Friday, November 6, 2015

Horror Short "Night of the Slasher" Competes For OSCAR

Multi award-winning short film, Night of the Slasher, written and directed by Shant Hamassian, competes for Best Narrative Short at two Oscar® qualifying festivals; the St. Louis International Film Festival in Missouri, USA and the Foyle Film Festival in Ireland. If it wins, it becomes eligible for an Oscar® nomination.


Henry Selick (Director of Nightmare Before Christmas and Coraline) saw the film at the Telluride Horror Show and said, “I really loved ‘Night of the Slasher’! It's smart, clever, and funny!

Night of the Slasher is a 'shot-in-one-take' film about a teenage girl who must commit horror movie sins by drinking alcohol, doing drugs, and having sex in order to lure a masked killer and exact revenge.

“I wanted to write a slasher film where on the surface, it is a self-referential genre film, however there is a deeper meaning behind everything we see and how we are all connected to this genre as a culture. I chose to write this film on a deep and personal level because I personally had to deal with a traumatic moment in my life. Making this film was an exploration on how to cope with those painful memories and to tell a story on how to not let the past control our lives. In the end, a great slasher film reflects the killer as a state of mind.”, explains director Shant Hamassian.

After its successful world premiere at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival in South Korea, this highly stylized short has been programmed at 91 film festivals including the prestigious Screamfest (Los Angeles) and Frightfest (London). The short has been nominated for 28 awards and has won 15 including Best ShortBest Actress, and Best Cinematography.

America’s reference site for horror movies, Dread Central said that Night of the Slasher “is surprisingly both funny and suspenseful in one small package.”

Starring Lily Berlina (the Slasher girl), Scott Javore (the Bait), and Adam Lesar (the Killer), Night of the Slasher is written and directed by Shant Hamassian, produced by Adam Lesar, Eve Constance, and Shant Hamassian. Cinematography by Eli Tahan, Visual FX by Alessandro Schiassi & Michaelangelo Frisoni, and Music by Simon Michel.

Shant Hamassian (@ShantHamassian) grew up in the rolling hills of Calabasas, California and attended Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. He has directed several music videos, comedic sketches as well various shorts that have won awards and played internationally in the film festival circuit. Shant is currently working with NBA Champion and former Laker, Rick Fox on a web series titled, Herman the Monkey. Night of the Slasher is a “proof-of-concept” based on one of many feature screenplays he has written, including Neville which made the 2011 Bloodlist.

To find out more about Night of the Slasher, full list of awards, and its tour calendar, please check the official website www.nightoftheslasher.com

Official Trailer For "Warcraft"

Check out the trailer for "Warcraft". The film hits theatres June 10th, 2016. Directed by Duncan Jones and starring Travis Fimmel of 'Vikings' fame.

From Legendary Pictures and Universal Pictures comes Warcraft, an epic adventure of world-colliding conflict based on Blizzard Entertainment’s global phenomenon.
The peaceful realm of Azeroth stands on the brink of war as its civilization faces a fearsome race of invaders: Orc warriors fleeing their dying home to colonize another. As a portal opens to connect the two worlds, one army faces destruction and the other faces extinction. From opposing sides, two heroes are set on a collision course that will decide the fate of their family, their people and their home.

So begins a spectacular saga of power and sacrifice in which war has many faces, and everyone fights for something.

Directed by Duncan Jones (Moon, Source Code) and written by Charles Leavitt and Jones, the film starring Travis Fimmel, Paula Patton, Ben Foster, Dominic Cooper, Toby Kebbell, Ben Schnetzer, Rob Kazinsky and Daniel Wu is a Legendary Pictures, Blizzard Entertainment and Atlas Entertainment production.

The producers are Charles Roven, Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni, Alex Gartner and Stuart Fenegan. Jillian Share, Brent O’Connor, Michael Morhaime and Paul Sams serve as executive producers. Rob Pardo, Chris Metzen, Nick Carpenter and Rebecca Steel Roven co-produce. Warcraft will be released by Universal Pictures. www.warcraftmovie.com"

"Haunted Trailer" Producer Courtney Sandifer's New Kid Friendly Zombie Project

KIDS VS. ZOMBIES indiegogo.
10 days left to reach our goal!

"Haunted Trailer" and "Getting Schooled" Producer Courtney Sandifer has an awesome new kid friendly project coming up!
 

A young brother and sister work together to outwit a barrage of peculiar zombies, rescue their mom and save the town.
KIDS VS. ZOMBIES is a fun, full-length family movie written for kids, but with their parents in mind, too! Zombies are a big part of pop culture these days, especially with shows like “The Walking Dead”, movies like “Zombieland” and “World War Z”, and video games like “Plants vs. Zombies”. Courtney Sandifer wrote this story to reflect her own kids’ fascination with zombies, but in a way that her kids (ages 8 and 10) could actually WATCH the movie.  Action will be full of wacky, slap-stick sort of “Home Alone”- type traps and defense techniques.

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/save-the-zombies-kids-vs-zombies-the-movie#/

"If you look at traditional zombie movies, there a few different types of zombies. Ours are the diseased kind, who have contracted an illness that infects and spreads through biting. The KIDS VS. ZOMBIES zombies will be gross, but without blood. No blood? Yes! Our zombies ooze gross green and black goo instead. They will have grey-green colored skin, sick looking, sunken eyes, with purple veins spreading all over their bodies. When they “bite”, it looks more like they are “sliming” someone with thick green snot. We are taking traditional zombies and making them kid-friendly and most importantly, funny!"

Thursday, November 5, 2015

Wild Eye Lures Us To "The Last House" In November

Wild Eye Releasing lures us to "The Last House" on November 24th on VOD and DVD. Directed by Sean Cain and stars Jason Mewes, Ezra Buzzington and Felissa Rose. Read the press release below and check out the eye candy.

Press Release:
Wild Eye Releasing has opened The Last House for visitors. Director Sean Cain (Silent Night, Zombie Night, Jurassic City) has brought together a star-studded cast at an address many would like to visit, but none will be allowed to leave. Jason Mewes (Clerks, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back), Ezra Buzzington (The Hills Have Eyes, Fight Club) and Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp, Return to Sleepaway Camp) headline this dark and sadistic thriller about the horrors at a mansion in the Hollywood Hills. The Last House will be available on DVD and VOD nationwide November 24th.
After his escort girlfriend is kidnapped by a trio of escaped mental patients, a young man attempts to find her before their sadistic game plan can be realized.
The November 24th DVD release (SRP $19.95) of The Last House will exclusively include a director’s commentary, deleted scenes, interviews, and trailers.



Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Stefan Petrucha's Zombie Thriller Dead Man Walking To Be Adapted By CBS

The Hollywood Reporter is heralding the word of CBS's adaptation plans for Stefan Petrucha's zombie thriller Dead Man Walking for TV. CBS is teaming up with 'Continnum' creator Simon Barry for the TV adaptation. The story takes place in the near future and is centered on a police detective who is executed for the murder of his wife and takes a miracle drug that brings him back to life as a "second-class citizen". He searches for his wife's real killer while working as a private investigator.

Barry is penning the script and executive producing the series with Stephen Hegyes (Reality Distortion Field). CBS has not explicitly said that the "second-class citizens" are zombies, however the book describes it's main character, Hessius Mann as being part of the "pulse-challenged population" of the town and finds that a few zombies have been cut to pieces while he is working a missing persons case.
The adaptation comes after The CW's critical success with it's comic book adaptation 'iZombie,' along with the continued success of AMC's 'The Walking Dead.'

Release Date And Trailer For Onur Tukel's Dark Comedy "Applesauce"

The release date and a trailer have been released for Onur Tukel's dark comedy "Applesauce". The Disturbingly Riotous Tale of Secrets, Lies and Severed Body Parts Comes to VOD  on November 24, 2015. "Applesauce" stars Max Casella, Trieste Kelly Dunn, Jennifer Prediger, and Dylan Baker. 

Press Release:
In rising filmmaker Onur Tukel's latest provocative comedy-drama APPLESAUCE, a married man is severely tested after a string of twisted, mysterious and frightening events. Following a world premiere at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival, the enthusiastically reviewed film comes to digital EST and VOD from Dark Sky Films on November 24, 2015.
Every Tuesday night, radio talk show host Stevie Bricks invites his listeners to call in and share "the worst thing they've ever done." Tonight, Ron Welz (writer/director Onur Tukel) is ready to share his story. But soon after he confesses on the air, someone starts sending him severed body parts. Ron becomes paranoid, terrified. His life begins to unravel. His marriage begins to fall apart. He has no idea who's tormenting him. Is it his insolent high school student? Is it his best friend? His own wife? In a city like New York, there are eight million suspects and each one could have a bone to pick with someone like Ron.
Take dark comedy, mix it with noir, add a original and unusual movies of the year.
APPLESAUCE, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, co-stars Max Casella (Doogie Howser M.D., Inside Llewyn Davis, Blue Jasmine), Trieste Kelly Dunn (Banshee, United 93), Dylan Baker (Spider-Man 2 and 3, Secretariat, Happiness), Jennifer Prediger (Apartment Troubles, A Teacher) and Karl Jacob (Pollywogs, The Dictator).
Eric Kohn of Indiewire called APPLESAUCE "riotous ... spot-on urban satire." Other critics' superlatives include "morbidly comedic" (Patrick Cooper, Bloody Disgusting), "wonderful" (Dmitry Zvonkov, Stage and Cinema) and "rare and original ... Tukel's best work yet" (Jerry Smith, Icons of Fright).

New Poster Released For "Krampus"

A new promo poster has been released for upcoming Christmas horror "Krampus". The film is due out December 4th and is directed by Michael Dougherty. "Krampus" stars Emjay Anthony, Adam Scott, Toni Collette, David Koechner, Allison Tolman, Conchata Ferrell, Stefania Lavie Owen, and Krista Stadler. As watered down as I know this Hollywood horror will be, much like "Ouija", I am still excited to see that Santa's reprimanding side-kick is getting some love, he is one of the coolest things about the holiday! 

 When his dysfunctional family clashes over the holidays, young Max (Anthony) is disillusioned and turns his back on Christmas. Little does he know, this lack of festive spirit has unleashed the wrath of Krampus: a demonic force of ancient evil intent on punishing non-believers.

All hell breaks loose as beloved holiday icons take on a monstrous life of their own, laying siege to the fractured family’s home and forcing them to fight for each other if they hope to survive.


Trailer Released For AMC's 'Preacher'

AMC released the official trailer for upcoming series 'Preacher' which will premiere in 2016. Based on the graphic novel of the same name, 'Preacher' is a supernatural drama following a priest and his vampire best friend and ex-girlfriend as they search for God-literally not metaphorically.

Preacher is the story of Jesse Custer (Dominic Cooper-Agent Carter), a conflicted preacher in a small Texas town who is inhabited by a mysterious entity that allows him to develop a highly unconventional power. Jesse, his ex-girlfriend, Tulip (Ruth Negga-Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), and an Irish vampire named Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun-This Is England) embark on a journey to, literally, find God.














Official Poster Released For Creepy Doll Horror "The Boy"

The official poster has been released for upcoming creepy doll horror "The Boy". The film released a teaser trailer back in the middle of October and offered a glimpse into the almost Gothic, and atmospheric,  supernatural thriller. "The Boy" is directed by William Brent Bell and stars Lauren Cohen, Rupert Evans, Ben Robson, Jim Norton, Diana Hardcastle, and James Russell. "The Boy" is due out January 22nd, 2016.


The Walking Dead’s” Lauren Cohan, “Greta (Cohan) is a young American woman who takes a job as a nanny in a remote English village, only to discover that the family’s 8-year-old is a life-sized doll that the parents care for just like a real boy, as a way to cope with the death of their actual son 20 years prior. After violating a list of strict rules, a series of disturbing and inexplicable events bring Greta’s worst nightmare to life, leading her to believe that the doll is actually alive.

Check out the trailer here: Trailer Released For Creepy Doll Horror "The Boy"

Teaser Trailer Released For "WTF"

Press Release:
Peter Herro and Cthulhu Crush Productions have debuted the first trailer for independent slasher WTF! Lensed around Los Angeles this summer, WTF! follows a survivor of a mass killing on a trip with six close friends, when her nightmare threatens to begin again.
Herro directed from a script he co-wrote with Christopher Centanni and Adam Buchalter. Callie Ott (The Horror), Sarah Agor (Hatchet II, VH1’s “Scream Queens”), Andrea Hunt, Ben Norris, Johnny James Fiore, Nick Reilly and Adam Foster starred as the unfortunate group of friends.
Three years ago, twenty-two year old girl-next-door Rachel (Ott) barely survived a brutal massacre that left her friends in pieces. Time has passed, and Rachel has moved on, but unfortunately history has a way of repeating itself. Her close friends are spending spring break in a secluded house in the woods, and they have cordially invited her to join. Little does she realize that another bloodbath will be showing up as plus one. Once Rachel and her friends arrive at the cabin, the partying, sex, and terror begins.

Official Teaser Trailer Released For "Boar"

The official teaser trailer has been released for creature horror "Boar". The film is directed by Chris Sun and stars Griffin Walsh, Christie Lee Britten, Nathan Jones, John Jarratt, Roger ward, Melissa Tkautz, Hugh Sheridan, Simone Buchanan, Bill Moseley, Steve Bisley, Ernie Dingo. The Aussie killer beast flick is Sun's latest feature horror, following slasher machine "Charlie's Farm". 

In the harsh, yet beautiful Australian outback lives a beast, an animal of staggering size, with a ruthless, driving need for blood and destruction. It cares for none, defends its territory with brutal force, and kills with a raw, animalistic savagery unlike any have seen before. Believed nothing more than a myth, a legend brought to life by a drunken local, the beast ventures closer to civilization, closer to life, and ultimately, closer to death. It’s brutal, it’s bloodthirsty, it’s boar.





Monday, November 2, 2015

Crowd Funding For Feature Film Anthology Series "The Legends" Kicks Off


Crowd funding has kicked off for the cool cryptid, feature film project "The Legends: Anthology". The film series will be set up as a franchise consisting of movies based on several universal monster legends, beginning with "Bigfoot". The campaign is taking place over on Kickstarter.com so go check it out!


The funds will go toward the first film in the series "Bigfoot". But based on the infograph above you can see how big the vision for this new "The Legends: Anthology" project truly is. "Bigfoot" will focus on the famous cryptid, seen as the keeper, who has silently protected the environment and man from himself, yet the evil of industry brings him out of the darkness to battle for the complete control of nature.

Matt Sommerfield will direct from a script co-written with Jared Beckler. "BIGFOOT" will star Michael Joiner, Brian Krause, Rachel Hendrix, and Brandon Galatz. The plot: For millenniums Bigfoot has silently protected the world and man from himself, yet the evil of industry brings him out of the darkness to battle for the total control of nature; the North Dakota Badlands live up to its name-Hell on earth.




Interview: Mark Netter Has A Code For The Nighmare Game

Mark Netter's directorial debut is an ambitious and well-done nightmare that succeeds in creating an entertaining, and emotionally involved found footage story. "Nightmare_Code" is Netter's starting point in developing his on modern horror stories, but I doubt it will be his last. I kind of feel this is what he should have been up to prior to "Nightmare_Code" because it was such a creative concept that developed into a really thrilling story that traveled into realms of horror between man, machine and madness.

You can read my review of "Nightmare_Code" and if you haven't already I suggest you give this found footage a chance. There is a nice affectation to the story's style that hints at a H.P. Lovecraft, but with a very noticeable Clive Barker flare that adds some depth to the concept of evil possessing man's inventions. Meanwhile check out this interview with the witty and impressive director of "Nightmare_Code".

A SOUTHERN LIFEHow did this come together, Mark?
MARK NETTERIt’s been a long and wild ride, starting with a lunch in January 2012 where Executive Producer Craig Allen and I came up with the idea of making a surveillance footage movie about sentient computer code, where I’d direct and his videogame company, Spark Unlimited, would put up the funding.

I ran home and called a friend of mine across the country in NYC, M.J. Rotondi, convincing him to co-write the script with me. We delivered it 40 days after the lunch, got notes from Craig and writer friends, did a second draft and started casting.

In June and July 2012 we shot NIGHTMARE CODE over 7 weekends. It was like a secret club the actors and crew would return to every week. We finished editing in March 2013 and then had to raise more money, then creating the 600+ visual effects in the movie from November 2013 through August 2014.

Last October we premiered at The 14th Annual Shriekfest Horror & Science Fiction Film Festival in Los Angeles, chosen for inclusion by the wonderful Denise Gossett, festival creator and actor. She championed our movie and the festival judges awarded NIGHTMARE CODE “Best Thriller Feature Film.” Then this past January we won the top prize at The 2015 Philip K. Dick Science Fiction Film Festival in NYC, and were picked up for distribution by Indie Rights.

As of this month you can buy or rent NIGHTMARE CODE on iTunes, Google Play, Vimeo, Vudu, Steam, Xbox, VHX and YouTube Movies. We’re coming out on DVD November 24th, which will include the freewheeling and informative commentary track with myself and our leading man & woman, Andrew J. West (THE WALKING DEAD) and Mei Melançon (X-MEN: THE LAST STAND). We are doing influencer screenings as well.

The secret to it all coming together is the strength of the initial concept and the tremendous collaborations across the board to constantly improve on that vision in bringing it to life, without ever losing the core ideas that excited us so much.

A SOUTHERN LIFEWas the story at all influenced by your experiences in video game design? Come across any ROPER-like software?
MARK NETTER: From producing videogames I learned how programmers talk and behave, what their typical work tasks are like, and what kind of pressures they often face. The way I learned how to use spreadsheets for complex asset requirements was perfect training for creating the 600+ line Google Sheet that described and categorized all of the VFX for Psychic Bunny, our post house.

And I’ve been in a tech start-up similar to the one creating ROPER, the behavior recognition software and out-of-control artificial intelligence at the heart of NIGHTMARE CODE – I know what it’s like to be in a troubled start-up!

When we wrote and shot the movie, there were no behavior recognition companies that the public knew about yet, but now there’s a number of them doing ROPER-like facial tracking and behavior recognition, where they purport to tell what a person is thinking and feeling. Our idea is what happens when a program like that takes on a life of its own, and that day could be not far off as well.

A SOUTHERN LIFE: Is this you trying to warn us against what’s ahead… or already here?
MARK NETTER: We built NIGHTMARE CODE to start a conversation about technology and whether it’s not only outstripped human control, it’s turned around and started controlling us. And we appear happy to give up huge amounts of human choice to our machines.

A SOUTHERN LIFE: How did you initially describe to the film to your cast?
MARK NETTER: We thought we had written a surveillance footage horror film, so that plus the technology angle was what got the actors reading the script. Once they did, for example with Mei and Andy, I met with each of them individually to feel each other out and share ideas about their character. Like many of the actors, they had perceptive takes on their characters that taught me more about what Roto and I had written and helped us hone the moments.

A SOUTHERN LIFEThe movie has been getting a lot of press over the last couple of months, has that helped in terms of distribution and sales?
MARK NETTER: We already have North American digital and DVD distribution, but we love having the quotes to put on our poster and help us sell internationally and to license (hopefully) to cable TV.

As a 100% independent feature film without a big studio advertising budget, both the reviews and interviews are how we reach viewers who love suspenseful, shocking and thought-provoking films and might want to see ours, so we thank you so much for this opportunity to get our story out!

A SOUTHERN LIFEDo you take notice of reviews- or do you consider the audience’s opinion more valid?
MARK NETTER: The reviews have been very gratifying, letting us know that all the thought and effort we put into the NIGHTMARE CODE is working for the majority of our audience, and we get the same response at our screenings and in social media. With regular audiences you’re just getting the raw response, and I respect that as an avid audience for feature films as well.

But I do love reading a well-written, thoughtful critic’s review, even when they may question or disagree about some aspect of the movie, as long as it feels like we sparked some movie-imagination excitement of the type that inspired us to start back in January 2012. If a film-knowledgeable reviewer is engaged enough to write a thoughtful review of NIGHTMARE CODE, it can be very illuminating and exciting for us.


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