The Deaths of Ian Stone
Encyclopedia
The Deaths of Ian Stone is a 2007 horror film
directed by Dario Piana. It stars Mike Vogel
, Christina Cole
, Jaime Murray
, and Michael Dixon.
The story centers on an American man living in Britain, Ian Stone (Vogel), who is killed each day by mysterious beings. He then enters a new existence, unaware of his prior lives. When he begins to remember past existences, he is once again in danger of being killed, with each death more gruesome than the last.
He wakes up in an office cubicle. He's still alive, but older and shacked up with a beautiful, but eerily mysterious woman by the name of Medea. Jenny is still there, but she's not his girlfriend, just a co-worker and one of a number of apparently familiar faces.
Ian meets a strange old man who implies he is in danger. From this old man he learns that he is being hunted by the Harvesters; a group of mind-controlling vampire-like characters who cannot be killed and feed off human fear. He explains that everyday, at different times and different places, the clocks stop and they come after him to kill him. The only problem is that Ian won't stay dead. He wakes in a new life, a new place, only for the cycle to repeat itself. Suddenly one of the Harvesters attacks the old man and Ian runs. They chase Ian mercilessly, all the way back to his apartment where Medea, who is clearly one of them, is waiting. Once again, Ian is killed.
He wakes to find he's a junkie in a rundown apartment, with Jenny living a few doors down. He implores her to remember him, desperately reaching out and searching for someone to help him make sense of what's going on. When the Harvesters come again Jenny and Ian have no choice but to run. As they seek refuge on a subway train heading out-of-town, Jenny confesses to her memories of Ian's former lives. Later on, the old man meets Ian in the train again while Jenny sleeps. It is then that the old man reveals that he is one of the Harvesters, and hints at Ian's involvement with them.
When they disembark they are again confronted by a group of Harvesters, a seething mass of pulsating veins, pitch-black muscles and midnight flesh. We recognize some of the barely human faces from Ian's previous lives including Medea who reveals a shocking truth: That Ian was one of these monsters until he rebelled against the colony and managed to kill one other Harvester, and Medea used to be his "mate". Medea tries to force Ian to feed again with fear and pain and return back to the "fold", but Ian decides against this.
Medea and the Harvesters attack once more, and she explains that his rebellion came after his first encounter with Jenny. So moved was he by the girl, that he wished to live a mortal life with her. Before Medea can harm Jenny, however, a final change comes over Ian with the help of Gray, the Harvester who had helped him before. Apparently Ian found a sustenance that was far superior to fear or pain, and so did the old man: Love. Making this connection to a human being changes the specific nature of a Harvester, which allowed the old man (and now Ian) to kill the members of their kind. Gray had beseeched Ian to protect Jenny out of experience; having lost his love to the Harvesters, he could only feed on fear once again and spent what remained of his life slowly starving himself while trying to find love another time. Imploring Ian to feed off him and tap into those emotions of affection and kinship, Gray passes while restoring Ian. In doing so, Ian regains his true power: His Harvester-self is finally born out of his human flesh, uniquely exuding goodness rather than malevolence. He now has the capacity to turn the tables on these creatures and to feed on their fear and to give life. He then goes after Jenny, who is being actively stalked by his former clan.
After saving Jenny, Ian creates a new life for them, with Ian as a successful professional hockey player with Jenny at his side. While Jenny has no recollection of their harrowing adventure, Ian, having realized his abilities, will begin to take the fight to the Harvesters.
by Elia Cmiral
was released on Perseverance Records
June 20, 2008.
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
directed by Dario Piana. It stars Mike Vogel
Mike Vogel
Michael James "Mike" Vogel is an American actor and former fashion model. Vogel began acting in 2001, and has since appeared in several films and series, including The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Grind, Poseidon, and Cloverfield.-Early life:Vogel was born in...
, Christina Cole
Christina Cole
Christina Cole is an English actress known for portraying Cassie Hughes in the Sky One supernatural television series Hex.-Background:...
, Jaime Murray
Jaime Murray
Jaime Murray is an English actress, best known for playing Stacie Monroe in Hustle and Lila Tournay in season two of the Showtime series Dexter. She has also had recurring roles as H.G...
, and Michael Dixon.
The story centers on an American man living in Britain, Ian Stone (Vogel), who is killed each day by mysterious beings. He then enters a new existence, unaware of his prior lives. When he begins to remember past existences, he is once again in danger of being killed, with each death more gruesome than the last.
Plot
Ian Stone is an average kid. He loves ice hockey but lives for his girlfriend, Jenny Walker. Late one night while driving home from a painful loss on the ice, Ian comes across a bewildering discovery; what looks like a dead body near the railroad tracks. Investigating the grisly discovery, Ian is attacked by the "corpse", forced onto the tracks and subsequently barreled over by an oncoming train.He wakes up in an office cubicle. He's still alive, but older and shacked up with a beautiful, but eerily mysterious woman by the name of Medea. Jenny is still there, but she's not his girlfriend, just a co-worker and one of a number of apparently familiar faces.
Ian meets a strange old man who implies he is in danger. From this old man he learns that he is being hunted by the Harvesters; a group of mind-controlling vampire-like characters who cannot be killed and feed off human fear. He explains that everyday, at different times and different places, the clocks stop and they come after him to kill him. The only problem is that Ian won't stay dead. He wakes in a new life, a new place, only for the cycle to repeat itself. Suddenly one of the Harvesters attacks the old man and Ian runs. They chase Ian mercilessly, all the way back to his apartment where Medea, who is clearly one of them, is waiting. Once again, Ian is killed.
He wakes to find he's a junkie in a rundown apartment, with Jenny living a few doors down. He implores her to remember him, desperately reaching out and searching for someone to help him make sense of what's going on. When the Harvesters come again Jenny and Ian have no choice but to run. As they seek refuge on a subway train heading out-of-town, Jenny confesses to her memories of Ian's former lives. Later on, the old man meets Ian in the train again while Jenny sleeps. It is then that the old man reveals that he is one of the Harvesters, and hints at Ian's involvement with them.
When they disembark they are again confronted by a group of Harvesters, a seething mass of pulsating veins, pitch-black muscles and midnight flesh. We recognize some of the barely human faces from Ian's previous lives including Medea who reveals a shocking truth: That Ian was one of these monsters until he rebelled against the colony and managed to kill one other Harvester, and Medea used to be his "mate". Medea tries to force Ian to feed again with fear and pain and return back to the "fold", but Ian decides against this.
Medea and the Harvesters attack once more, and she explains that his rebellion came after his first encounter with Jenny. So moved was he by the girl, that he wished to live a mortal life with her. Before Medea can harm Jenny, however, a final change comes over Ian with the help of Gray, the Harvester who had helped him before. Apparently Ian found a sustenance that was far superior to fear or pain, and so did the old man: Love. Making this connection to a human being changes the specific nature of a Harvester, which allowed the old man (and now Ian) to kill the members of their kind. Gray had beseeched Ian to protect Jenny out of experience; having lost his love to the Harvesters, he could only feed on fear once again and spent what remained of his life slowly starving himself while trying to find love another time. Imploring Ian to feed off him and tap into those emotions of affection and kinship, Gray passes while restoring Ian. In doing so, Ian regains his true power: His Harvester-self is finally born out of his human flesh, uniquely exuding goodness rather than malevolence. He now has the capacity to turn the tables on these creatures and to feed on their fear and to give life. He then goes after Jenny, who is being actively stalked by his former clan.
After saving Jenny, Ian creates a new life for them, with Ian as a successful professional hockey player with Jenny at his side. While Jenny has no recollection of their harrowing adventure, Ian, having realized his abilities, will begin to take the fight to the Harvesters.
Soundtrack CD Release
The film scoreFilm score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
by Elia Cmiral
Elia Cmiral
Elia David Cmíral is a film composer. He was born in Czechoslovakia and emigrated to Sweden, moving to the United States in 1987. There, he attended the University of Southern California and scored for an independent film entitled Apartment Zero...
was released on Perseverance Records
Perseverance Records
Perseverance Records is a record label which releases film scores on CD and online. Releases are usually accompanied by extensive, well-researched booklets...
June 20, 2008.
External links
- Arrow in the Head Interview with screenwriter Brendan Hood about The Deaths of Ian Stone
- EyeForFilm.co.uk Interview with director Dario Piana about The Deaths Of Ian Stone
- Cinefantastique Online Review