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

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

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

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

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

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

Film Fest Friday the 13th: Women of Horror, Paranoia and ACEFEST

It's Friday the 13th and the new "Friday the 13th" comes out today. It's a big day. What sucks is, I'm heading out of town for the weekend and won't have time to check it out until Monday the 16th or Tuesday the 17th. Both dates don't have the same ring... Anyhow, I think it's going to do alright, box office-wise - it'll lead the weekend, for sure. I also think that it'll be controversial for fans of the series. There's a lot of questions, like... I was just discussing how, as far as we can tell, it's sort of like an amalgamation of the first three, right? How's it going to work? I mean, part 1 - it was the Mom. Part 2 - He wore a bag on his head. Part 3 - He got the mask. So, if this is the beginning, plus he's wearing a mask and it's not his Mom doing the killing... what are they going to throw out of the story and what are they going to try to explain? Too much speculation, gotta go see it and I'm filled with nervous anticipation... I mean I was raised on Jason and Freddy.

Anyhow, here's some stuff going on in the festival world...

Alright, it's lady's night tonight... at the Horror Society Film Festival. Nope, no free drinks or piles of horny dudes. They just want your films. They're looking to showcase your work, whether you're a director, producer, writer or lead actor. It's a program they're doing called "Women of Horror" and it'll take place in Chicago at the Portage Theater. Basically, the Horror Society has different themes and, as they're saying on their event page, it's Lady's Night. Here's a link to the submission form and here's a link the event page on Myspace.

The Paranoia Horror and Sci-Fi Convention & Film Festival is closing their submissions this week... if not today, by the end of the weekend. Soon, anyhow. We did an interview with the festival director, Shane Russeck, not too long ago, and he gave a lot of insight into what's going on and why you should head down there. Feel free to re-read that interview by clicking on this link, it's a good read. It should be a good time and I'm thinking of heading down to it, myself.

The last thing that I'll bring to your attention is ACEFEST. Unfortunately, I can't tell you much more than that because all their website says right now is "Please bare with us as we give our website a fresh new look for the 2009 season". It also says that they'll begin taking submissions on Feb 17, 2009, so check back soon, I'm sure they'll have something new up. As far as what they're about, it looks like they're about focusing solely on American-made works and providing an exclusive forum for domestic film and video. ACE stands for American Cinematic Experience, if you're interested.

So, there you go. Have a great weekend and we'll see you next week...

Interview with Shane Russeck, Festival Director of The Paranoia Horror Film Fest

A few weeks ago, we talked about a new film festival that's hitting Southern California, called the Paranoia Horror Film Festival. If you missed it, here's the link. However, to sum it up, not only are they vying to be one of the largest Horror Conventions & Film Festivals right out of the gate, they're doing it on board the haunted RMS Queen Mary that's docked at Long Beach, right next to Howard Hughes' "Spruce Goose". Anyhow, building on that post, we've since had the chance to talk with the festival director and founder, Shane Russeck, to find out more about the festival...

Please tell us a bit about yourself… how’d you get into the whole indie horror scene?

I've always been a huge fan of Horror films. When I was a young kid, my Mother accidentally put "Halloween" on for me and my brother - I've been hooked ever since.

Tell us a bit about Paranoia, when and why did it get started?

I was at a horror convention, promoting a feature that I had acted in and noticed how many films were looking for distribution. I started thinking about how to get these films seen in a more effective venue and literally, Paranoia just came to me.

Talk a bit about the process in getting a film festival up and off the ground. What kind of hurdles did you have and what were some of the lessons learned?

Honestly, we haven't experienced many hurdles in launching Paranoia. We've been lucky in that the response has been overwhelming. It may be exclusive to the Horror genre, but we've found that Producers, Writers, Directors, Agents, Sales reps and Distributors have all been incredibly supportive of Paranoia and integral in getting it off the ground.

From the perspective of a film, why should indie horror filmmakers try to get their films into festivals?

Indie Horror Filmmakers need to get their films seen by industry professionals. Film Festivals like Paranoia are ideal for getting the films seen by the 'right' people.

From the perspective of the filmmaker, what can I expect to get out of attending and/or having my film screen at the festival?

As a filmmaker screening your film at Paranoia, you can expect first and foremost, a fun time at what people are calling the world's largest Horror Event. An exciting, exclusive red carpet premiere for your film and an opportunity to have your film viewed by the industry's best.

As a horror fan, what can expect to get out of attending the festival?

As a fan of Horror, you can expect to see what the next "big thing" in Horror is going to be. Plus, only Paranoia offers midnight screenings of classic Horror films in the Queen Mary's haunted boiler room.

When you’re accepting films, what are you looking for?

I keep an open mind about all of the films that I screen for Paranoia, but I have to say, I can really tell when a filmmaker is truly passionate about their project.

Does budget come into play when you’re considering films?

Budget absolutely does not come into play when I'm considering a film for Paranoia. Creativity, however is a must.

As a filmmaker, what can I do to make my film more festival friendly? Should I even be thinking of that?

I believe every filmmaker should follow their passion and make the film that they really want to make. Period.

At what point in the filmmaking process should I be thinking about the festivals?

Never.

What advice can you give to an up and coming filmmaker in the indie horror genre?

My advice to any filmmaker is to stay original and never stray from your vision. Whatever you do, make it your own.

Tell us about the future of indie horror, where do you see it going?

The great part of it is that I have no idea, and I can't wait to find out.

What’s next for you and Paranoia?

We have a lot of exciting opportunities coming our way, but for now, we are focusing on throwing a great event.

Where can people find out more about Paranoia and how can they go about entering their film?

All the information on Paranoia can be found at Paranoiafest.com

Film Festival Updates: The Paranoia Horror Film Festival

I have been aboard the RMS Queen Mary. It's true. I've also seen the Spruce Goose, which is housed next to it at Long Beach. They're tourist attractions now. However, before the Queen Mary was retired in 1967, it was used as a cruise ship, then to transport troops during World War II and then back to being a cruise ship. And now, like I said, there's kids running around it, line ups, cotton candy, things like that... What most of those fat little kids don't know is that ghosts have been reported on board, but only after it docked in California. You see, in 1966, an 18 year old fireman was crushed by a watertight door in the engine room and his ghost is said to haunt the ship. In fact, because of all that, the Queen Mary operates daily paranormal themed tours, some of which have theatrics and effects. There's a haunted maze and they do some other stuff on Halloween. If you remember, the X-Files also did an episode on the ship, although it wasn't about The Queen Mary, it was about the Bermuda Triangle and the ship stood in for a WWII-era vessel. So, why am I bringing this all up? Well, because The Queen Mary will be hosting the first annual Paranoia Horror and Sci-Fi Convention and Film Festival this March 13th - 15th.

The Paranoia Horror and Sci-Fi Convention and Film Festival or "Paranoia", as they'd like to be coined, is vying to be the world's largest Horror Convention & Film Festival and they'd like to find the next great thing in horror each and every year. So, they're doing a judged festival and will be accepting submissions for feature-length films, short films, videos, trailers and screenplays. You have until February 14th to get your submission in and you can find more information on submitting by going to their site and clicking on the submissions page. By the way, the site is a little tough to navigate... that is, until you figure out that all the candles are the different tabs. You might figure that out right away, but it took me a few minutes. They'll be giving out awards for Best short film, best director, best actor, best actress, best scream, scariest scene, best sfx, best screenplay, best trailer and an audience award.

On top of the films, they will also present midnight showings of classic horror movies in the boiler room, along with a themed "Dinner of the Dead". I'm also assuming that there's some sort of convention aspect, but I can't guarantee that, as there's a candle to go to sponsorship opportunities, but it hasn't been updated, so there's no mention of tables or anything like that. Having said that, the world "convention" IS in the title, so there's gotta be something going on.

As for details, just to reiterate, it's the Paranoia Horror Film Festival and it's from March 13th - 15th. Their website is Paranoiafest.com and it's held aboard The Queen Mary in Long Beach, California.

That's all we got for this week... I think we'll throw a post up on Monday about all the horror DVD's coming out, then shut down for the week for Christmas. You never know, though... we could get all aled and feel compelled to write something.