Pop Skull
{{Infobox film
| name = Pop Skull
| image = PopSkull2007.jpg
| caption = Film Poster
| director = Adam Wingard
| writer = Lane Hughes
E. L. Katz
Adam Wingard
| based_on =
| producer = Lane Hughes
E. L. Katz
Peter Katz
Adam Wingard
| starring = Lane Hughes
E. L. Katz
Adam Wingard
| cinematography = Adam Wingard
| editing = Adam Wingard
| music = Jasper Lee
Kyle McKinnon
| studio =
| distributor = HALO 8 Entertainment
| released = {{Film date|2007|10|07|RFF|2007|11|02|AFI|2008|07|21|NZIFF}}
| runtime = 86 minutes
| country = United States
| language = English
| budget = $2,000
}}
Pop Skull is a 2007 American film directed, {{nowrap|co-produced,}} and edited by Adam Wingard, who {{nowrap|co-wrote}} the screenplay with Lane Hughes and E. L. Katz. It stars Hughes, Katz, and Wingard. It is primarily regarded as a horror film but has been noted for incorporating elements of genres such as drama, psychedelic, romance, and thriller.
Premise
{{More plot|date=November 2020}}
Daniel, a young {{nowrap|Mexican-American}} pill addict living in Alabama, finds that his attempts to cope with his {{nowrap|day-to-day}} trials collide with the increasing influence of the murderous and displaced spirits that inhabit his home.
Cast
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
- Lane Hughes as Daniel
- E. L. Katz as Eddie
- Adam Wingard as Raymond
- Jeff Dylan Graham as Matt Tepper
- Maggie Henry as Natalie
- Hannah Hughes as Morgan
- Brandon Carroll as Jeff
- L. C. Holt as Victor
- Jennifer Price as Mom
- Benjamin Riley as Himself (credited as Ben Schmitt)
- Debbie Stefanov as Abby
{{div col end}}
Production
In 2003, Wingard approached Hughes with the idea of making a {{nowrap|semi-autobiographical}} film about a recent breakup.{{cite web |url=http://www.decaturdaily.com/stories/Pop-Skull,4415 |title=Pop Skull: Hartselle man goes from working at Movie Gallery to starring in a horror movie |publisher=The Decatur Daily |date=2008-02-02 |last=Palmer |first=Danielle Komis |accessdate=2011-09-18}} They conceived the film as {{nowrap|"one-part}} psychedelic, {{nowrap|one-part}} horror, and {{nowrap|one-part}} romance" and made it on an extremely low budget of $2,000.
Release
Pop Skull screened at the Rome Film Festival, American Film Institute's AFI Fest,{{cite web |url=http://www.afi.com/afifest/2007/daily/1e.aspx |title=10 BURNING QUESTIONS with ADAM WINGARD (POP SKULL) |publisher=American Film Institute |date=2007-11-01 |last=Wildman |first=John |accessdate=2011-09-18}}{{cite web |url=http://www.afi.com/afifest/2007/pdf/FullLineup_Release.pdf |title=NEWS RELEASE - AFI FEST 2007 PRESENTED BY AUDI ANNOUNCES COMPLETE FESTIVAL LINEUP |publisher=American Film Institute |date=2007-10-08 |accessdate=2011-09-24}} and the New Zealand International Film Festival.{{cite web |url=http://www.lumiere.net.nz/reader/item/1796 |title=Film » Adam Wingard on Pop Skull |publisher=The Lumière Reader |date=2009-07-22 |accessdate=2011-09-23 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929183204/http://www.lumiere.net.nz/reader/item/1796 |archivedate=2011-09-29 }}
Reception
Reviews were generally mixed to positive. LA Splash said Hughes gave "a truly magnetic Manson vibe the entire time" which allowed Wingard "to make great use of the extreme close-up". Filmmaker Stephen Susco remarked that it was "unlike any horror film you've ever seen{{emdash}}or will ever see", while Variety called it "powerful" and suggested it created a new genre called "acid horror".{{cite web|work=Variety|title=Pop Skull|url=https://variety.com/2007/film/reviews/pop-skull-1200554361/|year=2007}} The film won the jury award at the Boston Underground Film Festival and the Grand Jury Prize at the Indianapolis International Film Festival.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb title|1110059}}
- {{rotten-tomatoes|pop-skull}}
{{Adam Wingard}}
Category:American haunted house films
Category:American romantic horror films
Category:Films directed by Adam Wingard
Category:Films with screenplays by Adam Wingard
Category:Films produced by Adam Wingard