JOE MAGGIO'S "THE SLAUGHTERED" KICKS OFF SEASON 6 OF ACCLAIMED RADIO PLAY SERIES "TALES FROM BEYOND THE PALE"

Poster art by Trevor Denham

A wealthy, “do-gooder” investor is caught unawares by the savage reverberations of a single act of moral duplicity.  

Written and Directed by Joe Maggio.

Featuring the voice talents of James Le Gros, Alex Hurt, Emily Bennett, Eleanor Hutchins, Imani-Jade-Powers, Monica Wyche, Jordan Gass-Pooré and Matt Rocker.

Sound design and mix by Matt Rocker at Underground Audio.

Score by Dave Eggar.

Produced by Glenn McQuaid & Larry Fessenden.

Poster by Trevor Denham.

Listen to the full radio play here.

"TALES FROM BEYOND THE PALE" DISPATCH: JOE MAGGIO ON "THE SLAUGHTERED"

“The Slaughtered” came about, as so many of my creations seem to come about, as a result of long conversations with Larry Fessenden about politics, philosophy and the state of humanity. In this case, we were discussing John Rawls’ “veil of ignorance,” a thought experiment where individuals must build a society and its attending laws without knowing where they stand in the social hierarchy, and so out of sheer self-interest and self-preservation they will be motivated to create laws which are fair to everyone. I started thinking about this idea and how it applies to our current American society, where so often those at the top, the wealthy, the politically aligned of all colors and stripes, operate with a breezy, carefree nonchalance, buffered from any consequences stemming from their actions and ideas by the wide, soft cushion of their exalted status. I started to imagine a scenario where the chickens come home to roost, where a smug, wealthy, “do-gooder” investor is caught unawares by the savage reverberations of a single act of moral duplicity. Thus “The Slaughtered” was born.

Sketches for “The Slaughterd” poster, by Trevor Denham

For the cast, I knew I wanted to work again with James Le Gros, with whom I’d made one film (“Bitter Feast” 2010) and one previous tale (“Cannibals, Season 3.) As I wrote the script I imagined James’ voice in my head – refined, intelligent, a little mischievous – in the role of William Baxter, the morally upstanding ethical investor with a dark secret. For the role of Henry Munger, the town wild man, I was unsure, but then I met Alex Hurt on the set of Larry’s film, “Blackout” (2023). Watching Alex as Charley Barrett, the tortured artist/werewolf at the center of Larry’s film, it occurred to me that he would be the perfect Henry Munger, a tortured individual who, like Charlie, is highly civilized and utterly savage at the same time, these opposing impulses ceaselessly pulling at the jagged edges of his existence.

Dave Eggar (l) and Joe Maggio (r) at Underground Audio

The dialogue was recorded in bits and pieces over the course of several weeks due to scheduling conflicts, including one marathon session with James Le Gros in a studio in LA and Alex Hurt in NYC. Underground Audio’s Matt Rocker somehow managed to weave it all together. In what was easily one of the most thrilling recording sessions I’ve ever been a part of, Dave Eggar, cellist extraordinaire, composed the score on the fly, listening to the radio play and then riffing, layering and just generally blowing our minds with the virtuosity of his playing and the acuity of his creative reflexes.

I’m so thrilled to have been given the opportunity to create this Tale. There’s something so pure about audio storytelling, and as a filmmaker it’s always good to be shaken up a bit and reminded of the power of sound as a storytelling engine. So much of what William and Henry say and do and the way they say and do it is ripped straight from my being. I hope listeners enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making it.

-Joe Maggio - November 12th, 2025

JOE MAGGIO OPENS FOR RUSSELL HOWARD’S WEST COAST US TOUR - MARCH 17 - 31, 2025

Joe Maggio was the opening act for the West Coast leg of Russell Howard’s American tour. Cities and venues included the House of Blues in Dallas and Houston, TX; the Aztec Theater in San Antonio; Emo’s in Austin; The Van Buren Theater in Phoenix, AZ; The Hollywood Improv in LA; the Belly Up in Solana Beach, CA; The Carriage House in San Juan Capistrano; The Palace Theater in San Francisco; the MacDonald Theater in Eugene, OR; and the Moore Theater in Seattle, WA.

Joe Maggio on stage at the Hollywood Improv, LA, CA, March 23rd, 2025.

"BLISS" TO PREMIERE AT SLAMDANCE 2024 - "SPOTLIGHT" SCREENING

Incidental Films is very pleased to announce that “Bliss”, the sequel to Joe Maggio’s debut feature, “Virgil Bliss” (2001) will be having its world premiere at Slamdance 2024. “Bliss” picks up the story of Virgil Bliss after 23 years, with Virgil now an opioid addicted fugitive living off the grid in the desert canyons north of LA, playing a twisted game of cat and mouse with a sexually repressed holy-roller in search of her missing sister. Clint Jordan reprises the role which earned him a 2002 Independent Spirit Award for Best Breakthrough Actor. Slamdance, which is where “Virgil Bliss” had its world premiere in 2001, runs from January 19th-25th in Park City, Utah. https://slamdance.com/

TIME CAPSULE: FILMMAKER MAGAZINE ARTICLE ON "INCIDENTAL CINEMA"/ SPRING 2009

Back in the Spring of 2009, fresh off the sale of “PAPER COVERS ROCK” to IFC Films, Filmmaker Magazine’s Scott Macaulay interviewed director Joe Maggio about the launch of his “Incidental Cinema” initiative. Thirteen years later, the independent film landscape, and the world in general, feels radically different. And so, as Incidental Films prepares to re-launch the Incidental Cinema initiative with the upcoming release of its newest film, “BLISS” (Incidental Film #2) we thought it would be fun to re-visit Macaulay’s article.

"BITTER FEAST" TO SCREEN AT MoMA, STARTING APRIL 2, 2022

Incidental Films is proud to announce that “BITTER FEAST” will be screening at the Museum of Modern Art starting April 2nd, 2022 as part of the Larry Fessenden/Glass Eye Pix retrospective “OH THE HUMANITY.”

“BITTER FEAST” was the first official collaboration between Glass Eye Pix and Incidental Films, and it has spawned a long and fruitful creative relationship that includes the films “THE LAST RITES OF JOE MAY” (2011), “SUPERMOTO” (2017), and the upcoming “BLISS” (2022). Maggio and Fessenden have also collaborated on three radio plays - “MAN ON A LEDGE”, “RAM KING” and “CANNIBALS.” - as part of the Glass Eye Pix series TALES FROM BEYOND THE PALE.

For more information on the MoMA screening dates and times, log on to www.moma.org, or click here.

"BITTER FEAST" TO SCREEN AT THE 2020 WOODSTOCK FILM FESTIVAL DRIVE-IN SERIES

Incidental Films is proud to announce that “BITTER FEAST”, shot on location in the Hudson Valley and 2010 Woodstock Film Festival alum, will be screening at the 2020 Woodstock Film Festival’s drive-in tribute to Glass Eye Pix. The film stars James Le Gros, Joshua Leonard, Amy Seimetz and Glass Eye Pix’s own Larry Fessenden. Specific scheduling details to come, but check out this article in Chronogram for more information on the festivities.

Also, check out the trailer here.

Enjoy,

- JM

James Le Gros and Joshua Leonard square off in a culinary battle royale.

James Le Gros and Joshua Leonard square off in a culinary battle royale.

"BITTER FEAST" BEHIND-THE-SCENES FILM

One of the things I really miss in our streaming age is a great DVD extra. I never went to film school, but like so many filmmakers of my generation, I received a pretty thorough film education watching the making-of extras and commentaries of the films that made me want to become a filmmaker in the first place. Cassavetes’ “A Woman Under the Influence” comes to mind, as does Kieszlowski’s “Dekalog.”

While I’m certainly biased, I think that the “Bitter Feast” behind-the-scenes film presented here is one of the finest examples of the genre, perfectly capturing the madness and beauty that is low-budget horror film production.

Enjoy.

-JM

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