When you hear the phrase “creature feature”, most people associate it with low-budget, poor CGI and soap quality acting. It’s a sub-genre of horror that spawned in the 50’s, with Director Roger Corman and his films like, “Swamp Women” and “Attack of the Crab Monsters”. The style of film relied on audiences to suspend disbelief regarding the subject matter, and the plausibility of how they unfolded. It wasn’t until 1975, when people realized what you could accomplish if you had a sizable amount of money. Steven Spielberg shocked theater-goers and the entire movie world, with his terrifying shark film “Jaws”. Using a full-sized practical Shark, was something that had never been seen before. Following the success of that film, Spielberg again surprised audiences with a different kind of creature/feature, when he released the critically acclaimed “E.T” in 1982. Fast forward to present day and modern era of creature/feature films and we’ve seen everything. From “Anaconda” and “Piranha”, to the more creative cross over films like “Sharktopus”, and “Dinocroc vs Supergator”. The “Sharknado” franchise has now become one of the biggest, if not the biggest film of the genre. Being a fan of the creature feature, I’ve spent some time analyzing what potentially makes them work and what doesn’t. I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s a matter of having the right idea at the right time. If it’s something creative, that’s extremely well promoted and generates buzz leading up to a release, you give yourself every chance of success. This brings me to the Australian made creature feature; short film “Waterborne”.

Written by Richard Barcaricchio and Ryan Coonan, as well as being directed by Ryan. “Waterborne” combines the flesh-eating bacteria of Eli Roth’s “Cabin Fever”, with the much-loved iconic Kangaroo, that almost everyone that isn’t Australian, seems obsessed with. The idea being, what would happen if a town’s water supply became contaminated with bacteria, and the wildlife drank from it, turning them rabid? The concept is genius. I think Richard and Ryan have been smart enough to see they are onto a winner with the addition of the Kangaroo, which hasn’t been covered before. One can’t help but get behind this incredibly entertaining short film, and see the potential for a worldwide viral campaign. The short film is only 8 minutes long and although every one of those moments entertains, it’s begging to be told as a full length feature. If you are a fan of the modern creature feature, and you love practical effects and not the cheap CG you see on the SyFy channel, get behind this film! Go to the Facebook page, watch the short when it becomes available and show your support for it. When you watch the short, it will become evident that Ryan knows what he is doing behind that camera. It contains gorgeous cinematography, perfect panning, crystal clear audio, a wonderful score and some of the red stuff. The focus is just as much on the high quality technical aspects, as well as doing everything possible to keep the effects practical. The lead character is a dead ringer for “Ash” from “The Evil Dead” (played by Bruce Campbell). Genre lovers and fans of being entertained in general, simply can’t deny the potential for greatness with a fun film about Zombie kangaroos. I’m going all in for this one guys. I’m hoping to do everything in my power to help this crew get the film made, and you should too!!, so check out the associated sites below

The trailer: http://vimeo.com/octopodfilms/waterbornetrailer

Facebook: www.facebook.com/waterbornemovie

twitter: @waterbornemovie

Octopod films website: www.octopodfilms.com

Article Written by Adam Weber