Butterfly Kisses (lost three-hour version of found footage mockumentary horror film; 2018)

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Revision as of 18:44, 14 May 2024 by SpaceManiac888 (talk | contribs) (If you haven't seen Butterfly Kisses yet, go and give it a watch before reading this article. It is easily one of my favourite horror films and provides a fascinating deconstruction of the found footage genre. Interestingly, the theatrical cut is merely half of the full film, with some really interesting scenes and bonus features being left out.)
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Butterflykisses1.jpg

Poster for Butterfly Kisses.

Status: Lost

Butterfly Kisses is a found footage mockumentary horror film. Released in October 2018, it starred an ensemble cast in a film from three perspectives: Two students who attempt to record clips of the urban legend Peeping Tom; a struggling filmmaker who desperately attempts to prove the footage the students captured was genuine; and a documentary crew who follows the filmmaker and begins to question the authenticity of Peeping Tom. It was written and directed by Erik Kristopher Myers, who also portrayed a fictional version of himself as the head of the film crew. During the film's production, Myers got in touch with The Blair Witch Project co-creator Eduardo Sánchez, who helped edit Butterfly Kisses down to a viable 91-minute package. However, the original three-hour version remains missing.

Background

Butterfly Kisses was conceptualised by Erik Kristopher Myers, who had previously worked on such projects as Roulette and A Split Personality.[1][2] In an AMA conducted on r/foundfootage on 2nd September 2021, Myers stated that although he was a major fan of The Blair Witch Project, he found more recent found footage productions to have lacked passion and creativity.[3][4] He, therefore, came up with a mockumentary concept surrounding the genre, based on the many pitfalls one may experience when recovering mystery tapes and attempting to prove their legitimacy.[5][6][3][4] Passionate about this new concept, which served as a deconstruction of the found footage genre, Myers initiated the project on Thanksgiving 2014 and claimed he completed its screenplay in eight days.[6][5][4]

He then set about forging a "real" urban legend to give his project's narrative more credibility.[7][8][9] Having recognised Ilchester train tunnel's reputation for being "haunted",[9] Myers fabricated the Ellicott City Flickergeist, also known as Peeping Tom.[10][7][4][8] Supposedly, if one were to gaze within the tunnel from 11 pm to midnight without blinking once, Peeping Tom would suddenly appear from the other end. However, this amazing feat carries with it a terrible curse: The individual will now always see a glimpse of Peeping Tom, who will get "closer" to them after every blink. As he gets right next to the victim, he will harness his lengthy eyelashes to try and force the final blink. These lashes are sometimes described as "butterfly kisses".[11] If he succeeds in forcing a final blink, the victim will suffer a terrible and seemingly unavoidable death.[10][11]

In an interview with Squaring the Strange, Myers detailed how his creation needed to pass seven key urban legend criteria.[8] Among these included sprouting different names based on the storyteller's recollection (such as "Blink Man" and "Ilchester the Molester"[12][13]), as well as making it virtually impossible to disprove thanks to the one-hour stare ritual.[8] The deviations behind the story and name of Peeping Tom reflected Myers' research of the False Memory Syndrome and Mandela Effect, phenomena that have affected many other mysteries like the Tombstone Thunderbird Photograph.[8] The legend first started gaining traction in 2016 as Ellicott City journalists took notice of its growing popularity.[14] Additionally, Shelley Davies Wygant's September 2018 book Haunted Ellicott City dedicates four pages to the legend,[11][7] having identified no issues surrounding its authenticity.[15] Similarly, WBFF Fox45 investigated Peeping Tom, having also believed it was a true urban legend.[16] Myers soon revealed to them that the legend was a marketing ploy for his upcoming film Butterfly Kisses.[15][7] Rather than being offended by this revelation, Wygant described it as "genius".[15]

Production and Plot

The film's production began on Valentine's Day 2015.[5] The inaugural filmed scenes were of the found footage sequence set in March 2004.[5] These segments featured two aspiring student filmmakers: Rachel Armiger portrayed Sophia Crane, while Reed DeLisle was cast as Feldman (whose first name is interestingly never revealed during the movie's runtime[9]).[17] Together, the pair document and attempt to capture the urban legend Peeping Tom. While staring a full hour without blinking proves impossible, Crane and Feldman seemingly succeed in summoning Peeping Tom via a video camera. In May 2015, wedding videographer Gavin York (Seth Adam Kallick[17]) miraculously discovers the tapes Crane and Feldman produced, within a box with the ominous words "Don't Watch". The final tape in particular shows Crane urging the viewer to finish the production. Taking Crane's message to heart - and sensing a golden opportunity to start a big-time filmmaking career - York begins compiling the tapes into a full documentary and enlists a film crew to record his full investigation.[12][13] The modern-day scenes of the film were taped during the summer, to enhance the notion that a 10+ year time skip had occurred.[5] Myers remarked in interviews with The Horror Times and Dread Central that he and the production crew were pretty much recording two very different films that would later be merged into one.[5][4]

Over the course of Butterfly Kisses, York's desperation to see the project succeed is obvious. Aside from his filmmaking aspirations, York also pours his already-stretched financial resources into the project, including his son's education fund. His behaviour also becomes increasingly erratic and obnoxious. A key example of this came when York met up with Weird series author Matt Lake,[9] whom Crane and Feldman spoke to as part of their Peeping Tom investigation. York ends up offending Lake by accusing him of being behind the mysterious disappearances of the filmmakers.[12][13] In his AMA, Myers explained how he and his co-editor Kenny Johnson had to carefully conceptualise York, to avoid him becoming either too unlikeable or too sympathetic.[18][4] He remarked York symbolised the aspiring independent filmmaker who becomes disillusioned and resentful of their inability to progress beyond small-scale projects.[19][9] Kallick was subsequently cast as York because he could portray an "insufferable douchebag manchild" with "smarmy humor", as York's encounter with Lake proved.[19] Lake's appearance is also interesting; he, like many other individuals who appeared in the mockumentary scenes bar York, his partner and mother-in-law, is simply portraying a version of himself in the film.[9][5][4][12] This added to Myers' ambition to have the 2015 scenes reflect a "real" documentary.[5][4]

Another example of this came when York planned to convince a group of paranormal investigators of the footage's legitimacy. Like with most other people throughout the mockumentary, the group is left unconvinced and even laughs off York's attempts to prove otherwise.[12][13] The group was in fact a legitimate paranormal investigation collective known as Inspired Ghost Tracking.[5][9][4] In an interview with Film Forums, Myers stated it proved remarkably difficult to explain what he required from Inspired Ghost Tracking. He instructed them to essentially play themselves and critically evaluate York's footage, with York having assumed the group would easily be convinced by it. Though most members were confused by this, Myers encouraged half to appear on camera and assured them their dismissal of York would actually enhance their reputation rather than dent it.[9][4] Following this, the film crew begins finding more holes in York's narrative of events. Particularly, they are concerned that York actually fabricated the story and that the lack of evidence surrounding Crane and Feldman's existence is because they were merely actors. Their suspicions increase when they discover York has hidden key facts. This includes scenes which show animosity between Crane and Feldman when only the former won an illustrious award for their previous film; to York strangely owning the same video camera Feldman used. The crew also interviewed various sceptical experts which further painted York in a bad light.[12][13]

York's life completely collapses when an attempt to showcase his film at a radio station is met only with ridicule. Among the callers included The Blair Witch Project co-creator Eduardo Sánchez, who simply encouraged him to produce a more original work.[12] Sánchez's appearance in Butterfly Kisses arose when crew members expressed disappointment over his lack of a cameo in the initial script.[20][9] Though Myers assumed Sánchez would be uninterested, producer Cork Okouchi insisted they at least attempt to convince him.[4][20] Following a two-hour pitch, Sánchez agreed to not only feature in Butterfly Kisses, but also to serve as its creative consultant,[20] whose feedback was critical in the 91-minute version's establishment.[4][9] Following the radio station fiasco, York discovers that his wife, aghast that he used their son's educational fund without her knowledge or permission, has left him.[12]

Suddenly, the head of the documentary film crew, none other than Myers himself, consoles a devastated York.[12] In order to again blur the lines between reality and fiction, Myers realised during production that he would need to feature in it.[19] Though reluctant to do so initially, Myers believed that his appearance, as well as those of enthusiastic production members from Studio Unknown, enhanced the third act by incorporating a third ongoing narrative.[9][19][4] Their story centred around how they overstepped ethical boundaries, including simply making a film that captured all of York's failures.[13] They also ponder whether to continue with the project after York goes radio silent for several days. They eventually locate him attempting to replicate Crane and Feldman's recording before he suddenly runs off down the tunnel. Though Myers et al are sceptical of Peeping Tom's existence, this starts to change upon uncovering vital evidence that proves otherwise, including a Morse code audio file that contains a silhouette of Tom when played through audio visualisers. The crew is also sent a package which contained a security recording, Crane's diary and a key to York's motel. Upon searching said motel, the crew discovers York's dead corpse but opts to conceal the documentary and evidence to avoid it being confiscated by the police.[12] As Ryan Hollinger noted in his film analysis, Myers et al have become no better than York when it comes to morality and honesty.[12]

The movie concludes by revealing the full footage of Crane's final tape. Earlier in their investigation, Crane and Feldman discovered they genuinely captured footage of Peeping Tom, who subsequently begins tormenting the latter. Feldman is eventually killed by Peeping Tom, leaving a broken Crane to complete the work by herself. She then reveals Peeping Tom is now haunting her after she ended up replicating the experiment seemingly against her will. Now a blink away from death, Crane executes her last-ditch plan: cut off her eyelids to prevent herself from ever blinking again. This ultimately proves the worst cause of action possible, as the security tape Myers receives shows her continually tormented by visions of Peeping Tom while in a mental hospital.[12] This reflected the latter part of the urban legend; supposedly, victims who attempted to blind themselves are instead driven insane by constant facial contact from Peeping Tom's eyelashes.[10][11] According to Myers in his AMA, Crane is now forever trapped nose-to-nose with Peeping Tom and ultimately can never "beat" him.[21][20] Hence, though she avoided instant death, Crane instead ended up suffering a far more horrific fate.[12]

Three-Hour Version

Following the completion of filming, three hours of footage had been captured.[9][5][4] According to Myers, most scenes were filmed in three different ways: fully scripted, semi-scripted and improvised, with Myers having generally selected takes with acting errors to create a more "genuine" movie.[22] However, though Myers had pondered releasing Butterfly Kisses as a six-part series, he and his fellow producers accepted that the movie would need to be reduced to 90 minutes to become commercially viable.[5][9] The post-production process took about a year, which he described as "arduous" and additionally "heartbreaking" when considering the content that was cut.[23][5] He recalled the film went through no fewer than 16 different versions, with feedback provided in test screenings and from experienced filmmakers.[5] Among the reviewers included Sánchez, whom Myers praised for providing extensive constructive criticism during his time as a creative consultant.[4][9]

The editing phase needed to balance two aspects: Maintaining the film's commercial potential while also ensuring it retained a coherent and compelling narrative.[4] This proved particularly troublesome when it came to cutting York's segments, Myers having remarked that Kallick provided numerous compelling scenes during filming.[19] The main dilemma concerned having to avoid York being too comedic a character, while also remaining a polarising individual at best.[19] Another challenge involved removing scenes that further deconstructed the found footage genre.[5] As The Horror Times noted, Crane and Feldman only filmed on one side of the tunnel, when a more thorough investigation perhaps should have mandated recording from both.[5] Myers remarked that the three-hour version contained scenes that critically evaluated this and other discrepancies surrounding the "found" tapes.[5] In the end, these segments were removed to spark more contemplation and theories regarding Butterfly Kisses,[5] which was notably proven during Myers' AMA.[21]

One cut scene showed Myers sacking a personal assistant. It transpired after she covered for York during one of his planned wedding recordings, which he skipped so he could establish a meeting with Lake. Alas, Myers was concerned that the segment could impact her future employability since she was a personal assistant in real life.[24] Following this difficult process, a 91-minute package was established.[5] After it was screened during a tour of film festivals, Butterfly Kisses was officially distributed by Gravitas Ventures in October 2018.[4] In his AMA, Myers stated Gravitas was chosen over six others because they were willing to physically release the film in addition to signing streaming deals.[25] The film had already won 14 awards prior to its official release.[26] It later garnered a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on five reviews.[27]

Availability

The 91-minute cut of Butterfly Kisses can easily be found online. As for the original three-hour version, Myers stated in his AMA that he possessed the sole copy of it.[24] He noted that providing enough individuals demanded it, Gravitas (who owns the film's copyright[25]) would be compelled to release a special Blu-Ray edition.[24] But just two weeks following the AMA, Myers was found dead after having reportedly taken his own life at the age of 45.[1] Beforehand, Myers was to have finished a horror comedy production titled The Devil's Playthings,[1] and had also initiated work on another found footage film plus a narrative horror production.[28] Because of Myers' untimely death, it remains unlikely that the full version of Butterfly Kisses, as well as his unfinished works, will ever be publicly released.

This includes the bonus features intended for Butterfly Kisses and Roulette.[25] Because of the rise of streaming, the bonus materials were left unutilised by a disinterested Gravitas.[29][25] This included two Potluck episodes that provided in-character discussions of the life and death of York, featuring York's parents-in-law and an increasingly erratic Myers.[30][31][25] Whereas these episodes were uploaded in May 2019, most other bonus features remain locked away. One example was a "Director's Commentary" conducted by Squaring the Strange podcast hosts Ben Radford and Pascual Romero.[29] According to Radford, Myers pitched the idea of them providing a straight commentary as the film unfolded.[29] Though the commentary track remains unreleased, Radford has expressed hope that it may eventually see the light of day.[29]

Gallery

Videos

Ryan Hollinger's summary of the film.

Chris Stuckmann's review of the film.

Film Forums interview with Myers.

Part 1 of an in-character Potluck discussion concerning the life of Gavin York.

Part 2 of an in-character Potluck discussion concerning the death of Gavin York.

External Links

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Smash or Trash Independent Film-Making reporting on Myers' death and reflecting on his career. Retrieved 14th May '24
  2. ↑ Herald-Mail Media reporting on Myers' project Roulette winning multiple film awards. Retrieved 14th May '24
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 r/foundfootage AMA where Myers discussed how he conceptualised Butterfly Kisses. Retrieved 14th May '24
  4. ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 4.15 4.16 Dread Central interview with Myers where he discussed the film's conceptualisation and Sánchez's role in editing down the footage. Retrieved 14th May '24
  5. ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 5.12 5.13 5.14 5.15 5.16 5.17 The Horror Times interview with Myers where he discussed the film's production and "heartbreaking" process of cutting it down to 91 minutes. Retrieved 14th May '24
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 r/foundfootage AMA where Myers discussed the film's mockumentary style and noting that many scenes involving York were trimmed or scrapped. Retrieved 14th May '24
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 r/foundfootage AMA where Myers discussed the creation of the Peeping Tom "urban legend" that ultimately convinced many individuals prior to his film's release. Retrieved 14th May '24
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Center for Inquiry providing a Squaring the Strange interview with Myers, where he discussed in great detail the creation of Peeping Tom. Retrieved 14th May '24
  9. ↑ 9.00 9.01 9.02 9.03 9.04 9.05 9.06 9.07 9.08 9.09 9.10 9.11 9.12 9.13 Film Forums interview with Myers where he discussed the film's production, including working with Sanchez to edit the work down to 91 minutes. Retrieved 14th May '24
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 The Peeping Tom "urban legend" (found on Chesapeake Horror). Retrieved 14th May '24
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Haunted Ellicott City summarising the Peeping Tom "urban legend", having believed Myers' fabrication to be a genuine article (p.g. 171-174). Retrieved 14th May '24
  12. ↑ 12.00 12.01 12.02 12.03 12.04 12.05 12.06 12.07 12.08 12.09 12.10 12.11 12.12 Ryan Hollinger's analysis of Butterfly Kisses. Retrieved 14th May '24
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 Game Rant analysis of Butterfly Kisses. Retrieved 14th May '24
  14. ↑ Patch reporting on the Peeping Tom urban legend in November 2016. Retrieved 14th May '24
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 The Baltimore Sun interview with Wygant where she discussed how Myers informed her of Peeping Tom's film purpose and how she felt it was "genius". Retrieved 14th May '24
  16. ↑ WBFF Fox45 investigating the Peeping Tom "urban legend". Retrieved 14th May '24
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 The Overlook Hour Podcast where Kallick, DeLisle and Armiger discuss filming for Butterfly Kisses. Retrieved 14th May '24
  18. ↑ r/foundfootage AMA where Myers discussed the difficulties in balancing York's personality. Retrieved 14th May '24
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 19.4 19.5 r/foundfootage AMA where Myers discussed how Kallick was perfect for portraying York and how it majorly contributed towards the challenges of editing the work down to 90 minutes. Retrieved 14th May '24
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 r/foundfootage AMA where Myers discussed Sánchez's growing role in the production and the fate of Crane. Retrieved 14th May '24
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 r/foundfootage AMA where Myers explained his interpretation of Crane's fate. Retrieved 14th May '24
  22. ↑ r/foundfootage AMA where Myers discussed shooting most scenes in three different fashions. Retrieved 14th May '24
  23. ↑ r/foundfootage AMA where Myers discussed the "heartbreaking" aspect of cutting a three-hour film into 90 minutes and expressing interest in releasing it one day. Retrieved 14th May '24
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 r/foundfootage AMA where Myers discussed the cut personal assistant scene plus stating only he held the full three-hour tape. Retrieved 14th May '24
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 25.3 25.4 r/foundfootage AMA where Myers discussed why he signed a distribution deal with Gravitas Ventures and noting numerous bonus features were scrapped. Retrieved 14th May '24
  26. ↑ WJZ reporting on Butterfly Kisses. Retrieved 14th May '24
  27. ↑ Rotten Tomatoes giving Butterfly Kisses a 100% aggregate rating based on five reviews. Retrieved 14th May '24
  28. ↑ r/foundfootage AMA where Myers discussed his future film plans. Retrieved 14th May '24
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 29.3 Center for Inquiry paying tribute to Myers and noting a scrapped "Director's Commentary" track. Retrieved 14th May '24
  30. ↑ Part 1 of an in-character Potluck discussion concerning the life of Gavin York. Retrieved 14th May '24
  31. ↑ Part 2 of an in-character Potluck discussion concerning the death of Gavin York. Retrieved 14th May '24
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