Recent Articles
New Blood: Filmmaker Patrick Rea
By John Marrone
Jun 17, 2006, 19:51

Patrick Rea is one of the busier independent filmmakers out there right now.   He has in the past year cranked out several quality shorts, his first feature film The Empty Acre (review), and is already working on his second, called Four.  Today we're going to take a closer look at some his his short horror film works, most of them currently being featured online for everyone to watch, at n8studios.com - no need to go there now - links to each film are below.

Rea was born and raised in Schuyler, Nebraska.  In 2000, he attended the University of Kansas, where he received his degree in film studies.  It was during his time at KU that he met Ryan Jones.  The two of them joined forces and founded SenoReality Pictures.

In 2002, Rea and Jones worked on the feature film “C.S.A. Confederate States of America,” which was accepted to Sundance and was released by IFC.  In 2003, one of Rea’s student shorts, “The Walls” was released on the Hollywood Scarefest DVD nationwide.  That year, another short “Multi-Task,” directed by Rea and Jones, won 2nd place as part of the national Movie Gallery Student film Competition.  In 2004, two short films made by Rea and Jones were released on the Fangoria Blood Drive DVD, hosted by Rob Zombie.  The DVD got worldwide release, and was available at Blockbuster and Best Buy.  In 2004, Rea’s short film “Hell to Pay” (review) was screened at the 2005 Shriekfest, Palm Beach International Film Festival, and the 2005 New York City Horror Film Festival.  “Hell to Pay” also won “Best Short” at the Central Nebraska Film Festival.  The film has also been selected to screen on Fangoria TV’s Killer Shorts program.

Lets take a look at some of his recent horror shorts.  Below - in his Cell Chock series - there are links to the actual shorts themselves.  Just click WATCH - you'll need quicktime.

Zero the Counter (2006) - (14 minutes) - Probably Rea's darkest plunge into horror.  Meet serial killer #1 (played by Kitty Mitchell) - the hitcher.  She opens the short with a nice carride with your average John, until she opens his throat with the deep stab of a knife.  In this case, unusual for one of Rea's films, there is a lot of blood - including some fine spewing onto the dash.  Enter now serial killer #2 - the driver (played by Andy Stowers).  He is busy at work, picking up hitchhikers, just a few miles up the same road.  A young girl in this instance, who he quickly and psychotically dispatches by cracking open her skull.  A short time later, "the ride" meets "the driver" and now the both of them are in the same car, preparing to murder the other.  Conversation divulges common ground, and soon they realize each other and begin to discuss personal tastes and murder histories.  The driver has a particular fondness for the number 37, and pulls the car over at the 37th mile...  Who comes out on top?  An entertaining chance meeting of two serial killers with a high body count for a ten minute short.

The Last Laugh (2006) - (7 minutes) - A dirty and sadistic clown captures an annoying, unfunny mime and holds him prisoner in his home.  Clown is fed-up with Mime's silent BS and demands to hear laughter.  Gag after gag goes ungiggled at - and soon comedy turns to violence.  Hold on tight as Clown bonks silent Mime over the head mercilessly with an inflated bat!  Only one can be left standing in this all out battle for comedic supremecy!  Clown or Mime - who will have the last laugh?  In all seriousness, this is an exceptionally put together short with great editing and cinematography.

Cell Shock Series:

Bad Apples (2:25) - WATCH - On the way to school one day, a kid finds some very eye-catching apples.  He brings them to school in a paper bag, and soon they reveal their evil ways.  Rea's first short for the Cell Shock series includes apples with gooey pencil-popped eyeballs, eye poking apple pranks, pencil chewing apple fangs, and six inch apple spikes.  After receiving an "F" on his paper, little dude has the perfect gift for this teacher's desk.  B&W 

The Package (1:50) - WATCH - An anonymous package turns up at a man's front door.  He brings it inside, watches it move and jiggle on his table.  The lid is removed and a bottomless fog peaks his curiousity, drawing him deep into the box where he is swallowed whole.  BURP!  Showing up again at another home, miss Jane Doe will be quite shocked to see what is inside.  Another bit of weirdness for your cell phone.  Horror short - squooshage included.  B&W 

Pay the Toll (2:10) - WATCH - A Children of the Corn/Night of the Living Dead-esque short in which a man, while driving home, comes across a radio bulleton warning of violent occurances, and to stay on the main roads.  Soon he is stopped by a couple of kids playing with some fingers, and learns that in order to return home to his wife, he is going to have to pay the toll.  Nice chilling nighttime piece with plenty of severed digits.  Maybe $10 to cross the bridge into New York City isn't so bad after all.  B&W 

Eye TV (1:55) - WATCH - We watch and we watch and we watch.  But what do we watch when what we watch starts watching us?  There's an eyeball on the television set.  Who the program and who's not?  Sci-fi for couch potatoes.  B&W

Blind Date (2:10) - WATCH - "You have really nice eyes" will never sound quite the same again.  Tag along on a geeky blind date and see why.  Do blind dates always have to go so wrong?  Does love always have to hurt this much?  B&W

Under the Bed (2:05) - WATCH - The kid from Bad Apples returns in the bedtime short about a kid who's bed begins to shake.  Low and behold, something is beneath the mattress.  Mom says nothing is there - everything will be all right.  The next morning, mom finds a doll lies shredded, beside the base of the bed.  What's causin' all this?  She'll find out soon.  B&W

Each of these shorts exemplify Rea's quality mass production, creating about a short a week amidst other commitments.  Fellow indie filmmaker Adam Barnick recently commented to me that Patrick "is a good guy and always working".  Rea does constantly put out quality material - original stories and ideas and now features through his and Jones' company, SenoReality Films - that are easy to digest and interesting to watch.  Fans of 1950's "twilight zone" type material have a fresh, modern pioneer working for them, who can be counted on for frequent, original, and easily accessable movies.

For more on Patrick Rea - keep it here at House of Horrors - but in the meantime, feel free to visit N8Studios.com for the Cell Shock series as it continues - and SenoReality Pictures.