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John Portanova

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Horror Fuel

John Portanova Talks Filmmaking, Sasquatch, And His Movie Hunting Grounds

John Portanova is making his feature directorial debut with ‘Hunting Grounds’ (previously titled Valley of the Sasquatch), a film about family, desperation, and deadly beasts. This afternoon Portanova took a few minutes to talk with me about the film. Horror Fuel: “Can you tell us a little about your film Hunting Grounds?” JP: “Yes, Hunting Grounds is the new film that I was involved with through the production company October People. It’s actually the first film I have directed. It’s a horror movie about a family that falls on hard times, they are forced to move into a cabin in the woods that happens to be smack-dab in the middle of Bigfoot territory. ” Horror Fuel: “You wrote it as well, correct? JP: “It was actually the first screenplay I ever wrote, at this point, it’s been about a decade ago. I wrote it right after I got out of film school. I decided that I needed to write a

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Kelli Marchman McNeely
Jan 27, 2017
Horror Fuel

Movie Review: Hunting Grounds is Big on Feet and Short on Frights

When someone says the word Sasquatch, for most people it brings to mind the Patterson–Gimlin film footage of Bigfoot striding along Bluff Creek back in October of 1967. Many, including myself, believe that cryptid creatures exist in our world despite the fact that we may never have seen them. Of course if there was a chance to actually see a cryptid, certainly most would prefer a passive encounter at a safe distance. But if you wander into their territory, there are no guarantees of hospitality. This is a lesson that a group of men are about to learn the hard way. Tragedy has struck leaving Michael Crew motherless and Roger Crew a widower. They are at rock bottom having no money and no home except for an old ramshackle cabin located deep in the woods of northern Washington State. This is a situation that will push an already strained relationship between this father and son, to its absolute breaking point.

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Capt McNeely
Jan 25, 2017
Horror Fuel

This February Enter The ‘Hunting Grounds’

Genre icon Bill Oberst Jr. stars in the award-winning creature feature ‘Hunting Grounds’, from Uncork’d Entertainment. Writer-director John Portanova’s film centers on a fractured family forced to go up against an angry clan of Bigfoot in order to survive. Oberst stars alongside Miles Joris-Peyrafitte, Jason Vail, David Saucedo, D’Angelo Midili, Kevin Sheen, and Connor Conrad as the beast. From the Press Release: Uncork’d Entertainment has set award-winning creature feature HUNTING GROUNDS for a Feb 7 release. Winner Best Sci-Fi Horror Film at the Toronto Independent Film Festival 2015, writer-director John Portanova’s acclaimed film sees a fractured family forced to go up against an angry clan of Bigfoot. Festival audiences and horror critics have gone crazy for the story of a father and son, forced to move to an old cabin in the woods after a devastating tragedy, who unearth a tribe of Sasquatch. Written and directed by John Portanova and produced by horror label The October People, Hunting Grounds stars

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Kelli Marchman McNeely
Dec 30, 2016
Horror Fuel

Uncork’d Entertainment Snags Distribution Rights To Hunting Grounds

High Octane Pictures announced today that Uncork’d Entertainment has picked the distribution rights to the creature feature Hunting Grounds,originally titled Valley of the Sasquatch, from writer-director John Portanova. Starring Bill Oberst Jr., Jason Vail, Miles Joris-Peyrafitte, David Saucedo, D’Angel Midili and Connor Conrad as “The Beast”, Hunting Grounds, follows a fractured family as they fight to survive against a tribe of angry Sasquatch. From the Press Release: Uncork’d Entertainment is set to distribute the award-winning creature feature HUNTING GROUNDS, sales agent High Octane Pictures announced today. Winner Best Sci-Fi Horror Film at the Toronto Independent Film Festival 2015, writer-director John Portanova’s acclaimed film sees a fractured family forced to go up against an angry clan of Bigfoot. Festival audiences and horror critics have gone crazy for the story of a father and son, forced to move to an old cabin in the woods after a devastating tragedy, who unearth a tribe of Sasquatch. Galen Christy, head of High Octane Pictures,

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Sep 5, 2016

More from John Portanova

Horror Fuel

John Portanova Talks Filmmaking, Sasquatch, And His Movie Hunting Grounds

John Portanova is making his feature directorial debut with ‘Hunting Grounds’ (previously titled Valley of the Sasquatch), a film about family, desperation, and deadly beasts. This afternoon Portanova took a few minutes to talk with me about the film. Horror Fuel: “Can you tell us a little about your film Hunting Grounds?” JP: “Yes, Hunting Grounds is the new film that I was involved with through the production company October People. It’s actually the first film I have directed. It’s a horror movie about a family that falls on hard times, they are forced to move into a cabin in the woods that happens to be smack-dab in the middle of Bigfoot territory. ” Horror Fuel: “You wrote it as well, correct? JP: “It was actually the first screenplay I ever wrote, at this point, it’s been about a decade ago. I wrote it right after I got out of film school. I decided that I needed to write a

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Jan 27, 2017
Horror Fuel

Movie Review: Hunting Grounds is Big on Feet and Short on Frights

When someone says the word Sasquatch, for most people it brings to mind the Patterson–Gimlin film footage of Bigfoot striding along Bluff Creek back in October of 1967. Many, including myself, believe that cryptid creatures exist in our world despite the fact that we may never have seen them. Of course if there was a chance to actually see a cryptid, certainly most would prefer a passive encounter at a safe distance. But if you wander into their territory, there are no guarantees of hospitality. This is a lesson that a group of men are about to learn the hard way. Tragedy has struck leaving Michael Crew motherless and Roger Crew a widower. They are at rock bottom having no money and no home except for an old ramshackle cabin located deep in the woods of northern Washington State. This is a situation that will push an already strained relationship between this father and son, to its absolute breaking point.

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Jan 25, 2017
Horror Fuel

This February Enter The ‘Hunting Grounds’

Genre icon Bill Oberst Jr. stars in the award-winning creature feature ‘Hunting Grounds’, from Uncork’d Entertainment. Writer-director John Portanova’s film centers on a fractured family forced to go up against an angry clan of Bigfoot in order to survive. Oberst stars alongside Miles Joris-Peyrafitte, Jason Vail, David Saucedo, D’Angelo Midili, Kevin Sheen, and Connor Conrad as the beast. From the Press Release: Uncork’d Entertainment has set award-winning creature feature HUNTING GROUNDS for a Feb 7 release. Winner Best Sci-Fi Horror Film at the Toronto Independent Film Festival 2015, writer-director John Portanova’s acclaimed film sees a fractured family forced to go up against an angry clan of Bigfoot. Festival audiences and horror critics have gone crazy for the story of a father and son, forced to move to an old cabin in the woods after a devastating tragedy, who unearth a tribe of Sasquatch. Written and directed by John Portanova and produced by horror label The October People, Hunting Grounds stars

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Dec 30, 2016
Horror Fuel

Uncork’d Entertainment Snags Distribution Rights To Hunting Grounds

High Octane Pictures announced today that Uncork’d Entertainment has picked the distribution rights to the creature feature Hunting Grounds,originally titled Valley of the Sasquatch, from writer-director John Portanova. Starring Bill Oberst Jr., Jason Vail, Miles Joris-Peyrafitte, David Saucedo, D’Angel Midili and Connor Conrad as “The Beast”, Hunting Grounds, follows a fractured family as they fight to survive against a tribe of angry Sasquatch. From the Press Release: Uncork’d Entertainment is set to distribute the award-winning creature feature HUNTING GROUNDS, sales agent High Octane Pictures announced today. Winner Best Sci-Fi Horror Film at the Toronto Independent Film Festival 2015, writer-director John Portanova’s acclaimed film sees a fractured family forced to go up against an angry clan of Bigfoot. Festival audiences and horror critics have gone crazy for the story of a father and son, forced to move to an old cabin in the woods after a devastating tragedy, who unearth a tribe of Sasquatch. Galen Christy, head of High Octane Pictures,

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Sep 5, 2016