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The pit monster's lair pt. 1
[director's commentary - on]

Hi, Sean here.  Thanks for joining me for the deleted scenes from our little film.

These shots of the dark woods, and the cave, were initially just to try to create more audience sympathy for the monster, show his home and, there, see that sad, lost look in his eyes as he comes into frame?  This just adds so much of the humanity and empathy I think we lost in the release.
_____

Tess and Gavin after the first attack
[director's commentary - off]

Exterior, twilight, in the woods.  Tess and Gavin run into shot and stop in front of a big pine.

Tess (breathing hard)
I think we lost it.

Gavin
But where are the others?  Melissa was right behind me.

Tess
God, did you hear that thing?  I thought it was going to tear your arms off.

Gavin
I'm okay.  It was just a scratch.

Tess (leaning over)
Let me see.


_____

Gavin and Melissa lost in the woods
[director's commentary - off]

Exterior, night, beside the stream, dense underbrush (the same place where Mike and Claire had sex earlier).  Gavin is sitting by the stream.  He hears a movement nearby.

Gavin
Tess?

Melissa
Gavin?

Gavin
Melissa?

Melissa
Gavin!

Gavin
Melissa!

Melissa
Where's Tess?

_____

The pit monster's lair pt. 2
[director's commentary - on]

Hi again.  Well this was a scene we decided to cut very late in the editing process.  It was a hard decision to make because again it reveals so much about the monster.  We really wanted to give that element of ambiguity and create more audience sympathy with the monster, but ultimately it slowed the action down too much.

There's the lair which we spent, I think, something like two weeks building and set-dressing.  We had these big smoke machines set up, pumping mist and smoke through the whole soundstage.

Oh, here's Billy as the monster, coming through the cave's entrance.  Billy did a great job, really brought so much character to the role, so it was unfortunate to have to cut.  Really one of his best sequences.

So, yeah, he comes in, steps into the bottom of the cave with Tess's body.  Suzie was awesome playing Tess in this scene.  You know, like, she's already dead, so she had to be limp and unmoving and Billy's just tossing her onto the rocks like that ... there you go.  Ow.  I think in one of the early takes she flinched, but after that she nailed it.  Oh, not real rocks, Styrofoam.

Then, oh yeah, this is the bit that really took the whole thing to a different level.  The monster kneels and seems to pray, as if giving thanks for his prey.  I wanted to linger on this, the lighting was great, the whole atmosphere worked.  Worked well.

Now watch, watch here.  There, see Billy lift his head a little, towards the cave mouth?  He can hear the others, the kids.  They're nearby.  But then he turns back to look at Suzie.  So subtle, but conveying so much.  He's going to devour her, but he's not as bestial as they all think.

To me this brings quite a different aspect to the movie, I'm a little sorry we had to lose it.

_____

Gavin's arm
[director's commentary - off]

Exterior, night, slow pan from the cottage to Gavin and Melissa.  Gavin is lying on the ground.

Melissa
We need to put a tourniquet on that.

_____

Tess's confession
[director's commentary - on]

Okay, listen to Suzie's lines here ...

Tess
I didn't mean ...

At this stage in the edits, Tess had already been killed off so it made no sense, but we couldn't slot it in any earlier either.  Suzie gave such an amazing performance though that it was a pity we couldn't keep it in.

Tess
... and Melissa.

_____

What happened to the car
[director's commentary - on]

Well, this was an obvious scene to leave on the cutting room floor.  In the storyboard stage it fitted, but didn't work for the release.  Okay, there's Gavin's old Taurus, parked at the road edge.  The pit monster stumbling around and injured now ... there's Billy ... and he bumps it.  The brake fails and the car rolls away through ... there it goes ... bounces through the trees.  I did like how we had a camera inside looking forwards ... then over the edge and ... there's the water.  Smack.  Right into the lair.  It sinks.  I'm glad we cut that, it just slowed the story down.  But thanks to DVD extras we can show you how we wrecked a perfectly good car.

_____

Alternate ending
[director's commentary - on]

Ah, so this is the gruesome ending we would have had, the one that set things up for a sequel more seamlessly.  Okay, here are Gavin and Melissa ...

Gavin
Just over the rise.

Melissa
I can hear people.  We're nearly at the mall-

And there's the pit monster.  This is where we really would have lost that PG rating.  Swing, swing with those claws and ...

Melissa (screaming)
No, no.

Gavin
Run I-

I like this moment though.  The monster slices Gavin apart and howls at the sky ... then turns as if he's heard those other people.  Sequel here we come.  Roll credits.

_____

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"Deleted Scenes"

Copyright: © 2010 Sean Monaghan

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Sean Monaghan's films have appeared frequently in his dreams and been described to bored listeners.  Sean's stories have appeared online and in print in The New Flesh, Deep Space Terror and Flashes in the Dark, among others.  More information at his website www.venusvulture.com

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