Synopsis

A cross-dressing mental patient escapes from an asylum and launches a violent crime spree. After stealing a fortune, he hides the money in a coffin during a bizarre funeral ceremony, only to be knocked unconscious and lose track of it. When he wakes, he hunts down the mourners and other witnesses, determined to recover his cash at any cost.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film is based on an unproduced screenplay by Edward D. Wood Jr. Wood first wrote the story in 1961 under the title "Silent Night" and revised it in 1974 as "I Awoke Early the Day I Died."

• The project was revived after the 1994 release of Tim Burton's "Ed Wood," which renewed public interest in Wood's work.

• Billy Zane both starred in the film and served as one of its producers.

• The movie contains no spoken dialogue. Its storytelling relies on visual action, atmospheric sound, screams, laughter, music, and brief narration.

• The production deliberately used some of the low-budget techniques associated with Wood, including stock footage to reduce expenses.

• Several performers associated with Wood's earlier films appeared in small roles, including Maila Nurmi, Conrad Brooks, David Ward, and Wood's widow, Kathy O'Hara Wood.

• The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 1998. Its later American release was extremely limited, including a New York screening in September 1999.

• The distributor folded shortly after that New York engagement, preventing the film from receiving a wider American theatrical release.

• The film later appeared at the 2000 B-Movie Film Festival, where it received several awards.

• Larry Groupe composed the instrumental score, while the soundtrack also uses songs by performers including Eartha Kitt, Nat King Cole, The Ink Spots, Goldie, and Darcy Clay.