Dr Gangrene's Heebie Jeebies Horror Short Film Festival

Have you shot a horror short lately?  Have an idea for a horror short and you think you can finish it by August 22nd?  Well, why not enter it in Dr. Gangrene's Heebie Jeebies Horror Short Film Fest?  If you're interested, check out this press release that we found in our inbox!  


Dr. Gangrene and Culture Cringe Give You The Heebee Jeebees.

Horror Short Film Contest Set To Invade Bucket City

Murfreesboro, TN (07.24.2012) Nashville horror host Dr. Gangrene is teaming with Culture Cringe for the First Annual Heebie Jeebies Horror Short Film Festival. The one night event will showcase horror short films made locally in the middle Tennessee area as well as around the globe.

Dr. Gangrene said of the festival, “I'm excited to partner with Culture Cringe for the Heebie Jeebies film festival. They've been doing some exciting events in Murfreesboro, and their energy and enthusiasm will help make this an exciting event!”

Films will be screened September 29th 2012 at 3 Brothers Deli and Brewhouse located in the heart of Murfreesboro Tennesee, followed by an Award Scaremony honoring the best of the festival. Awards will be given for Best Director, Actor, Actress, Funniest Short, Scariest Short, Best Music Video, a best young film maker award and the Grand Prize of the festival will presented with the coveted Cringie Statue. Winners will also be included on a dvd release from Shackle Island Studios and Culture Cringe and aired on THE CW on Dr. Gangrene Presents television program.

Alongside Dr. Gangrene the festival is being curated by Benjamin Kaboom of Culture Cringe and film maker Cameron McCasland. McCasland said of the films being selected to screen, “I think everyone involved with Heebie Jeebies likes the idea of No Budget Lo-Fi film making. People just picking up a camera and shooting something that scares them, inspires them, makes them laugh, whatever. We want something different. It doesn’t have to be slick to make a good movie. I honestly just love the idea of friends running around in back yards and city streets making monster movies for the hell of it. Thats the stuff I want to see! ”

Films must be 22 minutes in length or less, horror themed,  and meet TV decency standards. The contest is open to U.S. and Canadian citizens. Submissions must be received by August 22, 2012 A full list of rules can be found at http://heebiejeebiesfilmfest.blogspot.com

Culture Cringe is a label specializing in LO-FI media releases of indie musical artists and films on cassette tape, vhs, and a handcrafted self published zine. Culture Cringe podcast all things strange from Bucket City, Murfreesboro TN,  Culture Cringe continues to put on shows and events in offbeat places with a focus on keeping things local and weird. For more information check out culturecringe.com

Larry Underwood is an award winning writer and television producer. Outside of his role of Dr. Gangrene , he writes a regular column for Scary Monsters Magazine and daily musings in his Tales From The Lab Blog at DrGangrene.com

Cameron McCasland is an Emmy nominated film maker from Edgewood Texas who has called Nashville home since 2001. His work has been seen on MTV, CMT, The CW, and film festivals around the globe. His upcoming feature film “The Lashman” is due out later this year.

Interview with Colin Cunningham, actor/director of "Centigrade"

I'm a big fan of short form film... and for various reasons. As a filmmaker, they're great and economical ways to explore a subject matter. Features cost a ton of dough and take lots of time and man-hours to make. If you can make a short, based on a bigger idea, you have something to show financiers, studios or executives. You can also enter it in festivals and drum up interest. They're great calling cards, you have a better chance of getting people to actually watching them and they're easier to get into film festivals. Also, short form films are easily distributed through the web... Once again, a great way to get your content out there and in front of people and that's really what you want. At the end of the day, if you're looking to make a name for yourself or get noticed, short form film offers a lot of opportunities.

Now, because of all that, we've had a lot of short form films sent our way over the last few years and have seen a few people go on to big things because of them. Most notably are the Fewdio guys and Paul Campion, who, between the two of them, made some of our favorite films of the year; "Nightmare House", "Eel Girl", etc... Recently, we had the opportunity to watch "Centigrade", by Colin Cunningham, and it now joins the ranks of those films that I just mentioned. The film is both mysterious and satisfying, as it leaves you with some questions, but, really... you don't care that they're not answered. The film is set up perfectly and effectively and it delivers in the end, which is everything you want from a short. That goes without mentioning the cinematography, which nails the claustrophobic and tense look and feel. The film is exactly what a short horror film should be and, not only that, it leaves you wanting more. We had the opportunity to discuss the film with Colin...

Tell us a bit about your short film, "Centigrade"

CENTIGRADE is film about karmic justice. Inspired by Steven Spielberg's (almost forgotten) classic DUEL, a man lives in an old, broken down Airstream travel trailer, but wakes up one morning to discover that he is, in fact, rolling down a desert highway. Towed by a mysterious black pick up truck, the man has to use his wits in order to survive. The film started with Producer (and business partner) Madison Graie. I had actually written the script 14 years previously and she recommended I blow the dust off it and see if it was still worth looking at. It was actually the DGC (Directors Guild Canada) that inspired a re-look because of their annual KICK START AWARD. A couple hundred people go for the thing, to which they only pick 3 or 4. If we could win the award, it would be $20,000 (the films budget). So, we applied. We won. And away we went.

Also, I'd like to mention that everybody thinks that 'credibility' only comes with a feature. If it's not 90 minutes, it's worthless. And nothing could be further from the truth. Some of the best films I saw in 2009 were all shorts. Mind blowing works. Films 6 minutes long packing more punch than most 2 hour epics. It all started with the short format. Hal Roach, Chaplin. All geniuses. And as any lover of good cinema will tell you. It's not how long it is, but what you do with it.

I had absolutely NO interest in acting in the film. If anything, I was somewhat retiring from acting and phasing into directing full time. I've been in a stable of directors over at CMT (Country Music Television) as well as having worked a number of other indie film projects and it was time to make the jump full time. I had actor Callum Rennie slated to play the lead, but we couldn't lock schedules down. So I reluctantly put on the acting hat as well.

You did a great job of creating a claustrophobic atmosphere in the trailer and the camerawork was fantastic. Talk about creating that look and feel

Cinematographer KEVIN HALL, Madison and myself spent a great deal of time working that out. To create an environment that felt like you we're trapped inside an iron lung, as opposed to hanging out in one of those fun, Airstream travel trailers cruising around on holiday.

You not only played the lead role, you also wrote and directed the film. Talk about balancing all your roles out

It was hell. And I mean that. An incredibly hard thing to do. To act in a film that you're directing, isn't really that big of a deal. Provided that you're sitting in an office, or doing a simple walk and talk. No problem. But for this, this was off the chart. And again, it was 'not' an ego thing. I didn't want to act in it. I really didn't. Fortunately, I had Madison guiding the performance from the other side of the camera. Still, on our last day of shooting, I swore I'd never do it again. That kind of stuff will put you in the hospital.

The film has a distinct ending, but does leave the audience with a few questions... the main one is, who's doing this to this guy? Is this on purpose or... is there something I'm missing?

Well, I don't want to give anything away, but no, you didn't missing anything. It's deliberately ambiguous. It's left up to the audience to put their own two cents in there. But it's essentially a tale of karmic justice. The dark irony of what happens when the 'trapper' becomes entrapped.

Okay, tell us a bit about yourself. What are your influences and what got you into film?

Madison and I adore film. We both started out as actors on stage and have such a great passion for it. To be on stage, in a moment of pure magic when you connect with the play, the character, the audience. It's incredible. But with film, you can actually capture that 'moment'. To record it. To trap it on film forever. Replay it. Put it in the mail. Wow. To attempt that kind of thing thing is why we're filmmakers.

Film school: Yes or No?

I did go to film school. But there wasn't anything I learned there technically that I couldn't have learned in 3 days on a film set. I don't knock film schools, but I would strongly recommend you DO NOT take a 4 year program and put yourself a 100,000 in debt. That's insanity.

When you set out to make "Centigrade", what was your goal? Was it to get accolades at festivals, was it to open doors, was it financial? Did you accomplish those goals with it?

We'd made a lot of movies. Shorts, music videos, features. And certainly not all of them were as successful as Centigrade. But Centigrade has proven what can be done with 15 minutes. I can only pray that it inspires others to get out there and do the same. But it started out as a presentation pilot for a tv show. But to see how it would be received, we began submitting to film festivals. Then iTUNES heard about the film and we made a deal. And not only did Centigrade make the Top Ten List of 'Best Shorts' on iTUNES, but it was also the first short film in iTUNES history to break the TOP TEN in FEATURE downloads. We literally made it along side such mega Hollywood Blockbusters as IRON MAN and INDIANA JONES (Crystal Skull). These are 60-80 million dollars flicks. And to be a 20,000 dollar 'short'... to make it onto such a list with people like Steven Spielberg is just incredible. But the icing on the cake had to be making the short list for an Academy Award Nomination last year. We qualified by taking Best Short at Cinequest in California and made it through the first couple rounds after that. Pretty cool.

All in all. The project has accomplished what we'd always prayed for. It started out as a presentation pilot for a tv show. And it has served us quite well in that regard. We went to the Banff Film and Television market in Canada and have since partnered up with some great companies in bringing 13 episodes of DARKARMA (the tv show) to the small screen. We've just formally locked down show runner, Sam Egan, are in negotiations with both network and distributor and it's all systems go.

The film won various awards at film festivals, so you obviously entered a bunch. Talk about the festival scene. Is it something that every filmmaker should get involved in?

Absolutely. But the tough part is that you never know which one is going to be a bust. You just don't know. You think, just because 'such and such' is the biggest, then it's the best. When in fact, it's a tiny festival where you may want to be. Plus, it's a bit of an unpublicized truth, but SO many film festivals are nothing more than a racket. Pure and simple. When submitting, you may wonder if they actually ever watched your film. But you can be damn sure they cashed your check. I've always said, want to make money in film? Don't start a film company. Start a film festival.

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

It's an exciting right now. Incredibly exiting. And if you're a filmmaker, try not to get too caught up in 'what's happening now' or where it's going. Learn as much as you can about what is happening in terms of the industry, distribution etc. Just don't forget to get out there and SHOOT!

Where can people find out more about "Centigrade" or get their hands on a copy?

iTUNES is perhaps the easiest place to get hold of it. Just type in 'Centigrade' in the search window. But also, keep a look out for the feature version of Centigrade and, of course, the tv series inspired by it. The new show is called DARKARMA. The first show in the history of television devoted entirely to the concept of karmic justice.

Interview With Peter Grendle, writer/director of "This Side Of Nightmare"

We're basically at a point where the only thing holding you back from making your film is... you. This is the era of the so-called desktop filmmaker. Now, this doesn't go for filmmakers who are setting out to make a feature length sci-fi film with theatrical aspirations or something of that calibre. I'm talking about going out and making a quality short film, one that could be entered into festivals or just made to sharpen your skills, something that can be used to open some doors or just get you better at the craft of filmmaking. Hey, maybe you know nothing about the process of making a film... maybe you've been talking about it, over beers, for a while now. We should do this, we should to that... if only, if only. Well, at this point, the only 'if' is 'if' you get off your ass and do it. Life is about leveraging what you've got and if all you've got is a want and desire to make film, you better get out and make a film. Once you've made one or have bettered your filmmaking skills, leverage that... it's a cycle and you gotta keep working it.

Take a look at "This Side Of Nightmare", written and directed by Peter Grendle, for example. With loads of resolve and ambition, but short on resources, he went out and shot his 11 minute horror film for $500 in one day. What came out was a film that has a look and feel that can compete with any other short film on any stage, in any festival. Now, having seen "This Side Of Nightmare", I can tell you that Grendle is a talented filmmaker with some serious skills. In fact, I know he does a lot of work in TV, film and the like. That aside, the film impressed me, from the cinematography all the way to how it's cut together. It's a edgy piece that feels like you're getting a snippet of something bigger. You're thrust into the film and ripped out at the end. Really, it's everything that you could want in 11 minutes of horror.

I wouldn't expect that just anyone with a bit of ambition could get off the couch and make something of this quality, however... you have to start somewhere and this isn't Grendle's first time behind a camera. The point is, "This Side Of Nightmare" is a testament to what can be done with just a bit of resolve, a few dollars and some equipment. It's an achievement that I think a lot of indie and wannabe filmmakers and can look up to and, if you're one of those guys who is trying to muster up the will power to go out and make something, this is the interview for you and you should definitely be checking out the film.

First off, tell us a bit about yourself. What are your influences and what got you into indie horror and filmmaking?

Like everyone else, I started when I was a teenager, making scary movies in an attempt at meeting pretty girls. You know, because everyone wants to be an actress! What really got me going from there on was sitting down to “The Evil Dead” and realizing that someone else was doing the same things I wanted to. The rest is a downward spiral into becoming the ravenous Horror glutton I am today.

Tell us a bit about “This Side Of Nightmare”, what’s it about and where did you get the idea?

It’s about a lesbian college couple stuck in the middle of the desert with two sadist sisters.

You’ll find very quickly that in New Mexico (where the newest “Terminator” was shot) there’s pretty much one location you can always get for free: the middle of nowhere. Our original idea was to make a gangster drug bust short about mafia men in the desert. I was bored before writing the first word, so I replaced “police officers” with “college couple” and “gangsters” with “redneck killers”. It wrote itself.

I know you shot on an extremely micro-budget. Tell us what the budget was and tell us a bit about how you cut corners and were able to shoot it for so little.

We did it with $500. We had a crew of two people: Tyler King as the D.P., and myself as everything else. Our credit scroll is fake… but don’t tell anyone.

We paid everyone involved and that took up 80% of the cash. We own all our equipment from shooting audition tapes and commercials for local businesses and performers. The last 20% went towards our one lunch break that split the day down the middle. I did all the makeup with water, corn syrup, creamer, toothpaste, food coloring, and a $3 bottle of 3D gel. The grocery bill for this was maybe $25.

What did you shoot on and how long was the shoot?

We shot on my favorite camera for run and gun – the Panasonic HVX200. It took us ten hours, with the exterior car chase shots being filmed the following weekend.

Talk about keeping the production going with such a tight shooting schedule.

The day consisted of actors rehearsing while Tyler set the shot and I prepped the makeup and other essentials. We did one or two takes of each scene, from at least two different angles, and moved on. Everyone knew it was a one day shoot, and no one wanted to wake up at four AM to do it all again, so I think that helped the energy and dedication. There’s a lot that can be done while the shot is being set – and I don’t think enough people take advantage of that time.

For me, there were a few artistic things you did which worked really well. One was the switch to black & white, another was your use of slo-motion and another was your use of angles. All of them created a nightmarish look and feel, very well done horror stuff. Talk about those choices and creating that horror look and feel.

The black and white saturation melt was a complete afterthought, thrown in a year after we had finished cutting. I was thinking it over in the shower that the film was still missing something – suddenly it clicked. I also think it helps to hide some of the “low budget-ness” and give it a documentary feel.

I love slow motion when it’s sparse. That shot was planned before I had finished with the script. It’s the only shot I storyboarded and the only shot that divides audiences. My wife hates it, 70’s Rape and Revenge fans love it. What can you do?

As for angles they were all pretty much made up on the spot. If we had a strict storyboard we would have wasted many hours just trying to match the shots. I would show Tyler what the action was and what plot points needed to be highlighted, and he went from there – at times hanging out of a car window or lying down in the middle of a road.

I also liked your choice with sound and music. Talk about the process of scoring the film….

Scoring is always the tough part when going micro-budget. I was limited to public domain and royalty free stuff by extremely generous composers – so scoring the film wasn’t “what should I write for this scene that would make it pop?” – instead it was “what can I find for free that fits the mood, and how can I cut around it?.” It’s trying, to say the least.

You use archetypal characters: young lesbians & bible thumping rednecks. Talk about your choices in creating those characters.

When I only have $500, I have to write around what I have right in front of me. Originally the couple was straight and the sisters were just siblings. Two men and two women. But the inspiration behind the lesbians and sisters literally came from me not knowing any male actors, period.

Unfortunately none of them could be scheduled, so we were forced to do an open casting call – but stuck with the four women – because it felt different. I like the motif and I like the boundaries it betrays in terms of Horror clichés (after all, our plot is already clichéd we have to put something original in there).

The ending was abrupt, almost jarring. Talk about your choice for the ending.

I’m glad you said that. I think it’s how a Horror film should be. No happy ending. No discovery of police or friends. The best Horror should be extremely jarring and it should stick with you for a while. A life has been destroyed – let’s show it.

Have you entered the film into any festivals? If so, how did it do and would you recommend other filmmakers get involved with the festival circuit?

Yes, all the big ones – and unfortunately we didn’t get into any! But we have nailed down four different distribution deals, so I like to think that makes up for it.

I like festivals and I think the right ones with the right marketing can certainly get someone agents/job offers. But I also feel that these things can be done just as easily through the internet. I think the best way to do it is set a budget for festivals, enter into a few big expensive ones, and then enter into a few smaller cheaper ones – that way you run the gamut and meet as many people as possible without spending what could have been your next film’s budget. Because everyone wants to start big, but I think these days, with DVD and VOD being as interesting as they are – it’s much easier to start small.

But what do I know – I haven’t quit my day job yet.

Has the film opened any doors for you or boosted your career in any way?

It certainly has. Granted, we’re all still working on that “career” thing, but the next step is the feature version – and I have a million more people to send that to once its finished than I did before I made this short. And you know, half of that is just due to research and figuring out who’s looking and who’s not, and what they’re looking for as well.

How are you going about distributing the film and how is that working out?

We’re putting this out in four different ways currently. BigStar.tv and IndieFlix.com have picked it up for pay-for-play online viewing, and a huge kudos goes to IndieFlix.com for putting it out (soon, I hope) onto Hulu.com, Amazon.com, and many others as well.

American Horrors has picked it up for an episode and maybe (?) DVD later on. I’m not sure where or when that’s airing though. Finally, we’ll be on a compilation of AAAAAH!! Indie Horror Hits someday.

Where can people find out more about “This Side Of Nightmare” and, better yet, buy a copy?

First off, they can watch the trailer here: youtube.com/user/RLCinema

IndieFlix.com is the place to go, in my opinion. There are a few reviews floating around the web if they’re unsure if they want to make that 11 minute commitment yet: Arrow in the Head, Horror Yearbook, Fatally Yours, and Don’t Look Behind You are among the awesome sites that have posted reviews.

And they can always check our website, redlettercinema.com for updates and other projects.

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

The scene is huge and spread out. We’ve all been hearing that since the “desktop filmmaker” came along everyone’s been making crappy movies and getting them put out on Brain Damage for a quick buck, thusly ruining our reputation (and don’t get me wrong, I love Brain Damage films).

While this is partially true, now more than ever I’m seeing much more talent and dedication being put into the DTV market. What’s causing it is up in the air, but I’m leaning towards Hollywood’s lack of bravery and faith when it comes to original work – which is most likely caused by a sinking economy. As a result DTV is growing astronomically, and finally getting a bit of respect. Remakes and sequels go to theaters, original and brave films go to video. Think about the best US releases of the past months: “Alien Raiders,” “Otis,” “Laid to Rest,” “Martyrs” and the list goes on.

What was the last theatrical Horror film that anyone can remember blowing their mind, save for “Let the Right One In?” US DTV catalogs are what I peruse these days, and I don’t think I’m alone.

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

I’m currently finishing Post on a comedy called “Lament to Roswell” about a girl living in Roswell, New Mexico who claims she was abducted and impregnated by aliens, and is now trying to wrangle up a protest against the Government’s outer space policing habits. The trailer should be up soon at our YouTube page: youtube.com/user/RLCinema.

An Executive Decision to Take Thanksgiving Off

I had a post that I was working on, but I've made an executive decision to take the day off. So, instead, I'm going to post the latest video from Fewdio which has a Thanksgiving-ish theme, sort of.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone, we'll be back tomorrow! And take my advice, drink heavily tonight (today).