The Apocalypse of Angela Reed

Authors: James Somerton
Location: Canada

"The Apocalypse of Angela Reed"

Directed By Peter Jackson
Written By James Somerton
Produced By Peter Jackson
Score By Howard Shore

Principal Cast:

Robin McNeil as Angela Reed
Kieran Gallivan as Nick Taylor
Evan Rachel Wood as Krystle Cunningham
Cate Blanchett as Sienna Thorn
Daniel Brühl as Hades
Annette Bening as Maria Reed
Aaron Eckhart as Dr. Vince Edwards

Tagline: "The End Is Near…"

RELEASE DATE: December 18

Synopsis: The year is 1999 and the world is in turmoil. Wars are raging in the Holy Lands, storms are growing fiercer ever day, world leaders and more corrupt than ever, and the millennium is approaching. As if this wasn’t enough, Angela Reed is a young girl who is being raised by a chain smoking, drug addicted, and alcoholic mother. When her mother, Maria, is mysteriously killed one night after coming home from a bar, Angela is placed in the custody of the Cunningham’s; the family of her best friend Krystle. As the summer of 1999 drags on, the temperatures sore and Angela is beginning to see things. She is growing paranoid of everything and becoming dizzy all the time. All of this culminates one night when she has a massive seizure and is rushed to the hospital. She survives but she has seen things. She has seen Biblical images of the End of the World, and a warlord named Hades who is ravaging the earth. All the while, the investigation into Maria Reed’s murder is being headed by Sienna Thorn; a woman who has fooled the local authorities into believing that she is in the FBI. She searches out Maria’s real killer as Angela recovers in the hospital.

Then, at the end of the summer, a hurricane rips through the small town and knocks the power out in the hospital. Angela sees Hades everywhere in the darkness and Krystle rushes to get her out of the hospital. When they escape, everything goes back to normal, until Angela is told by Sienna Thorn that Hades is, in fact, real and hunting her down. He wants to kill her before New Years 1999 because if Angela is dead, that means the world will go with her. But if Angela lives past midnight, the world will be safe for another thousand years. On New Year’s Eve, Hades appears and corners Angela. She puts up a fight but it isn’t enough. He kills her… at 12:01am, 2000.

What the press would say:

““The Apocalypse of Angela Reed” could have been just another slasher movie in the hands of many directors but James Somerton, the director of the Oscar nominated film “Lost in America”, manages to keep the characters above the blood (of which there is very little). The acting in the film is Oscar quality with Robin McNeil (Pretty Young Thing), heading a cast of film veterans such as Evan Rachel Wood as her best friend; Cate Blanchett as Sienna Thorn, a woman with more than her fare share of secrets; Annette Bening as her abusive mother, Maria; and Aaron Eckhart as Neurologist who psychiatrist who thinks he knows what’s wrong with her. The film goes beyond simple horror movie with its running length of over two hours, it’s superb cast, and it’s religious undertones. This is a character drama that just happens to be absolutely terrifying. The killer, Hades, is sympathetic when it is revealed that he is immortal, but he doesn’t want to be. He was made immortal by en even greater evil thousands of years ago but his lover was not. Now, if the world ends, he can be back with the one person he ever loved. This makes the ending one that is bittersweet. The audience almost feels sorry for him. This film delves deep into the psychological trauma left behind by an abusive mother, and a sexually abusive stepfather.

And that alone makes it worthy of Oscar Gold. This film reminds me of “The Exorcist” as it is, indeed, a horror movie but it goes beyond that with it’s powerful acting and well-written script. With four Golden Globe nominations (Best Actress – Robin McNeil, Best Supporting Actress – Evan Rachel Wood, Best Supporting Actress – Annette Bening, and Best Screenplay), a whole host of guild awards, and some of the best reviews of any horror movie ever made, “The Apocalypse of Angela Reed” may be the first time that the Academy awards a true blue horror movie with the big one.

POSSIBLE NOMINATIONS

Best Picture – Peter Jackson
Best Director - James Somerton
Best Adapted Screenplay – James Somerton, based on his book.
Best Actress – Robin McNeil
Best Supporting Actress – Evan Rachel Wood
Best Supporting Actress - Annette Bening
Best Supporting Actor – Aaron Eckhart
Best Original Score – Howard Shore