About Crypt Club Productions Inc.
Crypt Club Productions Inc. is an independent film production company, specializing in Horror, Thriller, and Dark Fantasy.
For the latest news about Crypt Club Productions Inc. and AAAAAH!! Indie Horror Hits please visit our unified blog site at: http://www.cryptclubproductions.blogspot.com
So, why Horror?
Let me dust off my soap box and catch a lung-full of air...
I think that when Horror is done well it can benefit both the individual and the collective soul because it is a basic and powerful dramatic form.
Ever since primitive man began telling stories there have been tales of Heroes and Monsters. The Monster - in whatever form - is the reason for the story. Sure, the story covers the Hero's journey, but the creation of the Monster is always the catalyst for the action. Without the Monster there is no Hero. Without the Monster there is no story, and ultimately - as with any worthwhile drama - there is no life lesson.
The cause of the Monster's creation is always timely and directly related to whatever is going on in that society. So, Horror stories are cautionary tales; allegories for what ails a culture. And when you discover the cause of an illness you have the first clue to its cure.
It's interesting that the popularity of Horror rises during times of crisis. The Universal Studios' monster movie cycle of the early 1930s coincided with the Great Depression. The Wolf Man came in 1940 as the US entered World War Two and ordinary men feared becoming bloodthirsty beasts in combat. The films of the 1950s featured atomic monsters and alien invaders to mirror the public's fear of the Atom Bomb and the Cold War. And so on...
Stephen King points out in Danse Macabre that "we make up horrors to help us cope with the real ones". If we hide from our fear the cause of that fear does not disappear and we remain fearful. And any fear that we may have tends to compound itself and multiply. The only way to overcome a fear is to face and embrace it. So Horror helps us process our fears and realize that they weren't as bad as we... uh, feared.
When a Horror story ends there's the exhilaration of surviving the ordeal. The Horror catharsis is so powerful because of the genre's inherent extremes of life and grisly death - or worse. The light at the end of the tunnel is so much warmer and brighter because we made it through the dank, creepy, black tunnel.
The biggest challenge to the Horror genre being taken seriously is the commercial practise of emphasizing the lurid & sensational elements at the expense of the dramatic core of the story - because that's what puts bums in seats on opening weekend.
It is disheartening to wade through so many horror films with great dramatic potential only to watch them spiral into mere butchery or pretentious ambiguity.
At its dramatic best a Horror story is a relevant morality tale, plucking grace from the grave. At its dramatic worst it's a fleeting hit parade of guts and techno-mutilation with no context or conscience for its gruesomeness. It becomes gore for the sake of gore.
Our fascination with the dark side is what keeps Horror popular, but the often unfulfilling stories are why Horror remains an under appreciated genre.
Still, even 'good' Horror is not everyone's cup of hot liquid. I think it has more to do with marketing labels than actual content.
It's funny how many people refuse to watch a Horror film, but won't think twice about letting their children watch Walt Disney's Snow White - a charming tale of a jealous, aging queen hiring a woodsman to murder her beautiful stepdaughter and bring back her heart as proof that Snow White is dead. If that ain't a Horror tale then Quasimodo was Mr. Universe of 1482.
Still, I live in hope for the Horror genre. Its icons will continue to resonate within us for as long as we have Monsters to face. It's a messy and often thankless task, but someone has to do it. And I aspire to do it well.
I'm not afraid of Monsters - or Labels. That's why I choose Horror.
Biography - So far...
Miguel Gallego, CCPI's president and multiple award winning filmmaker, is Canadian-born of Spanish parents. As a child, Miguel was fascinated by films - especially the classic Universal Studios' monster movies. His infatuation reached a point where his doctor father declared that Miguel suffered from 'monster-itis'.
Since then Miguel has grown a bit taller.
Miguel's passion for film led him away from pre-med courses to earn a B. A. in Cinema Studies from the University of Toronto. He later studied film production at the American Film Institute (AFI) in Los Angeles.
Since joining the Directors Guild of Canada Miguel has worked steadily as an Assistant Director on many feature films, TV movies & series, documentaries, commercials, music videos, and short films. For a partial list check Miguel's IMDb profile.
Film work has taken Miguel across Canada, the USA, Mexico, and Cuba. He is fluent in English & Spanish, and holds both Canadian & Spanish (EU) passports.
In 2002 Miguel started Crypt Club Productions Inc. to make his short horror drama The Crypt Club. To date this film has earned 18 awards and screened at more than 45 international film festivals on four continents. The film was broadcast in Canada from 2004-7 on CBC's national filmmaker showcase Canadian Reflections. It also aired in Buenos Aires, Argentina on the cable channel, Ciudad Abierta.
When not working on CCPI's in-house projects, like AAAAAH!! Indie Horror Hits, Miguel consults on screenplays and provides script breakdowns & schedules for film budgeting. He has also created two workshop presentations for filmmakers: Secrets of Successful Auditions; and, Indie Production Planning - Getting Your Day. Miguel also teaches the DGC's Movie Magic Sheduling - Advanced Workshop.
Miguel's professional memberships include:
- Directors Guild of Canada, Ontario District Council (DGC-ODC)
- Canadian Film & Television Production Association (CFTPA)
- Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television & Radio Artists (ACTRA)
Miguel is also certified as a PADI Open Water Scuba Diver - just in case this global warming thing really does go too far.
Films and the macabre still fascinate him - but he really wants to direct more!
To check Miguel's availability for work as a Director on your project - horror related or otherwise - please contact him.