Fans of vampire horror-action movies have something new to sink their teeth into.
Speakeasy Pictures and Impulse-FX have announced the Feb 21 iTunes pre-sale and the March 7 Blu-ray/DVD combo pack and Digital HD release of the the period action thriller Bloodrunners. The latest feature written by writer-director Dan Lantz centers on a turf war between a crooked cop and a power-hungry vampire (Ice-T, “Law and Order: SVU) over a small town soaked in illegal hooch during the height of Prohibition. (To view the trailer on YouTube, click here).
To access the iTunes pre-sale link, click here.
Bloodrunners will be available to rent or own globally on iTunes, Steam, Google Play, XBox, Playstation and various cable platforms around the U.S. and Canada, including Comcast, Dish, Rogers and Shaw. The Blu-ray/DVD combo pack featuring surround sound and bonus features will be available on Amazon and the Bloodrunners official site, https://www.bloodrunners-store.com/. The movie can also be added to a Google Play wishlist (https://play.google.com/store/movies/details/Bloodrunners?id=D43BD06E95567079MV&hl=en) and you will be notified when it’s available.
The film is an original script written by Lantz and Michael McFadden, both of Malvern and Adam Danoff of Norristown. Lantz directed the film, Danoff is the producer, and McFadden is the lead actor. Bloodrunners is shot in West Chester, Souderton, Hatfield, Malvern, Norristown, and Marcus Hook.
Lantz, who is married to Kathleen and has three sons, has been working professionally in television and film around the Philadelphia area for more than 25 years. After studying film at Temple University, Lantz made his first film, Philly Flash, in 1996. The film centers around a Philadelphia pretzel salesman who gets involved in a murder scandal. His other work includes television commercials, the show Modern Marvels, reality TV shows, short narrative films, and creating the introductions to the local Action News for 22 years.
Philly Happening recently caught up with Lantz to discuss the global release of Bloodrunners, the inspiration behind the movie, and what he’s working on next.
Ice-T’s character “Chesterfield” attempts to take a bite out of “Alexandra,” played by Julie Ek of Philadelphia.
P.H.: Why did you choose the Philadelphia area as the shooting location?
D.L.: Philadelphia has many talented, skilled crew people. In addition to all the history in Philadelphia, there are a lot of small towns, such as Souderton, Spring City, Malvern, and Hatfield. All these tiny towns have kept their older charm, which made it really easy to shoot a period piece.
P.H.: Who is the audience for Bloodrunners?
D.L.: Anyone who is a fan of action-comedy-horror.
P.H.: What has the audience response to the movie been so far?
D.L.: So far, so good. We’ve had two theatrical screenings and the audiences are enjoying it. It’s good-popcorn fun, not too serious, but enough interesting characters to make the story worth watching.
P.H.: What makes Bloodrunners unique from other vampire movies?
D.L.: The idea of vampires during Prohibition America hasn’t been done before.
Dan Lantz, of Malvern, directs Ice-T on the set of “Bloodrunners,” a locally-produced prohibition-era vampire film.
P.H.: What inspired you to make this movie?
D.L.: A friend of mine has this old farmhouse in Hatfield that was built during the prohibition-era. I was thinking that we should make a movie at this house. I wanted to do something in the horror-realm and I wanted it to be during the prohibition. I was thinking, “What happened during the prohibition? People operating at night. People hiding in the shadows.” I thought to myself, “That’s exactly what vampires do.” The idea hit me that instead of running booze like people did during the prohibition, these vampires would be running blood.
P.H.: Tell us about the process from having this idea to actually make the film.
D.L.: My friend, Mike Harvey, who owns the farmhouse, works with Ice-T (Harvey is a makeup artist on Law & Order). He told Ice-T about my idea and Ice liked it. I said, “Well, if Ice-T wants to do it, we’ll make the movie!”
I collaborated with two other writers, Adam Danoff and Michael McFadden. We have three different points of view. Danoff is into vampire lore, McFadden is into history and the prohibition-era, and I am into plot and story. Every week we would meet and hash out ideas, discuss, and leave with a homework assignment. Then when we met again, we would go over what we had each written, combine it, and create new homework assignments for next time.
Lantz on the set of “Bloodrunners.”
P.H.: How long was the process?
D.L.: We decided to do the movie in the spring of 2014. We shot the movie at the end of 2014 through 2015. We edited it in 2016 and then premiered it. The process of distribution and marketing is ongoing.
P.H.: What was it like working with Ice-T?
D.L.: It was a great experience. He was professional, kind to the cast and crew, and cool as hell! After all, he is the Original Gangsta!
Lantz goes over a scene with Ice-T on set.
P.H.: What were the challenges of making this film? And what did you enjoy most?
D.L.: The greatest challenge was the production design. It is a period piece, so every little thing that appears on screen had to be accurate to the year 1933. It was a nightmare. I really enjoyed working with the actors. This was the best cast I’ve ever had. You never really know what kind of movie you are going to have until you see the actors’ performances–they bring to life characters that are just words on a page.
P.H.: What are you working on now?
D.L.: My next movie is an action thriller scheduled for release in 2019.
For more on Bloodunners, check out our previous posts:
“Blood is Thicker Than Water” interview with actress Julie Ek
