Friday, May 30, 2008

Film Fest Friday - Fright Night Fear Fest

I was recently sent some updates from Louisville, Kentucky's very own horror film festival, The Fright Night Film Fest, which will be August 15-17 this year. What you'll find below is from their press release that's geared towards the filmmakers...

Fright Night Film Fest is the largest genre show in the Mid South. Our festival has risen to prominence and has attracted worldwide attention. Our films come from Spain, Sweden,Canada, England, LA, New York and of course all over the Country. Not only are we a Film Festival and Convention, we are an industry show providing educational forums for actors, producers, investors, directors and others wanting to break into the industry. We support the independent community by providing a forum for their film and a voice of support to help them get distribution. As a direct result of our show we have helped launch the careers many filmmakers.

This year the Kentucky Arts Center will be hosting our “Silver Scream Awards” in Whitney Hall where we will be expecting over 2000 people to attend to walk the Red Carpet. This will be the venue for celebrities, filmmakers, families, press and the fan's to enjoy a great night honoring those who work so hard for their craft.

You filmmakers are not going to want to miss this opportunity to get your film in competition. We are still accepting submissions until July 24th, 2008.

Combined with the Film Festival is the Horror Convention with over 32,000 sq. feet of vendor space. We are also bringing in over 30 Celebrities…. Angus Scrimm, Mick Foley, a 30th Anniversary Reunion with the “Halloween Cast”, Adams Family Reunion, just to name a few.

This year we are working heavily with the Make-A-Wish foundation to provide one child with a wish. You are not going to want to miss the 2008 Fright Night Film Fest.

We'll update their entry in our horror film festivals section and be sure to keep you posted on any updates that they may have... for more information on the festival, you can go check out their website here.

"Harvest Moon" - A Case Study in Making Indie-Horror

Alright, here's the next case study on how guys are getting their indie-horror's made. This time around we talk to Brent Nowak, director of "Harvest Moon". You can always check out our other case studies in the archived section and, as usual, if you're a filmmaker and would like us to cover you and your film, just let me know.

Film: Harvest Moon
Written By: Tyler Massey
Directed By: Brent Nowak
Released By: Cedar Street Productions

About: Brad Ashten, the guy who plays the lead in the film, was producing and directing theatre and the director, Brent Nowak, had just finished producing a few short films, when they got together and decided to make a feature. They "felt horror had the best possible return on investment (and) in 2004 they were paying upfront money for horror with no names attached." With that, Brad came up with the first idea, "to use human blood to help with a marijuana crop." Tyler Massey, who was the eventual writer of the script, changed it to apples because they had access to an apple orchard. Brent "nominated (himself) director" and they were off... and when it was all said and done, what resulted was a top-notch horror that looks and feels like a film with ten times the budget. The plot revolves around Adam Baldini (played by Brad Ashten), who just inherited his father's prized apple orchard. Unsure if he wants to continue the family business, Adam invites his new girlfriend Alicia and her friends to spend the weekend enjoying the secluded and secret beauty of the orchard and to help bring in the harvest.. But of course a secret location isn't just a good place for an orchard -- it's a good place for murder.

Budget: The budget, which Brent Nowak secured through personal resources, "started at around $15K, but ended up growing to just South of $50K" and he admits, "the hardest part is finding the money".

Getting it made: Harvest Moon was "shot on the DVX 100 with 35mm lenses" and they "found (cinematographer) Matt Boyd on Craigslist", who Brent describes as "an amazing talent and gets better with every project (he) sees him do." The film was "shot 13 days straight at the cabin, one day car scene, one day pickup and one night on the new scene", which was added after the film was shot because "distribution companies were complaining on a slow start to the film." In the end, "not counting ADR and green screen, it was about a 16 day shoot". The location was integral to the film and two of the guys involved, Brad Ashton and Diego Garcia, actually worked there. They almost lost their location when "after investing $5K insurance and equipment the owner wanted to back out... Luckily his wife talked him out of it." In the end, the film turned out great, however there are a few things that Brent would have done differently, such as "more action, a little more fear involved, more jumps, more effects. Those things scared (him) as a filmmaker, but (he's) not afraid of them anymore and the next one will be way more intense."

The effects: The film did deliver on gore and effects and when Brent was asked what his favorite effect was, it was "the throat slashing scene of the character Mel, not because (he) played him, but because the prop knife didn't work as (they) hoped and Lincoln came in and made a really real and cool throat slash."

Distributing the film: I believe they're still in the process of acquiring distribution, but Brent does offer up some advice for other filmmakers. "Be patient and look at non-exclusive deals, they're out there. My fear is giving away the rights to a lower end company for 3 years to watch them stick the profits in the expense account and we never see a dime back. Know your risks before you ever start. Make a good film. Don't think it's going to sell just because it's genre. Take your time and make it great."

What’s next: Since "Harvest Moon", Brent's "directed two more shorts, both (which) have won awards." He's also taken "a 6 month break and (is now) gearing up for the next feature to shoot in Wisconsin. No script in place yet, so (they're) looking. He follows that up with asking, "if (anyone has) anything (they'd) like to option, you could email him at info@cedarstreetproductions.com. Don't expect anything more than a % of the film, but at least it'll get made!"

For more information or to purchase your copy of "Harvest Moon", you can go to http://www.harvestmoonmovie.com/, it's definitely worth the $10. For more information on Brent Nowak, you can go to his site, http://www.cedarstreetproductions.com/

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Linkapalooza - May 28, 2008

I was hoping to have another case study done for today and I was working away on it, but I just couldn't get it finished... so, instead, you should get it tomorrow. In lieu of that, let's have a Linkapalooza, since we missed out on that this week. Now, I know that I tend to talk about stuff that pisses me off in the industry, but I want to pass on some links to some books and articles that may better you as a filmmaker... that's right, things you should read.

Every filmmaker should be reading scripts all the time and not just new ones, but old ones, classic ones, ones they like and even ones they don't like. I recently came across HorrorLair.com and it looks like they just link to horror scripts, which should trim a lot of the fat that we don't need. Long and short, I've never talked to a filmmaker that didn't think that story is the most important aspect of a film and the best way to learn how to structure a story is to read as many scripts as you can.

A while ago, I was talking with writer/director Mark Poole, the guy behind "Dead Moon Rising", which was one of the most ambitious no-budget horrors I've ever seen. Anyhow, when I was asking him what advice he would pass on to other filmmakers, he told me about a couple books that I had never heard of before. First one is "The DV Rebel's Guide: An All-Digital Approach to Making Killer Action Movies on the Cheap" and "It's Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy". He told me that "the first tells you how to get the best effects possible, the second, how to be the best team leader/director possible. No kidding."

Since we're talking about books, let me tell you about the book I'm reading right now, called: The Big Picture: The New Logic of Money and Power in Hollywood. I'm barely half way through it, but I can say that it's great insight into how Hollywood actually works. It's basically about how the studios work and if you're into the business behind Hollywood, it's a great read.

Lastly, how about a magazine? Well, just an article from Empire Magazine, which is the biggest selling film magazine in Britain. They did an article a while ago called "50 Greatest Independent Films" and you'd never believe it, but horror's fairly well represented. There won't be any shockers in there, as it covers off "Bad Taste", "Evil Dead", "Night of the Living Dead", etc... but what's really cool are the stories behind why they consider them 'great independent films'. Click on the film and you'll get the story behind it.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

May 27, 2008 - New Horror out on DVD this week

Lots to talk about this week...

I haven't actually seen "The Chair" yet, but it's all qued up, ready to be watched tonight. I'm not going to lie, I'm really excited about it, as in the next few days or so we're going to be posting an exclusive interview that Brad did with the director, Brett Sullivan and, I have to say, it's one of the better interviews we've had. So, I don't want to say too much, as we're going to get into things in more detail then, but it did win best film at Shriekfest and it won the special jury prize at the Canadian Filmmakers Festival, as well... and Brad said it was great. And if Brad don't know, nobody knows. It's about a young psychology student, trying to rebuild her life, who rents an old house and, unknowingly, awakens an evil specter. There's a lot more to it, but you'll have to wait for the exclusive interview which we'll get to soon...

In 1985, a little movie came out that changed a lot of people's lives and that little movie was "Rambo: First Blood Part II". Oh, sure, "First Blood" was good... Yes, "Rambo III" was questionable. So, of course, I questioned whether or not the world needed "Rambo" aka Rambo IV, but that question has been answered... and the answer is yes. Now, the next question isn't whether or not this fourth installment was good, it's how long do I have to wait for the fifth one? They've confirmed that it's in the works and I'm pumped. Remember, 'Heroes never die... They just reload.'

"Chronicles Of An Exorcism" is from 'well known public speaker, strategic alliance consultant and feature film and television producer and director', Nick G. Miller. Seriously, this guy does it all and appears to 'get it', too. Not only has he produced television shows such as "Wild On", but he's also been instrumental in negotiating product placements in feature films such as "War of the Worlds". "Chronicles" is based on what appears to be a true exorcism and it's shot documentary style. It's the story of two amateur filmmakers who, at the request of the church, document an exorcism over a three day period.

"Grizzly Park" comes from first time writer/director Tom Skull, who was found by accident at a film festival by producer Belle Avery. Skull had handed her his home movie from when he was 8 years old, which won the heart of Avery. She went on to produce "Grizzly Park" and they managed to put together a decent cast, including Glenn Morshower from "24" as Ranger Bob. It's about eight miscrients who are sent to do community service at Grizzly Park, where they are hunted by an escaped serial killer along with the animals of the forest.

"Storm" is an award winning, indie film from Sweden, directed by Måns Mårlind and Björn Stein. It won best film and best cinematography at the Gulbagge Awards, as well as the audience award at the Stockholm Film Festival. It's been described as a "cheaper Swedish version of "The Matrix", but does get good reviews... think "Vanilla Sky", "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and "28 Days Later" all mixed together with Swedish actors and a lower budget.

This version of "Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde" stars Dougray Scott as the title character and Tom Skerritt as the other lead. It's directed by Paolo Barzman, who's a mainly a TV director... and I think this originally aired on TV somewhere, I'm not sure. Either way, I think this is the fifth new, low-budget version of "Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde" that's come out this year.

"Noriko's Dinner Table" is from the director of the J-horror, "Suicide Club", which is a darn good movie with one of the most unbelievably awesome openings to a film I've ever seen. This is sort of a sequel, where a teenage girl escapes from her town and heads to Tokyo, only to get involved in a cult that prostitutes girls for domestic roleplaying... all the while a string of mass suicides is sweeping the nation.

I'm not sure what's in this rerelease of 2007's "The Hitcher", unless it's the one year anniversary of it's last DVD release. It's still the Dave Meyers version, produced by Michael Bay's Platinum Dunes, starring Sean Bean. Maybe it has some new features or that alternate ending where the girl beats Ryder's head in... I don't know.

Also, very quickly...

Dario Argento's "Phenomena" and "Tenebre" are being rereleased and if the whole no-budget horror scene is your thing, study one of the masters... "Advantage: The Cult Films of Roger Corman" comes out and includes most of his classics.

Monday, May 26, 2008

EXCLUSIVE DEAD HARVEY INTERVIEW WITH KIRK BOWMAN: DIRECTOR OF "BLOODSUCKING BABES FROM BURBANK"

I have to push the new horror releases post to tomorrow... However, in its place, we have something pretty cool. I'll let Brad explain...

A few days ago, I interviewed Kirk Bowman, the director of "Bloodsucking Babes From Burbank". Not only was this a great interview but it was also the first in-person interview for Dead Harvey.

We met at the famous Blue Room bar in Burbank and if you've seen, "Momento", starring Guy Pierce you'll recognize it. The bar is also far less famous for being located behind my old apartment. Thankfully, the Blue Room was in stumbling distance, enabling me to live to do the interview.

Bowman showed up on time and presented me with my own, "Bloodsucking Babes From Burbank" tee-shirt. This was the second piece of merchandising I've received from Bowman; the first being a blood red pen with the title of the movie inked on the outside.

There was a lot of be learned from Bowman, having previously taught acting classes for fifteen years. He's a veteran of eleven features and several shorts. Along with the pen, tee-shirt and copy of, "Bloodsucking Babes From Burbank", Bowman also sent me a copy of his latest comedy, "Curse of the Pink Panties", a very entertaining throwback to the glory days of eighties sex comedies.

Bowman is a rare breed in that he's void of ego and arrogance. He's about one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet and is constantly out there, getting off his ass and making movies. To this, Dead Harvey gives a strong salute.

Following are the audio clips from the Dead Harvey interview:

clip 1 - Tell us about your company

clip 2 - Where did you come up with the title?

clip 3 - How did you get such an attractive actress?

clip 4 - Marketing for investors

clip 5 - How different was the movie from the script?

clip 6 - What draws you to horror movies?

clip 7 - Shooting on a micro-budget

clip 8 - Locations and sequels

clip 9 - Special effects

clip 10 - Shooting style

clip 11 - Pacing nudity

clip 12 - Murphy's law

clip 13 - What would you do differently?

clip 14 - Distribution

clip 15 - Actors

clip 16 - What's next?

Sunday, May 25, 2008

ROUND 1: Capturing The Chaos

I feel I should preface this post with an introduction to Sam... Sam's worked as a DP on various indie films (including one of mine), commercials and music videos, plus works at a leading video and motion picture equipment rental house. (I'm not getting into specifics on purpose, not sure if I should) Anyhow, he's a good friend, will hopefully be a regular contributor to Dead Harvey and is looking to help a few indie filmmakers out by answering technical-type questions...

There's a new edition happening here at DeadHarvey. "CAPTURING THE CHAOS" will be a re-occuring part of the blog, discussing the equipment used to capture the Gore, Suspense, Blood, Dismemberment and Death. I'm thinking that the best way to go about this is to let it be comment driven, giving our readers the answers they need to get "that look" or "that shot." We've been discussing what to start with in this section, and thought we'd leave it up to you. Comment on this post and we'll see where this goes.

Friday, May 23, 2008

Film Fest Friday - Fantastic Films Weekend, Phoenix Fear Fest and updates from PAGE

I've got a couple things going on here for Film Fest Friday. First up, I've got a bunch of info on the upcoming, 7th Fantastic Films Weekend that takes place in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Now, for all of us over here in North America, we shouldn't overlook festivals that are in the UK or elsewhere overseas... it may not be easy to attend, but you can definitely submit your films. As for North American festivals, I just found out the new dates for the Phoenix Fear Fest... and, there's some success stories from the PAGE Screenwriting Awards.


The 7th Fantastic Films Weekend 2008 starts on Friday, June 13th and ends Sunday, June 15th and the venue, as always, is the National Media Museum, based in Bradford, West Yorkshire. They sent out a big email and here's who's going to be there and what's going to screen...

We are delighted to be able to confirm the final Guest of Honour line-up at this year’s FFW. Back by popular demand is Robert Fuest, who was a big hit back in 2006 when we screened And Soon the Darkness and The Final Programme. This year we’ll be absorbing ourselves in the wonders of his Phibes films. Peter Duffell joins us for a screening of his Amicus anthology The House That Dripped Blood and jetting in from Belgium will be Harry Kümel, the maestro behind Daughters of Darkness and Malpertuis. Both films are playing during FFW. Finally, meet the team responsible for Tigon’s Blood on Satan’s Claw. Director Piers Haggard – grandson of H. Rider Haggard - will be appearing alongside Robert Wynne-Simmons, who wrote the script. Yes, we would like to include Angel Blake herself, aka Linda Hayden, in the line-up. No, we haven’t got her. All guests appear subject to work (and other) commitments. Unfortunately, Jimmy Sangster has been forced to withdraw due to ill health. We wish him well. And Jenny Agutter has sent her apologies as filming on her new TV series means she will be working over the weekend.

Here's what's playing on each day of the festival:

Friday: Brain Dead TBC, Count Dracula (Pt 1), The Nightmare Man (Pt 1), Spine Tingler!, Vampire Diary, Schalcken the Painter, Black Christmas, Vigilante, Outland 70mm, An American Werewolf in London, The Mist, Val Lewton: The Man in the Shadows

Saturday: ...And Now the Screaming Starts!, Scars of Dracula, Maelstrom (Episode 2), The Abominable Dr. Phibes, Malpertuis, The Day of the Triffids (Pt 1), Dr. Phibes Rises Again!, Z for Zachariah, Savage Streets, Screentalk: Robert Fuest, Poltergeist 70mm, The House That Dripped Blood, Screentalk: Peter Duffell, The Thing 70mm + intro by John Carpenter

Sunday: Cat People, The Most Dangerous Game, Short Films, Dracula (digital), Chiller: Toby, Blood on Satan's Claw, Children of the Stones: Into the Circle, Grindhouse double-bill, Frankenstein, Screentalk: Piers Haggard + Robert Wynne-Simmons, Daughters of Darkness, Terminator 2: Judgement Day 70mm, Screentalk: Harry Kumel, Hell's Ground

In addition there will be daily screenings of I Am Legend at 8.30pm in the IMAX auditorium.

Also, they are already accepting entries for FFW 2009. Filmmakers with new films that fit the themes of the Fantastic Films Weekend are encouraged to submit their work for consideration. The FFW accepts live action, animation and documentary films in both short and feature-length formats.

For more information on the festival, the films in the festival and how to submit your film for next years festival, you can go to their website. The also have a Facebook fans page.


The Phoenix Fear Festival is now scheduled for Saturday, August 30th... Here's some info from their website:

We're back!!! After the great success of our first event - and after a few setbacks (our scheduled 2007 venue closed), plus an appropriate period to recover! - we're delighted to announce the second incarnation! Bigger! Gorier! Saturday-er! We're moving to the Chandler Cinemas, and this time, we've moved to the weekend proper, by popular demand.

We just issued our first call for entries, so we'll soon begin the task of sorting through the films, both feature and short, to see what gems we can find. We're already looking forward to the event, and have a lot of exciting plans in prospect. Stay tuned here for more info...

For more information on the Phoenix Fear Fest, you can go to their website.


Finally, some news from the PAGE International Screenwriting Awards that might get you off your ass and start writing...

My favorite days here at the PAGE Awards are those when I get to announce good news from our winning screenwriters. So today is a great day! As you know, the PAGE International Screenwriting Awards competition has earned a reputation for discovering and promoting some of the most talented new screenwriters from across the country and around the world. Many of our winning writers are now building careers in the industry:

24 PAGE Award winners have optioned or sold their winning scripts
12 PAGE Award winners have acquired representation
11 PAGE Award winners have landed screenwriting assignments
10 PAGE Award winners have movies or television shows in production, aired or released

In the latest news…
Legendary producer Fred Roos (THE GODFATHER, APOCALYPSE NOW, LOST IN TRANSLATION) has signed on to produce Dylan Costello’s 2005 Bronze Prize-winning feature CORONADO. Anne Goursaud is attached to direct. The 2007 Gold Prize-winning drama SLUGGER, by Jimmy Miller, has been optioned by Barn Door Pictures. Acclaimed actress/director Mary Stuart Masterson (FRIED GREEN TOMATOES, BENNY & JOON, DIGGING TO CHINA) is attached to direct. The 2006 Silver Prize-winning family film I’LL BE YOUR BEST FRIEND, by Jennifer Boch-Wawrzyniak, has been optioned by producer Julie Richardson (COLLATERAL, THE MIDNIGHT MAN) and Imaginarium Entertainment. And the new short film DOUBLE, by 2005 Gold Prize winner Keith Ray Putman, is currently screening in the Short Film Corner at the Cannes Film Festival. The psychological thriller was written and directed by Putman and stars Avery Clyde (“Dawson’s Creek,” “N.C.I.S.,” “Medium”).

We're extremely proud of these talented writers, and we're very excited about our fifth anniversary competition. This year our judges will once again present 31 awards in ten different categories. The winning writers will receive over $30,000 in cash and prizes, including a $10,000 Grand Prize, as well as extensive publicity and industry exposure for their winning scripts. If you've already entered this year's contest, thank you for the opportunity to read your work! Our judges tell us that they’ve already read some wonderful screenplays and they’re very excited about sending them up to the next round of judging. If you haven't yet entered our 2008 contest, we’re offering you one last chance to submit your script. Our Final Entry Deadline is Saturday, May 31st. But this is your last chance to enter this year’s contest. In order to be eligible for our 2008 Awards, your entry must be postmarked or submitted online by midnight Saturday, May 31st. We'll be announcing this year’s Semi-Finalists on August 1st. Finalists will be posted on September 1st. And the 2008 PAGE Award Winners will be announced on October 1st. Will your name be on that list?

For more information on the PAGE International Screenwriting Awards, you can go to their website.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

"Fear House", another case study in getting an indie-horror made.

Here's the next case study on getting your indie-horror made. This time around we talk to Michael R. Morris, the writer and director of "Fear House". Check out our other case studies in the archived section and, as usual, if you're a filmmaker and would like us to cover you and your film, just let me know. However, I've gotta say, I've got quite a few to get through now... and these case studies don't write themselves... but I will get to them all, I promise.

Film: Fear House
Written By: Michael R. Morris
Directed By: Michael R. Morris
Released By: Lifesize Entertainment

About: When Michael Morris came up for the idea behind "Fear House", he was looking to do "a low-budget horror movie in a single location with a relatively small cast". Further, he "wanted to do something in the psycological vein" and was "interested in the positive or, in this case, negative power of the mind". With the parameters set, he came up with a story about a group of friends and family who pursue an estranged writer to an isolated house only to find that, once they've entered, their own fears will kill them if they leave. "It's creepy, the idea that what's going to kill you is like a snake tied to your ankle: every step you take, it's always right there." Originally, he didn't write the script intending to direct it, but he had just made "Last Seen at Angkor", which he "wrote and directed for pocket money in Thailand and Cambodia" and that gave him the 'in' to direct Fear House.

Budget: Morris received financing from a private investor through Lifesize Entertainment, which was the distribution company that had just distributed his last effort, "Last seen at Angkor". The budget was around $100K and this was Lifesize's "first from-the-ground-up production". Morris "was not personally involved in raising the financing, though (he) did everything he could to cut costs, find people who would work for very little and even (shot his) own B-roll or pick-ups after the shoot was over."

Getting it made: "The film was shot on the Panasonic HVX200, one of the compact HD cameras." As Morris has worked as a cinematographer before, he can talk more specifically about how he achieved the look, "the important key here is that we used the P&S Technic Mini-35 lens conversion to get the 'cinematic' depth of field you're used to seeing in films that are shot through a 35mm gate." With his previous camera experience, he "had a pretty close hand in the shots". In fact, he "may have been a bit annoying for the DP Skye Borgman because (he) was always on top of her about little details". According to him, "she was pretty kick-ass. She worked hard" and to both of their credit, if you have seen the film, it did look great. As for how the shoot went, it was 14 days with a few days off in between and "it would have been nice to have a few more shooting days", but there isn't much he would've changed. "Some scenes (may have) suffered... due to how fast (they) had to shoot them" and it "was a little dark in some places", but he was "very happy with the cast, since they were mostly unknowns off the street". "I hope most of them really go on to great things"...

The effects: The film had some great effects and there was one, in particular, that stood out... Morris went into detail on a few of them, but we'll talk about the decapitated head that ends up in a bucket on the lawn...

"The fact is, we weren't allowed to break the castle windows, nor did the metal fasteners on them allow us to temporarily replace them. So we came up with a clever way to shoot the shot from an angle, eject broken shards of glass along with the fake head out the deep set window casement without actually having to break the real window glass... Next was the flying head through the air. That's self-explanatory, except that I had a real face off with the assistant director, with everybody in the cast and crew watching, about how to do it. We were so pressed for time, and I think he had some elaborate way to orchestrate this shot. I was like, "Let's just throw it!" He was sure we would end up destroying the head and ruining chances for using it in other shots. In the end I won and we just threw the head through the air and a couple of PA's caught the head in a blanket. Probably did about 12 tries to get it right.

The piece de resistance is the actual head in the bucket. I didn't want some fake head in the bucket looking obviously lifeless. I wanted the look of terror on the actress's face as she realized that her severed head was drowning in a bucket (alas, her worst fear). So we shot this with two elements: 1) we put the actress in a kiddie pool with a cut-away bucket around her head, a little red food coloring to come out of her mouth and bingo. 2) the next shot was just the empty bucket sitting on the dirt. We "processed" the two shots together and it looks like a live person's head is severed in the bucket. We originally thought we'd have to have skin flaps and cut flesh, but with the shadowing of the light, we didn't need it. (This shot was influenced by a shot in 'Wolfen' when, after a guy's head is lopped off by a wolf, his mouth is still moving)."

Distributing the film: Because Lifesize financed and distributed the film, they already had distribution secured before they shot a frame. However, Morris offers advice learned from his first film, which Lifesize eventually picked up. "Research festivals and production companies before you even shoot anything. A lot of those entities are very slanted or political, so learn their bias ahead of time. Often times you get a better perspective of what 'works' in your movie before you waste a lot money doing if from the hip." Further, "know who your audience is. I struggled with that on my first film, a vampire movie set in the New York after hours club scene. There are a few basic requirments in the horror genre that helps it sell. You should know how to incorporate them before you finalize your script." However, he then offers up that he feels the genre is getting saturated and "now's a great time to do something never before seen and combine it cleverly with the tried and true genre elements. Go for it."

What’s next: Morris is working on a few things right now and the one he's most excited about? "Shaolin Zombie Masters... need I say more?"

For more information on Michael Morris, you can check out his profile on Alive Not Dead, for more information on Fear House, you can check it out at IMDB and to buy it off Amazon, click on the link below...


Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Music in Indie Film and an introduction to Tony Longworth

You wrote the script, you got the money and you went out and shot your film. You put effort into the effects - they look good, you got decent performances out of your actors, you're happy with the look you got and now, it's time for post... you just cut it, throw in some sound effects and you're done, right? Well, unfortunately, for a lot of filmmakers, that's what you get... I'm not sure if they think they can't afford music or if they just don't think it's important, but it is. In fact, it can make or break a film, especially an indie film. So, it's with great pleasure that I introduce Tony Longworth and I'll let Tony explain who Tony is...

It’s no surprise that music is one of the most commonly overlooked elements in many independent movies. The indie-filmmaker has a very limited budget, so when the time comes for music, the pot is usually empty and the filmmaker has to resort to using public domain or band written music. Now this music will probably work fine with the movie in question, as the filmmaker tends to spend a long time sourcing the existing music, but it will be nowhere near as good as a score specifically written for that movie.

I guess a lot of filmmakers either think that they can’t afford a composer or they just don’t have the contacts. Let me tell you that there many are composers out there willing to work on low or non-existent budget movies. How do I know this? Well, I’m one of them.

My name is Tony Longworth and I’ve been involved with music and movies for over 15 years now. I’ve been in several bands and I’ve written music for many movies in that time. All of the movies I’ve written music for are of the lower budget variety, with the percentage of them sitting in the horror genre. I’ve only ever been paid upfront once for writing music and that was a meagre £50. In most cases I’m quite happy with a credit in the titles, a copy of the movie and a promise of a cut of any profit made which in nearly all cases is a big fat zero.

Now this lack of incoming money for my music is never going to put me off. Writing music is my passion and I love movies, so I’m going to keep doing what I do. That’s not to say that I wouldn’t like to be paid for what I do, that goes without saying, it just means that I’m not in it for the money alone. My main goal is to bring something good and something original to a movie, I want my music to make the movie live, for it to come alive and thrill an audience with all its different emotions.

I know for a fact that I’m not the only composer in the world who feels like this. Hell, there are hundreds of us, maybe even thousands out there who are looking for good, exciting indie movies to score, so there’s really no excuses – do a little searching on the internet and you’re sure to find a good, willing composer who can bring a little magic to your movie.

Now, some filmmakers might worry that although they’ve found a willing composer, they are in fact not local to them – they could even live on the other side of the world. Well, let me reassure you by saying that this isn’t a problem at all because I actually live in the north west of England, close to Liverpool, and most of the movies I’ve scored are American and my location hasn’t impeded me at all. The internet really has made this planet a smaller place. I know it sounds corny, but I’ve seen that evidence with my own eyes. When I’m working on a project, the director will e-mail, chat or even speak to me across the internet, uploading scenes for me to view, giving me direction. I then send music ideas direct to them electronically, any time of the day – it’s a 24/7 process that is fast and inexpensive. From my own experience it works a treat and I believe that there really is no other effective way of working.

So my advice to all filmmakers, do that search, spend a little time dropping e-mails and you’re guaranteed to find yourself a composer that will make your movie that much better.

Like I said, Tony will be writing further posts on his trials and tribulations as a composer on indie films... Now, if you have any questions on the topic, feel free to email me at ted@deadharvey.com and I'll pass them on to him. For that matter, feel free to email me if you have any questions at all, or want us to cover any topics in particular.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Linkapalooza - May 20, 2008

Some interesting stuff going on out there in Hollywood these days...

Leading Man at Forbes.com - Okay, if there was a spectrum and at one far end, there was Dead Harvey, who's navigating, promoting and working the no-budget, indie horror scene... the other far end would be this guy, Peter Chernin. Some people consider him to be the most powerful man in Hollywood, basically because as President of News Corp, "he runs the most-watched TV network, the largest movie studio (based on year-to-date box office sales), a clutch of cable channels and an expanding array of Internet sites." All the guys who you and I would bend over a couch to get a meeting with would do the same (and probably more) to get a meeting with Chernin... and I mean that figuratively, I think. Anyhow, it's a great article on how he and Disney's Iger basically stopped the writers strike, how he's not going to let an actor's strike happen and where he thinks this whole industry is going. Very interesting...

Indies paving a self-distribution trail on YouMakeMedia.com - When I first saw the title of this, I thought it was going to be about self-distributing DVD's and content online, however... it's about how some indie filmmakers are securing theatrical releases all on their own. There's some great ideas in there...

Netflix to Sell a Device for Instantly Watching Movies on TV Sets on NewYorkTimes.com - Well, the future is here! Netflix is now selling a digital box for $99 that will connect the internet to your TV. It's not like it hasn't been tried before (AppleTV), but they're doing it at the right price. They will house the content on a server somewhere and you can watch whatever you want, on demand. I think we all agree, a box that connects the internet to your TV, tranlating content so it's easy to navigate is where we're going to go. I don't think there's any questions there. It's just about figuring out who owns those boxes and Netflix is taking a stab at it. The problem, once again, will be with the studios, who will be reluctant to give up their titles. Maybe, after they've squeezed all the juice out of them that they can, they might pass them on. However, if you take the studio's problems out if it, this should open up doors for indie filmmakers. Just think, can you see a day where Netflix (or whoever owns the boxes) has an option for you to upload content, design a page, then it's instantly offered to every household that has the box and you split revenues with them? I can...

'Dawn of the Dead' goes 3-D on TheHollywoodReporter.com - Is this for real? Is there really a big enough audience to justify "dimensionalizing" George A. Romero's 1978 original version of "Dawn of the Dead" to stereoscopic 3-D for a theatrical release? Considering that it costs a minimum of $50K per minute to do and that the film is 126 minutes long, someone's going to spend $6.3Million to create this? The original film had a budget of under $1Million! Someone's insane for thinking this makes economical sense... but, I'll go see it.

Monday, May 19, 2008

May 20, 2008 - New Horror coming out on DVD

It's another decent week for horror, with lots of rereleases, double packs and, of course, new releases. The big release of the week is Romero's "Diary of the Dead" and, also, there's enough new releases out this week that I don't have to visit the rereleases... However, I will mention one of them, but only because it's a 5-pack of low-budget horror gems and you don't see that every day. So, as always, you can go to our Youtube page and see the trailers for all of these and/or click on them and buy them off Amazon.

You're on a horror site about horror filmmaking, so I'm going to assume that you've heard of this guy George Romero and his latest effort, "Diary of the Dead". It's being released by The Weinstein Company and Genius Entertainment tomorrow, simultaneously with yet another new edition, rerelease of "Night of the Living Dead". "Diary" was shot, independently, in 2006 on a budget of around $2Million, which is quite low considering it's Romero and he had a budget of around $16Million for "Land of the Dead", but that was studio backed and he wanted to get away from that 'whole scene'. "Diary" had its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and was picked up by the Weinstein's four days later. A lot of people were disappointed with the film, but with no really good reason, as far as I'm concerned. It's an f'ing zombie movie, not his best, but is a Romero zombie feature. In fact, I thought it was pretty good. There's the usual, Romero, heavy handed social commentary and the lack of subtility, but that's him. There's also lots of good zombie deaths and the effects are great... and, if you're a horror fan, which you are, you just have to see it. End of story.

"Lost Colony" is another Sci-Fi Original. Originally called "Wraiths of Roanake", it was the first produced script from Rafail Jordon, who has gone on to write three more Sci-Fi movies, including: "Copperhead", "Yeti: Curse of the Snow Demon" and "Captain Drake". It was directed by Matt Codd, who's spent the bulk of his career in the art department, but has dabbled in directing with "Epoch", "Shark Hunter", a couple others before this. It premiered on the the Sci-Fi Channel on October 13th, 2007 and it stars TV's "Highlander", Adrian Paul. In going through the different comments and ratings on it, my favorite has to be, "Overall, this was surprisingly un-retarded for a Sci-Fi Original". Enough said. For what it's worth, it's supposed to be one of the better Sci-Fi Original's of the year.

I think "Darkest Hour" actually came out a few years back, but not long enough ago for me to consider it a rerelease. In fact, I'm not sure if it's ever been available on DVD before... It's a great, low-budget, shot on DV indie horror that's written, directed and produced by Dan Zachary, who's supposedly working on another feature right now called "Slow the Decay". "Darkest Hour" is about a sleepy town that was terrorized by a skull-faced maniac and a group of actors who visit the town, trying to cash in on the town's noteriety by hosting an interactive murder mystery party based on the killings... then, of course, the party guests start getting killed off, one by one.

"The Entrance" is an award winning feature, which was written, directed, produced and edited by Damon Vignale. It won best lead performance by a female, best lead performance by a male and best picture editing at the Leo Awards. It's about a police detective that's swept into a web of deception and, in search of the truth, finds herself in a contest with forces of the occult. It does have a couple of great actors in it, in Sarah-Jane Redmond and Michael Eklund and it is award winning, so... what more do you need to know? Go check out the trailer on our Youtube page, it looks great.

"Sight" is from Adam Ahlbrandt, who wrote, directed, shot and edited the film. I haven't seen the film, but I'm going to have to now... The film stars relative nobodies, Clayton Haske, Tony Luke Jr, Allison Persaud and a few others and the trailer I found looks good and I think it may be shot on DV... However, wikipedia says it's narrated by Morgan Freeman and had a budget of $2.35Million??? I'm sorry, but what the f? It's about Jeffrey, who leads a quiet existence and lives in constant fear of being labled a psychopath. He constructs a complex world of denial, as he's haunted by the spirits of the vengeful dead, which he can see and no one else can. So, how does Morgan Freeman fit in? I'll check it out and report back...

This version of "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" is a modern adaptation of the classic story that came out in 2006 and stars indie-horror favorite, Tony Todd. It's written and directed by John Carl Buechler, who's won various awards for his special effects work, but has also directed a few horror classics, including: "Troll", "Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood" and "Ghoulies III: Ghoulies Go to College". Well, okay, they're horror classics to me. Anyhow, this updated version, which takes place in modern day LA, is getting good reviews and it should deliver on the gore, as it's made by a certified gore wizard... and Tony Todd's in it.

I don't know much about the writer/director of "Sorority Sister Slaughter", Susan Hippen, but I do know that I like I like any low-budget indie that involves blood, babes and butchering, especially when it all takes place in a sorority house. It stars Kira Madallo Sesay, who actually came up with the story and then must have sold Hippen on the idea, which is about an uninvited guest to the Kappa Tau Omega sorority house, whose motto is Kappa Kappa Kill!

I gotta say, not only is it great to see a new Troma release, but it looks like "Bloodspit" could be awesome... well, in a Troma kind of way, anyhow. I don't think I even need to tell you the sub-genre, what else could it be? It's comedy horror.... and it was made in Australia a few years ago and was then picked up by Troma. The story screams Troma, as it follows the exploits of a crazed vampire hunter named Dr. Ludvich as he attempts to steal the family crest from the evil Count Blaughspich's coffin. Ludvich needs the crest in order to prevent the Count and his castle full of mutant freaks from returning to the "mirror world"... In regular Troma fashion, expect depraved vampire sex and well hung werewolves. Now, knowing all that... believe it or not, the film had it's world premiere at Cannes.

I was going back and forth in my head as to whether or not I should cover "Slashers" in this post, as it really came out in 2001. However, much like "Darkest Hour", I'm not sure if it's been previously available. "Slashers" is about Japan's number one extreme reality show, which is having it's first all-American special and to win a million dollars, all you have to do is stay alive. I've heard this plot a few times, but this go 'round the 'reality show gone bad' genre seems to be a little more extreme, but that tends to happen when you throw in that Asian twist. "Slashers" is written and directed by Maurice Devereaux, who also made Fangoria's "Lady of the Lake". It's really more of a "Running Man" rip off than anything, as contestants enter a 'dangerzone' where all hell breaks loose as they fight against three bloodthirsty 'slashers', Chainsaw Charlie, Preacherman and the psychotic medic, Dr. Ripper.

I'm only briefly going to mention "Bonejack's Splatter Platters (5-Pack)", as I rarely revisit old horrors, unless there's nothing else coming out that week. However, I wanted to cover this as there's some classics in this 5-pack of Chris Seaver's splatter comedies... you get the two pack rerelease of "Film Crew" & "Wet Heat", plus "Destruction Kings", "Mulva 2: Kill Teen Ape!" and "Quest for the Egg Salad". Without going into too much detail, Seaver is as low-budget, indie horror as you can get and he, without question, has a unique voice in the genre and knows what he's doing. If you want to learn how to separate yourself from the rest of the pack and get noticed or just watch some well done, no budget films, check these out. Outside of what's included in that splat pack, you'll also need to see "Mulva: Zombie Ass Kicker! & Filthy McNasty (Double Feature)"

Shriekfest Film Festival & Screenplay Competition announces it's call for entries!

Okay, we should be able to get things back on track this week. I just made it through a whole bunch of obligations over the last week or so and I'm ready to get caught up. First off, here's the call for entries from Shriekfest, which is a great competition to get involved in, if you get the chance...

Shriekfest Film Festival & Screenplay Competition announces it's call for entries!
POSTMARKED BY MAY 24TH OR JUNE 28TH! HURRY!!

The 8th annual Shriekfest, the Los Angeles International Horror/Thriller/SciFi/Fantasy Film Festival and Screenplay competition is currently accepting submissions for it's 2008 festival to be held in October of 2008! The festival is dedicated to screening and recognizing the works of filmmakers and screenwriters in the often forgotten genres. Superior screening facilities, parties, and panels make this a wonderful networking experience for all. Awards will be given in most categories and prizes include cash, product awards, trophies, etc. Please see our website for more information and an entry form http://www.shriekfest.com/ Also, check out our news page and testimonials page and see how Shriekfest has helped many filmmakers and screenwriters in the past.

Friday, May 16, 2008

Mountain Dew funds Indie Film

I came across this article today and wanted to write up a quick post on it... I still hope to have something for Film Fest Friday up later today.

I was talking about product placement and getting financing from marketing budgets in a post a little while ago and here's an actual example. Check out this article from 'Advertising Age' or 'Adage', as they call it - they're pretty much the go-to site when it comes to advertising, marketing and media. The cool thing about the article is that it's from the perspective of the marketer, which is, in this case, Mountain Dew, who's financing an indie skater film called, "Deathbowl to Downtown". So, you'll be able to see what a brand would expect to get out of financing or just getting involved with your film.

Now for the rant/explanation part of my post: Product placement, sponsorship and outright advertising has been the business model in TV forever, as in... literally, forever. Basically, they give you content for free in exchange for making you watch ads, which they get paid for. However, with DVR's, VOD, time-shifting, etc... the TV market's become fragmented, eye balls are wandering and people aren't paying attention to ads, so advertisers are looking elsewhere. Further, the lines between TV and film are starting to blur... it's not so much a market where that's a TV program and I watch it on CBS on Thursday's at 9PM or that's a film that I go to the theater to watch it. The new market is, that's content, I don't care where it came from, and I'm watching it on TV, I'm watching it in a theater or even on my phone. So, with blurring lines and a fragmented marketing place, you're going to see more and more advertisers just trying to get involved with content, wherever it originates from. In fact, you're going to see advertisers trying to get everywhere - if you run a festival, it should be easy to get sponsors these days, but I digress...

So, as an indie filmmaker, this means a few things for you. One, (and most importantly) you should never just think of traditional distribution methods anymore. What you're making isn't as much a film as it is content... and people need to be able to view that content any way they want. Two, and the point of this post, remember that marketers and advertisers are yet another potential source for financing. You've got the talent and ability to make a product that people will watch, regardless of whether it's 500 people or 500,000 people... and there's a marketer out there who would pay to get his brand in front of those people.

The next post will be on some horror film festival... I'm trying to figure out which one to talk about.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

CALLING OUT ALL SOBRIETY CHALLENGED FILMMAKERS IN THE LOS ANGELES AREA...

I've been slammed, busy with personal life and day job duties lately, but thank God new Dead Harvey team member, Brad Paulson, hasn't been... He's been drinking his face off, watching indie horror screeners and, generally, enjoying his own company while, also, prepping for a new indie horror that he's co-writing and directing. (more on that later) However, you can only spend so much time by yourself, drunk. So, he's got a message to all indie horror filmmakers in the L.A. area who are looking to network a bit, shoot the shit, get some promotion and have a beer or two. A note from esteemed Dead Harvey team member Brad Paulson:

Damn, this Mai-Tai is good. Very tasty. So is this Red Nectar ale. Don't worry, that statement wasn't sponsored. This is an independent site, after all. Seriously though, if any beer companies or any one representing a beer and/or hard alcohol company is reading this blog and wants to sponsor Dead Harvey in all it's artistic endevors, you can email me at brad@deadharvey.com or Ted at ted@deadharvey.com and we'll email you an address to send the booze to on the asap. Coupons also work, just so you know. Okay, time to move on with what's new...

Next up, I will be interviewing the director of "Blood Sucking Babes From Burbank" for a Dead Harvey exclusive. Furthermore, I'm going to seize this opportunity to put the call out to all the indie filmmakers that have sent me screeners and, of course, those who haven't. Contact me at brad@deadharvey.com and, if you live in los angeles, I will buy you a beer and we'll do an interview for the site about the movie you're promoting and your company.

I'm looking forward to the, B.S.B.F.B. interview since I've been a resident of the Burbank area for the last few years.

Best,
Brad

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Linkapalooza - May 13, 2008

Sorry, again, for being a bit late on the post...

First off... "Midnight Meat Train". I know a bit about it, I'm excited for it, but I have to admit, I'm a bit pissed off at what's going on here. I know that it's based on the 1984 Clive Barker short story of the same name from his 'Books of Blood', I know that it's been in production hell for years now and has had various directors attached... and, finally, I know that the upcoming version was written by Jeff Buhler (with help from Clive) and directed by Ryuhei Kitamura. ...but, what's the f'ing deal here? First I heard that it wasn't going to get a theatrical release. Then, the Midnight Meat Train website says it's coming out May 16th (I'm assuming it's not) and, finally, imdb says it's coming out in August 1st, which is a Friday... which would mean that it IS getting a theatrical release. Then, there's the whole thing about the title, it was originally "Midnight Meat Train", then just "Midnight Train", now it's back to "Midnight Meat Train". The trailer looks great and it should be a good movie, so... just f'ing release it, we know it's finished. This is what pisses me off... horror's the only genre that doesn't fit with the studio's corporate plans. Comedies, dramas and action moves can all be cut down to a PG-13 without comprimising the film and, therefore, appeal to that wider audience. Horror can't do that... and especially horror like "Midnight Meat Train". So, the reality is, all these title changes and moving dates around have nothing to do with the quality of the film, in fact it's probably a good, gory horror and the studios simply don't know what to do with it.

One of our readers left a comment about internet financing, basically about how there are some sites that help filmmakers raise money. He left a couple of links in there, one to CinemaTech and another to a Yahoo! article. So, first off, to answer your questions, yes to both... I'm going to do a bit of research and come up with a bigger post on using the internet to raise money for your film and we definitely take requests. I've actually been thinking about doing a post on this ever since I talked with Christine Parker, who's one of the people behind The Adrenalin Group, the guys who brought you "Forever Dead" and the upcoming, "Fistful of Brains". They make their movies on the cheap and used a lot of their own money, but they did raise a fair amount of money by using ebay. Do an ebay search and you can usually find someone selling off producer credits or something. Any service that makes it easier for you to raise money is good. However, there will always be a caveat with each service. So, I will be writing up a bigger post on this because I do think it's worth looking into...

A lot of indie filmmakers overlook the process of marketing their film and there are some absolute bare minimum efforts that should be made, such as a website, Myspace page, a trailer on Youtube, stuff like that... Hollywood puts millions upon million into their marketing and, while you may have a marketing budget of zero, there's still some things you can do. Check this out... Indie Horror Film Viral Marketing Campaign Freaks out Okies - remember the old adage, any press is good press? Well, that's definitely true in film. The cop called it a publicity stunt gone bad, but, I'll tell you what... a lot of people in that town now know about the film AND I'll bet the premiere went well. This is good work, as far as I'm concerned. The other thing I came across was just kinda cool. To promote the exclusive thrillers and horror films on 13th Street, the bathrooms of a nightclub in Hamburg were specially prepared. Just after entering the room, the light suddenly goes out and the room is bathed in black light. And now a bloody crime scene becomes visible on the floor and walls: "See what others don't see. 13TH STREET. The Action and Suspense Channel." Check out the picture below...




Monday, May 12, 2008

May 13, 2008 - New horror coming out on DVD

I've gotta say, it's a pretty good week for horror releases. There's a lot of good shit in here... and, as usual, go check out our youtube page to see the trailers and, if you want to buy them, click on the titles and you can get them off Amazon.

"Frontier(s)" is a french film, written and directed by Xavier Gens, who went on to direct "Hitman" right after this. "Frontier(s)" was supposed to be in the 2007 '8 Films to Die For' festival, but the MPAA said that, as it stood, it was going to get an NC-17 rating and in order for After Dark Films to get it to an R rating, they were going to have to cut the last 40 minutes. Considering that the unrated version is 108 minutes, that would've made the R version around an hour long and, I can only imagine, not worth watching. So, rightfully, After Dark said they wouldn't cut it and left it out of the festival... It just got a limited theatrical release on May 9th and less than a week after it's theatrical run, it's now coming out on DVD. So, what's the fuss about? The plot seems somewhat familiar, but apparently the last 40 minutes or so are brutal, disgusting, demented... and, of course, I mean that in a good way. "Frontiere(s)" is about a robbery gone wrong, which is an ongoing theme this week, where the group of crooks are split up and some of them take refuge in a seedy hostel, which just so happens to be run by a bunch of neo-Nazi cannibals, desperate for a New World Order, that will go to any lengths to turn their fascist fantasy into reality. So, if you were into "Hostel", "Live Feed" and "Turistas", this sounds like the extreme version...

I actually recently covered "The Cottage", as it just screened at Tribeca and here's what I had to say: "Cottage" stars Andy Serkis, who played Golum in "The Lord of the Rings" movies and it's being billed as "Shaun of the Dead" meets "The Evil Dead". However, "Shaun of the Dead" was about zombies, "Evil Dead" was about, well... zombies and this is about a kidnapping gone wrong. Either way, it's an indie film and it's about a kidnapping plot gone horribly awry when two brothers and their shit-talking hostage stumble into the wrong farmhouse in a gory horror-comedy. It's directed by Paul Andrew Williams, who's only other feature is "London to Brighton", an award winning drama. Either way, it looks pretty damn good. I'll tell you what, there's been a lot of good horror-comedies coming out of the U.K. lately, such as "Severance", "Shaun of the Dead" and "Boy Eats Girl". Apparently, the farmhouse they stumble into is inhabited by a Leatherface kind of character or something... So, okay, okay, it's a horror. (note: I had a chance to see it since I wrote that post and, yes... it would definitely be classified as a horror. A comedy-horror, but still a horror. It's really well done, looks great, it's funny and does deliver on the gore. If you liked "Shaun of the Dead", you should enjoy this... Personally, I enjoyed "Evil Aliens" and "Severance" more, but it does rank up there with them)

Well, "Botched" is another film that just doesn't sound like a horror, but it won best feature film at the New York City Film Festival, so... I'm guessing it should be classified as a horror. Once again, though, I'll reserve judgement on my official classification until I've seen it. "Botched" stars Stephen Dorff (who won best actor at the festival) and a cast with a few other people that you may recognize. It was written by three guys: Derek Boyle, Eamon Friel and Raymond Friel and was directed by Kit Ryan. It's a horror/comedy about the only survivor of a heist gone wrong (I can't make this up, that's three in a row about heists gone wrong), who finds himself dealing with serial killers, insane hostages, double-crossing psycho Russian hardmen and the real possibility of a horrible death.

"Timber Falls" was written by Daniel Kay (with a bit of help from Tony Giglio) and was directed by Giglio. It must have had a decent budget, as it was 'from the producers of "Live Free or Die Hard" and "Lord of War"', plus it's got a decent cast and Giglio has made a few Hollywood style films, including "Chaos", "In Enemy Hands" and, uh... "Soccer Dog: The Movie". Either way, I don't seem to remember this coming out. The plot is, as usual, quite stereotypical, there's this heist that goes wrong and... Actually, it's far more cliched than a heist gone wrong. A boyfriend and girlfriend go camping with their friends, they're advised to stay away from a specific trail, they go anyhow and they end up encountering a pack of psychopaths. However, here's where it gets good - the psychopaths are a deranged fanatical religious family that kidnaps hot chicks in an attempt to procreate offspring. Sign me up...

Now, for the only true, micro-cinema horror of the week. Hot off the heals of "Amateur Porn Star Killer", director Shane Ryan brings you "Amateur Porn Star Killer 2", his third feature film. Well, he shared directing credit on his first feature, "Big Boobs, Blonde Babes, Bad Blood", but whatever, it counts... Seriously, though, APSK could turn into a bit of a series for him, as they're starting to get a bit of notoriety. They're low budget, shot on DV films, but they're meant to look like snuff films, so they work... and they work really well. What I really like about these are that Ryan doesn't try to do too much with what he has, instead he knows his boundaries, works within it and creates films that, basically, are justified in the way they look and play out. Also, it's got boobs and gore... 'Humiliation. Rape. Murder. You know the drill'. Support indie-horror, check it out.

"Untraceable" - Boooooo.........