Texas Frightmare Weekend is a magical event where one can see creepy costumes, scary stars and bathe in red corn syrup until their heart's content. Thanks to Dallas native, David Park and his friends from Dr. God - the "improv group/production company/medical deity," audiences will also get the chance to laugh with their horror-comedy, Bloodsucking Bastards.
The film, which stars Fran Kranz (Cabin in the Woods, Much Ado about Nothing), can best be described as "Office Space meets Shaun of the Dead," but with vampires instead of zombies.
"It takes the modern day drudgery of the corporate workplace and combines it with the supernatural insanity of a vampire takeover of an office" Park says. "It's a blood-soaked comedic romp that no memo could fully explain or do justice to."
The film also features Pedro Pascal from Game of Thrones, Joel Murray from Mad Men, Cabin Fever's Joey Kern, and final girl, Emma Fitzpatrick from The Collection. According to Park, the participation of Kranz is what ultimately got the movie greenlit. All it took was "a combination of booze and basketball." The appealing script probably didn't hurt either.
"Fran Kranz, who we all love to embarrassing levels, was the first major name to come on board," Park says. "He read the script and got it immediately."
Much like the collaborative process behind Quinten Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez's From Dusk til Dawn, the initial draft of Bloodsucking Bastards was written by Texas screenwriter, Ryan Mitts, and later reworked by the comedians in Dr. God. Instead of seeing this as a challenge, Park and his partners were excited about the script's potential.
"I think there's just something about the mundane nature of some corporate jobs that people identify with as soul-sucking, if you will, and ultimately, ripe for humor," Park says. "You don't have to work with vampires to feel like you're having the life sucked out of you at work. So, I think that's where a lot of the horror and the comedy come from. We just took the incredible potential of the idea and heightened it."
Bloodsucking Bastards has already achieved some accolades around the country including acceptance in to the Slamdance Film Festival where it picked up distribution.
Aside from Dr. God and Bloodsucking Bastards, Park's eggs can be found in various baskets. His television show, MOCKpocalypse just wrapped shooting its second season on Mark Cuban's AXS TV and his crew has plans to start filming their next movie this summer. Being a class of '98 graduate from Lake Highlands, Park credits his love of performance to his old teachers, Nancy Poynter and Kitchen Dog Theater's Tim Johnson. He also credits the Dallas film scene for influencing his career as a filmmaker.
"I worked at Premiere Video here while in high school and absolutely loved that job. I love that it's still around and thriving in this VOD and streaming climate," Park says. "It's like a vintage record store. It's a testament to Dallas' passion for movies."
The entire Dr. God crew will be at the screening of Bloodsucking Bastards at 8 p.m. Saturday at Texas Frightmare Weekend where they will also be hosting a Q&A about the film.
"Everyone who knows what's good for them should check out BSB, Frightmare Weekend, MOCKpocalypse and Dr. God," Park jokes. "We're like a Tex-Mex combo platter: take your pick, create a combo plate, ask for more and then buy some antacid."
