Swarm of the Snakehead
Encyclopedia
Swarm of the Snakehead is a 2006
comedy
/horror
feature film
directed by Frank A. Lama
and Joel C. Denning and written by Seth Hurwitz
. It is the first feature from producers Lama and Hurwitz's Baltimore-based production company Ten Pound Films.
The ensemble cast includes Gunnar Hansen
(The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
), Rigg Kennedy
(Slumber Party Massacre
) and Miss Maryland Teen USA
2006 Jamie O'Brien.
Swarm of the Snakehead was shot on 16 mm film
in and around Easton, Maryland
between 2002 and 2005. Post-production was completed during the summer of 2006. A rough cut of the film was premiered for friends and family at The Charles Theatre in Baltimore (where John Waters
premiered many of his early films) on June 21, 2006. The sold out screening led to several articles in Maryland papers including The Baltimore Sun
, as well as radio and television appearances. During one such appearance on the Baltimore CBS affiliate WJZ-TV
, anchor and longtime Maryland personality Marty Bass
called Swarm of the Snakehead "lots of fun" and "John Waters-esque."
While making Swarm of the Snakehead, Lama starred in Fear of Clowns
released by Lions Gate Entertainment
in 2005 and the upcoming Fear of Clowns 2
, which he also produced. At the same time, Hurwitz edited Swarm and shepherded the film through post-production, working closely with sound designer Kevin Hill and composer Tom Alonso.
. Bands contributing songs to the soundtrack include Kip Winger
, Ravyns, Bootcamp
, The Last Picture Show, Glen Nevous, Tony Sciuto of Little River Band
, The Big Sky, and Dagmar and the Seductones.
2006 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2006...
comedy
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
/horror
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
feature film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
directed by Frank A. Lama
Frank A. Lama
Frank A. Lama is a film producer, director and character actor born in Tillsonburg, Ontario.Although his film work has largely been confined to horror and broad comedy, Lama studied acting at Wilfrid Laurier University and has starred in over 20 plays in the U.S. and Canada...
and Joel C. Denning and written by Seth Hurwitz
Seth Hurwitz
Seth Hurwitz is an American writer whose work spans a variety of media, most notably film and music.-Life:...
. It is the first feature from producers Lama and Hurwitz's Baltimore-based production company Ten Pound Films.
The ensemble cast includes Gunnar Hansen
Gunnar Hansen
Gunnar Milton Hansen is an Icelandic-born actor and author best known for playing Leatherface in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre .- Early life:Hansen was born in Reykjavík, Iceland, and moved to the United States when he was five...
(The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a 1974 American independent horror film directed and produced by Tobe Hooper, who cowrote it with Kim Henkel. It stars Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, Edwin Neal, Jim Siedow, and Gunnar Hansen, who respectively portray Sally Hardesty, Franklin Hardesty, the...
), Rigg Kennedy
Rigg Kennedy
Rigg Kennedy is an American character actor.Kennedy's career began in theater and episodic television, including appearances in The Fall Guy, Big Bad Beetleborgs/Beetleborgs Metallix, Matt Houston and Days of our Lives....
(Slumber Party Massacre
Slumber Party Massacre
The Slumber Party Massacre is a 1982 slasher film directed by Amy Holden Jones and written by Rita Mae Brown.-Plot:Trish Devereaux , an 18 year old teen decides to throw a slumber party while her parents are away and their neighbor Mr. Contant is given the job of checking in on the girls during...
) and Miss Maryland Teen USA
Miss Maryland Teen USA
The Miss Maryland Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Maryland in the Miss Teen USA pageant.Maryland did not place at Miss Teen USA until 1992, but since then this state has been quite successful, including earning four runner-up placements, and a...
2006 Jamie O'Brien.
Swarm of the Snakehead was shot on 16 mm film
16 mm film
16 mm film refers to a popular, economical gauge of film used for motion pictures and non-theatrical film making. 16 mm refers to the width of the film...
in and around Easton, Maryland
Easton, Maryland
Easton, founded 1710, is a town within the Easton District of Talbot County, Maryland, United States. The population was 11,708 at the 2000 census, and 14,677 according to current July 2008 census estimates. It is the county seat of Talbot County. The primary ZIP Code is 21601, and the...
between 2002 and 2005. Post-production was completed during the summer of 2006. A rough cut of the film was premiered for friends and family at The Charles Theatre in Baltimore (where John Waters
John Waters (filmmaker)
John Samuel Waters, Jr. is an American filmmaker, actor, stand-up comedian, writer, journalist, visual artist, and art collector, who rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films...
premiered many of his early films) on June 21, 2006. The sold out screening led to several articles in Maryland papers including The Baltimore Sun
The Baltimore Sun
The Baltimore Sun is the U.S. state of Maryland’s largest general circulation daily newspaper and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries....
, as well as radio and television appearances. During one such appearance on the Baltimore CBS affiliate WJZ-TV
WJZ-TV
WJZ-TV, channel 13, is an owned and operated television station of the CBS Television Network, located in Baltimore, Maryland. WJZ-TV's studios and offices are located on Television Hill in the Woodberry section of Baltimore, adjacent to the transmission tower it shares with four other Baltimore...
, anchor and longtime Maryland personality Marty Bass
Marty Bass
Marty Bass is a television news reporter and weather man for CBS affiliate WJZ 13 in Baltimore, Maryland. Noted for his strong accent and ebullient personality, Bass is a twenty-five year veteran at WJZ and is the co-host of the Baltimore market's #1 rated morning show with Don Scott. The WJZ...
called Swarm of the Snakehead "lots of fun" and "John Waters-esque."
While making Swarm of the Snakehead, Lama starred in Fear of Clowns
Fear of Clowns
__FORCETOC__Fear of Clowns is a 2004 horror film about an artist who is seemingly stalked by a killer clown named Shivers the Clown. A 2007 sequel called Fear of Clowns 2 was made.-Plot:...
released by Lions Gate Entertainment
Lions Gate Entertainment
Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation is a North American entertainment company. The company was formed in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1997, and is headquartered in Santa Monica, California...
in 2005 and the upcoming Fear of Clowns 2
Fear of Clowns 2
__FORCETOC__Fear of Clowns 2 is a 2007 horror film and a sequel to Fear of Clowns. The film takes place two years after the events of the first one and continues the story of a young woman getting stalked by a clown killer ....
, which he also produced. At the same time, Hurwitz edited Swarm and shepherded the film through post-production, working closely with sound designer Kevin Hill and composer Tom Alonso.
Soundtrack and music score
The original score was composed and conducted by Tom Alonso and features players from the Baltimore Symphony OrchestraBaltimore Symphony Orchestra
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is a professional American symphony orchestra based in Baltimore, Maryland.In September 2007, Maestra Marin Alsop led her inaugural concerts as the Orchestra’s twelfth music director, making her the first woman to head a major American orchestra.The BSO Board...
. Bands contributing songs to the soundtrack include Kip Winger
Kip Winger
Charles Frederick Kip Winger is an American rock musician, both a member of the hard rock band, Winger, and a solo artist.-Early days:Winger was born in Denver, Colorado to parents who were both jazz musicians....
, Ravyns, Bootcamp
Bootcamp (band)
Bootcamp was an American rock band, popular in the early 1980s. Their songs included "Victim" and "Hold On to the Night". They were one of the first artists whose videos were shown on MTV's first day on air. Bootcamp originated in Baltimore, Maryland...
, The Last Picture Show, Glen Nevous, Tony Sciuto of Little River Band
Little River Band
Little River Band is an Australian rock band, formed in Melbourne in early 1975.The group chose the name after passing a road sign leading to the Victorian township of Little River, near Geelong, on the way to a performance. Little River Band enjoyed sustained commercial success in not only...
, The Big Sky, and Dagmar and the Seductones.