1013 Briar Lane
In 2008, a real-life mystery began to unfold when a real estate company discovered video footage shot in one of its vacant properties. The tapes were acquired by local documentary filmmakers who began piecing together a series of bizarre instances recorded by a man living in the house. Apparently waiting for his wife and daughter to join him, the man began documenting strange activity that kept him from sleeping for days on end. The eerie recordings have become the subject of much controversy among paranormal investigators and are finally being released to the public. This first documentary from Gradient Sky Films challenges audiences to explain what happened in the house on Briar Lane.
The Connection to PARANORMAL ACTIVITY
A direct connection to the most profitable horror franchise ever was guided by the genre instincts of Michael Bayouth, who was cast as the Demonologist in Paranormal Activity, the $193M breakout hit that redefined found-footage horror. Though his scene was ultimately cut for time, his involvement remains part of the franchise’s publicly documented history, giving 1013 Briar Lane a rare and authentic creative connection to one of the most successful horror brands in cinema history.
More here on how 1013 Briar Lane came about. READ THE BLOG
The titular address is a vacant house where a real estate company finds videocassettes documenting the frightening experiences of a man who once lived there; the tapes form the basis of the feature. “Comparisons to BLAIR WITCH and PARANORMAL ACTIVITY are unavoidable,” Gradient Sky’s Michael Bayouth, who directed & produced with Ryan Ball, Patrick Wilkins, and Jarrod Rogen, tells Fango. “These movies have paved the way for this type of film and have woken Hollywood up to the fact that you can draw an audience with a film that costs little to make and has no big-name actors. Plus, the YouTube generation is very keen on the subjective camera experience and is getting harder to impress with conventional cinematic techniques such as overdone sound design, telling music cues, and elaborate visual effects.
The movie opens with a documentary element explaining how the tapes were discovered by a realtor,” he continues. “Having watched some of the footage and found nothing of great interest, he was going to throw them away when his receptionist offered to take them home for her boyfriend to tape over. The boyfriend ended up watching all the footage and was horrified by what gradually unfolded before his eyes. Word soon got around, and the tapes were acquired and edited for public consumption. From there, we put the audience in the house and let the footage run. There is only one person on screen for most of the movie; he talks directly to the camera, engaging the audience directly and immersing them in the experience. The large, empty house with its many unique features also becomes a character.
The documentary part of 1013 BRIAR LANE also includes an interview with well-known parapsychologist Dr. Barry Taff, who has conducted over 2,500 field investigations, including the case that inspired THE ENTITY, and consulted on THE EXORCIST.
– Michael Gingold – Fangoria.com