No Film Fest Updates... Just News From the Indie Horror Front

There's not much to update on the festival front, I let you know about all the deadlines and festivals in December last week. You can see that post here. Otherwise, I think it's too early to talk about January, which is, of course, a big month for indie film. Also, let's just get through all this Christmas shit, right? So, anyhow, I'm just going to unload my inbox on you...

I got some random email from the guys at the Madison Horror Film Festival. Seriously, I don't think it was meant for me at all, but I got it anyhow. It looks like they're launching a once a month webcast on January 23rd, 2009 called "Bordello of Horror", hosted by Freakshow the zombie pimp and his beautiful and always tempthing Harlots of Horror. The show will include classic, independent and hard to find films, musical guests, trivia, horror news and more, here's a link to an information page on the webcast. I'll try to get in touch with them and see what it's all about...

A Dead Harvey favorite, "Blitzkrieg: Escape From Stalag 69", is finally being released after an impressive number of screenings. What will be available is the "Special SS Edition" of the DVD, it'll be released December 15th and pre-orders are now being taken. The new box art can be seen above there, pretty cool. This special feature will feature the full, uncut directors version of the film, deleted scenes, director's commentary, production stills, bloopers, a short film, trailer, and the original "Schindler's Lust" short that inspired the making of the film. If you're interested, feel free to pre-order a copy through Amazon here.

Now, a couple of interesting tidbits...

So, they're remaking one of my personal favorite films of all time, "They Live". Here's the article on THR.com. It looks like Universal and studio-based Strike Entertainment or going to do it and no writer is attached yet... (if any of you guys read this, do note that I'm available) Now, I'm WAY against remaking "Nightmare on Elm Street" and "Friday the 13th", but I'm not sure how I feel about this one. It could be ripe for a make-over, I don't know. The whole 'obey' thing, the half an hour fist fight between Roddy Piper and Keith David in the alley, quotes like "I came here to chew bubble gum and kick ass... and I'm all out of bubble gum" and "I take the glasses off, she looks like a regular person, doesn't she? Put 'em back on... formaldehyde-face!" Makes me want to watch it right now... Classic movie. As long as it doesn't star a bunch of kids from the WB, I should be cool with it.

I can't say that "Halloween III" or "Fright Night Part 2" were among my favorite films of all time, but the writer-director of both of them is back with a low-budget indie feature called "Helliversity". His name is Tommy Lee Wallace and he co-scripted the film with Steve Langford, a longtime writer-producer on ABC's "Family Matters". What's interesting to me is that this is being financed through a new joint venture between FarCor Studios and Indusa Global and their mandate is to produce low-budget indie features. I keep telling ya, this is where it's at! This whole world is going to fall apart and when it does, indie horror will still be there... like a cockroach or... beer cans.

So, happy Friday! Go get aled and we'll talk to you next week...

Film Fest Updates - Madison Horror Film Festival, Horror Society Film Festival and The Sacremento Horror Festival

I'm gearing up for the long weekend, which means stocking up on booze and not working tomorrow. So, I've got a quick post here on some horror film festival stuff, plus I'll be posting another interview we did some time this afternoon... and, I know this picture has nothing to do with anything that I've written below. I just like the picture. If you're interested, it's Natasha Talonz, who talked with Horror Society about a film she acted in, "The Horror Convention Massacre 2". I found the pic on their site...

I know we just mentioned the The Madison Horror Film Festival last week, but they already have a pretty cool update that I thought was worth mentioning. They've partnered with Apprehensive Films and are offering a distribution deal to the winners of the Best Short film and Best Feature film categories. I think it's a bit of a no brainer to distribute the winners, as it's a win/win for everyone and I think you're going to see more people stepping up and doing stuff like this... so, click on that link there and get your film in the festival.

Here's a new one, I think... I don't remember mentioning the Horror Society OR the fact that their having their 1st ever film festival this October - October 11th in Chicago, to be exact. According to them, they're "bringing you the most brutal, blood filled, and extreme horror ever seen on the big screen." Plus, it's all low-budget, underground horror and their goal is to provide "a platform for aspiring independent film directors and talent to debut their work and skills to Chicago." They've already filled the slate of films, so you can't submit or anything, but if you're in the Chicago area, do check it out.

So, here's another good festival that's done accepting films for the year... The Sacremento Horror Festival is October 17th - 19th this year and they "exist to deliver high-quality independent and popular studio-release horror films, sci-fi features and short films to the horror movie fan." They're also doing something pretty cool this year, called their "2008 Film Challenge - The Final Minutes of a Slasher/Zombie Film." It's a great idea and I'd love to see the submissions. It's too long to explain here, but it's worth reading about, just because it's a great idea. Check out the details of the challenge here.

Film Fest Updates - Eerie Horror Fest, Festival of Fear, Madison Horror Film Festival and Scriptapalooza

Well, alright then... let's finish off the week with some news on the festival and convention fronts.

The Eerie Horror Fest is one of the favorites of the indie-horror scene and, guess what? They're now taking submissions! This fest has been around since 2004 and has really grown to be one of the big indie horror festivals. Not only that, they have a screenwriting competition, as well as a video game developers section to go along with the films. Last year Fuji Film was a sponsor and gave away $2,500 to the winner of best cinematography, I'm not sure if they're doing that again this year... regardless, this year there's $10,000 in cash and prizes. They're a pretty cool festival, as one of their mandates is to try to play an active role in connecting their filmmakers and screenwriters directly with those in the industry. All that AND there's a convention, this years guests include: Sig Haig, a Texas Chainsaw Massacre Reunion, Kane Hodder, Tony Moran... the list goes on. Conclusion - for low-budget indie horror filmmakers, this is one of the festivals to go to or to enter. Click HERE for info on submitting your film, screenplay or video game or just click HERE for more info on the festival.

I have to mention The Rue Morgue Festival of Fear, which is this weekend - Aug 22-24. If you're in the Toronto area, you're going to want to stop by this one. There's tons of awesome films screening, lots indie stuff and there's lots of guests, including Wes Craven, Tobe Hooper, and others... AND then there's the off site events, which means parties. If you're not in the area and aren't planning on going, it's one you should definitely look into attending next year.

Now, a festival that just came to my attention and is just getting going... On Saturday October 25th, Icon Entertainment will be presenting the 1st annual Madison Horror Film Festival. You can submit right now, but you have a small window to get your film there. Late entry is on Sept. 19. For more info on submitting your film, go here. The event will take place at the Orpheum Theatre Stage Door in Madison, WI. Besides presenting some of the best independent short and feature films in the horror genre, they are pleased to announce Kenneth J. Hall as a guest speaker at the event. It looks like they'll have awards, although they don't mention any cash prizes. Full Moon is all over their website, so they may be a sponsor or involved somehow. Anyhow, I don't know any more than what the website says. I'll try to get in touch with them and dig up more info. You can find the website here.

Lastly, one reader was asking about a screenwriting competition called Scriptapalooza. To be honest, I had no prior knowledge of it, but I did look into it. However, before I talk about the competition, this gives me a good opportunity to mention a few things that I think people should know ...and this rule of thumb goes for almost everything, too. You have to remember that most of these festivals and competitions, regardless if they're good or bad, are looking to make money. Now, that's not a bad thing, by any means. You just have to look at HOW they make their money... and Scriptapalooza not only looks legit, it looks pretty good. (1) there's a lot of industry professionals involved. That means they're looking for scripts, don't kid yourself. Studios and indie producers are asking to read what these guys have and the festival's taking a fee from them. That's good for you, it's kinda like having an agent... in a round about way. (2) They're in the press quite a bit. This means they're putting themselves out there. A lot of competitions are just lurking around in the back of horror mags or online, asking for $50 from you and that's how THOSE guys make their money. These guys are in lots of industry papers and that's not necessarily to get your attention, either. They want the industry to know they exist. (3) There's good success stories. Always a bonus to see. Long and short, these guys look legit and they look like a good competition. The only thing I don't like is that they don't have categories. So, it's horror vs. drama vs. comedy, etc. I always find that horror can get lost in competitions like this. However, there are judges from After Dark Films, Lionsgate, Asylum and a few other companies that have been involved in horror. So, if your script has anything to do with monsters, slashers, aliens or mutants, you're better off entering The Eerie Horror Screenplay Competition, Shriekfest, Slamdance or even PAGE. If you've got a dark, brooding, psychological thriller-type script, you might do alright.