Starring - Johnny Sederquist (Frankenstein's Hungry Dead, Future Justice), Anna Rizzo (The Sins of Dracula, Tangled 8), and Jamie Dufault (Flesh for the Inferno, Murder University)
Release Date - 2016
Genre - Fantasy/Comedy
Format - Streaming (Online Screener)
Rating (out of 5):
Richard Griffin is one of my favorite directors. His films are always fun. Some have plenty of gore and beautiful women while others are funny and leaves the viewer in stitches. Griffin is also a very versatile filmmaker. Most directors like George A. Romero and Dario Argento find themselves making the same kind of films over and over again which becomes stale after awhile. Don't get me wrong, Romero is another favorite of mine but his movies are very predictable. However, you can't say that about Griffin. You never know what he is going to throw as us next. Is it going to be an incestual musical, a parody of shot on video horror, a love letter to Lucio Fulci, or his take on a William Shakespeare tale. Sometime ago Griffin announced he would be making a Scorpio Film's rendition of A Midsummer Night's Dream. I know dick about Shakespeare but I love Griffin's work so I was open to it and followed it very closely. When Griffin announced that the film was completed and he was sending it out to reviewers I couldn't wait. I reached out to him (because I assume he forgot about me) and he was kind enough to hook me up with a link. Thanks Richard.
The film follows a young couple who is madly in love but her father forbids her to be with him because he wants her to marry someone else. She is given time to marry the guy her father wants her to or she will be executed. The young couple rush out into the woods so they can elope. Also in the woods is a group of thespians who are rehearsing a new play and a fairy king. While they are their in the woods the young couple and the theater group find themselves on a business end of a series of pranks at the hands of the fair Puck (Sederquist). When the king discovers that he has messed up he is tasked with fixing his mistakes.
I have yet to see a Richard Griffin film that I did not like. His films are always fun and hit the nail on the head. I was concerned when he announced that he would be directing A Midsummer Night's Dream. I was afraid that because I was not familiar with Shakespeare's work that I would miss the point of the film. Lucky for me, Griffin is one hell of a director and made the movie all his own. The acting in this one is easily the best acted indie film I have ever seen. The entire cast is amazing with no weak links in the chain. It is damn near impossible to pick a stand out actor because they are all so good. We get amazing performances from Aaron Andrade, Alexander Platt, Anna Rizzo, Jamie Dufault, Johnny Sederquist, and Laura Pepper. This is just a few members of this amazing cast but everyone deserves acknowledgement. The story for this one is fun as hell and fairly close to the source material. I know this because I watched this video here prior to checking this one out. The film has a lot of laughs and beautiful dialogue. Normally, a dialogue rich film would bore me to tears but this one simply mesmerized me. The cast really moves this story along and holds it together. Finally, if you are looking for gore and bloody kills then this is the wrong Griffin film for you. However, if you want a visually stunning fantasy film with some laughs and amazing sets this this one is for you. The film uses classic sets that I truly love and miss along with perfect lighting and cinematography. Overall, A Midsummer Night's Dream is a beautiful film that has some of the best acting you will ever seen come across the screen. The film is brilliant and you will be hard pressed to find another indie production look this damn good. 
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