Horror film producer turns to Christian drama in 'Grace Unplugged'

 

The producer of  the movies 'Saw' sequel and 'Texas Chainsaw' remake, says he jumped at the chance to bring the family friendly 'Grace Unplugged' to 511 screens.
The last three movies produced by Mark Burg — a sequel to "Saw," the remake "Texas Chainsaw 3D" and a violent revenge tale called "The Tortured" — were all rated R for "grisly" and "sadistic" violence and were hardly pleasant experiences for characters trying to remain alive.

But Hollywood has a habit of making strange bedfellows, and when Burg's latest project arrives in theaters on Friday, fans of the horror veteran's work may be surprised by its story: "Grace Unplugged" is a Christian drama about a church singer (AJ Michalka) whose estrangement from her evangelical father mirrors the prodigal son parable in the Gospel of Luke.

Opening on 511 screens, "Grace Unplugged" is hoping to satisfy a largely overlooked segment of the moviegoing audience — people who support family-friendly entertainment that carries a devotional message. Such films tend to trickle out every year or so, and once in a while the return on investment is staggering.
Burg, whose "Saw" films were released by Lionsgate, separately had connected with financiers Chris Zarpas ("The Sandlot") and Robert Norton, who were interested in trying to raise money for a slate of Christian films. Zarpas and Norton were introduced to Silverman and Rice, and they worked to develop the script, but the project eventually lost momentum.

The "Grace Unplugged" script made its way to Burg, where it sat on his bedside table for weeks. Intrigued, Burg's wife, Shainaz Donnelly, picked it up, read it and insisted her husband do the same. "It was not what I do. I come home at night and read horror scripts," Burg said.

But he read it anyway. "I loved it," said Burg, who is Jewish. He called Lionsgate and worked out a deal where he would split the film's production costs with the studio. Silverman and Rice had a green light, with Silverman directing. They said they didn't believe they were making a deal with a horror movie devil because Burg said he trusted them. "Mark just respected the fact that we knew our audience," Silverman said.

The director, who has worked as an actor and stand-up comedian, said that he never intended to make a movie that attacked the entertainment industry.