Friday, August 14, 2015

CW In Works To Bring "Friday The 13th" To TV!

CW President Mark Pedowitz confirms Steve Mitchell & Craig Van Sickle (creators of “The Pretender”) tasked with creating a television series adapted from the “Friday the 13th” franchise. The series will be a re-imagining of the hockey masked, killing machine Jason Voorhees with a stronger grounding in reality. Described as an elevated crime horror thriller, the new series will  the ongoing quest of a detective’s search for his missing brother that is somehow tied to Jason Voorhees, a long thought dead serial killer who has now returned to wreak havoc in the new Crystal Lake.

There is gonna be a lot of noise about this one for sure, There was a lot of noise against 'Scream' the series, I for one stayed optimistic, and even though it isn't the same Scream that Wes Craven gave us a lot of his vision and concepts have found their way into the MTV adaptation. I have been enjoying the hell out of it. As for "Friday The 13th" series is concerned, if CW can pass with the level of violence and subject matter that MTV gets by with, or glory to the gods, stations like FX then I think the series will do good if given the chance. And if they have at least two Jason killings an episode, and at least one scene with the lake or campgrounds every two episodes. Make those things paramount and "Friday The 13th" the series will be awesome!

Thursday, August 13, 2015

My Review Of Horror Short "Tailypo"

Okay, I have to be honest and up front. I feel stupid! I was born and raised in North Georgia- total boondocks baby. I have lived in Appalachia my whole life, I now live in S.E. KY, and yet I have never heard of the Tailypo, or if I ever had I forgot too long ago to even glimpse a memory of this cryptid. And I freakin' feed off this shit! Always have enjoyed good creature horror stories about mythic and legendary creatures that lurk in the shadows just beyond man's reach. So I am pretty stoked about learning something new and having a new beastie to obsess over getting me at night while I drink and sit by my bonfires!

"Tailypo" is a horror short by Cameron McCasland that brings this creature of the night to life in awesome, "Tales From The Crypt" style. And I should add that he kept his creature design true to the descriptions that permeate the myths surrounding the Tailypo. The short film stars David Chattam, The creature is played by Joseph Aguon Drake, and Jasper (the dog) is played by Ranger. The story revolves around a man who lives in the woods in a cabin who goes out hunting with is best friend- his dog. They spot something, take aim and collect the tail of the creature they shot. After returning home and cooking their meal, the creature returns for its tail! 

The story is a fun, light-hearted and classic tale with a total 80's horror feel. It is a straight forward telling of the Tailypo legend of a hunter and his dogs encounter with the creature while hunting. The acting is tight with a blend of folksy charm and horror cheese. The kind you want in these. I could really see "Tailypo" as a piece in a horror anthology, actually it gave me the same vibe as when watching "Tales From The Crypt" and "Creepshow". The production value is tight, the sound quality and music is quality and really sets the tone of McCasland's vision. The real highlight for me personally was the creature. It appeared to be 100 percent practical with a blend of costume and puppetry work. Very reminiscent of "Ghoulies" and "Critters" techniques. "Tailypo" really is a fun, creature feature horror short. If you get a chance check it out!

Pagan Festival Shout out: Vertumnalia

Today, August 13th, is the annual celebration known as Vertumnalia, which in ancient Roman was the day to honor the god of seasonal change, gardens, and plant growth- Vertumnus. Of course most of us just celebrated the start to the harvest season with Lammas which celebrates much of the same aspects of harvest, time of plenty, and the gods of seasons. But if you are like me then you just love a reason to honor and celebrate the gods, the garden, and nature. We are still in summer, food and nature are ripe and bountiful. We all benefit from Gaia's blessings given forth to her children by the will of the gods who watch over and protect us. Anyway that is my interpretation and beliefs for how I embrace Vertumnus on this day!

The Vertumnalia also celebrated the wood nymph Pomona, whom Vertumnus tricked into talking to him by disguising himself as an old woman and gaining entry to her orchard, then using a narrative warning of the dangers of rejecting a suitor (the embedded tale of Iphis and Anaxarete) to seduce her. Pomona  was a goddess of fruitful abundance in ancient Roman religion. Her name comes from the Latin word pomum, "fruit," specifically orchard fruit.

In the myth narrated by Ovid she scorned the love of the woodland gods Silvanus and Picus, but married Vertumnus after he tricked her, disguised as an old woman. She and Vertumnus shared a festival held on August 13. Her priest was called the flamen Pomonalis. The pruning knife was her attribute. There is a grove that is sacred to her called the Pomonal, located not far from Ostia, the ancient port of Rome.
Pomona was the goddess of fruit trees, garden, and orchards. Unlike many other Roman goddesses and gods, she does not have a Greek counterpart, though she is commonly associated with Demeter. She watches over and protects fruit trees and cares for their cultivation. She was not actually associated with the harvest of fruits itself, but with the flourishing of the fruit trees. In artistic depictions she is generally shown with a platter of fruit or a cornucopia.

U.S. DVD Release Details For "Para Elisa"

Prepare for the ultimate nanny nightmare in the chilling abduction horror PARA ELISA which will recieve its US DVD/VOD release through MPI Home Video's Dark Sky Films with a street date of September 1st 2015.

Directed by Juanra Fernandez, PARA ELISA tells the story of a student who enters a terrifying world of misery and obsession when she answers a job advertisement for a nanny. Held prisoner in a house full of antique toys, she must overcome her deranged captors or become a living doll.​


PARA ELISA recieved its US premiere at Screamfest LA before travelling the world festival circuit where it's leading lady, Ana Turpin won Best Actress at Buenos Aires Rojo Sangre Film Festival.

PARA ELISA marks the first involvement in a film production by Argentina and FC Barcelona's soccer superstar Lionel Messi whose cultural support entity The Messi Foundation helped finance the film.



Tuesday, August 11, 2015

"Lake Runs Red" Releases Trailer No. 2 For Indie Slasher

The crew over at "Lake Runs Red" have released the second character trailer for the upcoming indie slasher. The first trailer featured the menacing and mysterious Bruce character, check it out here:Meet Bruce In Official "Lake Runs Red" trailer. Now meet Gwen.

"Lake Runs Red" is directed by Jason Riesgraf and stars Lauren Morris, Kaci Wegleitner, CJ DeVaan, Michael Hertenstein, Helene Donohue, Troy Antoine LaFaye. The film is slated for a 2016 release. Gwen is the cold, aloof, and dispassionate mother desperate to reconnect with her estranged daughter, Lauren. Throughout the events of the film, she quietly finds herself at odds with Melissa, the main protagonist.

Two college girlfriends go to their parent's secluded northern Minnesota lake cabin to prepare for final exams. An unexpected visitor stops by. He isn't there to study.

Sci-fi Short Film "Odessa" West Coast Premiere Set For Hollyshorts Film Festival

Odessa, by American and Canadian award-winning team Sean Michael Turrell (director), Doug Johnson (writer/producer), and Grace Santos (actor/producer), has been officially selected at HOLLYSHORTS and will compete for the $15,000 cash prize from Zype and $60,000 in post-production services from Company 3 and Method Studios at the event.




Odessa will play on Sunday August 16th at 7pm at the TCL Chinese 6 Theaters in Hollywood The Director, Writer, Cast and Crew will be in attendance.

Odessa is a quiet and powerful dystopian drama that slowly gives up its secrets.  A mother makes a dangerous and strangely familiar border crossing in order to save her ailing daughter’s life.  But she turns out to be crossing OUT of the US and into the Sovereign State of Texas, which has seceded from the union and controls most of the deeply impoverished USA’s petroleum supply. 

The script delivered a compelling, personal drama, but also touched on the issues of border security and immigration. Around the same time that I found ‘Odessa’ on inktip.com in June 2013, a university study was released analyzing the trends and demographics of 2,238 people who died in south central Arizona from 1990 to 2012 after crossing the border illegally. The study made an observation that stuck with me while reading ‘Odessa’ and comes up again and again in the debates and the news: ‘We’re missing the point. The answers don’t lie in border security.  The answers lie in understanding the economics [that drive migration]’.”, said producer/actor Grace Santos.

“The goal of Odessa is neither to vilify nor sanctify Texas, simply to challenge our own identity and the far-reaching effects that seismic shifts and partisanship can have in a new gilded age.”, explains the writer Doug Johnson.

Apart from being a stand-alone short, Odessa also serves as a pitch-episode for a serial drama expanding upon the situations and characters in the film. 

Odessa had a successful market screening at the Cannes’ Short Film Corner, won a Remi Award at WorldFest, and won the Grand Jury Award for Best Short Film at the Gasparilla International Film Festival.   

Sean Turrell (Director), Grace Santos (Actress, Producer), Doug Johnson (Writer, Producer), Anthony Escobar (Actor), and Ricky Wayne (Actor) will attend the Q&A after the Hollyshorts screening. 

Monday, August 10, 2015

"Deadly Virtues" Gets Its UK Release Date

Matchbox Films and Jinga Films are pleased to announce the UK and Ireland home video release of Ate De Jong's psycho-sexual thriller DEADLY VIRTUES with a street date of September 28th 2015.


Edward Akrout (Sword Of Vengeance) stars as a sadistic home invader who exploits the fragile relationship of a suburban, middle class couple played byMegan Maczko (The Ninth Cloud) and Matt Barber (Downton Abbey). His torture of the husband and seduction of the wife reveals an uncomfortable truth about their marriage and acts as a catalyst for change.

"Deadly Virtues" received it's world premiere at FrightFest and went on to screen at over fifteen festivals including Brussels Fantastic Festival, Fantasporto, Dublin Horrorthon and Whistler Film Festival in Canada. 

Dutch director Ate De Jong started his career in the 1980's directing several episodes of the cult TV series Miami Vice before helming several feature films including Highway To Hell and Drop Dead Fred.

Producers Elliot Grove and Suzanne Ballantyne are the founding directors of Raindance Film Festival in London. DEADLY VIRTUES marks their first foray into production through their Raw Talent label.

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