Quick Q+A: Charles Eickhof + LOON!

Loons. They’re the state bird, the mascot for Minnesota’s soccer team … and the psycho killers in the new fun horror-filled film ride LOONS!. Already screened at the Grandview and with a showing at the Trylon on Saturday, Feb 4th, the indie production from filmmaker cousins Kale and Charles Eickhof, who wrote and shot the movie entirely in the lake country of northwestern Minnesota, shines a funny and frightening light on those insidious birds. (There’s a reason a group of loons is called an asylum!)

DISPATCH: Loons are definitely scary, but also those conspicuously quiet lake destinations.What’s the scariest lake of the 10,000 in Minnesota?

Charles Eickhof: Perhaps Lake Superior, because of its vastness. What kind of things could be lurking 1,300 ft below in a freshwater lake? Also, intimidating, is prehistoric glacial Lake Agassiz which ultimately spawned many of the freshwater lakes in northwest/central MN and southern Manitoba.

You had a screening on Thursday (at the Grandview) and Saturday at the Trylon—how great is it to screen this film for its very specific audience?

I the think the assumption that it has a “very specific audience” is misguided. Yes, it will resonate more with a specific target group of b-horror genre, and independent film lovers alike. However, it can ultimately be appreciated by anyone willing to watch: it’s just so much fun! Being able to show the movie publicly and gather the reactions of others, is a great experience.

Will there be a chance for folks to see Loon at upcoming festivals, screenings, or online?

We will be playing the film in Duluth on February 11th. Potentially, we would have some other showings at a later time in the Twin Cities; along with some other midwestern cities. A showing in Los Angeles is definitely on our radar as well. In a perfect scenario, although difficult to judge, we would hope to be on a streaming platform in 4 months or so.

WHEN YOU GO:
LOONS!
Sat, Feb 4th at the Trylon
4pm – $15