Steampunk Granny Goes Red Carpet At The Soulless Premiere

Well, I’m not sure if there was a red carpet there or not because the lobby was packed with people waiting for Chris Eilenstine’s film, The Soulless, to begin. Excitement was in the air and cameras were flashing as I mingled with the stars and guests. Did Granny have fun at the premier? Was the film good? Present your ticket stub and find out.

The Director

Christopher Eilenstine was in the lobby greeting every guest that entered through the doors of the Atlantic Highland Cinema. This was the big day not only for Chris, but for everyone who took part in filming The Soulless. Christopher Eilenstine and his cast and crew had worked very hard to make this film a success.

 

I had the pleasure of viewing the screening of the film not that long ago at Chris’s home. At the screening, Chris wanted my husband’s and my input on the film before the final finishing touches were made. It was my first opportunity to see what went into the editing of a film. It’s a lot of work, but Christopher knew what he was doing and my husband and I were quite impressed with the results.

The Stars

I’ve done interviews on Chris Eilenstine here and here and Joe Parascand here for Biff Bam Pop!. I interviewed Kaylin Iannone, who played the 12 year old Nicole Peterson in The Soulless for my blog, but I never had the chance to interview the two main stars Jason Propst and Jennifer Teska. Jason plays David Peterson and Jennifer plays the part of Nicole Peterson at age 24. Since Jason had moved to the west coast not that long ago, I didn’t know if he could make it for the premiere, but he did and I was able to get a picture with him. Jason will be keeping up with his film career in Colorado.

I spoke with Jennifer Teska on what she was working on since completing The Soulless and she told me about a project that she and Laura Riley created. The Jane Games is a web series that not only brings Jane Austen and her heroines to the 21st Century; it brings characters from different novels together for the first time. You can find more information on the web series here. I wished Jennifer success on her new adventure before searching for the two younger stars of the film.

The Girls

Kaylin Iannone who played Nicole Peterson (age 12) was as pleasant in person as she was over the phone during her interview, as was Alex Gonzales who plays Melissa, Nicole’s playmate in the film. I chatted with the two stars and then coaxed them into a group picture with some of the other cast members. Both girls did exceptionally well in the film and easily conveyed to the audience the pain and confusion they were experiencing over their lost childhood. It’s hard being a kid during normal times so just imagine what it’s like when a zombie mistakes you for a snack bar.

The Premiere

Christopher Eilenstine entertained the audience with trailers of his film MacGuffin, his Alfred Hitchcock satire, along with other horror film trailers until it was time for the The Soulless to begin. Since I had watched the screening on a television set, I thought there would be few surprises, but once it’s on the big screen, everything changes.

The little hiccups that were in the screening were gone and what was shown on the Atlantic Highland’s cinema screen was a top notch horror film that pulled the audience into the apocalypse world headfirst. The audience shared in a father’s and daughter’s struggles to survive in a collapsing society, and rejoiced when they made it safely through the night to live another day.

 

Conclusion

I loved the movie and after the last credits rolled, Christopher Eilenstine asked for input. I told Christopher that I gave this movie a four star rating because the film not only made us connect with the horror of surviving a plague induced apocalypse, but we became part of the Peterson family as they searched for other survivors. In this film, the zombies are not what you expect and the rules have changed. Christopher is editing part two of The Soulless, and hopefully, I’ll be able to go to that premier, too.