Writer/director Stevan Mena made his feature debut with the 2003 film MALEVOLENCE, which received a prequel titled BEREAVEMENT in 2010. In 2016, the third chapter in the series, MALEVOLENCE 3: KILLER, had to be cancelled in the midst of production due to the death of lead actor Scott Decker. Over the last two years, Mena has found a way to complete KILLER, and the film is now set to be released later this year.
The MALEVOLENCE series centers on Martin Bristol, the protégé of a maniac who kidnapped him as a child and forced him to participate in dozens of murders at a pig farm in rural Pennsylvania. Picking up immediately after the events of the first film, the new sequel sets Martin loose on suburbia.
The synopsis:
Kidnapped, tortured, and abused at the hands of his psychotic captor, Graham Sutter, Martin Bristol knows only one thing – murder. On the run, lurking in the shadows of suburbia, he stalks and kills without remorse. Special Agent William Perkins follows Martin’s trail of terror, desperate to capture him before he kills again. Martin’s family, mourning his disappearance for over 10 years, is informed that not only is he still alive, he’s responsible for the wave of murder sweeping through their town. Will they be able to reunite with their long lost son before it’s too late, or will Perkins have no choice but to use excessive force to bring Martin down?
The film stars Katie Gibson, Adrienne Barbeau, and Kevin McKelvy.
Mena had this say about the process of completing the film, which required modifying the script and completely reshooting the majority of the footage with a new cast member:
It was difficult to continue after Scott’s tragic death, but so many good people worked very hard on this film. I needed to somehow find a way to finish it. Through some creative rewrites, additional casting, and the crew agreeing to take deferred salary, we were able to not only complete the picture, but even retain some of Scott’s great performance as well.”
I’m glad Mena was able to find a way to finish the movie and get it out into the world. MALEVOLENCE 3: KILLER will reach theatres and VOD/DVD/Blu-ray this October, just in time for Halloween.
A trailer is expected to drop online soon, but while we wait for that let’s have a look at the poster: