The Terror Factor
The Terror Factor is a 2007 American
The story follows Warren Wilcox (Matthew G. Hill), an escaped mental patient, who terrorizes a group of local teenagers who he finds partying in his childhood home. Wilcox's
Plot summary
A young boy named Warren Wilcox stands over the body of his father, moments after stabbing him to death, and then pursues his mother with an axe. She locks herself in a room but Wilcox soon breaks through the door and kills her. He is subsequently institutionalized at
Thirty years later, on the anniversary of his parents murder, Wilcox escapes from the facility and heads for his childhood home in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. A local reporter, Fred Gordon, describes the escape from outside the Wilcox home and interviews Sheriff Bob Grady who imposes an 8 o'clock curfew on the town.[1] As the interview ends, a man is seen turning off his television and pulling out a video cassette after taping the news segment. His room is adorned with swastikas and satanic imagery. The man walks across the room to a bedroom window and uses a camera to watch the girl across the street kissing her boyfriend.
Later that day, Chez is lying in bed thinking about the recent breakup with his girlfriend Cathy. Chez's friend Ringo attempts to console him and invites Chez to go along on a
Cast
- Matthew G. Hill as Warren Wilcox, a monstrous thug with a childlike mind and a disturbing secret.
- Antonio Dias as Matt, a deviant "homegrown" serial killer who lives across the street from Chez and Lauren.
- Garry Medeiros as Chez
- Nina Rusin as Lauren
- Christopher Reed as Mike
- John Sylvia as Ringo
- Ligia Lopez as Jodi
- Maria Joanna Lopez as Reanna
- John Procaccini as Dave
- Marc Manzone as Sheriff Bob Grady
- Dave Lepine as Mr. Wilcox
- Jennifer Cardoza as Mrs. Wilcox
Production
The Terror Factor was the feature film debut of writer-director Garry Medeiros. A 1994 graduate of
Back in 2000 I started shooting, 'The Terror Factor'. The idea was simple... No money, non-actors (Family, friends, ect [sic]...), so I decided to make an 80s style slasher flick. The bad acting would just add to the cheesy, campy feel of the film. Well, right off the start it was clear that my first "stab" at a feature wasn't going to be an easy one. Actors would show for a day or 2 then never return and the actors who did stick around, god bless their souls, would show up with a brand new hair cut... So we had reshoots and reshoots, script changes, big deal. The important thing is we got it done and I couldn't thank the ones who stuck through it the whole way through enough.[2]
The film was shot on a $2,000 budget with an all volunteer crew numbering around 12 people. Medeiros handled many roles including cinematography, lighting, musical score, set design, and other duties. He also worked on editing with cast members Matthew Hill and John Sylvia, and special effects with Sylvia and his brother Richie Medeiros. Another brother, musician David Medeiros, served as assistant cameraman and had a cameo role along with his Reflections of Mortality bandmates. The band provided some of the original soundtrack. The Terror Factor was shot at various locations in Dartmouth, New Bedford, and Wareham, Massachusetts. The final scene was shot at Cape Cod Express, a Wareham trucking company, where Garry Medeiros was then employed.[1][3]
Prior to the film's release, Medeiros co-hosted a Sunday night public access television series, The Father Galen Indie Horror Mass, with Terror Factor star Matthew Hill. The show featured a tongue-in-cheek parody of religious figures on public access in the form of
Reception
The Terror Factor premiered at the
Alex DiVincenzo of Horror 101.com gave the film a favorable review, noting the homage to
Awards and nominations
Award | Subject | Nominee | Result |
---|---|---|---|
Rhode Island International Horror Film Festival | Best New England | The Terror Factor | Won |
References
- ^ a b c d e f Daley, Lauren (October 25, 2007). "Award-winning thrills". The Standard-Times (New Bedford). Retrieved 28 July 2013.
- ^ Facebook.com. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
- ^ a b c Medeiros, Garry; John Sylvia and Matthew G. Hill (Performers) (2010). The Terror Factor (Audio Commentary with Garry Medeiros, John Sylvia and Matthew G. Hill) (DVD). United States: Maxim Media International.
- ^ Rhode Island International Horror Film Festival (October 2007). "RHODE ISLAND INTERNATIONAL HORROR FILM FESTIVAL 2007 ANNOUNCES THE WINNERS FOR THE EIGHTH ANNUAL FESTIVAL". Film-festival.org. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
- ^ DiVincenzo, Alex (December 5, 2007). "Indie Scene: 'The Terror Factor' Uses Tried and True Formula". Horror-101.com. Archived from the original on December 10, 2007. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
- ^ Hudson, Hayes (August 19, 2010). "DVD Review: THE TERROR FACTOR (2007)". Hayes Hudson's House of Horror. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
External links
- The Terror Factor at IMDb
- The Terror Factor at AllMovie
- The Terror Factor at Rotten Tomatoes
- The Terror Factor (official trailer) on YouTube