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The Ghastly Love of Johnny X (February Tbc)

A truly mad concoction, blending 1950s juvenile delinquents, sci-fi melodrama, song-and-dance, and a touch of horror, everything in just the right combination to create an engaging big screen spectacle! This curious and curiously entertaining story involves one Jonathan Xavier and his devoted misfit gang who, incidentally, have been exiled to Earth from the far reaches of outer space. Johnny’s former girlfriend Bliss has left him and stolen his Resurrection Suit,...

I always wonder how certain weird/quirky looking movies can become hits or cult classics, while others just never find an audience or simply fall through the cracks. In the case of The Ghastly Love Of Johnny X, the film is likely a member of the latter club, although hopefully we can bring it a little attention with this article here. Most recently, the director of the film, Paul Bunnell, emailed me to ask if we would consider posting his film's trailer on our YouTube channel, as the...

Release Date: Available Now on DVD! Written By: Steve Bingen, Paul Bunnell, Mark D. Murphy, George Wagner Directed By: Paul Bunnell Starring: Will Keenan, Creed Bratton, De Anna Joy Brooks, Reggie Bannister, Les Williams, Jed Rowen, Kate Maberly, Paul Williams, Kevin McCarthy, Heather R. Provost

Review by Daniel Xiii.

Give All Of Your Love To Johnny X!

Ya know what the best part of livin’ the rock n’ roll lifestyle of a rollickin’ reviewer is? No, it isn’t the mountains of cash, the mansions full of lovely ladies, or the non-stop adulation from tens of people. No, fiends, for me the best part is discovering obscure gems of cinematic rad-assness that I can turn you cats and creeps onto! To that end, let me lay a real treat on you: The Ghastly Love Of Johnny X!

Now to start this she-bang off right, I gotta say that I enjoy...

The Ghastly Love of Johnny X is the brainchild of director Paul Bunnell, one he carried about for nine grueling years. The birth of the DVD, released last week, was not an easy one, but no one was surprised. There were warnings that the end result would be deplorably off-kilter. Some, who were in the room when Bunnell's fertilized idea was first sonogrammed -- in "Ghastly Scope," a vivid black and white, by the not untalented cinematographer Francisco Bulgarelli -- had high hopes; others hinted subtly, yet harshly, for a termination of the celluloid fetus.

Inseminated (or inspired) after watching Tom Graeff's 1959 supposedly cult movie Teenagers from Outer Space, Bunnell pulled together a cast that is about 15-20 years too old for almost every part. Imagine The Golden Girls surfing, or David Spade as Tom Sawyer, and you're halfway there.

Which brings up a critical conundrum. Since Ghastly is...

Back in February of 2012 we told you about a little indie flick called The Ghastly Love of Johnny X. Nobody heard us. Nobody listened. And now... well now the little flick has gone on to live in infamy!

CBS News is reporting that the Paul Bunnell directed film, starring Will Keenan and De Anna Joy Brooks as well as Creed Bratton ("The Office"), Reggie Bannister (Phantasm), Kate Maberly (The Secret Garden), Paul Williams (Phantom of the Paradise), and the late Kevin McCarthy (Invasion of the Body Snatchers) in his final role, has gone on to become the lowest grossing film of 2012, raking in a whopping $117.00 at the box office! How much you wanna bet it goes on to make bank on home video and midnight screenings because of that?

Synopsis:

The Ghastly Love Of Johnny X is a truly mad concoction – a mesmerizing big screen spectacular! Johnny X and his...

You probably best know Creed Bratton as, well, Creed Bratton. The 70-year-old — who played guitar in The Grass Roots — has made an acting career for himself by playing a character bearing his same name on NBC's "The Office" since 2005. Now that the show is in its final season, Bratton is stepping out in more film roles, one of them as Sen. Charles Sumner in "Saving Lincoln." Out in limited release today, the film chronicles the friendship between President Abraham Lincoln (yes, another Lincoln-centric movie) and his faithful bodyguard, Ward Hill Lamon, in the contentious time of abolition.

NextMovie caught up with Bratton ahead of the film's release and talked about Lincoln cage matches, the bow of "The Office," and how he feels about karaoke. (Hint: Not positively!)

Congratulations on the movie. Have you seen a final cut yet?

I haven't seen it yet, I'm waiting for the premiere. He sent me a copy,...

The 15th San Francisco Independent Film Festival (Sf IndieFest) features mind-blowing, enlightening, genre-bending independent films from around the world. Running February 8th thru 21 at the Brava Theatre, Roxie Theatre, Vortex Room, Sf IndieFest 2013 will open with the U.S. premiere of Michel Gondry's much anticipated The We and the I. Other must see screenings at Sf IndieFest 2013 include: All the Light in the Sky, Antiviral, Be Good, Berberian Sound Studio, The Ghastly Love of Johnny X, I Declare War, It's A Disaster, The International Sign for Choking, The Last Elvis, The Revisionaries, Sightseers, Simon Killer, Sun Don't Shine, Video Diary of a Lost Girl and Wrong.

Directed by: Paul Bunnell

Written by: Paul Bunnell, Steve Bingen, Mark D. Murphy, George Wagner

Starring: Will Keenan, De Anna Joy Brooks, Les Williams, Reggie Bannister, Paul Williams, Kevin McCarthy

Bad boy alien Johnny Xavier (Will Keenan) and his gang The Ghastly Ones are charged with theft and civil disobedience. They are exiled to Earth by the Grand Inquisitor (the late, great Kevin McCarthy) until they can demonstrate an unselfish act.

One year later, after finding shelter in a desert cave, leather-clad Johnny and his rebellious teen followers are still no closer to redemption. It seems Johnny’s main squeeze, Bliss (De Anna Joy Brooks), has decided to escape from the gang to find fulfillment elsewhere. After wandering for days, she stumbles into a diner on the outskirts of the desert, befriending a naïve soda jerk named Chip (Les Williams).

Also at the diner are music promoter King Clayton (Phantasm...

Paul Williams has written some of the most beloved songs of his generation, but he's also a prolific actor, including a recent stint in The Ghastly Love of Johnny X, and here's a new clip featuring him as "Cousin Quilty".

The film is directed by Paul Bunnell; written by Steve Bingen, Paul Bunnell, Mark D. Murphy, and George Wagner; and produced by Paul Bunnell, John Duffy, Ezra Kemp, Kristina West, Mark Willoughby, Ramzi Abed, and Joe Rios.

Synopsis:

The Ghastly Love Of Johnny X is a truly mad concoction – a mesmerizing big screen spectacular! Johnny X and his rebellious gang of juvenile delinquents from outer space (called the Ghastly Ones) have been banished to planet Earth until they can pay for their crimes. The Ghastly Ones are in hot pursuit of a mysterious femme fatale named Bliss, who has stolen their most prized possession—a strange suit with magical powers known as the “resurrection suit.

Well, now, from one cult musical to another it would appear that Paul Williams - aka Swan from Brian DePalma's Phantom Of The Paradise - has got himself a wee part in Paul Bunnell's The Ghastly Love Of Johnny X.Johnny X and his rebellious gang of juvenile delinquents from outer space (called the Ghastly Ones) have been banished to planet Earth until they can pay for their crimes. The Ghastly Ones are in hot pursuit of a mysterious femme fatale named Bliss, who has stolen their most prized possession--a strange suit with magical powers known as the "resurrection suit." When Johnny X wears this suit, he can control anyone against their will. To capture Bliss, Johnny must form an unlikely alliance with a shifty...

On the fence about The Ghastly Love of Johnny X, which is billed as "the only sci-fi dark comedy musical romance you need to see this year"? Then watch this trio of promo clips, and if you live in or around San Jose, check it out in early March at the Cinequest Film Festival.

The Ghastly Love of Johnny X will have its world premiere at this year’s Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose, California, on March 3rd with two additional showings on the 6th and 10th. Screening times are as follows:

Saturday, March 3rd at 9:30 pm – California Theatre (World Premiere)

Tuesday, March 6th at 7:00 pm – San Jose Repertory Theatre

Saturday, March 10th at 4:45 pm – San Jose Repertory Theatre

The film is directed by Paul Bunnell; written by Steve Bingen, Paul Bunnell, Mark D. Murphy, and George Wagner; and produced by Paul Bunnell, John Duffy, Ezra Kemp,...

You know, just the other day someone asked if we knew of any films that combine 1950s sci-fi melodrama, song-and-dance, and a touch of horror. Good thing info on the premiere of The Ghastly Love of Johnny X has just landed in our inbox!

The Ghastly Love of Johnny X will have its world premiere at this year’s Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose, California, on March 3rd with two additional showings on the 6th and 10th. Screening times are as follows:

Saturday, March 3rd at 9:30 pm – California Theatre (World Premiere)

Tuesday, March 6th at 7:00 pm – San Jose Repertory Theatre

Saturday, March 10th at 4:45 pm – San Jose Repertory Theatre

The film is directed by Paul Bunnell; written by Steve Bingen, Paul Bunnell, Mark D. Murphy, and George Wagner; and produced by Paul Bunnell, John Duffy, Ezra Kemp, Kristina West, Mark Willoughby, Ramzi Abed, and Joe Rios.

It was all the way back in February of 2009 that we first wrote about Paul Bunnell's The Ghastly Love Of Johnny X. A deliberate throwback to the pulpy drive-in movies of the 1950's Johnny X is a labor of love for Bunnell and all involved, and that labor is finally coming to an end.Johnny X and his rebellious gang of juvenile delinquents from outer space (called the Ghastly Ones) have been banished to planet Earth until they can pay for their crimes. The Ghastly Ones are in hot pursuit of a mysterious femme fatale named Bliss, who has stolen their most prized possession--a strange suit with magical powers known as the "resurrection suit." When Johnny X wears this suit, he can control anyone...