The official newsletter of the films of Christopher R. Mihm

October 2009 Edition

CURRENT NEWS

Destination: Outer Space!
The fall colors have arrived and with them, a brand new still from writer/director Christopher R. Mihm's next film, "Destination: Outer Space!" Pictured to your right is the rather cryptic image that clearly shows a strange, one-eyed alien creature of some kind. What it's doing or where it is is still unknown, but it is BY FAR the coolest thing we've seen yet! According to Mr. Mihm, the creature was designed and built by Mitch Gonzales, a talented Minnesota-based make-up and prosthetics designer. Mr. Gonzales has created additional pieces for the film and will personally appear in the movie as a featured extra! Production of the film is ongoing and is still on course for release in 2010.

"Terror from Beneath the Earth" wrapped up it's September 26th appearance at the 2009 ShockerFest International Film Festival by snagging an award for "Best Science Fiction Feature" -- the same award "It Came From Another World!" won at the sixth annual ShockerFest in 2007! Congratulations to the cast and crew for a job well done! In honor of this momentous occasion and for an extremely limited time, DVDs of "Terror from Beneath the Earth" are now available for only $7.99 at SaintEuphoria.com! That's one heck of a deal, so buy one today and get a jump on your holiday shopping.

Terror from Beneath the Earth
And, just in time for the film's prestigious award AND after numerous requests and months of anticipation, writer/director Christopher R. Mihm has finally designed and released the first "Terror from Beneath the Earth" T-shirt! The final design (pictured, left) is available in black and includes an artistic rendering of the mutant bat creature from the film with a single (and wholly appropriate) word beneath -- "TERROR!" As with all Mihmiverse apparel, the T-shirt is available ONLY from Zazzle.com.

Since the release of "The Monster of Phantom Lake" in 2006, October has been a very popular month for screenings -- and this year is no exception! Over the course of the next thirty-one days, multiple Mihmiverse films (each one sans "Cave Women on Mars") will screen multiple times in multiple locations -- including a Halloween eve screening of "Terror from Beneath the Earth" at a "haunted" theater in Saint Paul, Minnesota! Check out the calendar section below or the screenings page at SaintEuphoria.com for full details about each event!
 

CLASSIC MOVIE OF THE MONTH

Monster from Green Hell (1958)
Directed by Kenneth G. Crane.
Starring Jim Davis and Robert Griffin.

A rocket is sent into space containing various scientific experiments, one including a swarm of wasps. After the rocket crash lands in the jungles of Africa, it is revealed the killer insects were zapped by a gargantuan amount of cosmic radiation that mutates them into humungous, human-flesh-eating machines! They unceremoniously make their way across the continent, devouring everything in their path. A group of scientists is sent to investigate (of course) and is forced to deal with the giant bugs before they destroy the entire world! This film is definitely "bottom-of-the-barrel" 1950s fare. The direction, actors' performances and special effects are atrocious to the point of AWESOMENESS! The wasps emit a not-so-threatening buzzing noise that's used ad nauseum in the hopes of scaring the audience but just comes off as laughable. The ending is so anti-climactic and so abrupt it makes you wince! If you like your movies "so bad they're good," "Monster from Green Hell" is definitely one for you!

— Christopher R. Mihm
 

MEET THE ASSOCIATE PRODUCERS!

Welcome to the Meet the Associate Producers section of the newsletter! Since so many fans and supporters have contributed and become associate producers, we wanted to take time to highlight some of these wonderful people! Thus, every month between now and the release of "Destination: Outer Space," we will randomly choose and interview one of them.

This month, we interview Minneapolis-based author and Mihmiverse fan, Sid Korpi!

Sid Korpi and Anthony Kaczor with Keely, Blanche and Mortimer
Introduce yourself to the Mihmiverse!
I'm Sid Korpi and my hubby is Anthony Kaczor -- both film lovers and overall kooks. We'd attended the Heights Theatre debut of "Cave Women on Mars" and loved it. As a former teacher of film studies, I vowed right then that "I HAVE TO have something to do with a Christopher Mihm movie someday!"

Then I stalked him (a little). I wrote him an email, attaching a photo of my high school trophy for "Outstanding Dramatic Performer—1980" as PROOF that I am talented. I offered to play a dead body, be an extra, or act as prop mistress, etc.

All of that probably creeped him out, but he (and Dan Sjerven, star of "Cave Women on Mars" and "Terror from Beneath the Earth") were nevertheless lured to our South Minneapolis domicile, when I pointed out that we teach beginning swing and other social dance (tworightfeetdance.com) on the '50s-malt-shop-style third floor of our house. I strongly suggested he might want to use the studio as the setting for a scene or two in some future movie.

To our joy and rapture, he agreed. Now we anxiously await his next Earth-bound cinematic feat!

When and how did you discover the films of Christopher R. Mihm?
I first heard of Christopher Mihm when proofreading a 2005 article about him and his "The Monster of Phantom Lake" in the Southwest Journal (a local Minneapolis weekly newspaper). As well as being a writer/editor/proofreader by trade, I am an incurable entrepreneur myself, and the fact that he was a do-it-himselfer, creating this piece of kitschy art on a shoestring budget -- with friends and family and a homemade monster no less -- in order to pay homage to those wonderfully bad '50s-drive-in-style movies and honor his late father, George, was simply too cool in my book. I knew he was one to watch, that he'd be going on to be revered among the cult film community. And he obviously has.

Which of the four released films is your favorite and why?
I really cannot choose just one because there are classic Mihm moments in each one that will remain forever memorable, such as in "It Came from Another World!" when Canoe Cop Sven uses his oar to tap a mushroom growing high up in a tree! Suffice it to say, I almost piddled from laughter. If you're not laughing along with me now, you obviously need to watch the movie.

You recently became an associate producer of the next Mihmiverse film. Why?
We are actually the human parents of Associate Producer Mortimer Korpi-Kaczor. He was our West Highland white terrier who recently passed on to the Other Side of the great celestial movie theater curtain in the sky. I had just finished writing my book "Good Grief: Finding Peace After Pet Loss" when he became ill and died. (The irony sucked.) He became the book's epilogue.

Note: Read more about him on the memorials page and/or my blog, which is, incidentally, the wonderful website Christopher Mihm designed for me through Asterisk Software, his "day job." (This guy can apparently do EVERYTHING well!)

Anyway, when we heard of the opportunity to invest in Mihm's latest, greatest film, "Destination: Outer Space," we jumped at it. Considering his motivation for film making was to honor his dad (via All for George Productions), he understood what we were going through with our loss and was magnanimous enough to let us credit our much-beloved pooch as an associate producer as a unique way to memorialize Mortimer (pictured looking away from the camera with owners Anthony Kaczor and Sid Korpi and "siblings" Keely and Blanche). It was a win-win, too, because we were able in a small way to encourage and support Mihm's creative vision. Let's hear it for cheesy special effects!

Furthermore, any movie with its very own Ghost Dog involved in its production has to be a box office hit!


Interested in becoming an associate producer? For a miniscule monetary investment, all associate producers will have their name listed in the end credits of next year's "Destination: Outer Space," receive a pair of collector's ticket packages to the premiere, five copies of the film on DVD and a framed certificate with their name and title — perfect for your own "wall of fame!"

Visit the merchandise page at SaintEuphoria.com, the online home of the films of Christopher R. Mihm, for more information. Who knows? Maybe next month we'll be interviewing YOU!
 

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Now through October 31

M. Scott Taulman (Sven) appears in "Tony n' Tina's Wedding" at the Mall of America with the Actors Theater of Minnesota.

Mall of America, 60 East Broadway, Bloomington, MN


Now through November 1

Mike Cook (Gustav/Dr. Edwards) appears as "Jerry" in "A Nice Family Gathering" at the Fanny Hill Dinner Theatre.

Fanny Hill Dinner Theatre, 3919 Crescent Avenue, Eau Claire, WI


October 1-11

Deanne McDonald (Elizabeth) will be playing Florinda in "Into the Woods" at Minnesota State University Mankato.

Minnesota State University Mankato, 201 Performing Arts Center, Mankato, MN


Starting October 9

Indie horror film "Clear Lake, WI" featuring Dustin Booth (Toady Man) starts a week long run at the Hudson 12 Theatre.

Hudson 12 Theatre, 520 Stageline Road, Hudson, WI


October 10-11

"The Monster of Phantom Lake" and "Terror from Beneath the Earth" screen at Zombie Con X in Milwaukee, Wisconsin! Writer/director Christopher R. Mihm and horror host Dr. Ivan Cryptosis (check out the "Terror from Beneath the Earth" special features for more Dr. Cryptosis!) will be in attendance!

Wyndham Milwaukee Airport Hotel and Convention Center, 4747 South Howell Avenue, Milwaukee, WI


October 16-17 - dusk (CDT), $1.00 donation

Continuing another tradition, "Terror from Beneath the Earth" will screen at this year's Jack-o-Lantern Jaunt in Mukwonago, Wisconsin! Mukwonago, home of the actual Phantom Lake, will again host this great family-friendly event where Field Park (essentially the town's "Central Park") is decorated with hundreds of carved, lit pumpkins placed along the walking path that runs through it. The movie will be screened "drive-in style" in the middle of the park. Bring your own seating! Admission is only $1.00 per person and the proceeds will go to good local causes.

Field Park, corner of Highway 83 and County Road NN, Mukwonago, WI


October 17 - 11:00 AM (GMT)

"It Came From Another World!" screens at the Bram Stoker International Film Festival in Whitby, England.

Whitby Pavilion Complex, West Cliff, Whitby, YO21 3EN


October 30 - 9:00 PM (CDT)

"Terror from Beneath the Earth" screens at the historic (and haunted!) Mounds Theatre in St. Paul, Minnesota as part of a special Halloween celebration. Come down in costume, take a tour of the haunted theater, and support this St. Paul landmark and the non-profit organization that keeps it alive, Portage for Youth.

Mounds Theatre, 1029 Hudson Road, St. Paul, MN


October 31, 10:00 PM (CDT)

"Ovation — A Salute to the Music of Purple Rain," featuring Shannon McDonough (Julie Ann Saint Marie-Jackson) performs at Scatz Sports Bar & Nightclub.

Scatz Sports Bar & Nightclub, 2248 Deming Way, Middleton, WI


Starting October 31

Shannon McDonough's (Julie Ann Saint Marie-Jackson) new project, The Wolf Pack, begins at Wolf Studios in Minnetonka, Minnesota. Every Friday and Saturday, you can enjoy a combination of live fights, music, DJs and performances by The Wolf Pack, a troupe of dancing and singing divas (fully equipped to rock your world)!

Wolf Studios, 15730 Wayzata Boulevard, Minnetonka, MN


November 7-9

"The Paper Man," a short film starring Mike Cook (Gustav/Dr. Edwards), will be screening at the Big Water Film Festival in Washburn, WI. Check the website for exact show times.

Bay Area Film Society @ Stage North, 123 W. Omaha Street, Washburn, WI


November 12-29

Deanne McDonald (Elizabeth) appears in "A Christmas Carol" at Minnesota State University Mankato.

Minnesota State University Mankato, 201 Performing Arts Center, Mankato, MN
 

DID YOU KNOW?

"The Monster of Phantom Lake," "It Came From Another World!," "Cave Women on Mars," and "Terror from Beneath the Earth" DVDs are now available at SaintEuphoria.com, the online home of the films of Christopher R. Mihm. In addition, "The Monster of Phantom Lake" Collector's Edition DVDs, exclusive movie posters, patches and other merchandise is now in stock. Everything is available in extremely limited quantities, so get yours today before they run out!
 
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