Everything about Slasher, eh?

Links: Slasher: Ripper

From Brian Tallerico of Roger Ebert:

Link: Slasher returns to Shudder with intriguing new season
There’s something fun about a talented group of people getting together to tell different stories, which is the modus operandi for Aaron Martin’s Canadian horror hit “Slasher,” returning to Shudder. Continue reading.

From Courtney Mroch of 1428 Elm:

Link: Slasher Season 5: An interesting twist on Jack the Ripper (so far)
The one thing the trailer for Slasher season 5, Ripper, promised was that it would be “the most gruesome season of horror yet.” The first two episodes premiered on Shudder and AMC+ on Thursday, April 6, and so far that promise has been kept. Right from the beginning, there’s blood. Continue reading.

From Mary Beth McAndrews of Dread Central:

Link: ‘Slasher: Ripper’ star Eric McCormack on playing a diabolical character in the Shudder series
“I had just heard the name and heard it was a horror thing. I think I was three scenes in [to the script] and I called my agent and I said, “Uh, “I’m in.” I love this guy. I love the language of the show. Ian and Aaron have written a beautifully Gothic darkly funny show, but this character is such a bastard.” Continue reading.

From Stephen Andrew of Pop Culture:

Link: Eric McCormack says ‘Slasher: Ripper’ role is ‘Most Delicious Thing I’ve Ever Chewed on’ (Exclusive)
Eric McCormack is an actor that most wouldn’t associate with the horror genre, but that is all going to change with Slasher: Ripper. In the newest season of Shudder’s anthology horror series, McCormack plays charismatic 19th-century tycoon Basil Garvey, a man who is as ruthless as he is successful, and whose villainy is rivaled by a mysterious new serial killer known as The Widow. Continue reading.

From Paul Dailly of TV Fanatic:

Link: Slasher: Ripper’s Eric McCormack dishes on franchise’s deadly trip to the past
“I think there’ll be some moments of confusion for the audience where it’s like, I hated this guy, and now I’m feeling bad for him.” Continue reading.

From Isaac Rouse of TV Insider:

Link: Eric McCormack talks playing against type as a villain on ‘Slasher: Ripper’
“Basil Garvey is one of my favourite things I’ve ever done. He is a bastard! He is a brutal asshole. He is entitled and rich. He’s Rupert Murdoch if Rupert Murdoch killed people. He couldn’t be worse. And I absolutely adored him.” Continue reading.

From Stephen Andrew of Pop Culture:

Link: ‘Slasher: Ripper’ actor Gabriel Darku reveals how Batman influenced his character
“I think it was fun for me to try to use that as heavy inspiration and really find this place of a character that walks into a room and is immediately taking in all of his surroundings. He’s way more observant than you might initially see him to be. He notices every little detail and he’s not afraid.” Continue reading.

From Courtney Mroch of 1428 Elm:

Link: Slasher: Ripper interview: the A, B and sCreams of season 5
“What’s more fun: concocting the kills or crafting the whodunit?” was among the three questions we asked during our Slasher: Ripper interview. That one was directed toward the show’s executive producer/creator, Aaron Martin, and executive producer/showrunner, Ian Carpenter. Continue reading.

From Heather M. of The Televixen:

Link: Ian Carpenter and Aaron Martin talk Slasher: Ripper
One of my great joys in covering Slasher is getting to chat with the mad scientists who bring it to life (or, you know, murder) every season. Continue reading.

From Heather M. of The Televixen:

Link: Steve Byers talks Slasher: Ripper
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. If Slasher‘s first season hadn’t been so delightfully bonkers and well done, we wouldn’t be five seasons in. Continue reading.

From Heather M. of The Televixen:

Link: Ian Carpenter, Steve Byers, and Sharron Matthews Talk the Slasher: Ripper Finale
How’s everybody doing after that bananas Slasher: Ripper finale? Despite the gore that preceded it, that final scene of everyone leaving the church, bloodsoaked and defiant, was a thing of beauty. Continue reading.

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Slasher: Ripper takes the franchise to a bloody great new level

What would Detective William Murdoch say? And would he be able to solve the crime? Those were the first two thoughts when I watched screeners of the first two episodes of Slasher: Ripper.

Returning Thursday at 9 p.m. ET to Hollywood Suite, Slasher: Ripper is the latest instalment of the gruesome, gory whodunit from creator-executive producer Aaron Martin and fellow executive producer Ian Carpenter.

Set in the late 19th century, and partly filmed on the backlot where fellow Shaftesbury project Murdoch Mysteries is created, Ripper catches up with a Toronto galvanized by fear. There is a vengeful killer on the loose slaughtering the city’s elite in horribly creative ways. Charged with solving the case is Detective Kenneth Rijkers (Gabriel Darku), who becomes increasingly desperate to connect the deaths before the body count gets any higher.

Toplining this tale is Eric McCormack, who dons 19th-century garb to play Basil Garvey, a supremely nasty tycoon who holds Toronto in his greedy grip. Easily the evilest character McCormack has ever played, Martin and Carpenter were positively giddy with his performance.

“Not unlike last year, when we brought David Cronenberg in [for Slasher: Flesh & Blood], we were looking for that type of person for that and [executive producer] Christina Jennings said, ‘I wonder if we can get him?’ He told me that as soon as he read one of his first lines of dialogue he said, ‘I have to do this part.'”

Complementing McCormack is Martin and Carpenter’s stable of Slasher performers in Paula Brancati as heiress Viviana Botticelli, Jefferson Brown as pimp Horatio Dixon, Lisa Berry as physician Dr. Melanda Israel, Jo Vannicola as newspaper editor Enid Jenkins, Steve Byers as man of God, Andrew May Jr., Sabrina Grdevich as Viviana’s sister, Venetia, Christopher Jacot as brothel owner Terrence Crenshaw and Salvatore Antonio as sex worker Salomé. And while all are familiar faces to the franchise, Martin and Carpenter ensure their characters are always unique.

“We like to give them a chance to play outside of the roles they are usually cast in,” Martin says. The result is performances that are mesmerizing and truly memorable. That goes for the acting chops provided by new faces alongside McCormack. Murdoch Msyteries‘ Clare McConnell goes against type as Regina Simcoe, Frankie Drake Mysteries‘ Sharron Matthews as housekeeper Gladys and Killjoys‘ Thom Allison as Georges Rondeau.

Written by Martin, Carpenter, Shelley Scarrow and Lucie Pagé, the eight-episode scripts are taut, enthralling, exciting and deliciously over-the-top. And, thanks to director of photography Scott McClellan and director-executive producer Adam McDonald, the setting is disturbing and very un-Murdoch.

“That backlot is beautiful,” Carpenter says. “We set some visual goals, and Scott and Adam shot the hell out of it. We wanted to get the dirt, the animals, the feces, the blood … it was really exciting.”

Slasher: Ripper airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on Hollywood Suite.

Images courtesy of Shaftesbury.

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Hollywood Suite slices into spring with the Canadian premiere of Slasher: Ripper

From a media release:

Hollywood Suite is ready to slice and dice into spring with the exclusive Canadian premiere of the fifth season of horror anthology series Slasher, with back-to-back episodes on April 6. The highly anticipated new season of Slasher: Ripper starring Eric McCormack (Will & Grace), will roll out new episodes airing Thursdays at 9pm ET on Hollywood Suite. Episodes will be available exclusively on Hollywood Suite On Demand following their premiere.

“Basil Garvey is the most evil character I’ve ever played… and I loved him! Can’t wait for Canada to see Slasher: Ripper in April!” said Eric McCormack.

“We are thrilled to be the exclusive Canadian home of the Slasher franchise,” said Sharon Stevens, Vice President, Programming at Hollywood Suite. “Horror fans won’t be disappointed, with Slasher: Ripper delivering all the terrifying scares and gore they’ve come to expect from the anthology, along with a chilling new setting.”

“It’s fantastic that the Slasher franchise has found such a strong fanbase here in Canada,” added Christina Jennings, Chairman & President, Shaftesbury. “We were delighted to be working with the brilliant Aaron Martin and Ian Carpenter again this season, along with the newest member of the Slasher family, the talented Eric McCormack.”

The new season takes the Slasher franchise back in time to the late 19th century with Eric McCormack as Basil Garvey, a charismatic tycoon whose success is only rivaled by his ruthlessness, as he oversees a city on the cusp of a new century, and a social upheaval that will see its streets run red with blood. There’s a killer on the loose, but instead of targeting the poor and downtrodden like Jack the Ripper, The Widow is meting out justice against the rich and powerful. The only person standing in the way of this killer is the newly promoted detective, Kenneth Rijkers, whose ironclad belief in justice may wind up being yet another victim of The Widow.

Produced by Shaftesbury, the new season of Slasher is executive produced by Christina Jennings, Scott Garvie, Thomas P. Vitale, Aaron Martin, Ian Carpenter and Adam Macdonald.

Canadian Slasher fans can currently stream Slasher: Flesh & Blood, which was released last fall and stars horror icon David Cronenberg, exclusively on Hollywood Suite On Demand.

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Link: Robert Cormier dies: ‘Heartland’ and ‘Slasher: Solstice’ actor was 33

From Patrick Hipes of Deadline:

Link: Robert Cormier dies: ‘Heartland’ and ‘Slasher: Solstice’ actor was 33
Robert Cormier, a TV and film actor whose credits include playing Finn Cotter on the long-running Canadian series Heartland as well as the Netflix horror series Slasher: Solstice died September 23. He was 33. Continue reading.

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Incendo & Tubi announce continued partnership at Content Canada with two additional horror films slated for production in 2022

From a media release:

Incendo is thrilled to announce two additional horror films slated for production in 2022, in conjunction with FOX-owned streaming giant, Tubi as part of their continued content initiative. Driven by the success of the genre and consumer demand for themed content, the projects include Marry F*** Kill, an original film written by Ian Carpenter and Aaron Martin (Terror Train), as well as The Amityville Curse, an adaptation of Hans Holzer’s iconic novel from the successful franchise, scripted by Dennis Heaton (Motive).

Incendo is in pre-production in Montreal on the films and will also represent distribution on a global scale; Tubi is the commissioning U.S. licensee for both projects.

Marry F* Kill sees five estranged college friends reunite to attend their friend’s funeral after her shocking suicide. Scarred by a past betrayal that led to the ultimate demise of their friendship, an innocent game of Marry F* Kill spawns into something far more sinister than they could have imagined.

Led by an exceptionally talented Canadian cast, the film stars Jedidiah Goodacre (Descendants), Maxine Denis (Party of Five), Robbie Graham-Kuntz (Utopia Falls), Cynthia Jimenez-Hicks (From), Deanna Jarvis (Beauty and the Beast), and Devin Cecchetto (The Craft: Legacy). Marry F*** Kill has attached multi-award nominated director Caroline Labrèche (Rule of 3) and will be produced by Graham Ludlow and Kaleigh Kavanagh; Executive Producers are Graham Ludlow, Brook Peters, and Shari Segal.

Based on the book of the same name, the new adaptation of The Amityville Curse will take on a different perspective than the 1990 direct-to-video released film. With Incendo securing the underlying rights to the original novel from the estate, fans can look forward to an authentic approach to capturing the gripping story of Hans Holzer’s book.

Incendo partners for the second time with Éric Tessier (You Will Remember Me) to direct the film. Producers are Graham Ludlow and Kaleigh Kavanagh; Executive Producers are Graham Ludlow, Kaleigh Kavanagh, Brook Peters, and Shari Segal, as well as fellow author and Hans Holzer’s daughter, Alexandra Holzer, whose contribution to the film pays tribute to continuing the authenticity and legacy of her father’s work. Casting for the film will commence in the coming months.

Incendo and Tubi initially partnered earlier this year for the collaborative remake of cult classic film Terror Train, which will premiere October 21st in the U.S. as a part of Tubi’s annual month-long Halloween inspired genre celebration, ‘Terror on Tubi’.

From classic slashers to thrills from the paranormal, Incendo’s talented production team are dedicated to bringing these original and reimagined stories to life while staying true to the core fundamentals of the genre and homage to horror fans. The company also has collection of multi-genre series and films in various stages of development for 2023 and beyond.

About Incendo

Incendo is a Canadian company that specializes in the production and international distribution of high-quality television programming for the worldwide marketplace. Since its inception in 2001, the company has produced compelling movies, television series as well as documentaries that have been sold throughout the world. Incendo is the leading television distribution company in Canada and also handles theatrical distribution in Québec for Paramount Pictures. For more information, visit www.incendo.ca.

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