The Savage Tales of Frank MacGuffin
The Savage Tales of Frank MacGuffin is a 2017 psychological thriller neo-Western horror noir film directed by John Alden Milne, from a screenplay by Deborah Ann Frankel. It stars a number of Canadian musicians in their film acting debuts.
Plot
Cab driver and occult paperback writer Frank MacGuffin's scribblings take us through the twisted and bizarre underpinnings behind Fallingbrook's sleepy town facade as he unwittingly unravels an ongoing sinister plot that has been afoot all along.
Production
Filming
Principal photography began on September 3, 2016, and concluded on November 5 2016. Filming took place in Greater Sudbury, which represents the town of Fallingbrook in the film.
Cultural references
The title
The title pays tribute to Alfred Hitchcock's use of the word MacGuffin.
The film's title also echoes the component parts of Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, which is a series of connected stories: In the case of the film, the chapters "The Tale of Frank’s Father", "The Tale of Two Lovers", etc.
Literature
John Milton's Paradise Lost is quoted and is the name of the publishing company of Frank MacGuffin's prose.
Genres
The screenplay doesn’t fit narrowly into one specific genre and the various marketing poster styles reflect the numerous genre influences on the film, from road movie to thriller to western to horror to stoner noir.
Frank MacGuffin, the character himself, is a throwback to 70s, early 80s cinematic anti-heroes. He is a reluctant protagonist riddled with familial issues who may or may not be responsible for a spate of recent disappearances.
Release
An official selection of the 2017 Cinefest International Film Festival, Savage Tales received positive reviews from a sold out screening.