I came across this article and I was just going to include it in a post with a bunch of other links, but I have WAY to much to say here. Here's a link to the article in question, it has to do with the shitty stock market and how that effects media companies, it talks about Lions Gate - which just happens to be one of my favorite studios and, lastly, I think it also shows some insight into what the future may look like for media... Sorry for this long post, but I've got a lot of shit to say on the topic.First off, let's take a look at this shit storm called the stock market. Chances are, you've heard that there's some pretty scary stuff going on out there. This isn't a financial site and I'm not going to bother talking economics, but let's just state a couple facts. One, panic is setting in and two, there's some crazy shit going on. Most media companies are publicly traded, whether on their own, like Lions Gate, or as a subsidiary of their media conglomerate - think Viacom owning Paramount. Media stocks, much like every other stock out there, have been hammered. Take Lions Gate, for example, which is currently trading at $6.16 as I type this... In August, it was as high as $10.50. So, if you do the math, the company lost almost half its value in 3 months. However, that's stock value. There are people out there who are way smarter than me that can take a look at the books, plus their library of films and the deals they have in place and come up with a proper valuation... which, in this case, should be higher than $6.16 per share. (According the article, it could be as high as $15 or $16 a share) So, what happens? Guys like Carl Icahn, the billionaire financier, corporate raider and private equity investor, step in and start buying shares... which is exactly what happened. Why? 'Cause he smells an opportunity.
Let's look at Lions Gate for a second... they're considered to be one of the most commercially successful independent film and television distribution companies in North America. And I think they did that on the shoulders of indie horror, which as you know... is one of the most profitable sub genre's out there. Lions Gate's first box office success was one of my personal favorite films, "American Psycho", and they went on to do stuff like "Saw", "Hostel", "House of 1,000 Corpses", not to mention distributing edgy stuff that no one else would touch, like "Fahrenheit 9/11". That's just to mention their theatrical releases, they also have an indie horror library that numbers in the thousands, which they distribute direct to DVD. Long and short, this is a company that's only been around for about a decade, but has become one of the worlds quintessential indie horror distributors. They saw this market before anyone else did and now they own it. They produce, they distribute, they acquire edgy foreign horror, they have a television production arm and they make money.
Okay, so... now we know that Lions Gate is a pretty good company AND that the stock market has hammered its price down AND Ichan smells something. So, what's he smell? According to this article, he smells it as a take over target. By who? Yahoo. Now, whether or not that would actually happen is one thing, but what's interesting to me is the fact that Lions Gate would even BE a take over target for Yahoo. Let's think about it for a second... doesn't that actually fit with what we've been saying for a while now? The future of film is not theatrical, it's through new distribution methods, such as online. A Yahoo take over of Lions Gate would give an internet company every relationship it needs, plus a huge library of films, to get into a whole new era of content distribution. Personally, I think that companies like Yahoo, Microsoft and even Sony will be the studios and media players of the future. Microsoft is prepping the Xbox to be the media portal that connects everything in your living room and Sony's trying to do the same thing with its PS3. It's no mistake that they all connect to the internet, have web browsers, plus play DVD's and Blu-Ray. Yahoo wants into that market, so this could be a good move. Anyhow, I would expect that coming soon, you'll see a LOT of companies selling off parts, plus other companies buying up those parts. There's going to be some interesting consolidation coming...
So, what's this mean for lowly indie filmmakers? Who really knows? I do have a few ideas, though. For one, all the studios, from the big guys all the way down to the more indie guys, are axing budgets. That's precisely why shitty shows like "Knight Rider" are getting a full season. No one wants to pay for making a whole new show. Risky films aren't going to get made and you're going to see a LOT of PG-13, made for the whole family, films and TV garbage. They're hedging their bets and won't take a risk. This will widen the divide between indie film and the studios, which could create opportunities for you. If anyone can take a risk, indie filmmakers can. So, my suggestion? More blood, more guts, more nudity and more f'ed up plot lines. Go f'ing crazy. People will get sick of seeing generic visual vomit and crave edgy films. So, the edgier, the better. Why do you think Asian films are so f'ed up right now? Because, years ago, the government tried to tell people what they could watch. So, what happened? The underground horror movement went ballistic over there. The other thing I sense coming will be an explosion of new distribution methods. Everyone's profit margin is so slim now, that they'll be looking for any new way to make money... and there's only one way to do that, get it out there any way possible. When the internet companies get involved, they'll get all the nerds working on ways to get content out there through your PSP's, Xbox's, smart phones and whatever new device is going to be launched in the next few years.
So, maybe it's the optimist in me, but... the next few years are going to be interesting. It could get bad, real bad. But I do think there's good times ahead, especially for those indie filmmakers that keep at it and push forward.
" comes out today. Actually, Melissa Bacelar, his co-star in "Skinned Alive", is back in this one. "Pink Eye" takes place at a prison-like, dilapidated insane asylum where secret drug testing has gone very wrong... doesn't it always? Who ARE these doctors? Some patients die, others become raging, homicidal lunatics. Then, one patient escapes and brings death and terror to an unsuspecting town and everyone in it. It's essentially the same team that brought you "Skinned Alive", as it's written by and stars Joshua Nelson, has hottie Melissa Bacelar in it and is directed by James Tucker. This is a group of indie filmmakers that we're big fans of, so make sure you check this one out.
" is co-directed by Greg Swinson and Ryan Thiessen, the story comes from Marshall Hicks and the screenplay was by Swinson. It's an indie horror and it's about five teenage girls who get in a bit of trouble, then end up driving a van through an area that the locals call "The Eyes", where they're being chased by a guy in an SUV that they happened to damage earlier... As it's a low-budget indie, there's a few cool things they did to cut corners, including shooting the entire film from inside the girls white van. I haven't seen it yet, but this is the kind of thing that Dead Harvey's all about. I'll try to get in touch with these guys and talk with them about the film.
" is produced, written, directed by and stars Seth Landau, it's also got Tony Todd, George Wendt, Tiffany Shepis and Lloyd Kaufman in it. It's based on the true story of a cult that takes over a small Arizona town. It's another take on the 'lost footage' style of filmmaking, which is another great way to cut corners on cost... in this case, a psychotherapist looks through camcorder footage and security tapes that witnessed the whole ordeal. I like the whole idea of 'lost footage', as it's a great way to justify using shitty cameras and low-production values... and I don't mean that in a bad way, really. I mean that in a good way.
" is another low-budget indie from the UK and it's won a bunch of awards, including best actor at Austin Fantastic Film Fest, a few awards from BAFTA Awards, best narrative feature at Santa Cruz Film Festival, best child acting at Seattle True Independent Film Festival and bronze for best suspense / thriller at WorldFest Houston. It's written, produced and directed by Julian Richards, whose got a lot of good shit to his name, including the really well received "The Last Horror Movie", which came out in 2003. This is his latest film and it's about a group of teens who are faced with a life-changing experience when they meet a deranged drifter.
" is actually an award winning film, as well, having won the best New Mexico Filmmaker award at the Santa Fe Film Festival. It was co-directed by Billy Garberina and Richard Griffin and it was co-written by Adam Jarmon Brown and Garberina. It's yet another low-budget indie, this one taking the schlock route... which I always appreciate. The film takes place in Necroville, a city overrun by zombies, vampires, werewolves and other monsters. Jack and his best friend work at a monster extermination company and he spends his days battling monsters and trying to please his girlfriend... but his two worlds collide when Penny's ex-boyfriend returns to town, as the unholy master of a coven of bloodthirsty vampires. Once again, this is a film that's right up our alley, so check it out.
". This is directed by Nigel Wingrove, who is, more famously, the guy who founded Redemption Films in 1992 following the banning of his film "Visions of Ecstasy" in 1989/90. He was largely responsible for bringing the work of Jean Rollin, Jess Franco and Dario Argento to the mainstream horror audience. "Satanic Sluts" is an all girl internet collective and the subject of this film, plus a few others. The Black Mass is also the name of a night club that Wingrove operates... specializing in strong horror, banned films and Europorn, you can expect this to be, well... over the top.
", the sequel to 2006's "Pulse", which was loosely based on the the 2001 Japanese film, "Kairo", would be the biggest budget release of the week. There's a third film planned, as well, called "Pulse: Invasion". I can't say that I was a huge fan of the first "Pulse", it was your standard PG-13 horror film from Dimension. "Pulse 2" is written and directed by Joel Soisson, who has some very interesting credits to his name, including being the director on: "Maniac Cop 3: Badge of Silence" and a couple of "The Prophecy" sequels, as well as, but not limited to, writing "Hellraiser: Hellworld", "Mimic 2" and "Dracula 2000". He also produced a whole helluva lot of good stuff.
", is another adaptation of his works. Now, like I said, I usually wouldn't comment on a film like this, as, really, I'm not going to see it, but it is worth mentioning for this one reason... targetting younger audiences is an easier way to sell your film. It boils down to that whole PG-13 vs. R rating debate. My personal opinion is that I like R rated films a lot more, however if you were a studio and just wanted money, you'd make a PG-13 film to attract a larger audience. Knowing that, if you are putting together a project that you wanted to pitch to a studio and it could be toned down for a younger audience... should you do it? It's a whole other category that I think is underserved right now - horror for kids.
" is from Paul Etheredge, whose spent the bulk of his career in the art department, having worked on films like "JFK", "Hexed" and "I Shot Andy Warhol". This is based on the FEARnet digital series, following a group of friends who find themselves trapped inside coffins. On FEARnet, they were just a bunch of very short, shorts... as each person woke up in the coffin. This ties them all together, has them unravelling the clues, plus has siblings Meg and Travis above ground, trying to figure it out and save their friends, as well. To be honest, I didn't watch any of the shorts on FEARnet, but it was done fairly cheaply and could be worth checking out.
". The director of this one, Shawn Papazian, was actually the second unit director on the first, which is pretty cool. So, it looks like "Raw Feed" promotes from within. He also directed a film called "Horror High", back in 2005, so this isn't his directorial debut, but pretty close. "Don't Look Back" revolves around the brother of the Jesse (from the first film), who sets out with a few friends to find the missing couple from the first film.
" is written, produced and directed by Matthew Hope, whose only other directorial effort was 2005's "In the Field". It comes out of the UK and it's a low-budget indie about one desperate survivor in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by zombies. It screened at the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival and it was fairly well received. I haven't seen it, but the trailer looks pretty f'ing good.
" builds on the whole reality game horror thing... however, this one appears to take things a little further. This one starts with the main character being thrown naked into a desolate room with thirteen strangers, where she discovers that she's the final contestant in a "deadly game". The twist they throw in here is what I call the "Shoot To Kill" twist, where one of the contestants is the actual killer, you just don't know who. Now, I know that this story twist goes way beyond the Kirstie Alley film from 1988, but that where I first recognized it, so that's how I remember it. In any case, this was co-written and co-directed by John Suites and Gabriel Cowan.
", written and directed by Ramzi Abed, is a new take on the Black Dahlia murder... which seems to never get old, for some reason. I guess it's an interesting story, but it happened a while ago. If you're not aware of it, Elizabeth Ann Short, subsequently nicknamed the Black Dahlia, was murdered in 1947 and it was gruesome - she was found severely mutilated, with her body severed in half and drained of blood. They never caught anybody and it's still considered a mystery. "The Devil's Muse" is about an actress who gets to play Elizabeth Short and an entire dreamworld awakens around her... all the while, a killer is on the loose collecting women and killing them in time for the 60th anniversary of the murder.
" is another Sci-Fi Original, this one from director Gary Jones, who was also behind "Planet Raptor: Raptor Island 2", "Crocodile 2: Death Swamp" and the upcoming "Boogeyman 3". "Ghouls" has William Atherton in it, who I'm going to think most people remember as Richard Thornburg from "Die Hard" and "Die Hard 2", as well as "Days of Our Lives" own Kristen Renton... who plays Morgan Hollingsworth (I had to look that up, I swear). The film is about a college student who returns with her father to his home country only to discover that her family holds a dark secret that involves her... and I can only assume that it has something to do with ghouls.
" comes from Carlos Batts and is the story of five deadly beauties spawned by Vlad Drakul, cursed with a poisonous and venomous kiss... and, a revolutionary sex fantasy blending an exotic cast, featuring comic illustrations, animation, martial arts and ground breaking music, it's beeing hailed as the first ever action / erotic film. I may just have to look further into this one...
", because it, pretty much, stands for everything I hate about studio horror, but... here's a few tidbits. It's PG-13 and it was not screened in advance, both of which usually mean the movies sucks. However, budgeted at $20Million, it grossed over $50Million internationally, so it would probably be considered a financial success, therefore you can expect more of them. It was directed by Nelson McCormick, who's done a lot of TV... which makes sense because there's a lot of TV actors in it. Looks like he's the guy behind the new "The Stepfather", too. Just do yourself a favor and pick up the 
.
", is finally out this week. It contains 3 films; "Croc", "Eye of the Beast" and "Grizzly Rage". I started to think this whole mess started with the 2007 Gary Busey classic called, you know it, "Maneater"... but it didn't. "Maneater" is actually the third film in the series. (That would be in Vol. 1, for those keeping score) The FIRST film in the Maneater Series was "Blood Monkey"... I think. Anyhow, they're all the Sci-Fi Original Films about creatures that eat men.
", the Spanish made-for-TV horror hexalogy. It's being released by Lionsgate and the 6 films are: "Blame", "Spectre", "A Real Friend", "A Christmas Tale", "The Baby's Room" and "To Let". It's a three disc collection and the trailer looks awesome... the price is definitely right for 6 movies. I can't find the trailer on Youtube, but click 
" is an indie horror from director Alex Melli and I believe this is his first feature film... he also edited it and shot it. It was written by Bibi Ong-VanZandt and Gloria Uhler, Bibi Ong-VanZandt seems to have worked with Melli on a short a few year back... and I really just wanted another excuse to write Bibi Ong-VanZandt because the name is awesome. Bibi Ong-VanZandt. It looks like Bibi is married to John VanZandt, who produced the film. ANYHOW, Melli worked as an art director, producing advertising, before getting into directing. He made five short films before making "Things You Don't Tell", which is "a psychological thriller about three people caught in a web of deceit and lies. Everything is contained on the surface until a chance meeting triggers a series of tragic events that rips their worlds apart. As the truth unravels, their very survival is at stake."
", directed by Geno McGahee and Jeremy Weiskotten, is from X Posse Productions and is being released by Tempe Video. It's about a vicious serial killer who once terrorized the small town of Ludlow. The axe-wielding murder was brought to justice, but according to legend, he would one day return for vengeance... and that day had come. The trailer looks great and, from what I can tell, this is their first feature.
" is definitely of note. It's from 1970, directed by Herschell Gordon Lewis. Lewis is pretty much known for creating the splatter film, as we know it, and "Wizard of Gore" is frequently quoted as an influence for every modern splatter filmmaker, from bigger budget splat fests, all the way down to the smallest of micro films. In any case, it's a must see for any filmmaker...
" comes out. Best show on TV. Period.
". I'm a sucker for anything Terminator and I thought the series was pretty f'ing awesome... I can't wait for season 2.
". I was trying to figure out why there were five movies with the same title, so I looked into it. Turns out it's one of Chicago's best known ghost stories. Here's a 
" comes from Joe Francis, who's currently in production on "Survival 2". I think the trailer looks awesome, as I think they shot this on super 8, which gives it that "Chainsaw Massacre" look, which I really like. I can tell it's a low-budget indie, but I'm having trouble finding out more about the film. I tried to quickly look into it, but unfortunately the director, Joe Francis, shares the exact same name as the founder and CEO of "Girls Gone Wild", which makes it hard to do any sort of search on his name. Either way, I'm going to try and find out more about the project, as it looks pretty good.
is directed by Sidney Mansa Winters and it was written by Greg Niecestro. It's the first film from Winters and it looks like Niecestro not only wrote it, but produced it, edited it and also acted in it. It was apparently inspired by a true story, where a ghost visits a guys room every night at 3 AM, then the guy is followed by the number 3... sounds a bit like the Jim Carrey film, "23", but better... a lot better. Well, I thought "23" sucked, so it wouldn't be hard to be better, but... either way, check this one out.
" - Does this actually warrant me talking about? This is the mini-series that ran on the Hallmark TV channel back in 2005 and starred Luke Perry, Tia Carrere, Peter Fonda and Lance Henriksen... Peter Fonda is as an astrophysicist who discovers that the sun is older than we thought and it's about to blow up. Tia Carrere plays an agent from a secret American government agency and Luke Perry is a scientist buddy of Fonda's... wow, I feel dirty for having just written that.
- I'll just mention the titles from this: The Madmen of Mandoras, They Saved Hitler's Brain, Bloodlust! and The Creeping Terror. They're all in black & white and from between 1961 - 1963.
" puts out a DVD with all the horror shorts from the festival on it and, finally, "The Horror Vault" is a group of filmmakers that went out and made their own anthology.
. By the way, the Horror Vault 2 is already in the works and will be released on December 1, 2008.