News This is not intended to be comprehensive. It's just somewhere to plug my mates' projects (and mine!) and to pass on any cult movie-related info that is sent to me by PR people or film-makers. 28th July 2010
Jack Trilogy Part III
Jack Falls, the third part of the indie thriller trilogy which began with Jack Said, is now in post-production with a premiere lined up for September. It’s got Simon Phillips again (obviously) and Danny Dyer again plus Tamer Hassan and even Doug Bradley! You can watch the trailer on YouTube. 28th July 2010
Room 36 up for award
Room 36 has garnered Jim Groom a Best Director nomination at this month’s Action on Film Festival in Pasadena. The movie screens there on 29th July and Jim will be in attendance. 28th July 2010
Deadlands 2 and Don’t Look in the Cellar
Splatter Rampage/Tempe release Deadlands 2: Trapped on US DVD on 19th October. When the U.S. government unleashes a highly toxic bio-weapon on the residents of a small Maryland city, all Hell breaks loose as six strangers find themselves seeking refuge inside a local movie theatre from the bloodthirsty, infected citizens roaming the streets. Writer-director Gary Ugarek follows up his 2007 indie sleeper hit Deadlands: The Rising with this non-stop action thrill ride starring Jim Krut (Dawn of the Dead) and Josh Davidson (Perkins 14, Ghosts Don’t Exist). Before then, Fat Cat/Tempe release Don’t Look in the Cellar on 5th October. There is an abandoned asylum in a small town that is said to be haunted. A group of college students decide to spend Halloween night there to party and also to research the history of the asylum for a class project. As the night moves on, secrets come to light that one of the students might be related to Smiley. It becomes a race to see if the students can find a way out and discover the truth behind the asylum’s secrets before they are all brutally murdered. 28th July 2010
New UK DVD from director of The Isle
Palisades Tartan release Kim Ki-duk’s acclaimed prison drama Breath on UK DVD on Monday 26th July. Synopsis: Death row inmate Jang Jin attempts to commit suicide by using a sharpened toothbrush handle to stab himself in the neck. Seeing this incident reported on the news, something about it captures the mind of depressed housewife and former sculptress Yeon, who spends all her time cleaning her family’s apartment. On impulse she visits Jang and confides in him in ways that she cannot with anyone else, including her own husband. She returns each season to redecorate his cell and sing to him. As they draw closer over time, Yeon’s husband grows suspicious, while one of Jang’s fellow inmates cannot go rebuffed any longer… 28th July 2010
Peccadillo Porno
Peccadillo Pictures release the provocatively titled Pornography: A Thriller on 29th August on UK DVD and at selected cinemas. David Kittredge's mind-bending Pornography: A Thriller is a Cronenberg-meets-David-Lynch psychological thriller like no other. Do you dare to watch? Handsome gay couple Michael and William move into an expensive New York apartment, only to find that the building has a dark past. When Michael finds a videotape hidden in the wall, he discovers that it could be a 'snuff' movie showing the murder of notorious porn star Mark Anton, who famously disappeared many years ago. Michael becomes further embroiled in the mysteries surrounding the videotape when a strange masked figure starts to haunt him. As tensions escalate, Michael's perceptions of what is real and what is not begin to blur, and he must do all he can to avoid a fate worse than death... 28th July 2010
DJS times three
David J Schow reports that he has not one, not two but three new books out: The paperback: Hunt Among the Killers of Men, a pulpy softcover thriller in the ‘Gabriel Hunt’ series founded by Hard Case Crime kingpin Charles Ardai (who also published Gun Work). The adventures are written as ‘as-told-to’ books, and this one’s my installment. The fabulous cover is by Glen Orbik. Yes, there are guns. The hardcover: Internecine, my first novel since 2003’s Bullets of Rain; what I hope is received as a ‘suspenser’. Yes, there are lots more guns. (That’s Thomas Jane on the cover - twice - as rendered by Tim Bradstreet). The pricier hardcover: The Art of Drew Struzan, which is pretty self-explanatory except that THIS is a book of comps - all the different interpretations of various movies before they get to the poster-painting stage (like those vetoed Indiana Jones posters with the swastikas on them, or the SIX OTHER VERSIONS of the famous Creature from the Black Lagoon limited-edition print). Drew speaks at length on these and his retirement from the Hollywood grind; I interpret what he says. Virtually no guns at all in this one. David also has articles in Video Watchdog 157, Monsters from the Vault 27 and issue 251 of the reborn Famous Monsters. 14th July 2010
Danny Dyer’s Dead Cert
As previously mentioned, Danny Dyer follows up his zombie antrics in Doghouse by making a brief appearance in hotly tipped new British vampire picture Dead Cert. Producer Jonathan Sothcott sent me these stills.  
14th July 2010
The Blackout and The Dinner Party
Kaleidoscope release groovy-looking monster flick The Blackout on UK DVD on 30th Augus: Los Angeles, Christmas Eve: a series of power outages, minor earth tremors and other strange events threaten to ruin the holidays. But when the residents of a suburban apartment block experience a sudden total blackout, they are determined to investigate. Deep in the cavernous basement they make a shocking discovery - what is seemingly the breeding ground of a new race of blood-thirsty creatures. With it quickly becoming apparent that the frightening occurrences overtaking LA are connected, this group of rag-tag neighbours must put aside their differences and fight to save their city from an eternal blackness. With time running out and the murderous creatures just getting started, they know they must restore the power, as when the lights go out for good, the feeding will begin… The same company has Aussie psycho-thriller The Dinner Party out this week: Jealous and unstable, Angela (Lara Cox) plans a dinner party for her student friends - what they don’t know is that the night’s deadly entertainment is an extra serving of suicide and murder! Determined to end her life after the final course, Angela’s friends watch as their hostess becomes obsessed with death. Soon they realise that not all of them will be leaving the table as Angela does not plan to die alone – the question is: who is she going to take with her? Accepting an invite to dinner has never been more deadly as drugs, murder and suicide will make you think twice before returning that RSVP! 14th July 2010
Meat Grinder
4Digital Media release Thai horror flick Meat Grinder (from the director of Ghost Delivery) on UK DVD on 23rd August. The disc is subtitled and includes a trailer and a Making Of. Meat Grinder serves up a sumptuous feast of murder, dismemberment, and cannibalism in this proud member of the "torture porn" sub-genre. Destined for cult status, the over-the-top gorefest stars Mai as a deranged woman who runs a noodle stall and is hearing voices in her head all the time. When she finds a dying man in her stall one night, she gets the idea to chop him up, and grind the body parts into meatballs as ingredients for her noodle soup. It turns out to be a popular dish, and as the stall gets more and more business, she must find a steady supply of fresh human meat to feed her customers... 14th July 2010
Bram Stoker FilmFest Awards
The Bram Stoker Film Festival has announced a bunch of awards that will be handed out this year. Aside from the usual Best Picture, Best Short Film etc there are a couple of special awards which have already been decided. One for The Wicker Man “as the most iconic and influential British horror movie” and one for Hammer Films “for services to the horror genre.” The festival runs 14th-17th October in Whitby. 9th July 2010
 Dead Cert art, release date and premiere
Check out the cool artwork for new British vampires-vs-gangsters flick Dead Cert. Check out the top-notch cast too, which includes a now-confirmed cameo by the ubiquitous Danny Dyer. Momentum will release the movie on UK DVD on 27th September, including a commentary and a Making Of. Before then, the film will have its premiere at Frightfest on 26th August Also premiering at Frightfest are Simon Rumley’s Red, White and Blue (which I haven’t seen) and Johannes Roberts’ F (which I have - and it’s great). 9th July 2010
More Best Worst Movie dates
Best Worst Movie continues its successful theatrical run, playing cities across the USA. This month it will be coming to your town is you live in Anchorage, Gainesville, Springfield, Fort Collins, Nashville, Santa Cruz, Kansas City, St Louis, Duluth, Rochester, Atlanta, Minneapolis or Chicago. Check out the website for full details of where and when you can see me on the big screen. 9th July 2010
Clown Assassin lives!
James Eaves has posted onto YouTube the spoof trailer for Clown Assassin which he made for screening at the Bordello Death Tales premiere. It’s a gloriously retro slice of bloody, violent and extraordinarily foul-mouther lunacy starring Harold Gasnier in full slap-on and baggy trousers. There’s also a bleeped, clean version which you could show your maiden aunt (if she’s into that sort of thing). Jim has also started doing that Twitter thing that everyone keeps talking about 9th July 2010
Weird Al - first ever UK gig!
Dreams do come true, it seems. After years of waiting and hoping, I will finally get to see Weird Al play live when he comes to London on 6th December. This is just so massively cool. Words fail me... 9th July 2010
No regrets for The Point of Regret
The Point of Regret is a new British feature film - a ‘gritty psychological thriller’ - which cost just 500 quid to make and has already been picked up by Warner Brothers for a US DVD release. It was also selected by the British Council as an official submission to Sundance - and it’s the first film ever allows to shoot inside Worcester Cathedral! You can check out the impressive trailer on the official website and there’s also a Facebook thing and a Twitter thing. 9th July 2010
Bikini Girls on Ice UK DVD
Bikini Girls on Ice is released on UK DVD on 5th July by Kaleidoscope with a bunch of special features. Here’s the synopsis: Stranded on their way to a bikini car-wash fundraiser, a group of hot college girls find refuge in an abandoned gas station on the outskirts of town. Soon their broken down bus is the least of their worries as a maniac axe-man mechanic starts picking them off one by one. Scared, alone and miles from help, the girls are faced with a psycho killer who wants to put these hot girls on ice. Instead of struggling to raise small change, the honeys are now in the biggest fight of their lives. A brilliant mix of Friday 13th and Urban Legend, Bikini Girls On Ice, is classic slash-action that horror fans everywhere will die for! 9th July 2010
Philip Nutman praises Langliena
Emiliano Ranzani’s Langliena continues to wow critics and programmers: “Ijust received a message from our common (for some at least) acquaintance Philip Nutman, author, screenwriter, producer, Fangoria scribe and certified horror guru. Mr Nutman has been nominated Guest Programming Consultant for the yearly edition of the Buried Alive Film Festival in Atlanta. As such, a special section called ‘Philip Nutman's Nightmares: The Best Horror Shorts I've Seen’ is due to be part of the event. My very own Langliena is not only going to be part of it, but it will actually be the opening act since (in Nutman's own words): ‘I screened Langliena for festival director Blake Myers and he was blown away’.” 17th June 2010
Stuck! NY Premiere
Steve Balderson’s Stuck! receives its New York premiere next Saturday, 26th June, at Tribeca Cinemas, 54 Varick Street as part of VisionFest. Steve will be there in person for a Q&A along with writer Frankie Krainz and actors Starina Johnson and Jeff Dylan Graham. 17th June 2010
Guitar Party Nightmare
Matt Brookens, director of The Art of Pain, has a new short available to view at Funny or Die. It’s a seven-minute spoof of horror tropes called Guitar Party Nightmare. As well as Matt himself, the cast includes Haley Mancini (Real Fear), J Scott (Dragonquest) and Pamela Walt. 17th June 2010
Doghouse US release and trailer
Doghouse is now available in the USA as VOD via IFC Midnight until 9th September. I don’t understand the technicalities of it; I’m sure their website explains what that means. To promote the US release, there is a new trailer which unfortunately seems to have been cut together by someone who wasn’t paying attention when they watched the movie. “Nine friends...” say the captions. Erm no, there’s actually only seven friends in the film... 17th June 2010
Fabulous car-chase ad from Omnicide 8K director
Ian Hothersall, director of The Omnicide 8000, sent me a link to this terrific viral ad that he directed for a (now-defunct) car-tning company. It’s the ultimate POV car-chase - check it out. Ian reports that he is currently finishing off a new science fiction short - more news when I get it. 17th June 2010
ADOV DVD
Darren Ward’s A Day of Violence has been passed uncut by the BBFC and will be released on UK DVD on 9th August by 101 Films. The disc is available for pre-order from Amazon. 17th June 2010
The Ghoul goes to Montreal
The latest news from Emiliano Ranzani is that his widely acclaimed short Langliena has been selected for the hugely prestigious Fantasia festival in Montreal. The full Fantasia line-up will be announced on 29th June. 17th June 2010
Bram Stoker Fest does Hammer
This year’s Bram Stoker International Film Festival will have a Hammer theme with guests including Ingrid Pitt, Madeline Smith, Caroline Munro and author Marcus Hearn. The festival runs in Whitby (of course) from 14th to 17th October. 17th June 2010
The Fourth Dimension - hmm, what’s that?
Kaleidoscope Entertainment release The Fourth Dimension on UK DVD on 12th July. The Fourth what? This turns out to be a retitling of Brad Watson’s British thriller Beacon77 (so probably a justfied retitling, to be honest). Two young women arrive at a curious penthouse apartment, led by one’s crush on her tutor. However, her love interest doesn’t live alone. He’s part of a trio of computer hackers about to embark on the ultimate job on the world’s most mysterious mainframe; the Vatican’s top secret archives, to unlock the secret to the Bible Code. Whilst doing so, they unlock more than they bargain for with supernatural and ultimately fatal results. Can this seemingly insignificant chain of events, which have thrown this group together, be construed as fate? Can the hack provide a signal of hope or is it a web of manipulation, paranoia and ultimately... murder? The Brussels Film Festival calls it a ‘supernatural techno-thriller’ which sound spromising. From the director of Asylum Night, it stars Kelly Adams (Holby City), Lucy Evans (Quatermass Experiment remake), Calita Rainford (Return to House on Haunted Hill) and Jonathan Rhodes (MI High). 17th June 2010
Kaiji the Ultimate Gambler
Kaiji the Ultimate Gambler is released by 4Digital Media on 26th July. The disc has a Making Of, the Japanese trailer and English subtitles. Based on Nobuyuki Fukumoto's manga Tobaku Mokushiroku Kaiji and 26 part anime series, the film reunites the cast of Death Note. Kaiji Ito (Tatsuya Fujiwara - Death Note/Battle Royale) moves to Japan after graduating from high school. Unable to find a job and frustrated with society at large, Kaiji spends his days gambling, vandalising cars, and drinking. Two years later and his life is no better. A debt collector named Endo arrives to collect payment. She then offers two choices to Kaiji: spend 10 years paying off his loan or board a gambling boat for one night to repay his debt and possibly make a whole lot more. Meanwhile, the unscrupulous Endo is actually conning Kaiji, believing he won't come back from his voyage. Kaiji is then up for the night of his life…… 26th May 2010
Sweet Hand in Spain and Baltimore
Davide Mellini reports that his latest short, The Sweet Hand of the White Rose is screening at two festivals at the end of May. It will be at Cesur en Corto in Spain and als over in Baltimore at Balticon 44. 26th May 2010
Vampire - hmm, what’s that?
Stax Entertainment release Vampire on UK DVD on 5 July at an RRP of ten quid. On closer inspection, this proves to be a retitled re-release of Jon Cunningham’s 2002 feature Demon Under Glass which apparently won Outstanding Vampire Feature at the International Vampire Film Festival. I’ve got a copy of Demon Under Glass somewhere and will try and get a review online in the next few weeks. 26th May 2010
Street Walker resurrected
Acclaimed British horror flick Resurrecting the Street Walker comes to UK DVD next month courtesy of Kaleidoscope. Directed by Ozgur Uyanki, it stars Tom Shaw, James Powell, Hugh Armstrong and Lorna Beckett. Whilst documenting his life as a lowly intern, James Parker uncovers the long forgotten film, ‘The Street Walker’. Desperate to make a mark on the film industry and to prove his ever- doubting parents wrong, James endeavours to complete the unfinished horror movie, resulting in a murderous obsession. Delving into the past world of ‘snuffmovies’ and the modern trials and tribulations of internships and making it big, James’ genius and madness is captured on tape by friend and documentary maker Marcus. Unbeknown to those around him James declines so far in to the fantasy world of Street Walker that he is unable to untangle himself from the mystery he uncovers whilst resurrecting the film relic. For James, the there is only one way out, and for some there is no escape... The DVD includes deleted scenes, test footage, interviews and commentary. The disc is out on 28 June priced £12.99 26th May 2010
Lloyd Kaufman in another Bloodbath
Ted Moehring’s giallo footage Bloodbath in the House of Knives has a US DVD release in July through Alpha. The cast includes John Link, Nicola Fiore and Uncle Lloydy and you can watch the trailer on YouTube. 26th May 2010
20th Century Boys: three films on four discs
4Digital Media release 20th Century Boys Trilogy: The Complete Saga as a four-disc box on 31 May with an RRP of 25 quid. Running a walloping 437 minutes, the box also includes four hours of extras - I won’t be reviewing this, that’s for sure! The 20th Century Boys saga begins in 1969 when a young boy named Kenji and his friends write “The Book of Prophecy”. In the book, they write about a future where they fight against an evil organisation trying to take over the world and bringing about Doomsday. Years later in 1997, a mysterious cult being lead by a man only known as “Friend” has emerged and gained a strong influence over society. A series of catastrophic events begin to occur, mirroring the prophecies made up by the young Kenji. The greatest fear is that the climax of The Book of Prophecy will become a reality: on December 31st, 2000, a terrifying giant virus-spreading robot will attack the entire city of Tokyo, leading to the end of mankind. The only people who know about The Book are Kenji and his childhood friends. Who is Friend? Will Kenji and his friends be able to save mankind and live to see the 21st Century? A positively epic exercise in filmmaking and storytelling, the blockbusting 20th Century Boys trilogy has proven to be one of the most ambitious, expensive and successful undertakings in Japanese Cinema. Director Yukihiko Tsutsumi's epic efforts to release three films in one year based on Naoki Urasawa's acclaimed manga (selling 28 million copies) has brought to life a stunning doomsday thriller that spans multiple generations and genres, and bites into conspiracy theory, pop culture, nostalgia and spectacular special effects. 29th April 2010
No more waiting for Waiting for Gorgo
Waiting for Gorgo is complete! Finished! Ready to screen! I haven’t seen it myself yet but I heard today that it’s good to go. Just in time for Cannes too; I won’t be there but Waiting for Gorgo will be. And there will be some screenings in Leicester, London and elsewhere which I will let everyone know about as soon as I know myself. Woohoo! 29th April 2010
Great new book: The Golden Age of Crap
Nathan Shumate, the masochistic moviefan behind the Cold Fusion Video Reviews website who seems to spend every waking moment watching dodgy movies, has compiled a load of his favourite reviews into a new book, The Golden Age of Crap. That’s ‘crap’ in a non-judgemental sense of course, because among the great films examined are Bleak Future, Free Enterprise, Invisible Mom, Trancers, Cyberzone, Addicted to Murder, Prototype X29A, Hell Comes to Frogtown, Pumpkinhead and The Dead Next Door. There are 77 reviews in total, covering pictures from 1983 to 1998, with some interstitial comments from screenwriter Bil Martell, director JR Bookwalter and producer Ed Bishop. The 262-page book costs 16 bucks and can be ordered direct from www.goldenageofcrap.com. 29th April 2010
Dreamkiller going down a storm in LA
Catherine Pirotta dropped me a line about her feature Dreamkiller, a low-budget indie which is playing for its tenth week at the Beverley Center in LA. The synopsis reads thus: A team of doctors experiment with a new, highly controversial form of psychotherapy "F.R.I.T." designed to cure chronic fear and phobia patients. Soon someone begins to kill the patients one by one and the investigations uncovers that the patients died in the exact way that they feared they would. Who or what brought their fears to life? The website is www.WhatDoUFear.com, there’s a Facebook thing and you can view the trailer on YouTube. The cast includes John Savage (The Deerhunter, Carnosaur 2, They Nest), Tyrone Power Jr and Dario Deak. 29th April 2010
Sixties shriek in Southend
The Shrieking Sixties is a collection of review/essays on every British horror feature released in the 1960s, not dissimilar in format to Ten Years of Terror. It has been edited by my mate Darrell Buxton and is being published by Midnight Marquee Press. There will be a book launch on Saturday 1st May at the Palace Theatre, 430 London Road, Westcliffe-on-Sea as part of the Southend Film Festival. Centrepiece of the launch will be a screening of Witchfinder General attended by Ian Ogilvy. Three modern British horror shorts will also be screened: Grave Tales, Green Fingers and The Birdbrook Ghost Hunt. Tickets cost a bargaintastic two quid. 29th April 2010
Chronicles chronicler takes the helm
Andrew Mackay, who directed the Making Of feature for the Mutant Chronicles DVD, in in post-production on his own debut feature - The Scared of Death Society. The film tells of a group of people treatesd for their phobia of death in an extreme (and bloody fashion). Chris Adamson (Evil Aliens, Razor Blade Smile, Pirates of the Caribbean) and Hayward Morse (Death Wish 3) are among the cast. There is a trailer on the website of composer Neil Myers (Ice Spiders). 29th April 2010
Zorg and Andy and Guy
Guy Davis let me know about his new comedy feature Zorg and Andy which sounds original to say the least: Perpetual undergraduate Andy has one last chance to keep his financial aid: a work-study job at the mysterious Kungsbaden Museum. After a beautiful stranger steals an ancient fertility idol in his care, Andy sets out into the night to recover it. In the process, he discovers that his idyllic campus is home to a network of bloodthirsty pagan cults, all of whom are fighting over the idol. "Zorg" is a (hopeful!) cult comedy, very much in the B-movie tradition,” says Guy, “featuring a fertility idol of alien origin, pagan blood cults, zombies and flesh-eating beetles. The movie was filmed over ten days on a budget of less than $25,000. For most of the cast and crew, this was our first film.” There’s a short trailer and a bunch of other stuff on the film’s website and a Facebook thing for those of you who like that stuff. 29th April 2010
Caesar and Otto do YouTube
Dave Campfield has set up a dedicated YouTube channel for his cult comic creations Caesar and Otto. He’s hoping to get a new short video up every week(!) starting with Otto’s video dating tape. 29th April 2010
Underground becomes 12
Chee Keong Cheung’s stylish but terminally dull British martial arts flick Underground has been retitled 12 and will be released on UK DVD on 21st June with a one-off theatrical screening at the Odeon Printworks in Manchester on 17th June. Chee and actor Mark Strange will be plugging the release with appearances at the Rumble in the Reebok II Muay Thai Fight Show at the Reebok Stadium in Bolton on 15th May; the SENI 2010 International Combat Sports Expo at London's ExCel Arena on 29th and 30th May and the Liverpool Olympia Muay Thai Fight Show on 20th June. 2nd April 2010
Tom Bell’s final role comes to DVD
British crime thriller Love Me Still is released on UK DVD on 10th May. Directed by Danny Hiller, it stars Geoff Bell (The Reeds), Alex Reid (The Descent), Andrew Howard (The Devil’s Chair) and Tom Bell (Long Time Dead) in his last film. The cast also includes Lee Whitlock (Beyond the Rave) and Emil Marwa who was Graham in Doghouse. 2nd April 2010
Ju-on sequels, or remakes, or spin-offs, or something
I’ve completely lost track of all the Ju-on sequels and remakes and whatnot but two things called Ju-on: White Ghost and Ju-on: Black Ghost are released in the UK as a double bill DVD on 26th April by 4Digital Media. 2nd April 2010
Alice Creed appears
The Disappearance of Alice Creed is being touted as “an example of British horror at its best” although the synopsis suggests it’s a straightforward thriller. You can make up your own mind when it’s released to cinemas on 30th April. 2nd April 2010
Sweet Hand in Malaga
Davide Melini reports that his new short The Sweet Hand of the White Rose has been selected for the prestigious Malaga Spanish Film Festival, which runs 17th-24th April. 2nd April 2010
Black and Blue update
A couple of dates from the unbelievably busy Jonathan Sothcott of Black and Blue films: mockumentary Just for the Record is out on 17th May from Metrodome while horror feature The Devil’s Playground will be released on 18th October through E1. Vampire flick Dead Cert is pencilled in for October and the Expose remake was just wrapped up a couple of weeks ago. 29th March 2010
Best Worst Movie new trailer and theatre dates
Best Worst Movie’s theatrical release will incorporate at least one week at each of the following venues, starting on the dates shown. Holy cow: a film with me in it is actually playing in cinemas to paying audiences! - April 23 – Austin, TX: Alamo Drafthouse
- May 14 – New York, NY: Village East Cinema
- May 21 – Los Angeles, CA: Landmark Nuart
- June 4 – San Francisco, CA: Landmark Lumiere
- June 4 – Berkeley, CA: Landmark Shattuck
- July 2 – Washington, D.C.: Landmark E Street Cinema
- July 16 - St. Louis, MO: Landmark Tivoli
- July 23 - Atlanta, GA: Landmark Midtown Art Cinema
- Additional cities to be announced!
The Opening Night Event in Austin, TX on April 23 will feature a live audience Q&A with Dr George Hardy, writer/director Michael Paul Stephenson, Jason Steadman and additional cast members to be announced. Immediately following the opening night screenings at the Alamo Drafthouse, the official Best Worst Movie after-party will be held at The Highball. Best Worst Movie cast and crew will be in attendance as the infamous Troll 2 plays at the event. All screening attendees are invited, and a ticket stub gets you in the door. Plus! Check out the amazing new trailer which even includes a clip of me! Holy crap! 17th March 2010
Conor Timmis and a haunted painting
The Gaucho Incident is a comedy about a young married couple whose life is torn apart by a haunted painting of a Gaucho. Starring Conor Timmis and Renee Donlon. Directed by Graham Wright. And here it is, all seven and a half minutes of it, on YouTube. 17th March 2010
Ditching: Northern Ireland, after the apocalypse
Ditching is a post-apocalyptic feature set in Northern Ireland and the first film from Factotum, an arts projects established in 2001 by Richard West and Stephen Hackett. Northern Ireland, the future: in a post-apocalyptic landscape of decaying towns and primitive technology, two people set out on a journey in search of medicine. Ulster has become a depopulated, feudal and dangerous wilderness where its inhabitants have forgotten the past and are confused about the ruins that surround them and feel threatened by the world they do not understand. Along the way the travellers find themselves encounter a cast of unpredictable characters including a wise hermit, a tribe of cannibals, a dysfunctional army and an entrepreneurial priestess. What fate will await them at the end of their journey? Directed by Richard and Stephen, the film features a host of Irish talent including Lawlor Roddy who was in Boy Eats Girl. Ditching has a theatrical run at the Queens Film Theatre, Belfast from Saturday 20th March to Thursday 25th March. Find out more at the official site. 17th March 2010
 Bloodmyth DVD
When I review a film I always try to include something quotable so it’s always nice when my words get onto the DVD cover. Here’s the sleeve for the US release of Bloodmyth, hitting shelves on 4th May (Star Wars Day) through Maxim Media. You can keep track of the film via director John Rackham’s blog and you can pre-order it through Amazon. 17th March 2010
Gareth Evans’ Merantau comes to UK DVD
Gareth Evans, director of the superb Footsteps, is possibly the only film-maker ever to make his first movie in Cardiff and his second in Jakarta. Merantau is set to introduce the world to the Indonesian martial arts of silat - and it’s coming to UK DVD next month! E1 Entertainment release the film, which stars silat superstar Iko Uwais and my pal Mads Koudal, on 26th April. So that’s a Danish actor, directed by a Welshman, in Indonesia. For some reason, the sleeve on Amazon calls the film by its alternative title of Merantau Warrior but the press release just calls it Merantau, which is how it was shot, so the Amazon sleeve may just be a dummy. The film has also got distribution deals in France (We-Prod) and the States (Magnet Releasing) and has recently finished a theatrical run in Singapore and Malaysia. This will be the ‘international cut’ which is about half an hour shorter than the domestically released ‘Indonesian cut’ Gareth is currently in pre-production on his next feature, Berandal. Find out more about Merantau at www.merantaufilms.com 17th March 2010
Best Worst Movie goes theatrical!
After collecting a stack of awards on the festival circuit, Best Worst Movie has been picked up for a limited theatrical run in the States. Area23a “the event-based film distribution company formed in January by industry veteran Richard Abramowitz and Kirt Eftekhar, founder of Ocule Films” will release the film in selected cities this Spring, starting with New York, Los Angeles and Austin. You can keep track of the film at www.bestworstmovie.com or on Facebook or Twitter if that’s your sort of thing. 17th March 2010
Room 36 director in Manchester
Jim Groom, director of Revenge of Billy the Kid and Room 36, has been added to the guest list for this year’s Festival of Fantastic Films, which is shaping up to be a good’un. The festival is at Sacha’s Hotel, Manchester from 15th to 17th October. Other announced guests are Susan Gordon, Bert I Gordon, Derren Nesbitt and Stephen Volk. 17th March 2010
Devil’s Porridge returns
The second edition of my Devil’s Porridge blog is up on the Hemlock Books site. This month I’m looking at sequels. 17th March 2010
Become a fan of the man (who sold the world)
Man Who Sold the World is doing well on indiemoviesonline.com where it has been placed on the ‘recommended’ list. Now it has a page at theauteurs.com, a site which (I think) shows films if enough people register as fans of the film. If you’re familiar with the concept, here’s the page where you can ‘become a fan’ of MWSTW. Meanwhile, director Louis Melville is gearing up for Wine’O in the Woods, “the story of lost 1980s photographer Tony Banks.” 17th March 2010
Rondos open for voting
The nominations have been announced for the 8th Annual Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards (to give them their full name) and once again this site has been cruelly overlooked for Best Website (although you’re welcome to add me as a write-in). Famous Monster is among the nominees for Best Independent Production. Votes must be submitted by e-mail no later than 3 April 2010. mrNot the Messiah in cinemas for one night only
Here’s what I’ll be watching on 25th March at Phoenix Square: PR: Arts Alliance Media announce the special cinema presentation of Not the Messiah (He’s A Very Naughty Boy) for one night only on Thursday 25th March at digital cinemas across the UK and Ireland. 
Not the Messiah (He's a Very Naughty Boy) is a comedic oratorio written by Eric Idle and John Du Prez (long-term Python associates and co-creators of the multi-award winning musical, Spamalot) and inspired by Monty Python’s Life of Brian. The show was filmed at its only European performance at the Royal Albert Hall in October 2009, an event held to celebrate 40 years of Monty Python. 
Starring Eric Idle (baritonish), Not the Messiah (He’s a Very Naughty Boy) is a humorous take on Handel’s oratorio, Messiah, featuring guest appearances from fellow Pythons: Michael Palin, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam, Carol Cleveland and Neil Innes. Joining Eric Idle are renowned soloists William Ferguson (Brian), Shannon Mercer (Judith), Rosalind Plowright (Mandy) and Christopher Purves (Reg) performing with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, conducted by John Du Prez... and three sheep. 
Eric Idle explains: “It is rare you get to be silly on a mass scale. Not The Messiah tells the tragic tale of Mandy, impregnated by a Roman soldier, giving birth to Brian, a reluctant revolutionary who falls in love with Judith, gets mistaken for a Messiah and is condemned to death. It ranges in reference from Handel, through a naughty Mozart duet, to the Festival of Nine Carols, Bob Dylan, and the classic finale Always Look on the Bright Side of Life.” 
Not the Messiah (He’s a Very Naughty Boy) will be released at over 90 digital cinemas across the UK and Ireland for one night only on March 25th 2010. 23rd February 2010
Hellbride UK release
Brain Damage UK release Hellbride on DVD on 29th March with the usual bargaintastic price of £2.99. Don’t buy it from Amazon though - they’re pricing it at £3.99! 23rd February 2010
When vegans attack
Jim Townsend’s film horror-comedy Attack of the Vegan Zombies is now available through Amazon. You can find out more about the film at www.attackoftheveganzombies.com. 21st February 2010
FAB Fest bringing lots of premieres to Edinburgh
FAB Fest is a three-day festival of horror movies at Filmhouse Edinburgh which is being organised by Harvey Fenton of FAB Press while the annual Dead by Dawn bash takes a break. It runs from 30th April to 2nd May and the very international line-up includes UK premieres of Esther Gronenborn’s Kaifeck Murder (Germany), Jeremy Thomas’ The End (Canada), David Russo’s The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle (USA), Nicholas Alberny and Jean Mach’s 8th Wonderland (France) and Buddy Giovinazzo’s Life is Hot in Cracktown (USA). Alberny and Mach will be in attendance, as will Giovinazzo who is bring with him the director’s cut of his notorious Combat Shock. Other films, all receiving their first outing North of the border, include Rob Grant’s Yesterday (Canada), Andreas Schaap’s Must Love Death (Germany), Ozgur Uyanik’s Resurrecting the Street Walker (UK, with the director and producer in attendance), Mike Masters and David J Francis’ Reel Zombies (Canada), Robert Masciantonio’s Neighbor (USA) and Darren Ward’s A Day of Violence, with not only Darren and star Nick Rendell but also Giovanni Lombardo Radice jetting in from Italy just for the occasion. More guests and films are still to be announced. Full details, including trailers, are on the FAB Press website. 21st February 2010
The Landlord and more from Tempe
 An extract from Emil Hyde’s The Landlord was shown at last year’s Festival of Fantastic Films and went down very well. Here’s the synopsis of this very funny supernatural comedy which is released through Tempe on 25th May (more info at www.thelandlordmovie.com): Tyler never has trouble finding tenants for his cozy little 3-unit apartment building... he just has trouble keeping them alive to pay rent! You see, Tyler’s building is haunted by a pair of 5,000-year-old demons with an insatiable appetite for flesh. And no matter how nicely Tyler asks, he cannot keep them from devouring the tenants. The demons never listen to Tyler, and why should they? After all, they have an all-you-can-eat human buffet and Tyler as their pet monkey. But things could change when Tyler take a liking to the newest tenant, a desperate young woman running from demons of her own. Two other upcoming Tempe titles are a 2-disc edition of Donald F Glut’s Dinosaur Valley Girls on 30th March (featuring both the Director’s Cut and the ‘Family Version’ plus a Don Glut commentary, Making Of, deleted and alternate scenes, actress auditions, music video, stills galleries, trailer, storyboards etc.) and Mark Wagner’s Spirit (“A Gnostic film about faith and love with copious scares, foul language, creepiness and black goo - a unique film about a unique perspective!“) on 27th April. 21st February 2010
Raymond Scott docu coming to Newcastle and Sheffield
Deconstructing Dad is a terrific new documentary about Raymond Scott (1908-1994) “one of the most prolific and central figures in 20th century music.” Never heard of him? That’s why there needs to be a documentary! Composer, band-leader and inventor, Scott was a pioneer of electronic music who had his own TV show and worked for many years for Motown. And a whole bunch of his music was bought by Warner Brothers and used in their Looney Tunes cartoons! As you can guess from the title, the film has been made by Scott’s son Stan Warnow, a film editor whose credits include Woodstock and - would you believe? - The Honeymoon Killers! The official UK premiere of Deconstructing Dad will be at the Sensoria Festival of Music and Film in Sheffield at the end of April. Before that, you can catch some excerpts from the film in Newcastle upon Tyne at a performance of Scott’s music by the Stu Brown Raymond Scott Project on 28th March. This gig, which is a collaboration between the Sage Gateshead Jazz Festival and the Northern Lights Film Festival, will include an on-stage interview with both Warnow and Brown. The next US screening is on 12th April in Washington DC as part of the LIbrary of Congress Jazz Film Series. You can find out more about the documentary at scottdoc.com and more about its subject at www.raymondscott.com. 21st February 2010
Trailer for Puzzle director’s new film
David Melini, director of The Puzzle, sent me links to the teaser and full trailer for his new film The Sweet Hand of the White Rose. They’re both about the same length (90 seconds, give or take - the whole film runs 16 minutes) but the teaser is a single, atmospheric scene whereas the trailer is a more traditional montage of stuff narrated by a bloke with a deep voice. 21st February 2010
Jason Impey double-bill switcheroo
Prolific British horror film-maker Jason Impey sent me the news on his latest projects: “I have recently made a 40 minute horror/thriller called Tormented which I have put with my other film Escaped Convicts to be released as a double bill. Escaped Convicts is actually my film Tortured AKA Sex Slave which had to be retitled and cut by 10 minutes due to censorship, it is my modern day video nastie in the vein of I Spit On Your Grave and was originally a double bill with Kemal Yildirim's Penance which was like Tarantino's and Rodriguez's Grindhouse. I am selling a DVD-R 6-disc bootleg ultimate edition of mine and Kemal's Exploitation double bill. Anyone can contact me who wants a copy for £15 including making of's, short films, commentaries and completely uncut.” You can find out more about Jason’s work on his website, his MySpace page and his YouTube channel. 16th February 2010
My new blog - Devil’s Porridge
Denis Meikle, horror expert and proprietor of cult movie imprint Hemlock Books, has asked me to contribute a monthly blog to his site. For valid (if esoteric) reasons we decided to call it Devil’s Porridge. My first monthly musings consider ‘Where have all the fanzines gone?’ and I will be adding a new blog every four weeks. 16th February 2010
British horror conference and screenings in Leicester
Bloodlines: British Horror Past and Present is a two-day event in Leicester in March being organised by my mate Ian Hunter, the only person other than myself to have ever written at length on Queen Kong! Thursday 4th March is a day of academic papers at De Montfort University on topics such as ‘Dracula and The Children: discontinuity and contradiction in the world of the British horror film’ and ‘Hobgoblin nor foul fiend: the theological conservatism of British horror’. On Friday 5th March the action moves to Phoenix Square for a day of screenings, kicking off with screenwriter David Pirie introducing the 1983 Play for Today 'Rainy Day Women’, a wartime drama about violence, xenophobia and alleged witchcraft. Screenwriter Robert Wynne-Simmons will introduce a screening of Blood on Satan’s Claw, Jake West will be on hand for a screening of Doghouse and Johannes Roberts will present a sneak preview of his brand new F. There is also a rare chance to see the 1949 Fall of the House of Usher plus Pete Walker’s Frightmare. Walker and Kim Newman will be interviewed (separately) and there will be a ‘Contemporary British Horror’ panel with Johannes, Jake, Pete and Steven Sheil (director of Mum and Dad). Tickets, available from Phoenix Square, are £20 (£18 concs) for the screening day, £40/£20 for the academic stuff or £55/£38 for both. 16th February 2010
FFF 2010 confirms venue and adds guests
The Festival of Fantastic Films returns to Sacha’s Hotel in Manchester for 2010. The event runs over 15th-17th October and already has four guests lined up: actor Derren Nesbitt, actress Susan Gordon (both returnees - I interviewed Susan on stage a couple of years ago), Steven Volk and Susan’s dad Bert I Gordon. 16th February 2010
Forest of the Damned returns
Producer Mark Evans alerted me to Forest of the Damned 2: Death by Desire, a sequel to Johannes Roberts’ 2005 debut feature. Eleanor James, Marysia Kay and Cleo Mason return as ‘Fallen Angels’ while Francesca Fowler takes the lead role and Sebastian Knapp (Sand Serpents, Beyond the Rave) is also in the otherwise new cast. First-time director Ernest Riera was 1st AD on the original and also worked with Jo Roberts on When Evil Calls and his new one, F. Luke McNally (The Hunt for Gollum) is special effects supervisor. The original was released as Demonic in the States so the sequel is already aka Demonic 2. Find out more, including some definitely NSFW pictures, at www.lonelycrow.co.uk 16th February 2010
At last, Philip Ridley’s next film
Philip Ridley, who directed The Reflecting Skin and The Passion of Darkly Noon then disappeared, is back with Heartless, “a dark and intense British psychological horror / thriller set in contemporary East London, here visualised as a unique and gleaming labyrinth of sulphurous beauty.” Timothy Spall and Noel Clarke are among the cast of this tale of demon-mask wearing gangs who turn out to not be wearing masks after all. Top FX bloke Paul Hyett (Mutant Chronicles etc) designed the special effects make-up and my old pal David Julyan (Memento etc) wrote the score. Heartless will be released on UK DVD on Monday 24th May after a theatrical opening on Friday 21st. 29th January 2010
Johannes Roberts gets an F
Those of you with enough spare time to waste on Twitter can follow Johannes Roberts as his snappily titled new movie F finishes post-production and he starts the arduous task of selling the bloody thing. His Twitter name is ‘finhell’. In the meantime, check out this YouTube clip of the score being recorded at Abbey Road Studios. You can also visit the new website of Black Robe, the production company that Jo has set up with Paul Blacknell and Ernest Riera. 29th January 2010
No cuts in Cut!
Cut is a new British horror film, the making of which escaped my notice. But then, the entire production schedule seems to have been about 90 minutes! Because Cut is the first feature-length horror film to have been shot in one continuous take (apart from a five-minute prologue apparently). So the same principle as Hitchcock’s Rope, but without having to put a hidden edit in every 20 minutes to cover a reel change. Written and directed by newcomer Alexander Williams, the film stars the legendary Zach Galligan from Gremlins I and II, Waxwork I and II, Warlock 3, Cyborg 3 and a whole bunch of other very cool stuff, including Wes Sullivan’s bigfoot feature Nightbeasts. Also in the cast are Simon Phillips (Jack Says) and model Danielle Lloyd. The film is released on Monday 22nd February following a premiere screening on Friday 12th. You can watch the trailer (which does have lots of cuts in it) on YouTube. 29th January 2010
Dead Cert: only one way to settle this...
A four-minute behind-the-scenes look at the filming of a fight scene in the eagerly awaited Jonathan Sothcott/Steve Lawson vampire film is now available to watch on YouTube. 17th January 2010
Man Who Sold viewable online
Louis Melville tells me that Man Who Sold the World is now available to view on indiemoviesonline and that his next projects, currently under wraps, is lined up to go into production in March. 17th January 2010
Latest update from Emiliano Ranzani
Emiliano says: “After its last screening at the New York City Horror FilmFestival, I was pretty sure Langliena had reached the end of its lifespan, the coffin sealed tight, and so, since my return in Spaghetti-land, I've been working (or trying to work) on new projects. Yet, the damn thing doesn't want to stay dead and I keep getting requests from festivals all around good ol' Europe. The Spaniards in particular seem to have taken a strong liking into it, so the beast is slated for more screening in the land of matadores and paella, starting this January with the Muestra de Cine de Terror Fantastico y Gore in Alcantarilla. “What is both funny and scary about this announcement is that the movie itself found its way into the fest, as I never even contacted the guys behind it or sent them a screener. Either I am suffering from split-personality disorders or there seems to be some strange force at work behind this.” 17th January 2010
‘Women in horror’ event in Brum
Ghouls on Film (‘a women in horror recognition month event’) is a screening of features and shorts at the Mixing Bowl Theatre, Birmingham on 20th February. Kicking off at 3.00pm, the shorts will include Melanie Light’s Stitch plus films by Amanda Boyle, Paula Haifley, Faye Jackson and Maude Michaud. These will be followed by a brace of features: Kate Glover’s Slaughtered and the UK premiere of the Soska Sisters’ Dead Hooker in a Trunk. And Emily Booth will be there too! Tickets cost six quid. More info here. 17th January 2010
Room 36 at last!
Just four years after I reviewed it (around the time of its blink-and-you’ll-miss-it theatrical release) ultra-stylish Brit-noir flick Room 36 is finally coming to DVD. Out on 25th January, the R2 disc includes: - 11 Years in the Making! - a feature length documentary about the troubled making of the film
- Revenge of Billy The Kid - a short featurette on the producers' earlier film
- Deleted scenes - 10 scenes that never made the final cut
- Trailers - 90 sec and 45 sec versions produced specifically for this DVD release
- four-page booklet
This is one of my favourites out of all the films I have reviewed here over the years. I urge you to pick up a copy. 12th January 2010
Bouff goes Behind the Screams
Fans of Emily Booth (that’s pretty much everyone reading this, I should imagine) will want to watch her new online series, Behind the Screams. Fed up with the lack of decent horror coverage on TV, Emily has created her own online series. The first episode, available in three parts on YouTube or EmilyBooth.net, is a visit to the Abertoir Horror Festival in South Wales including interviews with Herschell Gordon Lewis and Doug Bradley. Next up will be a behind-the-scenes report on Doghouse. 12th January 2010
Stuck! US premiere
News from Steve Balderson: “The American Cinematheque is hosting the LA premiere of my new film Stuck! at The Egyptian Theatre on Wednesday, February 3, 2010 at 7:30 PM. Tickets can be pre-purchased in person at The Egyptian Theater box office (6712 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood, CA, 90028) or by calling 323-466-3456 x6. All ticket revenue is going to support The American Cinematheque. The Cinematheque is a non-profit, viewer-supported cultural organization dedicated exclusively to the public presentation of the Moving Picture in all its forms. The Cinematheque presents the best of film and video - ranging form the classics to the outer frontiers of the art form. I really appreciate what they do to support the art form and have decided to waive a guest list for this event. The screening is open to the public.” 12th January 2010
Vampires of Bloody island DVD
The DVD of UK horror-comedy The Vampires of Bloody Island will be available from 25th January (PAL) or 1st February (NTSC) although some folks on the mailing list have got their hands on a copy already, apparently. Details at wibbell.co.uk 12th January 2010
Melanie Light pulls a Switch
Top production designer Melanie Light has directed her first short film, Switch, and sent me through these pictures. Mel says: “It’s very short and sweet and is about a man on a drive through the snowy country roads. He comes across a female jogger, he pulls aside and decides he needs to pursue her, resulting in a rather nasty conclusion. “My man actor was called Robin King and my female Kitty Broadhurst, both of whom were fantastic as were my whole crew, braving the weather and cold that turned from bad to worse in two days and meant having to pretty much shoot the whole film in one day instead of two! We are just putting together a second edit and I was out today in the snow with my brilliant DOP and editor Nicholas Britt getting some pick-ups. That was my karma for seeing how my actress felt!”  
 
 
12th January 2010
YouTube gets Broken
Alex Ferrari’s short film Broken is now available for everyone to watch on YouTube. 12th January 2010
Ashley Thorpe’s Hairy Hands
Ashley Thorpe’s fourth entry in his quasi-animated Penny Dreadfuls series of shorts, The Hairy Hands (featuring genre stalwart Doug Bradley), is complete and received its premiere last November. Ashley is currently working on The Lambton Worm, Night of the Kraken and Spring-heel Jack, a legendary character who, with his appearance in the new Asylum Sherlock Holmes film and (if we ever see it) Zeb Lamb’s Tanner’s Walk, is enjoying quite the resurgence of interest. You can find out all about Ashley’s work at carrionfilms.co.uk. | 
