Zadar! Cow From Hell

"Zadar! Cow From Hell" is an independent, low budget comedy film directed by Robert C. Hughes. The film was released in 1989 and shown in select theaters, mostly located in eastern Iowa. In a two night theatrical run, the film grossed over $25,000 [cite web | url = http://www.drscience.com/ducks.htm | title = Duck's Breath Mystery Theater | accessdate = 2006-06-28] . It also premiered at the Sundance Film Festival ^{[http://www.drscience.com/store.htm] [http://www.keepmedia.com/pubs/PRNewswire/2005/06/27/909978]} .

The film was written by and cast with members of the Duck's Breath Mystery Theater, a successful comic acting troupe. The idea was originally introduced Merle Kessler, who was inspired by "Zarda", a dairy in Kansas City, that had a statue of a giant cow. The film was shot in and around Iowa City, Tipton, Solon and Mount Vernon, Iowa.

The plot of the movie revolves around a struggling Hollywood director who wished to return to his home state of Iowa and create a successful horror film. However, upon arriving in Iowa, the young director (played by Merle Kessler) is immediately distracted by old friends and family, a problem which will plague him throughout the making of his film, "Zadar! Cow From Hell."

The film within a film is sprinkled with bits of humor, usually consisting of short one-liners. However, the film's defining moment comes when the individuals meant to be playing cows realize that they cannot remove the plastic horns from their heads. This causes chaos and frustration, and is later linked with the demise of the project.

While "Zadar! Cow From Hell" is far from a cult classic, (it's said to be Ashton Kutcher's favorite film) it was enjoyed by the local communities, and eventually released on VHS and DVD, although not through a major distribution network. The film also gained attention from outside the movie-going community, eventually even having a meal named after it at a local diner. There, the "Zadar" omelette consists of two eggs, ground beef, cheese, and homefries. [cite web | url = http://www.jeonet.com/hamburg.htm | title = The Hamburg Inn | accessdate = 2006-06-28] There is also a reference to the movie in the RPG game "Neverwinter Nights", in which a cheat that summons killer cows is entered by typing "dm_cowsfromhell". [ cite web | title = Console Commands | publisher =Bioware | url =http://nwn.bioware.com/dms/commands.html#dm_cowsfromhell | accessdate =2007-11-29 ]

Classic Quotes

* "The movies are coming! The movies are coming!"
* "You're the farmer I used to be. I love growing things".
* "There is something in the cornfield, an evil that has no name: Zadar, Cow from Hell."
* "The boys in the car said 'Moo' and the cow in the field said 'Moo' as well. So who is stupid? I don't know."

Complete Credited Cast

*Robert C. Hughes - Director
*Bill Allad - Mr Nifty
*Dan Coffey - Rex
*Merle Kessler - Sleepless Walker
*Leon Martell - Dan Tension
*Jim Turner - Max
*Deborah Gwinn - Amy Walker
*Eric Topham - Ralph Jr
*Ned Holbrook - Chip
*Toby Huss - Clerk
*Steve Baker - Associate Producer
*Scott Smith - Executive Producer
*Robert Hughes - Producer
*Tom Higgins - Associate Producer
*Oak O'Connor - UPM - 1st AD

External links

* [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0250124/ IMDB Page for "Zadar! Cow From Hell"]
* [http://www.ducksbreath.com/ Duck's Breath Mystery Theater Homepage]

References

*cite web | url = http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/movie.html?v_id=226973 | title = Zadar! Cow From Hell | accessdate = 2006-06-28 | author = Clarke Fountain