Shooting began this weekend on Ash Mountain Films debut horror feature “Dogged”, adapted from their critically acclaimed short of the same name.
Directed by Richard Rowntree and starring Sam Saunders & Toby Wynn-Davies (Escape from Cannibal Farm), shooting will last 18 days, with an anticipated release date set for late Spring 2017.
“Dogged” is a dark psychological thriller in the folk-horror sub-genre and was financed entirely through the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter.
“When Sam returns home to the small tidal island where he grew up, he soon discovers that the rural community there harbour more than just a few secrets. As he tries to uncover the truth behind a young girl’s mysterious death, he’s lured into a dangerous cat-and-mouse game with a sinister group of masked maniacs who will stop at nothing to protect their identities, and hide the horrifying truth about the island.”
The short film on which “Dogged” is based is still doing the festival circuit, and will be screening at Horrible Imaginings Film Festival in San Diego on September 11th among others. At just four minutes long, it took almost a year to adapt into a feature length film, and has many of the same cast & crew on board. It promises to expand on the themes and style of the short, which finished joint fifth on the BBC 3 talent show “The Fear” in late 2015, which was designed to unearth the most promising new horror directors as judged by Eduardo Sanchez (The Blair Witch Project).
In praise of the short:
“With a brilliant musical score and cinematography, Rowntree’s style does a great job pulling the viewer in. Dogged is a well-executed blending of a dark fairy tale concept, meshed with psychological terror.” Matthew Myers at www.theblood-shed.com
“There’s definite potential in Dogged. If the short is what new UK horror director Richard Rowntree can pull off in one shooting day, then we may have a new director we need to keep an eye on.” www.Bleedingcritic.com
“It’s symbolism is subtle, but integrally linked to its fairy tale inspiration. There’s a great deal of action in the short, and it’s well-done, succinct and builds fear and tension seamlessly. It blends distorted visuals and music to create an unsettling, jarring experience that will set viewers on edge – as a good horror film should. Importantly, it reminds us that scares can be made without a massive budget.” www.popcornhorror.com©Ash Mountain Films Ltd. Page 2 of 2
Filming locations include Osea Island in Essex (setting of “The Woman In Black”) and other Hammer favourites within a short distance of the world famous Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire.
About Ash Mountain Films
Ash Mountain Films was formed in 2013 by a group of enthusiastic, committed and talented filmmakers in Slough, Berkshire. Headed up by Richard Rowntree, Christopher Foulser and Lee Wignall, the company has completed six short films to date, including “Dogged”, “Absent Friends” and “Fixation(s)”. Having had their films screen at festivals in the UK, US, Mexico and Italy among others, they operate with low budgets and high expectations. “Dogged” is their first foray into feature length films, and they have a slate of further pictures in the horror genre on the horizon.
