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. 23rd December 2009
Zombie Undead premiere
If you missed the sneak preview of the nearly-finished Zombie Undead back in November, you can catch the film’s official world premiere on 15th January 2010 at Phoenix Square, Leicester. Just don’t expect to be able to book a ticket online... 23rd December 2009
Alex Chandon showreel
Check out Alex Chandon’s digital effects showreel on YouTube. It’s not just loads of cool shots, it’s a whole bunch of ‘before’ and ‘after’ shots that really show you what’s involved. But when oh when is Alex going to make another film? It’s ten years since Cradle of Fear... 23rd December 2009
Art of Pain update plus Freddy in Moleman movie
Matt Brookens reports that his terrific film The Art of Pain is selling well through Celebrity Video Distribution: “We've sold 450 units and are currently available to queue in Netflix! There may be a new pressing of DVDs. That means I will get to update the version we've been selling. The new DVD would feature the new cut and some new extras (if it gets made).” Matt also notes that “John Laflamboy who played Marcus in The Art of Pain has co-written, directed and produced a horror comedy called The Moleman of Belmont Avenue. The film features Robert Englund who played Freddy in the Nightmare on Elm Street classics. The film is in post and moving right along.” 23rd December 2009
Silver Key clip
The latest update from Conor Timmis is that “a clip from my latest HP Lovecraft short film The Silver Key is now on Youtube.” 23rd December 2009
Sickened and Sleepwalker Strangler
Phil Herman dropped me a line about his next film, Sickened: “Coming soon. Sickened! Early 2010! Story: Kim (Nancy Feliciano) was abducted 20 years ago. She managed to escape but the kidnapper was never caught or seen again! Now 20 years later the memories still haunt her. Charlene (Debbie D) her friend is the only one that knows and can talk about it. Things are getting strange and she begins seeing and hearing the man that terrorized her. Is he back or is she going crazy! Along with her friend and New love interest (Phil Herman) she hopes to conquer her past fears and live her life! Also starring: Joel D. Wynkoop and Tiffany Sinclair, Chris Kahler!” Pictures and more at http://gonehell.angelfire.com Phil also alerted me to Sleepwalker Strangler, a new movie from WAVE Productions, part of which he shot. You can see a couple of pictures here of the film’s leading lady, Tracey Lixx, who apparently can’t afford a T-shirt... 23rd December 2009
Season’s Greetings
My thanks to actor Ben Shockley (Bloodmyth, Ten Dead Men) who sent me these stills from Greetings, a British horror feature directed in 2007 by Ken Colley which is now available through Brain Damage Films. If that name seems familiar, that’s because Colley played Admiral Piett in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Bloodmyth director John Rackham is also in the cast as is Bloodmyth actor Henry Dunn and even Bloodmyth composer Maria Long, making her acting debut. Other cast include Kirsty Cox, Matthew Reynolds and Mel Stephenson. Here’s the synopsis: "It's Cathy's birthday, but she's not having a good time. The boys have found an Ouija Board and are out for some harmless fun. When strange things start to happen they blame each other, but the joke goes too far and they soon realize it isn't a joke after all...someone else is coming to the party and they don't have an invite!" Find out more at www.greetings-movie.com  
 
 
17th November 2009
Day of the Undead update
Two days before Leicester’s new Phoenix Square opens, they still don’t have their website up and running. Which means that with Day of the Undead only a week and a half away, there’s no online booking! However, phone bookings can be taken. The box office number is 0116 242 2800 and it’s open 10.00am to 4.00pm, Monday to Saturday. If you have any problems, contact Zombie Ed at ed@terror4fun.com. Single film tickets cost £5.80 (£4.80 concs) or 20 quid for a full-day pass. 17th November 2009
FFF 2010 dates and first guest
Only a few weeks after this year’s very successful Festival of Fantastic Films comes the first info about next year’s event. It will be held over 15th-17th October 2010 at a location to be confirmed (but almost certainly in Manchester). The first announced guest is writer Stephen Volk. 17th November 2009
Colour from the Dark wins Best Feature
Ivan Zuccon dropped me a line to tell me the terrific news that Colour from the Dark has received the Brown Jenkin Award for Best Feature at the 2009 HP Lovecraft Film Festival. Meanwhile the latest news on the US DVD release, through Vanguard Cinema, is that the date has been locked down as 23rd February 2010. 17th November 2009
 Silver Key poster
Here’s the poster for The Silver Key, the latest Lovecraftian outing from actor Conor Timmis and director Gary Fierro (Pickman’s Model). This one also stars Kris Keyes from popular beat combo Gargantua Soul. You can find out more about Conor’s busy schedule on his blog. 17th November 2009
Vampires of Bloody Island DVD announcement
PR: New DVD label 'The Weird World of Wibbell' (the cult movie arm of UK indie distributor Wibbell Productions) today announced that the long awaited DVD release of it's British comedy-horror film 'The Vampires of Bloody Island' is expected before Christmas in the UK, USA, Canada and Ireland. The exact dates for each territory will be declared within the coming weeks. 'The Vampires of Bloody Island' starring Pamela Kempthorne as Vampire Noblewoman Morticia de'Ath, Leon Hamilton as her zombie servant Grunt and Oliver Gray as eccentric English demon hunter Professor Hans Van Rental, is set on a fictional island off a remote part of the English coast called Bloody Island, where the locals fear for their lives as every night they lock their doors and hang-up fresh garlic to protect themselves from "Vampires and werewolves... and virgins!" Filled to it's rotting rafters with creepy comical characters, weirdly witty dialogue and eerily disturbing Hammer Horror-like locations, 'The Vampires of Bloody Island' is a laugh packed send up of every vampire film you've ever loved and a must-have for your DVD collection. In anticipation of the imminent release, Wibbell are giving away five free copies of the 'The Vampires of Bloody Island' on DVD signed by the lead star and the director. In addition to this the gothic retailer www.vampireshop.co.uk has also promised to add an additional surprise mystery free gift. To enter the free prize draw just go to www.bloodyisland.co.uk where you can watch the trailer and enter the prize draw. A free copy of 'The Vampires of Bloody island' on DVD and surprise bonus gift could be yours! 11th November 2009
Day of the Undead 2009
The programme has been announced for this year’s Day of the Undead, the annual one-day zombie festival at Leicester Phoenix. Taking advantage of the state-of-the-art facilities at the new Phoenix Square (which only opens this month), the day will kick off with Dawn of the Dead in hi-def. Other titles are Pontypool, Zombieland, the Norwegian Dead Snow and the French La Horde plus a sneak preview of Leicester-shot zombie feature Zombie Undead and two short films, the Canadian Le Quellone and Danish puppet film Zombie Western: It Came from the West. Yes, you read that right: a Danish zombie puppet western. Lots of other undead fun and games. For more info see www.phoenix.org.uk and www.terror4fun.com 11th November 2009
Nightbeasts director interviewed
Nightbeasts director Wes Sullivan dropped me a line: “This Sat Nov 14 an interview of me discussing my movie Nightbeasts will air on David Durica's nationally syndicated sci-fi radio show Sci-Fi Overdrive.” I was on that show back in 2004, I think. 11th November 2009
Shadow Tracker: Vampire Hunter on DVD
Joe Bagnardi’s 1999 film Shadow Tracker: Vampire Hunter is now available on DVD from Very Scary Productions. The movie stars Bruce G Hallenbeck and Ron Rausch, who were both in Blood of the Werewolf (as was Bagnardi). A CD of the music is also available. 30th October 2009
Beyond the Rave on DVD at last...
Beyond the Rave, the first Hammer production of the 21st century which debuted last year as a series of online episodes, is finally coming to DVD (which has prompted me to dig out my interview with producer Ben Grass). It looks like the disc contains the original score of four-minute episodes rather than having been re-edited into a feature. The full list of contents includes: - “20 Episodes + 5 Bonus Scenes
- Deleted Scene - ‘Big Jim´s Last Stand’
- 11 Character Videos, Teaser, Trailer and Image Gallery
- Language options for 20 Episodes: American Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, European Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian
- Episode 21 - ‘Necro´s First Kill’
- ‘Making Of’ Featurette
- Downloadable music tracks
- Easter Egg #1 The Curse of Castle Nymphenstein
- Easter Egg #2 Downloadable commentary
- Almost 3 hours of content…!”
You can pre-order the DVD, in either PAL or NTSC format, from this site. It will be limited to 5,000 copies but, according to the small print, the disc will only be presed if at least 2,500 orders are received by 1st December - so don’t prevaricate if you want it. The small print also notes that there may be a subsequent DVD release but it won’t have all the extras. 30th October 2009
Enjoy The Devil’s Music for free
Pat Higgins’ terrific horror-rockumentary The Devil’s Music is now available to view for free (for folk in the UK, at any rate) on Indiemoviesonline. “In the past we've been clobbered by hundreds of thousands of people downloading our flicks off Bittorrent,” says Pay. “This way, online viewing actually becomes a business model that should work. There's no horrible software to install, just a movie to watch.” The DVD will follow on 22nd December. 30th October 2009
Stuck! in Chicago
Steve Balderson’s Stuck! plays at Landmark’s Century Centre Cinema in Chicago on 6th November at 7pm. Mink Stoke, Jane Wiedlin, Starina Johnson and Lady Monster will all be in attendance and the screening will be followed by a ‘lesbian jail-break party’ at the Circuit nightclub. 30th October 2009
The Ten Pound Horror Film
Tom Atkinson, who is producing Ashley Thorpe’s next film, The Hairy Hands, sent me some info about his project The 10 Pound Horror Film, an ambitious attempt to raise a production budget by having lots of people chip in a tenner. Everyone who contributes to the funding gets a chance to ‘create a kill’ by suggesting a gruesome death scene, with the best one to be included in the film. You can find out more at www.the10poundhorrorfilm.com 30th October 2009
FFF winners
The winner of this year’s Delta Award for Best Amateur Film at the Festival of Fantastic Films was Kyle Stephens of the USA for his marvellous stop-motion animated mini-musical McDonough. Italy’s Francesco Filippi was named runner-up for Home. In the Independent Feature Film competition, Michael Ferns’ Kirk won Best Feature while Best Short was a tie between Irish mermaid fantasy Enchanted Island, directed by Noel Kearns, and Italian existential childhood thriller Under My Garden, directed by Andrea Lodovichetti. 30th October 2009
Johannes Roberts scores an F
My old pal Johannes Roberts (DarkHunters, Forest of the Damned) sent me some stills from, and news about, his forthcoming film simply titled F. “F is my first mainstream theatrical feature,” says Jo. “Should be out in cinemas in the UK summer next year. I've just hit picture lock and we are just doing music and sound. The film is amazing - really genuinely scary and dark. It is about a group of teachers trapped in a school by a group of murderous hooded kids. It focuses on a burnt out alcoholic teacher (played by David Schofield - Pirates of the Caribbean/American Werewolf) who has to try and save his daughter Kate (played by Inkheart's Eliza Bennett) when the school comes under attacked by a group of hooded kids after hours. Think Assault on Precinct 13 meets Ils. The hoods themselves are played by Parkour specialists - the stuff they do is crazy, darting around up in the rafters in the dark amongst the empty classrooms and corridors - it's really freaky stuff. The other teachers are played by Emma Cleasby (Dog Soldiers) Ruth Gemmell (Fever Pitch), Juliet Aubrey (Constant Gardener/Primeval), Roxanne Mckee (Hollyoakes). I cannot tell you how in love with this movie I am. I think it's going to be big!” The trailer for F is available on Jo’s Gatlin Pictures website.  
 
30th October 2009
Lots of Russ Diaper stuff
Russ Diaper has been busy. As ‘the Pumpkin Philharmonic’ he has a new CD: A Symphony of Horror: Music from Spirits of the Fall and Other Tales of Terror. Russ also has another film online, a 40-minute homage to Halloween called The Wake. You can watch it here. Spirits of the Fall is lined up for a DVD release next year and finally the energetic young Mr Diaper has a directing showreel on YouTube. 30th October 2009
The Last Seven and Jack Falls
The Last Seven is a new British SF thriller due to start shooting in November from the team who brought you Jack Says and Jack Said. Simon Phillips and the ever-busy Terry Stone star in this tale of the last seven people on Earth wandering around a mysteriously empty London. Budding executive producers have the chance to pick up the last remaining investment opportunities - contact adamsmithe1980@googlemail.com for details about the film. There is a teaser trailer on YouTube. Meanwhile The graphic novel of Jack Falls, the final part of the trilogy that began with Jack Says and continued with Jack Said, is now available from Amazon for eight quid. The film version is set for release next year. 30th October 2009
The Shrieking Sixties
My mate Darrell Buxton, proprietor of the Pass the Marmalade website and British horror authority, is editing a new book on 1960s British frightflicks. The Shrieking Sixties is set for publication by Midnight Marquee Press next year. PR:The British cinematic landscape of the 1960s was a broad one - encompassing sweeping epics, kitchen sink drama, swinging London, and the commercial might of the Bond and Carry On series. Interspersed throughout all this, the horror movie struggled to retain the identity and impact it had achieved via Hammer's late-’50s rise to glory - yet screen terror managed to survive and evolve during the decade. Established frightmasters such as Terence Fisher and Jimmy Sangster consolidated their position as kings of the genre, foreign talents such as Roger Corman and Vincent Price were attracted to our shores, and exciting newcomers like Christopher Wicking, Jose Larraz, and Michael Reeves burst on to the scene with a bang. The Shrieking Sixties sets out to document and comment upon the British horror boom of the period. Edited by Darrell Buxton (UK horror expert and critic whose work has appeared in publications including Samhain, Creeping Flesh and Giallo Pages) and written by a variety of contributors including Mike Hodges (Fangoria), Steven West (Is It...Uncut?) and Christopher Wood (British Horror Films website), the book features informative and lively reviews of 140 creepy, macabre, and downright scary movies. Additional appendices cover the short films of the era, borderline titles, and a study of how the censors handled on-screen terror at the time. From Hammer's Brides of Dracula and Plague of the Zombies, to cult classics like Witchfinder General and Scream and Scream Again, The Shrieking Sixties runs the full gruesome gamut. Of particular note is the book's coverage of Lindsay Shonteff's 1969 shocker Night, After Night, After Night, revealing daring new information about this ahead-of-its-time proto-slasher; and the rarely seen and even more rarely discussed The Return of Dracula, a specialist vampire movie presented in British Sign Language. In the tradition of recent successful publications such as English Gothic, Fragments of Fear, and Ten Years of Terror, The Shrieking Sixties seems set to become a vital, essential addition to any fright film fan's library. 20th October 2009
Colin - new interview and lots of news
Colin is coming to DVD on Monday. Coincidentally, this is exactly one year after I first interviewed director Marc Price, which was long before this whole £45 malarkey started. Marc has very kindly agreed to a second interview, discussing what has happened in the past twelve extraordinary months. Nominally priced at a tenner, most retailers have the Colin DVD for about £5.50 but HMV has the scoop with an exclusive 2-disc edition - for the same price - that includes a Making Of and Deleted Scenes. And if you fancy a really special edition, Marc and lead actor Alastair Kirton will be signing copies in the Oxford Street HMV store at 6pm on Monday 26th. In addition, the www.colinmovie.co.uk website is now live with a list of cinemas where you can catch Colin on the big screen between 23rd October and 8th November. On Halloween you can see Colin at the Ritzy in Brixton or at the NFT but the place to be is Derby Quad where it’s screening as part of a ‘Dead and Breakfast’ zombie all-nighter. Between 10.30pm and 7.30am on Sunday morning, you can watch Braindead, Pontypool, Return of the Living Dead, Colin and Shaun of the Dead. 20th October 2009
In Memorium resurrected
I can’t believe that Amanda Gusack’s fantastically scary 2006 ghost story In Memorium never found a distributor. Well, it may do now as people are starting to comment on how much it resembles new ghost flick Paranormal Activity - and the general opinion of those who have seen both is that Amanda’s film not only came first but is the better of the two. Bloody Disgusting has out three clips from In Memorium up on this page - take a look. 20th October 2009
Fallow Field in Manchester and Aberystwyth
The Fallow Field receives its UK premiere in Manchester over the Halloween weekend at a new festival, Grimm Up North. The four-day festival also features Colin, The Ferryman, Gnaw, Dawn of the Dead, The Disappeared, The Descent 2, Hellraiser and Halloween (the original, of course). The Fallow Field, which has been picked up for international distribution by Industry Works PIctures, will also screen at the third Abertoir Horror Festival - in spooky Aberystwyth, 4th-8th November - where the other attractions include The Descent 2, Nosferatu with live accompaniment, A Day of Violence, Hellraiser, The Tingler and The Keep plus special guests Herschell Gordon Lewis and Doug Bradley. 20th October 2009
Something about MindFlesh
MindFlesh is being made available for free online over the next eight weeks. Well, last week and the next seven - but don’t worry, you’ve not missed anything. If you can’t wait for the full 22 webisodes, you can download it in toto for $3.99 or stream it for $1.99. If you understand all this, everything’s on Klatcher, along with a good, old-fashioned DVD for 20 bucks and a very disturbing range of T-shirts and ... slippers? Oh, they’re sneakers. That’s like a plimsoll, I think. Robert Pratten’s incomprehensible-to-me-because-I’m-over-forty announcements continue with the news that he is “creating a brand new open-source transmedia project called Parasites. Please sign up to our Facebook page or follow us on Klatcher.” 20th October 2009
Mother’s Day remake
Here’s a press release I was sent about the remake of Troma movie Mother’s Day, currently shooting in Winnipeg. Wait - they’re remaking Troma movies now? In our version, after a bank robbery gone wrong, three brothers head for home...only to discover that their mother lost the house in a foreclosure. The new owners and their guests, gathered for an ill-timed birthday party, become the brothers' unwitting hostages. Their mother and sister arrive, and it soon becomes obvious that Mother will do absolutely anything to protect her children. In one terrifying evening, Mother brilliantly takes control of the situation and masterminds her sons' escape. Sides will be taken, secrets revealed, and sins punished as the hostages struggle to make it through the night. Mother’s Day, written by Scott Milam and Stephen Susco (The Grudge), directed by Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw II, III and IV) and produced by Brett Ratner, Richard Saperstein, Jay Stern and Brian Witten. Rebecca De Mornay (The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, Risky Business) is starring as “Mother”; Jaime King (My Bloody Valentine) is starring as “Beth”. Briana Evigan (Step Up 2, Sorority Row), Shawn Ashmore (X-Men), and Deborah Ann Woll (True Blood) also star in the movie. 20th October 2009
Book of Blood and Summer’s Blood, ah, Moon
Clive Barker’s Book of Blood finally comes to UK DVD on 26th October through Lion’s Gate, followed by Summer’s Moon on 2nd November. The latter, which was filmed as Summer’s Blood, has been retitled and creatively packaged to look like a vampire film because it stars Ashley Greene from Twilight. But I don’t know: can you find the vampires in this synopsis? Hardened teenager Summer (Ashley Greene) is on the road looking to meet her estranged father but her only clue to his whereabouts is a letter from a rural community called Massey. Once she arrives in town, Summer is rescued from a run-in with the law by a charming local handyman named Tom (Peter Mooney). The couple quickly hit it off and head back to the house Tom shares with his mother (Barbara Niven). Summer soon realises that this is no ordinary family and when she tries to leave she is knocked unconscious by the demented couple. She wakes to find herself bound with chains inside a box filled with dirt. Surrounded by lush plants, grow lights, human skulls and a girl on the verge of death, Summer is the latest flower in Tom’s “Human Garden”. Knowing that she must gain Tom’s trust if she hopes to escape, Summer allows herself to get close to the troubled young man and his twisted family...but will she become one of them to survive? 20th October 2009
Dean Cundey back in the director’s chair
Ace cinematographer Dean Cundey is returning to directing with Vida Nocturna, written by 26-year-old English scriptwriter Jessiah O’Donnell, who provided me with the following information: "I'm an aspiring screenwriter/actor and turned down a deal with Fox in 2007 for this picture as I didn't want to sell it but create it myself along with my production partner in the US. I then created IC Feature Films and teamed it up with Cap 23 Prods and we became IC/CAP. "Vida Nocturna came about because the Horror world was lacking some extreme bad guys. There was always Michael Myers and Jason Vorhees but nobody else ever realy lived up to their stature, until now... "We created two of the biggest, baddest killing machines out there and created a dark story around them known as the 'Black Legend' which is loosely based on a real story from the Spanish Inquisition. Therefore the story is set in Sevilla, Spain. Modern day with a Legend almost as old as time... "I grew up watching the Halloween movies so to be able to have Dean at the helm for my Horror debut then I was definitely going to jump at the chance. Friday the 13th has lost it's spark, too many alterations.. I mean Jason in Space?? Halloween is without doubt the legend but with remakes now being done, there is nothing left but for a new 'Legend Killer' to take over and dominate the next 20 years.. This is where Dean Cundey and Vida Nocturna take over." 14th October 2009
New werewolf film: In Sheep’s Clothing
The always-busy Conor Timmis sent me this poster and stills from In Sheep’s Clothing, a cool-looking new werewolf pic from the people who brought us Pickman’s Model. Here’s the synopsis: Jen and Billy's relationship has ended... badly. One night while trying to rekindle an old flame they pick up a mysterious hitchhiker who seems to know something of Billy's past. Is Billy covering up the mark of the werewolf or is the hitchhiker looking for another victim? As the full moon rises time is running out for Jen to discover which one of them can be trusted and which one is the real Wolf in Sheep's Clothing. Directed by Gary Fierro (Re-Animator: 1942, Pickman's Model). Screenplay by Dave Tonucci. Starring Conor Timmis (The Mandala Maker, Kreating Karloff) Troy Walcott (Banshee!!!, Hell's Gate) and newcomer Kika Radziwillowicz.  
 
Conor also alerted me to the fact that Pickman’s Model is now on YouTube in two chunks (part 1, part 2) and the Kreating Karloff out-takes and bloopers are on there too. 14th October 2009
Three + Three
Crumbs, it’s years since I reviewed the Thai/Korean/Hong Kong anthology Three from a Thai VCD - and this week it has been released in the UK on a double bill with the sequel, Three Extremes. Except that the sequel was released in the West first so the original film is now known as Three Extremes 2. Confused? You will be. The newly reborn Pallisades Tartan Label released the double bill on Monday with an RRP of twenty quid. 14th October 2009
 Nightbeasts poster
Here’s the poster for Wes Sullivan’s bigfoot movie Nightbeasts. Cool. 11th October 2009
Steve Balderson news
Steve Balderson’s Watch Out has a US distributor. New label Breaking Glass Pictures will release the film next month - here it is on Amazon. Meanwhile, Steve’s next film is likely to be a ‘southern gothic’ drama, Them That’s Got, written by, executive produced by and starring Stacy Cunningham, who layed the guard in Stuck! Incidentally, I had a great time last night haing out with Steve, Stacy and the rest of the Stuck! gang at the world premiere in London. 11th October 2009
Win a Bryan Loves You mask
PR: Bryan Loves You, the controversial Anchor Bay Entertainment release and tabbed one of horror’s Top 10 of 2008 by MovieWeb’s Steve Anderson and called by JoBlo.com’s JimmyO “the film to make you wonder ‘am I being watched?’”, is giving away authentic Bryan cult masks seen in the movie. Anyone with a US or Canadian mailing address is eligible to win. To enter, just comment on the video here. Winners will be chosen at random Halloween 2009 and Halloween 2010, one mask given away per Halloween. Bryan Loves You rock concert-style t-shirts will be given to the runners up. Bryan Loves You is the true 1993 story of a cult that takes over an Arizona town and stars Tony Todd, George Wendt, Tiffany Shepis, Brinke Stevens, Lloyd Kaufman, Daniel Roebuck, Jeff Dylan Graham and featuring a DVD audio commentary with a ghastly ending. MovieWeb says “if Oscars were given to direct-to-video horror, then ‘Bryan Loves You’ would be on the Best Picture list”, David Carter of Film Fanaddict! suggests “this one will likely slip under the radar of most – make sure it doesn’t do the same for you” and film critic Louis Fowler enthuses “’Bryan’ is perfect 2 a.m. freaky fare that will leave you looking over your shoulder.” 11th October 2009
Kirk to Enterprise
The makers of Kirk, which is showing at the FFF this coming weekend, have sent me a press release about their film: The film opens with these words... All around the world, trees can be found festooned with ribbons and prayers, these are messages to spirits........ Atop Doon hill, in Aberfoyle, Scotland, stands such a tree, where history tells us that in 1692, the Reverend Robert Kirk, the seventh son of a seventh son, a scholar and minister of religion, predicted his own fate...... His story has captured the imaginations of those prepared to believe that our world connects with another realm, a secret commonwealth. Our Film 'Kirk' is LOOSELY based on the true story of the Reverend Robert Kirk of Aberfoyle, a scholar and minister of religion, who believed in the Secret Commonwealth of Elves Fauns and Faeries. Our film shows how passionately he wanted his wife to also believe, and the drastic action he took to fulfil this mission. Set in the 17th Century, and filmed in the beautiful locations of Loch Lomond, Ardyll Woods Cashel Forest Rowardennan, and Culross conservation village in Fife. This romantic and mystical tale will please audiences of all ages. Rated PG and running for 90 minutes, the film promises to satisfy all those who gave their time and skills to make this film possible and also be a credit to the young director Michael Ferns who has just started a course in the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and drama. The film cost £7,350 to make and this came from The Co-operative community fund, Stirling Council, Balfron Community Council, the sons of the Rock Society and Anonymous donations. Here’s the website of the director, who looks about eleven! 7th October 2009
More Conor Timmis news
The ever busy young man has been cast in a film version of the obscure Lovecraft story ‘The Curse of Yig’ which will shoot in Minnesota in January 2010. 7th October 2009
DeathRay and FilmStar fold
Announced today: Blackfish Publishing is no more so the current issues of DeathRay (21) and FilmStar (5) are the last. This is a crying shame. Even more so for those who have lost their jobs. 7th October 2009
Festival of Fantastic Films titles announced
The competition line-up of films has been announced for this year’s Festival of Fantastic Films. Daniel Fox’s Dreamscape is up for Best Independent Feature, competing against the Spanish Lodo, the American Evil Angel and a British feature that had previously escaped my attention, Michael Ferns’ Kirk. Ryan McDermott’s Mark McCready and the Archangel Murders is the sole British title on the shortlist of shorts, alongside the Italian Under the Ground, the German Babylon 2084 and the Irish The Enchanted Island. Meanwhile, Jan Manthey’s retro sci-fi sex romp The Adventures of a Plumber in Outer Space is among the titles competing for the Delta Award for best amateur film. Other British films up for the Delta are Dora Martinkova and Zuzka Jungmanova’s Empire of the Sun, Ben Mitchell’s House Guest and David C Noone’s Timescape plus films from Spain, Italy, France, Ireland and the USA. The FFF is 16th-18th October in Manchester. But you already know that. 7th October 2009
Heathen DVD update
As previously noted, BritFilms release stylish thriller Heathen on DVD on 16th November. Ross Shepherd says he was inspired by Chris Jones’ Guerilla Film Maker’s Handbook so the Heathen DVD will include a booklet with an extract from Jones’ new work The Guerilla Film Maker’s Pocket Book. Chris Jones says: “I was delighted to find out that Ross had read The Guerilla Film Makers Handbook and been inspired by our words - even better, Heathen has achieved the near impossible for Indie films, a distribution deal! Well done BritFilms for supporting the directors of tomorrow! Including a micro edition of the Guerilla Film Makers Handbook in the DVD, for a micro budget film, seemed like a great thing to do.” The Heathen DVD also includes a stack of extras: trailer, Making Of, director commentary, cast and crew commentary, deleted scenes, actor auditions, blooper reel, Chris Jones interviewing Ross and one of Ross’ short film, Inside. You can pre-order the disc for eight quid from Amazon. 7th October 2009
Nightbeasts trailer
Animator-turned-director Wes Sullivan sent me a link to the trailer for his debut feature Nightbeasts, a 35mm horror flick which stars Zach Galligan from the Gremlins and Waxwork films. Lloyd Kaufman makes one of his rare cameo appearances in this impressive-looking tale of Native Americans and bipedal hominid monsters. Which reminds me: I should update both The Complete Bigfoot/Yeti Filmography and Where’s Lloyd? 7th October 2009
Sara Dee stars in Zombie Office
Zombie Office is “a Romero-style social satire based in an office environment that explores an accountant’s reaction to his new Dominatrix Boss and the methods she employs to keep all her deskbound office zombies in line.” Directed by South African-born Johan A Kruger, the 15-minute short stars Jonathan Baker and Sara Dee (Witchcraft X, Room 36, Flash Back) and will be shown at the Barcelona Film Festival and the Razor Reel Fantastic Film Festival in Brugge. It has also been selected for inclusion on the Horror Vault 3 compilation DVD. A possible feature-length follow-up, Rise of the Dominatrix, is mooted with Sara donning the thigh-boots and fishnets once more. Martin Pavey (director of Flash Back) provided the music and sound design for Zombie Office and also handed post sound on Down Terrace, the new feature from the makers of bonkers Anglo-Pakistani horror flick Hell’s Ground. Sara’s in this one too but just as a radio voice so we’ll have to imagine what she’s wearing... 7th October 2009
Zombie short: Teleportal
Alex Chandon helped Paul Shrimpton make Teleportal, a terrific short zombie film which you can watch on YouTube. Three weeks, 250 quid, two and a half minutes. Great stuff! 7th October 2009
Awaken the Dead and more from Brain Damage UK
Brain Damage UK has another half-dozen recent indie horrors lined up for release at the ultra-budget price of £2.99 on 12th October. For not much more than the cost of a pint, you can buy Jeff Brookshire’s Awaken the Dead (featuring Mads Koudal), Len Kabasinski’s Fist of the Vampire and Curse of the Wolf, Christopher D Grace’s Taste of Flesh, Jason D Morris’ Hell House: The Book of Samiel or Brian Thomson’s Bachelor Party in the Bungalow of the Damned (with obligatory Lloyd Kaufman cameo). 7th October 2009
Russ Diaper’s new film
The latest movie from Russ Diaper (Deadly Pursuit, Spirits of the Fall) is Stay Out of the Woods, “an homage to cheesy ‘70s/’80s grindhouse films.” You can watch the entire 40-minute film online here. 29th September 2009
Tempe Entertainment goes digital
PR: Tempe Entertainment has decided to step into the 21st century and make their entire catalogue available for digital download at the biggest one stop shop for studio, independent and super independent movies - Ameibo.com. Everything Tempe has ever produced or acquired is now just a click away! JR Bookwalter, Tempe President is ”excited to bring our independent classics such as The Dead Next Door, Ozone and Polymorph to Ameibo, and we look forward to a new legion of viewers discovering our catalog in the digital realm!” 29th September 2009
Conor on YouTube
Conor Timmis says: “My big scene from Heath McKnight's odd ball comedy 9:04 AM is now on Youtube.” And indeed it is. 29th September 2009
Les Bowie documentary
Uncle Les is a 37-minute documentary about Les Bowie, the grand old man of British special effects who made movie magic for Hammer from The Quatermass Xperiment right through to To the Devil a Daughter. Dennis Lowe has produced the film which is on his website, along with a half-hour doc on Kit West (who started out with Hammer, progressed to Return of the Jedi and is still working on things like Doom) and the feature-length Alien Makers. Thanks to Jon Sorensen - who composed the music for these films - for bring this to my attention. Jon’s site is here. 28th September 2009
Peter Sasdy joins Manchester guest list
Director Peter Sasdy has been added to the Festival of Fantastic Films guest line-up. His Hammer credits include Taste the Blood of Dracula, Countess Dracula, Hands of the Ripper plus episodes of Hammer House of Horror, Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense and Journey to the Unknown. He also directed Nothing But the Night, the Doomwatch film, I Don’t Want to be Born and sci-fi western Welcome to Blood City. Unfortunately, John Scott and Robert Fuest have both had to cancel but Ian McCulloch, Derren Nesbitt, John Hough, John Carson, Jenny Hanley and Emily Booth should all still be there. The 20th FFF is in Manchester over 16th-18th October. 28th September 2009
Witches Hammer US release date
The Witches Hammer has been confirmed for a US release on 24th November through MTI Video, the company which also released 10 Dead Men, Nympha and The Planet. The disc will include a Making Of, out-takes and trailers. My interview with Stephanie Beacham will be on the Fangoria.com website around that time. 28th September 2009
Stuck! original soundtrack album
Rob Kleiner’s evocative score from Stuck! is now available on CD (for old luddites like me) and as those new-fangled MP3 things. You can order it from Amazon, CDNow, iTunes, mp3.com, Rhapsody and lots of other places for about eight or nine bucks. 28th September 2009
Negative Equity - new UK indie
Guy Pearson dropped me a line about his comedy-horror feature Negative Equity which is currently shooting: “It's kind of like Evil Dead meets The Music of Chance crossed with a bit of Die Hard 2 thrown in for good measure. Featuring a very angry house, a possessed toaster and a bollockless (literally) hero, this isn't exactly the usual type of film that's comes out of the North of England.” The film stars Mark Baker (possibly the one who played Dean Martin on stage a few years ago) and Andrew Hodgson (presumably not the blind actor of that name, although perhaps it is) with Colin director Marc Price as the voice of the house. There’s not much on the website yet apart from a teaser trailer which doesn’t really tell us anything. However, for those young enough to bother with such frippery, there’s a MySpace thing and a Facebook wotsit and a Twitter doodad. Don’t ask me what that’s all about or expect me to understand if you try and tell me... 14th September 2009
Glut sequels times two
Frontline Entertainment release two Donald F Glut movies on US DVD on 13th October: The Mummy’s Kiss: 2nd Dynasty is a sequel to Glut’s The Mummy’s Kiss while Countess Dracula’s Orgy of Blood (starring Paul Naschy!) is a sequel to The Erotic Rites of Countess Dracula. 14th September 2009
Raindance news
Colin is up for Best Micro-Budget Feature at this year’s Raindance and Ashley Thorpe’s The Screaming Skull (which I will review realsoonnow) is up for Best UK Short. Stuck! is screening at Raindance of course and I just got news that Popatopolis, a feature-length documentary about Jim Wynorski, will screen at the festival on 8th October. 14th September 2009
Red Mist scripter interview in Derby
My mate Darrell Buxton will be interviewing Spence Wright, screenwriter of Red Mist (aka Freakdog) at Derby Quad on 23rd October. Red Mist is the latest feature from Northern Irish director Paddy Breathnach who made Shrooms. 14th September 2009
Damned by Dawn clip online
Brett Anstey’s Aussie horror Damned by Dawn has been selected to screen at Screamfest in LA (16th-25th October at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre!). I’m really looking forward to seeing this film. In the meantime, there’s a clip over on the Digital Retribution site. 14th September 2009
New book on Corman’s New World Pictures
Denis Meikle’s Hemlock Books has published its first volume, Mind Warp! The Fantastic True Story of Roger Corman’s New World Pictures by Christopher T Koetting. The RRP of this 280-page, well-illustrated tome is £17.95 but you can buy it direct from the publisher for £15.25 (along with a selection of other books, magazines and fanzines). A review will appear on this site shortly. 14th September 2009
Tristan Versluis is Not Alone!
Tristan Versluis’ debut feature Not Alone started filming last week and will wrap next week. It’s being produced by Andy Thompson (The Scar Crow) as part of his Dead on Arrival Digital slate of projects and stars Lucy Benjamin from EastEnders. Melanie Light is the production designer and DP Stuart Nicholas White, who photographed Pixel and I Love You for Tristan is behind the camera. There’s a synopsis at www.notalonemovie.co.uk along with a production diary and some behind-the-scenes photos. Tris promises that it’s a more character-based, psychological story than we might expect - but has some groovy effects anyway! 14th September 2009
Two films from Alex Bakshaev
Alex Bakshaev sent me some stills from his film Naked Trip, a 55-minute “homage to ‘60s and ‘70s European cinema which is dedicated to Jess Franco and Jean-Luc Godard.” Jason Impey (director of Troubled and Cut and Paste) stars as ‘George Eastman’ and co-wrote the script with ‘Mathis Vogel’ (presumably that’s Alex). The use of such pseudonyms should give any Euro-cult aficionado an idea of what to expect. The cast includes Impey alumni Jennifer Newland, Karl Rhodes and Nick Stoppani (who was in Colin). George Eastman (enfant terrible of UK digital cinema Jason Impey) is an ill-tempered, obsessive maker of cheap sex films financed by a Mafia cartel. When a weary DVD distributor (Karl Rhodes) turns down his latest feature, George finds Mafia minions knocking at his door. Unable to raise the money, George takes off on a final escapist journey to the coast, taking an unsuspecting young starlet Sarah (Jennifer Newland) along with him. Before this, Alex made a 25-minute short called Bittersweet, starring Peter Halpin (Strings) and Andrew Cullum (The Witches Hammer) which “deals with issues of impossibility of communication and self-expression in modern world.” Travis Vollmond (Peter Halpin), a young film reviewer, experiences a nervous breakdown when his girlfriend Lorena (Jo Foskett) suddenly leaves him. Unable to find solace in the company of his cynical friend Ralph Brown (Andrew Cullum), Travis takes a train journey to the seaside. There, in a deserted out-of-season hotel run by Mark (Gary Halliday) Travis will have to face the reality or remain forever lost in a world of his own despair. A trailer for Naked Trip (under its working title of The Trip) is available on YouTube.  
10th September 2009
Colin release on big and small screens
Yes, it’s true. Colin is going to play cinemas. So even if only nine people go to see it, it will still turn a profit! (Not really of course - please don’t write in.) Marc Price’s cracking zombie feature hits DVD, courtesy of the suddenly very busy Kaleidoscope, on 26th October with a limited theatrical release a few days beforehand on 23rd October. 10th September 2009
What time is it? It’s 9:04 AM
Conor Timmis let me know that a 2006 feature in which he appeared is now available to view online for free: 9:04 AM is an ensemble comedy/drama about a group of friends and family who deal with the difficulties of life, love, happiness, and the fine line between fantasy and reality. I play the delusional Mark Lang who is based on a well known Star Trek: The Next Generation actor who I can't name since my performance would surely offend. 9:04 AM was filmed in West Palm Beach Florida back in 2006. You can watch 9:04 AM for free on this link. 10th September 2009
Monster Attack Team returns
Legendary kaiju fanzine Monster Attack Team is returning in December with the long-awaited issue 8 and I have been invited to contribute. I dug out of my files the interview that I did with the Japanese writers of Godzilla 2000 some ten years ago when I was in LA. Find out more about MAT at the fanzine’s website. 10th September 2009
Heathen comes to DVD
Ross Shepherd’s stylish thriller Heathen gets a UK DVD release on 16th November, courtesy of BritFilms, the label that previously brought us Ten Dead Men. The disc will have a nice bunch of extras - and a quote from me on the sleeve!  10th September 2009
Live Evil poster
Here’s a groovy new poster for Live Evil that Lee Perkins sent me. The movie has a limited theatrical release in the States from 18th September.
10th September 2009
Wasting Away and Surviving Evil
Kaleidoscope Home Entertainment release Matthew Kohnen’s zombie comedy Wasting Away on R2 DVD on 28th September: Turning the Zombie film on its head, Wasting Away is a hilarious low budget Horror Comedy starring Jose Acevedo, Christopher Antonucci and Betsy Beutler, and featuring a fantastic directorial debut from Matthew Kohnen. Joining him on writing duties is brother Sean Kohnen. Together they have created an instant cult hit that already boasts countless global awards. Synopsis: Zombies, you know ‘em, you love ‘em, but what do they think of you? In this hilarious twist on the classic Zombie tale, we see the world through Zombie eyes when a barrelful of Toxic Goo transforms four friends into the Walking Dead. Suddenly, unaware of their rotting undeadness, it seems everyone else has gone mad. So they embark on a bumbling quest to find the ‘truth’ – after all, Zombies are people too! The disc will have deleted scenes and a trailer. Find out more at www.wastingawaythemovie.com. Then on 5th October the same folk release Surviving Evil, a UK/South African co-production set in the Philippines: Surviving Evil stars Billy Zane (Titanic, Dead Calm), Christina Cole (Casino Royale, Doctor Who) and Natalie Jackson Mendoza (The Descent). Shot on location in South Africa the film is written and directed by Terence Daw, best known for his directing duties on some of British TVs most popular shows (The Bill, Heartbeat). Synopsis: A British TV crew arrive at the remote Mayaman Island to shoot a jungle survival special. The team are led by presenter and survival-skills expert Seb (Billy Zane) along with two local guides Joey (Joel Torre) and the sexy Chill (Natalie Mendoza). It’s not long until the crew hear eerie cries from inside the jungle and see strange figures whipping through the trees. With a show to shoot, the director refuses to let the strange goings on make them quit and when Joey and Chill venture deep into the jungle to make contact with a native tribe they find the village populated by half-eaten corpses. The crew then hear the legend of the Aswang – horrifying, mythical creatures from Filipino folklore that live in the trees, can change their shape, hunt for human flesh and crave the blood of pregnant women. When Phoebe (Christina Cole) discovers that she is carrying a child the whole group find themselves fighting for their lives in a jungle filled with terror. Seb has survived every type of jungle threat, but can he protect the team from this supernatural evil? More aswang films - that’s what we need! The disc includes a trailer and there will be a limited theatrical release a few days earlier on 2nd October. 4th September 2009
Jack Says prequel DVD
Jack Said, the prequel to stylish Brit-thriller Jack Says, is now available for pre-order on DVD and Blu-ray. Optimum will release the movie on 5th October 2009 and there is also talk of a limited theatrical release. Written by Paul Tanter from his graphic novel, the film is directed by Lee Basannavar and Michael Tchoubouroff. Danny Dyer (Doghouse) stars alongside Simon Phillips (Jesus vs the Messiah) returning from the first film in the title role and also producing. Other returning cast members include Rita Ramnani, Danny Idollor and Julian Lee. Also in the cast are Terry Stone (Kung Fu Flid), David O’Hara (Doomsday, The Departed), Christopher Fosh (A Day of Violence), Zombies of the Night director Stuart Brennan and snooker player Jimmy White! The disc costs thirteen quid but Amazon have it for eight. 4th September 2009
Dr Chopper meets Mr Halloween
MVM release two formally titled horror movies on R2 DVD on 28th September. Dr Chopper is a 2005 feature directed by Lewis Schoenbrun who went on to helm Queen Cobra (a rare western entry in the snake-woman genre). It stars Costas Mandylor from the Saw films and Ed Brigadier from the Alien Sex Files series When five young college friends arrive at a secluded cabin near the picturesque Lake Tatonka, they’re prepared for a weekend of non-stop partying, drinking and sex. But their brief vacation comes to an abrupt end before it can even begin when they run foul of three psychotic nurses and their leader, a sadistic, knife-wielding, motorcycle riding madman known as Dr. Chopper. Featuring gore aplenty and a truly creepy collection of killers, Dr Chopper delivers the shocks and the bloodshed in equal measure. Then there’s Mr Halloween, Andrew Wolf’s 2007 entry in the killer clown subgenre. It’s the autumn of 2003 in the sleepy town of Sauquoit, New York and as the holiday of Halloween approaches multiple disappearances involving the town’s teenage children have sent the grown-ups of Sauquoit into a panic. The local police are baffled and struggling to find clues. They don’t even have a suspect… but the children do. There’s a legend relating to Mr. Halloween, an elderly recluse who each year sets up a “haunted house” display to provide seasonal scares for the local kids. According to the legend, the authenticity of his ghoulish exhibits extends to the use of real body parts in his creations. Now, the truth behind the legend is about to be revealed as a group of thrill-seeking friends set out to confront the horror and come face to face with Mr. Halloween himself. Both films retail at £12.99 but they’re probably cheaper on Amazon. 1st September 2009
Stuck! world premiere at Raindance in October
The world premiere of Steve Balderson’s Stuck! will be on Saturday 10th October 2009 at the Apollo Cinema, Lower Regent Street as part of the 17th Raindance Film Festival. Steve will be there along with actors Susan Traylor, Starina Johnson, Stacy Cunningham and Pleasant Gehman, all lined up for a Q&A after the screening. Later in October you can catch Stuck! at the Southwest Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (in Albuquerque) and the Seattle Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, then it plays the Macon Film Festival in February 2010 and the Boston Underground Film Festival in March. 1st September 2009
Devil’s Music UK and US release details
Exciting news from Pat Higgins: "The Devil's Music will be coming out (very nearly) simultaneously in the UK and the US. Tentative dates at the moment are 23rd October for the UK and 27th October for the US, although these may shift a few days either way.Both releases are very different, and we're really excited about both of them. "The US release is a packed DVD via Lono Entertainment. Extras include Lost Tales of Erika Spawn Parts 1-4 (little video documentaries, 1-3 of which can be seen on YouTube already but we're holding back the last one), The Final Tour (20 minutes of on-tour deleted scenes), a director's commentary (which treats the entire documentary as real) and (hopefully) two particularly cool hidden Easter Eggs. "The UK release is... (drumroll) via Indie Movies Online. This is an incredibly exciting step for both Jinx Media and IMO, It's the first time that IMO has launched a new movie direct (the rest of their fantastic catalogue have usually been seen at the cinema or on DVD) and it means that anyone in the UK will be able to watch the film free, uncut and without interruptions. The good folk at IMO are backing the movie all the way with a big marketing push (including a full-page ad for the movie on the inside back cover of the corresponding issue of Total Film, and all sorts of other print ads and online shenanigans) so the movie | 
