Zadar! Cow From Hell
Encyclopedia
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
, low budget
Low budget film
A low-budget film is a motion picture shot with little or no funding from a major film studio or private investor. Many Independent films are made on low budgets but films made on the mainstream circuit with unexperienced or unknown filmmakers can also have low budgets. Many young or first time...
comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
directed by Robert C. Hughes. The film was released in 1989 and shown in select theaters, mostly located in eastern Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
. In a two night theatrical run, the film grossed over $25,000. It also premiered at the Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
http://www.drscience.com/store.htmhttp://www.keepmedia.com/pubs/PRNewswire/2005/06/27/909978.
The film was written by and cast with members of the Duck's Breath Mystery Theater, a successful comic acting troupe. The idea was originally introduced Merle Kessler, who was inspired by "Zarda", a dairy in Kansas City, that had a statue of a giant cow. The film was shot in and around Iowa City, Tipton, Solon and Mount Vernon, Iowa
Mount Vernon, Iowa
Mount Vernon is a city in Linn County, Iowa, United States, adjacent to the city of Lisbon. The city's population was 3,390 when the 2000 census figures were released, but that number was later revised to 3,808 because the Census Bureau had incorrectly reported that 418 residents of a Cornell...
.
The plot of the movie revolves around a struggling Hollywood director who wished to return to his home state of Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
and create a successful horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
. However, upon arriving in Iowa, the young director (played by Merle Kessler) is immediately distracted by old friends and family, a problem which will plague him throughout the making of his film, Zadar! Cow From Hell.
The film within a film is sprinkled with bits of humor, usually consisting of short one-liner
One-liner
One-liner may refer to:*one-liner joke*one-liner program, textual input to the command-line of an operating system shell that performs some function in just one line of input...
s. However, the film's defining moment comes when the individuals meant to be playing cows realize that they cannot remove the plastic horns from their heads. This causes chaos and frustration, and is later linked with the demise of the project.
While Zadar! Cow From Hell is far from a cult classic, (it's said to be Ashton Kutcher's favorite film) it was enjoyed by the local communities, and eventually released on VHS and DVD, although not through a major distribution network. The film also gained attention from outside the movie-going community, eventually even having a meal named after it at the Hamburg Inn No. 2
Hamburg Inn No. 2
The Hamburg Inn No. 2 is a small family diner located near downtown in Iowa City, Iowa, in the United States. The Hamburg Inn is a regular stop for presidential candidates during the Iowa Caucuses...
, a local diner. There, the "Zadar" omelette consists of two eggs, ground beef, cheese, and homefries. There is also a reference to the movie in the RPG game Neverwinter Nights
Neverwinter Nights
Neverwinter Nights , produced by BioWare and published by Infogrames , is a third-person perspective computer role-playing game that is based on third edition Dungeons & Dragons and Forgotten Realms rules. It was originally to be published by Interplay Entertainment, but the publisher's financial...
, in which a cheat that summons killer cows is entered by typing "dm_cowsfromhell".
Complete Credited Cast
- Robert C. Hughes - Director
- Bill Allard - Mr Nifty
- Dan Coffey - Rex
- Merle Kessler - Sleepless Walker
- Leon Martell - Dan Tension
- Jim TurnerJim Turner (comedian)Jim Turner is an American actor and comedian, born in Colorado Springs, Colorado. His father, George Turner, was in the Air Force and moved his family around often during Jim's youth to places including Quebec, Arizona, and Iowa. Turner married Lynn Freer in 1992 and they have a son, Otto...
- Max - Deborah Gwinn - Amy Walker
- Eric Topham - Ralph Jr
- Ned Holbrook - Chip
- Toby HussToby HussToby Edward Huss is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Artie, the Strongest Man in the World on the cult hit Nickelodeon TV series The Adventures of Pete & Pete, for his voice-over work on the long running animated series King of the Hill, and for his role as Felix 'Stumpy'...
- Clerk - Glen JacksonGlen JacksonGlen Jackson may refer to:*Glen Jackson *Glen Jackson , Canadian Football League player*Glen Jackson *Glen Jackson...
- Whitey the 2nd Clerk - Harry Epstein - Angry Cow
- Ben Rollins - Protester
- Paul Neff - Feed Cap Guy
- John HoranJohn HoranPatrick J. Horan was a Major League Baseball pitcher and outfielder during part of the 1884 season. Horan made 13 appearances as a pitcher and 10 as an outfielder in a total of 20 games for the Chicago Browns of the Union Association...
- Boy in Crowd - Nick Bjork - Autistic Child
- Steve Baker - Associate Producer
- Scott Smith - Executive Producer
- Robert Hughes - Producer
- Tom Higgins - Associate Producer
- Oak O'Connor - UPM - 1st AD