Film: COME GET SOME!
Plot: After flesh-eating zombies invade an unsuspecting North Carolina town, it’s up to a bumbling former agent (Steven A. Grainger) and four leather-clad babes-in-arms (Colleen Galeazzi, Bonnie Moore, Hayley Mattison and Jennifer Strickland) to take down the undead.
Guiding Light: Jason Griscom, who serves as director, co-producer, co-writer, cinematographer, editor, and about a half-dozen other duties. A Charlotte native, Griscom attended East Mecklenburg and then UNC-Charlotte, where he majored in civil engineering. A longtime love for black-and-white photography led to his interest in making a movie. As he states, “I never had any formal training in filmmaking, just watching lots and lots of movies (especially horror) while growing up.”
Budget: $13,000. “Most of that was for raw stock and processing fees,” Griscom explains. “I love the look of film, so I did not want to compromise and shoot on video. It cost a lot more — a lot — but in the end, I feel it was totally worth it.”
Location Shooting: Come Get Some! was filmed in Charlotte, Huntersville, and Atlanta, GA.
Influences: Griscom is quick to acknowledge his love for all things undead: “Zombies have always been a favorite of mine, ever since I saw Dawn of the Dead at a late show back at Eastland Mall when I was very, very young.” Yet you don’t have to hear it from Griscom’s lips to know that George Romero was the spiritual patron saint of this cinematic gorefest that also doubles as a tongue-in-(bloody-)cheek comedy. The Night of the Living Dead/Dawn of the Dead angle is obvious, but don’t miss the tombstone in the opening sequence simply labeled “Martin” (another Romero flick), or the fact that one of the villains is even called “Agent Romero.” Yet Griscom’s tribute doesn’t end there: Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead series comes into play (I’d swear that Grainger patterned his cocky but clueless hero after Bruce Campbell’s Ash character), and there’s even a bit with a telephone that’s lifted from Peter Jackson’s Bad Taste.
Look For: Award-winning actress-musician Gina Stewart in a cameo appearance; local rockers ANTiSEEN as the Warner Brothers, good ole boys without the sense to stay out of the zombies’ way (the soundtrack includes many of the bands’ tunes).
The Gore: You can’t have an authentic zombie flick without plenty of organ grinding, but what exactly did Griscom and his effects folks use to create all those squishy body parts? “Just about everything!” he notes. “Ultraslime was a staple, as was chocolate syrup. Jello, oatmeal, rice, pudding and raw meat were also used in massive quantities.”
The Future Of The Film: “We’re planning on selling it through our website,” states Griscom. “Also, some of the bands in the movie are going to take it and sell it at their shows. We’re hoping to get distribution through some company, but if not, we’re committed to spreading the joy of the picture ourselves. We definitely plan on entering it in festivals. And Gina Stewart and Jim Yost are trying to put together a venue for local filmmakers at the Southend Performing Arts Center, so hopefully we’ll have some repeat showings there. The future’s wide open for Come Get Some!”
Screening Info: Come Get Some! will be presented at 9pm and 11:45pm Saturday, March 29, at the Southend Performing Arts Center, 201 Rampart Street (near Tremont Music Hall). Admission is $5, and beer and wine will be available for purchase. For more information, including a map to the screening venue, go online to www.comegetsomethefilm.com.
This article appears in Mar 26 – Apr 1, 2003.
