Dante Tomaselli has been quoted as saying: "For as long as I can recall, I've always been drawn to the macabre. Even as a child, I knew that I wanted to one day become a magician/parapsychologist horror filmmaker."
Born in Paterson, New Jersey on October 29, 1969, Tomaselli received formal training in filmmaking, art and design, as well as advertising copywriting at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and Manhattan's New York School of Visual Arts. Desecration (1996), his first short film, received instantaneous acclaim for its nightmarish visuals. The 23-minute supernatural chiller would be selected for presentation at such renowned international film festivals as the New York Angelika Film Center's IFFM, South Beach Florida Film Festival, Berlin Interfilm Festival, Chicago Underground Film Festival, San Francisco Troubadours Film Festival, and the Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal, Quebec. Tomaselli expanded Desecration, which he also wrote, to feature-length. And in 1999, the film received its world premiere to a standing-room-only audience at the prestigious Fantafestival in Rome.
The release of Desecration on DVD by Image Entertainment resulted in laudatory critical notices unique for an independent production. Dante Tomaselli's second feature, Horror was released on DVD by Elite Entertainment May 27th, 2003. The film garnered raves in the horror and cult press and was even favorably reviewed in Variety Magazine. It was also an Amazon.com Top 10 Best Seller under numerous horror categories. Most surprisingly, though, with a surge of online press and a devoted cult following, Dante Tomaselli's Horror charted # 7 out of all movies on the IMDb-Pro for the week of September 21, 2003. With Satan's Playground picked up by Anchor Bay in 2006, Tomaselli is now looking ahead towards the creation of a fourth feature, Torture Chamber. Dante will also direct a remake of his cousin's landmark 1978 chiller, Alice, Sweet Alice. For now, be on the look out for TORTURE CHAMBER.
13-year-old Jimmy Morgan is possessed by an evil too powerful to be exorcised by any priest. After his own brother, Father Mark Morgan, nearly died in the attempt, Jimmy is back with a vengeance -- and an army of horribly burned children who follow his every murderous desire. The town of Smithville trembles in fear as Jimmy and his deadly young followers attack and abduct its residents -- innocent and guilty alike -- dragging their victims to an abandoned castle and subjecting them to grisly torments deep within its catacombs. Those who discover the terrible secret behind the disappearances and deaths don't live long enough to tell it. The teacher, the doctor, even Jimmy's own brother and mother, will all confront their fates in the Torture Chamber.
"In terms of outright fear, I want to push the envelope right off the table. With TORTURE CHAMBER, I can draw upon the Gothic imagery of crumbling-castle horror movies while really going for the jugular with the scares."
Interviews/Articles with Dante Tomaselli
Fearnet article - Torture Chamber
Fangoria article - Torture Chamber
Avmaniacs Interview with Dante Tomaselli by Troy Howarth
Film Connoisseur Interview with Dante Tomaselli (August 2010)
Moviehole.net news - Torture Chamber
Pulpmovies article - Torture Chamber
Bocadoinferno article (Brazilian) - Torture Chamber
Horror-movies.ca article - Torture Chamber
Masalladeorion article (Spanish) - Torture Chamber
Moviemikes.com article - Torture Chamber
Thehouseofblogs article (Spanish) - Torture Chamber
The Cathode Ray Mission Dante Tomaselli Interview - Escaping the Torture Chamber
Torture Chamber Cast & Crew Shirts - Eerie Apparel
Fangoria article - Dante Tomaselli Talks Torture Chamber
Nightmares in the Torture Chamber: An Interview with Dante Tomaselli
Arrow in the Head article - Torture Chamber
Dread Central article - Dante Tomaselli Finally Ready to Open His Torture Chamber
BloodyGoodHorror.com article - Dante Tomaselli's Torture Chamber in Production
Horror-Movies.ca article - Torture Chamber
Pulpmovies.com article - Torture Chamber Goes into Production
Moviehole.net article - 'Big Pussy' enters Torture Chamber
Esplatter article - Torture Chamber
Torture Chamber Press Release
The Film Connoisseur Interviews Dante Tomaselli
Pulpmovies.com - Dante Tomaselli enters the Torture Chamber
The Cathode Ray Mission: Dante Tomaselli's Top 10 Horror
Esplatter article - What's up with Dante Tomaselli's Torture Chamber?
The Cinema Somnambulist - Dante Tomaselli trailers
The Cathode Ray Mission: An Interview with Dante Tomaselli
Torture Chamber - Horrormovies.ca
"The Films of Dante Tomaselli" review by Mondo-Digital.com
Esplatter article "Torture Chamber"
Horror-movies.ca article "Torture Chamber"
Horrornews.net Interview
Moviehole.net article "Torture Chamber"
Backstage Magazine interview
McFarland's "FILM OUT OF BOUNDS" (chapter on Dante Tomaselli films)
MOCtalk.ca Interview with Dante Tomaselli
"Torture Chamber" Myspace page
DVDManiacs Interview
Esplatter.com article
Dante Tomaselli's TORTURE CHAMBER
Esplatter article
Moviehole.net news
Arrow in the Head article
The Ocean MySpace
Anchor Bay - Satan's Playground
Fangoria article "Dee Wallace jumps into The Ocean"
Variety Magazine article
Dread Central article
Cinematical news
Moviehole.net article
Arrow in the Head news
Kindred Media Group "THE OCEAN" press release
Fangoria article "THE OCEAN"
KQEK.COM Dante Tomaselli interview
An Interview with Dante Tomaselli and Alfred Sole
Moviehole.net - Dante Tomaselli to direct Alice Sweet Alice remake
Blockbuster - Alice gets sweet remake
JoBlo.com article (April 2007)
Associatedcontent.com Interview (October 2006)
Variety Magazine review - "Satan's Playground"
Fangoria article: PLAYGROUND of the Damned
Dvdtalk.com review SATAN'S PLAYGROUND
Satan's Playground review Horror.About.com
Satan's Playground (Widescreen) - Wal-Mart
Horrorwoodbabbleon.com review Satan's Playground
Esplatter review Satan's Playground
Sexgoremutants.co.uk review Satan's Playground
EI > Columns > Interview with director Dante Tomaselli
Anchor Bay Entertainment - Satan's Playground
The Horror Channel article (June 2006)
Pre-Order Satan's Playground on Amazon.com
Denise Kaminsky interviews Dante Tomaselli
Bloody Disgusting article (June 2006)
About.com News: "Satan's Playground
Horrorview.com article (June 2006)
Arrow in the Head News: Anchor's Playground DVD
Splattercontainer.com (Italian) article
The Horror Channel article (May 2006)
Bloody Disgusting article (May 2006)
INSIDE SATAN'S PLAYGROUND
Fangoria article (March)
The Horror Channel article (March)
Moviehole article: Halloween 9 and Dante Tomaselli?
JoBlo.com article
Bloody Disgusting article
Arrow in the Head article
Splattercontainer.com article
Horrorexpress.com article
JoBlo.com article
GutsandGory.com Dante Tomaselli message board
Fangoria article
Horrormagazine.it article (Italian)
Pulpmovies.com article
Cinemagia article
Cineblog.it article (Italian)
Horror411 Interview with Dante Tomaselli
ANCHOR BAY ENTERTAINMENT TO RELEASE "SATANıS PLAYGROUND"
Toxic Shock TV Interview with Dante Tomaselli
Adam Barnick Interview with Dante Tomaselli
DVDinMyPants-Feature: Inside The Mind of Dante Tomaselli
Fangoria (November)
Fangoria (October)
Fangoria (September)
Giant Magazine article
Pitofhorror.com Interviews Dante Tomaselli
THE HORROR NEWSLETTER- DANTE'S INFERNO
IconsOfFright.com Interviews Dante Tomaselli
Bloody-Disgusting.com Interview with Dante Tomaselli
WFMU's Beware of the Blog: Interview: Dante Tomaselli
The Horror Channel/Dread Central Interview with Dante Tomaselli
Fangoria article
HorrorMovies.ca Interview with Dante Tomaselli
INTERVISTA A DANTE TOMASELLI - SPLATTERCONTAINER.COM (Italian/English)
Fangoria.com Interview with Dante Tomaselli
Fangoria - America's Horror Magazine
Horreur.net (French and English) Interview,
Arrow in the Head "The Ocean"
Racksandrazors.com interviews Dante Tomaselli
MovieMaker Magazine
Creature Corner Interviews Dante Tomaselli
The Horror Channel Article
Horror Asylum Interview with Dante Tomaselli
JoBlo.com Interview with Dante Tomaselli
Icons of Fright Interviews Dante Tomaselli
Einsiders.com Interviews Dante Tomaselli
ReelHorror.com Interview with Dante Tomaselli
Evilklown.com's Interview with Dante Tomaselli
Esplatter Interview with Dante Tomaselli
Horror religioso: entrevista a Dante Tomaselli
Adam Barnick Interviews Dante Tomaselli
The Arrow Interviews...Dante Tomaselli and Felissa Rose!
Eve Blaack Interviews Dante Tomaselli and Tim Naylor
The Horror, The Horror... Dante Tomaselli Interview
Horrorview Interview with Dante Tomaselli
Horror Asylum: Dante Tomaselli Interview
Secret Scroll Digest
Gamut Magazine Interviews Dante Tomaselli
Are You Going? Magazine Interviews Dante Tomaselli
ADDinterview: Dante Tomaselli [ADDmovies]
Dante Tomaselli Interview: RumourMachine.com
The Bloody Good Horror Page Interview: Dante Tomaselli
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"The director achieves impressive overall results...Richly atmospheric exercise in surreal horror...complex music/ambient audio design...beautifully menacing photography...Tomaselli creates a hyper-real atmosphere of striking primal-fear images, cackling lunacy, impending doom and grotesque humor...Belying very modest means, Tomaselli has delivered a design and tech package that’s first-rate."
---Variety Magazine (7/10/2005)
"Gothic surrealism...Horror can't help but impress with its lush, unsettling textural confidence, rich in atmosphere...distinctly ominous..."
---Variety Magazine (3/23/2003)
"Like the best works of Mario Bava, Dario Argento or their young U.S. inheritor Dante Tomaselli, "The Abandoned" works best as a macabre fever dream..."
---Variety Magazine (3/11/2007)
"3 1/2 stars. With SATAN'S PLAYGROUND (Anchor Bay), filmmaker Dante Tomaselli uses a traditional drive-in movie story as a way to anchor the hallucinogenic style of his previous films. This tale of a vacationing family lost in the woods, assaulted by a supernatural entity and a freaky backwoods clan, is "old fashioned," as Tomaselli says on his commentary, "but laced with LSD." Running a taut and feverish 81 minutes, this visually striking throwback to 1970s horror classics was shot in 1.85:1 widescreen (16x9-enhanced here) and the atmosphere of dread is immeasurably aided by highly evocative Dolby Digital 5.1 audio. Tomaselli draws strong performances from genre heroines Felissa Rose and Ellen Sandweiss as potential victims and Texas Chainsaw Massacre hitchhiker Ed Neal as one of the crazies, which only adds to the retro feel. Even though Tomaselli clearly loves The Evil Dead and frequently tips his hat, his portrait of a dysfunctional family under pressure feels personal and sometimes scathing. It's never artsy for its own sake, though, and can just as easily be enjoyed as a spooky funhouse ride -- a character's paranoid walk down a hallway toward a secret room is a nailbiter that builds to a brutally abrupt jolt. While his commentary and an on camera interview with Tomaselli reveal him as a passionate genre filmmaker, the behind-the-scenes featurette is unfortunately an uninspired puff piece. For a more in-depth look at the director, we'll have to wait for Christopher P.Garetano's upcoming documentary The Horror of Dante Tomaselli (trailered here) - - but until then, this DVD is a fine addition to a strong filmmaker's growing body of work."
--- Fangoria Magazine
"Satan's Playground is a fun, entertaining horror movie...The smoky lighting and colored tones are reminiscent of a lot of sixties and seventies Italian horror films...If you've got the hardware to make it happen, do yourself a favor and watch the film with the 5.1 track turned way up as this is a really nice, aggressive, atmospheric mix. Satan's Playground is one of the better and more creative low budget features to come out in some time."
--- Dvdtalk.com
"Anything but playful...Tomaselli isn't concerned with a clear narrative, but rather with nightmare imagery, and he leaves some terrifying impressions. The director, who also crafted an effectively creepy score for the film, is horns-down a talented filmmaker."
--- Rue Morgue Magazine
"With heavy influences from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Evil Dead, Satanıs Playground is filled to the brim with gothic imagery and sadistic style, all of which make it a fun, yet bizarre, nightmarish ride....This 81-minute fright fest is a nice little horror treat... Watch this film with the lights down and the volume up, and prepare for a jolting experience that would be a great addition to your Halloween night movie lineup. Satan's Playground is Dante Tomaselliıs best film to date."
--- ign.com
"After viewing SATAN'S PLAYGROUND I have no doubt that Mr. Tomaselli is well on his way to establishing himself in horror's next generation of masters. He has kept his characteristic nightmare logic, look, and feel in tact, but finally started to tell some real stories. I can't wait to see what's next..."
--- Horrorwoodbabbleon.com
"A desolate world full of childhood ghost stories brought to life...Wonderfully grotesque, lush...An amazing exercise in the uncanny, Satanıs Playground is a must for adventurous viewers."
--- About.Horror.com
"Tomaselli knows how to exploit the eeriness of the New Jersey woods for maximum effect, giving the film some Blair Witch/Evil Dead-style moments. Best yet, the total lack of CGI makes you think you're watching a movie from the 1980s. What I like about Satan's Playground is that it is unpredictable, and evokes an eerie sense of hopelessness absent in so many horror films today. The cinematography, music and some of the gore effects are brilliant. They don't make 'em like this anymore, folks. At least nobody but Tomaselli does."
--- Esplatter.com
"Come frolic in this freaky forest."
--- Horror.com
"Tomaselli gave me a ninety minute heart attack by putting an infant into the hands of a bunch of sadistic people...Satan's Playground is a great mind-blowing psychological horror film."
--- Horrorreview.com
"Outstanding visual flair...breathtaking. Tomaselli uses his camera like an artist uses his brush and the results are spectacular. I canıt stress enough that you should seek out this film and see a talented director doing his thing before he makes it big. We are going to be talking about Dante Tomaselli for many years to come."
--- Houseofhorrors.com
"SATAN'S PLAYGROUND is a fast journey into a world of hysteria that I absolutely loved..."
--- Terrorhook.com
"Great ride and astounding audio/visual experience...A relentless and uber-entertaining circus of horror...."
--- Arrow in the Head
"This harrowing account of a bickering family's unexpected descent into demonic madness is a cut above most of the genre fare hitting the multiplexes today. Satan's Playground is a remarkable tale of terror which will stay with you long after viewing."
--- Pitofhorror.com
"Old-school and loving it, with nods to the 70's-80's classic scare films..."
--- Einsiders.com
"Made for a minuscule $500,000 budget with a running time of 81 minutes, the film looks and sounds incredible. The score, soundtrack and sound design are superb with Tomaselli and Kenneth Lampl contributing everything from an eerie music box theme to Tomaselli's trademark layered sound design from hell."
--- Bloody-Disgusting.com
"Dante Tomaselli is a unique, visionary filmmaker...more of a painter..."
--- Icons of Fright
"A storybook fairy tale on acid...strange sounds and spooky atmosphere...There's a psychic lash of pain in the way Tomaselli shows violence. His movies are taut and fast, careening along with the camera as stand-in for supernatural force and oppressive dread. Satan's Playground announces filmmaker Dante Tomaselli as a horror talent to watch out for."
--- Slant Magazine
"A throwback to twisted '70s and '80s survivalist horror, Satan's Playground gathers an impressive crop of actors who've appeared in mega-popular horror films. Writer/director Dante Tomaselli has some serious moves, and was able to squeeze every dollar's worth out of the production. The lighting is consistently excellent, the camerawork top-notch and the production design is tight. This is a top-shelf production."
--- Dvdverdict.com
Some Desecration Reviews:
"This is a remarkably assured debut from filmmaker Dante Tomaselli...Fueled by surreal dreams and solid performances, what it lacks in budget is made up for in passion, and the result is a chilling tale of psychological horror."
--- Steve Puchalski, Sci-Fi Magazine
"Writer/director Dante Tomaselli has created a unique and compelling film...with its disturbing images and wavering storyline, Desecration calls to mind the essence of EuroHorror, with a dose of American ingenuity."
--- Dvdreview.com
"One powerfully visual experience...The screen is filled with faceless nuns, flashing lights, flying scissors and more...From the opening scenes to the end of the film, Tomaselli combines religion, horror and the supernatural together to great effect...I highly recommend a viewing of Desecration."
--- Dvdverdict.com
"If you are a fan of Italian horror movies, then Desecration is a film that will appeal to your sensibilities. Desecration is a very creepy little offering that has all the stylistic earmarks of a European import -- even the director's name lulls one into believing that they are watching a foreign film. Of course, appearances can be deceiving; this independent horror feature was produced in the exotic locale of New Jersey."
---The Cinema Laser, TheCinemaLaser.com
