''Shadow Builder'' is a 1998

direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, television series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strat ...

horror film directed by Jamie Dixon. It is based on the story " The Shadow Builder" by

Bram Stoker Abraham Stoker (8 November 1847 – 20 April 1912), better known by his pen name Bram Stoker, was an Irish novelist who wrote the 1897 Gothic horror novel ''Dracula''. The book is widely considered a milestone in Vampire fiction, and one of t ...

Plot

An evil Archbishop and his followers summon a demon to destroy the world, but the demon's first act is to kill its summoners. It does so in an appropriately unique manner, by turning the bodies of its victims into what appears to be solid shadow, which disintegrates at the first touch of light, any light. Light is in fact the demon's anathema. Unable to stand the slightest glimmer at its creation, the creature gains strength and solidity with each kill, allowing it a greater resistance to the light; and with it the ability to affect and control those around it, including a pack of vicious dogs. As the town is orchestrated towards its own destruction, it proceeds to hunt down a particular child. A pivotal sacrifice, necessary to complete its transition into the light, and unleash its Evil.

Cast

Michael Rooker Michael Rooker (born April 6, 1955) is an American actor who mainly plays roles of antagonists. He first rose to prominence for portraying the titular role in '' Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer'' (1986), and is best known for starring as Mer ...

as Jacob Vassey *

Leslie Hope Leslie Hope is a Canadian actress and director, best known for her role as Teri Bauer on the Fox television series '' 24'' and prosecutor Anita Gibbs on ''Suits''. Other credits include '' Shadow Builder'' (1998), ''Murdoch Mysteries'', ''The ...

as Jennifer Hatcher *

Shawn Thompson Shawn Alex Thompson (born January 13, 1958) is a Canadian actor, screenwriter, television producer, and television director, as well as a professional magician. Notably, he is one of the producers of ''Puppets Who Kill'', which aired on Canada's ...

as Sheriff Sam Logan *

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...

as Shadowbuilder *

Kevin Zegers Kevin Zegers (born September 19, 1984) is a Canadian actor. He is known for his roles as Josh Framm in the ''Air Bud'' film series, Toby Osbourne in '' Transamerica'' (2005), Damien Dalgaard in the CW teen drama ''Gossip Girl'', and as rookie ...

as Chris Hatcher *

Tony Todd Anthony Tiran Todd (December 4, 1954 – November 6, 2024) was an American actor known for his distinctly deep and gravelly voice. He amassed several credits on screen and in video games since the 1980s, including the Candyman (character), titl ...

as Evert Covey * Catherine Bruhier as Maggie MacKinnon *

Charlotte Sullivan Charlotte Sullivan (born October 21, 1983) is a Canadian actress. Her credits include ''Harriet the Spy (film), Harriet the Spy'' (1996), ''Goosebumps (1995 TV series), Goosebumps'' (1996), ''Ghostwriter (1992 TV series)#The New Ghostwriter Myst ...

as Jazz *

David Calderisi David Calderisi (born 21 June 1940) is a Canadian actor with a career in both Canada and the United Kingdom. Early life and education Calderisi was born in Montreal and attended McGill University. Career After training as an actor in Lo ...

as Bishop Gallo *

Paul Soles Paul Robert Soles (August 11, 1930 – May 26, 2021) was a Canadian character actor, voice artist and television personality. He voiced the title character in ''Spider-Man'' (1967), and portrayed Hermey in the 1964 television special ''Rudolph ...

as Mr. Butterman *

Billie Mae Richards Billie Mae Richards (née Dinsmore, November 21, 1921 – September 10, 2010) was a Canadian actress who also appeared onstage and on television. She was the voice of Rankin/Bass' version of the Christmas character Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reinde ...

as Mrs. Butterman * Nicole Stoffman as Kelly *

Steve Blum Steven Jay Blum (; born April 29, 1960) is an American voice actor. Known for his distinctively deep voice, his roles include Spike Spiegel from the anime series ''Cowboy Bebop''; Amon from ''The Legend of Korra''; Heatblast, Ghostfreak, and ...

as Shadowbuilder (voice)

Production

''Shadow Builder'' was written by Michael Stokes and based on " The Shadow Builder" by

. Ash Shah's Imperial Entertainment contacted visual effects firm Hammerhead Productions about collaborating on the film together where Hammerhead would be made partner in exchange for reduced rate on the visual effects, director and Hammerhead co-founder Jamie Dixon agreed to. In order to acquire foreign presales on ''Shadow Builder'', Shah had Hammerhead Productions produce a teaser. Dixon and Thad Beier of Hammerhead shot and produced a 90 second teaser over the course of 10 days at a cost of $25,000. When the teaser was shown at the

American Film Market The American Film Market (AFM) is a film industry event held annually in early November. Historically, more than 7,000 people attend the eight-day annual event to network and to sell, finance, and acquire films. Participants come from more than 7 ...

, the producers had managed to cover the cost of production as well as generate a profit before the film was even released.

was cast as the film's lead due to his recognition factor in foreign markets after having appeared in large scale films such as ''

Cliffhanger A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious situation, facing a difficult dilemma or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode of serialized fiction or bef ...

''.

was hired to play the titular Shadowbuilder after impressing Dixon with an improvised demonic performance. Upon completion of the film, producers Ash Shah and Dan Chuba expressed satisfaction with Dixon's cut with the exception of the ultimately reveal of the Shadowbuilder's appearance which was a prosthetic mask. In order to make the Shadowbuilder's appearance more satisfying, Dixon and Beier modified one of their effects programs to give the Shadowbuilder's face a more dynamic look that wouldn't have been possible with conventional make-up.

Release

''Shadow Builder'' was shown at the

Fantasy Filmfest The Fantasy Filmfest (FFF), is an international genre film festival held annually around September in major German cities. Award In 2006, the Fantasy Filmfest established an audience award, named ''Fresh Blood Award'', for the best first or s ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

in August 1997. Following its run on the festival circuit, the film was released on home video in the United States on August 25, 1998.

Reception

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, vi ...

noted in its positive review that "While the basic premise and a few details of ''Shadow Builder'' are familiar, the movie has been put together with commendable skill."

References

External links

* *{{Rotten Tomatoes, shadow_builder 1998 films American supernatural horror films Canadian supernatural horror films English-language Canadian films Films based on short fiction 1998 horror films Films based on works by Bram Stoker 1990s English-language films 1990s American films 1990s Canadian films English-language horror films