July 13th, 2012 - DARKNESS 2, ENCOUNTERS CONVENTION, TOP 10 LISTS, MORE!

Hey everybody,
Once again I'm, going to try to keep up with my updates on the 13th of each month.  So here goes.

First off, be sure to get your very own official DARKNESS T-Shirt from our friends at Rotten Cotton!  Check it out here:  http://www.rottencotton.com/leif-jonkers-darkness-p-658.html

TOP 10 MOST ANTICIPATED RETURNS TO HORROR! - My buddy and filmmaker Mike Prosser (director of THE DIVIDING HOUR) sent me a link to an article he'd found on Horror-Movies.ca where unbelievably I was mentioned on a list that included such stellar horror celebrities as Rob Bottin, Fred Dekker, Kurt Russel, Lewis Teague and David Cronenberg!  Absolutely crazy right?  My entry on the list reads:
10. Leif Jonker - He’s the one hit wonder of the list. WIth his ultra low budget, Darkness Mr. Jonker brought a kinetic craziness to the vampire genre that was at the time lagging. Since then Mr. Jonker has not directed another film and with no word on the proposed sequels it seems a far stretch that they will happen.
Here's hoping that we make that "far stretch" happen soon.  Check out the whole list here:  http://www.horror-movies.ca/2012/07/top-10-most-anticipated-returns-to-horror/

Just a few days after I received that incredibly cool honor, I also received a link to this list:

TOP 10 BAD MOVIES WE LOVE! - Now in all actuality it really isn't bad at all to be included here as they do say they "love" the movies in question, I just thought it was funny that within only a day or two of each other we showed up on two completely separate and different lists - an overwhelmingly "good" one and a nudge to the ribs "bad" one.  Besides, who'd ever thought DARKNESS would be on a list with SUPERGIRL, TERMINATOR SALVATION, TEEN WOLF 2 and AEON FLUX?  (Trivia note:  AEON FLUX was one of the first movies I ever wrote ad copy for during my two year stint freelancing for Paramount's advertising division.)  My entry reads:
4. Leif Jonker's Darkness (1997) - A bunch of metalheads on their way to or from a concert get attacked by vampires! One lives and goes to fight the good battle for his tiny town. Shot on Super 8 by a teenage Leif Jonker from a budget of a couple thousand dollars, the film has surprisingly good effects / gore. It has a script that is obviously written by a teenager that loves shitty horror movies. For a bad film, it's incredibly entertaining and more importantly inspiring for aspiring filmmakers with questionable taste.
I can't really argue with any of that and could easily steal some review quotes from it.  Check out the rest of the list here:  http://rupertpupkinspeaks.blogspot.com/2012/07/bad-movies-we-love-guest-post-jeremy.html

FIRST ANNUAL ENCOUNTERS CONVENTION! - Gary Miller, Randall Aviks and myself have been invited by our buddy Derek Richardson to be guests at Encounters Con which takes place from October 19-21 right here in Wichita, KS.  Our friend, local film maker and reviewer, Rod Pocowatchit will also be in attendance to talk about his zombie comedy THE DEAD CAN'T DANCE, which also co-stars Aviks. Should be a good time so come on out and say "Hi".  We'll have more info about the con in upcoming updates so check back next month.  Visit the Encounters website at:  http://www.encounterscon.com/  Or find them on Facebook at:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Encounters-Convention/272344819461834

With the flurry of interest in DARKNESS over the last year (magazine and online articles, top 10 lists, t-shirts etc.) I have been approached by a number of folks about making part 2.  I am currently writing the script with the hope of shooting the film for release in October 2013.  However, having earned a reputation over the last 20 years as "the boy who cried movie", with a number of films coming together and then falling apart, I want it to be clear that this is still only a possibility.  Though some of the folks who I'm talking with do have funds and/or access to funds, there is no signed deal yet, so it is far from being in stone -- and frankly after 20 years I won't think anything is in stone till the whole thing is in the can.  However, I want to be optimistic so for those interested, above is the current official title logo and below is a preliminary teaser art.   We may print some of these 8.5x14" teaser posters up to promote the project at some upcoming conventions, only time will tell.  Click on it to see a larger version.

Last but far from least, Happy Birthday to my brother Logan Jonker.  Logan was only 7 years old when he helped me film DARKNESS and is now married with 5 kids and is a filmmaker in his own right.  Here's a pic of he and I on his 13th or 14th birthday where he got his own copy of the flick.  Let's make another one soon brotha!

Thanks for visiting the blog everyone and please check back on August 13th for a new update!

BeAst WisheS -- Leif Jonker 7/13/2012