Dread Central Caught in the Muck at the Playboy Mansion!
Muck, written and directed by Steve Wolsh, is a bit of curio in that the frightening flick is the middle chapter of a trilogy. The first installment has not been shot yet. The three films will bookend each other, taking place the day before, day of, and the day after Saint Patrick’s Day in the fictional and very dangerous town of West Craven (Muck was actually filmed in Cape Cod, MA).
Featuring “the most prolific serial killer in cinematic history” (as he’s billed in the credits) Kane Hodder, as well as 2012 Playboy Playmate of the Year Jaclyn Swedberg, Muck starts, as you might expect, in the middle with a group of barely-clothed friends emerging from the soupy darkness of a marsh, battered and bloody. They take shelter in a vacant Cape Cod cottage but soon discover that creatures even more savage than swamp things are lying in wait in the house.
Mr. Hodder was not on hand for the festivities at the famous Playboy Mansion West in Holmby Hills, but there were plenty of Bunnies bouncing around as well as several cast members and the film’s director, Wolsh, who gave a speech about how finding his first Playboy magazine (the one with Cindy Crawford plastered in sand) at the age of 12 sparked this passion to make a movie full of nudie-cuties getting down and dirty.
Prior to the screening, brimming with popcorn and sweets, guests and journalists were treated to an open bar and a stroll of the grounds – including the notorious Grotto and the zoo/aviary, where we observed monkeys, flamingos and emus (and even got to hold adorable talking birds, who love to nip at the rings on your fingers). There is also a pet cemetery on the grounds. From this vantage point, one can take in the full splendor of the 21,987-square-foot Gothic-Tudor mansion, which is awash in colorful lights.
Inside the mansion, one can see a few family portraits of Mr. Hefner and his children (his biological ones, not the young girls who are in residence), a life-sized bronze statue of Frankenstein’s monster, as well as several statues of lions, cherubs, gargoyles and the like. There are 22 rooms including a wine cellar (with a Prohibition-era secret door), a screening room with built-in pipe organ, a game room and of course the famous Hef boudoir.
It was quite a treat, and we have several exclusive photos (taken by Aaron Kai) from the event here.
Shot in state-of-the-art 4K Ultra HD, Muck is a throwback horror film loaded with old-school gore F/X and insane stunts. This is just about as slam dunk for a rollicking time at the movies as you can get. What? Hodder, hotties, and horror. What more could you ask for? Run, don’t walk, to the Arena Cinema in Hollywood on Friday, March 13th!
If you won’t be in Hollywood that day, fear not! Muck will be available everywhere beginning March 17th. Get on board! For more up-to-the-minute information, be sure to “like” the official Muck Facebook page.
Categorized:News
