It’s coming up to almost two decades since the tragic passing of River Phoenix. He starred in classics such as STAND BY ME, MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO and was even the young Indy in Spielberg’s INDIANA JONES & THE LAST CRUSADE. He’s since gone on to become a cultural icon, much in the same mould as the legendary James Dean. Phoenix died of heart-failure brought on by drug use on Halloween night 1993 at the infamous Viper Room nightclub in Hollywood. He was more than halfway through filming George Sluizer’s DARK BLOOD, a head-twisting psycho-thriller set to co-star Jonathan Pryce and Judy Davis – the film was never completed.
Last year, the director who give us the unflinching and chilling original THE VANISHING, as well as the tepid remake starring Kiefer Sutherland, Sandra Bullock and Jeff Bridges, confirmed he was looking to finance and finalise DARK BLOOD. Unfortunately the Phoenix family didn’t give their blessing, possibly looking at the project as a macabre cash-in on the upcoming 20th Anniversary of his death. Sluizer has promised his decision was due to the fact he is now on borrowed time (having discovered a few years ago he has a brain aneurysm) and wants to finally premiere the finished film at next years Dutch Film Festival.
Below, we the trailer the director has released in order to acquire the money needed to finally complete his vision. He is looking to work with the Dutch funding website CineCrowd, where fans can donate money to help complete and, eventually, release the film.
Craig was our great north east correspondent, proving that it’s so ‘grim up north’ that losing yourself in a world of film is a foregone prerequisite. He has been studying the best (and often worst) of both classic and modern cinema at the University of Life for as long as he can remember. Craig’s favorite films include THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, JFK, GOODFELLAS, SCARFACE, and most of John Carpenter’s early work, particularly THE THING and HALLOWEEN.
