No Hollywood studio would touch it. Too much “real world” terror! Truth that is too close to home!!
So actor/director Brett Varvel and actor/screenwriter Josh Strychalski did the only sensible thing a Christian filmmaker could do … Varvel formed House of Grace Studios to bring Strychalski’s dystopian thriller, Disciples in the Moonlight, from page to screen.
Working with fellow Christian actors and film technicians, the final product — produced for less than the “meal budget” of a mainstream Hollywood production — is both a call to action (a film with a message) and an edge-of-your-seat thriller.
WOW! A faith-based film that plays like a major studio production — well-produced, great story (because it rings so true) and excellent acting (many in the cast, including Varvel and Strychalski, are working actors with extensive screen credits). That’s a winning combination.
Working with local Christian groups — and through word of mouth — Disciples in the Moonlight opened as a Fathom Event (one week only) on July 19 and generated an impressive $708,379 in ticket sales.
Word arrived this past week that Mill Creek Entertainment will be moving the film to a much wider audience on Oct. 8 with the DVD debut of Varvel’s not-so-futuristic thriller, Disciples in the Moonlight.
For the record, that Oct. 8 release date yields an ARR of 81 days.
So what is this film about? And why is it so terrifying? So “real world?”
The Bible has been banned in the United States by the government. Instead, a government-approved version — backed by the full-force of the state (weapons and all) — is now the only “Bible” that can be read.
Most go along out of fear, but a network of underground churches continue to defy the state — at their own peril. It falls to seven believers from Indiana to smuggle the banned book to churches throughout neighboring Kentucky, Illinois and Ohio … this is their story.
The Word of God is banned … the “word” of the state has taken its place and those that defy the state — not a cartoon version, but forces with guns — will be hunted down. That’s what these seven disciples face — if caught, imprisonment or death will be their fate.
A faith-based film dealing with a dystopian future and a government that bans the Word of God … as they say, “we’re not in Kansas anymore!” Varvel and Strychalski have taken it to the limit with Disciples in the Moonlight … one of the best films of the year (faith-based or mainstream).
If you didn’t have a chance to catch a Fathom Event screening this past July, Mill Creek Entertainment has you covered on Oct. 8 with the DVD debut of director Brett Varvel’s Disciples in the Moonlight.
Bonus features included with the DVD release are three production featurettes — “The Heart of Disciples in the Moonlight,” “Why is the Bible Important?” and “The Character of Disciples in the Moonlight.”
