Update: Chick's Dark Dungeons Film Seeks Kickstarter Cash

Karloff

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Update: Chick's Dark Dungeons Film Seeks Kickstarter Cash



Not Black Leaf! Noooooo!

Once upon a time there was a middle manager named J.R. Ralls, who won $1,000 and said to himself, 'it's time to make that Jack Chick movie I've been dreaming of all my life.' Dark Dungeons, Chick's most infamous piece of anti role playing art, was what Ralls set his heart on, and somehow - possibly through the use of actual magic - Ralls persuaded Chick to grant him film rights. Of course, $1,000 isn't going to be quite enough to bring Chick's masterpiece to the big screen, so Ralls has taken his vision to Kickstarter for the remaining $12,500.

"I am the best person to make this project work because I am the only person who CAN make this project work," says Ralls, as he points out that there's no guarantee Chick will ever sell film rights to his work ever again. His Kickstarter's $12,500 isn't going to buy top-of-the-range CGI, so expect puppet demons chasing hapless Debbie rather than anything more sophisticated. All Ralls can really promise is his time, energy and love, which he hopes to alchemically turn into film making gold.

Incidentally, for those of you who fancy yourselves Black Leafs (Leaves?) in training, pledge enough cash, and you too could be immortalized in Ralls' magnum opus. A pledge of $299 gets you a voice acting role, while $399 - and whatever it might cost you to get to Portland, Oregon - gets you a speaking cameo moment, plus an invite to the wrap party. Cheap at twice the price! But if all you want is the movie itself, $15 gets you the digital version, $20 the vanilla DVD, and $25 the Collector's Ultimate Edition DVD. There's still 29 days to go on this Kickstarter campaign. If ever you've wanted to see Jack Chick [http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0046/0046_01.ASP] get the film his work deserves, now's the time to pledge.

Source: Kickstarter [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/295102457/rpgs-are-evil-dark-dungeons-the-movie?ref=city]

Update: Well, it's official; the Kickstarter is now funded. The ask was $12,500, and it now has $13,687 as of time of writing, with 20 days still to go. What's more, two pledges put in $399 or more, which means they snapped up two of the four cameo acting slots available. Another paid $700 to have both a speaking cameo role and the right to write and have filmed a two minute alternate ending.

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Scribblesense

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I used to have a job where I worked for tips and I'd get these Chick Tracts all the time (usually with cash, sometimes not) so I have a couple dozen stashed away somewhere.

My favorite one had to be "No Fear?": http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0052/0052_01.asp

Two kids enter a suicide pact, one ends up in hell but before the other can go through with it the preacher shows up AND KICKS THE FUCKING DOOR DOWN to save her.

Do you think he was saying "This is Sparta!" to himself or "I kick ass for the Lord!"?

The problem with the way these things are written, is it's like Jack Chick has never actually met another human being before. His first reaction to every strife people face is they probably deserve it for the fat sack of sins they're dragging around. It's impossible to truly help someone unless you first empathize with them; thankfully, the devoutly religious people I've met and know are fully capable of empathy. The overbearing zealots are a vocal minority.

But I digress. I wish D&D had given me magical powers; all I ever got was fat. :(
 

Banderbear

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I think it's worth pointing out that this is probably a parody... To quote the FAQ of the actual Kickstarter:
"What is your favorite type of comedy?
I really like Stephen Colbert and the Onion. When a comedian really knows his material and can present a situation that sounds pretty ludicrous but instead of just jumping up and down and saying, "I'm making fun of this!" he instead presents it completely strait-faced and in a serious manner while never breaking character, that is when true comedic genius can occur."

So yeah... a straight-faced parody of Christian opposition to D&D? Could be worth a laugh or two. Especially as Jack Chick isn't getting a penny from this.
 

Uratoh

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I'm unsure if I want this film to not take itself very seriously, or take itself very seriously...
 

jrralls

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DVS BSTrD said:
http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_md88cfCpLL1ryu3g1o1_500.gif
I hope one of the stretch goals is a Tom Hanks cameo :p
I'm up for it if Mr. Hanks is!
 

jrralls

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Banderbear said:
I think it's worth pointing out that this is probably a parody...
As I say in my video, you cannot PARODY a work of this magnitude. You have to present a sincere retelling of the comic without editorializing, with as much oomph and drama and authority as he possibly can put in within the _limits of the source material_.

This is a real movie that I am really trying to get made. The Kickstarter campaign to raise money for it is serious and will resort in real life movie that you can play on your TV and will hopefully have a world premier at Orycon. My intention is to make Dark Dungeons the movie as _true to the spirit and word_ of Dark Dungeons the comic as Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings is to Tolkien's work.

Also, my stretch goal is to include Cthulhu.
 

jrralls

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Oh, if Adam is reading this thread please let him know that if he'd like an interview I am totally up for it.

Also, does anyone know how to contact Movie Bob? I'd love to try and get him in a cameo if I could.

Thanks!
 

RandV80

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Haha i remember chick tracks, but reading the online version linked from the kickstarter... is it just me or have these online versions been condensed? I kind of remember the evil and/or a group of their followers showing up at church and trying to mislead the congregations until a clever church goer opens his bible up and realizes the passages they're reading are wrong. Also remember them getting attacked by demon's or something while trying their spell casting, which would be where the 'puppets' come in on the movie, but that's not in the online version as well.

And another funny tidbit I distinctly recall is from the evolution one. Where the bright young creationist is confronting the older evolutionist who's a told jerk in his big university office and wins by pointing out that 'when the Astronauts landed on the moon they only found 8 inches of moon dust' to which the evolutionist shouted 'OMG it's a YOUNG MOON!!!!!' and you can see his worldview shattering right there, simple as that!
 

Gearhead mk2

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Guys, I beg you here, please don't support this. Even ironically, even if you want to just throw rotten fruit at it, please don't give it cash. This moron doesn't deserve the money, the rep, or the ego boost.
 

JoJo

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jrralls said:
VERY very very seriously.
Chick tracts are hilarious, love the over-dramatisation and ugly character designs:



I may just have to get in on this.
 
Jan 12, 2012
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Gearhead mk2 said:
Guys, I beg you here, please don't support this. Even ironically, even if you want to just throw rotten fruit at it, please don't give it cash. This moron doesn't deserve the money, the rep, or the ego boost.
FYI, Chick is not (edit, typo) getting any money from this (it's under the FAQ on the Kickstarter page). Also, as the filmmaker himself points out a few posts above, he's trying to present it accurate in all it's absurdity, so no worries about improving Chick's reputation. As for the ego, the man is so full of himself already that there's no chance the movie can make it worse.
 

JoshuaMadoc

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jrralls said:
Uratoh said:
I'm unsure if I want this film to not take itself very seriously, or take itself very seriously...
VERY very very seriously.
So you've been influenced by Chick Tracts as if they're true gospels of wisdom?

You're treading on laughing egg shells here.
 

GonzoGamer

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Apr 9, 2008
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I used to pick up those little comics at rest stops. The scariest part of them was that I imagined people taking them seriously.

Wasn't there already a movie made like that... with Tom Hanks... yea
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084314/
 

Belzera

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Apr 14, 2009
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Certainly would be interesting... Took me too long to understand why you would actually want to do this, as well as the reference to Steven Colbert but if this project gets funded and follows the absurdity of the source material it'll be one of those things that roleplayers will get a guilty laugh out.