Polonia brothers

Mark Polonia
Born (1968-09-30) September 30, 1968 (age 56)
Wellsboro, Pennsylvania, United States
Occupation(s)Film director, film producer, screenwriter, actor
John Polonia
Born(1968-09-30)September 30, 1968
Wellsboro, Pennsylvania, United States
DiedFebruary 25, 2008(2008-02-25) (aged 39)
United States
Occupation(s)Film director, film producer, screenwriter, actor

Twin brothers and filmmakers Mark Polonia and John Polonia (born September 30, 1968) founded Polonia Bros Entertainment and Cinegraphic Productions. Between them they have written, directed and produced over 40 feature films, often shot-on-video and mostly in the horror and science fiction genres, making them low-budget or even no-budget film cult icons.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

When John Polonia died suddenly at the age of 39 on February 25, 2008,[7] Mark Polonia continued to make films.

Life and career

[edit]

The youngest of five siblings, the brothers were interested in and making films from a very early age. Their first commercial release was Splatter Farm, released on VHS by Donna Michele Productions in 1987,[8] a shot-on-video offering, written, acted, directed and filmed by the teenage brothers and a high school friend.[9]

In 1996 the brothers' alien invasion film Feeders was picked up by Blockbuster in the aftermath of the commercial success of Independence Day, and became Blockbuster's No. 1 independent-film rental for the year.[10] Starring John Polonia and fellow-B-movie maker Jon McBride (Cannibal Campout, Woodchipper Massacre) in their first foray together, this film about an invasion of Earth by small rubbery flesh-eating monsters with no mouths marked the Polonias' first wide distribution and paved the way for future releases – perhaps 20 more of them before John's death in 2008.

Jon McBride became a regular collaborator with the brothers.[11][12] The themes approached in their collaborations include killer piranhas, killer Easter bunnies, haunted houses, trips to Mars, assorted demons,

In 2007 they released a new and improved cut of Splatter Farm, on DVD through Camp Motion Pictures.[13] The new version is missing a couple of the more outrageous scenes that made the original a 'cult classic'.[14]

Within the indie film community, the brothers were known for their kindness and generosity to aspiring film-makers.[15]

Polonia Brothers Entertainment and Cinegraphic Productions released Halloweenight, based on a screenplay by, and dedicated to the memory of, the late John Polonia, in October 2009.

According to Film Threat ”Mark Polonia is best known (if he is at all) for his ridiculous, though insanely fun, output such as Shark Encounters Of The Third Kind and Deadly Playthings. These productions intentionally trade on their low-budget schtick with absurd premises that ask the viewer to laugh and have fun, as the movie is in on the joke."[16]

Filmography

[edit]

Films directed by Mark and John Polonia

[edit]
  • Church of the Damned; 1985, released 1985[17]
  • Hallucinations; 1986, released 2007 as an extra on Splatter Beach[18]
  • Splatter Farm; 1986, released 1987 Donna Michelle Productions, released 2007 Camp Motion Pictures[19]
  • Lethal Nightmare; Filmed 1987 – released 2013 Sub Rosa / SRS Limited Release[20]
  • Saurians; released 1994 on Polonia Brothers Entertainment[21]
  • Hellspawn; released 2003 on Brentwood 4-pack "Spawn of the Devil"[22]
  • How to Slay a Vampire; released 2004 on Brentwood 4-pack "Blood Hunt"
  • Savage Vows; released 1995 on Brentwood 4-pack "Illicit Affairs, Savage Vows"
  • Feeders; released 1996 Blockbuster, released 2003 Sub Rosa Studios[23]
  • Feeders 2: Slay Bells; released 1998 Sub Rosa Studios
  • Terror House; released 2004 Sub Rosa Studios
  • Nightcrawlers; currently re-released 2003 on Brentwood 4-pack "Spawn of the Devil"
  • Bad Magic; released by Sub Rosa Studios
  • The House That Screamed; released 2000 Sub Rosa Studios
  • Dweller; re-released 2004 on Brentwood 4-pack "Sleazy Slashers"
  • Dinosaur Chronicles; re-released 2004 on Brentwood 4-pack "Galaxy of Terror"
  • Blood Red Planet; released 2000, re-released 2005 on Brentwood 4-pack "Galaxy of Terror"[24]
  • Night Thirst; released 2002, re-released 2004 on Brentwood 4-pack "Sleazy Slashers"
  • Hellgate: The House that Screamed 2; released 2001 Sub Rosa Studios
  • Gorilla Warfare: Battle of the Apes; 2002; co-directed by Jon McBride[25][26][27]
  • Preylien: Alien Predators; released 2005 on Brentwood 4-pack "Galaxy of Terror"
  • Among Us; released 2004 Sub Rosa Studios
  • Peter Rottentail; released 2004 Sub Rosa Studios[28]
  • Razorteeth; released 2005 Sub Rosa Studios[29] — not to be confused with Razortooth [fr], a 2007 horror film by Patricia Harrington
  • Black Mass (a.k.a. Dead Knight); released Cine Excel Entertainment in Japan
  • Wildcat; released Cine Excel Entertainment in Japan
  • Splatter Beach; released 2007 Camp Motion Pictures[30]
  • Forest Primeval; released 2008 Tempe Entertainment
  • Monster Movie; released 2008 Tempe Entertainment

Films by Mark Polonia only

[edit]

As director

[edit]
  • Halloweenight; released 2009 Tempe Entertainment[31]
  • Army of Wolves; 2010
  • E.V.E. of Destruction; released 2012 Cine Excel Entertainment
  • Empire of the Apes 3D; released 2013 Sterling Entertainment
  • Chainsaw Killer; released 2013 Sub Rosa Studios
  • Feeders – Directors Cut; released June 2013 Sub Rosa Studios
  • Camp Blood First Slaughter; released 2014 Sterling Entertainment
  • Jurassic Prey (alternate title "Meateaters"); released 2015 Wild Eye Releasing
  • Amityville Death House; released 2015 Retromedia
  • Bigfoot Vs. Zombies; released 2016 Wild Eye Releasing
  • Sharkenstein; released 2016 Wild Eye Releasing
  • Amityville Exorcism; released 2017 Wild Eye Releasing
  • Land Shark; released 2017 Camp Motion Pictures[32]
  • Revolt of the Empire of the Apes; released 2017 Sterling Entertainment
  • Nightmare Vacation, 2017[33]
  • Camp Blood 7; released 2017 Sterling Entertainment
  • Ghost of Camp Blood (Camp Blood 8); released 2018 Sterling Entertainment
  • War Raiders; released 2018 Sterling Entertainment
  • Frozen Sasquatch; released 2018 Sterling Entertainment[34]
  • Alien Surveillance; released 2018 Wild Eye Releasing
  • Robowar (formerly Battle Bots); released 2018 Sterling Entertainment[35]
  • Camp Blood Kills; released 2019 Sterling Entertainment
  • Deadly Playthings; released 2019 SRS Cinema
  • Bride of the Werewolf; released 2019 Sterling Entertainment
  • Amityville Island; released 2020 Wild Eye Releasing
  • Shark Encounters of the Third Kind; released 2020 Wild Eye Releasing
  • Return to Splatter Farm; released 2020 Wild Eye Releasing (co-directed by Jeff Kirkendall)
  • Children of Camp Blood; released 2020 Sterling Entertainment
  • Invasion of the Empire of the Apes; released 2021 Sterling Entertainment
  • Camp Murder; released 2021 SRS Cinema[36]
  • Virus Shark; released 2021 SRS Cinema
  • Dune World; released 2021 SRS Cinema
  • Jurassic Shark 2: Aquapocalypse; released 2021 Wild Eye Releasing
  • Noah's Shark; released 2021 Wild Eye Releasing
  • Hell on the Shelf; released 2021 SRS Cinema
  • Sister Krampus; released 2022 SRS Cinema
  • R.I.P. Van Winkle; released 2022 Alpha Home Entertainment (on DVD as "RIP"); released 2022 Wild Eye Releasing (on streaming as "R.I.P. Van Winkle") ( co-directed by Frank Durant)
  • Reel Monsters; released 2022 Camp Motion Pictures[16]
  • House Squatch; released 2022 SRS Cinema
  • Feeders 3; May 2022 release Wild Eye Releasing
  • Sharkula [fr]; June 2022 release Wild Eye Releasing
  • Amityville in Space; July 2022 release Wild Eye Releasing
  • Doll Shark; released 2022 SRS Cinema
  • Motorboat; released 2023 SRS Cinema
  • R.I.P. Van Winkle Part 2; released 2023 Alpha Home Entertainment (co-directed by Jeff Kirkendall)
  • R.I.P. Van Winkle Part 3; released 2023 Alpha Home Entertainment (co-directed by Jeff Kirkendall)
  • Cocaine Shark; released 2023 Wild Eye Releasing
  • Jurassic Shark 3: Seavenge; released 2023 Wild Eye Releasing
  • Yule Log; released 2023 SRS Cinema
  • Snow Babes; released 2023 New Dynamic Pictures (co-directed by Tim Hatch)
  • Revenge of the Empire of the Apes; released 2023 Sterling Entertainment
  • Saurians 2; released 2023 Wild Eye Releasing[37]
  • The Stalking; anticipated 2024 release (co-directed by Jeff Kirkendall)
  • Cocaine Werewolf; released in 2024

As writer and producer only

[edit]
  • Muckman; released 2009 Chemical Burn Entertainment (Directed by Brett Piper)

As producer only

[edit]
  • The Dark Sleep; Released April 2013 Retromedia Entertainment (Written and Directed by Brett Piper)
  • Queen Crab; released 2015 Wild Eye Releasing (Written and Directed by Brett Piper)

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Lindenmuth, Kevin J. (July 1, 1998). Making Movies on Your Own: Practical Talk from Independent Filmmakers. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-0517-6.
  2. ^ Waltz, Douglas (January 7, 2021). Monstervision: The Films of John and Mark Polonia. Amazon Digital Services LLC - KDP Print US. ISBN 979-8-5566-1091-0.
  3. ^ Symchuk, Adam (December 1, 2023). "The Best 'So Bad It's Good' Christmas Movies". MovieWeb. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  4. ^ Nark, Jason (July 5, 2019). "Pennsylvania filmmaker passionate about bad taste, piling up bodies". Inquirer. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  5. ^ Woinski, Bart (March 4, 2022). "A Vampire Shark Terrorizes Townsfolk in Sharkula Trailer". ScreenRant. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  6. ^ Albright, Brian (November 8, 2012). Regional Horror Films, 1958-1990: A State-by-State Guide with Interviews. McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-0042-0.
  7. ^ "Outsider – John Polonia: 1968 – 2008, PopMatters". PopMatters. March 5, 2008. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  8. ^ Bleedingskull.com Archived March 22, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ "Mark Polonia: The Hardest Working Man in the Bad Movie Business". Paste Magazine. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  10. ^ "Jeff Dylan Graham". www.b-independent.com. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  11. ^ Francis, R. D. (November 20, 2021). "Exploring: SOV Filmmaker Jon McBride". B&S About Movies. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  12. ^ "(re)Search my Trash". www.searchmytrash.com. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  13. ^ "DVD Talk". www.dvdtalk.com. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  14. ^ Ziemba, Joseph A.; Budnik, Dan (October 29, 2020). Bleeding Skull!: A 1980s Trash-Horror Odyssey. SCB Distributors. ISBN 978-1-909394-14-8.
  15. ^ "We Took Your Mom Out For a Seafood Dinner and Never Called Her Back. - John Polonia: In Memory". Potentially Offensive. July 15, 2011. Archived from the original on July 15, 2011. Retrieved December 27, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  16. ^ a b "Reel Monsters Featured, Reviews Film Threat". February 15, 2022. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
  17. ^ "Church of the Damned (Review)". Horror Society. March 15, 2021. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  18. ^ "Review: Hallucinations (1986)". CONFLUENCE OF CULT. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  19. ^ Miller, Steve (October 18, 2010). 150 Movies You Should Die Before You See. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4405-0902-5.
  20. ^ "American Genre Film Archive LETHAL NIGHTMARE". www.americangenrefilm.com. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
  21. ^ "SAURIANS | The Bedlam Files". Retrieved December 31, 2023.
  22. ^ "Hellspawn (1993) – No Budget Monster HORROR MOVIE REVIEW". SCARED STIFF REVIEWS. September 20, 2015. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
  23. ^ Nanarland. "Feeders - la chronique de Nanarland". www.nanarland.com (in French). Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  24. ^ "BLOOD RED PLANET". www.b-independent.com. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  25. ^ Gorilla Warfare: Battle of the Apes (2002) | MUBI, retrieved December 29, 2023
  26. ^ Gorilla Warfare: Battle of the Apes Blu-ray, retrieved December 29, 2023
  27. ^ Lamberson, Gregory (January 10, 2014). Cheap Scares!: Low Budget Horror Filmmakers Share Their Secrets. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-5202-6.
  28. ^ Peter Rottentail (2004) | MUBI, retrieved December 30, 2023
  29. ^ "Razorteeth". TVGuide.com. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  30. ^ "DVD Talk". www.dvdtalk.com. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  31. ^ Rowan, Terry (February 7, 2015). Halloween A Scary Film Guide. Lulu.com. ISBN 978-1-312-86727-7.
  32. ^ Moore, Debi (November 11, 2016). "Land Shark Coming Ashore in Spring 2017". Dread Central. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  33. ^ "Nightmare Vacation (Review)". Horror Society. March 16, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  34. ^ Frozen Sasquatch (2018), retrieved December 30, 2023
  35. ^ "BattleBots (2018) - Moria". www.moriareviews.com. October 11, 2023. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  36. ^ Camp Murder (2020), retrieved December 29, 2023
  37. ^ Berry, Mark F. (August 31, 2015). The Dinosaur Filmography. McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-0674-3.
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