Lawson Welles
Encyclopedia
Lawson Welles is the writer, director, producer and star of the motion picture, Cricket Snapper
, released in 2005 by Phoenix Rising Films.
Cricket Snapper is based on the true story of Barbara Asher, who was charged but acquitted of the manslaughter
and dismemberment of Michael Lord, a New Hampshire man who allegedly suffered a heart attack while chained in her dungeon. Rather than call the authorities, police said Asher confessed she and her boyfriend chopped up Lord's body in the bathtub and dumped it behind a Maine
restaurant, but DNA testing of her bathtub revealed none of Lord’s DNA or any evidence of cleaning agents.
In Welles’ film, the dominatrix
and her husband dump the body, but then are hunted down and murdered themselves out in the dark, snow-covered woods of Massachusetts
by a vicious serial killer
.
Lawson Welles has acted in Hollywood films such as Boston Girls (2008) starring Danny Trejo
and Robert Miano
. Stets also wrote and directed WHY WE FOUGHT, composed of interviews with World War II
and Korean War
veterans from the United States, Canada, Great Britain and Germany.
Cricket Snapper was released on October 10, 2005, the twentieth anniversary of the death of Lawson’s hero of the same surname, Orson Welles
. Cricket Snapper cinematographer
, Jerry Bagdasarian, was a veteran of the D-Day landings and worked on Rod Serling
's Twilight Zone
series before working on independent films. Lawson Welles was born on the 60th birthday of Orson Welles
. Welles got the idea for the title after first meeting Bagdasarian to interview him over his experiences in World War II
. Jerry showed Lawson a cricket snapper, a device paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne and 101st Airborne units used to communicate with one another. Cricket Snapper is not the first film to feature this device, as John Wayne
explained its usage to his men in the World War II epic, The Longest Day
. The soundtrack to Cricket Snapper includes tracks by Church of Satan
High Priests, Anton LaVey
and Peter H. Gilmore
.
Cricket Snapper
Cricket Snapper is an independent film written, directed and produced by Lawson Welles. The film is based on the true story of Barbara Asher, who was charged but acquitted of the manslaughter and dismemberment of Michael Lord, a New Hampshire man who allegedly suffered a heart attack while chained...
, released in 2005 by Phoenix Rising Films.
Cricket Snapper is based on the true story of Barbara Asher, who was charged but acquitted of the manslaughter
Manslaughter
Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is said to have first been made by the Ancient Athenian lawmaker Dracon in the 7th century BC.The law generally differentiates...
and dismemberment of Michael Lord, a New Hampshire man who allegedly suffered a heart attack while chained in her dungeon. Rather than call the authorities, police said Asher confessed she and her boyfriend chopped up Lord's body in the bathtub and dumped it behind a Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
restaurant, but DNA testing of her bathtub revealed none of Lord’s DNA or any evidence of cleaning agents.
In Welles’ film, the dominatrix
Dominatrix
Dominatrix or mistress is a woman or women who takes the dominant role in bondage, discipline and sadomasochism, or BDSM. A common form of address for a submissive to a dominatrix is "mistress", "ma'am", "domina" or "maîtresse"...
and her husband dump the body, but then are hunted down and murdered themselves out in the dark, snow-covered woods of Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
by a vicious serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
.
Lawson Welles has acted in Hollywood films such as Boston Girls (2008) starring Danny Trejo
Danny Trejo
Dan "Danny" Trejo is an American actor who has appeared in numerous Hollywood films, most notably in roles as an antagonist, or anti-hero.-Early life:...
and Robert Miano
Robert Miano
-Early life:Robert Miano was born in New York City and raised in the Southeast Bronx area.At the age of 15, he started a fledgling singing career when a talent agent heard him singing with a doo-wop group on a Bronx street corner...
. Stets also wrote and directed WHY WE FOUGHT, composed of interviews with World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
veterans from the United States, Canada, Great Britain and Germany.
Cricket Snapper was released on October 10, 2005, the twentieth anniversary of the death of Lawson’s hero of the same surname, Orson Welles
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
. Cricket Snapper cinematographer
Cinematographer
A cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera . The title is generally equivalent to director of photography , used to designate a chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image...
, Jerry Bagdasarian, was a veteran of the D-Day landings and worked on Rod Serling
Rod Serling
Rodman Edward "Rod" Serling was an American screenwriter, novelist, television producer, and narrator best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his science fiction anthology TV series, The Twilight Zone. Serling was active in politics, both on and off the screen and helped form...
's Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)
The Twilight Zone is an American anthology television series created by Rod Serling, which ran for five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964. The series consisted of unrelated episodes depicting paranormal, futuristic, dystopian, or simply disturbing events; each show typically featured a surprising...
series before working on independent films. Lawson Welles was born on the 60th birthday of Orson Welles
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
. Welles got the idea for the title after first meeting Bagdasarian to interview him over his experiences in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Jerry showed Lawson a cricket snapper, a device paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne and 101st Airborne units used to communicate with one another. Cricket Snapper is not the first film to feature this device, as John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
explained its usage to his men in the World War II epic, The Longest Day
The Longest Day (film)
The Longest Day is a 1962 war film based on the 1959 history book The Longest Day by Cornelius Ryan, about "D-Day", the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944, during World War II....
. The soundtrack to Cricket Snapper includes tracks by Church of Satan
Church of Satan
The Church of Satan is an organization dedicated to the acceptance of the carnal self, as articulated in The Satanic Bible, written in 1969 by Anton Szandor LaVey.- History :...
High Priests, Anton LaVey
Anton LaVey
Anton Szandor LaVey , born Howard Stanton Levey, was the founder of the Church of Satan as well as a writer, occultist, and musician...
and Peter H. Gilmore
Peter H. Gilmore
Peter Howard Gilmore is an American author and administrator of the Church of Satan. He was appointed High Priest of the Church in 2001 by Magistra Blanche Barton. Within the church, he is known as Magus Peter H...
.
Filmography
- Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV (soundtrack music, 2000)
- Cricket Snapper - Episode One: Ball and Chain of Evidence (writer/director/producer/Alan McDermott, released on DVD by Film Baby Distributors, 2005)
External links
- http://www.oldnickmagazine.com/lawson_feature.php
- http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=13114749&BRD=1713&PAG=461&dept_id=24491&rfi=6
- http://pawtuckettimes.com/site/...?brd=1713&dept_id=24491&newsid=13114749
- http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/hampton/01272006/news/84993.htm
- http://ledger.southofboston.com/articles/2006/01/12/news/news05.txt
- http://www.heraldnews.com/news/local_news/x541362536/Why-they-fought
- http://www.wickedlocal.com/fall-river/news/x415850212/Why-they-fought