Mike Stern is a talented producer, writer, actor, and also a Filmmatic Horror Screenplay Awards Winner for his edgy thriller "Mid-Century". The feature-length horror project recently wrapped production, and is now available on Blue-Ray, DVD, digital and on-demand via LionsGate.
Written by Stern and directed by Sonja O'Hara ('Doomsday'), 'Mid-Century' stars Shane West ('Dracula 2000'), Chelsea Gilligan ('Star-Crossed'), Sarah Hay ('Flesh and Bone'), Stephen Lang ('Avatar') and Academy Award nominee Bruce Dern. Mid-Century is an Astral Plane production in association with Moo Studios and Slated.
West and Gilligan play a vacationing couple in a glamorous but haunted mid-century modern home. Lang is the occult-obsessed architect who haunts his masterpieces long after a grisly death, while Dern plays Lang’s mentor in the supernatural realm. The Eichler-designed home is as deadly as it is beautiful...
When asked by Filmmatic - Out of all of the exciting things that came with the production of Mid-Century, what stands out to you as the most rewarding or transforming? Stern thoughtfully replied:
"Being a screenwriter - toiling away and building my craft for twenty years - the entire experience has been deeply rewarding and exciting. I was fortunate enough to have a wife that supported me in a six year journey to write the film, raise a budget, cast the film, hire the crew, produce the film in the midst of a global pandemic, and then spearhead the post-production and subsequent licensing and distribution to a studio, along with marketing and delivery. I've been lucky to be involved in every single aspect of the production of the film and it was a deeply immersive learning experience that was transforming in that I gained the confidence and knowledge I needed to continue to produce my own work at a high level. What was most fun - working with such a wonderfully talented group of artists, and of course getting to play Mid-Century's villain Eldridge alongside Stephen Lang (always been a huge fan of the Avatar and Don't Breathe heavy). And finally the most rewarding moment was when the legendary Bruce Dern invited me into his trailer on his first day and told me his old friend Alfred "Hitchcock would have loved your script...."
Mike Stern (pictured left and below in a scene with Stephen Lang) is currently writing a pilot just greenlit for AMC, producing another location-based horror thriller - written and directed by Amanda and Michael Drexton through his production company Astral Plane, and is also busy writing another feminist-themed horror-thriller upon which he looks forward to making his directorial debut.
If you love a good thriller, this project was architected just for you. Click here to find out how to watch Mid-Century today!
(photo courtesy of Mid Century Movie LLC)