“Krackoon” is an instant cult classic. You’re probably reading this and saying what is Krackoon? It’s an independent horror movie, a gore comedy, made by an amazingly focused group of Bronx filmmakers, actors, and friends who spent about a year putting a vision of monster mayhem on film. This roughly hour-and-change length movie answers the question of what would happen if one of those sweet little urban raccoons that rip open garbage bags at night ingested a powerful quantity of killer crack and started ripping open people involved with a crooked town mayor and his deadly crew. The shoe string budget is more than made up for by the love, vision and care of the people involved in it.
Written and directed by the energetic, charismatic Jerry Landi of Throggs Neck, the film stars Ken Champlin who brings sympathy to the very unsympathetic character of the Mayor, young Joe Feri as a boy who befriends the title monster, also with Anthony De Bellis (the film’s DP) and Martin Vanihel who bring an unsettling menace to their roles as a sadistic duo who unknowingly set the whole plot into action. To say that this movie is a complete 180 degree turn from Mr. Landi’s last movie (a documentary about taps player Al Nicotina who has a small pivotal role in this movie) would be an understatement of the year. The director brings the same focused passion to this new film. A production sheet for “Krackoon” reads like a who’s who of some of the most talented hard working people in the northeast Bronx:
Special gore effects by artist Richard Rethorn, second unit director John McDermott, continuity by Andy Alexandris with Ivan King doing the Best Boy job. Storyboards for the film were the combined effort of Anthony De Bellis and the writer/director. On the film soundtrack local alternative musician Elizabeth Glushko provides a mournful cello piece over the credits (“Theme from Krackoon”?) The Underground Professionalz write and perform a song called Me and My Gun, Anthony De Bellis writes and performs Live by the Sword and Frank Cadillac writes and performs X Generation and Paranoia. There are too many local talents in the cast to mention but just a sampling of some names you might recognize are Victor Chu, Joseph Dewitt, Frank Randazzo, Ken Champlin Sr., Jennifer Baron, Al Belfiore, Chrys Napolitano, Scott Barille and of course the most warped, hilarious, hyped up murderous raccoon you’ve ever encountered. This column will keep you up to date on any screenings of this exciting Bronx-based indie movie. So, what is this, like the fourth or fifth indie film coming out of the Bronx in the last two years? Like I’ve been saying, filmmakers are the new rock stars.
Rock on. Rock out.
