thePULSEJenny Pacillo
Mike Savino and Mark Veau met at Worcester State College in the early 1980s, “I was running the radio station, Michael was running the tv station as general manager,” Veau says. “We used to do simulcasts, so that’s how we met,” Savino adds. The two became roommates and quickly began creating content for the Worcester State closed circuit channel that was broadcast to the dorms. “We had a little following of people who would plug in their TV and watch us,” Savino says. “We had fun doing it. It was all about the spirit of it and having fun,” Veau recalls. One fateful night, Veau and Savino were in their apartment when their refrigerator loudly turned on. “We always described it as a tank rolling down a hill and we both looked at each other and we went, ‘attack of the killer refrigerator’ right away,” Veau says.
Attack of the Killer Refrigerator was filmed in Savino and Veau’s apartment with their friends. “We had our friend come in, open the fridge, get a beer and all of a sudden he’s backing away. The light shines on him and we had a bag of ketchup that we squeezed on him and ahhh!” Savino laughs. The 1985 short film about a refrigerator seeking revenge on the college students who have abused him became a cult classic that rivals any of Troma Entertainments’ campy, horror comedies. Attack of the Killer Refrigerator was in video stores nationwide, Veau and Savino attended film festivals and they continued working together on other short films such as The Hook of Woodland Heights and Days Before Christmas.
Savino and Veau are now working on a Kickstarter to bring Attack of the Killer Refrigerator 2 to life. The sequel follows teenage horror aficionado Fred LaVigne after he wins the original Killer Refrigerator from an online movie prop auction. The fridge goes on a rampage after being plugged in during a high school house party, turning some unlucky guests into sliced meats, as Fred fights to put an end to this maniacal refrigerator’s terror. Savino and Veau already have their talented production team, and are seeking to raise $2.5 million to produce Attack of the Killer Refrigerator 2. Financial backers to the Kickstarter can earn film credits, special access to the premiere and even have their own teenagers “devoured by the Killer Refrigerator on screen”. “It has got an ending though, the twist on it and what happens is gonna leave you shocked,” Veau promises.
Attack of the Killer Refrigerator 2 will keep that “raw gritty feel” of the original. “We want to keep it all practical like the 80s. You know, lots of rods, lots of skill, cool stuff like that,” Savino says, describing the refrigerator’s teeth, deadly freezer and other realistically campy details that true horror fans will love. Makeup artist Samantha Mileski, a graduate of the Tom Savini’s Special Make-Up Effects Program, is on board and ready to get gruesome with plenty of severed heads, chewed up victims and lots of gore.
Savino and Veau are masters of the comedy horror genre, and Attack of the Killer Refrigerator 2 will most definitely be an instant cult classic. Check out their Kickstarter page and help bring this terrifying sequel to life!
