Ah-hyuk-yuk-yuk!
The mighty Nicolas Cage (Renfield, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Ghost Rider) has a new post-apocalyptic horror thriller, Arcadian, in theaters, and director Ben Brewer has now revealed the surprising inspiration for the nocturnal creatures that torment the movie's protagonists.
Cage plays Paul, who, along with his sons Thomas (Maxwell Jenkins) and Joseph (Jaeden Martell), eke out an existence in a dystopian world where mysterious monsters emerge at night to slaughter what little of the population that remains.
Paul has strict rules, but when Thomas arranges to meet a girl in the nearby forest and doesn't return before sundown, he leaves the farmhouse open to attack.
We're not exactly sure what these creatures are supposed to be (Brewer offers a vague explanation below), but Paul theorizes that they "came after the pollution people caused, and they’re here to cleanse the planet of the human race; so we’ll all become extinct.”
A first look at the monsters as they appear in the movie has yet to be released (they're barely glimpsed in the trailer), but Brewer did share some concept art with IGN after revealing that the creature designs were partially based on Disney's loveable canine, Goofy.
"From the beginning, I had this idea of big nocturnal eyes, and massive spaced-out teeth," he said. "Teeth way too big for the creature’s mouth. Goofy, the Disney character, was a big inspiration."
The filmmaker goes on to explain that he wanted the unnamed beasts to be terrifying, but not without some personality.
"That's where the Goofy thing comes in, because in that film, that dream sequence or even like the way Bigfoot is depicted [in A Goofy Movie], it's terrifying. It's too much personality. We gave our creatures too much personality because it would be freaky for people."
As for where the creatures originated from, Brewer suggests that they are some kind of new organism that evolved from several species to form a symbiotic relationship in order to survive.
"The combination of organisms becomes a symbol for what can survive on Earth. If this horror show with all these weird attributes is the most competitive species now, then what does that say about our role as the species taking care of the planet?"
Arcadian has been getting very positive reviews, but critics do seem to be more impressed than cinemagoers, as the movie currently sits at 83% on Rotten Tomatoes with a 55% audience score.
Check out the creature concept artwork below along with the trailer, and let us know if you plan on catching this one on the big screen.
"In the near future on a decimated Earth, Paul and his twin sons find tranquility by day but terror by night when ferocious creatures awaken and consume all living souls in their path. When Paul is nearly killed, the boys come up with a desperate plan for survival, using everything their father taught them to keep him alive."