Auf Wiedersehen, Mad Prof!

Some of you regular visitors may recall that, in addition to writing tales meant to be read late at night and occasionally utilizing multi-billion dollar satellites to hunt little containers hidden in the woods and elsewhere, I have also offered my not-necessarily-considerable thespian talents to a couple of indie movies made by Martinsville, VA, natives Mat and Myron Smith. In their most recent offering, Invasion of the Killer Cicadas, I play the role of Professor Doctor Werner von Schwartztotten, the twisted genius responsible for genetically engineering the malevolent title creatures. In the Smith Brothers' first movie, Young Blood: Evil Intentions (2012), which told the story of numerous child vampires running loose in a small southern town, I had a weenie part as an outspoken citizen. In Cicadas, the mad prof doesn't have much more screen time than the loudmouthed old fart, but, as creator of the title monsters, he provides a tad more substance to the storyline. Several months ago on the set, I delivered a rousing lecture about the nature of monster insects to a committee of concerned townsfolk; today, the good doctor spoke his final lines for the movie, which is now wrapping up shooting.

I expect the movie will be entirely in the can by the end of June, and — hopefully — it will soon afterward follow in the footsteps of Young Blood and make an impressive circuit of numerous theaters around the region and elsewhere, as well as play at film festivals and see a DVD release. Both movies are a hootin' holler — just the kind of productions to appeal to fans of Troma Entertainment movies and such (in fact Young Blood features Troma Entertainment founder Lloyd Kaufman as a hysterical news reporter). Young Blood: Evil Intentions is available on DVD and may be purchased here: Young Blood: Evil Intentions

Here's the official trailer for Invasion of the Killer Cicadas. Enjoy.