Night Hunter: Hunter Of The Night (2011)

When I was my son's age my favorite TV show was Sid and Marty Krofft's Land of the Lost. I now have the entire series on DVD and introduced the show to my kids (for a while it was the only show Chloe ever wanted to watch). In 2009 they remade Land of the Lost as a movie, starring Will Ferrell, and they began selling Sleestak masks. I, of course, bought one.

My Sleestak head now sits on a shelf in my basement staring at me while I work. Through some sort of mind control it commanded me to make a Fusco Family Film with it. My mind was week so I succumbed to it's demand.

My son, Casey, plays the Night Hunter. The Night Hunter hunts at night – hence the name – protecting civilization from the Night Creatures. It's like the song says…"The freaks come out at night". Only these freaks are not out to party…more like a dinner party.

To play the part of the Night Creatures I got Kim's cousin Michael. (I once shot a music video with him in 2004.) With a little editing trickery I gave the allusion that there are many Night Creatures. That's another similarity between Night Hunter and Land of the Lost. Did you know you'll never see more than three Sleestaks in any given scene from Land of the Lost? That's because the Krofft brothers only made three costumes – presumably for budgetary reasons. Now you know.

So say your prayers, let the sands of sleep embrace you and dream those pleasant dreams, because rest assured, the Night Hunter will not rest until mankind is off the menu.

©2011 FUSCO FAMILY FILMS

TEAM 12.2: The Double Double-Cross of the Dorchester Diamond (2011)

When I finished the first TEAM 12 movie (here) I had lots of people tell me I should make a sequel. I told them they were all nuts because doing it again might very well give me a heart attack – the process of directing 12 kids within a limited time frame is very stressful. Well a year went by and here I am premiering the sequel. Time heals all wounds. Obviously I love doing this stuff or I wouldn't be doing it.

We shot TEAM 12.2 on July 10th, exactly a year to the day we filmed the first TEAM 12 (Elaine – Fifi Von Vixen – brought that to my attention). Again, it was stressful wrangling the kids. Forget about continuity between shots, the order in which the kids are standing changes from scene to scene. But they were all into reprising their roles and I believe they had fun, even though the script I wrote was overly ambitious for a days shoot. I tend to do that.

There are a few surprises in this episode. Among them, you'll find out how Drop Kick and Death From Below got their names and we introduce a new villain. I hope you all enjoy it. I already have an idea for TEAM 12.3. Yes, I'm a glutton for punishment.

©2011 A FUSCO FAMILY (& FRIENDS) FILM