Nope, you’re not having deja vu, though I did say that exact same thing once before. You see, the Halloween season brings with it some perennial favorites, and over the stretch of some years and some past lives, I’ve had the good fortune to be a part of a few… one of which is PRODUCT OF HATE‘s UNHOLY MANIPULATOR. Whether you call it a “short film” or a “longform music video,” it’s a pretty special thing in that it paired the then-unsigned band with HELLRAISER’s Ashley Laurence (who’d also appeared in Slipknot’s “Snuff”) and some big talent behind the camera (see below). And then there’s the fact that yours truly handled directing/editing duties. The video gained a life of its own, eventually helping to secure the band a deal with Napalm Records, who issued PRODUCT OF HATE‘s debut album, BURIED IN VIOLENCE here in 2016. The video itself was originally released independently in 2012, reissued by Napalm for Halloween 2015, and now I’m featuring it in 31 Days of Halloween here on THE ROCK FATHER Magazine once more! Evil monsters… wicked clowns… homages to RESERVOIR DOGS, FARGO, and THE WARRIORS… see it below!
The Official Synopsis: In the tradition of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” comes “The Unholy Manipulator,” an ambitious, long-form video/short film from the American metal band, Product of Hate. When a customer in a small, independent video store decides to taunt the clerk, the line between reality and fantasy are tested as the two find themselves facing off in a horrific world of torture, monsters, and mayhem. Ashley Laurence of “Hellraiser” fame stars as herself and the title character within the movie within the movie, “The Unholy Manipulator.”
Shot over the course of three days in Crestline and Galion, Ohio, THE UNHOLY MANIPULATOR stars Ashley Laurence (HELLRAISER‘s “Kirsty Cotton”) as both herself, and the title character, along with Tim Lovelace (AXE GIANT: THE WRATH OF PAUL BUNYAN, MOSQUITO) as the object of her aggression. Produced by Robert Kurtzman, the legendary “K” of KNB EFX Group (creator of FROM DUSK ‘TILL DAWN, Director of WISHMASTER) and featuring the production team and visual FX work of his CREATURE CORPS (THE DEVIL’S REJECTS, HOSTEL, TUSK, YOGA HOSERS), the video’s production crew also featured two contestants from SyFy’s FACE OFF, with Beki Ingram and David “House” Greathouse lending their talents. But the entire crew was fantastic, and we couldn’t have done it without their contributions. After a world premiere on the big screen at Chicago’s historic Portage Theater, it made it’s online debut via Bloody-Disgusting.
Want more from PRODUCT OF HATE? Get their debut album now on iTunes!
