Mortal Remains

Mortal Remains is a docu-thriller which aims to unearth the details surrounding the life, career and mysterious death of horror filmmaker Karl Atticus, referred to by some as the "godfather" of the slasher film. The film features interviews with various horror aficionados and industry personalities including Eduardo Sanchez, director of the Blair Witch Project who wondered in a 2008 interview: Why for over 40 years has Atticus's legacy been all but eradicated from the annals of horror film history? This film reveals much about this elusive figure: a man who inspired a generation of filmmakers, but who has yet to receive due credit for his contributions to the genre. Crew members who worked alongside Atticus detail the puzzling circumstances under which his last film was created: missing cast members, intimations of occult activity and allegations of special effects "too convincing" for their time. Was Atticus a genuine auteur who challenged the industry and was silenced by his contemporaries? Or were his films simply pretext-- elaborate showpieces designed to glorify work of a far more sinister nature? Filmed on location in Maryland and Pennsylvania, the film hopes to ​confirm the legends and establish once and for all the legacy of a man whose final film is now considered by some to be the "Holy Grail of horror." Does a print of Atticus's Mortal Remains still exist? Why were the inconsistencies surrounding his apparent suicide left unanswered by authorities? And why has the life and work of one of the genre’s most influential directors been reduced to the level of myth? Perhaps some secrets should stay buried.