Greetings again, Hellions and Hellions-to-be!
Your numbers have swelled in the last few weeks and you should all feel some pride in what we've managed to accomplish together. We've pulled in 432 of you, as of this post. With the average pledge hovering around 56 dollars, we're going to need a final tally of around 530 backers to meet the goal. Though we still need about 100 pledges before my math skills dictate that we near and/or cross our goal, I'm reasonably certain we can make it.
What I'm saying is, if you haven't pledged, pledge now. More on why you should pledge ASAP in a bit, but first, let's take a look at some of the
THINGS I CAN'T BELIEVE ARE STILL UNCLAIMED
There are things on our rewards list that if I a) had the money or b) were allowed to pledge I'd have snapped up immediately. (If these things go unclaimed, I'm already planning to don a ski mask and commit larceny. That animation cel from Twilight Zone: The Movie will be mine!)
First and foremost are the two sets from the Warner Archive: for a $250 pledge, you get 10 DVDs of your choice from the great, great archive that Warner Brothers has put together as a part of their movie-on-demand program. It's an intimidating library, for sure, and I'd wager that's the only reason it hasn't moved: intimidation.
In order to ease that feeling, I got Joe Dante to recommend 10 titles for you. Joe went the film noir route (Warner Archive is an essential noir resource) and fed me some of the best of the archive's noirs.
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Bewitched - Arch Oboler directs his own radio play about a dangerous split personality.
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Follow Me Quietly - . Police trail a psycho killer in early Richard Fleischer B.
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The Unsuspected - Radio star Claude Rains kills--literally--in stylish Michael Curtiz thriller.
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The Verdict - Don Siegel's debut with Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet vs Scotland Yard.
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The Window - Ted Tetzlaff's suspense classic. Bobby Driscoll is the boy-who-cried-wolf.
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While The City Sleeps - BIg city newspaper hunts The Lipstick Killer. Great cast, Fritz Lang directs.
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Stranger on the 3rd Floor - Peter Lorre in what's often considered the First Film Noir. Great nightmare sequence.
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Split Second -Dick Powell's tense directorial debut is an atomic noir set at a nuclear test site.
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Betrayed - William Castle's best reviewed picture stars early Robert Mitchum. Probably the best Monogram Picture ever.
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The Threat - Noted noir heavy Charles McGraw is out for revenge in Felix Feist's energetic gangster saga, sort of a mini-White Heat.
Get them, and get them now.
But if that doesn't suit you (and I can't figure out why it doesn't), check this out: we still have plenty of packs from Synapse Films (4 discs of your choice, but I suggest The Deadly Spawn or any of their 42nd Street Forever trailer compilations) and Severin Films (Santa Sangre, The Stunt Man, Stone (a Quentin Tarantino favorite) and Burning Moon). These are great 4-disc sets and are real bargains, to boot.
Finally, we've got only 2 more of the incredibly rare MOVIE ORGY prints from one of the film's original college tours. I've looked at this thing and it's screen printed on heavy paper stock. Puts some of those Mondo and Mondo-ish prints to shame. I'm framing the one that I will one day steal if you don't claim it, so it's probably best if you do and keep me out of prison.
We've still got plenty of other greatness -- New Beverly passes! signed screenplays from Larry Karaszewski and Scott Alexander! books out the wazoo! Josh Olson's suffering! -- that I could detail for you if I wasn't afraid this update has already gone on far too long. (That fear, I'm told, is not unfounded.)
Instead, let me offer this final bit of enticement:
THE MOVIE LOTTERY, or WHY YOU SHOULD PLEDGE RIGHT THIS SECOND
One of our very first backers, Geoff LaTulippe (screenwriter of Going the Distance and creator of this short), has donated a huge box of assorted Blu-Rays and DVDs that he wants you fine people to have. I've been entrusted to give them to you. (Again, resisting my temptation to steal many of them for myself.)
For the next 30 people who pledge at any $50 level or higher, I'll insert a random Blu-Ray (it might be a DVD, but more than likely a Blu) into your reward package. There's some amazing stuff here, including an ANIMAL HOUSE Blu (which we'll have signed by John Landis) and a GREMLINS Blu (to be signed by Joe Dante). We might even throw in a copy of SMALL SOLDIERS! It's a vast assortment, with titles that range from DR. NO to Criterion's release of SALO. (Please tell me if you don't want SALO and I'll try NOT to expose you to that.) Plenty of cool stuff in this lottery, so act now!
Thanks again to Geoff LaTulippe (follow him on Twitter) and, as always, thanks to all of you who have pledged so far.
There's only 7 days left and just $5500 left to raise. Let's do this together.
Sincerely,
Danny Mears and the rest of Team TFH
Los Angeles, CA
