Anything for Jackson is a 2020 Canadian supernatural horror film directed by Justin G. Dyck, and written by Keith Cooper. The film stars Sheila McCarthy, Julian Richings, Konstantina Mantelos, Josh Cruddas, and Yannick Bisson. Anything for Jackson debuted at the Fantasia Film Festival in September 2020 before releasing Shudder the following December. The film received positive reviews from critics.
After the sudden death of their only grandson Jackson, the overly religious Audrey and Dr. Henry abduct a pregnant patient of Dr. Henry's, with the intention of performing a "reverse-exorcism", putting Jackson's essence inside her unborn child.
Audrey (Sheila McCarthy) and Dr. Henry Walsh (Julian Richings) on the surface look like a any typical couple. They still grieve for their grandson Jackson (Daxton William Lund). Being Satanists, they have uncovered a spell that can place Jackson into another vessel, i.e. a fetus. They kidnap a pregnant woman and handcuff her to a bed. Using an ancient spellbook they perform a rite, but perhaps not the one they want as they open the portal to purgatory as various souls desire the vessel.
The film was initially conceived when director Justin G. Dyck and screenwriter Keith Cooper - both fans of the horror genre - had met to discuss how to add a "fresh take" on an exorcism film, their idea was to do the opposite of an exorcism.[1] Dyck and Cooper had previously collaborated on several made for televisionChristmas films. Dyck had accepted most of these projects as a means to gain experience and reputation, with the end goal being to fund Anything for Jackson. Dyck cited The Omen, The Changeling, The Shining, and What Dreams May Come as inspiration.[2] Cooper had studied dream analysis while writing early drafts of the script.[3] Early variations of the script followed the parents instead of the grandparents, but this was later changed as both opted to do something they had not seen in a film before.[4]
Pre-production
Sheila McCarthy was first cast before any financing was acquired. The filmmakers approached Julian Richings for the role of Henry once they received funding, which was written with Richings in mind.[5] Dyck and Cooper worked with their associate producer Rebecca Lamarche to cast the rest of the film.[6]
Filming
Production began in 2020 on location in Barrie, Ontario, Canada.[7] The house interior scenes were all shot in screenwriter Keith Cooper's house.[8] Production concluded in March 2020.[9]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, Anything for Jackson holds an approval rating of 98% based on 63 reviews, with an average rating of 7.4/10. The website's critics' consensus reads, "A talented cast and fiendishly frightening premise combine to make Anything for Jackson a must-watch for fans of supernatural horror."[13] On Metacritic, the film has an aggregated score of 67 out of 100 based on 4 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[14]
Leslie Felperin of The Guardian awarded the film 3 out of 5 stars, writing: "Dyck and Cooper turn this almost comical premise into an interesting work that treads the line between genres with agility." She concluded: "it’s a richer devil’s brew than you would expect, crisply edited and moodily shot – even if the last act doesn’t quite hit the spot."[15] Writing for RogerEbert.com, Brian Tallerico gave the film a score of 3 out of 4 stars, saying that it "lures viewers in with its clever concept and instantly strong characters only to present them with the kind of nightmare fuel that would impress Clive Barker."[16] Writing for Nerdist, Kyle Anderson said: "While not as extreme as some might expect, Anything for Jackson is nevertheless and supremely creepy."[17] Joe Lipsett of Bloody Disgusting wrote: "Despite losing its focus in the back half, McCarthy and Richings deliver great lead performances that – coupled with a creepy ghost design and some genuinely unsettling moments - makes Anything for Jackson a worthwhile twist on the exorcism/possession subgenre.".[18]
References
^Rawls, Murjani (December 3, 2020). "INTERVIEW: Director Justin Dyck Of Anything For Jackson". Substream Magazine. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
^Newby, Richard (December 4, 2020). "How a Holiday Movie Director Finally Made His Horror Dream Come True". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
^Wixson, Heather (December 21, 2020). "Interview: Director Justin G. Dyck Discusses Defying Expectations and More for Anything for Jackson". Daily Dead. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
^White, Jeanette (November 24, 2020). "Anything for Jackson's Justin Dyck & Keith Cooper Talk Jumping From Hallmark to Horror". CBR. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
^Rawls, Murjani (December 3, 2020). "INTERVIEW: Director Justin Dyck Of Anything For Jackson". Substream Magazine. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
^McLaren, Samantha (November 9, 2020). "INTERVIEW: Justin G. Dyck and Keith Cooper Talk Anything for Jackson". Scream Horror Magazine. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
^Miska, Brad (March 20, 2020). "Anything for Jackson Performs a Reverse Exorcism for Super Channel Fuse in Canada". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
^White, Jeanette (November 24, 2020). "Anything for Jackson's Justin Dyck & Keith Cooper Talk Jumping From Hallmark to Horror". CBR. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
^Dick, Jeremy (March 25, 2020). "Anything for Jackson Brings Exorcism Horror to Canada's Super Channel Fuse". MovieWeb. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
^Church, Ricky (August 17, 2020). "Horror Film Anything for Jackson to Premiere at Fantasia, Poster and First Look Images Revealed". Flickering Myth. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
^Squires, John (November 10, 2020). "Shudder Performs a Reverse Exorcism With Anything for Jackson This December [Trailer]". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
^Miska, Brad (March 29, 2021). "We Give Birth to the Anything for Jackson Blu-ray/DVD Artwork [Exclusive]". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
^"Anything for Jackson Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved July 25, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^Felperin, Leslie (December 2, 2020). "Anything for Jackson Review – Grieving Grandparents do a Deal with the Devil". The Guardian. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
^Tallerico, Brian (December 3, 2020). "Anything For Jackson movie review (2020) | Roger Ebert". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved 2021-07-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^Anderson, Kyle (November 30, 2020). "Anything for Jackson Is This Year's Hereditary". Nerdist. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
^Lipsett, Joe (October 12, 2020). "[Nightstream Review] Anything for Jackson Is a Worthwhile Twist on the Exorcism/Possession Subgenre". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
anything, jackson, 2020, canadian, supernatural, horror, film, directed, justin, dyck, written, keith, cooper, film, stars, sheila, mccarthy, julian, richings, konstantina, mantelos, josh, cruddas, yannick, bisson, debuted, fantasia, film, festival, september,. Anything for Jackson is a 2020 Canadian supernatural horror film directed by Justin G Dyck and written by Keith Cooper The film stars Sheila McCarthy Julian Richings Konstantina Mantelos Josh Cruddas and Yannick Bisson Anything for Jackson debuted at the Fantasia Film Festival in September 2020 before releasing Shudder the following December The film received positive reviews from critics Anything for JacksonFilm posterDirected byJustin G DyckWritten byKeith CooperProduced byBill Marks Christopher Giroux Justin G Dyck Keith CooperStarringSheila McCarthy Julian Richings Konstantina Mantelos Josh Cruddas Yannick BissonCinematographySasha MoricEdited byVincent WhitemanMusic byJohn McCarthyProductioncompanyVortex ProductionsDistributed byShudderRelease dateSeptember 1 2020 2020 09 01 Fantasia Film Festival Running time97 minutesCountryCanadaLanguageEnglish Contents 1 Premise 2 Cast 3 Production 3 1 Development 3 2 Pre production 3 3 Filming 4 Release 4 1 Home media 5 Reception 6 References 7 External linksPremise EditAfter the sudden death of their only grandson Jackson the overly religious Audrey and Dr Henry abduct a pregnant patient of Dr Henry s with the intention of performing a reverse exorcism putting Jackson s essence inside her unborn child Audrey Sheila McCarthy and Dr Henry Walsh Julian Richings on the surface look like a any typical couple They still grieve for their grandson Jackson Daxton William Lund Being Satanists they have uncovered a spell that can place Jackson into another vessel i e a fetus They kidnap a pregnant woman and handcuff her to a bed Using an ancient spellbook they perform a rite but perhaps not the one they want as they open the portal to purgatory as various souls desire the vessel Cast EditSheila McCarthy as Audrey Julian Richings as Henry Konstantina Mantelos as Becker Josh Cruddas as Ian Yannick Bisson as Rory Lanette Ware as Detective Bellows Claire Cavalheiro as Talia Scott Cavalheiro as Colin Daxton William Lund as JacksonProduction EditDevelopment Edit The film was initially conceived when director Justin G Dyck and screenwriter Keith Cooper both fans of the horror genre had met to discuss how to add a fresh take on an exorcism film their idea was to do the opposite of an exorcism 1 Dyck and Cooper had previously collaborated on several made for television Christmas films Dyck had accepted most of these projects as a means to gain experience and reputation with the end goal being to fund Anything for Jackson Dyck cited The Omen The Changeling The Shining and What Dreams May Come as inspiration 2 Cooper had studied dream analysis while writing early drafts of the script 3 Early variations of the script followed the parents instead of the grandparents but this was later changed as both opted to do something they had not seen in a film before 4 Pre production Edit Sheila McCarthy was first cast before any financing was acquired The filmmakers approached Julian Richings for the role of Henry once they received funding which was written with Richings in mind 5 Dyck and Cooper worked with their associate producer Rebecca Lamarche to cast the rest of the film 6 Filming Edit Production began in 2020 on location in Barrie Ontario Canada 7 The house interior scenes were all shot in screenwriter Keith Cooper s house 8 Production concluded in March 2020 9 Release EditAnything for Jackson premiered at the Fantasia Film Festival on September 1 2020 10 The film was released on December 3 2020 by Shudder 11 Home media Edit The film was released on Blu ray and DVD on June 15 2021 by RLJ Entertainment 12 Reception EditOn the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes Anything for Jackson holds an approval rating of 98 based on 63 reviews with an average rating of 7 4 10 The website s critics consensus reads A talented cast and fiendishly frightening premise combine to make Anything for Jackson a must watch for fans of supernatural horror 13 On Metacritic the film has an aggregated score of 67 out of 100 based on 4 reviews indicating generally favorable reviews 14 Leslie Felperin of The Guardian awarded the film 3 out of 5 stars writing Dyck and Cooper turn this almost comical premise into an interesting work that treads the line between genres with agility She concluded it s a richer devil s brew than you would expect crisply edited and moodily shot even if the last act doesn t quite hit the spot 15 Writing for RogerEbert com Brian Tallerico gave the film a score of 3 out of 4 stars saying that it lures viewers in with its clever concept and instantly strong characters only to present them with the kind of nightmare fuel that would impress Clive Barker 16 Writing for Nerdist Kyle Anderson said While not as extreme as some might expect Anything for Jackson is nevertheless and supremely creepy 17 Joe Lipsett of Bloody Disgusting wrote Despite losing its focus in the back half McCarthy and Richings deliver great lead performances that coupled with a creepy ghost design and some genuinely unsettling moments makes Anything for Jackson a worthwhile twist on the exorcism possession subgenre 18 References Edit Rawls Murjani December 3 2020 INTERVIEW Director Justin Dyck Of Anything For Jackson Substream Magazine Retrieved April 5 2021 Newby Richard December 4 2020 How a Holiday Movie Director Finally Made His Horror Dream Come True The Hollywood Reporter Retrieved April 5 2021 Wixson Heather December 21 2020 Interview Director Justin G Dyck Discusses Defying Expectations and More for Anything for Jackson Daily Dead Retrieved April 5 2021 White Jeanette November 24 2020 Anything for Jackson s Justin Dyck amp Keith Cooper Talk Jumping From Hallmark to Horror CBR Retrieved April 5 2021 Rawls Murjani December 3 2020 INTERVIEW Director Justin Dyck Of Anything For Jackson Substream Magazine Retrieved April 5 2021 McLaren Samantha November 9 2020 INTERVIEW Justin G Dyck and Keith Cooper Talk Anything for Jackson Scream Horror Magazine Retrieved April 5 2021 Miska Brad March 20 2020 Anything for Jackson Performs a Reverse Exorcism for Super Channel Fuse in Canada Bloody Disgusting Retrieved April 5 2021 White Jeanette November 24 2020 Anything for Jackson s Justin Dyck amp Keith Cooper Talk Jumping From Hallmark to Horror CBR Retrieved April 5 2021 Dick Jeremy March 25 2020 Anything for Jackson Brings Exorcism Horror to Canada s Super Channel Fuse MovieWeb Retrieved April 5 2021 Church Ricky August 17 2020 Horror Film Anything for Jackson to Premiere at Fantasia Poster and First Look Images Revealed Flickering Myth Retrieved April 5 2021 Squires John November 10 2020 Shudder Performs a Reverse Exorcism With Anything for Jackson This December Trailer Bloody Disgusting Retrieved April 5 2021 Miska Brad March 29 2021 We Give Birth to the Anything for Jackson Blu ray DVD Artwork Exclusive Bloody Disgusting Retrieved April 5 2021 Anything for Jackson 2020 Rotten Tomatoes Fandango Retrieved October 10 2021 Anything for Jackson Reviews Metacritic Retrieved July 25 2021 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Felperin Leslie December 2 2020 Anything for Jackson Review Grieving Grandparents do a Deal with the Devil The Guardian Retrieved April 5 2021 Tallerico Brian December 3 2020 Anything For Jackson movie review 2020 Roger Ebert RogerEbert com Retrieved 2021 07 25 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Anderson Kyle November 30 2020 Anything for Jackson Is This Year s Hereditary Nerdist Retrieved April 6 2020 Lipsett Joe October 12 2020 Nightstream Review Anything for Jackson Is a Worthwhile Twist on the Exorcism Possession Subgenre Bloody Disgusting Retrieved April 6 2020 External links EditAnything for Jackson at IMDb Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Anything for Jackson amp oldid 1108375113, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
