The Church of Kevin Smith

In January 2011 the Sundance Film Festival was abuzz with the standard indie scene murmurs. That was until Kevin Smith decided to set his own headlines with his new film, Red State. Subverting the Hollywood machine, the rotund raconteur announced that he would be by-passing distributors and releasing the movie himself. The indie director, comic book writer and SModcast chat maestro, best known for capturing the defining voice of the 90s generation with his black and white micro-budget debut Clerks and his acerbic romantic comedy Chasing Amy, was finally breaking away from Silent Bob and New Jersey to embrace horror — and the Church.

His new film delves into the twisted mindset of fanaticism. Namely: how religion, taken literally, can lead to the most horrific of evil. When three horny teenage slackers answer a honeytrap sex advert they soon find themselves captured and prepped for sacrifice at the next Sunday sermon in Middle America’s Coopers Dell. The congregation, led by pastor Abin Cooper (Michael Parks) and his wife, Sara, played by Academy Award winner Melissa Leo, soon fall foul of the authorities as the film transcends into a gruelling siege with an FBI task force, led by Agent Joseph Keenan (John Goodman) who has been issued a "no survivors" order, close in on their citadel.

Though Smith’s films have never endeared him to the critics, the adulation of his fan base – his loyal congregation, if you will – more than made up for his lowly auteur standing. Their veracious appetite for Smith’s cultural wit and the promise of each date on the stateside tour having a Q&A with the director (plus a DVD for the right seating price) meant tickets were hot property. As the film was shot on a relatively scant budget ($4m), the tour was soon profitable and, by the grace of God, received some free marketing.

Initially relying on word-of-mouth, Red State’s tour was operating through local networks and venue promotion until it was embroiled in some handy life imitating art shenanigans, becoming the target of the furious Westboro Baptist Church. Thanks to their monstrous funeral picketing, outspoken and ludicrous hate-filled beliefs, the church, led by their own fanatical preacher, Fred Phelps, and family, had become recognised hate figures in the West.

Smith, a Catholic, was called "a God-hating clown" and a representative for Westboro commented, "God hates fags, God hates fag enablers; therefore God hates Kevin Smith." Possibly taking umbrage with the resemblance between the films protagonists and their own extreme views, the fallout has resulted in plenty of press for Smith's little indie flick.

Despite Westboro's protests the tour traveled coast to coast Stateside, looped back through Canada, before jetting across the pond to the UK for its own preview tour. The dust has now settled from the Sundance publicity stunt, the Phelps have moved on to another pointless demonstration and Smith is embarking on his (supposed) last feature, Hit Somebody, so now is the time to see just what all the fuss is about as Red State finally goes on general release in the UK on 30 September. Hmm, what would Jesus do?