A71 Entertainment grabs the Canadian Homevideo rights to the punk rock slasher THE RANGER
Toronto (October 23rd, 2018) – A71 Entertainment acquired the home video rights to genre festival favourite punk rock slasher THE RANGER following the film’s Toronto premier at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival. The deal was negotiated by Susan Curran A71 and 79th & Broadway Entertainment’s Andrew van den Houten, on behalf of the production companies Hood River Entertainment and Glass Eye Pix. Bluray and DVD to be released early January 2019,
In the spirit of RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD and CLASS OF 1984, THE RANGER follows a group of young punks who are forced to flee the city to lay low, only to run into a park ranger who shares a mysterious past with one of their own. The film has been lauded for its standout performances from Chloë Levine (THE TRANSFIGURATION, THE OA) as the pink-haired punk with a secret, and Jeremy Holm (HOUSE OF CARDS, MR. ROBOT) as the maniacal ranger, ready to get his hands bloody in defense of the woods. Granit Lahu (THE SINNER), Jeremy Pope, Bubba Weiler (PUZZLE), Amanda Grace Benitez (SCHOOL OF ROCK), Jeté Laurence (PET SEMATARY) and horror icon Larry Fessenden (HABIT, WE ARE STILL HERE) round out the cast.
THE RANGER marks the directorial debut of Jenn Wexler, a past Shudder Labs master and producer of the SXSW Grand Jury Prize-winner, MOST BEAUTIFUL ISLAND. A co-production of Glass Eye Pix and Hood River Entertainment, THE RANGER was written by Wexler and Giaco Furino, and produced by Andrew van den Houten (BREAKING & EXITING, THE WOMAN), Larry Fessenden (MOST BEAUTIFUL ISLAND, THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL), Ashleigh Snead (THE BLOCK ISLAND SOUND), Heather Buckley and Wexler (LIKE ME, DARLING),
“We’re absolutely thrilled to have A71 distribute THE RANGER on home video in Canada,” says Wexler. “The film was born in Montreal’s Frontieres Co-Production Market so it means so much to us that horror fans in Canada will be able to add the film to their collections.”
“Love the movie, love the soundtrack, love the team! What more can I say?” A71 Entertainment’s Head of Marketing and Acquisitions Susan Curran adds, “the Home Video release will be a killer package coming January 2019.”
The Ranger came out swinging at 2018 SXSW Film Festival, where it world-premiered in the Midnighters section. The film was selected as opening night feature of this year’s FrightFest UK and has been an official selection at festivals around the world, including Fantasia International Film Festival, Sydney Film Festival, Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, Sitges Film Festival and Toronto After Dark, among many others.
“Very excited our Canadian friends will be able to get a copy of THE RANGER. It was a blast to help make, to support Jenn’s vision and the movie is punk af—great soundtrack, candy colors; lots of fun. Thank you V71.” recognizes producer Heather Buckley.
“I am so excited to get this release out into the hands of fans.” says producer and Glass Eye Pix founder Larry Fessenden. “The extras are exhaustive, fun and lovingly crafted, and prove why physical media is still vital for true cinephiles.”
On the deal producer Andrew van den Houten commented, “Susan Curran and A71 are the perfect partners for our Canadian home video release of “The Ranger.” Susan’s understanding and passion for the genre have led to many successful releases with our company in the past, I cannot wait for fans to be able to hold this film in their hands and take The Ranger home.”
About 79th & Broadway Entertainment: 79th & Broadway Entertainment, founded in 2016, is a Los Angeles based film and media company. Specializing in film finance, sales, distribution and corporate consulting, 79th & Broadway Entertainment offers an exclusive group of clients with advisory services in every aspect of development and operations related to motion pictures. Learn more at 79thbroadway.com
About Glass Eye Pix: Glass Eye Pix (“one of the indie scene’s most productive and longest-running companies” —Filmmaker Magazine) is the fierce independent NYC-based production outfit headed by art-horror auteur Larry Fessenden (the upcoming DEPRAVED, THE LAST WINTER, WENDIGO, HABIT, NBC’s FEAR ITSELF). Fessenden has operated the company since 1985, with the mission of supporting individual voices in the arts.
About Hood River Entertainment: Hood River Entertainment, founded by producer Andrew van den Houten, is a Los Angeles-based production company dedicated to producing independent films. Learn more at hoodriverentertainment.com.
A71 ENTERTAINMENT INC. is a multi-faceted company that specializes in domestic distribution on all platforms. Previous releases include TULIPANI: LOVE, HONOUR AND A BICYCLE (2018), CHOKESLAM (2017), NUMB (2016), ACROSS THE LINE (2016) PRETEND WE’RE KISSING (2015), THE VALLEY BELOW (2015), BERKSHIRE COUNTY (2015), IN HER PLACE (2015), Founded by Chad Maker, David Miller and Kirk Comrie in 2013, A71 Entertainment is dedicated to bringing high-quality festival films to Canadian audiences. Upcoming releases include SHE NEVER DIED and The Soska Sister’s RABID.
