquo) is James' best friend and Matt portrays Macduff and Malcolm. Things go awry as the actors begin to carry out the actions of characters they portray.
Cast
edit- Carr Cavender as James
- Molly Beucher as Jen
- Connor Sullivan as Drew
- Karl Backus as Duke
- Joshua Alan Jones as Raymond
- Ron Christopher Jones as Kip
- Brian Patrick Butler as Matt
- Danny Morris as Jonathan
- Jessica Jerrain as Alex[1]
Production
editThe film was produced by Folk Process Films.[1] The production team consisted of writer and director Jesse Keller, producers Chris Cashman and Annie Willett Thomas as well as cinematographer Nate Elegino.[2] With a crew of ten, seventeen actors were cast.[3]
The movie is based on Macbeth by William Shakespeare and was shot in black-and-white[4] over sixteen days at the Victory Theatre in San Diego, inside a Fallbrook apartment, and exterior scenes in the desert near Borrego Springs.[3] Films like Double Indemnity, Pi, Stranger Than Paradise and Following were inspiration for the film.[5] A Kickstarter campaign raised $25,000, boosting the overall budget to $65,000. The film is Keller's directorial debut[5] and he submitted it to Sundance Film Festival.[4]
Release
editThe film screened at Tampa Bay Underground Film Festival on December 6, 2015[6] and Cinema on the Bayou in Louisiana on January 28, 2017.[7] It was distributed as Blood Will Have Blood by Summer Hill Entertainment in 2017.[8] The film released on video on demand on January 25, 2018.[1]
Reception
editCritical response
editSteven West of Horror Screams Video Vault compared the film to Macbeth calling it a "well-intentioned attempt" but it "downplays the trashier elements that could have made it fun."[9] It is on CinemaBlend's list of 32 Movies You Didn't Know Were Based On Shakespeare Plays.[10]
| Festival | Year | Award | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego Film Awards | 2017 | Best Narrative Feature | Thane of East County | Won | |
| Poppy Jasper International Film Festival | 2016 | Best Drama | Thane of East County | Won | [11] |
| Blow-Up Chicago International Arthouse Film Festival | 2015 | John Alcott Award for Best Cinematography | Nate Elegino | Nominated | |
| Monica Vitti Award for Best Actress | Molly Beucher | Nominated |
References
edit- ^ a b c "Thane of East County - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2023-04-17.
- ^ "Project of the Day: 'Thane of East County'". IndieWire. 2014-07-16. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
- ^ a b Coddon, David L. (2014-08-20). "San Diego filmmakers mine 'Macbeth' for 'Thane of East County'". San Diego CityBeat. Archived from the original on 2014-09-09. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
- ^ a b McVicker, Nicholas (2014-10-06). "East County Filmmaker Makes Bid For Sundance". KPBS. Archived from the original on 2022-01-11. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
- ^ a b Voorhees, Deborah (2014-07-14). "Thane of East County, John Lithgow Blogs, King Lear Live Broadcast | Bard in Multimedia". The Shakespeare Standard. Archived from the original on 2014-10-28. Retrieved 2023-06-22.
- ^ "Thane of East County". Tampa Bay Underground Film Festival. Archived from the original on 2015-11-15. Retrieved 2022-06-07.
- ^ "Schedule of Events". Cinema on the Bayou: 5. 2017-01-28 – via Issuu.
- ^ "Blood will have Blood – Summer Hill Films". Summer Hill Entertainment. 2021-04-19. Archived from the original on 2021-04-19. Retrieved 2022-06-07.
- ^ West, Steven (2021-07-03). "Film Review: BLOOD WILL HAVE BLOOD (a.k.a. Thane Of East County) (2015)". Horror Screams Video Vault. Archived from the original on 2021-07-28. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
- ^ Utley, Riley (2024-05-25). "32 Movies You Didn't Know Were Based On Shakespeare Plays". CinemaBlend. Archived from the original on 2024-05-25. Retrieved 2024-05-26.
- ^ Airoldi, Robert (2016-04-27). "2016 Poppy Jasper Film Festival Winners Announced". Morgan Hill Life. Archived from the original on 2023-04-17. Retrieved 2023-08-16.