The Fall of the Golden Scarab

Cut down in its prime.

It almost happened to Apocolypse Now, it did happen to The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, and so it happens to Chris Grega’s and 88mm’s latest 48Hr Film Festival entry, ‘The (Curse of the) Golden Scarab’. Written in the best traditions of Film Noir by Jason Lauderdale, Scott Dorough and Chris Grega, this was to be the movie that changed the fortunes of 88mm Productions. That is, it was to be the movie that won 88mm Productions an award other than The Audience Award and Best Costume Award, of which it has already garnered two of each since the beginning of the festival back in 2004. But it wasn’t to be.

Halfway through shooting the movie, a pack of assorted vagrants and ne’er-do-wells ambushed the Sound Man at gunpoint before making off with his wallet and cool custom IPod Nano. Fortunately, no physical harm was sustained, and yet the whole scene jangled everybody’s nerves and brought a serious bummer down on the evening. Shooting was terminated, and the film edited and submitted as is to the 48Hr Film Festival.


With any luck, we might still get the Best Costume award.



Top: Evad the Set Designer. Left: Me as the villain. Again.