Spike (2008 film)

Production

The film was produced by String And A Can Productions, with Erik Rodgers and Devin DiGonno as principal producers. Filming took place entirely at night in the spring of 2007 off the Angeles Crest Highway in the Angeles National Forest, in locations that burned down two years later in the Station Fire. Treacherous terrain and temperatures below 15 °F, along with rain, snow, and hail, caused delays. Robert Beaucage directed from a screenplay inspired by stories such as Cupid and Psyche, Hades and Persephone, Beauty and the Beast, and horror classics like Frankenstein and The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. He chose to shoot on 16 mm film rather than digital to achieve a different feel from typical contemporary indie movies. For special effects, Beaucage hired concept artist and sculptor Jordu Schell, who designed the title character while also working on the Na'vi for James Cameron's Avatar.

Reception

Spike premiered at the 62nd Edinburgh International Film Festival on 20 June 2008, the first year the festival moved from its traditional autumn slot to June. The film was announced in Variety as a horror fairy tale from U.S. director Robert Beaucage, who was unknown to festival director Hannah McGill until he impressed her with an unsolicited DVD. After Edinburgh, it appeared on the North American festival circuit at events including the Berkshire International Film Festival and Shriekfest.

Maverick Entertainment released it on DVD in North America during the summer of 2010. The List described the film as overturning genre conventions to explore the darker side of fairy tale mythology, while the All Movie Guide called it a dark fairy tale not for the faint of heart. Critic Calum Waddell praised it as assured and stylish, noting a mix of David Lynch, the Brothers Grimm, and Shakespeare, but added that it did not seem to know what it wanted to be.

The North Adams Transcript highlighted its artful exploration of both the tenderness and madness of monsters and the destructive faces of love. Moviestar magazine called it an original take on the genre that delivered thrills and chills. Spike was selected for the Edinburgh International Film Festival's Best of the Fest in 2008 and won Best Fantasy Feature Film at Shriekfest in 2009.