The Transparent is a 2013 American Psychological Supernatural Slasher horror film written, produced and directed by Terry Gilliam starring Mickey Rourke, Maya Rudolph, Johnny Simmons, Emma Watson, Julianne Hough, Rebel Wilson, Michael Cera, Luke Hemsworth, Zoë Kravitz, Skylar Astin and Brenda Song. The film quickly became a cult classic after it's pre-screening success at the Los Angeles, Cairns, Palm Beach, NY and Florida Film Festivals.
It was first screened on January 17th, 2013 and then theatrically on February 24th, 2013 to box office success and good critical reception.
The film has been nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Horror film (losing out to Joss Whedon's Goners), a Satellite Award for Best Ensemble Cast and MTV Scream awards for Best Actress: Emma Watson and Best Supporting Actress: Rebel Wilson.
The film is scheduled for DVD, Blu-Ray and Ultraviolet compact release on October 11th, 2013.
Plot
Professor Johnathen McCormack (Mickey Rourke) is the professor of film at Northern Wisconsin University.
He teaches a brilliant class of freshmen interested in breaking into the media industry and instructs them alongside assistant Professor Serian Isley (Maya Rudloph) his longtime friend and occasional girlfriend.
Having discovered an ancient uncovered woodland that has yet to be documented he warrants for an excursion for his freshmen film class to go out and capture the site and talk on how it once was the site for salem witch burnings in the 16th-17th century.
Renting out a tired old combi van he collects his partner Professor Isley and a group of eight students and his freshmen camera-man.
The group descend into the woodlands after their combi comes to a stop at a certain point and eventually stumble upon their pre-destined location.
From there the rumored ancient curses of the burnt witches are proven to be true and one by one the group succumbs to death, re-animation and the true history of the village that once stood there is revealed.
Cast
- Mickey Rourke as Professor Johnathen McCormack- Professor of advanced media and film as well freshman media and film 101 at Northern Wisconsin University. He has been the occasional boyfriend of assistant professor Serian Isley and their relationship ended everytime with his deceiving and cheating. He dies and succumbs to the curse to the ninth marking his body to serve as the vessel for the witch Ezethieth.
- Maya Rudolph as Professor Serian Isley- Assistant Professor of advanced media and film as well as freshman media and film 101 at Northern Wisconsin University. She was the occasional lover of head professor Johnathen McCormack but he constantly cheated on her and deceived her. She is secretly an actual salem witch looking to resurrect her long dead mother Ezethieth who was burnt at the stake in the late 16th century. She had orchestrated the whole excursion for the freshman class as she needed nine souls of sacrifice and one to to serve as the vessel for her mother.
- Johnny Simmons as Thomas Kendall- Longtime bestfriend of Penelope and roommate of Adam. Freshmen film student hoping to break into the major film industry as an actor. He dies and succumbs to the curse eigth though garners control over his re-animated corpse and stops Professor Isley and Ezethieth.
- Emma Watson as Penelope Sandhurst- Beautiful, intelligent and reserved freshman film student who is studying to becoming a film director. She is the longtime bestfriend of Thomas Kendall and bestfriend to fellow freshmen film student Hayley Bennet who constantly drags her along to parties. She is the roommate of the kind fellow freshmen film student Tina Burlingham who she talked into joining her freshmen film class.
- Julianne Hough as Hayley Bennett- Beautiful, voluptuous freshmen film student aspiring to be a leading actress. Bestfriend of Penelope and roommate of Elena. She dies and succumbs to the undead curse seventh.
- Rebel Wilson as April Sommers- Female comic relief character, wise-cracking freshmen film student aspiring to be a comedic actress. Twin sister of Adam. She dies and succumbs to the undead curse sixth.
- Michael Cera as Adam Sommers- Male comic relief character, practical joker and freshmen film student aspiring to be a comedic actor. Roommate of Thomas. Twin brother of April. He dies and succumbs to the undead curse fifth
- Luke Hemsworth as Colton Haynes- Freshmen Camera-man and boyfriend of Penelope. He dies and succumbs to the undead curse second.
- Zoë Kravitz as Elena Serville- Feisty, promiscuous and artsy freshmen film student who was the roommate of Hayley Bennett. She dies and succumbs to the curse third.
- Skylar Astin as Trackston Willard- Friendly, apsiring brainiac freshmen film student as well as the roommate of Colton. He dies and succumbs to the undead curse fourth.
- Brenda Song as Tina Burlingham- Shy, conservative freshmen student and roommate of Penelope. She doesn't have much aspirations to becoming involved in film apart from producing possibly as expressed to roommate and friend Penelope. She dies and succumbs to the undead curse first.
The Re-Animation Ritual
The ritual offering of 10 lives, nine of which will be taken by nine of the 10 deadly curses of the Witches of the Northbound Woodland and will be re-animated so as to eb the slaves of the witch Ezethieth.
The 10th offering will not killed and re-naimted but simply killed and have their body be used the flesh and bone vessel for the witch Ezethieth.
The following are the nine lives who are offered and re-animated and the deadly nine curses which claimed them:
- Tina Burlingham- The Curse Of The Smouldering Tar- Tina in fleeing from the incorporeal spectre of the witch Ezethieth accidentally comes to fall into a small creek filled with mysterious tar which begins to instantly burn her skin upon contact. Despite being brought out and having her bends tended to with anti-septic she suddenly has her flesh spontaneously melt away and the tar cement itself as her skin, encasing her. It is then revealed from the Book of the Northbound Woods proccured from the Northbound shed that Tina has been killed by the Curse Of The Smouldering Tar: One of nine deadly curses the witch Ezethieth cast upon the villagers who burnt her at the stake and used to reside in the villages of the Northbound Woodland. Tina then re-animates as forementioned in the book and attacks the group before being destroyed by Colton who in the process has the hot smouldering tar land upon his side and burn him.
- Colton Haynes- The Curse Of The Swarming Locust- Despite Colton also succumbing to the curse Tina died and was re-animated under Colton is hit with the second of the nine deadly curses of the witch Ezethieth. As the group retreat to the woods and set up camp there tending to Colton's injuries and speculating wether he will end up like Tina considering what happened to her when the tar made contact with her skin, he comes to in a disorientated state sway away from girlfriend Penelope who argues they are not leaving Colton behind. Colton falls down to a small tree hollow where another mark of the witch Ezethieth like near the Tar Creek and Woodland Shed appears. Swarms of Locusts then erupt from the tree containing the mark and swarm the area. The rest of the group evade but as Penelope comes to rush towards Colton and is pulled away by Thomas and Hayley he has swarms enter through his mouth. He then shortly begins to stand and walk towards the group as his eyes begin to bleed and yells in a deep monstrous voice before his head implodes and the swarms of locust from the inside flee the area.
- Elena Serville- The Curse Of The Misplaced Sight- Elena is hit third by the third of the nine deadly curses of Ezethieth following the group abandoning the wood area where Colton was killed hiking back towards the Woodland Shed they found earlier. After further investigating the shed upon returning to it diaries and journals are found telling that Ezethieth once had a child though the gender is undisclosed and with her last spell (which was not a curse but rather a protection spell) she sent her far away from the Northbound Village. Elena succumbs as a headless re-animated Colton attacks her and she flees to a cliffside just as Penelope, Thomas, Hayley and the others come. Elena's eyes suddenly turn blatant white and she is left completely blind. She stumbles and then walks straight off the cliff to her death below on the large rocks. The re-animated Colton who was injured by Professor McCormack suddenly then re-grows his blown apart head and begins speaking to Penelope taunting her. Penelope jumps at him and the two wrestle on the cliffside before Thomas and Hayley intervene and Hayley runs in kicking the re-animated Colton off the cliff destroying him.
Soundtrack
- Life is a Highway- Rascal Flatts
- Powerhouse- Raymond Scott
- You Rascal, You- The Mills Brothers
- Caravan- Duke Ellington
- Can't Shake It- Kate Miller-Heidke
- Gold On The Ceiling- The Black Keys (End Credits Song)