Relentless is a new independent Aussie horror offering from Highly Caffeinated Productions, and with principal photography due to begin shortly Digital Retribution caught up with writer/director James Phillips to get the inside word on his debut feature.
The story sees a young woman, Ashley, on a romantic getaway in the picturesque Blue Mountains, but plans for an afternoon of secluded snuggling go pear shaped when she becomes the target of a sadistic serial killer who has been studying her every move for months. Alone in the unforgiving wilderness, Ashley must outwit her predator or share the gruesome fate of his previous victims.
"The idea for Relentless came from a few months of trying to think of the easiest, cheapest feature film we could make" James tells us. "I live in the Blue Mountains, and there are just so many wonderful dark and majestic areas around, it was obvious to begin with to set it there".
The makers of Relentless won't have a massive budget at their disposal, but it sounds like they've got a few good ideas to throw around. The energetically paced script is said to rely on high tension rather than blood and gore, and while James is the first to admit they won't be breaking any new ground they'll be doing their best to bend the genre conventions we've become accustomed to, giving us a final girl who will not only look good in a white tank top but also solve problems on her feet instead of just screaming loudly while running around. The tagline on an early piece of promotional art we were shown reads "Tired of the stupid things people do in horror movies? So is Ashley..." which suggests Relentless' protagonist won't be easy prey!
The catchy one word title, which was chosen after the filmmakers ran a small contest through the horror blogosphere, appears to perfectly capture the essence of the movie: "I couldn't be happier with the Relentless title" James says. "I'm a bit of an MTV generation movie watcher, and get easily bored from drawn out 'slow burn' horrors, so I set out to write a frenetic paced picture"
Principle photography for Relentless kicks-off on May 3 and we'll be looking forward to hearing more from James and the team as the production continues. For now you can become a fan of Relentless on Facebook and watch the concept trailer below.
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Originally born unto this world as Terror Australis.net back in March 2002, Digital Retribution is a proudly Australian website devoted to all things horror, cult, and exploitation that strives to promote Australian films and filmmakers while sharing its questionable taste in ultra-violent smut-laden local and international offerings with the rest of the world.
Relentless is a new independent Aussie horror offering from Highly Caffeinated Productions, and with principal photography due to begin shortly Digital Retribution caught up with writer/director James Phillips to get the inside word on his debut feature.
