BASIC ELEMENTS, LLC

An entertainment production company aimed at creating reasonably budgeted feature length productions, both narrative (all genres) and documentary. PAGAN HOLIDAYS is its first official project.

But PAGAN HOLIDAYS is not the very first movie written, produced and directed by the company's founder, who, previously associated with Gemineye Pictures, made a very low budget horror film adaptation of the Richard Laymon novel IN THE DARK. This film performed well at the various fests it played, garnered some interest from Hollywood, and served as the inspiration for the creation of Basic Elements.

Now, with skills further finely honed at the helm, and improved energy and focus, Basic Elements aspires to reaching great heights of cinematic pleasure while also making its products accessible to the general movie watching public.   

Toot! Toot!! Richard Laymon's IN THE DARK:

Since Basic Elements owns the rights to IN THE DARK (the movie), and it stands as a creative starting point for the company, it would be a mistake not to toot it's horn a little. Below are the reviews and images from that movie.

9/20/00 - Marin Independent Journal (Sura Wood) [from review of SF IndieFest's 'Digital Underground'] - "...The influence of the indie sensation The Blair Witch Project is apparent with In the Dark, a surprisingly gripping black- and-white thriller that will hook you despite your better judgement. Jane, a feisty college librarian, is enticed into a web of danger by cryptic notes left for her by an enigmatic stranger who calls himself the Master of Games. Each time Jane completes a bizarre and potentially self-destructive task, she is rewarded with money. As the threats to her safety escalate, so does the payoff. But Jane is no slouch; she packs a pistol and a big knife for the nocturnal adventures that require her to wander alone in the wee hours and sleep in a haunted house during a thunderstorm. It's suspenseful and has some nifty dialogue and decent acting. Despite lapsing into a few scenes of gory horror schlock, it will hold your attention while it moves you to its inevitably violent conclusion..."

8/17/00 - Chicago Reader (Fred Camper) This ultralow-budget horror video by Chicago director Clifton Holmes trots out many cliches of the genre (a woman explores a scary house - more than once) but benefits from an engaging plot and sharp timing and editing. A young woman receives a series of notes from an unseen "Master of Games"; each one directs her to a new location and contains double the cash that accompanied the last. As her reward increases she takes greater risks, and the video descends into a low-rent version of Sade, with sadomasochistic manipulations that become increasingly unnerving. The acting is uneven and the story sometimes implausible (common problems in low-budget work), but the narrative kept me watching.

8/00 - Chicago Underground Film Festival (Donna Jagela) "... Beautifully shot in atmospheric black and white, In the Dark is truly mysterious, creepy and ultimately shocking--- you'll never find this game on a shelf at Blockbuster."