Tropic Pictures

10/08/2026

Dreadnought will show at Texas Theatre on November 10 at 7:30pm. Tickets are $12.00. All proceeds benefit Friends of the Dallas Public Library. Runtime: 1hr 25 min. (No Q&A, but join us for lively discussion at the bar.)

Tickets are only available at this link, and not the Texas Theatre box office (owing to this special arrangement with the Friends of the Dallas Public Library.)

Dreadnought is the story of a folk preacher's long dark night of the soul.

This film features a cast of North Texas-based actors and glorious Texas landscapes. A local film with universal themes.

"Dreadnought plucks a 19th-century soul and sets him to wander a 21st-century nowhere through fell rituals of spiritual disputation. Beware the crows, coyotes & other beasts within as Bailey pulls back the curtain on his oddest outing." - - early praise from Giles Edwards of 366 Weird Movies

"Richard Bailey is a poet . . . His films speak to the mysteries of the gothic South" - - Film Threat

"Bailey is a filmmaker of rare and wonderful artistry and intuition . . . his movies are part meditation, part incantation, part dream vision. They are the products of a truly singular imagination, and with its tightly wound narrative of the holy and the macabre playing out amid the woods and fitful hamlets of East Texas." - - Ben Fountain (author, Rasputin Swims the Potomac, Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk)

"[Dreadnought] is rich in symbolism . . . The art direction is both beautiful and highly significant. The archetypes are strong and chilling in a way that feels real . . . This is wholly as good as Howler." - - early praise from Pagan Witch Movie Review

“Bailey has a way of making films that are deeply rooted in Texas life and culture. There is murder, drugs, all kinds of situations you might see in a dark, Texas tale. But Bailey's writing and directing speak to deep universal truths." - - Bart Weiss, Artistic Director, Dallas VideoFest

Dreadnought – The Texas Theatre, Tue Nov 10, 2026 - Tropic Pictures presents Dreadnought on November 10th at the Texas Theatre. All ticket sales will benefit the Friends of the Dallas Public Library. Pontain Dreadnought has a gift for spiritual language, but only when hidden behind a curtain. He e...

09/11/2026

A big thanks to Pagan Witch Movie Review for such a thoughtful advance review of Dreadnought.

Dreadnought will screen at the historic Texas Theatre in Oak Cliff on November 10. Tickets available soon. All proceeds benefit the Friends of the Dallas Public Library.

Dreadnought



The "Dreadnought" is a word we typically associate with battleships, which was a convention started by Queen Elizabeth the first, when she named a galleon "Dreadnought" and sent the fleet to fight the Spanish Armada. Later the name was revived for branding during the second World War, partly because its good marketing, but also the Queen had conferred a sense of luck on the name.

In this story, the name functions more like the Abhaya mudra, "Fear not".

In Dreadnought we follow a character who is a preacher, but also a bit like a druid, because he is itinerant, doesn't own property, and speaks with the wind.

The story is very rich in symbolism, and I watched it twice and took notes the second time, and rewound a lot both times. The music, in combination with the cadence of the dialogue are very hypnotic, and one could simply let it wash over them, without thinking too much, and enjoy the mysterious atmosphere, but as a reviewer, I wanted to understand everything.

I've been given an advanced peek behind the curtain, (that's a relevant analogy by the way) and after copious note taking, and research into different elements, I'm going to withhold the symbolic breakdown, because we are pre-release here.

If the movie is ten years old, I've no problem laying it all out on the table and having a socratic discussion, but I think my job here is to tell you if it's good or not, and if it's spiritual, magical, or pagan enough, and it's a "yes" for me Dawg.

The art direction is both beautiful and highly significant. The archetypes are strong and chilling in a way that feels real.

I liked that the era felt like it was somewhere between the past and the future, but definitely not the present. It was more like a hybrid. It definitely feels like "we are not in Kansas".

Tropic Pictures often leans further into mystical fantasy than horror usually does, but this film is consistently menacing, even as it's delivering a spiritual message.

It plays like a book.

I joked with director Richard Bailey, that this had more symbolism than Foucault's Pendulum but I was being hyperbolic. The taste it left in my mouth was actually pure Ursula Le Guin, and that's a good taste!

When no one wants to listen to you, beware the one who's too eager.

Note that the rating is about pagan levels. This is wholly as good as Howler.

🌝🌝🌝🌝🌝🌜

Tropic Pictures

08/03/2026

I had a great time talking with W***y Martinez of Mind on Fire Books. If you're not familiar, Mind on Fire has excellent coverage on macabre literature and art. Link to the interview in comments.

"Richard Bailey treats independent filmmaking as a high-performance, survivalist craft."

08/02/2026

Enjoy our video for ORCHARD OF DREAMS by Swarme of Beese, an excellent band specializing in acoustic Americana / mutant folk. Our video leans into the mutant and surreal aspects. Link in comments.

SWARME of BEESE
Lynne Adele — vocals, guitar
Stephen Canner — vocals, guitar
Stefan Keydel — violin
with
Mark Addison — bass, glockenspiel

“Orchard of Dreams” written by Lynne Adele & Stephen Canner
Produced, recorded, mixed, & mastered by Mark Addison at The Aerie, Austin, Texas
© Backwoods Modern Music, 2026

Production: Tropic Pictures
Dir. Richard Bailey
DP: Jay Flowers
Producers: Liz Sankarsingh, Andy Don Emmons
Talent: Gregory Lush