Lake Michigan Monster: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

[[File:John William Waterhouse A Mermaid.jpg|150px|thumb|right|alt=An oil painting of a mermaid brushing her hair|The original concept was based on the idea of a [[mermaid]] being washed ashore in Lake Michigan, it was later changed into a [[lake monster]]]]

''Lake Michigan Monster'' was written, produced, and directed by Ryland Brickson Cole Tews, with development for the film beginning sometime in 2018. Inspiration for the film came about after a conversation between Tews and his close friend Erick West. Tews, who was in the process of moving to Los Angeles at the time, was visiting Lake Michigan with West where the two jokingly struck up a conversation on what would happen if they were to witness a [[mermaid]] washing up on the shore of the lake. Believing the concept was a great idea for a potential feature film, Tews began developing the film's screenplay shortly afterward, marking Tews' [[Directorial Debut|feature film debut]].<ref name="Mueller 2018b"/><ref name="Dahl 2020a"/><ref name="Muir 2020"/> Concluding that the film would be a [[Low-budget film|low-budget production]], Tews developed the film's screenplay with his friend and fellow filmmaker Mike Cheslik,<ref name="Harvey 2024"/> writing sequences around specific locations where he knew he could film, with the intention that he (Tews) also starred in the film. Development of the film's screenplay was influenced by Tews' love of the British comedy group [[Monty Python]] and the earlier episodes of the television series ''[[The Simpsons]]''.<ref name="Mueller 2018b"/><ref name="Rake 2020"/><ref name="Vinney 2020"/><ref name="Monaghan 2019"/> Tews also listed additional influences such as the films of [[Guy Maddin]], specifically ''[[Brand Upon the Brain]]'' (2006), and [[Sam Raimi]]'s ''[[Evil Dead II]]'' (1987), for the film's humor and style.<ref name="Dahl 2020a"/><ref name="Rake 2020"/> Early on in development, the original idea of a mermaid was changed into that of a [[lake monster]], as they felt it was "more attainable". Tews and co-writer and producer Cheslik also came up with the idea to keep the film at a brisk pace, reasoning that its potential audience would see through the film's limited budget and lose interest. Dialogue and characters were also deliberately structured around friends and family of Tews, whom he had in mind for certain roles. In an interview with ''[[Comic Book Resources]]'', Tews stated, "They more or less play themselves in the movie, and because they're not classically trained actors... I kind of just wrote their characters as who they are in person".<ref name="Vinney 2020"/>

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[[Category:Parodies of horror]]

[[Category:English-language science fiction horror films]]

[[Category:English-language independent films]]

[[Category:English-language fantasy films]]