Kickstarter

Now that you've seen the video, this you must understand.  "Impaler" was conceived as a large scale dramatic feature.  Here I am seeking your donations to complete its second stage.  Its first stage was development, done here and abroad.  Its third stage will be making an 18 million dollar motion picture slated for production in Hungary.  Now I need that last push to present this project to major funders.  That presentation requires an effective package.which this second stage, with your help, will produce.  I've made it over halfway across a metaphorical Amazon, accomplishing things yet unheard of by a lone independent at this level.  I'm asking you to help me complete that journey. Read on...

Welcome to a tale that took over 500 years to unfold!  His real name was Prince Vlad III, Vladislaus Drakulya (Prince of Wallachia, Duke of Transylvania; 2/3rds of modern Romania). He ruled in the 15th century (1431-1472) as a fierce tyrant who used impalement (a then common form of capital punishment) to horrifying extreme. His crimes were so shocking that, some thirty years after his death, he became a popular subject in medieval horror stories. Those stories circulated in short pamphlets throughout Europe to meet an insatiable hunger for the gruesome. Vlad’s morbid exploits became wildly popular, and he became known as ‘Vlad the Impaler”.

Four centuries later when Bram Stoker came across those same illustrated horror stories, he created the character of Dracula. Several of those pamphlets depict Vlad drinking blood in a field of impaled corpses. It was no stretch for Stoker to imagine the modern vampire from there. However, it was Vlad who initially created the characterization as part of a very effective terror campaign.

He used the newly invented printing press to spread images that his principalities, then vied over by both the Christian and Ottoman Empires alike, were the realm of this supernatural, bloodthirsty madman. Like it or not, Vlad introduced psychological terrorism mated to guerilla warfare as an effective military strategy against a greater foe (the Ottoman Empire). It remains so to this day.

Vlad also took what had previously been a spiritual being, the vampire, and physically embodied it. He transformed himself into the first modern vampire, a manifested spirit of evil. It was brilliantly effective propaganda, in a time controlled by superstition. In that way Vlad mated physical terror (mass impalements) to psychological terror (fear of a ‘living’ vampire) and used that as political strategy for the first time in Western history.

The newly invented printing press and the public’s love of scary stories made it all possible. Vlad understood peoples need to believe that there is truth behind any salacious rumor, the more depraved the better. That, he fully exploited.

No one wanted to mess with Vlad; his legend alone kept the Ottoman Empire from wanting to invade Europe until 60 years after his death. Ironically, Vlad was so good at what he did that the myth he created about himself is believed to this day. People still think Transylvania’s creepy. (It’s actually beautiful) Of course we’re too sophisticated to believe in vampires, so today we call them psychopaths.

Interestingly, Vlad’s myth only holds up if you don’t start digging into his accomplishments. Unveiling that part of his character is what historians, journalists, minstrels and story tellers haven’t focused on for nearly 600 years. That’s because Vlad was the first of the Renaissance princes, and the last of the great medieval tyrants. His persona expressed both. It’s much easier to say that the guy was just wicked crazy, and leave it alone.

Which for me, who read the court records, missives, ambassador’s briefs, Pope’s letters, etc. just didn’t add up. Here was Robin Hood, Hannibal Lecter, Che Guevara, Nosferatu - with a taste of prime Mick Jagger. Vlad had a superstar’s charisma and threw the most desirable parties in Europe to attend, or so the chroniclers said. The numbers didn’t add up either. Why would any feudal prince kill almost his entire population? He’d lose his power, by losing his means of support. No one would be left to tend the crops in the “breadbasket of Europe”. Wait.

I asked myself, what if this guy wasn’t insane, just really devious. That’s when I departed from the history books and started to imagine. How would all the facts we know look, if the person behind them wasn’t mad but brilliant?

Through all his machinations, victories and failures, Vlad did leave me with one burning reminder:
                                   In life, we have only our passion.
If we surrender, or lose that passion, we:
“…have no life, no joy, no honor…”, transforming at last, into mere “…flesh that walks.” he said.

Rarely do the living dead warn against the dead living.
Was he madly brilliant, or brilliantly mad?

Our movie is slated for production in Budapest, Hungary. A good deal of Vlad’s life took place in a marvelous medieval castle in Transylvania called Castle Hunyadi. When I was there, I learned to my dismay that it’s smack in the middle of an oil refinery. Luckily the Hungarians built an exact replica in Budapest, where there are also now two, world class studios (Korda and Raleigh).

The present production team on "IMPALER includes Jean-Michel Hugon in the Art Deparment( Bertolucci’s "The Last Emperor," "Interview with the Vampire," " Da Vinci Code"); Steven B. Cohen in Post Production (18 years, Sony Pictures); and Associate Producer: Elizabeth ‘Betty’ Buckley ("Silkwood" "Tender Mercies," 2 Emmy winning TV series). I am both project producer and writer. My immediate plans are to create our art department package with Jean-Michel, do a re-scout, and visit the studios we may use, this autumn in Europe.

We cover the time period spanning Vlad’s early life as a political hostage in Istanbul (age 8), through to his reported death (age 45), and beyond into his legend, bringing his story into the present time.

Your generosity can help us make this happen, please donate and spread the word about us.

Many thanks and Pax Vobiscum to each of you!

Christine Carmines