"Twilight", "Bad Lieutenant" or "Driller Killer"? Hmmm.... what to see this weekend.

So, any big movies coming out this weekend? I can't think of anything of note... Maybe you're going to see that new Sandra Bullock film, "The Blind Side"? No? "Planet 51"? Okay... I'll acknowledge the elephant in the room - "Twilight: New Moon" comes out today and, really, no joke, I think it's a good thing for the horror genre. I do. Sure, it's PG-13. Sure, it's a romance. Sure, it's for kids. However, it does have werewolves and vampires in it. I say that's it's good for the genre because "Twilight" may act as a gateway film for these kids... weed can lead to coke and "Twilight" could lead to f'ed up, unrated slasher flicks. Also, on a more believable note, it keeps the viability of horror characters alive. If werewolves and vampires can make money in these films, they should be able to make money in other films. Right? Regardless, I did see the first one and I'll probably see this one, but I won't be rushing out or waiting in line or anything. If I do hit the theaters this weekend, it'll be to see "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans". Two reasons, I like Nicolas Cage and I've heard it's one of his best performances in years AND because the film garnered one of the best comments of the year when Abel Ferrara, director of 1992's "Bad Lieutenant", said, "As far as remakes go... I wish these people die in Hell. I hope they're all in the same streetcar and it blows up". So, go check out this Nic Cage version, then do Ferrara a favor and rent "The Driller Killer" and the original "Bad Lieutenant"... both ARE classics.

So, to take you in to the weekend, I've come across a few other things that I wanted to share...

First off, as you know, a lot of filmmakers think of the theatrical release as the pinnacle of filmmaking and we urge people to think of alternative distribution methods. Sometimes I feel like writing a book about all the different things that I've come across, but... well, I'm not really a success story, so who would care? Regardless, now I don't have to write the book because someone else has... and that someone is Jon Reiss. He wrote a book called "Think Outside The Box Office: The Ultimate Guide To Film Distribution And Marketing For The Digital Era". I haven't read it, but it has been recommended to me and I've read various reviews, all of which are good. If you're interested, he's got a site together and you can read more about it... and the book's only $20. Click on this to go to his site.

I'd also like to mention that the deadline for the 2nd annual Paranoia Horror and Sci-Fi Convention and Film Festival, which is coming up. We talked with Shane Russeck, the festival director, last year, and he offered up a great interview. You can check that out here. The coolest part about the festival is that it takes place on the haunted Queen Mary in Long Beach... just awesome. The actual festival is March 12 - 14, but the deadline for entry is November 30th, so get on it!

Lastly, I'm VERY happy to share a not-so-exclusive clip from indie horror legend, Bill Zebub. He JUST sent out this clip from his upcoming film, "Night of the Pumpkin". He's in the beginning stages of post on it and won't have a rough cut for another month or so... he just pumped this out to show people, just got it last night. Enjoy... and have a great weekend.

Interview With Phil Hughes, Writer and Director of "The Scare Game"

I was listening to an interview with Uncle Lloyd Kaufman this morning, where he was talking about how the conglomerate's are manipulating the theatrical experience and his Troma films don't get the theatrical releases that they deserve. He went on and on about how he shoots on 35mm and how his films are meant to be seen in a theater and that's how Troma fans want to see them.

Well, I hate to disagree with Uncle Lloyd, but... I love Troma with all my heart and I think I've seen one Troma film in the theaters... and that's the original "Toxic Avenger". The interview got me thinking and, really, there's a lot to take away from his comments, but the long and short is people still don't get the DVD and home entertainment market. Like, executives of major entertainment companies still don't get it. So many people are stuck in the theatrical release system and they're trying to apply those rules to a changing DVD and home entertainment market. Further, now they're trying to apply those same rules to online distribution. The reality is, we need to create separate, individual ecosystems for each. What works theatrically is not working for home entertainment and what works for home entertainment won't necessarily work for online.

I don't have answers, but I do have ideas. Truth is, a lot of people have ideas and I love to watch the trailblazers go out there and try new things. One such trailblazer is Phil Hughes, the writer and director of "The Scare Game", a web-based horror-comedy series. The series blends horror and comedy and has great production value... the budget is low, but you really don't get that feeling. It's well put together, fun to watch and as each episode will be 7 to 10 minutes long, they're easy to consume. Personally, I'm very interested in what the future holds for web-based entertainment, so I was quite excited to have the opportunity to discuss this project with Hughes.

First off, tell us a bit about yourself. What are your influences and what got you into indie horror filmmaking?

Well the basics are that I'm male, 32, born in Albuquerque, New Mexico but I've lived in a few different places like Texas, New York, and Japan. I have two degrees- one in computer animation and graphics, the other is creative writing with a minor in photography, so I'm kind of all over the place. I'd have to say my biggest horror influence was my dad. He would rent every ridiculous horror movie under the sun from the shop and let me watch most of them and then try to scare my crap out of me. I had a fairly traumatic childhood, but it was good times. When I got into filmmaking, I started making a variety of short flicks, but most of them were comedies or dramedies with a bit of romance. When I got a little more confident with the camera, then I started to delve into genre filmmaking.

Film School: Yes or No?

No, but I've taken a lot of assorted classes that all relate to the discipline. There wasn't any stellar programs around here so I decided to broaden my abilities and continue to make movies on my own (with a good group of friends, of course).Of course, 6 1/2 years working for a movie theatre can be a hell of a film education.

You've launched a web-based series called "The Scare Game", tell us a bit about the project.

The Scare Game is a horror/comedy about this group of friends whose love of horror movies leads them down some bizarre and dangerous paths. It's hard to get too deep into it at this point. The first 6 episodes all revolve around a mystery and then the back half launch into them dealing with the mystery. I wanted to take time to develop the characters before we started getting into the heavier stuff.

Is there a particular reason you developed this for online?

It's a new medium and the rules aren't set. It's also liberating filmmaking because you can focus your time and money into other aspects of the filmmaking as opposed to worrying if it is in HD and how will project and how will afford the repeated raping of film festival costs. There aren't any specific restrictions, so we can make things as long or as short and/or as risque as we want. The shorter episode format lets me tell a serialized story that's not really intimidating to someone if they come part way through- they can catch up fairly quick.

What is your approx budget for the whole deal and how did you secure financing?

The pilot was a little over a grand and that pretty much covered food, equipment rental, and art department stuff. It all came out of our own pockets (Especially Producer Brian Austin Wenrich's). The money for the 2nd and 3rd episode was donated to us by friends who really believed in what we were doing and wanted to help get the ball rolling. We would eventually like to be ad-sponsored and things like that, but that's probably a ways off. Until then, it's beg, borrow, and steal... and then beg some more.

Talk a bit about where you see the series going and what can people expect?

I answered that a bit in one of the earlier questions. I hope that we create a fun series where people laugh, dig the characters, and then occasionally get creeped out or jump out of their chairs. As it's mapped out now, things will get darker and go into some moral gray area which might be hard for some folk, but I'm hoping they will be with the characters if/when they make decisions that aren't always the most noble. We have very specific ideas and things are mapped out, but I don't want to box myself in. If certain things evolve thematically and tonally that I wasn't expecting, then we'll roll with it.

What's your ultimate goal for the series?

We would like to have the financing to where the team could get paid to get it out there. That way, it'd be getting out on a regular basis and we could really have a steady "dialogue" with the fans. I'd like to be able to pay the rent and the people who work to make this happen and look great. It would be nice to put it out on DVD and actually have a goodly amount of people pick it up.

How are you going about promoting the series? What would you pass on to other filmmakers that are considering doing an online project?

Well our other producer/writer/actor, Jenn Daugherty, has been hard at work on a online campaign. She sent out almost 600 emails to various blog sites and newspapers (mostly college) the night we launched the episode. Plus, she was working hard to get the local media to give us some notice so we can build more support at home and then grow outward through the web. She does a lot on YouTube to meet people and find like-minded individuals and invite them to the site, facebook updates, and twitter feeds (we have a few people working on that).

My advice would be- be prepared to put in a lot of time just trying to reach out to people and get to know them. Become part of the community and hopefully that community will embrace you and lift you up. Jenn says the publicity work she does is like staring into the void, but she keeps going- bit by bit.

Is there money in a web-based series? How do you see "The Scare Game" getting monetized? Talk about online distribution versus traditional distribution

Haha. Again, I answered this a bit. Our plan is to utilize the inherit trickiness of the genre by filming full on horror (nudity, violence, and language) and then putting the edited version onto places like YouTube to try and reach the greatest audience we can, but then point back to the main site for the full, uncensored episode which would theoretically be where the ads would be. We need a few more (haha) people before people would start to consider ads for us, but we'll keep having at it. We'd love it if we could do some product placement. That would be hilarious! Online, we have the power to make decisions about how and what we release- we just don't get paid for it. We don't have to negotiate with anybody over our product; we just have to worry about bandwidth.

Talk about the indie horror scene. Where do you think it's at now and where do you see it going?

There was a brief time where a well made but SUPER cheap indie horror movie could be made and get a decent amount of money from a distributor to go into DVD and on to services like Netflix. I think that window has pretty much dried up. Indie horror has traditionally been the most accessible and profitable genre, but as with all indie film now, there is such a saturation of reasonable film equipment that everyone thinks they can make a movie. And then there are the ones that can, who are a small percentage, but in that saturated market, it turns out to be a lot of people so it's just that much harder to get noticed. As to where it's going... that's a hard one. Lower budget stuff will continue to look better and better, but it will take something truly original and mind-blowing to really break out of the pack. That being said, the web gives the hardcore fan a lot of material to peruse and that is just going to get easier and faster to find. I'm hoping that saturation will raise the bar of quality in general.

Do you have any other projects in the works?

I have a feature script that I am almost finished with and another 3 or 4 in the works, but most of my film energy is going toward The Scare Game.

How can people support "The Scare Game"?

They can go and watch it on youtube.com/thescaregame and then if they dig it and want to see the boobs, then they can roll on over to TheScareGame.com. If they like it, then they should get a few friends to see it. If they don't like it, still get a friend to see it. AND if they REALLY like it, then they can donate some change on the main site. Plus, we're a small operation so we don't need big companies to help sponsor us so we're always down for getting the word out to smaller companies and boutiques trying to get their wares out to the people. That helps everyone.

New Horror Out On DVD This Week, including: Taintlight

The story at the box office was all about "2012", but, really, it was the only thing that came out. The acclaimed "Pirate Radio" also came out, but only on a quarter of the screens. "2012" grossed $65Million, which is a good opening. In fact, it's the seventh highest grossing November opening ever. Looking ahead at the next few weeks, for us horror guys, these are the dark times... these are the times when there's a steady mix of sappy, Oscar-type film and big budget wide releases. The only thing that I'm really looking forward to, is "Avatar", which comes out Dec 18th, but until then it's going to be a strict diet of horror DVD's. Now, speaking of DVD's, it's not a bad week. Well, it's not a great week, either. It's okay. Whatever, there's enough to entertain us for the week. As usual, click on the titles and go to their page on Amazon where you can read more about them and/or buy them and you can also go to our Youtube page to check out the trailers.

"The Canyon" is, by far, the biggest budget release of the week. It's got Will Patton in it, as well as Yvonne Strahovski, from "Chuck". I read that it had a limited theatrical release on October 23rd, so... a few weeks ago. And, now here it is on DVD, on November 17th. It's a survival horror, where a couple of newlyweds are honeymooning in the grand canyon and they get lost down there after their guide gets bitten by a snake and have a wee bit of trouble getting out.

What's funny about "ThanksKilling" is that, back in film school, we used to joke about making a horror film that took place on Thanksgiving. We figured that almost every holiday was covered; Christmas and Halloween are overdone, there's been plenty of New Years films, April Fools Day, Valentines Day... but Thanksgiving is a big holiday and there were NO horror films based on it. Well, now there is. We came up with a plot revolving around rabid, steroid-riddled, mutant turkeys... "Thankskilling" is about a foul-mouthed homicidal turkey axing off college kids during Thanksgiving break. Awesome. Google "Thankskilling" and head to their site. It was shot for $3,500 over 11 days.

I was actually reading up on "Hanger", not knowing that it comes out this week. It's from Ryan Nicholson, the writer-director of "Gutterballs", and it's being distributed by a brand new company called Breaking Glass Pictures. They reached out to me and I'm going to try to do an interview with them and pass some information on them to all you... "Hanger" is about an abortion that lived, who's affectionately referred to as "Hanger", due to the fact that a pimp attempted to give his hooker Mom the abortion with a coat hanger. Now, he lives, and is out for vengeance.

I feel like I've covered "Breaking Nikki" before, but... I'll cover it again. If anything, it's got a wicked, original plot. It's about a hooker named Nikki who comes over to play the role of this guys ex-wife. However, it turns out that the guys ex-wife is actually locked up in the cellar and he tries to forcibly turn Nikki into his ex-wife... and even starts falling in love with her.

"Basement Jack", which was written and produced by Brian Patrick O'Toole, the guy behind "Dog Soldiers", "Evilution" and a few other films, and has a very "Halloween"-esqe feel to it. It's about Basement Jack, a 17 year old kid that went on a killing spree eleven years ago. Now, he's 28 and is being released and is coming after Karen, the lone survivor of his original attack.

I just assumed that "Call of the Hunter" was a low-budget mock-doc, as the film's about a documentary film crew that heads into the woods to shoot a film on The Legend of Herme the Hunter. However, I found the trailer on their website and the film looks to be shot in HD with great production quality. I believe it's out of the UK and it looks like it could have some decent gore.

I guess that "Vampire Party" is a French film and the trailer that I found is dubbed into German? I can't remember now. In any case, it's a foreign film and it's a strange looking horror/comedy about a big vampire party. Looks like it has budget and some good effects. Not my type of film, but... check out the trailer.

Well, it was just a matter of time before a true, low-budget mock came out about "Twilight" and here it is. Chris Seaver, the guy behind "Mulva: Zombie Ass Kicker" and "Terror At Blood Fart Lake", brings you "Taintlight", a full-on rip on "Twilight". The poster's classic.

Lastly, I just noticed that "Godkiller: Walk Among Us #2" is coming out and, well, I hadn't heard of "Godkiller: Walk Among Us #1", but this caught my eye. It's based on "Godkiller", which is a series of graphic novels, illustrated films, and novels created by award-winning filmmaker Matt Pizzolo and it tells the stories of human beings caught in the crossfire of warring fallen gods. Not only that, it's done in a very original way. Art, mixed with visual effects, mixed with some other crazy shit. There's some notable names doing the voices, too. Check out the trailer to see who's involved.

What "Paranormal Activity" Has Done To AFM and Positioning Your Film

Well, this is kinda lame... I was telling you about this great article called "Paranormal Fever at AFM" and it was the whole basis of this post and now it's not available. (Ted's note: just as I was about to post this, it came back live. Here's a link to the article)

Anyhow, horror tends to be a big thing at AFM because it's the best genre for international audiences. Things like dramas and comedies don't sell well, as what's funny in Des Moines, may not be funny in Saigon. However, a guy with a chainsaw is scary everywhere. Having said that, no one's buying at AFM this year because everyone's tauting their film as the next "Paranormal Activity" and they're clogging the pipeline. Basically, since everyone's claiming to have the next version of that one movie, AFM is oversaturated with one type of film, which drives prices down and leaves the distributors weary.

So, Brad was actually at AFM last weekend. I told him to write up a post on the experience, as he had a suppliers pass and talked to a few people about both Dead Harvey and another project that he's working on... hopefully we get to see that post soon. He said it was a bit of a gong show and that, really, AFM is all about low-budget horror. People are pitching ideas based on poster art and a name, people are pitching on having certain actors, they're pitching on just a logline. Everyone who's in the low-budget horror scene is there and it's a big, sleazy, sweaty pitch and sales fest. Just the brief conversation that Brad and I had about it made me want to have some project ready for next years AFM and attend. It sounds crazy... long and short, from his perspective, there was a lot going on and there was no shortage of projects.

Okay, so where are we at, then? There were tons of low-budget horror projects there, but no one was buying because everyone was saying that they had the next "Paranormal Activity". Now, I think I know why no one was buying. Remember, I come from the marketing and advertising world and what all these guys are not doing, and what you should always keep in mind, is something called positioning. Or, how you can position your film to stand out in a crowded marketplace like that. There's a whole book on this, called "Positioning - The Battle for Your Mind" by Al Ries and Jack Trout, and it's considered to be a bit of a classic marketing book. The long and short is, when someone's already positioned as the best no-budget film, you can't try to position yourself as the same and that's what all these guys are doing. You're going to fail. You need to position yourself differently. "Paranormal Activity" is a low-budget, first person, mock-documentary on ghosts... we're an alien abduction mock-doc. We're a first-person slasher film. They were confined to the home, we take the haunting on the road. Here's a better example, say you were selling me a car and you said to me, "I know you want a Mazda, but take a look at this Hyundai... it's basically a Mazda" I probably wouldn't buy the Hyundai, I probably wouldn't even give it a second look. However, if you said, "I know you're looking for a Mazda, but let me show you this Hyundai... it's the cheapest and most fuel efficient car in its class, plus it has a great record of dependability". Well, now I may take a look at it. You've positioned it differently and given me a reason to think about it.

This positioning thing is one of the main principles in marketing and advertising and if you're interested in reading more on it, I found a page that summarizes it all up, you can find it here. I think it's important stuff... stuff you should be thinking about when you're in the pre-prodution or writing stage, even. If there's a market leader out there, don't try to position yourself as the same. Figure out a way to position yourself differently, it'll make you stand out and, therefore, help you get noticed... which is really what you want.

Anyhow, that's all we got for this week. Have a great weekend and we'll see you on Monday!

Interview With Jason Horton, Writer/Director of the upcoming "Trap"

It's Thursday and we haven't posted anything new since Monday... I apologize. Yesterday was a holiday and, well, I didn't even think about writing anything until it was too late. By too late, I mean, by late afternoon I was knee-deep in some serious PS3 gaming, after having watched a couple of horror flicks. The two horror flicks? "Dead Snow", which is great fun, fairly original and very gory and "Antichrist", which is, well... um. Yeah. I think Lars Von Trier may have been using the film as a way to air some grievances. Anyhow, I can say that we'll try to make it up to you with quality back to back posts, today and tomorrow. As for tomorrow's post, I read a very interesting article on how the success of "Paranormal Activity" could actually be detrimental to the indie horror scene... very interesting, especially after talking with Brad, who was at AFM over the weekend. For today, we've got a great follow up interview with Jason Horton, the guy who made one of my favorite indie horrors of last year, "Edges of Darkness".

If you haven't seen "Edges", I highly recommend it. We interviewed Jason a while ago, last April, to be exact, and he offered up a great interview about the horror anthology. If you're interested in checking that interview out, you can click here. Now, I usually try to keep in touch with most people, just so I can keep up, offer help, keep up on the scene, but it's gotten pretty tough lately... especially as we've been working on a bunch of projects, ourselves. Anyhow, Jason reached out and said that he was working on a new film called "Trap" and I thought it created a great opportunity to do a follow up interview to see what he's been up to and find out how "Edges" is doing.

Last time we talked, you were about to release “Edges of Darkness”. Fill us in, how’s it doing?

I think it's doing pretty well, especially considering the type of movie it is and the budget it was made for. It's the first movie I've done where I can walk into most stores and see copies on the shelves for rent and sell. I walked into a Hollywood Video in Burbank on the release day and saw that they had over 12 copies on the shelf for rent (ALL RENTED OUT). It was really cool. I haven't gotten a sales report yet from Shoreline or Anchor Bay, but I expect one before the end of the year. I think it's doing better than they expected though, because there' s been some unofficial talk of a follow-up to Edges at a larger budget.

So, now that “Edges” has been out there for a while, anything that you would’ve done differently? Any new lessons learned that you can pass on to our readers?

I think you learn so many things with every project you do. On the paperwork side, make sure you have your deliverables together before you start shopping you film. If the distributor wants the movie, they MAY help with SOME of the more expensive items like Errors and Omission insurance or the HD and Digi BETA Masters, but they will not do everything. Know before hand what is needed, make sure you understand what ALL the items are and how to prepare them properly. It'll save you tons of headaches later. Producers do your research.

On the creative side, Edges was a rushed production from the writing of the script all the way through production. It was a situation where the opportunity to make the movie presented itself and I feared if we didn't move ahead as quickly as possible the money would not be there. So, I rushed and let some things go, script-wise, production-wise, performance-wise that I normally wouldn't have. Out of fear, I made several conscious decisions to settle for less than my and others best work. On a micro-budget production (well I guess any production) you're always going to have to compromise things due to budget or time, but there's a line that each one of must drawl when it comes to the artistic integrity of our work. I feel there are a few times in Edges that I stepped a little too far over over mine. Don't get me wrong, I like Edges and am very proud of the work and everyone in it. I just wish I would have pushed a little harder on the script and the production.

You’re on to your next project now, a film called “Trap”. Tell us a bit about it.

Trap is a relatively "quiet" piece, especially compared to Edges. It follows an abduction that goes bad when a middle-aged kidnapper falls in love with his 15 year-old victim.

It's basically a 3 character thriller/drama. There are two kidnappers, the middle-aged Walter and the younger Franklin. They quickly come to odds at how to handle the situation. Plus there a few cool twists. Like Edges it's very character driven and plays with the conventions of it's genre. But, unlike Edges it takes place in the "real" world. I absolutely love horror and want to continue to work in it. But, I wanted to follow Edges with something different.

What’s the budget for this one and how do you secure financing? Did “Edges” open any doors for you here?

We're still in the process of contracts with the distributors, so I can't go into the budget specifics now, but trust me it was very low. People will surprised when they hear the real numbers.

Trap was developed before Edges US release, but it was through the production and post of Edges that I met the financier. Also, I had pitched three horror project to be shot at one time to a production company a few years back. I had the scripts, breakdowns, art-work, promotional trailers, a full business plan. They weren't interested. About a week after Edges release I get an email asking to resend the proposal.

Last time around, you shot on the Sony Z1U, in HDV Format, and said you wouldn’t recommend it… so, what did you shoot on this time?

This time I shot on "old faithful" a dvx. There's a lot of bad feelings right now about DV, but I still think when used properly the dvx gets a great image that's comparable to the better HD cams. I know this camera better and was able to shoot with multiple cameras without renting. On micros it's all about what you have access to. I did use a lense package and did plenty of advanced HD blow-up tests using compressor and instant hd. This way I can deliver a quality 1080P version of the movie if the distributor requires it (and many do these days). Overall I'm much happier with the look of this movie. Although, due to budget constraints, I had to DP the movie myself. So at times between the technical aspects and monitoring performances, I was stretched a little thin. But due to the small nature of this project, I think I handled it well.

What stage are you at right now and what kinds of hurdles are you facing?

I just locked the cut and finished sound design. I'm still doing some minor color-correction tweaks, but plan to wrap everything up this week. The major hurdle I'm facing with Trap is going to be in how well it sells. The really cool thing about micros is they don't have to sell well, compared to bigger budget movie. But of course you want everything you do to be better creatively and financially than your last. Trap is the 1st movie I've done where I can't really rely on the genre to sell the movie. Edges for how creative and different it was, got a lot of traction just because it was a zombie/horror flick. Zombie/horror flicks even big ones don't need "names" or anything like it to sell. Typically, in bigger budget productions, a movie like Trap would be sold on the basis of star power. I chose to do Trap because, as an artist, it was the story I wanted to tell. I also wanted to show that I can do different things. I'm anxious to see how it is received.

Are there any examples of things that you screwed up on or learned from when doing “Edges” that you applied while making “Trap”? If so, what?

I didn't rush it. I still wrote the script pretty fast, but at least this time it didn't get a total structural overhaul 3 weeks before production. We still had a very short shooting schedule. The movie was shot in 6 days with no room for pick-ups (except a few 2nd unit exteriors). But I took the time to get that one more take and push things just a bit further. One of the biggest differences in the movies, in my mind anyway, is sound. We looked a little longer this time and found a single mixer that stayed with us for the whole shoot. Then in post, I've grown a lot as a sound designer between Trap and Edges, so I really think the sound work in Trap is much better.

And this time I have my deliverables all prepared including a complete behind the scenes package. I lost a lot of BTS footage on Edges and Anchor Bay didn't want include what little I did have. On Trap I have four quality BTS documentaries, 2 feature commentaries, deleted scenes with commentaries and a 5.1 mix. In addition my producer was able to secure a couple of songs for our soundtrack from Chubby Checker.

What are your goals for “Trap”? Will you be doing the festival scene?

I've already been talking to distributors and if the price is right, we'll have a sell before the end of the year. It's not that I don't believe in the festival scene, but with movie at this level I feel you're better off to sell them quick and move on.

Where can people find out more about “Trap” and/or follow your progress?

There's an official site still under construction but up. agpla.com/trap.html
But our facebook page is the one I work on the most. Please become a fan. You'd be surprise at how much that kind of stuff matters to money people and distributors.
facebook.com/pages/Trap/99112199205

We're also on myspace. myspace.com/trap_movie
You can also follow me on twitter @jhorton2003

So, any idea of what’s next after “Trap”? Any ideas brewing?

So many things in the pipes. Like I mentioned before there is talk of a follow-up to Edges and I have a kick-ass script just about done. It's more of a singular story than Edges and stand alone, so you wouldn't have had to see Edges or even know it exists. If this comes together I really think it could be the one that really puts me on the map.

My producer is also really big on following up Trap. Not really a sequel but a movie that features a few of the minor character from Trap. It's a surreal action/comedy.
I have another dozen or so scripts circling around town, you never know when something's going stick. We'll see.

New Horror Out On DVD This Week: Where Is Dead Snow?

This last weekend at the box office wasn't exactly lighting the world on fire... however, there's a few interesting things of note. First up, after being well represented over the last month or so, horror birthed a couple of shit babies this last weekend. Two genre movies were released, "The Box" and "The Fourth Kind". "The Fourth Kind" fared a little better than "The Box", grossing $12.5Million as compared to $8Million... but both would be considered disappointments, both box office-wise and critically. On the other hand, the success story du jour is "This Is It", the documentary / concert film on Michael Jackson. The micro-hit "Paranormal Activity" is finally slowing down and the now the "never was supposed to be made into an actual film", "This is It", is storming the box office. It's in its second week of release and has now grossed close to $60Million. There's a story and/or a lesson to be learned here, as the two biggest successes of late are a film that was made for $15,000 and another one that was cut from footage that was never meant to be seen, but I'm not sure what it is. Crazy... anyhow, let's look at the horror DVD's that are coming out this week and, as usual, you can go to our Youtube Page and see all the trailers and/or click on the titles and go to their Amazon page, where you can read more about them and/or buy them.

First off, let's mention Chris DiNunzio's "Livestock", a film that we had the privilege of checking out a while ago and discussing with the filmmaker. It's a vampire, gangster-horror and it's definitely one for the Dead Harvey crowd. The acting is great and it's really well put together. If you're interested in reading our interview with DiNunzio's, click here. Definitely a good read...

"Summer's Moon" comes from Lionsgate and it's about a girl that's travelling across the country, but ends up captive in some guy's basement and has to make a choice: whether she wants to join up with this guy's family and do some killing... or if she wants to die. The film actually looks alright, but they're really hanging their hat on the fact that the lead is played by Ashley Greene, who plays Alice Cullen in the "Twilight" series. Hey, if you're in to "Twilight", maybe you want to see Alice Cullen in a more, well... compromising position. The trailer has her chained up in short shorts.

Speaking of films that are hanging their hats on, not only actors, but "Twilight", "Hurt" stars "Medium"'s Sofia Vassilieva... and "Twilight"'s Jackson Rathbone and it was obviously done a while ago. The film is described as a dark, Gothic tale that slowly unwinds into... something. I don't know, quite honestly, the trailer bored me. Having said that, the reviews are alright and the production quality looks good.

I don't know where "The Echo" went wrong, but I think the trailer looks pretty good and it was produced by the guys who remade "The Grudge" and "The Ring". It's a remake from a Filipino Film, originally titled "Sigaw" and Yam Laranas, who co-wrote and directed the original film, directs this remake. As for the story, it revolves around a young ex-con who moves into an old apartment building, only to learn his neighbor is an abusive police officer who savagely beats his wife and daughter. When the ex-con tries to intervene, he becomes trapped in a curse.

"Intruder" is a micro-cinema horror that looks really well done... it's from first time director Gregory Caiafa and it looks like it's a classic slasher film, where the slasher is a creepy dude wearing a very creepy clown mask. May have to check this one out.

"Devil Girl" comes from writer/director Howie Askins and I really want to know more about this film. It looks awesome... sort of like a Rob Zombie wet dream or something. I can't tell what it's shot on, probably 16mm with some other mediums mixed in? Very intriguing, really want to see this now...

I don't know what the deal is with "Dead Snow", but I'm going to find out. It's a Danish film, I believe, and it's about a bunch of snowmobilers that run in to a herd of Nazi zombies... or would it be a flock of zombie Nazi's? Group of undead Nazi's? Whatever. It played Sundance and is, apparently, gorier than all hell. It popped up on Amazon, but now says it's discontinued by the manufacturer. I'll get to the bottom of it and figure it all out... then report back. If you care, I've got the trailer up on our Youtube page.

Lastly, there's a few new Blu-ray releases of interest, including the all-time classic, which is being remade, "Near Dark", then there's "Mimic", "Scream" and Robert Rodriguez's foray into horror, "The Faculty".

Red Sox... Yankees... and The American Film Market. Trust me, it's sorta related.

I'm a passionate guy... and I mean that in the way that I get really caught up in what I believe in. When it comes to film, I've been in so many arguments about what's good, what's bad and why, that my more "mainstream" friends were almost afraid to ask my opinion on movies. I'll defend indie horror tooth and nail and I usually talk shit about big-budget, pablum for the masses, Hollywood crap. Really, I can feel adrenaline release when someone talks shit or laughs about the films that I clock so many hours watching. Now, I've come to realize that I need to let these things go and I've been a far more relaxed person of late... I mean, at the end of the day, what you like... you like. What I like... I like and if you don't like it, oh well. However, I'm also a sports fan. This is a tougher thing to be passionate about. In film, one filmmaker versus another filmmaker is totally subjective. However, in sports, one team succeeds at anothers peril. It's just the nature of sport. A winner produces a loser. So, in full disclosure, I'm a baseball fan and loyal member of Red Sox Nation. Everyone that I know, knows that. So, when the Red Sox nemesis and arch-rival, The Yankees, won the World Series a few days ago... I heard about it. A lot. And people didn't hold back. It's been a couple days and I'm finally settling down, but I'm still replying to scathing emails and posts on my Facebook wall... however, I'm going to drop it now and look forward to next season... and I do still have an NFL season to worry about in the meantime.

Anyhow, my spare time over the last few days have been dedicated to replying to friends and family that are Yankees fans. (My parents live right outside of New York) I just replied to someone a few moments ago and thought, that's it. It's over. I'm not going to retort anymore... Then, I stared at this blank post. Before just closing it up and forgetting about it, I decided to peruse some sites that I frequent and I realized that AFM is coming up. It got my mind off baseball and got me thinking. Now, for those of you that don't know about AFM, I'll cut and paste some information that I made up last year:

The American Film Market, or AFM as they like to call it, is coming up this November 4 - 11 (those are updated, 2009 dates) in Santa Monica and I thought I'd just tell you about it. It's an annual event that attracts over 8,000 industry people for eight days. Participants from over 70 countries converge in Santa Monica to buy and sell distribution rights for completed films or to gain financing for projects in various stages of production. It's not a festival, it's more like a massive tradeshow. If you attend, you'll be in the company of acquisition and development executives, agents, attorneys, directors, distributors, festival directors, financiers, film commissioners, producers, writers, press and an array of other people who provide services to the industry. Long and short, unbelievable networking and a wicked opportunity... however, that, of course, comes with a cost. A one day pass costs $275, a pass for the full eight days costs $895. That's a lot of money. Personally, I'd go down to Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel and/or the Le Merigot Beach Hotel, where it's all held, and hang out in nearby bars and restaurants... probably bars. You're sure to get people coming in for a beer or lunch. Save the $275 and spend it on drinking. It's a no-lose proposition.

When it comes to The Red Sox, I'm always reading books, going through websites and keeping up on all the current events. (Twitter is awesome when deadlines approach, by the way) Look, I'm a fanatic. Now, I do the same thing with indie horror because, well... not only do I aspire to be a professional, I'm also a fanatic. Not only do I read up on the indie horror sites, read books on the industry and watch as much as I can, I also look forward to Monday, when I look through all the new releases that are coming out that week... I also look forward to seeing what's screening at festivals, as well as seeing what people are trying to sell. And so should you. If you're even mildly interested in screenwriting or filmmaking, you need to keep an eye on what other people are doing and what's selling. Now, what's cool about AFM is, you can look through all the films that are on the market, as well as what's screening, and read about their status. Here's a link to their online film catalogue. So, go through the AFM site and look through that catalogue, it'll give you great insight into what the market's like and what other people are up to. It's great research.

So, there you go, enjoy... and have a great weekend. We'll be back on Monday. Go Packers!

Interview With Harry Sparks, Writer/Director of "Rotkappchen: The Blood of Red Riding Hood"

I think that nudity and horror go together like peanut butter and chocolate... a delectable pair. Really, horror has always had a certain sexuality to it and I think there are a few reasons. First off, it's about the audience. Who do horror movies cater to? Well, predominantly younger males, probably aged 18 - 34 and if you're trying to cater to that audience, give them more of what they want... boobs. I'm betting that this was the thinking throughout most of the 80's and early 90's. Then there's artistic reasons... when someone is naked, they're at their most vulnerable. So, when you're in the shower, getting changed or going for a skinny-dip, these are the times that you DON'T want to get attacked. Adding to that, there's a reason that one of the most common nightmares involves not having your clothes on, it represents vulnerability. Lastly, horror and sex are just linked... they're both primal. Hey, it's why guys take girls to horror movies, even though those girls don't like them. We hope they close their eyes and hide themselves in our arms. However, half the time it's the guys that are hiding and the girls that are cheering on the killing, but I digress...

Having said all that, there's a big difference between adding a couple topless scenes to appease the younger males and get that "contains nudity" rating and heading out and making soft-core porn. Now, I have nothing against soft-core porn, I passed out every night watching Cinemax in college, but I don't know where that line between teen boobie-horror and soft-core porn is crossed. Harry Sparks' "Rotkappchen: The Blood of Red Riding Hood" is one such film that rides the line between the two. Without question, the film is well done. Sparks stretched his budget to put together a wonderful looking film that gives us a very unique take on the story of Red Riding Hood. Further, simply from the perspective of cinematography, it's amazing. He really created a unique look and feel that works for the story. However, the film definitely pushes the erotic boundaries... and has excessive nudity. At the end of the day, the film is definitely worth checking out and, if you're interested, you can go to its page on Amazon here, to read more about it and/or buy it. Before you do, though, I recommend checking out this interview that we did with Harry Sparks, the writer/director of the film...

Tell us a bit about "Rotkappchen: The Blood of Red Riding Hood"

Rotkäppchen: The Blood of Red Riding Hood is the story of a German teenage girl named Rose who is brought to America by her mother to stay with her Grandmother. After her first day at her new school, Rose discovers that she just does not fit in with the other students and retreats into her own fantasy world of her favorite childhood story, Red Riding Hood. It is a fairy tale come to life.

You definitely went heavy on the erotic route, tell us a bit about your thoughts behind that. Was it an artistic decision or a business decision?

It was an artistic decision. I determined very early on, after extensive research on the Little Red Riding Hood story that it needed to be an erotic film. I discovered that the story was really about the loss of virginity and about sexual awakening. It was about travelling the road from childhood to adulthood and I wanted to explore that aspect of the story since we have not really seen that before. I felt telling the story from that perspective- exploring the emotions of a sexually adventurous girl dealing with the joy and terror of puberty, would be an interesting challenge. I know that there will be some people that, as soon as they see nudity or a sex scene, will dismiss it as porn or soft porn. But I don’t agree with that way of thinking. We are all sexual beings so why the false modesty? I feel very strongly that the film is as graphic as it is because it needed to be. So ultimately, I couldn’t worry about any criticism that may come my way and just make the movie the way I envisioned it.

If you don't mind us asking, what was the budget and how did you go about securing financing?

I think the production budget was around $30,000, which was a combination of contributions from friends, family, personal income and personal savings. But I think it looks like it costs much more than it actually did. Part of that is because we had the opportunity to shoot in several countries in Europe while visiting family in Germany. It gives the film the epic scope that I wanted. One of the interesting things about being an independent filmmaker with limited resources is that it forces you to be inventive. You don’t have to have a big budget to make good film. The challenge is how to get your vision from the page to the screen and I think we were pretty successful in doing that.

You got some great performances out of your actors, not to mention putting them in some compromising positions. Talk a bit about casting and your directing style...

Actually, some of the actors inspired the writing of the script before it was even written. The character of Rose for example was written for Stefanie Geils. I saw her one evening wearing a red dress, and felt inspired. And the character of Summer was written for Sativa Verte because I knew her as well. The rest of the cast, like Nicole Vuono and Chris O’Brocki, helped shape their characters after they were cast. After meeting Nicole and speaking to her, I knew she could play a great villain, although in real life she is one of the nicest people you will ever meet. And Chris s a great character actor who can play just about any role and I knew he would make a great David. I like to come to the set with a plan-either storyboards or I have a sequence planned out in my head. But I learned that part of directing is listening. Actors can contribute some great ideas, so if someone comes up with a great idea and if it works, I will use it.

I was extremely impressed by the visuals of the film. You mix black & white with color, you use lots of different effects and lenses. Talk a bit about creating the look and feel of the film.

The visual style evolved while researching the story, I discovered that the red cape actually symbolizes her menstrual blood and her readiness for sexual awakening. So I wanted to isolate the color red and desaturate the world around her. Notice in the film, Rose becomes infatuated with Summer only after she sees her wearing a red towel. For the fairytale world, I wanted very warm, saturated colors since this is supposed to be Rose’s imagination and for her this world is much more comforting than the real world. “Jaws” was the main inspiration for the wolf. One of the main reasons that movie worked for me was that for most of the movie you witness the attacks from the shark’s point of view. That is much more terrifying than seeing the whole shark, and I actually prefer that approach to seeing a CG monster because it forces the audience to use their imagination.

Tell us a bit about yourself. What are your influences and what got you into indie film?

I have always loved movies and going to the movies but I think I became interested in making them after seeing the original “Star Wars” in the theater. It must have had an impact because after watching The making of “Star Wars” on television, I set out to try to make my own “Star Wars” film using my classmates at school. I was only nine years old at the time so I eventually dropped that plan! But then when I saw E.T.-The Extra Terrestrial” in the summer of ’82, everything changed. That movie had such an emotional impact on me…I guess it was the right movie at the right time, but I said, “This is what I want to do. I want to be a director and I don’t care what anybody says.” You have to be stubborn and singled-minded if you are going to be a director. So I made my first short film at the age of 14, which didn’t turn out that great. But instead of getting discouraged, I became even more determined. I checked out filmmaking books from the library and studied them, while continuing to make short films with my friends throughout high school. So Steven Spielberg was and still is my biggest influence. He is such an amazing storyteller. I also admire the films of Orson Welles, Alfred Hitchcock, Martin Scorsese, Tinto Brass, and many others.

Film school: Yes or No?

I think film school is very useful because you have access to a lot of equipment you may not otherwise have. It is also a great place to make contacts. I had some of the basic skills before entering film school, but film school helped me hone those skills. The thing to keep in mind though is that simply getting a degree in and of itself does not guarantee a job in the film industry. You really have to work hard and if you have the opportunity for an internship, you should take it. In the end, your reel will say more about you as a filmmaker than anything.

Did the film screen at any festivals? If so, how did it do? What are your thoughts on the indie horror festival circuit?

We haven’t entered this film in any film festivals yet, but may enter a few next year. It’s customary to let your film play the festival circuit for about year and then find a distributor, but I didn’t want the public to have to wait a year to see the film. We started building buzz almost two years ago through social networking, so we knew we had some interest. The entry fee for film festivals can be quite high, and after awhile that adds up. So we’ll choose the festivals we do enter very carefully. When I’m making a film, I’m really not thinking about winning awards. The person I am trying to please is myself and the audience.

Talk about distribution. What lessons have you learned and if you could pass on a word of advice to other indie filmmakers, what would it be?

The main lesson I have learned is that you can distribute your movie yourself. I have heard so many horror stories about distribution companies ripping off filmmakers it’s scary. If a filmmaker does go with a distribution company, they should hold out for a deal they are happy with and not always take the first one offered. But if you are like me and like to retain control, you may want to consider self-distribution. It is a lot more work and responsibility, but it can be more rewarding.

Talk about the indie horror scene. Where do you think it is now and where do you see it going?

I think this is a great time for indie horror. The success of “Paranormal Activity” shows that you don’t need a big budget to make a successful horror film and I’m sure that will inspire a lot of filmmakers. But I think if you are an independent filmmaker, you should try to push the envelope, which is what I tried to do with this film. Many studio films costs more than $100 million or more to make, so they have to take fewer risks to earn that money back and try to appeal to as broad of an audience as possible with a PG-13 film. But an indie film usually does not cost nearly as much and you can afford to take more risks without compromising your vision as much. If you feel in your heart of hearts that your film needs to be an R or NC-17 film, then that is the movie you should make. Eventually, your film will find an audience.

Where can people find out more about "Rotkappchen" or, better yet, buy a copy?

To find out more about Rotkäppchen: The Blood of Red Riding Hood, people can visit the official website, RedRidingHoodMovie.net. The film is currently available at Amazon.com and will soon be available through Filmbaby.com, and eventually Netflix. If people want to get the movie through Netflix, I encourage them to contact Netflix and demand it.

What's next for you?

There are so many different types of stories I want to tell, its hard picking my next project. I really like erotic-fantasy and erotic-horror so I would like to do something else in those genres. I would also like to do a ghost story and a science fiction film. But whatever I do next, I am going to continue to push the envelope.

New Horror Out On DVD This Week, including VAMPIRO!

I got back from my week-long farm visit on Sunday night and Monday morning was a complete shit show... Life was firing turds at me and I managed to start this post, but never finished it. So, if you were wondering why I didn't post anything yesterday, there you go. Now, before we get to the DVD releases, can I just talk about TV-Land for a moment? Are you looking forward to "V" tonight? I remember the original "V", from 1983... and I was in the 3rd grade. It was a huge deal and I really have to say I'm pumped about this reimagining. They're only airing four episodes in this month, then will resume the series in March, so... make sure you check them out.

Anyhow, on to the DVD releases. I don't know if it's just a Halloween hangover, but it's a strange week in releases. There's nothing that had a theatrical release, but there's a few with some budget behind them, then a few low-budget gems. You can check out all the trailers on our Youtube page and you can click on the titles to go to their page on Amazon, where you can read more and/or buy them.

Well, you should know what you're getting in to with "Sand Serpents", it's a SyFy original and it's Desert Storm meets "Tremors". You have a small group of Marines that are stranded in the Afghan desert and the Taliban ain't their biggest threat... massive worms are. Actually, if you've dreamed of Taliban-killing Tremor-like worms, this film will bring your dreams to reality, as, throughout most of the film, the worms do better against the Taliban than the marines do.

I couldn't find the trailer for Will Gordh's "Night Watcher" on youtube, but I did find it over on its distributors site, FabricationFilms.com - link. I'm assuming that it had a fairly low budget, but it does have great production value... it appears to be about some sort of stalker that video tapes his victims, but I really can't find out too much about it.

Directed by Pablo Proenza, "Dark Mirror" looks to be one of the better films out this week and it looks like it's also his feature film debut. The film is about a photographer that moves her family into a home that's filled with mirrors, all which seem to reflect an alternate reality. It's not a blood and guts film, but word around the campfire says you're in for a lot of tension and unsettling visuals. I believe it was released by IFC Films, which is kinda cool. I don't recall a theatrical release, but here it is on DVD.

So, when I first tried to research the film "Gravestoned", I couldn't find shit. Then, after a bit of googling, I found information on marketwire and reuters - a press release site and a news site. IMDB, Amazon and Youtube all produced nothing. Who does your marketing and PR? Seriously? Anyhow, the film looks alright and it's being billed as 'the comedy horror flick for stoners'. It's an indie flick, with a bit of budget behind it, that was filmed completely in Texas with a Texan cast and crew. It's about hot cheerleaders, guys, stoners and a Scottish Terrier that are in a graveyard, being hunted by a zombie.

"Beast Within" is from composer/director Wolf Wolff... yes, that's what he calls himself. Most of his work is in German and I can't find much on this because it shares a name with one of my favorite horror films from when I was a kid, 1982's "The Beast Within" - a film that I haven't seen in 20 years and a film that probably wouldn't hold up to what it is in my head. I think I'll never see it again and just try to remember it as a classic. Anyhow, do me a favor and check this one out, then report back.

Okay, I think I want to see this... "Mutants" has one of films best bad-asses, Michael Ironside, and Steven Bauer, from "Scarface", starring in it. It had the meagre budget of $4Million and it looks pretty f'ing good. It's from Amir Valinia, who's the same guy that brought you "Lockjaw: Rise of the Kulev Serpent" (AKA "Carnivorous") and a few other hip-hop, gangster related films, like "Jump Out Boys" and "Hood Hostages". When watching the trailer, at first I thought it was basically a zombie film, then they started showing a few mutants... I like mutants. Okay, yeah... I want to see it.

Now, the films get a bit more low budget...

I could be missing something, but doesn't "Contagio" mean 'contagious' in Spanish? I found the only trailer I could, but the Amazon page still says it's in English. So, I'm not going to lie to you, I'm not sure if the trailer I found is actually for this film... but I still like the trailer I found.

"Vampiro", from Jorge Ramirez Rivera, looks SO low-budget that it's officially skyrocketed to the top of my must see list. PLEASE go over to our Youtube page and watch the trailer for this. Please. Spanish daytime drama meets low-budget vampire horror...

Lastly, and I'll just rush through these, but urge you to look into them further, we have "Stragglers", from Dave R. Watkins; "Death of Evil", from Damian Chapa; and "The Legend of Vipers Hill" from David A. Lloyd. All of them have their trailers up on Youtube and can be found on our Youtube page and all would be considered micro-budget films. These are the films that Dead Harvey is all about, please watch their trailers, click on the titles to read more about them on Amazon and/or pick up a copy and support indie film!

What I Learned From "ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction"

Well, I thought I was going to have an interview for you today... I sent out a whole bunch of them a couple days ago and I thought I'd get at least one back to share. Nope. But that's cool... because I got an email from the After Dark Film Festival, announcing that they've picked up their fourth film for Horrorfest 4, "ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction". I guess the film would be best described as a political zomedy and it's probably the first entry into that very specific sub-genre. However, at the end of the day, it's a zombie movie. Probably the oldest and most tired horror genre out there, right? Before we judge, let's check out the plot... ZMD is about a conservative island community that's under attack by the living dead and the rag-tag band of rebels, led by Frida, an Iranian college student, suspected of being an Iraqi terrorist, and Tom, a gay businessman who has returned to town with his partner to come out to his mother, that try to turn the tide and push the invading hoards of the undead back. Hmmm... interesting characters. Could make for a good story. Now, I'm intrigued...

You see, when I read the title of the press release, "After Dark Films Eats Up The New Horror Comedy, "ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction", I thought... Man alive, when's the zombie genre going to slow down? Isn't this getting a little old? But, when you watch the trailer and read about the characters, you realize that the movie is fresh. From a political and social perspective, it's extremely fresh. So, really, here's a formula for you: tired genre + fresh story = something new and exciting. Now, I want to juxtapose that with a film that I watched yesterday, which will remain nameless... we'll call it "Film X". The logline and premise for "Film X" were both exciting. It seemed very new, it was a great idea and extremely intriguing. Long and short, I was pumped to check it out. However, a few minutes into the film, I realized that they just wrapped that idea around a very tired and old storyline. The characters were basic cardboard cutouts and I've seen them a million times. So, in this case: fresh genre + tired story = something old and boring.

I don't know why, but I think this is a concept that a lot of filmmakers forget. I don't care how new your core idea is... I don't even care if you've created a new genre. Your characters need to interact, they need to have a story and they can't just be a rehash of something that we've seen before. If it is, your audience is going to lose interest in a hurry. Think about it, why have there been new entries into the zombie genre, year after year, that continue to entertain? The backdrop never changes! The dead come back to life to eat the living... I got news for you, that's not fresh! However, the storylines are. The genre and/or concept will always be the backdrop and the characters and story needs to be equally, if not more intriguing. A lot of films have such great core ideas, but they flop like a dead carp when it comes to the actual plotline and characters. So, please, if you've got a good idea, put as much time and effort into creating interesting characters and plotlines as you put into that backdrop. At the end of the day, the concept is just that - the backdrop. The characters, and how they interact, need to drive the story.

Anyhow, here's the trailer for "ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction". Check it out and see what I mean.