Old News (July - December 2006) 27th December 2006
Penetration Angst released in USA at last
 Wolfgang Büld dropped me a line to let me know that Penetration Angst has just been released this week in the USA. Retitled Angst, the film has been released by MTI Home Video on their Redrum label, which has previously released Twisted Sisters (click here for Amazon link). The disc includes a Making Of featurette, trailers and optional Spanish subtitles and the press release includes a quote from me! Wolfgang and Fiona Horsey (who is now a big TV star in Colombia!) plan to reunite this summer for Naked Sin. 23rd December 2006
Frankenstein vs the Creature news and poster
William Winckler sent me the wonderful art below from the Japanese poster of Frankenstein vs the Creature from Blood Cove. He tells me: “I'm thrilled to report that the film has been a terrific success for us, with excellent DVD sales and rentals, theatrical screenings around the country, growing fan clubs and chat groups based on the picture, and of course, we're delighted the picture won Best Feature Film at this year's World Horror Convention. 90% of our film reviews have been excellent from critics and fans, and the film's star Larry Butler and I have been making various convention appearances. “In addition, we had a successful syndicated television broadcast this past Halloween, where the film was run, edited for TV, on hundreds of TV stations across America, reaching over 50 million households. Ratings were excellent. “International deals are pending, as well as several VOD (Video On Demand) licensing deals, and we've also begun merchandise licensing with collector cards set to be released by MonsterWax in '07.” 
21st December 2006
Zombie Undead trailer photos
Rhys Davies has been out and about in Leicester shooting a pre-production trailer for his forthcoming feature Zombie Undead. Photos from the two-day shoot can be found on the websites of soundman Carl Homer and DP Neill Phillips. 21st December 2006
Kreating Karloff update
Conor Timmis e-mailed me with the latest news on his film: "Kreating Karloff will show for free to fans and the world on director Vatche Arabian's innovative On Demand entertainment website: www.itsmyremote.com. The film will be split into four 15-minute episodes or ‘podcasts’ starting in January 2006 with the entire film available for permanent viewing after its four week episodic run. Trying to sell the film looks like a legal black hole and could get very messy for many reasons. I won't cut off its balls for money. Having KK screen for free on Vatche's site will provide far greater exposure than a fan-limited DVD run anyways. KK screens on the 26th in Beverly Hills in a really beautiful movie theater. A British film journalist named Mark Berry will be giving it a write up/review soon also. We have about 30 film festivals to hear back from too. Happy Holidays!” 10th December 2006
The Summer of the Massacre
I received a press release about a British slasher film called The Summer of the Massacre. Apparently it’s already available on DVD here in the UK and will be released in the States in March through Brain Damage Films/Pendulum Pictures. “Director Bryn Hammond's slasher movie has been screened in many a late night session around the globe and received its first UK screening at the European Nightmare festival this year to a warm reception from the crowd. It ignited a firestorm of followers in Britain, due to its iconic killer Hammerhead. “The Summer of the Massacre follows a chain of events following a group of British students (Jennette James - BBC 1's Law Street, Ben O'Brien - ITV 2's Grease Monkeys) on a road trip home across the UK countryside. One by one they are picked off by a hulking killer called Hammerhead. Pregnant Katie attempts to search for her dead friends, only to meet up with insurmountable odds. Katie is subjected to horrendous terrors while being readied for cannibalism. “The Summer of the Massacre is now available on DVD in the UK from The Dead of Night Collection who only release cult and banned films such as Zombie Flesh Eaters, Troll 2 and Tobe Hooper's The Funhouse.” I’ve never heard of the European Nightmare festival and I can find no trace of it through Google so I don’t know what that is. And I must say that a film being on the same label as Troll 2 is not something to boast about! You can find out more at BillyDickson.net, Scream Productions and the film’s MySpace page. 6th December 2006
Bane posters
James Eaves has sent me two new poster designs for his SF/horror feature Bane and tells me that the film’s website should be up and running later this month.  
6th December 2006
Lethal Force DVD
I received this press release last week: After years of being adrift in distribution limbo, Lethal Force, the indie-insta-cult-classic will finally see light of a legitimate North American DVD release this November 14, 2006 courtesy of upstart and forward-thinking DVD company Unearthed Films. Produced on a shoestring budget that wouldn't pay for Quentin Tarantino's Netflix tab, this straight-faced satire spins the tragic tale of a gangster forced to betray his best friend - an unstoppable killer - while sending up forty years' worth of action movie convention and cliche. Released nearly five years ago, this unseen gem was declared one of Ain’t It Cool News' Top Ten Indies of 2001 and went on to gain accolades from both the mainstream and microcinema press, with the Washington Post declaring it "Proudly Cheesy!" and Psychotronic Video Magazine hailing it as "Clever and violent... (with) violent and surreal surprises with over the top action, blood and gore!" To see the trailer, go to the Lethal Force Trailer Page. "It's been a frustrating go of it," confesses Lethal Force writer/director Sir Alvin D Ecarma, "but we finally made it through the distribution gauntlet without too much damage. We thank Unearthed Films for believing in the film and standing by it 100%." The Lethal Force DVD will feature not only the film, but a cast and crew commentary and a selection of short films by Sir Alvin D Ecarma exclusive to this release. Also now available are exclusive souvenir one-sheets of the original artwork that are in full-colour and suitable for framing. 18th November 2006
Latest magazine work
Last week I had to deliver material to three mags that I haven’t written for in quite a while. TV Zone is running a tribute to the late Nigel Kneale in their next issue: Andrew Pixley has written a fine article on Kneale and I have contributed an unpublished interview from 1996. For SFX I wrote an article on upcoming British SF and horror indie movies, looking at StagKnight, Robert Pratten’s MindFlesh, Man Who Sold the World, James Eaves’ Bane, HellBride and High Stakes. SFX also got a short interview with Stephen Gallagher about Life Line, a supernatural two-parter due for broadcast next March. And finally, I put together capsule reviews of Slither and X-Men 3 for Xpose’s review of 2006. 18th November 2006
MJ in The Puppet Master
I’m sure many of you read The Puppet Master. No, it’s not a Charles Band fanzine, it’s a leading journal of puppets and puppeteering - and I’m featured in the latest issue! The reason is that, while I’m working on my biography of Elsa Lanchester, my mate Steve Cockayne, has been busy writing a biography of her brother Waldo, who was a very famous puppeteer. Steve has finished first (he’s a full-time writer, which helps!) but is still looking for a publisher. 18th November 2006
David DeCoteau turns site into blog
David DeCoteau has revamped his website at www.rapidheart.com into a blog where he can keep fans up to date with movies as he shoots them. His newest picture is Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven, shot mostly in South Africa but set in England, necessitating a few establishing shots lensed in the UK this week. 2nd November 2006
Irish Gothic journal on-line
As previously plugged, the on-line Irish Journal of Gothic and Horror Studies is now up and running. The first issue includes a comprehensive overview of Irish (and Irish-related) horror cinema by Kim Newman and a review of Tony Earnshaw’s book Beating the Devil: The Making of Night of the Demon. 31st October 2006
New StagKnight trailer
Horror comedy StagKnight, which I have mentioned here before several times, now has a great new trailer up on its website. I particularly liked the Terminator gag. Oh, and on the site, when something says ‘Don’t pull this’ - don’t pull it. 31st October 2006
New feature from TrashHouse director gets UK premiere
KillerKiller is the latest feature from Pat Higgins, writer-director-producer of low-budget British frightflick TrashHouse (currently available at budget price in the UK from Screen Entertainment). The new film’s cast includes Dutch Dore-Boixe, who was in Lovesick: Sick Love and Twisted Sisters, Richard Collins and Cy Henty from TrashHouse and James Kavaz from acclaimed sci-fi short Interference. KillerKiller, which is set in a high security prison where the guards mysteriously disappear and the inmates then start getting bumped off, will have its UK premiere on 18th November in Portsmouth as part of HorrorFest. (Other films screening over the three-day bash include The Witches Hammer, The Slaughter, Unrest, Abominable, Two Front Teeth, Seance and a new version of The House of Usher.) You can check out the great trailers for KillerKiller and Pat’s other in-post film HellBride over at the Jinx Media website. 21st October 2006
The biter bit
Are we in the Mirror Universe or has somebody actually interviewed me? Brian Kirst asked the questions, I supplied the answers for a change and you can read the whole thing over on Racks and Razors. 21st October 2006
Hear me review Torchwood on Monday
One of my sidelines is as the regular film/TV pundit on the Breakfast Show on BBC Radio Leicester. I will be on the show on Monday (23rd October) at about 7.45am, discussing the new Doctor Who spin-off, Torchwood. 18th October 2006
NyMpha trailer on-line
The trailer for NyMpha, the new film from Ivan Zuccon, is now available on the movie’s website. NyMpha stars Tiffany Shepis and Allan McKenna and has a soundtrack by Richard ‘brother of Charlie’ Band. 13th October 2006
Death of Poe DVD details
Following its US theatrical premiere in Baltimore last week, Mark Redfield’s The Death of Poe is now available for pre-order from Alpha Video. The three-disc package includes not only the main feature, plus commentary and Making Of but also a documentary on Poe-related Baltimore locations and two silent version of Edgar Allan stories: a 1914 version of The Avenging Conscience directed by DW Griffith and a 1915 version of The Raven. The third disc is an audio CD of Mark reading Poe’s stories and poems. The whole lot retails at a bargaintastic $9.98. I saw the world premiere of The Death of Poe in Manchester a few weeks ago but have not yet reviewed it as the film has undergone some editorial tinkering between that screening and the final version. 13th October 2006
Dominator X update
Renga Media, producers of Dominator, have updated their website with a bunch of new stuff, including posters for Dominator X and screenshots from the film’s opening sequence. The film is described as “not so much a sequel as a completely new version of the Dominator mythos ... a radical new departure in animated graphics.” 11th October 2006
Computer problems
Four weeks ago my computer died and it has taken me until now to get back on line. Some website files may not have transferred correctly and I have had to upgrade from Freeway 3.5 to Freeway 4 so please bear with me, forgive any teething troubles and report any pages which seem to have changed in odd ways. Also, I have lost all my e-mails and my address book so unless we have been in e-mail contact within the past week or so, please drop me a line. 11th October 2006
First images from Bane
James Eaves (The Witches Hammer) kindly sent me these exclusive images from his new film Bane. These are from a short shoot last month - the main production starts in a couple of weeks. Meanhile, here's the synopsis:   
In the early years of the 21st century contact was made with an alien species. In the year it took them to travel the vast distance through space, the humans were assured they were to meet a civilised society whose interests were discovery and peace. They were gravely misled. Twenty five years later and the Earth is a dried up husk, its valuable natural resources drained and population hugely depleted, now used by the aliens for experimental purposes only. Katherine (Sophia Dawnay) awakes to find herself in one of the remaining alien concentration camps in the midst of a gruesome experiment. Along with three other women, Katherine must piece together her shattered memories to face the darkest secret the concentration camp holds. Witches Hammer is set for a UK DVD release in March, with a US deal still under negotiation. 11th October 2006
Charles Band films released on UK DVD
The Gingerdead Man and Doll Graveyard have been released in the UK as part of a four-disc set entitled Demonic Dolls which also includes Puppet Master vs Demonic Toys (a Sci-Fi Channel production that Charlie Band had no connection with) and Dollman, starring the great Tim Thomerson and undoubtedly one of Band’s best films. Apparently Gingerdead Man and Doll Graveyard have both been available separately in the UK through Film 2000 since August although I haven’t seen them anywhere. I have no idea whether the UK releases include the extras from the US discs, but I seriously doubt it. A Puppet Master box set, consisting of Puppet Master, Puppet Master II, Demonic Toys and Puppet Master: The Legacy, is also available. 11th October 2006
'Horror sitcom' coming to London fringe theatre
Last year, Dean M Drinkel staged a revival of Clive Barker’s Frankenstein in Love. Now he is producing an original ‘horror sitcom’ called The Crumps as both a play and a short film (currently in post). Here’s the press release: The El Lupo Theatre Company and Munsonzarkov Productions are proud to announce the upcoming production of The Crumps by writer/director Dean M Drinkel. The Crumps is being staged at the White Bear Theatre, Kennington, London from 12th–22nd December and then from 2nd-6th January. Starring an eclectic cast, the play covers serial killers, cannibals, strip-o-gram priests, a so-called wise man, a miraculous birth and a couple of ugly sisters. But whilst funny, please be warned this is not a play for those easily offended or those with a nervous disposition! For ticket prices and performance times, please contact the White Bear Theatre, 138 Kennington Park Road (Box Office – 0207 793 9193) or book online via www.ticketweb.co.uk. For more information and updates, check Dean’s MySpace page. 11th October 2006
First photo from MindFlesh; director's video blog on-line
Robert Pratten is in his second week of production on his second feature MindFlesh and has kindly sent me this fine photo of lead actress Carole Derrien (Nature Morte). You can keep track of the film with a daily video blog which Rob is posting in the ‘making of’ section of the MindFlesh website. 
Meanwhile, Rob’s first film London Voodoo has been picked up for UK DVD distribution by Jake West’s Nucleus Films, for release early next year. 11th October 2006
Haunted Prison coming to Sci-Fi Channel this Saturday
Haunted Prison (which you will find on the Inaccurate Movie Database under its original title of Death Row) is a new feature from FX guy-turned-director Kevin VanHook (Slayer, Voodoo Moon) which premieres on the Sci-Fi Channel this Saturday (14th October). The movie stars Mike Hammer himself, Stacy Keach, together with Jake 'son of Gary' Busey (The Frighteners, Starship Troopers), Russell Richardson (Ancient Evil: Scream of the Mummy), Danny Trejo (all three Spy Kids films), Kyle Schmid (The Covenant, A History of Violence) and Scott Whyte (Dead Man's Hand). I have heard good things about this movie and hope to have a review on-line soon. 15th September 2006
Exclusive! First photos from new Ivan Zuccon film!
Ivan Zuccon has very kindly sent me some exclusive (and suitably bloody) stills from his new movie NyMpha. Tiffany Shepis isn't in these photos as she is due to arrive in Italy tomorrow. 15th September 2006
Silencer director at martial arts film convention
Steve Lawson, director of Insiders and The Silencer, is one of the guests at the snappily titled 'Nottingham Indie Film Gathering and National Martial Arts Festival' this weekend. Check out the event's website for further details. 15th September 2006
New on-line horror journal
The Irish Journal of Gothic and Horror Studies is a new, interdisciplinary, free electronic journal which will be launched on Halloween 2006: Our editorial board includes Prof Sir Christopher Frayling, Prof Mark Jancovich, Dr David Glover and Dr Darryl Jones. As the only journal of this kind in Ireland, we will be paying particular attention to Irish texts and themes in our first issue (and succeeding editions) but we will by no means be confined to local subjects. Film, literature, television, video games and comic books from all over the world will also be discussed. We aim to combine academic credibility and critical excellence with genuine enthusiasm for the subjects we will be featuring in the journal. Contributors to our first issue include noted genre critic and author Kim Newman, who will be discussing Irish-themed horror films (including dubious gems such as The Leprechaun and Dementia 13), Darryl Jones, author of Horror: A Thematic History, David J Skal, author of The Monster Show and Hollywood Gothic, who will be contributing a book review, and folklorist Patricia Lysaght who will be writing on the history of Halloween. Frequent Sight and Sound contributor John Exshaw will also be contributing an article on the director Jess Franco, while Jarlath Killeen will be writing on the Irish Gothic. We will also be reviewing a wide range of Gothic and horror themed texts in our New Media, Film, Television and Literature review sections. 15th September 2006
David DeCoteau reviews suspiciously DeCoteau-esque film
A lot of people who have seen The Convent have commented on how remarkably similar it is to David DeCoteau's The Brotherhood (and its sequels). Now Dave himself has reviewed the film over on the After Elton website. 13th September 2006
Troll 2 - screening with cast! Website too!
If the date was any closer to April, I would not have believed it, but it's September and it's on Fangoria.com so it must be true. The absolutely unbelievably awful Troll 2 is screening at a cinema in New York tomorrow night (Thursday 14th) with at least four of the cast in attendance. Apparently the film is becoming a latter-day Rocky Horror with a cult of confirmed fans who love to shout and throw things at the screen. Even better, a website devoted to the film will be launched tomorrow too. 13th September 2006
StagKnight website
There is a great website for the new British horror comedy StagKnight now available for your internet pleasure at www.stagknight.com. There is loads of stuff to see and do, and a trailer should be coming real soon now. 9th September 2006
Ryan for Congress screening in New Zealand
Jake Shaw’s documentary Ryan for Congress is being shown Down Under this week as part of the DOCNZ International Documentary Film Festival. If you’re anywhere near Auckland you can catch Jake’s film at the Rialto Newmarket on 10th September at 12.30pm, on 12th September at 6.25pm or on 15th September at 4.30pm. 9th September 2006
Mr Blades trailer on-line
A trailer for Tom Rutter's new feature, Mr Blades, is now available to view on YouTube. The follow-up to Full Moon Massacre is a slasher picture, featuring one 'MJ Simpson' as a newspaper editor (I can be spotted in the trailer if you don't blink). After some uncertainty over whether to be 'Thomas Lee' or 'Tom Rutter', Tom seems to have plumped for 'Thomas Lee Rutter' as his professional name. 8th September 2006
MJS to introduce NOTLD
I have been asked to introduce a screening of the original Night of the Living Dead at Leicester Phoenix Arts on Halloween night. It should be a decent, new(-ish) 35mm print and we hope to screen one or two zombie shorts as well. 8th September 2006
Kreating Karloff poster
Norman Bryn has painted a rather smashing poster design for Kreating Karloff which I have added to my review. 8th September 2006
LovecraCked! DVD release
A limited DVD release of the horror/comedy antholgy LovecraCked! The Movie is now available. Inspired by author HP Lovecraft, the film features a massive cast including Troma Entertainment's Lloyd Kaufman and horror-porn queen Joanna Angel. Featuring music from THINGS OUTSIDE THE SKIN, Rash of Beatings, Urine Trouble, Beret!, Cleric, The Secretions, Hick Nick and Jew of The Dead, Blight Productions and others! The special limited edition DVD contains the original theatrical release of the film and appr 1.5 hrs of extras, including an easter egg resurrected specially from the BiFF JUGGERNAUT vault for this release. Available now at www.biffjuggernaut.com, www.filmbaby.com and elsewhere soon. (A review copy has turned up at chez Simpson and is now in the To Be Watched pile.) 5th September 2006
Evil Aliens US website
Evil Aliens now has a website all about its US release, including full details of when and where the film is playing. 5th September 2006
Steve Vertlieb interviewed
Film historian and journalist Steve Vertlieb discusses The Monster Times, King Kong and his contribution to Kreating Karloff in a fascinating interview in the September edition of on-line SF journal The Thunderchild. 5th September 2006
Killer toy wins in Manchester
The Delta Award for Best Amateur Film at the Festival of Fantastic Films last weekend was won by Karl Holt's hilarious half-hour horror comedy about a vengeance-fuelled cuddly toy, Eddie Loves You. Daniel Austin's Guy's Guide to Zombies, a wonderful spoof public information film animated in Flash, was highly commended, as were The Spell, an incredibly accomplished semi-animated short by Pablo Millan, and the silent Lovecraft adaptation The Call of Cthulhu, directed by Andrew Leman. I hope to have reviews of some of these on-line soon.  31st August 2006
Evil Aliens DVD and US theatrical release
Evil Aliens will be released on UK DVD on 25th September by Universal. The disc includes deleted scenes, trailer, blooper reel, cast and crew interviews and a guided tour of Life Creations, the effects company which was run by Tim Berry and Tristan Versluis. The RRP is £15.99 but Amazon have it for pre-order at £11.99.
The US DVD will be released by Image Entertainment on 9th January but before then the film will have a limited theatrical run through Magic Lamp Releasing, opening in New York on 5th September and in LA on 29th September. This is the US poster. 31st August 2006
Full Moon round-up
The next movie from Charles Band will be Petrified starring Katie Adams (Delta Delta Die!). Written, as usual, by Domonic Muir (Critters), it’s about an alien mummy and is coming our way on 26th September. The much ballyhooed Evil Bong follows on 26th October, starring Tommy ‘Cheech and’ Chong, Bill Moseley (Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2), Tim Thomerson (Trancers, Dollman), Phil Fondacaro (The Creeps, Decadent Evil), Brian Lloyd (Doll Graveyard), Robin Sydney (The Gingerdead Man) and Kristyn Green (Doll Graveyard) plus Blade from Puppet Master, Jack-in-the-Box from Demonic Toys and the Gingerdead Man from The Gingerdead Man! Dead Man’s Hand, about a haunted casino, is due out next year. That one stars Sid Haig (House of 1,000 Corpses), Michael Berryman (The Hills Have Eyes), Scott Whyte (Reeker, Voodoo Moon), Kristyn Green and Robin Sydney. Nicely timed to coincide with all this is Charles Band’s road show which kicks off on 14th September in San Francisco and takes in 21 cities before finishing in Minneapolis on 15th October. Full details at FullMoonFeatures.com. 31st August 2006
Mondo Macabro 'Bollywood Horror' coming soon
Mondo Macabro release their Bollywood Horror Collection Vol.1 next month. Here's the blurb: A double disc set of two classics of Indian Horror movies: Band Darwaza is the Indian version of Dracula. A childless woman visits the lair of an evil magician in order that she may conceive. When she gives birth to a baby girl the magician demands that she hand her over. She refuses and has the magician killed. Years later he is revived as a fully fledged member of the undead. He comes looking for the now teenage girl intending to make her his slave! Purana Mandir tells of the ancient curse visited on an Indian king 200 years ago - all female members of his family will turn into hideous monsters and die in childbirth. The daughter of one of his descendents tries to put an end to the curse and travels to the ancient temple where it all began 200 years ago. What awaits her and her friends there is terror beyond their wildest nightmares. A classic of Indian horror that scared a generation and began the '80s Bollywood horror boom. - Special DVD Features
- Double disc set - 6 hours of scary fun!
- Documentary on South Asian Horror
- Featurette: Freddie, Jason and... Saamri
- Extensive notes and text essays
- Mondo Macabro preview trailer
- Removable English Subtitles
- Scene access
26th August 2006
MJS - latest updates
Last week I went down to Bridgend for the day to visit the set of Summer Scars, the new thriller directed by Julian Richards and starring Kevin Howarth, who previously collaborated of course on The Last Horror Movie. That was my fourth set visit this year, following Pumpkinhead 3, High Stakes and Mutant Chronicles. I had arranged to visit the new BBC production of Dracula, starring Marc Warren and Dan Stevens, but had to cry off because of other commitments. A big feature on Pumpkinhead, including an interview with Lance Henriksen, will be in Fangoria in September. Fango also asked me to cover Bob Keen's new film Heartstopper so I interviewed Bob last week and that goes off to the editor in a few days. Yesterday I was in Stourbridge with my acting hat on, shooting scenes for Mr Blades, the second feature from Full Moon Massacre director Tom Rutter - and also found myself shootig some scenes for his brother Andy (director of 62 Pages). In Tom's film I'm a newspaper editor, in Andy's surreal short I'm the proprietor of some sort of weird establishment which promises its clients 'absolute paradise.' Anyway, I had a good time and hope to be adding interviews with both Tom and Andy to the site soon. Other interviews in the offing include David DeCoteau on Beastly Boyz, Amanda Gusack on In Memorium and Steve Lawson on The Silencer. Plus I will be adding some more Pumpkinhead 3 cast and crew. I have a stack of films waiting to be watched and reviewed. I'm getting through them as fast as I can, but my time is limited. Human Residue is still shooting, as far as I know (I'm only the writer!). There are some still in the forum of the movie's website, although nothing that I recognise. Also, I managed to add 5,000 words to my Elsa Lanchester biography last week. Finally, I shall be at the Festival of Fantastic Films next weekend, so find me in the bar and say hi if you're there. 26th August 2006
In Memorium West Coast premiere announced
Amanda Gusack's chilling ghost story In Memorium will have its West Coast Premiere at Shriekfest in Los Angeles on Saturday 30th September. The screening is at at 4:00pm at Raleigh Studios in Hollywood. For more details go to the film's website. 23rd August 2006
Randall and Hopkirk star joins Manchester guest line-up
Kenneth Cope, best known as the star of Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased), has been added to the guest list for the Festival of Fantastic Films along with his wife Renny Lister, whose credits include Curse of the Werewolf. Crispin Glover, who starred in the remake of Willard (among other things) is also lined up for the Festival, although sadly Ulli Lommel has had to cancel. The line-up of films has also been expanded and now includes the UK premiere of Wolfgang Büld's Twisted Sisters. 21st August 2006
New DeCoteau film available to pre-order in 'collector's edition'
David DeCoteau is releasing his latest film himself on his new Rapid Heart Extreme DVD label. Beastly Boyz is billed as a “diabolical experiment in extreme and provocative horror” and, as one might expect, it features a number of healthy young men with an aversion to wearing shirts. Here’s the synopsis: Rachel, a beautiful young artist, is murdered at her secluded lake front house by a group of soulless killers. Enraged and shocked by his sister's senseless murder, Rachel's brother, Travis, vows to avenge her murder and punish her killers one by one - even if it costs him his soul. The region-free NTSC ‘collector’s edition’ of Beastly Boyz will ship from 2nd October and is available for pre-order at RapidHeart.com for a very reasonable $12.99 + shipping. It is limited to 5,000 copies, signed by DeCoteau, and includes a director’s commentary, a feature-length Making Of, liner notes by the director and a bunch of subtitles. The cast includes Sebastian Gacki and Emery Wright who were both in DeCoteau’s Killer Bash and The Brotherhood IV. Dave says: "What makes Beastly Boyz different from the other Rapid Heart features is that the tone is much stronger and vivid in terms of suspense and sensuality - much like the retro horror movies of the ‘70s and early ‘80s. With this label I want to satisfy a much broader horror movie audience who demand a much more intense and chilling film experience.” 21st August 2006
Wall of Sleep film-makers tackle Mexican revolution
The guys who made the Lovecraft feature Beyond the Wall of Sleep (which was picked up for distribution b y Lion's Gate) have sent me details of their hugely ambitious follow-up, a four-film saga charting a revolution in near future America: Our forthcoming project is entitled The Red Rover, and it is the opening shot of a much grander concept. We are looking to shoot what is the second chapter of a four-film saga about the oppression of the Mexican people in America and their fight to take back the land they deem rightfully theirs. Epic in scale, the saga involves la eMe (the Mexican Mafia), the Zapatistas, and the Mexican Originals. Also populating this bloody, action-packed tale are the Russian Mafia, the Aryan Brotherhood, and the shadowy and corrupt puppeteers in the highest reaches of Wall Street and Washington. In The Red Rover the revolution begins humbly yet dramatically, plunging you into a whole other world hidden on the underside of society. This film works not only as a piece of a much larger puzzle but also as a stand-alone story of vengeance and redemption set in unknown parts of the California desert. You can find out more at www.zapatapresents.com. 17th August 2006
Silencer theatrical premiere details
I am happy to reproduce any press release that quotes me! Independent British martial arts feature film The Silencer will have its UK premiere screening at the Brighton Odeon cinema on Saturday 30th September at 10am. The film's directors and stars will be in attendance and a Question and Answer session will follow the screening, plus a further networking session at a nearby venue afterwards. The Silencer has been described as "a taut, exciting, polished piece of action film-making, with engrossing characters, a cohesive storyline and well-edited, kick-arse fights" (www.mjsimpson.co.uk). It stars Glenn Salvage (Left for Dead) and Maye Choo (BBC1's Silent Witness) and features many of the UK's top martial arts performers. It is the second feature film from the 'Phoenix-i' partnership of Simon Wyndham and Steve Lawson, whose previous feature film Insiders is due for release on DVD early next year. The Silencer trailer can be viewed at www.the-silencer.co.uk. Tickets for the screening are £5, and can be purchased by contacting us at enquiries@the-silencer.co.uk. People are asked not contact the cinema directly, this is a private event and tickets are only available from Phoenix-i Productions. 17th August 2006
Lamberto Bava for Manchester Fest
The Festival of Fantastic Films - now only two weeks away - has added another two names to its guest list: Italian director Lamberto Bava (Demons, Graveyard Disturbance) and English actor Barrie Holland, whose small IMDB entry belies his 300+ credits. 15th August 2006
New Karloff documentary
I received the following press release today: Kreating Karloff, the much anticipated documentary recounting a young actor's painstaking efforts to ‘re-kreate’ Boris Karloff's classic monsters on film will have its World Premiere at the respected Fan Ex film conference Saturday evening, August 19th, at 10p.m. in Hunt Valley, Maryland. The collaborative work of producer, director, and star Conor Timmis, documentary director Vatche Arabian, make up artist Norman Bryn, cinematographer Scott Sniffen, and a wonderful cast that includes Hollywood actress Liesl Ehardt and associate producer Rick Broderick, will make its affectionate debut in the theatre at Embassy Suites, followed a week later by a presentation at the celebrated World Science Fiction Convention in Los Angeles. Thereafter, the documentary will see continuing emergence in most of the major film festivals and competitions throughout the country, including Robert Redford's illustrious Sundance Festival where the Karloff name will enjoy renewed reverence and restoration. 8th August 2006
Death of Poe website goes live
The website for Mark Redfield's The Death of Poe is now live. Mark will be over in England next month for the movie's world premiere on Saturday 2nd September at the 17th Festival of Fantastic Films in Manchester. The US premiere will be a month later on Wednesday 11th October at the Charles Theatre, Baltimore. Further screenings are planned and a two-disc DVD will be released by Alpha, which will include all sorts of additional Poe goodies.  5th August 2006
New film from Ivan Zuccon
Ivan Zuccon - for my money, the best horror director currently working in Italy - sent me details of his next film, the oddly titled NyMpha:
NyMpha is the story of Sarah (Tiffany Shepis: Dorm of the Dead, The Hazing, Delta Delta Die!), a young American girl, who goes to Italy to take vows needed to become a cloister nun of the 'New Order' Convent. The rules of the convent are very strict, so strict that they are often considered a form of torture. Sarah's path is divided into four steps, 'hear' the Lord, 'see' the Lord, 'touch' the Lord and 'talk' with the Lord... Each step will be painful for both Sarah's physical and mental self. Moreover, during Sarah's journey, she often has visions of the Convent's past, visions that it was the house of a young girl named Ninfa (Caroline DeCristofaro - who, despite her name, is actually Dutch)... Ninfa's life was ruined by the religious fanaticism of her violent grandfather Geremia (Allan McKenna, who played Lord Salisbury in a dramatisation of the Jack the Ripper case for Japanese TV!), who believes that he can talk directly with God. In reality, he is utterly mad, and this madness seems to be present today (within the walls of the convent) where young Sarah lives... Also in the cast are Michael Segal, Alessandra Guerzoni, Francesco Primavera, Giuseppe Gobbato, Caterina Zanca and Federico D'Anneo, several of whom have previously worked with Ivan on films such as The Darkness Beyond, Unknown Beyond, The Shunned House and Degenerazione. Ivan starts shooting the film - in English, on HDCAM - next month with a proposed release date of January 2007. The film's website is here and Ivan has promised me the first production stills. Zuccon's long-awaited adaptation of Lovecraft's The Colour from the Dark, which was to have starred Shepis, has been put on hold. 31st July 2006
Brain Damage releases three more six-packs
Brain Damage Films and Pendulum Pictures extend their collection of alliterative, six-pack, indie horror collections on 15th August with the following: - Brutal Bloodsuckers: Vampire Sisters, Night, Vampire Hunter, Strange Things Happen at Sundown, Lifeblood, Barely Legal Lesbian Vampires
- Demented Deviants: Nutcracker: An American Nightmare, Off the Beaten Path, The Crate, Edgar Allen Poe’s Darkness, Purvos, Human Behavior
- Everlasting Evils: Invitation, Blood Rights, Death from Beyond, Deadly Memories, The Innocent, Siege of Evil
These things look terrific value and I wish I had time to review them, but my To Be Watched pile is big enough as it is without adding 18 more films. Nevertheless, those of you with more spare time or fewer two-year-olds should definitely check these out. 30th July 2006
Spiders scribe directs haunted beer movie
Stephen David Brooks (writer of Spiders I and II and The Mangler) sent me the press release about his next project: Award winning indie film director Stephen David Brooks is on tap to helm the horror feature Brew for The Ilya Salkind Company. VP of Production Joe Majestic brought the project to the company and will produce. The screenplay is by Larry Kirchner and the late James Dean Schulte. Brew is the story of a self-styled loser who inherits a family brewery drowning in debt. His girlfriend convinces him to restart the family business despite the rumors that the brewery is haunted by his blood thirsty relatives... the Rhineharts. The cast will be comprised of horror veterans, upcoming talent, and unknowns selected from a nationwide talent search. A promotional teaser is available on the Ilya Salkind Company web site. Gunnar Hansen and Brad Dourif are already attached to star, so this should be a belter of a film. 26th July 2006
Festival of Fantastic Films announces movie line-up
The Witches Hammer and Bad Brains will both be shown at this year's Festival of Fantastic Films in Manchester in September. Also lined up are Venus Drowning (the third feature from Andrew Parkinson, director of I Zombie and Dead Creatures), Norman England's The iDol and the world premiere of Mark Redfield's The Death of Poe (Mark is flying over for the screening). On the guest front, sadly William Franklyn has had to pull out but Ulli Lommell has been added to the list. 25th July 2006
Man Who Sold the World update
Here's another exclusive still from Man Who Sold the World. Director Louis Melville tells me: "Man Who was granted permission to film at the 5,000 year old Neolithic burial site Wayland's Smithy in Oxfordshire - as far as we know, one of the first films to shoot on this National Trust site. We are now in post and on time to have a rough cut ready for the Sundance and Berlin Film festival selectors later this year and a date for a completed film of Christmas '06." 
25th July 2006
Tristan Versluis short on MySpace
Effects artist Tristan Versluis' first film, a 13-minute short entitled Plastic Reality, is now available to view on-line. There is a link but the easiest way to find it is to go onto MySpace and search for the title. The film stars Jennifer Evans who previously worked with Tris on Evil Aliens. 19th July 2006
Chandler fantasy play
The Opposite of Show Business by Jim Grover Ray is a play about the rise and fall of crime writer Raymond Chandler which you can catch in London for one week only. "Plagued by depression, Chandler attempts suicide following his wife's death. During his recovery in a sanatorium he confesses to his doctor that the attempt on his life was due to guilt, remorse that Cissy's illness and his writing career were inextricably linked. Is Chandler delirious, compelled by his craft to speak in metaphors, or is there some truth to his incredible story? Chandler wrote Marlowe, but who wrote Chandler?" The Opposite of Show Business is on at the White Bear, Kennington from 26th to 29th July at 9pm. The cast includes Jon Campling (Penetration Angst) and my pal, Belinda Blanchard. 19th July 2006
Fassbinder DVDs on the way
There's not much mention of Rainer Werner Fassbinder on this site, but I promised that I would give some forthcoming DVDs a plug. Fear Eats the Soul, The Merchant of Four Seasons, The Marriage of Maria Braun and The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant are all released as special editions in the UK by Arrow Films on 7th August, packed with documentaries, interviews, short films and other extras. Thirteen further Fassbinder titles are set to follow over the next year or so. 16th July 2006
FFF adds Burt Kwouk to guest list
The Festival of Fantastic Films (in Manchester, first weekend in September) has added another great name to this year's guest line-up: Burt Kwouk. Forever associated with the Pink Panther films, Kwouk's extremely long CV includes Goldfinger, Casino Royale, Curse of the Fly, The Terror of the Tongs and three episodes of The Avengers, plus Rollerball, at least four Fu Manchu pictures and I Bought a Vampire Motorcycle! 16th July 2006
New music CD from Alien Blood director
Jon Sorensen, director of the 1998 British sci-fi movie Alien Blood, has recorded a new CD of UFO-inspired ambient music, entitled Rendlesham Forest, which is available from his website. Jon is currently working on a new film called Seeker. 5th July 2006
Zombie Undead coming to Leicester
Leicester film-maker Rhys Davies is in pre-production on a feature entitled Zombie Undead: "It's all going to be shot in Leicester with a predominantly Leicester crew. Indeed the aim is to make it as much a Leicester project as possible." The film will be shot on HD and will be "a dark, claustrophobic horror more along the lines of Night of the Living Dead rather than Return of the Living Dead." Rhys promises that these will be Romero-style shuffling zombies, not the fast-moving sort. There is nothing on the movie's website yet but you may want to bookmark it. Here's the synopsis: Zombie Undead is the story of Sarah who, on returning from college, witnesses her father having a heart attack. He is rushed to a nearby research institute as the main hospitals are dealing with the aftermath of a terrorist bombing. Sarah sits at her father's bedside and gradually falls asleep. She wakes up alone in a different hospital room. Vision blurred, she stumbles her way to the corridor. A figure groans and shuffles toward her ... Sarah's fight for survival begins. 3rd July 2006
LovecraCked! The Movie to premiere in New York
The world premiere of LovecraCked! The Movie will be held in New York City at the Two Boots Pioneer Theatre (155 East 3rd Street, between Avenues A & B) at 7pm on July 24th. The Lovecraft-inspired horror comedy film features “weapon-wielding psychopaths, evil temptresses, creatures from beyond, forces of the unknown, zombie sex... and a journalist without a clue.” The cast includes horror-porn queen Joanna Angel (The Xxxorcist), Chad Bernhard (Tales from the Crapper), Matt Renicks (Pot Zombies), Tom Wontner (TrashHouse) and the obligatory Lloyd Kaufman cameo. Some of the cast and crew will be in attendance at the premiere, and there will be giveaways while supplies last. Recommended arrival time is 6:30-6:45pm. For tickets click here or call: (800) 595-4849. - Old new (Jan-Jun 2006)
- Old news (2005)
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