The Haunted Swordsman – A Kickstarter Project brought to you by the Effects Artist from ‘Stranger Things’

In this handcrafted epic puppet film, a lone samurai and his odd companion, a cursed severed head, seek vengeance in a haunted world.

 ‘Lost in a bamboo forest, his Shogun murdered by an evil supernatural force, a lone samurai collapses to his knees with an anguished cry. Disgraced and humiliated at having failed to save his Master, the Samurai prepares to commit seppuku. But a voice stops him. A voice emanating from a cursed severed head who offers to guide the Samurai on a quest for vengeance. Thus begins the tale of…’The Haunted Swordsman’.

Every artist has those people in their lives who never stop believing in them, even when things get tough or seem impossible. It’s the voices of those Believers who add fuel to the artistic fire. Tab Murphy is one of those people for me. He is not only an encouragement, he’s a massive inspiration, not just to me but to a whole generation of writers and storytellers. Not kidding…

Tab Murphy, Screenwriter

Tab has serious storytelling chops… in fact, his chops are so serious that he was nominated for an Oscar for writing a film you’ve likely heard of starring Sigourney Weaver called Gorillas in the Mist. Tab was in my life before we ever met. When I was a kid I was crazy about Disney animated films. I watched them so often that I had whole chunks of the script memorized… never knowing that down the road I would become friends with the man who wrote those scripts. These films include Tarzan, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Brother Bear and Tab also directed The Last of the Dogmen, just to give you an idea of the scope of his talent.

I’m super excited because Tab is working on an epic gothic samurai story called The Haunted Swordsman. This short film is only a single chapter in an epic tale of a lone samurai and his odd guide, the cursed severed head of another samurai, as they traverse a world of mythical creatures and nightmares of folklore.

The Haunted Swordsman will be told with the traditional Japanese theater puppetry technique known as bunraku. Each puppet figure is controlled by three (or more) puppeteers dressed in black and hidden behind each character. It’s being brought to life by Director Kevin McTurk and an impressive team of puppeteers, artists, model-makers, and creature effects artists. Of the project, Kevin says:

“The Haunted Swordsman is a passion project that is heavily influenced by the films of Akira Kurosawa, the Lone Wolf and Cub manga and film series, the classic Japanese ghost story films Kwaidan, Ugetsu, and Kuroneko, among others, as well as visceral, immersive films like The Revenant and Mad Max: Fury Road.”

Check out The Haunted Swordsman Kickstarter Page to watch the video and learn more, or scroll down to view some amazing concept art, sculpture and creature photos and read an excerpt…

The Navigator. By sculptor Arjen Tuiten.

Sneak Peek at Episode I of The Haunted Swordsman:

 

Hooked? I know I am! Check out The Haunted Swordsman Kickstarter Page to learn more and to throw your support behind this amazing project…