Pop Culture Shock Collectibles Aim to Make Own Film With Your Help

Pop Culture Shock Collectibles, an “industry-leading company” which has acquired such illustrious licenses such as Conan the Barbarian, The Thing, The Howling, Mortal Kombat, and An American Werewolf in London is launching a Kickstarter campaign to  make their own film, one they consider a love letter to the “Creature Features” of the 1980’s.

The film, which is set to be directed by PCS’s very own President, Jerry Macaluso, is titled Portal Popperz, and aims to celebrate a lost genre, not just in spirit, but also seeks to dabble in the slowly disappearing art of practical puppeteering techniques used to create the creatures. If you’re a fan of films like Critters and Gremlins, as the concept art below will illustrate, the filmmakers aim to celebrate and pay homage to these much-loved creature features.

“I really miss the creatures of the 80’s.” says Macaluso, “Cool rubber monsters with tons of personality. The workSteve JohnsonRob Bottin, andChris Walasdid so well, and how films likeGremlinshelped perfect the balance between horror and humor.”

Portal Popperz, which is led by a number of successful FX industry veterans, has already raised the majority of its budget privately but has set a funding goal of $75,000 to complete the necessary funds to achieve the filmmaker’s vision.

Malacuso also said about the film, “My years sculpting and painting monsters on dozens of films led me to use those skills for merchandising with my collectibles company. Now I get to use that experience and the connections I’ve been fortunate enough to make to dip my toe back into filmmaking, a luxury I know most campaigns trying to fulfill rewards don’t have.”

The film’s plot is as follows: “In the film, an augmented reality game called “Portal Popperz” has become a cultural phenomenon, and it seems like everyone has their eyes glued to their smartphones trying to catch the digital creatures. But when a motley crew of misfits discovers the Popperz are spawning in the real world, it’s up to our unlikely heroes to halt their path of destruction.”

Filming for the film is scheduled to start in February.

The Kickstarter campaign for Portal Popperz is now live! There are lots of different reward tiers if you are interested. It is currently at 39 backers and has already raised more than $4,000. It ends February 2nd, so you have plenty of time to back this project. You can do so in the link provided.

For more information visit Portal Popperz’s Facebook, Pop Culture Shock Collectible’s Facebook and their official website.