News: Upcoming Steampunk Horror Film, the Mechanical Grave

I like the opening line: "We could use some more cool steampunk films ..." I contend we could use one good steampunk film.

I don't know about Phillip, maybe he'll chime in, but so far as I'm concerned, Steamboy is about as good as it gets. It's as solidly Steampunk as it's possible to be, and while I can't refer people to it as a guidepost toward what Steampunk is because no one in the West has seen it, it still exists and I'm proud to claim it as Steampunk.

Also, The Wild, Wild West was pretty solidly Steampunk, though some people might argue that it isn't a good Steampunk film. ;)

Absolutely spot on about Steamboy. It is actually what I would consider the one true steampunk film as it does play by all the rules of the genre. Wild, Wild West is the television to film version of what Anderson's Three Musketeers was to novel to film adaptation -- a product that was not originally steampunk being given a veneer of the trappings without understanding why it wouldn't work. Of course WWW also suffered from the total disrespect Hollywood also has for 60's television so even without the steampunk elements it would have still been a bit rough around the edges.

While the above trailer looks fun and the production values look very good. It still seems to fall into that category of put some gears/goggles/ and psuedo-edwardian styles into the mix and viola. . . steampunk. Of course it's just a trailer, but it seems Fantasy Steampunk has become the preferred genre for independents filmmakers and writers since I guess it is pretty difficult to actually try to place a story within an actual historical millieu akin to something like The Difference Engine. It requires some research and a tad more authenticity ( aka $$$) which a lot of steampunk afficianados consider restricting.

Good is really a matter of interpretation, but fantasy steampunk is just as valid as historically accurate steampunk. I don't consider either of them to be more or less valid than the other. It would be cool if we saw more historically-accurate stuff but anything is better than nothing.

I do consider them both valid, but one is definitely overshadowing the other, and that overrepresentation is giving the mainstream (and Hollywood) a kind of misleading notion of what steampunk is all about. It's giving it more the appearance of a sort of hi-tech fairytale sub genre. Of course the up side is that like Nolan's go at Batman, when someone does decide there is much more to be done with the genre than look cool, it will open peoples eyes to all the possibilities. The downside is that the mainsteam will hi-jack the genre so that historical, or other forms will only be seen as aberrations fit for the art house crowds.

I totally agree with you, James.

Phillip, it's not a question of which type is more valid, as much as it's just that there's such an overabundance of fantasy Steampunk... We could use more stuff like Steamboy to even out the scales.

Or, hell, I'd pay good money to see Steampunk Downton Abbey. Same exact plot, except that instead of a manor house, it's an airship.

@James Nelson - thank you for the kind word on the look of our short's trailer. The majority of us on the creative side of this project have been both intrigued and enamored of the steampunk world for some time.

I'm the head writer of the Mechanical Grave and I can assure you Sir that we didn't, in the words of Reginald Pikedevant "Just glue some gears on it". Keep in mind, you're watching a 42 second teaser trailer for a 15 minute short.

MG will be cross genre incorporating steampunk, horror, crime, romance (in both definitions of that word) and conspiracy. I hope you'll stay with us and give us the chance to entertain you.

Wow..great video, will surely watch this steampunk horror movie.