Don Coscarelli is the mad filmmaker behind such wildly entertaining and deeply bizarre movies as The Beastmaster, Phantasm and Bubba Ho-tep. Last year, his latest, John Dies at the End, debuted at Sundance, then made the film festival rounds, gathering buzz for its ardent midnight movie tone and willfully strange story. Now, it's available On Demand and is coming soon to theaters. So, Magnet Releasing has been paving its path with some suitably outlandish promotions.
There's been the colorful old-school poster, which prominently features the flick's heroes, played by Rob Mayes and Chase Williamson, as well as some eyebrow raising props, and a peeved Paul Giamatti. Then came the anti-piracy trailer that urged audiences to support indie film while threatening them with a curse and showing off the horror-comedy's schlock appeal. Now, Shock Till You Drop has a new poster, which spells out the title with ghastly implements that tease John Dies at the End's body-horror, drug plot, and utter insanity.
Based on the trans-genre horror novel by David Wong, John Dies at the End is set in a world where a drug called Soy Sauce sends users on an out of body trip through time and other dimensions. One unfortunate side effect of the sauce is that you might come back as something that's no longer human. The world is threatened, but all Earth has as a savior is a pair of college dropouts who seemed destined to fail.
John Dies at the End is now available on iTunes and Amazon. Its theatrical release begins January 25th. Check the flick's site for cities and theaters.
