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. 29th June 2009
Doghouse screening, Q&A and piss-up
If you haven’t yet seen Doghouse (or even if you have), you can catch a special screening at the Prince Charles Cinema off Leicester Square this Thursday 2nd July at 6.20pm. Jake West will introduce the film and will take part in a Q&A afterwards with founder of Frightfest Paul McEvoy. Tickets are just a fiver (or £3.50 if you’re a ‘member’ of the cinema). And afterwards, everyone will pile over to the Phoenix Artist Club on Charing Cross Road which is open until 2am! 29th June 2009
Ghost Month DVD signing
Danny Draven’s Ghost Month is released on R1 DVD on 21st July and if you can wait until 1st August there’s a signing event at Dark Delicacies in Burbank. Danny will be there along with Jojo Draven (producer/composer/wife) plus actors Marina Resa, Rick Irvin, Akiko Shima and Jerod Edington. Dark Delicacies is at 4213 W. Burbank and the signing kicks off at 2pm. 29th June 2009
Simon Rumley shooting new feature
My old mate Simon Rumley (Strong Language, The Living and the Dead) dropped me a line to announce that he is currently shooting his new feature in Austin, Texas of all places. Red, White and Blue is described as a ‘slacker revenge movie’ and is executive produced by Tim League, co-director of Fantastic Fest where The Living and the Dead won five awards last year. Erica (Amanda Fuller, who was in a Frankenstein video game and two episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer) lives rent-free in the local co-op, but spends her nights trawling the bars and beds of Austin. Damaged, emotionally withdrawn, never really connecting with anyone, and sleeping with multiple men is just what she does… until she meets the older and mysterious Nate (Noah Taylor: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, both Lara Croft films), working in a hardware store, but with an “honorable discharge” from Iraq. Despite his quiet air of danger, Nate’s the only guy who doesn’t seem to want to get her into bed at the first opportunity, and the two form a hesitant bond. But one of Erica’s casual sexual encounters is about to bite back. Franki (Marc Senter: Timecop 2, The Lost) is a young, hot-headed wannabe rock star trying to make it big. Looking after a sick mother and estranged from his longterm girlfriend, he “shared” Erica with his buddies one drunken evening. Discovering that he is HIV Positive throws his already crazy world into a spin, and in Franki’s eyes there is only one person to blame… An unashamedly tough and uncompromising movie, Red White and Blue is a fearlessly frank, gut-wrenching romance and a merciless exploration of the futility of violence. The producer is Bob Portal (In a Dark Place, Beowulf and Grendel) and Adam Goldworm (Masters of Horror, Fear Itself) is the other execprod, with Milton Kam as DP and Rob Hall editing. 29th June 2009
Pop Skull pops onto DVD
Pop Skull is an award-winning psychological ghost film directed by Adam Wingard (Home Sick, Paradox Mary) which has been a big hit at festivals and finally comes to R1 DVD on 28th July. It stars Brandon Carroll (Dead Clowns) and Jeff Dylan Graham (Bryan Loves You, Dead and Rotting, Dorm of the Dead). A screener is on its way to me. In the meantime, you can find out more and watch a trailer on the website and pre-order the film from Amazon. 29th June 2009
Underground and Bodyguard now on DVD
Underground, the British martial arts feature which I mentioned last month is now available (from Amazon and other places). So is another feature from the same people, Bodyguard: A New Beginning. Also directed by Chee Keong Cheung, this UK/HK production stars Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (Elektra, Planet of the Apes remake), Richard Ng (Expresso, Red Dwarf: Back to Earth), Stephanie Langton and Mark Strange. Here’s the Amazon link. A review of Underground is on the way. 23rd June 2009
Lynch’s Surveillance on R2 DVD
PR: Surveillance, starring Bill Pullman (Independence Day, The Grudge) and Julia Ormond (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Sabrina) is a taught thriller set in the Santa Fe desert directed by Jennifer Lynch and executive produced by David Lynch. The film marks the long awaited return to the big screen for this definitive filmmaker who in this, her second feature, has crafted a stunningly detailed story told from the perspectives of three witnesses. In pure Lynch fashion however, nothing is as it seems... Synopsis: It’s been a hell of a day on the highway. When Federal Officers Elizabeth Anderson (Julia Ormond) and Sam Hallaway (Bill Pullman) arrive at Captain Billing’s office, they have three sets of stories to figure out and a string of vicious murders to consider. One zealot cop, a strung out junkie and an eight year old girl all sit in testimony to the roadside rampage, but as the Feds begin to expose the fragile little details each witness conceals so carefully with a well practiced lie, they soon discover that uncovering ‘the truth’ can come at a very big cost... The DVD has deleted scenes and an alternate ending. The film also features French Stewart (Third Rock from the Sun, Magic Island) and the great MIchael Ironside. It has an RRP of £15.99 but Amazon have it for nine quid. Find out more at www.surveillancefilm.co.uk. 22nd June 2009
Brass Ring and Making Sinema
Tempe’s latest announced DVD is The Brass Ring, a feature-length documentary about a group of completely inexperienced film-makers trying to shoot a zombie epic for $8,000. From what I can gather, this is real, not a mockumentary. The publicity doesn’t mention what the actual zombie film was but the same film-makers were behind something called Dead Life so I suppose it’s that. Tempe are also including The Brass Ring in a 10-disc box set entitled Making Sinema. The other contents of this pack include Shock Cinema Vols. 1-4, Something to Scream About, Bloodletting Special Edition, Beer Drinkers in Space and and Keep Drinking, Men! The Story of Beer Drinkers in Space! Both items will be released on 25th August. The Brass Ring has an RRP of $14.99 but as the 10-disc package is only five bucks more than that, you might as well splash out on the whole set. 22nd June 2009
Miscellaneous YouTube treats
Emiliano Ranzani has cut a trailer for his film Langliena, which you can now watch on YouTube. The Planet director Mark Stirton has uploaded his showreel too. 22nd June 2009
Caesar and Otto’s Summer Camp Massacre
How can you not want to watch a film called that? It’s the latest feature from Dave Campfield and is a riotous spoof of Sleepaway Camp and it associated subgenre of serial killer/summer camp horror movies. As well as Dave himself, the film stars Felissa Rose who was in the original Sleepaway Camp and also Dave’s earlier feature Under Surveillance. Plus Deron Miller who, along with Rose, was in last year’s belated sequel Return to Sleepaway Camp. Also, because it’s a tradition or an old charter or something, Joe Estevez and Brinke Stevens. You can see the trailer here and watch a short clip here. 22nd June 2009
Lots of fab Alien stuff
A film like Alien would generally be too big and mainstream to feature much on this site but I’m indebted to my old pal Jon Sorensen, who worked on the film’s special effects, for alerting me to a brand new on-line documentary. Alien Makers is 80 minutes long and is built around interviews with Jon, Bill Pearson, Martin Bower and a bunch of other FX blokes who worked on the models for Alien (as did the documentary’s director Dennis Lowe). It includes lots of great behind-the-scenes photos and you can study a ton more photos in several galleries on Dennis Lowe’s website. Jon Sorensen additionally reports that some of his photos are being used by Fox for a 30th anniversary Blu-Ray edition of Alien coming out later this year and that work is currently underway on restoring the seven-foot model of the Nostromo which has spent most of the past three decades outside under a tarpaulin. Finally, Jon - who directed the 1999 British sci-fi film Alien Blood and is also a composer - has recorded his own suite of music inspired by the Franchise. You can download Jon’s album Alien 5 from his website. 22nd June 2009
Just for the Record, it’s not that Steve Lawson
Just for the Record is the latest entry in the surprisingly crowded subgenre of ‘British independent feature films which are mockumentaries about the making of a British independent feature film’ (see also Take Me to Your Leader and Hardcore: A Poke into the Adult Film Orifice). This one has been produced by the very busy Jonathan Sothcott (Expose remake, Wishbaby) and directed by Steve Lawson - but it’s not my mate Steve Lawson, director of Insiders and The Silencer. This Steve Lawson (or Steven Lawson as the IMDB calls him, which is less confusing) is a producer/actor with credits including Jack Said and The Rapture. What is remarkable about Just for the Record is the all-star cast which includes Danny Dyer, Rik Mayall, Craig Fairbrass, Sean Pertwee and Lisa McAllister from Pumpkinhead: Ashes to Ashes, plus Starsky and Hutch legend David Soul, Playboy model Victoria Silvstedt and serious theatre bloke Steven Berkoff. You can check out the trailer here. 22nd June 2009
Take Me to Your Leader trade screening
Take Me to Your Leader will be screened at the NFT in London on 30th June. However, this is part of the London UK Film Focus, an industry event, so it’s not open to the public. But if you’re in the industry and fancy watching a very enjoyable, very British comedy, secure yourself an invite by contacting Helena Mackenzie at Film London on 020 7613 7676 or helena.mackenzie@filmlondon.org.uk 16th June 2009
Colour from the Dark plays Bram Stoker Fest
The Bram Stoker Film Festival taking place in Whitby in October has announced some of the films that will be screened, including Ivan Zuccon’s magnificent Lovecraft adaptation Colour from the Dark. Also lined up are the Michael Bayley Hughes’ documentary Dracula: The Vampire and the Voivode, bonkers Japanese thing Exte: Hair Extensions, Sky Soleil’s How My Dad Killed Dracula and animation genius Bill Plympton’s Idiots and Angels. World premieres include Brett Anstey’s Damned by Dawn, Catherine Taylor’s British vampire flick Temptation and Orlok the Vampire, a 3D version of FW Murnau’s Nosferatu! 16th June 2009
Scottish revenge thriller premieres in Edinburgh
Crying with Laughter is an “Edinburgh-set revenge thriller” which has its world premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival this Sunday 21st June. It has been written and directed by Justin Molotnikov who has helmed episodes of superior kid-shows My Parents are Aliens and Shoebox Zoo. The cast includes Micaiah Dring (Mum and Dad) and Jo Hartley (Dead Man’s Shoes). Joey Frisk is a stand-up comic whose life has just stopped being funny. In the most important week of his career, with an American talent scout flying in to Edinburgh to check out his act, his life begins to unravel. Already struggling with an addiction to cocaine, he’s barely able to cope with the responsibilities he shares with his ex-wife Karen when it comes to looking after their young daughter, Amy. When his landlord promises to evict him for not paying his rent, Joey retaliates that night during his act, threatening to kill the man in front of a captive audience. Things spiral out of control when Joey wakes up the next day and is arrested for Grievous Bodily Harm. His landlord is in hospital with a fractured skull and the police have witnesses as to Joey’s abusive threats. To make matters worse, Joey has no memory of what happened. Looking for help, he turns to Frank Archer, a former friend who has recently walked back into his life. Together at military school 25 years earlier, Frank is keen that he and Joey get reacquainted and offers to take him into the home he shares with his much-younger girlfriend Colette. But as Joey finds out, friendship is the last thing on Frank’s mind. You can catch the film at 8pm in Filmhouse 1 or a second screening on Friday 26th June, 9.30pm in Filmhouse 3. 16th June 2009
Psychosomatic Masterpiece!
Andrew Tanner dropped me a line to let me know that his debut feature Psychosomatic is doing well on the festival circuit. It has been nominated for the Best Young Film-Maker award at the Swansea Life Film Festival and for both Best Feature UK and Best Horror/Suspense at the British Film Festival Los Angeles. It has also been selected for the Thailand Film Festival. A screener of Psychosomatic is in my TBW pile and a review will appear here soon. Not one to rest on his laurels, Andrew plans to shoot his second feature Masterpiece this August. Here’s the poster. 
16th June 2009
Langliena in Philadelphia
Emiliano Ranzani’s terrific short Langliena plays the Terror Film Festival in Philadelphia in October. Among the dozens of other films lined up are The Scar Crow, Tom Savini/Ingrid PItt starrer Sea of Dust, brilliantly titled Finnish feature Black Blooded Brides of Satan and a half-hour Australian short that I absolutely have to see: Korean Zombie Siege. 8th June 2009
Bubbling Under - great new online short
Matt Compton let me know about his new short Bubbling Under, which is now available to view on-line. It’s a creepy, eight-minute piece with a good cast, nice production values, a sharp script and a superb trick shot towards the end that will have you pressing rewind to check it again. Bubbling Under was produced by Ben Williams who also produced My Name is Sarah Hayward and indeed that film’s director Josh O’Brien helped out as gaffer and sound designer on this one. The cast includes Axelle Carolyn (I Love You, Blood + Roses), Annette Kellow (NightDragon, The Magic), Kelly Downe and Mark Duncan. Watch (and vote for) the film here. 8th June 2009
Acefest 2009 reveals film line-up
Acefest 2009 is a two-day festival at Tribeca Cinemas in Downtown Manhattan over 10th-11th July. Features screening include Brant Sersen’s Splinterheads, Tony Zierra’s My Big Break and Barra Grant’s Love Hurts. More details at the festival website. 8th June 2009
Night Before the Wedding - trailer and premiere details
David Branin dropped me a line to say that his drama Night Before the Wedding is now complete. The film’s website has been revamped and there is a new trailer online. Coming as a surprise to no one, straight-laced William Shay is tying the knot. In fact, he's getting married in less than 24 hours. Yet unbeknownst to him, his closest, inscrutable friend, Bronco, has planned a surprise bachelor party for the soon-to-be-husband and all their mutual friends. The rowdy guys know Bronco has something special brewing, but quickly become unsavory when he refuses to show his cards, banning all alcohol consumption until Will arrives. After best man Bobby DeMayo lures Will to the party, William expects to give his greetings, and return home to his parents to have a quiet evening before the ceremony. But before he realizes it, he has given everyone an impromptu speech, had a few drinks, and is slowly seduced into partying. In the midst of all the fun, Will realizes how happy he is to be with his best friends. But the gamechanger comes in the form of two real-life porn stars and their eccentric boss, who show up ready to put on a show. With seduction in the air, Will somehow finds himself alone in a bedroom with porn star, Melissa Mercury. What happens next, no one would have ever fathomed, including Will. The film’s cast includes Gregor Collins (The Witch’s Sabbath, Creepies 2), Johnny Giordano and John Keating. The premiere will be on 11th August at Sunset Laemmle 5 in West Hollywood.  5th June 2009
Loads of Doghouse news!
Just over a week till Doghouse is released in the UK. I was invited to a press screening last week but couldn’t make it. However, the reviews from those who did are very positive:
- “A fast, frenzied and fun British zom-com ... with moments of comic genius” - Rosie Fletcher, SFX
- “A smart comedy-horror that’s a break thru” - Kim Newman, Venue
- “Gory, laugh-out-loud horror comedy” Nigel Floyd, Filmstar
- “Gory, funny, nicely acted and a terrific slant on zombie movies. Think a stilletto heeled Shaun of the Dead.” - Alan Jones
The next issue of Gorezone, on sale 9th June, has lots of coverage including interviews with Jake West, Emily Booth and Danny Dyer, and is available with two different covers. Choose from Emily as the Snipper or Tree Carr as Julie. I have recorded big interviews with Jake, Emily and FX chap Karl Derrick. The Jake and Emily chats will be in the next-but-one issue of DeathRay, published on 16th July, and the Karl interview will be in the mag when Doghouse eventually hits DVD. As a publicity stunt, there’s a zombie walk in London this Sunday (7th June) for zombirds and tranny zombies - see JakeWest.com for details. Or you could stay at home and catch Noel Clarke on T4 the same day. Or you could watch him on GMTV on Friday morning (probably between 8.00am and 8.45am). There should also be interviews with Noel in the Grauniad and the Indie. Speaking of interviews, I have updated the Jake West interviews page with some more links (plus the two Gorezone covers). And finally you can watch the first ten minutes of the film over on EmpireOnline - although there aren’t any zombirds in there of course. 27th May 2009
Amy Lynn Best’s Splatter Movie comes to DVD
PR: Happy Cloud Pictures is pleased to announce that its fourth feature Splatter Movie: The Director’s Cut celebrated its official DVD release in April 2009. As detailed in Fangoria, Splatter Movie is surreal and off-beat ‘documentary’ about the making of a slasher movie called Tessaract (which, in turn, is about a group of filmmakers shooting a movie called Splatter Movie) whose cast and crew is being stalked by a killer masquerading as the film’s fictional killer. Written by Mike Watt and directed by and starring Amy Lynn Best, Splatter Movie quickly spirals into bizarre territory as the line between film and reality blurs - then disappears entirely! Splatter Movie: The Director’s Cut stars Tom (The Evil Dead) Sullivan, Debbie (Nowhere Man) Rochon, Sofiya (A Feast of Flesh) Smirnova, Elske (Poultrygeist) McCain, Rachelle (Jess Franco’s Take-Away Spirit) and Nikki (Demon Divas and the Lanes of Damnation) McCrae. The movie features the song ‘Spot the Psycho’ by Cornbugs, featuring vocals by Choptop (aka Bill (Repo: The Genetic Opera) Moseley). The official DVD release comes loaded with a companion film, deleted scenes and more. This release also marks the debut of Happy Cloud Pictures’ own distribution arm, bringing the DVD straight to the consumer and eliminating the red tape. Splatter Movie: The Director’s Cut costs $19.95, but to commemorate the event, HCP is offering $10 off the official copy to anyone who bought the previous ‘work-in-progress’ DVD-R release online or at past conventions. To coincide with this auspicious release, Happy Cloud Pictures also released a companion screenplay annotated and illustrated, available separately, detailed with numerous behind-the-scenes photos and details about the production from Best and Watt. This handsome collector’s book will be available for a limited time and offered autographed through the HCP website. 20th May 2009
More names for Manchester FFF
The Festival of Fantastic Films has announced its guest line-up for 2009. As well as the previously announced Jenny Hanley (I’ll be interviewing Jenny, hopefully) and director Robert Fuest, the line-up now includes composer John Scott (something of a festival regular), actor Derren Nesbitt (Burke and Hare), actor Ian McCulloch (Zombie Flesh Eaters, Survivors) and - fingers crossed - Emily Booth. The festival runs 16th-18th October 2009 in Manchester, as usual. Indie film-makers looking for a UK screening should contact Gil Lane-Young about submitting a feature or short to the FFF. 20th May 2009
Ban this sick zombie filth!
There was a headline in my wife’s Daily Mail about a British film at Cannes that cost only £45 to make (no mention of filth or banning - I’m just playing stereotypes). The cheapo epic in question turns out to be top-notch zombie feature Colin. The online version of this great article is even longer and has loads of cool photos. 20th May 2009
Underground, overground
Underground is a low budget, British, independent, martial arts action film, released on DVD this week. Shot around the North West of England and London, the film follows the story of twelve fighters who compete in an illegal underground tournament for the prize of £500,000. The fighters come from a variety of backgrounds, each hand-picked for a gruelling no-holds barred competition which pushes each fighter to their limits. Each fighter has their own reason for competing and each give everything they have to take the prize... but there can be only one winner! Written, produced and directed by Chee Keong Cheung, the film stars Mark Strange (The Medallion), three times World Kickboxing Champion Nathan Lewis, Joey Ansah (Left for Dead), Red Dwarf’s Danny John-Jules, EastEnders’ Leonard Fenton (recently in The Zombie Diaries) and Sophie Linfield (who was in Paul McGann-starring Matthew Lewis adaptation The Final Temptation). Several other cast members were variously (and not unexpectedly) in Left for Dead, Ten Dead Men, Intergalactic Combat and The Silencer. Underground is available from Amazon for a tenner. 14th May 2009
Free horror screenings in five UK cities, starts tomorrow
Last month I ran a story about Metrodome releasing Ron Jeremy starrer One Eyed Monster and Trent Haaga-scripted Dead Girl. Now, Metrodome have teamed up with Vue Cinemas to present free - free! - big-screen presentations of those films (and others) in five British cities. They’re calling it ‘Credit Crunch Cinema’. You can catch One Eyed Monster tomorrow (Friday 15th May) and Dead Girl (sponsored by Kerrang!) on Friday 5th June. Inbetween, Norwegian 1970s-style slasher Manhunt aka Rovdyr will be screened on Friday 22nd May. Each film is released on DVD the subsequent Monday. The cinemas participating are Vue West End, Vue Cambridge, Vue Edinburgh Omni, Vue Manchester Lowry and Vue Bristol Cribbs Causeway. All films are certificate 18 and you can get your free tickets by e-mailing creditcrunch@metrodomegroup.com 14th May 2009
Scar Crow US premiere
The Scar Crow will receive its US premiere at the Dances With Film Festival in Hollywood on 10th June 2009. The screening is at Leammle’s Sunset 5 Cinema on Sunset Boulevard at 9.30pm. 14th May 2009
MJS mentioned in Variety!
Check out this great review of Best Worst Movie in Variety - pay particular attention to the penultimate paragraph. Fame at last! 14th May 2009
Summer Scars on the big screen
Julian Richards sent me details of the limited theatrical release of Summer Scars, which will be at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) in London over 6th-10th June. It’s screening at 3pm on Saturday and Sunday, 8.30pm on Monday and 6.30pm on Tuesday and Wednesday. The BBFC have given it a 15 certificate. 14th May 2009
Ghost Month DVD
Danny Draven’s terrific Asian-influenced movie Ghost Month finally comes to DVD (and Blu-Ray) on 21st July 2009. The disc includes an interview with Danny, a Making Of, a cast commentary, blooper reel and stills gallery. You can pre-order it from Amazon. 14th May 2009
Fantastic Films Weekend 2009
The 8th Fantastic Films Weekend at the National Media Museum, Bradford has some great films lined up. A detailed programme is due any day now but I can confirm that the line-up includes Ironwerks and (although it’s not listed on the FFW site yet) The Scar Crow. Also on show will be a short, German, animated version of The Tell-Tale Heart, the 1931 Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, the 2005 silent version of Call of Cthulhu, The Satanic Rites of Dracula, the 1980 Flash Gordon introduced by Mike Hodges and Zone of the Dead, a Serbian zombie feature starring Ken Foree! The Fantastic Films Weekend runs over 12th-14th June 2009. 5th May 2009
Dead Wood US DVD
David Bryant’s Dead Wood comes to R1 DVD on 7th July via Lion’s Gate. It’s available now for pre-order on Amazon. 5th May 2009
Derby Quad event: MJS on Robert Stevenson
In mid-June I will be speaking at Derby Quad about one of my pet subjects, forgotten British director Robert Stevenson. Born in Buxton, Derbyshire in 1905, Stevenson directed some terrific British films including Karloff’s The Man Who Changed His Mind before moving to Hollywood in 1939. And by the mid-1970s he was the most commercially successful film director of all time! The reason you’ve never heard of him is because his mega-hit pictures weren’t branded ‘a Robert Stevenson film’ but ‘a Walt Disney film’. Most of the Disney live-action films of the 1960s and 1970s were directed by Stevenson: Bedknobs and Broomsticks, That Darn Cat, Blackbeard’s Ghost, not forgetting Mary Poppins. In terms of cumulative box-office, no-one could touch him until the likes of Spielberg and Lucas came along. Quad are having a weekend of films celebrating Englishness which will include a triple-tribute to local lad Stevenson: Mary Poppins, the 1937 King Solomon’s Mines (starring Paul Robeson) and a half-hour talk by Yours Truly. More details when I get them. 5th May 2009
This is String
SF author Molly Brown is an old pal and has sent me a YouTube link to This is... String, a fun little bit of science fiction (with zombies) which she wrote and appears in. This was made for the Sci-Fi London 48-hour film challenge. There’s a short behind-the-scenes montage on YouTube too. 5th May 2009
A Day of Violence poster
Darren Ward (Sudden Fury) reports that his long-awaited A Day of Violence is in the final stages of post-production ready for its Cannes debut. Darren sent me the UK quad and - how cool is this? - it’s been painted by legendary poster artist Graham Humphreys, famous for the likes of The Evil Dead and A Nightmare on Elm Street. Here’s the ADOV synopsis: Mitchell Parker lies dead on a morgue slab. In life, Mitchell served the low ranks of debt collectors, surrounded by all of the filth and scum that the world had to offer. He thought his luck was in - when on a routine collection he stumbles across £100,000 cash hidden in the flat of one of his clients - a deadly mistake which could cost him his life. A dark and haunted past hangs over Mitchell's head, and one that will ultimately lead him on a journey of murder, redemption and sacrifice. Hunted by a ruthless gang for the stolen money, he must evade capture and rid himself of his demons once and for all. Written and directed by Darren Ward, A Day of Violence is undoubtedly one of the most uncompromising and gritty features to emerge from the UK in 25 years.Influenced by British and Italian violent crime thrillers of the '70s, and with parallels to The Long Good Friday and Lucio Fulci's The Smuggler (Luca il Contrabbandiere) it weaves a dark tale of violence, life and death in the underworld. Featuring infamous Italian horror icon and star of some of the most notorious Italian horror classics ever unleashed (House on the Edge of the Park, Cannibal Apocalypse, Cannibal Ferox) - John Morghen (Giovanni Lombardo Radice). Searing with force, and charged with unflinching horror - A Day of Violence is here... More at the Giallo Films website. 5th May 2009
Merantau trailer
Not many film-makers would follow a gritty Cardiff-set drama about snuff films with an martial arts film set on the streets of Jakarta but that’s what Gareth Evans (Footsteps) has done. The trailer for Merantau is now available to view in hi-def and standard. Plus there are stills and posters on the movie’s website. A reel of action scenes will screen at Cannes and the film is expected to be completed by August. 5th May 2009
Wiffle Lever to Full
My mate Bob Fischer’s book about the year he spent going to strange sci-fi conventions is now available in paperback. The cover price is £8.99 but Amazon has it for £6.74. 5th May 2009
Perkins and Rochon in Slime City sequel
Lee Perkins tells me that he has joined the cast of Slime City Massacre, Gregory Lamberson’s sequel to his 1988 cult midnight film Slime City, which shoots in Buffalo this July. In Slime City Massacre, Perkins will play one of four squatters trying to survive in New York City after a terrorist attack brings down the financial system. The squatters discover a supply of strange wine in the ruins of a soup kitchen which turns them into hideous slime creatures driven to murderous acts. The other squatters are played by Debbie Rochon, acclaimed horror author Kealan Patrick Burke and newcomer Jennifer Bihl. Robert Sabin and Mary Bogle return from the original film, Brooke Lewis appears in several flashbacks, and filmmaker Roy (Street Trash) Frumkes has a role as a greedy developer. Lamberson is the screenwriter and director of Slime City Massacre, which is being produced by Marc Makowski, who co-produced the original; horror writer John Maclay; Tommy Sweeney, who starred in Lamberson’s Undying Love, and actress Lewis. Find out more at www.slimeguy.com 5th May 2009
Zombie Marriage Counselling on MySpace
Alex Ferrari (Broken) tells me: “Mad TV Vet Jill-Michele Meleán, Comedy Store regular Lance Patrick, DP Ricardo Gale and I have launched a new Comedy Channel in partnership with MySpace.com called www.imreallyfunny.com and we will have new hilarious short films every week. The first episode is called Zombie Marriage Counselling: I’m a Lesbian. Watch Gary and Tammy as they work through 200 year old issues in the first episode of this hilarious new series only on MySpace! It stars Jill-Michele Meleán (Mad TV, Reno 911), Jenica Bergere (Drew Carey, Superhero Movie), Sandra Valls (Latin Divas of Comedy), and Lance Patrick (The Comedy Store). There will be new Zombie Episodes coming out each week which will follow the plight of the Zombie in today's modern age." 4th May 2009
Malaysian zombies come to London!
The Terracotta Far East Film Festival runs at the Prince Charles Cinema in London over 21st-24th May 2009. There are 13 features screening, several of them UK premieres, from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Japan and Korea. But my instant favourite, which I would love to see, is Zombies from Banana Village, the first Malaysian zombie comedy! Full details at www.terracottafestival.com - Old news (Jan-Apr 2009)
- Old news (Jul-Dec 2008)
- Old news (Jan-June 2008)
- Old news (Jul-Dec 2007)
- Old news (Jan-June 2007)
- Old news (Jul-Dec 2006)
- Old new (Jan-Jun 2006)
- Old news (2005)
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