Damian Maffei is taking mainstream horror by storm in 2018. He co-stars as Man in the Mask in sequel The Strangers: Prey at Night, which is still in theaters across the country, and he’ll also appear in Eli Roth’s Haunt, an upcoming film from the duo that created the #1 movie in the nation – A Quiet Place. This breakthrough is incredibly warranted, as Maffei has been a working actor for over two decades; and it’s only common sense that his previous works would rise to the surface as his star in Hollywood grows. This can be seen with Wildfires, a 2016 short film from Jon D. Wagner – who produced hits including Bone Tomahawk and Starry Eyes. Wildfires, a collaboration between JDW Films and STI Productions, is gearing up for a major release in film festivals later this year.
A film I hailed as “running in a parallel dimension with Blade Runner” and “containing Oscar-worthy camera work,” Wildfires sees Maffei star as Ben, a man living in the not too distant future where Earth has been ravaged by overpopulation and pollution. This has also spawned a devastating plague that has killed off 90% of the human population. When a cure is discovered, it’s believed that the planet is already cleansing itself of the ungrateful human viruses that rape it of its life sustaining nutrients. Ben is sent back in time to eliminate the doctors and scientists who discover the cure in hopes of securing a darker future. An inner struggle ensues, as each victim falls, Ben is torn between saving the planet Earth or the billions of people living on it.
Wildfires is written, directed and produced by Jon D. Wagner with cinematographer Chad Courtney, co-producer Sam Ingraffia and VFX supervisor A.J. Rickert-Epstein. R.D. Call, Dean Haglund and Sam Ingraffia also star.
Check out an exclusive clip of Damian Maffei in Wildfires below, and keep an eye out for this exciting short film at festivals later this year.
