PopHorror Let's Get Scared
We’re so excited to announce that the trailer and poster for Mike Caravella’s feature film, Astral Plane Drifter, has finally released! This genre-bending masterpiece is a combination western/stoner comedy/kung fu/sci fi flick is a project that took years to complete, between Mike writing and filming the point of concept short to him screening the short at festival after festival and finally meeting up with and collaborating with other filmmakers to create one of the weirdest, funniest, most surreal films of the 21st century. Check out the trailer below and then read on for more info!
From the press release:
Wild multi-genre, cult-classic, midnight movie sets World Premiere and is ready to take risks, buck trends, and make audiences laugh.
What is Astral Plane Drifter? A spaghetti-western? A 1970’s era stoner comedy? A sci-fi fantasy adventure? A grindhouse horror? A kung-fu action flick? The answer to all of these is a resounding yes!
Astral Plane Drifter will be making its World Premiere at the renowned HORRORFEST (listed on Dread Central’s Best Horror Festivals In The World) in St. George, Utah on Friday, October 18, 2024. Created by Actor/Writer/Producer Mike Caravella, Astral Plane Drifter is the feature length version of the multi-festival winning short film of the same name. This wild concept from Caravella started out as an artistic exploration that solidified into a genuine cult-classic, midnight movie, fan favorite, as Caravella spent over a year on the road screening the short film at film festivals and conventions all over the country.
What is billed as a “Western/Sci-Fi/Kung-Fu/Comedy with a 70’s vibe,” the infectiously likable short film version also enjoyed success in even more genres as APD won awards in a mind-boggling 8 different festival categories, including horror, midnight movie, psychedelic, experimental as well as Best Actor for Caravella (also Best Hero, for the character of The Drifter). APD has certainly created its own niche genre.
Astral Plane Drifter started out as an experimental idea for Mike while sitting home during Covid waiting for the world to begin again, after it had really just started over for him a year earlier. Primarily an actor by trade, Mike spent three years battling and recovering from tongue cancer, and just got back to work for a year when Covid shut it all down for him again.
During his time on the road physically going to each film festival and seeing the passion that filmgoers had for his short film, Mike knew he was on to something. But what was also happening during this time, was that Mike was meeting and befriending other successful filmmakers on the festival circuit, including Scott Slone, whose Malibu Horror Story was a festival darling and was just released theatrically this past Halloween, and Jay Wade Edwards, longtime producer and editor for multiple Adult Swim series, most notably Aqua Teen Hunger Force.
They both approached Mike and said to him whatever he was doing next with this story and character, they wanted to be a part of it. Mike went back to work. He spent the next year and a half writing the script, independently raising funds, and assembling cast and crew for the feature length. And this feature length version takes his already wild concept and rockets it through the stratosphere.
The sampling has been done. The people have spoken. “The Feature Film The Universe Needs!!!” (tagline Mike has coined for Astral Plane Drifter) is a wild, absurd, fantastically fun, free-spirited romp of a movie made by a true movie lover for people who love movies. It harkens back to many different eras, with many different influences, in many different genres, while keeping a steady story through-line moving, and a pulse on what audiences love today in genre films. The visual style, sound, tone, color, and character development are all in tune with creating a highly entertaining event that will resonate with the viewer, creating a cult-classic vibe that will have them watching again and again.
Astral Plane Drifter will be coming to a film festival near you soon.
Todd “Quality” Jaeger here, and I’m very proud to say I played TWO (count ’em, TWO!) roles in this epic film. At this point in time, having only seen the previewed first 8 1/2 minutes of the film at the 2024 Galactic Gathering, it was thrilling! That’s all I can say at this time about it, but I’m grateful to Mike Caravella for asking me to be a part of something that’s going to be remembered and loved for sure!