A portion of your donation will support the MDA Summer Camp. 

Kyle loved going to camp each year, making lasting memories....just getting away to feel a little independent and free....he got to be a "normal" kid for a couple of weeks......

Kyle Christopher Cerilli's vision of "SLIMEBUCK" lives on, in honor of the young filmmaker and horror film aficionado from Cranston, Rhode Island who passed away as a result of complications from Muscular Dystrophy on April 7, 2014, at the age of 30. Kyle, also known as K.C., graduated from Rhode Island College with a Bachelor’s degree in Film Studies. He founded Morbidly Amusing Productions with a small group of fellow students,  and published a website dedicated to horror film industry news and reviews with a critical edge. 

Muscular Dystrophy is a debilitating disease, with sufferers losing more and more of their physical strength and independence as time goes on.  Despite the inherent pain and challenges, Kyle lived with a passion for film, working until his "very last breath" according to Kyle's father Vin Cerilli.  "He lived mind over matter," says Mr. Cerilli. "He overcame such physical disability because he had just so much mental strength that carried him through it all." An attuned film aficionado since childhood, Kyle had a special love for the horror genre after seeing the film Gremlins, the 1984 camp classic about creatures with a unique duality. 

Continuing Kyle's Legacy

After Kyle passed, Mr. Cerilli and his wife Annette spoke with Mr. Tommy DeNucci, an established filmmaker in Rhode Island who has had success with films such as Self Storage (starring Eric Roberts), Army of the Damned and Almost Mercy.  Mr. DeNucci's  work was appreciated by Kyle as the two were classmates in high school, and were friendly but traveled in different circles. Years later, as DeNucci made a few films, Kyle reviewed Tommy's work favorably on the Morbidly Amusing website.  Realizing they shared a similar dark humor sensibility,  Kyle invited Tommy to come over and reminisce about high school and talk film. According to DeNucci, Kyle shared his SLIMEBUCK story idea and vision that one day Tommy would help him direct and produce the film. Knowing that he himself would not be able to actually run the set, Kyle envisioned himself calling the shots from a monitor as Tommy relayed and executed directions to the cast and crew. DeNucci liked the SLIMEBUCK story and Kyle's tenacity and vision. The recently reacquainted classmates agreed to revisit the idea once DeNucci's epic revenge film Almost Mercy finished shooting. 

Before their collaboration could fully be realized however, Kyle's life was cut short due to complications from MD. SLIMEBUCK was the final script Kyle worked on before his passing, writing and re-writing to perfect his script, as all writers can surely relate to. As the horrible disease worsened, Kyle was known to type one methodical letter at a time on his keyboard, refusing to allow the horrible disease to get the better of him.  Kyle is said to be a true warrior to all who knew him. He seldom complained about his physical condition, but rather found a unique type of "morbid amusement" and dark humor about these circumstances, which helped put his friends and family at ease. Kyle did not want sympathy; he wanted to contribute, and he did so profoundly.  

Early concept sketches of SLIMEBUCK

SLIMEBUCK becomes a reality

In their son's honor, the Cerilli's decided to move forward with SLIMEBUCK and contacted DeNucci and his collaborators at Woodhaven Media. The Cerilli's then produced, and DeNucci directed, a twenty minute short film, simply titled SLIMEBUCK, with the idea to use it as a promotional tool to raise awareness and financial support to later make a full length feature film. In keeping with Kyle's creative direction and instincts, the SLIMEBUCK monster himself was created with practical effects rather than CGI methods, meaning that an actual real-life prop (large puppet) was used, rather than computer-generated imagery. 

SLIMEBUCK himself is a wild and slimy creature who is discovered by two school boys named Tad and Eddie, both about age twelve. The boys  are enjoying innocent fun with pizza and video games at Tad's house, while Tad's parents are out for the night as the guests of honor at an awards ceremony.  Two Russian "bad guys" approach the family home, up to no good. The Russians seek a special rock that Tad's father, a well respected scientist, has discovered, which could have major world-wide implications. The Russians figure that the rock will soon be in their hands, thinking they can easily bypass the young boys, to claim the prized possession. Luckily, SLIMEBUCK is able to defend his two young new friends, and the rock, against the Russians by using his "slime" defense mechanisms, leaving the Russians in a gooey mess.  The story is reminiscent of the popular film Home Alone, with an assist from a creature reminiscent from the aforementioned Gremlins, displaying Kyle's love of 1980's and 1990's cinema. 

"Being with Kyle even in the short time I knew him really impacted me," says DeNucci.  "He taught me to be thankful for where I am in life and not to take anything for granted."  DeNucci says films last forever, meaning that Kyle's legacy will continue despite his passing. 

Where does your donation go?

Producing a feature film at a professional level is a costly endeavor. We intend to make this movie at a level comparable to Hollywood productions, with a cast and crew of over 100 people. If we reach our fundraising goal, Woodhaven Media has agreed to come on board to produce this film. 

Woodhaven aims to bring in name talent, worldwide distribution and an overall high level of production value, in keeping with the wishes of Kyle.

One of the unique things about this film is the use of primarily practical special effects, including our title character "SLIMEBUCK". We have a working prototype used in the short film production, but will be creating a more advanced model for the feature film. A team of puppeteers will be needed to bring our slimy alien to life.

Our fundraising goal is sufficient to get the film from pre-production through to the completion. Once completed we hope to bring as many eyes to Kyle's movie as possible, through worldwide distribution, which Woodhaven has an established track record of securing.

If we reach our goal, we intend to begin pre-production by late 2016, principle photography in summer 2017 and release by mid 2018.

Supporting the MDA Summer Camp

Kyle enjoyed his time at the official MDA Summer Camp, a retreat for young people with MD, where they can meet and hang out with kids of their same age in a fresh environment. This helps kids live beyond their daily concerns and get a break from their usual conditions.   

The cost of sending a child to MDA summer camp for one week is approximately $800. With your help we intend to send as many kids to camp as possible, and after the completion of the campaign we will announce how many kids your donations helped send to camp.

Contributions will go to Morbidly Amusing Productions LLC, which will donate a portion directly to the MDA summer camp.

The first step in the SLIMEBUCK prototyping process

Early prototype of SLIMEBUCK