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The Bloody Plot:
When the sins of the past are unleashed in the present, Piñata crashes the party and it
becomes an all out war for survival. Mixed with emotional terror and amazing special
effects, Piñata is one chill-thrill after another.
Keeping your adrenaline pumping is exactly what Hill & Brand Productions planned as your
fate during this film. “It's a big challenge to scare people. The art of building
tension, making audiences jump out of their seats is not easy,” explained producer David
Hillenbrand.
Hill & Brand was formed in 1991 by David and Scott Hillenbrand. Born and bred in New
York, the two brothers decided to meld their creative and business personalities together
to bring hellish adventures on film to unsuspecting moviegoers. Pre Hill & Brand, David’s
musical talents shined on the Broadway version of Bugs Bunny, while Scott’s acting
abilities were portrayed in numerous plays and films. It was just natural that they
formed a company to bring the unnatural to the screen.
Screams and shivers are what David and Scott, who co-wrote Piñata, are hoping for: “Piñata
will easily get you in the air at least a dozen times. Your heart won't stop thumping in
your chest from beginning to end,” said Scott.
Starring Nicholas Brendon of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” fame, Garrett Wang of “Star Trek:
Voyager,” and Kasey Fallo of “King Cobra,” Piñata takes place on a small uninhabited
island owned by the fictional Woodson University. Every year on May 5th, the college’s
fraternities and sororities sponsor a “Cinco de Mayo Scavenger Hunt” which results in the
winning team sharing $20,000. After the “Initiation” process, the hunt begins.
Handcuffs, plastic bags and a gunshot are just some of the things to look forward to in
this overnight camp stay. To add to the festivities, scattered about the island are Cinco
de Mayo decorations including piñatas which contain mini tequila bottles as well as other
choice beverages…and the evil fun starts.
Alumni Paul (Garrett Wang) and Monica (Kasey Fallo) set out to monitor the scavenger hunt
on their matching ATVs. What they didn’t expect, however, was the scavenger hunt to turn
into a blood hunt. The well-known “survival of the fittest” cliché doesn’t fit in this
film. Instead, viewers are taken on a well-plotted course throughout the island but with
twists and turns along the way.
Behind the Bloody Scenes:
The weather was the biggest issue during the outdoor filming, however, it didn’t halt
production. Shooting in remote locations in California meant there was no going home to a
cozy bed or warm fire for the cast and crew. But everyone continued like troopers. Nate
Richert (Jake, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch) shivered, “The worst part of the shoot was the
extreme temperatures. I’m used to working on an indoor studio set and wasn’t accustomed
to the hot, then cold, then real hot, then real cold weather.”
Julia Mendoza (Carmen, Doing It Right) elaborated with a cute story: “Our first day of
shooting was a real test of endurance against mother nature. Most of the cast was there
and of course we didn’t know each other. The scene was the opening boat-waterfight.
Well, guess what? It wasn’t a sunny beautiful day in California. It was cold, windy and
the water was freezing! We were in our cute teeny bathing suits and trunks splashing and
having the time of our lives. Once they said ‘CUT’ – we all huddled together like a pack
of little chicks to the back of the boats with jackets or what we could find to keep warm.
Any bashfulness or shyness went out the window. You can imagine how we became close and
personal real quick! Of course they didn’t plan the weather, but hey, it worked—we bonded
instantly.”
The film itself is very physical, yet Kasey Fallo (Monica, King Cobra) chose to do her own
stunts. “I have scars all over my legs and knees from the intense action sequence,”
remembers Fallo. Having worked with Hill & Brand before, she adds, “David and Scott are
directors who always push their actors to the edge of what they think they can do—and just
when you’ve hit the edge, they push you even further. The end result, when you’re
watching the film, is that you can’t believe you actually did that; got that emotional,
and physical.”
With principal photography continuing non-stop for nearly two months, the cast was
exhausted. Robert Tena (Bob, Man in the Iron Mask) relaxed by spending his spare time
sleeping and reading in his trailer. Nightmares anyone?
The Bloody Special Effects:
It took a myriad of special effects artists to create the oozing blood, the creature and a
multitude of CGI, animatronic and other digital/optical special effects in Piñata. The
Chiodo Brothers, Optical Illusions, The Image Resolution and CFI Imaging Group handled
most of the effects.
David Hillenbrand is quite pleased with the way things turned out. “The film has a ton of
special effects that are really difficult to pull off,” he says, from a technical
standpoint. “Working with a creature, fire, flying, explosions, visceral attacks and gore
that pushes the boundaries of shock demands a lot of intense coordination.”
The actors, on the other hand, have a different, sticky special effects viewpoint. Tena
recalls his scene with special effects: “It was handled great by the effects crew. They
were really professional. I don’t think it was difficult; it was just a bit uncomfortable
sometimes, but overall it was a great experience.”
Richert, whose character Jake is athletic but very competitive, dies within the first 30
pages of the script. Death with lots and lots of blood! Richert was having a blast!
Smiling at the thought he says, “It was fun to play in the blood. Between each take, the
prop guys literally would spray blood on my hand while I was holding my crotch. By the
time we finished my death scene, I was buried in food-based blood.” Why was Richert
holding his crotch? You’ll just have to see the movie to find that out!
The gore doesn’t stop there. Mendoza’s character Carmen, who is a take-charge kind of
girl, had one special effect scene—the make-up for her death scene. “They closed and
covered my eye to appear as if it had been slashed out,” Mendoza states. “It was
interesting to say the least, wearing the effect and trying to eat. Mashed food all
afternoon. I also couldn’t see very well. I was a walking cyclops!”
The Bloody End:
Piñata is slated to slash into theaters this year. You can visit the official website at
www.pinatathemovie.com. “This movie totally rocks,” says Fallo, as she scatters away
nurturing her scarred flesh, “It’s fun, fast, violent, bloody, funny – it really is a good
time.”
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"Pinata"
