First published in 1881, Swiss author Johanna Spyri’s novel Heidi is one of the best-selling books ever written. As Wikipedia explains, the story follows “a joyful and free-spirited young girl who is orphaned as a toddler” as she develops a friendship with a girl named Klara, who is unable to walk. More than 140 years later, the Swiss icon Heidi has been reimagined as Mad Heidi for an over-the-top action-adventure horror comedy. Raven Banner Releasing and Swissploitation Films are teamping up with Fathom Events to give Mad Heidi a one-night theatrical release on June 21st – and in anticipation of that event, a clip that features some “killer combat” has been released online and can be seen at the bottom of this article.
The Fathom Events of Mad Heidi is scheduled to take place at 7pm local time on the 21st. “Exclusive to the Fathom event is an introduction from stars Casper Van Dien and Alice Lucy as well as co-directors Johannes Hartmann and Sandro Klopfstein.” To find out if Mad Heidi will be showing in a theatre near you, and to purchase tickets, head over to FathomEvents.com.
Hartmann and Klopfstein wrote the screenplay with Trent Haaga and Gregory D. Widmer. The English-language film boasts a budget of $3.5 million, $2 million of which was raised through crowd investment from 560 people across 19 counties. The film presents Heidi as she’s never been seen before – with smocked dress, puffed sleeves, apron and pigtails, yes, but as a badass, kick-ass rebel with the brute strength to slice an opponent in two, top to toe, with a battle axe, for example. In a dystopian Switzerland that has fallen under the fascist rule of a cheese magnate, Heidi lives as a simple young woman in the mountains. Her grandfather does his best to protect her from the bad influences of the world, but soon her longing for personal freedom will spark a revolution. The naive mountain girl turns into a fierce fighter who has to put an end to the cheese fascists.
Mad Heidi stars Alice Lucy (Junction 9) as Heidi and Almar G. Sato (Maniac Tales) as Klara. Casper Van Dien (Starship Troopers) and David Schofield (Gladiator) are also in the cast.
Are you interested in Mad Heidi, and will you be checking it out on the big screen next week? Let us know by leaving a comment below… and while you’re scrolling, take a couple minutes to watch the “killer combat” clip: