The film, to be directed by PCS President, Jerry Macaluso, is titled Portal Popperz and aims to celebrate a lost genre not just in tenor and spirit, but also the fading art of practical creature puppet techniques used to create them.
“I really miss the creatures of the ‘80s. Cool rubber monsters with tons of personality. The work Steve Johnson, Rob Bottin and Chris Walas did so well, and how films like Gremlins helped perfect the balance between horror and humor,” said Macaluso.
Portal Popperz, lead by a number of successful fx industry veterans, has already raised a majority of its budget privately, but has set a funding goal of $75,000 USD to complete the necessary funds to achieve the filmmakers vision.
“My years sculpting and painting monsters on dozens of film led me to use those skills for merchandising with my collectibles company,” Macaluso said. “Now I get to use that experience and the connections I’ve been fortunate enough to make to dip my toe back into filmmaking, a luxury I know most campaigns trying to fulfill rewards don’t have.”
A love letter to films like Gremlins and Critters, in the movie an augmented reality game called Portal Popperz has become a cultural phenomenon, and it seems like everyone has their eyes glued to their smartphones trying to catch the digital creatures. But when a motley crew of misfits discover the Popperz are spawning in the real world, it’s up to our unlikely heroes to halt their path of destruction. Filming will commence in February.
About Jerry Macaluso
Jerry began his career at 17 as an assistant FX artist on the cult classic, ‘Scarecrows.’ Soon after he was hired to re-design the Toxic Avenger for Parts 2 & 3 which led to a move to Los Angeles and supervising practical special effects on projects like Power Rangers, Halloweentown, Weird Science (TV) and Wishmaster 2 & 3.
In addition to his special effects career, Macaluso has also designed and manufactured collectibles for Conan, Warcraft, Masters of the Universe, Judge Dredd, Robocop, The Howling and many others.
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