Although we’ve known for a bit, modest filmmaker Jason Eisener was trying to be quiet about the news that his short holiday horror Treevenge was accepted into this year’s Sundance Film Festival. But now that it’s official that the beautiful stick-people in their furry boots and gigantic sunglasses will have a chance to watch Halifax talent get impaled by pissed off Christmas trees, we can talk without fear of nearby greenery.Eisener received the big news in late November and when we spoke he said, “Last night we found out Treevenge got into Sundance, I was in Superstore by myself and my producer called me. I dropped everything and ran outside screaming, and even cried, which is crazy because people from Dartmouth don’t cry easy.”Apparently there are some deep-seeded holiday issues getting worked out around here: *Suburban Zombie Christmas*, a feature film trailer produced by Michael Melski, Michael P. Mason and Chris Cuthbertson screened last Saturday at Sacramento Horror Film Festival’s Merry Scary Winter Horrorland, and was part of the opening shorts program for the 1974 Canadian horror classic Black Christmas. Shot here in 2005, with opening shots of the Bedford mall and all the zombie carolers a self-respecting zombie-killer could swing an electric saw at, the film stars a bunch of undead local actors. The group has received funding from Film Nova Scotia and Telefilm Canada to now take the trailer and create one of Canada ‘s first 3-D feature films. Until then, you can watch the trailer on YouTube.
This article appears in Dec 11-17, 2008.