Drew Daywalt's "THE PASSENGERS"

You may have seen this press release on some of the other sites, but I wanted to make sure we posted something, as well.  Drew Daywalt is a good friend of Dead Harvey and, on top of that, we truly feel that he is one of the pioneers in the online horror space, as well as in the indie horror world, and will be a solid name in the world of horror for years to come.  Do yourself a favor and find him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter.  He's currently shooting the debut feature for his own company, Daywalt Fear Factory.  Here's the press release:

After three years of creating dozens of the most terrifying, award-winning short films in the world, Daywalt Fear Factory is producing its debut horror feature, THE PASSENGERS.

THE PASSENGERS tells the story of a young trucker and his wife who are terrorized by the tortured spirits attached to a load of antiques that the couple has been commissioned to haul cross country.

The film is being directed by Drew Daywalt who also wrote the screenplay. Edin Gali (MAD MEN, HEMMINGWAY AND GELLHORN) stars with Courtney Halverson (DEATH VALLEY, RED CLOVER). Jeff Farley is co producing and has signed on to do the extensive physical FX.

"We've been waiting for this opportunity for a couple years now. And since we're being financed through private investors, my team and I have the creative control to tell an intelligent, terrifying story. We're finally getting to make the film we want to make, in the way we want to make it. The plan is simple; tell a good story that scares the hell out of everyone."

Filming will take place in Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Missouri, Utah, New Mexico and California.

Paul Campion's "The Devil's Rock" Nominated for 3 Awards

Wow, it's been almost five years since we did our interview with Paul Campion.  We spoke with him after he made his awesome short films, "Eel Girl" and "Night of the Hell Hamsters", both of which screened at indie horror film fests.  If you go to Youtube, you can find clips from both... I'm not sure if they're on there in their entirety.  In any case, Campion's feature, "The Devil's Rock", was not only a great film, it was nominated for 3 awards at the New Zealand Film Awards.  Here's the press release and if you want to check out our interview from four and half years ago, here's the link.

The Devil’s Rock Nominated for 3 Awards

New Zealand Film Awards 2012 Announce Finalists

Paul Campion’s The Devil’s Rock has been nominated for three awards at The Sorta Unofficial New Zealand Film Awards 2012.

The Sorta Unofficial New Zealand Film Awards is organised by Hugh Sundae of nzherald.co.nz and Ant Timpson, and presented by the New Zealand Herald and Rialto Channel. Nicknamed the Moas, the awards recognise all films filmed and produced in New Zealand and celebrates all New Zealand films, whether feature or short.

The Devil’s Rock has been nominated for:

Best Visual Effects – Frank Rueter and Jake Lee

Best Costume Design – Tristan McCallum

Best Makeup Design – Davina Lamon, Sean Foot and Richard Taylor

Synopsis: Set in the Channel Islands on the eve of D-Day, two Kiwi commandos, sent to destroy German gun emplacements to distract Hitler’s forces away from Normandy, discover a Nazi plot to use the occult to win the war.

The awards ceremony will take place on Tuesday 4^th December at The Civic Wintergarden, and will be streamed live on nzherald.co.nz.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=10845334

http://www.nzfilmawards.co.nz/news/

www.facebook.com/TheDevilsRock

Predatory Moon - Indiegogo Campaign

I'm always happy to promote filmmaker's Kickstarter and Indiegogo campaigns...  I think it's a great thing for all of us.  It's something we can all do, so we should be helping others, finding out what works and what doesn't and learning from it.  I think we should all spend a bit of time each week looking through different projects on Indiegogo and Kickstarter.  Anyhow, I received a press release for Shiva Rodriguez's Indiegogo campaign that's for her film, PREDATORY MOON.  It'll be a werewolf film done entirely with practical effects and it'll be the directorial debut for Rodriguez...  who's an F/X artist by trade.  The official site for the film is www.predatorymoon.com and the link to her indiegogo campaign is www.indiegogo.com/predatorymoon.  Here's some more info on the project...  

Shiva Rodriguez is one of the few female directors in the male-dominated indie horror scene. These days most werewolf transformations are done with CGI, but Shiva will be doing it with practical effects like the classic film "An American Werewolf In London".  Please check out the video on the campaign page to see how she plans on achieving this difficult feat. www.indiegogo.com/predatorymoon

Shiva has been in the entertainment industry since 1988, working with theatre and performance art productions before moving into film and video in 2008. While she's best known for her work in practical F/X for stage and screen, she also has experience as an art director, stage manager, costume designer, set decorator, video editor, screenwriter, and producer.

She has done the effects for such movies as “The Housewife Slasher” http://youtu.be/PEg98WKaTtQ “Horrorscapes” http://youtu.be/i8abh3GeTvM “Rough Cut” https://vimeo.com/44494818 and “Dangerous People” https://vimeo.com/39177668

Predatory Moon is a unique werewolf story that takes place near the Florida Everglades. Zoologist Kyle Reading suspects that the violent bear attack he's investigating was actually the work of a far more sinister creature. Acting on his suspicions, he begins to take a closer look at Dean, the sole survivor of the incident who is displaying some very unusual behavior.

Unfortunately for Kyle, there is someone watching him very closely too. Someone who sees an advantage to having a stranger in town who cries “werewolf”.

Predatory Moon is a very old-school style horror film geared toward fans of the genre. This production will be shot on location in Florida in 2013, utilizing a talented cast and crew of local film- makers, natural locations, and 100% practical effects.

CONTACT:
Virginia Jasper, Producer: Predatorymoonfilm@gmail.com
Shiva Rodriguez, Director shivarodriguez@gmail.com

Night of the Punks - see the short, relive the interview

Very happy to share this...  We saw "Night of the Punks" a couple years back and we had the chance to interview filmmaker Dan Riesser about it.  Check out our interview with him here.  It's a very well done short and you can check it out below.  Here's the press release we received recently about the short...  

"Director Dan Riesser has created an instant cult classic with Night of the Punks." 

 - Sarah Jahier, Fatally Yours 

 "A fun-filled grue-gala with awesome F/X and a rad sense of humor." 

 - Jake Dee, Arrow in the Head 

Just in time for the Halloween season, Irrational Films has made Dan Riesser's horror-comedy short film NIGHT OF THE PUNKS available for online streaming via YouTube.

In Night of the Punks, small town punk rockers The Brain Deads have their first out of town show, but there are a few problems: the venue is deserted, the promoter is a creep, their bassist has gone missing and the only kids in the audience turn out to be bloodthirsty punk rockers from Hell.

Drawing inspiration from Return of the Living Dead, Night of the Demons and the Evil Dead series, Night of the Punks is a blood-splatted love letter to '80s horror cinema. The cast includes industry veteran Luke Edwards (The Wizard, Little Big League, Newsies), sketch comedian Nick Munday, professional wrestler Vic D. Vine and L.A. horror punk band Murderland. The short has been Official Selection at more than 25 film festivals around the world and took home numerous awards and accolades.

Director Dan Riesser comments, "Making Night of the Punks and taking it to festivals was an amazing experience, and I'm glad everyone now has a chance to catch it on YouTube." Riesser plans to turn the self-financed, 19-minute short into a feature film. The script is complete and the project is currently seeking funding. In the interim, Riesser is focusing on his feature directorial debut, Stomping Ground. Billed as a scary comedy about love and Bigfoot, the movie enters production this month.

For more information on Night of the Punks, visit its official website at NightofthePunks.com.

   

The Best Article On Filmmaking That I've Ever Read

Yup, that's a bold statement...  but I'm going to share it with you; the best article on filmmaking that I've ever read.  Maybe it's because it really resonated with me, maybe it's because I read it at the right time, but... wow.  Ted Hope isn't talking about horror when he wrote this, but he might as well have.

If you didn't know, the Dead Harvey team is currently trying to get a few projects off the ground.  One's a low-budget horror and the others are more mid-range.  Currently, it looks like we'll get this low-budget one off the ground first, but you never know.  Regardless, we have a bunch of finished, polished scripts, but we just finished the last one and we're thinking about our next.  What to write?

You've had the conversation, right?  Do we do something niche, do we do something more commercial?  This stuff sells, this isn't hot right now.  Everyone wants found footage films, alien films are out, ghosts are in.  Blah, blah, blah...   well, read this article and I think it'll help you when you're at that stage.  It certainly helped me AND it put a few things in perspective.

Without further ado, here's the link to "Everything I Know About Producing, Pt 1".  I hope you like it as much as I did!

Interview with Christopher DiNunzio about his upcoming film, "A Life Not To Follow"

Tell us about your film, what’s it all about?

It's called "A Life Not To Follow", A trilogy of Neo-Noir films: Eric is a dead man and he knows it. Death is imminent and he must make amends for his past sins, by killing those who wronged him, no matter the price: A wiseguy willing to do anything to move up in the world must now make the ultimate sacrifice. He must kill his best friend or in turn be killed: An F.B.I.agent turned P.I. is on the trail of a missing girl. In his long search for her he comes face to face with a host of unsavory characters who will lead him to perdition or salvation.

If you don’t mind us asking, what was the budget for the film and how did you secure financing?

Don't know yet, I'm still adding up the receipts and we have one last part that still needs to be filmed. 

As of right now, what are your goals for the film and what kinds of things are you doing to make sure you reach your goals?

We want to play at the bigger named film festivals and get distribution with a studio who can really help us get our film in front of people. Me and our fantastic Producer/Actress Amy DePaola are gong to go over everything after the final cut is done and work to make it happen. But for now we are still putting the film together so that needs to get done before we can even begin acting on any goals we have for the film. 

What about film festivals? Are you going to enter your film? If you have, how did it do? Tell us about your feelings around the indie film fest circuit.

When the film is done absolutely! I help run The Massachusetts Independent Film Festival so I love film festivals!!!(Sept 25,26,28th 2012) They are a great place to get your film and name out there. It's a hard road getting into festivals, a lot of good films don't play at places they should. You just never really know what people are thinking when they see your film. For us at Mass Indie we try to find the best films we can. We don't judge it on how long it is or genre. We want great films! And we want them to be Independent films. Bottom line is when you get into a festival it's a great feeling but you just need to find the right festivals for you. 

Talk about distribution. Have you secured distribution? If so, how did you go about doing that? If not, what’s your plan?

Not yet. I have already talked to a few people. We'll see what happens but my goal is to screen it and see who's interested. I want a lot from my distribution at this point in my career. I know that could be asking for too much but I believe in this film and I can't forget that. 

Where can people find out more about the film and/or get their hands on a copy?

On IMDB http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2179734/ and FaceBook http://www.facebook.com/ALifeNotToFollow Please like both! It would be a great help to us.

Talk about the production. How did it go? Tell us one good or funny story that demonstrates the trials and tribulations of being an indie filmmaker.

Well there was a lot of joking around. Nothing I should share. LOL. But it's been hard but really fun! We have had to get to a bar at 5am to shoot with a time limit and battled weather (Not easy to do in Boston) and I've had extras drop out last minute but in the end we still stand tall! The locations we got are places I would have picked out if we had a ton of money and the acting has been amazing. The look we are getting is just beautiful! It's the best looking film I've done to date. That is thanks to Nolan , he's a great DP. Also 1st AC Alex Huang has helped with that as well. I try to find not only talented people but good people, the kind that know how to act like a professional. You need both! I have no room on my set for divas. That's just not acceptable at all. I've felt really honored to be able to have the cast & crew I have. They have put in so much effort while keeping a positive attitude and it's paying off. The evidence is in how great the film is coming out. I can't thank them enough. Filmmaking isn't easy. When you work on an Indie film everyone who has a credit did something to earn it. So Thank you cast & crew! Michael Capozzi, John Martellucci, Molly Kay, Fiore Leo, William DeCoff, Erica Derrickson, Johnny Cammarata, Jaimie Tucker, William Bloomfield, Vincent Di Nunzio, Leighsa Burgin, Geno Mirabella, Amy DePaola, Keith Bennett, Justin Thibault, Nick Apostolides, Angel Garcia, Madeleine McKenzie, Mark Mandracchia, Michael Caggiano,  Pedro Alvarado, Jason Miller, Nolan Yee, Alex Huang, Laura Grose, Mike Shea, Jessica-Lee Van Winkle, Scott Reardon, Roy Bosell, Steven Panetta, Shawn Contois, James L. Leite. And the best for last Melanie Kotoch! There's more to thank but If I don't stop this interview we'll be one long thank you letter. LOL. One thing and I can't stress enough is find good people to work with and treat them right. Something good will always come out of it. 

What about you? Tell us a bit about yourself and how you got into indie horror.

For me it was Dario Argento. He made me see how Horror can be art. I love dark things. I'm just attracted to them. So being young horror drew me in. As far as getting into crime films. That's from growing up hearing all the stories from my family and friends in the North End in Boston,MA. Now the North End is just a tourist spot but man the things that went on there. 

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

I'm at a loss with it. I'm not sure how I feel about it right now. I'll have to get back to you on that one. LOL. A far as where it's going it will never die. Horror has a great fan base who make it fun to like horror. 

Do you have any more projects in the works? What’s next for you?

A few things but nothing that I'm able to talk about at the moment. It's just not at that stage yet and it's partly because A Life Not To Follow is all I can think about right now. 

As always thank you so much for the interview! 

--
Christopher Di Nunzio  writer/director/producer
www.creepykidproductions.com
http://www.facebook.com/CreepyKidProductions
http://twitter.com/Creepykid

Dwarfsploitation - The next book that you're going to buy

There's more than one reason for you to pick up a copy of Brad Paulson and Chris Watson's new book, "Dwarfsploitation".  Just let me go through them...  first off, it's the FIRST quintessential book on dwarf cinema.  Secondly, chances are that you're a bit of a cinephile.  I'm thinking that this book is full of films that you've never seen and you'll want to put on your radar.  Thirdly, the authors are both indie horror filmmakers...  look 'em up.  Lastly, Brad Paulson is my partner at Dead Harvey.  Is that enough?  If not, read through their press release.  Support indie horror, buy your copy of "Dwarfsploitation"!

PRESS RELEASE: DWARFSPLOITATION

Description:
A new book from Brad Paulson and Chris Watson:

Dwarfsploitation is an entertaining and educational look into the world of dwarf cinema. From Freaks to Willow, Dwarfsploitation analyzes a wide variety of both independent and mainstream films, chronicling the number of ways in which little people are exploited. It is a must have for any fan of little people or film itself. Includes an introduction by Lloyd Kaufman.

Order your copy at Barnes and Noble: Click Here

or Amazon: Click Here

Visit the Facebook page at: Click Here

Quotes:

"Dwarfish reviews about dwarf films seems an odd basis for a book, but it's surprisingly entertaining and enlightening and respectful about the little folk. A snappy, unique guide to all films Dwarf."
- Joe R. Lansdale, author of Bubba Ho-Tep

"A salute to Little People everywhere that belongs on every film aficionado's desk."
- Joel M. Reed, director of Bloodsucking Freaks

"This book is truly a one-of-a-kind. An inspired idea, and an equally-inspired book. Chris Watson and Brad Paulson have created something special with ‘Dwarfsploitation'. In an age when there seems to be books about every aspect of cinema, these authors have discovered a niche that had yet to be explored. Kudos."
- Andrew J. Rausch, author of Turning Points in Film History

"Paulson and Watson's book is a unique perspective to say the least. We seem to have books on everything these days, so, why not something that is entertaining, informative and celebrates our little friends in cinema." - Robert Davi, actor from License to Kill

"The first time I went to the Library of Congress to do research on midgets in film, I was directed to a single tattered volume produced by the MGM publicist on "The Wizard of Oz." I was astounded. The literature was virtually non-existent. Later I had a special assignment involving dwarf-tossing, and I sought out any dwarf-tossing trade association that could possibly be of any assistance. Again, my exertions were frustrated. That's why, when I first heard that "Dwarfsploitation" was in the works, I was cautiously hopeful but still ready for a Billy Barty headbutt to the nuts. I'm happy to say that the resulting book is a resource that we've needed for 60 years, and should take up permanent residence on the Ikea children's-room book shelves of anyone shorter than 4-foot-4."
- Joe Bob Briggs, author of Joe Bob Goes to the Drive-In

"Brad and Chris's book stands head and shoulders above the run of the mill cinema book types. It makes little people everywhere stand a little."
- James Bryan, director of Don't Go in the Woods

"It was a short read and I loved it. Don't overlook it!"
- Joe Estevez, actor from Soultaker

"Wow, I'm impressed! This has to be the most comprehensive guide to cinematic dwarves that you'll ever read. Meticulously researched, with hysterically funny yet genuinely fond comments by the authors, running the gamut from dwarfsploitation to 'normal' life. A must-have for any film-fan's library."
- scream queen Brinke Stevens

The authors can be reached at the contact information below.

Brad Paulson:  walkenboy@hotmail.com
Chris Watson:  chriswatson@gus.pittstate.edu

Interview with writer/director of "Wound", David Blythe

David Blyth's "Wound" has done what most indie horror filmmakers could only hope of for their films...  first off, and most importantly, it's a completed film.  That can be a big hurdle for a lot of us.  After that, it kicked some serious ass.  It had a great festival run, it won various awards and it secured world wide distribution.  So, what's it all about?  How did David do it?  Read on....  


Tell us about your film, what’s it all about? 

WOUND is a Supernatural Horror Film that explores the dark worlds of mental illness, incest, revenge and death. We follow Tanya as she searches for the mother she has never met – a mother (Susan) who gave her up for dead after being abused by her own father who remains stuck in her present life. Tanya returns from the dead to confront and possess Susan with all her deepest fears and desires, sending Susan into a state of madness and gore filled retribution. WOUND explores and confronts the dark, distorted supernatural world that lurks within us all. Check out: www.woundmovie.com and www.davidblyth.com

If you don’t mind us asking, what was the budget for the film and how did you secure financing? 

The budget for Wound is commercially sensitive, but lets just say it’s very low budget. Financing came from two long time friends who wanted to give me the opportunity to make Wound exactly the way I wanted.

As of right now, what are your goals for the film and what kinds of things are you doing to make sure you reach your goals? 

My goals with Wound were to get noticed at Film Festivals and secure distribution deals in the main territories. Two years on from making Wound, the film has achieved these goals.

What about film festivals? Are you going to enter your film? If you have, how did it do? Tell us about your feelings around the indie film fest circuit.

Wound has been selected for over 12 International Film Festivals worldwide, where it achieved good audience responses including winning Best Film , Best Director and Best Actress at the Night Of Horror International Film Festival Sydney Australia 2011.

Talk about distribution. Have you secured distribution? If so, how did you go about doing that? If not, what’s your plan?

Wound has secured distribution in USA Britain, Germany, Benelux, Australia, New Zealand. I was lucky to have an Independent Sales Agent friend, Lars Bjorck, who was able to make connections and eventually deals at the various markets ( Berlin, Cannes and AFM)

Where can people find out more about the film and/or get their hands on a copy?

In the USA, Breaking Glass Pictures through “ Vicious Circle Films “ is releasing the DVD of Wound in March 2012 . This will be followed by VOD and Itunes releases. Check out Breaking Glass Pictures for release information. http://www.breakingglasspictures.com and on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/BreakingGlassPictures For more info via Facebook check out my site https://www.facebook.com/WoundNZFilm

Talk about the production. How did it go? Tell us one good or funny story that demonstrates the trials and tribulations of being an indie filmmaker. 

Wound was shot in 12 days over one month. This allowed for more preparation during the actual shooting which was split up into short shooting bursts where you could then focus your resources in the best possible way. My story, from Wound. Arriving at location one morning to see 20 chairs laid out in a row for the film crew to sit on to be lectured by the irate bookish home owner who informed us he had found in his house after filming, two books sitting on a window sill, that may have suffered “sun strike” damage, thus reducing there monetary value and wilful misuse of his property. Turns out the books in question were supplied by the art department and cost two dollars for twenty at the local hospice charity shop. Plus the day was overcast and there had been no sun bursting through to brighten the day yet. So because of long shooting days the home owner had become delusional. Moral of the story, securing locations are a key part of low budget filmmaking, and if you can’t afford to pay a fee for the main location and pay for the home owner to stay in a Hotel then you have to factor in the unexpected, if they are present during shooting.

What about you? Tell us a bit about yourself and how you got into indie horror.

I made an indie horror classic, Death Warmed Up in 1984 down here in New Zealand, which turned out to be seen all around the world. I worked in North America doing amongst other feature films, four early episodes of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. More recently I have reconnected with my indie roots through producing writing and directing a number of documentaries including Bound for Pleasure and Transfigured Nights. Check out my website for details www.davidblyth.com

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

With the digital revolution in full swing the Indie horror film has been opportunities in front of it. Low budget Indie horror can translate to the one genre where you can make the film you want to make without having to compromise with the generally old fashioned and conservative distribution demands. Uniqueness and originality have real value in a market swamped with sequels, remakes and derivative product.

Do you have any more projects in the works? What’s next for you? 

Yes I am working on several new project ideas in the low budget arena. This has proved to be quite hard to do as, you need to tell a story in an affordable way on a micro budget that can crossover into the mainstream market based on your unique angle.

Screenwriting Aspirations

There's a pretty good reason why I haven't been posting on here regularly and I'll let you know what it is...

I'm polishing up a script that I'm going to be entering into the PAGE International Screenwriting Awards.  I've been working on this script for a while and, a few weeks ago, I saw that the late deadline for the contest was Monday, April 2nd.  So, I made that my goal.  When I say I've been working on it a while, I mean I've been working on it for a while... like, 2 years.  I wrote my first draft fast, like a month and a bit.  Then, I rewrote it a couple times, I gave it out to a few people to get their advice and feedback, then I sat on it... for about a year.  Not sure what I was doing during that time, probably just drinking and contemplating the shittyness of aspiring to be a screenwriter.  Anyhow, I picked it back up a few months ago and, well, here we are.  So, every spare minute I get, I've got that fucking thing open and I'm tweaking words, phrases and sentences.  I'm cutting lines of description and I'm really working hard to polish this turd up.  At absolute worst, I want to be done with it so I can move on to my next script, for Christ's sake.  

There's only a handful of screenwriting competitions that are worth entering, let's start with that, and PAGE is one of them.  Slamdance's early deadline is in a couple weeks, that one is also worthwhile, especially as they have a horror specific category AND they've developed some of the screenplays.  I'll be entering it, as well.  Here's a link to the PAGE Awards site, as well as Slamdance, if you're interested.  I actually know a couple people that have been judges at PAGE and I've spoken with the festival director before.  I've also spoken with the festival director at Slamdance.  Long and short, I trust them.  For horror, there's also Screamfest and Shriekfest, but I don't know when their deadlines are.  I'm going to look into that.  

The cool thing is that, for an extra $50 or so, both PAGE and Slamdance will give you feedback on your script.  This is really what I'm looking forward to.  Truth is, not that many people have read my work.  Sure, a lot of my friends in the industry have, but they're going to be bias.  Sure, a few friends outside the industry have, but they don't know a good script for a piece of shit.  Sure, my film professors and some script supervisors have read my work, but I was paying them.  This will be industry folks that don't know me at all and have nothing to gain.  I want to know where I stand with them.  Quite frankly, so should you.  If you're an industry outsider and you're an aspiring screenwriter, what kind of options do you have of getting noticed?  Well, I'll tell you what... some sort of accolade from one of these competitions is a good start and if you get the big heave-ho right away, knowing why you suck is just as important.  

Anyhow, I'll let you all know how it goes, every step of the way.  

Stay tuned...      

Interview with Drew Daywalt, director of the upcoming SyFy film, "Leprechaun's Revenge"

Sometimes you get to do a wicked interview and sometimes you get to do a WICKED interview... and, what can I say?  This interview was particularly wicked.  Why?  Because we're talking with Drew Daywalt.  Who's he?  Well, Drew Daywalt is a name you should know and, if you don't know it, get to know it.  He's truly someone that all of us indie and micro-cinema horror filmmakers should look up to and strive to be like.

He first came to our attention with his short horror films on Youtube and when he was doing that, he was one of the first.  Fast forward a few years, he's now at the helm of a big project for SyFy called "Leprechaun's Revenge".  What's next?  I can't wait to find out.  

Anyhow, let's cut to the chase here... You need to see "Leprechaun's Revenge", which premiers on SyFy this weekend, but before you do... you need to read this interview.  Trust me, you'll be glad you did.  

We’ve been following your career path for a while now, but for those who might not know, please give us a bit of a recap. Tell us a bit about yourself and some of the projects that you’ve worked on.

Thanks for talking to me Ted! I actually think you were the first person online to interview me ever, come to think of it, and I’ve always been really grateful of your support. I love Dead Harvey.

I have been a working screenwriter and director in Hollywood for 15 years. I used to do big studio action stuff. I’ve written for Tony Scott, Jerry Bruckheimer, Brett Ratner. Lots of high octane, young male driven action and buddy stuff. But I was in that loop in the studio system where I was making a living but nothing was getting made. So when the writer’s strike happened in 2007 -2008, I decided to make a bit of a career change. I saw how horror films were getting made so readily, and they were done on these controled budgets. I also realized how much influence watching monster and horror films as a kid had influenced my going to work in Hollywood -- and I decided I would pursue my heart’s desire and try and make a go of it in horror films.

So during the WGA strike I got together with friends and we made a bunch of horror shorts, only a few minutes long each, more like skits, and we posted them online. One of the first ones I made, BEDFELLOWS, went viral and had 2 million hits in the first week, and I knew I was onto something. It was a weird thing discovering I could scare someone.

Your latest project is “Leprechaun’s Revenge”. So, what’s the quick synopsis?

A young girl picks a red four leaf clover and inadvertently releases an ancient creature that was magically imprisoned beneath the roots of an oak tree by her ancestors. The thing gets loose and terrorizes her small New England town. And now the girl and her drunk grandfather and hapless sheriff father must stop it before it kills everyone.

You worked with some great actors on this film, including Billy Zane, William Devane and Courtney Halverson. How was it working with such a talented cast?

Even I’m shocked at how good the cast is. I think that speaks to the script and the work of my team, in drawing them in on such a small budgeted project. Billy Zane and I immediately bonded and it was like going to work with your brother every day. He’s smart and intuitive and put a lot of work into his character. Every day he’d come to set with new thoughts and ideas on how to make his character and the film a sa whole, better.

I hate to call anyone an icon because it’s like short hand for “old” but damn it, William Devane is an icon. And he’s such a great guy. He’d come on the set and have everyone laughing and enjoying themselves. And he really dug in to the light spirit and fun of the piece. We took the work seriously and tried to make an entertaining film, but god forbid we ever take ourselves seriously.

Courtney Halverson is a dear friend of mine now. I first worked with her on Death Valley at MTV and we hit it off immediately. I remember reading this script and instantly thinking it had to be her. And I’m really proud of her. She carries the entire throughline of the film and does a great job of bringing real moments and real pathos to a character that could easily been another horror damsel in distress. I know everyone’s going to be impressed with Courtney’s work on this. I know I am.

You worked with Jeff Farley, one of our favorite effects guys. Talk about the effects and will the gore-hounds have something to look forward to?

Jeff saved the day on this film. It was awesome. I knew that if we went full CG on the creature in the short time we had to make this film (5 months, by the way from start to finish) then the creature would look like dogshit. There’s just no way to do good CG on this budget and this schedule, but if we went old school physical effects, and just enhanced it a little bit with CG, then we could pull it off. But even that was going to be tough. Jeff came in and made it work. He’s really a great joy and a creative force. There’s no “We can’t do that,” with Jeff Farley. He just rolls up his sleeves and makes it happen. It’s inspiring to work with him. I think gore hounds and creature fans will be more than pleased with his work, as well as the work of Ashley Walsh who supervised all of the gore while Jeff focues on the monster.

Do you have a favorite moment in the film? Tell us about it… and why?

I have a few. The thing about creature features is that we’ve seen every kind of kill you can imagine. There’s nothing knew under the sun, in that regard. I also had no money to do the kills right, so instead of going for super realistic gore, we did a stylized thing and most of the deaths are hysterical to me. But my favorite has to be one of the main characters who gets it in the end. I don’t want to spoil anything, but you’ll know it when you see it.

Do you have a favorite behind-the-scenes story? If so, what is it?

Thanksgiving fell into the middle of our shooting schedule, and we shot the film in Baton Rouge, Louisiana so a bunch of us were orphaned on location over the holiday. But I flew my wife and children out and we had a great thanksgiving dinner with the cast and crew. It was really nice. There was a great bonding that occured on this film and we felt like family. Billy was my surogate brother at the table and there was William Devane, our family patriarch watching football and enjoying the little kids. It was awesome.

You come from very indie roots and this is a pretty big project. Tell us, how did this project come about?

Oh man. This one came out of nowhere on me. It was so fast, it sent me reeling a little bit, actually. I was developing a really dark and horrific script with After Dark when they told me that Syfy had approved me to direct this other thing they had that was going right away. It was about a town caught up in it’s own dark history with a mythological creature, in this case a leprechaun. I read the script, it made me laugh and I thought, what the hell. I’ll try a creature feature. And we were off to the races.

When we first started watching your films, you were making short, indie films on low, low budgets. Since then, you’ve directed some episodes of MTV’s “Death Valley” and now “Leprechaun’s Revenge”. What are the most important skills that you acquired from your indie days?

Somehow, being able to work fast and cheap is still one of my greatest tools, much to my own damn chagrin. The thing is, the more money they give you, the more they ask for. So while my early stuff was indie short film horror, we didn’t have much, but we had time to deliver. Here I had more money, but the demands were much higher, the bar is raised, so I really felt very much the same as in my early indie stuff. The pressure was on, but in a different way.

I’m sure that a lot of our readers would aspire to follow in your career path… if you could pass on a few pieces of advice to them, what would that be?

My advice is that, with the advent of digital DSLRS and wide bandwidth to boradcast on the internet that occured last decade, you need to buy a camera, write short films, then film them and post them. It’s way easier than in the 90’s when I started and you had to save up to rent film cameras and buy film stock. It’s crazy how easy it is now to access the gear. The saying has always been “Writers write.” Well now it’s “Filmmakers film.” I really believe in just going for it and practicing your craft until people notice. I really do. I love the age we’re in.

So, tell us, where can people find out more about “Leprechaun’s Revenge” and when does it air?

You can see a trailer of it here -- and it airs This Saturday night March 17th at 9pm and I think again at 11pm. So it’ll make a great St. Patrick’s Day party viewing. Just make sure to have some green beer on hand!

What’s next for you? Do you have any more projects in the works?

I’m off to do a high profile web series and after that I’m directing another feature. A ghost story. This one is incredibly dark and character driven. It’s so completely on the other end of the horror spectrum from lighthearted murderous Leprechauns.

Interview with Douglas A. Plomitallo, the writer, producer and director of the web based anthology, "Scared Stiff"

I think we're all well aware of the fact that the online world is the future of distribution for us indie horror filmmakers.  It sounds stupid to say that, actually.  I mean, we all know it to be true and people have been saying it for years, but... it hasn't really happened yet.  The technology is all there, it's all possible, yet, for some reason, we're just not there.  Having said that, there's a few guys out there that are blazing the trail and Douglas A Plomitallo is one of those guys.  Check out this great interview about his web based project, "Scared Stiff". 

Tell us about your project, what’s it all about?

“Scared Stiff” is an anthology series of short horror films. The show features a variety of stories featuring an assortment of zombies, ghosts, vampires, serial killers and other fun creatures.

If you don’t mind us asking, what’s your budget for each episode and how do you secure financing?

The show is completely self-financed. Our talented cast and crew graciously volunteer their time to help make the show the best it can be. Over the course of the past three and a half years, I have been slowly purchasing higher-end equipment to help achieve the high production value that we strive for. As far as budget for each episode goes, not counting the cost of the equipment purchases, the cost of each show is actually quite minimal. It is actually rare for the cost of each production to go over 100 dollars. On some of our productions, the only cost will be food and refreshments for the cast and crew.

As of right now, what are your goals for the project and what kinds of things are you doing to make sure you reach your goals?

As the show goes on we aim to continue to raise the production values and to reach a much larger audience. On top of investing money in new gear, we’ve continued to gel as a team and strengthen our talents to help improve the product. We’ve been trying to do some new stuff with the show and add different kinds of content to attract different audiences. We try to give a little something for everyone on the show and I’m confident that with our high quality entertainment and original stories, fans are bound to come across “Scared Stiff” at one point and share with other horror fans. On top of that, we’ve been more active in the social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter to try to spread the news of our product.

You’ve chosen to distribute your project online in webisodes. How’s that going and what are your goals now that it’s out there?

On top of creating new content, our goal is to introduce as many people as possible to our existing episodes. “Scared Stiff” is available to watch for free on many sites including YouTube, Vimeo, and Blip and can be downloaded for free on our own website, ScaredStiff.tv. We are confident that by allowing the viewers free access to the content, they will like what they see and want to watch more. We hope to grow our fan base to the point where we can show investors that we have a big enough following where they can help fund our future films with little gamble.

Where can people find out more about the project and watch it?

People can watch and download our shows for free on our website, www.ScaredStiff.tv or they can watch the shows in high-definition on our YouTube channel at youtube.com/scaredstifftv.

Talk about the production. How did it go? Tell us one good or funny story that demonstrates the trials and tribulations of being an indie filmmaker.

Well one story from last summer I won’t forget anytime soon. We were shooting in an old girl scout camp in Kent, CT that had been abandoned for the last 20 years. (The camp is less than a mile way from the location used as Camp Crystal Lake from Friday the 13th Part 2!) To avoid any possible interference, I always kept the gate to the camp locked whether we were in there or not. One afternoon, I was coming back to the camp from lunch and there was a state trooper’s car blocking the gate. I got out of my car and slowly walked up to the patrol car to find out what the deal was. As I approached the car, a trooper immediately jumped out, pointed his gun at me, and yelled “Hold it right there”! He questioned who I was and why I was there. He wouldn’t tell me what was going on but told me to open the gate so he and another trooper could check the premises. The whole time I had no idea what was going on and thought that the production was going to be shut down! To make a long story short, there had been two guys who had been pool hopping around Kent and decided to go skinny-dipping in one of the pools. Little did they know that they had jumped into former speaker of the house Henry Kissinger’s pool and it had now become national security! One thing I am glad I did was before the Patrolman left to go into the camp I warned him that we had a prop gun on set and that one of the actors might have it on him. It turns out that at the time we were driving down to the set, they were testing out the prop gun. The thing looks and sounds like a real gun. I could only imagine what would have happened if the patrolman happened to arrive on set as that gun went off without warning!

What about you? Tell us a bit about yourself and how you got into indie horror.

I had always been a big horror fan and always wanted to make horror films since I was a kid. A few years ago, I was working a job that regularly had me there for 60 to 70 hours a week. As a creative outlet, I decided to start writing a book of short horror stories to keep myself sane during the demanding schedule. Always being more of a film guy, I couldn’t help but visualize them as movies. I had always being a fan of anthology horror shows such as “Tales from the Darkside” and “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” so I was excited about the idea of actually shooting these stories. I wouldn’t have time to shoot full-length television episodes, and at the time there were no other horror shows on the web so I figured short mini-horror movies would be a novel idea.

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

There are so many different options for distribution now than there were just 5 or 6 years ago. The Internet has completely changed the game. Now with YouTube, Vimeo and other video sharing sites, people can share their work all over the world. It is now possible for even low budget indie films to get a distribution deal with Netflix and Hulu. And with niche market message boards and with the influx of social media sites, it is much easier to introduce your film to an audience. Although the other side to it is, with so much material out there, it is easier to have your films get lost in the shuffle so filmmakers need to use that as motivation to try harder to make their films stand out.

Do you have any more projects in the works? What’s next for you?

In addition to “Scared Stiff”, I am constantly working on new projects. Last summer, I produced a feature length zombie film that we hope to have in film festivals this summer. I am also currently editing “The Housesitter” which is the first in a planned trilogy of horror films. Also, very recently I started shooting a documentary that will be released next year. When I am not making movies, I run a production company, D2 Media, which produces television commercials and corporate videos. On top of my film work, I also have several web projects I am working on and am currently writing a book that I hope to have out next year.

Where We've Been And Where We're Going

If you're a regular reader of Dead Harvey, I apologize for the lack of new information. To be honest, for the next little while, chances are that new posts will be infrequent at the best of times. Having said that, I AM going to do my best to keep the horror film festival and indie horror distributors info up to date. I know a lot of you guys use that and I do want this to continue to be a resource. Truth is, I spend a lot of time on the site, which gives me less time to work on our other projects - we're working on indie films, scripts, books... you name it - and we need to spend some more time on those projects. That and I have a new day job and, combine that all up, it doesn't give me much time to do any side-show stuff, so... long and short, the site is going to suffer a bit. At least for now.

Having said that, if you want to promote your film, please contact me. I can easily send you some generic questions and do up a post. In fact, PLEASE contact me about promoting your film. It's easy to post information AND people really dig it. I think I'll change things up on the site to reflect our new direction... bear with me on that.

Anyhow, I'll keep you posted on any new things that we have going on and, when I get time, I'll be sure to write a post or two. Otherwise, keep using the site as a resource and send me an email if you have something you'd like to promote or want people to know about.

Distribution Problems and Apprehensive Films

I totally forgot to put the Amazon links in with my last post... if you've been scrambling around for the last few days, desperate to find links to those two films... you can relax, I've added them. Now, since we're talking about my last post, I'd like to mention Apprehensive Films, which distributed the film "Colony of the Dark". I was on their site and came across something interesting...

Let's just preface what I found, though. Usually, while I'm perusing the latest indie horror titles, I check out who's distributing. That's partly because I'm interested in the whole distribution angle and partly because I want to pass my findings on to you, my dedicated reader, the indie horror filmmaker.

Maybe I should go back even further... Look, I've said it a thousand times and I'm going to be right... one day. I guess it's kind of like that old saying, even a broken clock is right once a day, but... I think that indie film, especially indie horror, is on the verge of breaking out. And I'll keep saying it until it does. However, there's a couple things that are holding it back, one is distribution and the other is awareness. If I win the lottery... or someone wants to pay me a handsome salary, I would dedicate my days to solving both problems and I could solve them... However, until that time, I'll have to keep my day job and do this on the side - fighting the good fight for indie film, a half hour here... a half hour there. Anyhow, awareness is something that is going to be an issue - how do you differentiate indie horror from mainstream horror and attract a new audience? Indie horror does have a dedicated audience, but right now... supply outweighs demand. There's just too much product. We need to build that audience. As usual, I have ideas on how to do it, but... I'm just a guy with a blog.

Distribution is the other thing. Currently, in most cases, the indie filmmaker is getting screwed by the distributor and if an indie filmmmaker wants to distribute himself, he doesn't have the weight or clout to really be successful. They don't know it, but the way that most distributors work is actually holding back the entire indie horror scene. They need to break out, try new things... what they're doing now isn't helping anything but their coffers. Anyhow, back to Apprehensive Films... when I was reading up on them, I couldn't help but notice a section on their site called "distribution options". So, I checked it out... and they do have a cool spin on it. Basically, they do have the weight and clout to get in to big retailers, but they want you to take on the risk by pressing your own DVD's and, well... paying them. I don't think it's THE answer and I won't get in to why, but I do think it's a good option for those that are having trouble dealing with distributors that don't want their film and don't want to do the hustle of distributing themselves... and, of course, you'll need to have a few extra thousand dollars to burn.

Here's a link to their "distribution options", check it out. It's a good little read, even if you're not currently looking to distribute your film.

New Horror Coming Out on DVD This Week

Okay, things are slowly getting back to normal around here. Well, the new normal, anyhow. We here at Dead Harvey are working on a few projects and we're going to be spending some more time on those. Of course, we're going to continue to post new things on the site, it may just be at different times and on different things. At the end of the day, if you're in to indie and micro-cinema horror, as a filmmaker or fan, we'll keep you happy. Anyhow, there's really nothing of note, horror-wise, going on at the box office, so I'm just going to get right to the new horror coming out on DVD.

Anyone worth their weight in indie horror knowledge knows that "Piranha II: The Spawning" was the directorial debut of James Cameron. It came out in 1981 and it's the sequel to the low-budget 1978 film, "Piranha". The story goes that James Cameron was originally hired to be the special effects guy, but ended re-writing the script and taking the helm... however, the executive producer, Ovidio Assonitis, got involved and Cameron was only allowed to shoot the film, he wasn't allowed to cut it... legend has it that Cameron broke into the editing room in Rome and cut his own version, but ended up getting caught. In any case, the film was a bit of a bust and Cameron was later allowed to cut his own version of the film, but it's rare. It's probably easy to get now, but I've never seen it. ANYHOW, I'm fairly certain that this story is one of the only reasons anyone knows about the "Piranha" franchise and it's probably why it was remade and available this week on DVD as "Piranha 3D". This version is actually directed by French horror director Alex Aja, who is the guy behind the new wave French Horror classic, "Haute Tension". He also did the remake of "The Hills Have Eyes" and a few other big budget horror films. This is one that I didn't check out in the theaters, but will definitely be checking out on DVD.

Most indie horror fans are aware of the 2004 film "Chainsaw Sally", where April Monique Burril plays the title role of Chainsaw Sally, a girl that witnessed the murder of her parents and grows up to become a serial killer that gets her inspiration for killing from horror films. What I didn't know about... and haven't seen... is "The Chainsaw Sally Show, Season 1", which is now available on DVD. I really dug the film and I'm going to have to check this out. Apparently it's filled with horror references, cameos, gore, hot chicks and hapless victims. What more do you want? All that and I believe it's distributed by Troma... probably through its Troma TV, which I have no idea of how to subscribe to.

I like the cover art for "Halloween Night", but only because it kinda reminds me of the cover art for Slayer's "South of Heaven" for some reason. It's released by Tempe Video and it's directed by Mark Plonia... and it's about a college party gone bad, where a mistreated student exacts his revenge on those who wronged him. His uses the effigy of a living scarecrow, a Frankenstein-like creation, to carry out his plans. Definitely piques my interest...

Here's one for the horndogs... "Chinese Kamasutra" is about an American scholar of Chinese lore that takes a job at a Chinese library and stumbles upon a volume of the Kamasutra... and unleashes her sexual fantasies. There's some sort of connection between the book and some haunted house and then she somehow falls into the clutches of the Kamasutra cult, who probably do terrible sexual things to her.

An Explanation and An Interview With the Makers of "The Shadows"

I know, I know... it's been a week since I've posted anything. And without explanation. Well, I foolishly thought that while I have new responsibilities at work, my family was coming to town and Christmas was around the corner, I would still be able to keep up on all my Dead Harvey chores. I was wrong. To quote Arnie, "Dead wrong". So, I'm going to be taking a break, which will make life a whole lot easier, and this will be my last Dead Harvey post until January 3rd. If I have any readers left by then, I hope you'll come back to a reinvigorated Dead Harvey, as I'm hoping to get some time to catch up on some indie horror and readjust my life to fit in everything that I want to fit in.

So... before I take off on my holiday, I want to leave you with a great interview. We had the opportunity to check out "The Shadows", a small budget indie horror and speak with the guys behind it. Now, "The Shadows" isn't your typical no-budget horror. Usually, no-budget horror films hang their hat on gore, nudity or a particular sub-genre, like zombies, vampires or whatever. "The Shadows" was different. "The Shadows" was far more cerebral than almost anything you'd expect from the low-no budget realm. It didn't bank on gore, it didn't bank on nudity and, as far as I could tell, there weren't any zombie outbreaks. There were, however, quite a few decent effects, including some very creepy characters, but that's not what grabbed me about the film. What grabbed me was how well it was put together, how the story was crafted and how they managed to keep my attention to the end... without nudity, gore or zombies. The film is along the lines of "The Sixth Sense" or "The Others" and it should stand out in the low-no indie horror world as something that's unique, different and very well crafted.

Enjoy the interview and have a great holidays!

So, tell us about “The Shadows”, what’s it all about?

Really it's about facing your demons. And a person’s will to live. The plot revolves around five friends who are marooned on an abandoned island with a lighthouse. And although they seem to be close friends with no secrets from each other, their suppressed conflicts and longings, boil to the surface. Ghostly shadow figures threaten to steal away their souls so they must put aside their conflicts and band together to defend themselves against the relentless demonic specters.
It’s also completely dubbed in Spanish and I am really glad that I was able to include a commentary on the film. The script has so many layers and subtleties, so the more you watch it, the more depth you discover. And the commentary helps you see those things. It's very much a ghost story.

The film is definitely a horror, but it’s far different than most indie horror’s that we see, as it’s not really gory and/or excessively violent. Talk about where the idea came from and why you wanted to make it.

Gratuitous violence and gore really aren’t the foundation for a good film. For us a solid, creative story and engaging characters is. Without a good story everything else is pointless. And you have to have characters worth caring about. So we created characters who had real depth with hopes and fears and flaws. It keeps the audience more connected, invested in their individual struggles and on the edge of their seat as each twist reveals that things are more complicated than you thought.

The lighthouse was a key element from the beginning. They have this stigma of eeriness, mystery and something supernatural about them. So we gave it meaning in the story physically and figuratively. We liked the idea of it becoming a character in the story, hiding it's own secrets, being wounded and under attack. It’s a great metaphor. We are all like a lighthouse with both a light and dark side.

If you don’t mind us asking, what was the budget for the film and how did you secure financing?

We sought funding for a long time. Eventually my sister (Dianna Collett) and I (we make up Victory of the People Productions) decided that we were going to have to fund our first major film ourselves. So we spent our life savings to create a film we loved and to propel a production company we believed in.

The only way to make a high-quality film on a low budget is through lots of planning and preparation. The set started construction seven months before shooting. Script re-writes and revisions took place for a year to refine it and intensify the story. Rehearsals began months ahead and most of the cast was completely off-book before shooting began. It was necessary to keep the intensity of each scene. It was like a thrilling play that became a film. I think often film-makers are in such a rush to shoot the film they skip important rehearsal time and it shows in the acting quality. So the emotion in our film is very real. There were nights after shooting that we genuinely had the creeps. It’s awesome.

The film keeps the audience hanging and has a cool twist at the end. Talk about making sure that the twist was effective and did that come in the writing or did it come while shooting?

The foundation of the story really sets up those twists at the end. We knew keeping the audience in suspense was key. And it’s not an easy thing to pull off. But that really started in the writing. It was well captured by Sabrina's direction and the music for the film absolutely sealed the deal. But even with all that, the editor has to know how to show it. We worked hundreds of hours in post-production to get it exactly right. The audience reactions we’ve experienced have been very gratifying.

You used quite a few CG effects, which was very impressive for an indie film. How did you do the effects and what was your favorite?

Yeah, in an earlier version there wasn't much. But the question arose, "Now how can we make it more scary?" We wanted to make the shadows more mysterious and supernatural. It turned into a major project. Since we ran out of funding, I had to learn some of the art of CGI myself. I'm a on-hands producer. I'd rather pay someone to do it if I can, but knowing how it's done makes me a better producer. I also built the set. It helps me to understand all aspects of film-making.

The ending sequence, building up to Nadia's light burst moment, is so powerful. You become panicked for them. It took many adjustments before we got there in post-production but doing it right is more important that just getting it done. I think as a hard-to-please film-maker, if you can watch the final cut of the film and even you feel the drama, the suspense and the fear, then it’s something you are proud to show off.

The sinking ship in the beginning sequence is probably my favorite effect. Though people have to pay attention during the opening credits to notice it. Detail is important.

What are your goals for “The Shadows”? Is it to get a festival run? Are you looking to just get distribution? Are you looking to turn a big profit? What would be your benchmark for success?

We are submitting to festivals but our primary focus is distribution. We're delighted to be working with Midnight Releasing with a release date of January 4th, 2011. They've already secured a deal with a mainstream video store retailer.
We have realistic expectations. Our goal is to get our production company rolling, gather a following and become a profitable business. We've shown that we are committed enough to put our money where our mouth is. We produced a high-quality film on a low budget which is the best way to make a profit. So I think success would be achieving a satisfied audience following and investors willing to help us move to the next level.

Where can people find out more about “The Shadows” and/or get their hands on a copy?

Our IMDB page has clips and review links and where to purchase the film.
Our facebook page has lots of updates and pictures.
Our website has it's own original front-end graphics with details, clips and more about the film.
And our production company website has more information about our slate of film. People can also friend our production company on facebook.

Now, tell us a bit about yourself. How did you get into indie horror and film?

I think acting and film-making chose me more than I chose it. I was unexpectedly cast in a play when I was a teenager and I loved it. I got more involved in all aspects of stage and by 19, I was directing. By 21 I was building sets and producing. I think fundamentally I love story-telling in all aspects of it. In theater, I have held every crew position imaginable. I chose a more profitable profession for life, but after 25 roles and 40 productions, I decided that rejecting it was rejecting who I really am. There is a motto I really try to live by, "If your ship doesn't come in, swim out to it." As a film actor, I wasn't getting the opportunities I should. So I had to start creating those opportunities. And we saw that other talented people were being passed by as well.

Our production company name came from our last name, Collett. It’s derived in French meaning, "Victory of the People." That kind of became the spirit of what we are doing. There are a lot of people who are tired of the big studios putting out the same rhetoric every year; producing yet another sequels or re-do of stories that have been exhausted. They practically fear originality and creativity. We seek to provide what movie-goers long for with a focus on high-quality production value. So we work with investors who are sick of being ripped off. We work with exceptionally talented crew members and actors who are tired of being passed-over and treated like dirt by a studio system that values “who you know” over dedication and skill. So for the audience and for those making the film, it is kind of a revolution, a victory of the people.

Film school: yes or no?

I learn better by doing. I’ve working in most every aspect of film-making and I think that makes a better producer and informed actor. As an actor I go by Alan Collett. As a producer I go by Paul. It helps my alter-egos know what they are doing.

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

Indie Horror films always have an advantage over the studios. They can tell the stories the studios can’t. But I think the Indie horror scene today is swamped. Audiences are so leery of being scammed with a crappy film because there are so many. And just because there is a name actor in it, doesn’t mean it’s going to be any good. It reminds me of a Louie B Mayer quote, "Anyone can make a movie son, but it doesn’t mean they should." The quality of the production, the acting and especially the story being told is what audiences care about. Screenwriters are so unappreciated today but you can really tell the difference between what a director slapped together and what an experienced writer created.

Since there is so much being produced these days, audiences need a way of knowing what’s actually worth watching. Every time an audience feels cheated, they blame the entire Indie Horror market for it. They need someone they know to tell them what’s good. They need distributors and film companies they can trust to provide quality films. We hope to build that kind of audience that can trust our content.

Are there any other projects in the works?

We are fortunate to be acquainted with a lot of talented people. We have the filming rights to nine more scripts in three genres. We treat our crew and cast like family so when we are gearing up for our next project, they are asking to be on-board even though they usually have to turn down higher paying projects to do so. (Eventually we will be the higher paying project.)

"Truth" is our next feature film which is in post-production about a terrorist cell that kidnaps three Americans and threatens to expose a secret that will shatter America's soul. Our third film is a black comedy, “Technicolor Llama”, which is currently seeking additional funding. We also have other horrors like “Spectacles” and “Ghost Town” and “Hotel Obscuridad” in development. All of which have a supernatural flavor to it. With the right investors, we’ll have a regular slate of films coming out each year.

The Weekend At The Box Office, A Dead Harvey Weekend and Not Much Going On On DVD

So, here I am, my last few hours in LA... waiting for a shuttle bus to come pick me up and take me to LAX. If you're wondering why I haven't posted anything in a few days, that's why - been too busy down here. I came down for a wedding, but stayed at the Dead Harvey Compound while I was here and we managed to meet up with a few like-minded folks over the last few days and have been shooting a lot of shit about the indie horror scene. I have two things to report. (1.) After one particular meeting, we have renewed vigor for what we're trying to do here at Dead Harvey and, hopefully, we'll have something new to report on that soon. I'm not sure what that something new is, honestly, but let's just say there's some cool things going on and I hope we're a part of it... even if it's just a small part. (2.) Don't fret, folks, indie horror is alive and well, it's just a difficult scene to be in. After a lot of talk, the same conclusion comes up over and over again... This industry is just tough, but I think we all know that. However, there are beacons of hope... Technology is changing a lot... and it's changing things for the better. Social networking is allowing us to find and get in touch with each other easier, the web is making marketing and promoting more accessible and new distributions models will give power back to the filmmakers... It's happening and you need to be up on all of it. So, stay tuned!

Let's turn to the Box Office. So, in a somewhat shocking turn of events, Ben Affleck's "The Town" won the weekend. I say 'shocking' because I don't think anyone expected it to do as well as it did. I thought the marketing made it look like an unofficial sequel to "The Departed", the Scorsese film from four years ago, and it ended up pulling in almost $25Million, which puts it on pace with what "The Departed" did when it came out. Also, Affleck's last foray into writing and directing, "Gone Baby Gone", wasn't that great. In any case, the word on the street is that it's good and the Box Office numbers prove it. As for horror related films at the Box Office, "Devil" proved to be a bit of a let down. It came in third, barely edging out "Resident Evil: Afterlife", which came in first last weekend and fell over 60% this weekend. "Devil" was written and produced by M Night Shyamalan and directed by Drew Dowdle, who was also Executive Producer on the film. Dowdle is probably best known for writing and producing the US version of "Quarantine". I believe that "Devil" is supposed to be the first film in an unofficial trilogy from Shayamalan, but... his track record just sucks. Who knows if they'll move forward with the next one.

As for the week in horror, according to Amazon, there's absolutely no new horror films coming out this week. I think that Fangoria may be releasing their Frightfest films, but they're not available for purchase yet, maybe only for rent - there's "Hunger", "The Haunting", "Dark House" and "Fragile". I'll talk about them when they pop up on Amazon...

Now, I need to get a bite to eat before this shuttle bus gets here.

The Hills Run Red with the blood from upcoming horror DVD releases.

We're not making a good case for our genre out there, as horror and sci-fi got knocked around AGAIN at the box office this last weekend. There were two major films out, "Surrogates" and "Pandorum", and both were relative disappointments. However, I loosely refer to them as 'major' films. "Surrogates" was more sci-fi and looked somewhat reminiscent of the Michael Bay stinker, "The Island". "Pandorum", on the other hand, looked more like something that should go straight to DVD. "Surrogates" had a decent marketing push behind it, but I didn't see much for "Pandorum", which usually means the studio didn't have much faith in it, anyhow. I expect to be reviewing them for their DVD releases soon enough...

Regardless, it's a monster week in DVD releases and I'll only go in to detail on a few of them. You can check out all the horror that's out by clicking here and thumbing through the entire list on Amazon, but really... I cover off the good stuff and that's all you need to know. You don't need to flip through rereleases and double packs, do you? I'll discuss anything of note and, of course, you can click on the titles to go to their page on Amazon, where you can buy it and/or read more about it. We'll also post most of the trailers over on our Youtube page, which can be found here.

"The Hills Run Red" is not a remake of the 1967 film that's considered to be one of the earliest spaghetti westerns. It's actually a fairly decent looking horror film from Warner Home Video that stars William Sadler. It's definitely theatrical quality and it looks quite gory, although the 'searching for lost footage of an old horror film' storyline seems a bit tired. If slick looking films are your thing, this is going to be your pick of the week. Let's just hope it's not in the theaters because it's too gory.

I had no idea that Adam Sandler was in to horror. You've probably heard of his label Happy Madison (mix of Happy Gilmour and Billy Madison, obviously), which has produced numerous films, including: "You Don't Mess With The Zohan", "I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry" and anything else he's involved in... However, it looks like he just set up a sub-label called Scary Madison and their first horror film is "Shortcut", which is about a creepy old guy who lives at the end of a shortcut that no one's supposed to ever take...

"Bloodwine" is a low-budget indie from writer/director Patrick Keith and the trailer's intriguing, but doesn't reveal much. It's released from R Squared and, after reading about it, is apparently a vampire flick. Trailer doesn't really mention that, though. Although, now, in hindsight... I can see that. Okay, okay, I get it now.

"Flesh, TX" is another low-budget indie, this one from Guy Crawford. It stars the legendary Joe Estevez, which pretty much makes it a must see for indie horror fans or Dead Harvey readers. It looks to be taking a page from the "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" playbook, but let's hope they take it to a new level.

"Farmhouse" is written by Daniel P. Coughlin, directed by George Bessudo and stars "Wings" veteran Steven Weber, who's really turned into somewhat of a psychopath, as far as the roles he's been playing lately. The film's got some budget behind it and it looks pretty, pretty good... I checked out the trailer and, at first, it looked like this was going to be your classic 'oops, my car broke down right in front of a psycho's farm house', but... as the trailer progressed, it looked like there may be something more to this. My interest is definitely piqued.

"Fermat's Room" is a Spanish thriller from Luis Piedrahita and Rodrigo Sopena and it has a really interesting angle. It looks kinda like "Pi" meets "Saw" or something... there's four mathematicians locked in a room and they must solve puzzles in order to escape the slowly closing walls of the room. I'm not sure how much can be done with that plot, but I'm interested to see. Trailer's good, anyhow.

"The Horror Vault, Vols. 1 & 2" are two anthologies of short horror stories and they're quite well received. We've talked with one of the guys behind them, Kim Sonderholm, and we know that they're as indie as it gets. Definitely one for the Dead Harvey crowd.

I do love my gore, but I'm also a fan of fucked up psychological thrillers. You know, stuff like the afore mentioned "Pi", "Eden's Log", "Momento", things like that... That's why the indie, "In a Spiral State", looks particularly interesting to me. I have no idea of what it's about, really, but go check out the trailer and you'll see what I mean. A different consciousness? Hmmm...

At first, the decently budgeted "Haunting of Winchester House" looked shockingly tame and overdone. The title is even more overdone. Let me just go to the horror section and look under 'H', now... which "Haunting of..." film will I be checking out? However, watch the trailer, it picks up at the end with a few cool looking demons and ghosts.

I love my Asian horror, gore films. I really do. Every once in a while, I stock up on them and some booze, then go through them on a drunken mission. Well, they come fast and furious this week. First up, if you want to see Korea's hottest young stars, then "Nightmare" is for you! "Fallen Angels" doesn't really say shit in the trailers, but it looks like a bloody, violent John Woo-esque gangster flick. Then, there's "Screwed", "Blind Beast vs. Killer Dwarf" and "Tokyo Psycho" and I can't differentiate them because I found a trailer that just shows fucked up clips from all of them, mashes them together, then mentions all the titles. Either way, read up on their Amazon pages for something more detailed. Otherwise, just get all of them, a case of beer and call it a night.