31 Days of Halloween: PRODUCT OF HATE - "Unholy Manipulator" Revisited

Thursday, October 11 2018 10:00

31 Days of Halloween: PRODUCT OF HATE - "Unholy Manipulator" Revisited

Written by James Zahn

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31 Days of Halloween: PRODUCT OF HATE - "Unholy Manipulator" Revisited

Consider this as "Unholy Manipulator" Re-Revisited... and how is PRODUCT OF HATE connected to THE GOLDBERGS?

For whatever reason, October always seems to be an important month for PRODUCT OF HATE. This year, the band finds themselves in a holding pattern as the finishing touches are placed on their second full-length album, currently being mixed and mastered by Chris Collier (PRONG, Flotsam & Jetsam, KXM) at CMC21 Productions in Santa Clarita, California for a 2019 release. While the Halloween season for 2018 has work continuing behind-the-scenes to ready the next era for the band, the season brings with it some perennial favorites, and as I've noted in the past, I've had the good fortune to be a part of a few... one of which is PRODUCT OF HATE's UNHOLY MANIPULATOR. Whether you call it a "short film" or a "longform music video," it's a pretty special thing in that when we created it, the video paired the then-unsigned band with HELLRAISER star Ashley Laurence (who'd also appeared in Slipknot's "Snuff") and some big talent behind the camera (see below). And then there's the fact that yours truly handled directing/editing duties. The video gained a life of its own, eventually helping to secure the band a deal with Napalm Records, who issued PRODUCT OF HATE's debut album, BURIED IN VIOLENCE back in 2016. The video itself was originally released independently in 2012, reissued by Napalm for Halloween 2015, and it will forever live on as I feature it in 31 Days of Halloween here on THE ROCK FATHER™ Magazine once more! Evil monsters... wicked clowns... homages to RESERVOIR DOGS, FARGO, and THE WARRIORS... see it below!

The Official Synopsis: In the tradition of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" comes "The Unholy Manipulator," an ambitious, long-form video/short film from the American metal band, Product of Hate. When a customer in a small, independent video store decides to taunt the clerk, the line between reality and fantasy are tested as the two find themselves facing off in a horrific world of torture, monsters, and mayhem. Ashley Laurence of "Hellraiser" fame stars as herself and the title character within the movie within the movie, "The Unholy Manipulator."

Unholy Filming Shot over the course of three days in Crestline and Galion, Ohio, THE UNHOLY MANIPULATOR stars Ashley Laurence (HELLRAISER's "Kirsty Cotton") as both herself, and the title character, along with Tim Lovelace (AXE GIANT: THE WRATH OF PAUL BUNYAN, MOSQUITO) as the object of her aggression. Produced by Robert Kurtzman, the legendary "K" of KNB EFX Group (creator of FROM DUSK 'TILL DAWN, Director of WISHMASTER) and featuring the production team and visual FX work of his CREATURE CORPS (THE DEVIL'S REJECTS, HOSTEL, TUSK, YOGA HOSERS), the video's production crew also featured two contestants from SyFy's FACE OFF, with Beki Ingram and David "House" Greathouse lending their talents. But the entire crew was fantastic, and we couldn't have done it without their contributions. After a world premiere on the big screen at Chicago's historic Portage Theater, it made it's online debut via Bloody-Disgusting.

What is THE GOLDBERGS Connection?

While the entire crew that worked on "The Unholy Manipulator" has remained busy in recent years, Robert Kurtzman has a particularly fantastic month in-progress. October 2018 will see his work come to Netflix in The Haunting of Hill House, but he was also responsible for getting Robert Englund ready for some small-screen screams in the Halloween episode of The Goldbergs. Airing on ABC October 24, Englund is back in action as Freddy Krueger, and Kurtzman was there to apply the iconic makeup! Check out "Mr. Knifey-Hands" below...

Freddy Krueger on The Goldbergs

Want more from PRODUCT OF HATE? Get their debut album now, and check out "Rapture," the first single from their as-yet-untitled second album, coming in 2019!

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James Zahn

James Zahn is best-known as The Rock Father™, a media personality, commentator, adventurer and raconteur. He is the Owner, Publisher, and Editor-in-Chief of THE ROCK FATHER™ Magazine. In January, 2019, after nearly a decade of publishing The Rock Father™ Magazine, he joined Adventure Media and Events as Senior Editor of The Toy Book—the leading trade publication for the toy industry since 1984, as well as The Pop Insider — a destination for all things pop culture, and The Toy Insider — the leading consumer guide for toys and games. He is also editor of The Toy Report, a weekly newsletter published by The Toy Book each Thursday. Zahn has over 27 years of experience in the entertainment, retail and publishing industries.

He regularly serves as a Brand Ambassador and spokesperson for several Globally-recognized pop culture and lifestyle brands in addition to consulting for a number of toy manufacturers.

Creatively, James has directed/edited music videos, lyric videos, and album trailers for bands such as FEAR FACTORY, has appeared as an actor in feature films and commercials, written comic books, and performed in bands. He currently serves as an artist manager and video director for PRODUCT OF HATE, whose debut album was released by Napalm Records in 2016, distributed by ADA/Warner Music in the U.S. with Universal Music handling global. A new album has been completed and is set for release this year.

Zahn and/or his work have been featured in/on CNN, NBC, ABC, WGN, CBS, GCTN, G4, The Chicago Tribune, Forbes, MarketWatch, Reuters, BusinessWire, Fangoria, Starlog and more. He's appeared as a music expert on CNN's AC360 alongside Anderson Cooper, and has been interviewed by Larry King. In the past he served as a writer for the Netflix Stream Team, Fandango Family and PBS KIDS, penned articles for Sprout and PopSugar, and was a contributor to Chicago Parent.

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