Alright, movie lovers, get ready for something totally bonkers! Kevin Connolly, you know, E from “Entourage,” and his partner Patrick Marino over at Action Park Productions are diving headfirst into the world of feature films, and they’re kicking things off with a horror flick that sounds absolutely insane: Lice!
A Star-Studded Cast
Emile Hirsch (from Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), Justin Long (Barbarian), and Connolly are set to star in the gruesome throwback to the fabulous ’80s movies.
Behind the Camera
Behind the camera, Jonathan Bensimon is making his feature directorial debut and is also the cinematographer! The script comes from the twisted minds of Anthony Musella and Shaun Harris, based on Connolly’s idea. Connolly is also producing alongside Jeremy Alter and Gary Goldman, who recently teamed up on Doug Ellin’s Ramble On, which also starred Connolly, Justin Long, and Charlie Sheen.
What is Lice About?
So, what’s this Lice movie even about? Picture this: it’s described as a horror mashup of The Breakfast Club and Lord of the Flies. It’s the ’80s, and a seriously nasty outbreak of lice hits a high school on Long Island. But this ain’t your average itchy situation. When the school gets put on lockdown by the military, these poor, scratch-crazy students start turning on each other in a desperate fight to survive the bloodthirsty little buggers.
Emile Hirsch is playing Mr. Shanker, the burned-out science teacher who suddenly finds a new purpose trying to figure out these killer mites. Justin Long is Principal Van, who sounds like he’s way over his head and about to lose his marbles. Connolly is Detective Sikorski, a determined cop racing against the clock to contain this creepy-crawly epidemic before it spreads to the whole town.
Connolly himself is clearly stoked about this project. “I wanted to make the kind of movies that I loved as a kid,” he said. “I’m a horror fan and I wanted to make something for guys like me – fun, weird, scary, and completely unpredictable. It made perfect sense to launch our feature division with a project this bold and ambitious.”
He also raved about director Jonathan Bensimon’s creativity and how great the cast is.
Bensimon seems just as excited. “Kevin Connolly sent me a script that was a real pager turner and with him and Shaun Harris we turned it into a pulpy horror feature with a cast that deftly mixes darkness and levity to create something truly unique,” he commented. He’s even planning some cool visual techniques with Kodak and Cinestill to give Lice its own signature look.
The folks at Highland Film Group are also pumped. CEO Arianne Fraser called it a “wild and original project.” COO Delphine Perrier thinks the “balanced blend of gut-wrenching terror and dark humor, surrounding the universal experience of getting lice.”
Creepy Crawly Chaos
To add to the buzz, the film began filming this week in Canada. Lice sounds like it will be a truly unique and unsettling horror experience. Get ready for some serious creepy crawly chaos!
