Yowie flick 'Throwback' gets the schlock horror pulp treatment

We love a good movie poster and this one is a pearler!

A new poster has been released for the upcoming Australian horror feature "Throwback."

Designed by Brazilian artist Juarez Ricci, the retro-style poster evokes the '60s/'70s creature features and pulp adventure movies that inspired the film itself.

Writer/Director Travis Bain says he wanted to avoid the clichés of contemporary movie posters.

"From the get-go I knew I wanted an illustrated poster rather than your typical modern 'floating heads' Photoshop design," Bain says. "Juarez's work reminds me of the old Drew Struzan and Richard Amsel posters I grew up with, so he was a natural choice to create this artwork."

"Throwback" follows two modern-day treasure hunters, a female park ranger and an unhinged ex-cop as they tangle with a Bigfoot-type monster known as a Yowie in the remote jungles of northern Australia. The film stars Shawn Brack, Anthony Ring, Melanie Serafin, and Vernon Wells of "The Road Warrior" and "Commando" fame. The new one-sheet poster is available for collectors to purchase at: www.zazzle.com/throwback_one_sheet_movie_poster-228922243441439784

"Throwback" recently premiered at the Bram Stoker International Film Festival in England, and Australian and North American premieres are expected to be announced over the coming months. Already the film has received strong interest from the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival in New York, which recently invited Bain to submit "Throwback" for consideration for their 2014 programme.

"It's not an official acceptance, but it's a step towards one," Bain says. "They're very keen to see the film, so we're crossing our fingers they'll select it for their Midnight Section."

Additionally, the trailer for "Throwback" has been selected for the International Movie Trailer Festival, an online festival in which the public can vote for their favourite trailers. Viewers can vote for the "Throwback" trailer at: www.internationalmovietrailerfestival.com/all-trailers/throwback/

"Throwback" is expected to be released on DVD, Blu-ray and VOD in 2014. For film festival or distributor enquiries, visit www.travisbain.com.au or www.facebook.com/throwbackmovie.

Yowie movie revives the 1970s creature feature

A new trailer has debuted for the upcoming Australian horror feature Throwback. It is the second trailer to be released for the film, following on from a teaser trailer released in April 2012.

Throwback is about two modern-day treasure hunters, a female park ranger and an embittered ex-cop who encounter a savage Bigfoot-like monster known as a Yowie in the jungles of Australia's Far North. Throwback is the first feature film ever made about Australia's legendary cryptid. The film recently wrapped production in Cairns, Queensland, and is now in post-production. The independent production was privately financed and is expected to premiere on the film festival circuit and secure a distributor later this year. It stars Shawn Brack, Anthony Ring, Melanie Serafin and genre film veteran Vernon Wells ("The Road Warrior", "Commando", "Innerspace").

Writer/Director Travis Bain says Throwback pays homage to the bigfoot movies of the ’70s such as The Legend of Boggy Creek and Creature from Black Lake, as well as ’70s cinema in general.

“I wanted to make the kind of Bigfoot movie William Friedkin or Walter Hill might have made if they’d come to Australia 35 years ago. Throwback is what it might have looked like, a sort of gritty creature-feature/neo-western/action-adventure mashup.”

Bain says the film owes more to the horror films of Val Lewton (Cat People, I Walked With a Zombie) than those of Rob Zombie or Eli Roth.

“Throwback isn’t a gorefest. It's bloody in parts, but its main focus is on suspense and chills. I’ve always believed that only seeing fleeting glimpses of a monster—or even just hearing it—is scarier than seeing it outright.”

Throwback was shot on High Definition video and matted to the 2.35:1 aspect ratio for a more cinematic look.

"I didn't want the movie to look like your typical indie film. I wanted it to look big and epic, as if Jack Cardiff had shot it in CinemaScope. It's going to be a nail-biting roller-coaster ride and I think the new trailer reflects that."

Bain hopes Throwback will be a springboard to bigger and more elaborate projects.

"My team and I have several new projects in development in the action, horror and sci-fi genres, so we'd love to hear from like-minded producers who are keen to help us bring them to the screen."

Throwback is Bain's second feature film. His first, the comedy-drama Scratched (http://www.travisbain.com.au/scratched.htm), screened at Australian film festivals in 2005.

Throwback Synopsis: Jack and Kent are two down-on-their-luck pest exterminators, hit hard by the Global Financial Crisis. One hot summer weekend, they venture deep into the jungles of Far North Queensland in search of a big score: the lost gold of legendary outlaw “Thunderclap” Newman, who vanished without a trace in the 1800s. But they find more than they bargained for when they encounter a Yowie, Australia’s answer to Bigfoot, a savage superprimate with a strong territorial streak. Lost in a green hell, Jack and Kent find themselves playing a deadly game of cat and mouse with the Yowie, along with a feisty female park ranger named Rhiannon and an unhinged ex-cop named McNab.

For interviews or sales agent/distributor enquiries, please contact travisbain@hotmail.com