The Deaths of Ian Stone

Infobox Film
name = The Deaths of Ian Stone


image_size = 200px
caption = Promotional movie poster for the film
director = Dario Piana
producer = Steve Christian
Brian J. Gilbert
Brendan Hood
Ralph Kamp
Paul Ritchie
Stan Winston
writer = Brendan Hood
narrator =
starring = Mike Vogel
Christina Cole
Michael Dixon
Jaime Murray
Jeff Peterson
music = Elia Cmiral
distributor = After Dark Films
released =flagicon|USA 9 November 2007 (After Dark Horrorfest)
runtime = 87 minutes
country = United Kingdom/United States
language = English
budget =
gross =
website =
amg_id =
imdb_id = 0810823

"The Deaths of Ian Stone" is a 2007 horror film directed by Dario Piana. It stars Mike Vogel, Christina Cole, Jaime Murray, and Michael Dixon.

The story centers on an American man living in Britain, Ian Stone (Vogel), who is killed each day by mysterious beings. He then enters a new existence, unaware of his prior lives. When he begins to remember past existences, he is once again in danger of being killed, with each death more gruesome than the last.

Plot

Ian Stone is an average kid. He loves ice hockey but lives for his girlfriend, Jenny Walker. Late one night while driving home from a painful loss on the ice, Ian comes across a bewildering discovery; what looks like a dead body near the railroad tracks. Investigating the grisly discovery, Ian is attacked by the "corpse", forced onto the tracks and subsequently barreled over by an oncoming train.

He wakes up in an office cubicle. He's still alive, but older and shacked up with a beautiful, but eerily mysterious woman by the name of Medea. Jenny is still there, but she's not his girlfriend, just a co-worker and one of a number of apparently familiar faces.

Ian meets a strange old man who implores he is in danger. From this old man he learns that he is being hunted by the Harvesters; a group of mind-controlling vampire-like characters who cannot be killed and feed off human fear. He explains that everyday, at different times and different places, the clocks stop and they come after him to kill him. The only problem is that Ian won't stay dead. He wakes in a new life, a new place, only for the cycle to repeat itself. Suddenly one of the Harvester's attacks the old man and Ian runs. They chase Ian mercilessly, all the way back to his apartment where Medea, who is clearly one of them, is waiting. Once again, Ian is killed...

He wakes to find he's a junkie in a rundown apartment, with Jenny living a few doors down. He implores her to remember him, desperately reaching out and searching for someone to help him make sense of what's going on. When the harvesters come again Jenny and Ian have no choice but to run. As they seek refuge on a subway train heading out-of-town Jenny confesses to her memories of Ian's former lives... Later on the old man meets Ian in the train again while Jenny sleeps. It is then that the old man reveals that he is one of the Harvester's and hints at Ian's involvement with them.

When they disembark they are again confronted by a group of Harvesters - a seething mass of pulsating veins, pitch-black muscles and midnight flesh. We recognize some of the barely human faces from Ian's previous lives including Medea who reveals a shocking truth; that Ian was one of these monsters until he rebelled against the colony and managed to kill one other Harvester and Medea used to be his "mate". Medea tries to force Ian to feed again with fear and pain and return back to the 'fold' but Ian decides against this.

Medea and the Harvesters attack once more, she explains his rebellion came after his first encounter with Jenny. So moved was he by the girl, that he became a saviour to the human race. He lives one life after another, always trying to protect her. Before Medea can harm Jenny, however, a final change comes over Ian with the help of the old man who turns out to be his friend. Apparently Ian found a sustenance that was far superior to fear or pain, so did the old man. This sustenance was someone important in their lives who they love. But the old man lost his to the Harvesters. Imploring to Ian to feed off him and to save Jenny, Ian's regains his true power: his Harvester-self is finally born out of his human flesh, uniquely exuding goodness rather than malevolence. He now has the capacity to turn the tables on these creatures and to feed on their fear and to give life.

After saving Jenny, Ian returns them to their old University. While Jenny has no recollection of their harrowing adventure, Ian, having realized his abilities, will begin to take the fight to the Harvesters...

DVD Release

"The Deaths of Ian Stone" was released on DVD March 18, 2008

External links

* [http://www.joblo.com/arrow/index.php?id=11135 Arrow in the Head] Interview with screenwriter Brendan Hood about The Deaths of Ian Stone
* [http://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/feature.php?id=444 EyeForFilm.co.uk] Interview with director Dario Piana about The Deaths Of Ian Stone
* [http://cinefantastiqueonline.com/2007/11/12/the-deaths-of-ian-stone Cinefantastique Online Review]