A little "Paranormal Activity" and a dash of "The Filmmakers Book of the Dead"

By now, I'm sure you've heard of this little no-budget indie horror film from Oren Peli called "Paranormal Activity". No? Well, it premiered at Screamfest in 2007, then Peli got picked up by CAA, then it had a big screening at Slamdance in 2008, was eventually picked up by Dreamworks / Paramount and is now getting a limited theatrical release. It was shot for around $15,000 and rumor around the campfire says it's genuinely frightening... in fact, when things were stalled at Dreamworks, Studio Chief Stacey Snider and Production Chief Adam Goodman gave a copy of the DVD to Steven Spielberg, who took it home to watch... and then, legend has it, he brought it back in a garbage bag the next day because he thought the DVD was haunted. Another story has him turning it off halfway through... but only because he was too scared to get through it. In any case, he did see it and he did get it the release they wanted AND he greenlit a remake that was to be made by Oren Peli because they wanted to be "in business" with him. It's the kind of story that indie horror filmmakers lean on. Bank on. Get jealous of. It's the kind of story that makes an indie filmmaker think, "I can do that".

Well, our congratulations go out to Oren Peli, it's an awesome success story, and I'm not saying you can't do what he did. In fact, you most certainly can... but, you need to realize a few things first. One, success stories like this aren't exactly common. There's probably 5,000 micro-budget films released every year (and I feel like I see maybe 1,000 of them). Then, there's probably more than that that are actually made, but never see the light of day... we can call them wastage. Films that probably didn't get finished because the filmmakers didn't actually think things through. Further, we'll go years before seeing a "hit" out of that pool. In fact, you can count the micro-cinema "hits" on one hand. "The Blair Witch Project", "Open Water", "El Mariachi" and... "Paranormal Activity"? I can't think of any other MASSIVE success stories off hand, please post a comment if you can think of others. Now, do the math. That's around 5 films over 10 years. So, 5 in a minimum of 50,000 or a 1 in 10,000 chance.

I don't mean to dissuade you, the odds are better than winning the lotto and Lord knows how much money I waste on that. Also, your goal may just be to get a film made and, obviously, the definition of a successful film is different for everyone. Maybe you don't want a blockbuster, maybe you just want to make more than your initial investment back? Regardless, what I would urge you to do is to know what you're getting in to. Know how this scene works and really figure things out before you spend your first dollar. There's various ways to do this... the easy, and most entertaining way is, watch a lot of indie horror films. The other, read everything you can on the subject. Blogs like this, Variety, Hollywood Reporter, other horror sites and whatever books you can find. Granted, there aren't too many books on the subject, but they do exist and we had the chance to talk to the author of one such book, here.

The following is an interview with Danny Draven, a filmmaker and author. He recently wrote the book "The Filmmaker's Book of The Dead" and it's all about the indie horror industry. We discussed the book and he offered up some good advice for you filmmakers... if you want more advice than this, well... you're going to have to pick up the book.

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

I'm an independent filmmaker that mainly makes horror films. My new film, GHOST MONTH, just came out on DVD and Blu-Ray. I started out making movies with J.R. Bookwalter of Tempe Entertainment and that led to making films with Charles Band at Full Moon Pictures. I've always wanted to make indie films as a springboard to learn everything I could about making movies.

Film school: yes or no?

Yes. I'm a graduate of Emerson College in Boston where I attended film school. I learned a lot of theory and practice and was turned onto a lot of films and filmmakers at school, so for that I'm grateful. But, almost everything I learned about filmmaking was from being on set and doing it myself. I would say take your film school money and make your movie! You don't need a school to validate or qualify you to make a film, all it takes is your desire to do it yourself.

Tell us a bit about your book, “Filmmaker’s Book of the Dead”

The book was written for indie filmmakers. It's over 300 full color pages and I promise you it's packed with information you need to avoid the pitfalls of making and selling a film. It took me a year to write it, and I include everything I wish someone told me before I started making movies. The goal is to give you an insider's look and help you along the way.

Take us through the process of getting a book published… as an indie filmmaker yourself, what are the similarities and differences between that and getting a film distributed?

Actually, writing a book is a lot like a film production except it takes a bit longer. It all starts with an idea and concept, develops into an outline, gets approved, goes into the writing stage, gets edited, and finally gets printed and marketed like any product.

Is the book specifically for indie horror filmmakers or would the casual reader get anything out of it?

It's NOT just for horror filmmakers, anyone interested in indie filmmaking and distribution can benefit from the information. Don't let the cover fool you, it is very specific for horror subjects in areas, but the content on how to save money, run an efficient production, marketing, and distribution make with a valuable guide for all. It also has very exclusive interviews with filmmakers like Lloyd Kaufman, Robert Kurtzman, James Wan, Stuart Gordon, Robert Englund, and many more, talking specifically about things like directing, acting and production tips.

As our readers our mainly indie horror filmmakers and your book is about indie horror filmmaking… if you could pass on just a few key tips, what would they be? What should every indie horror filmmaker know?

Shoot your movie in the highest HD quality you can afford, and make sure the quality stays high throughout the post process. If you want to SELL your film, it must be deliverable to a distributor. You must create an attractive, sellable product.

As it’s the one topic that everyone’s interested in, let’s talk about getting distribution for an indie film. What should every filmmaker know before they start sending out screeners and contacting distributors?

This is such a massive topic and I go into detail in my book on it. The most important thing to remember is to make sure your movie is deliverable to a distributor. This means having the proper masters and documentation ready and a passed QC report.

Talk about the indie horror scene right now. Where’s it at and where do you see it going?

I think the horror genre is better than ever, however, there is a lot of product on the market. There are a lot of films not getting distribution deals. In my book, I talk about getting a studio distribution deal VS. self-distribution. I think the biggest problem for the indie horror guys is usually distribution.

Where can people find out more about “The Filmmakers Book of the Dead” and/or buy a copy?

It will be in bookstores everywhere from Focal Press on Janaury 8, 2010. You can pre-order a copy at Amazon.com, buy.com, bn.com, borders.com, and many other fine retailers. I recommend pre-ordering to secure your copy!

What’s next for you?

A new film and book coming soon.

Interview With Drew Barnhardt, writer and director of "Murder Loves Killers Too"

There's a lot of people out there who hate the fact that the cost for film equipment and editing software has dropped so much... What they really hate is that the market is getting saturated with micro-cinema films due to the fact that almost anyone can afford to go out and make a film now. I guess the argument is that only certain filmmakers should be allowed to make films, which would raise the overall quality of the films that do get produced. We've always argued, on the other hand, that... sure, you do get a lot of crap out there, but you also get some kick-ass films that would never have seen the light of day had the cost of making a film been higher. It's like the million monkeys thing - if you let a million monkeys type on a million typewriters, one of them is going to write the next great novel... if only by accident. If you hire smart chimps, like the ones they sent to space in "Space Chimps", you may only need a few hundred thousand... but that's not my point. My point is YES, you get a lot of crap, but you also get a lot of good films that otherwise wouldn't have been made. The problem now rests on how to sift through everything to find those quality films, but that's an issue that I don't need to get into here.

"Murder Loves Killers Too" is one of those quality films that managed to see the light of day, but may not have if the cost of making a film had been higher. Drew Barnhardt, the writer and director, scraped together enough money to get the film made and, now, the indie horror scene is a slightly better place because of it. "Murder Loves Killers Too" is, simply, a quality micro-budget film. It updates the 70's/80's slasher film, while staying true to the genre and is entertaining from beginning to end. It's an extremely well crafted film and it delivers everything that it should, from blood to booze to boobs. Further, in this case, due to its quality and a well executed plan, they were picked up and distributed internationally by Well Go USA. The film is a testament as to why the falling cost of making a film is a good thing and it's definitely worth checking out. Drew offered up a great interview, where we got into all of this and more...

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

Well, I’ve been a movie-freak for as long as I can remember. I grew up making sequels to, and knock-offs of, my favorite flicks when I was a kid with my little (or rather, giant) video camera. My influences are pretty much all over the map. From the big head honchos like Hitchcock, Kubrick, Bunuel, and Peckinpah, to the awesome and amazing films of the Cannon Group, (especially the Death Wish series). Which, I guess, is how I wound up making a slasher movie that opens with Barry Lyndon narration. I also love Brian De Palma, Tobe Hooper, Paul Verhoeven, John Carpenter, Blake Edwards, gialli, The Wraith. And Danny Steinmann.

As far as getting into indie horror, that was just a natural. If I had grown up watching and loving romantic melodramas and, all these years later, someone told me I could make a movie in their vacation house, maybe I would’ve made “A Summer Place.” But I didn’t, and I wouldn’t. So, instead, my first thought was “A vacation house? Fucking Great! Lets do us a slasher movie!”

Film school: yes or no?

Maybe. I know it’s a cliché response, but it’s true; film school is all about the friends you make while you’re there. The folks you join together with not only out of a shared passion for film, but also out of a shared passion for pissing off all the tight wads. Thornton Melon-style.

The credit list on MLKT speaks to that. My partner in crime, Chris McKinley (producer/editor on MLKT) and I met in the dorms in our first year at school. MLKT co-producer Guy Clark was my roommate, and MLKT cinematographer Kevin Graves is also a film school chum. We were all committed to doing our own thing (for better or worse) and I guess we clicked because of it.

Tell us about your film, “Murder Loves Killers Too”

MLKT is my modest stab at playing with the conventions of the slasher genre. An absurdist slasher, I suppose. The slasher formula is so simple and familiar to horror fans that you have a lot of room to be playful and riff; to be more outrageous, mix it up, spike the punch sorta speak. So the thought was to do a take on a simple slasher, but filtered through this somewhat warped perspective; smear my sense of humor all over it.

But, first and foremost, we wanted to make a fun flick to watch. It seems like a lot of the recent big budget horror flicks have forgotten that, once upon a time, these movies were supposed to be fun. I wanted MLKT to be a good time at the movies.

How did the project come to be? Tell us about where the idea came from and where you got the financing.

Chris McKinley, my Radar Dog Productions partner, and I had been trying to set up a different film with a larger budget for, what turned into, years. We finally hit a frustration point where we felt we had to make something, even if it was just with the change in our pockets and lots of careful planning.

Around the time of said frustration point, a friend offered to let us use his cabin in Big Bear Lake, California. Chris and I went up to the cabin, checked it out, and decided to go for it. Very quickly I wrote a script that was specifically tailored to the location, the resources we already had available to us, and nothing more. Chris got very creative with planning and scheduling, until we felt like we could pull it off just with what we had. There were lots of absurd obstacles, but we never stopped, because we knew that if we did, we probably would have never started again.

I know it’s right on the back of the box, but you really did a great job of updating the ‘old-school, golden-era slasher’ film. Talk about how you recreated and updated that look and feel.

Apart from some of the obvious visual nods and hat-tips to slasher classics, I honestly wasn’t trying to recreate a 70’s or 80’s look and feel. I was just doing my thing. So I suppose the digested influences of my generation were coming through that way. I prefer long shots to the fast flash cut editing that seems popular these days. I prefer pretty colors to the grimy dark look that seems currently fashionable. And I prefer melodic and funky music to the drone-factory sound that seems to be in lots of horror flicks nowadays. So, maybe that’s why the look and feel seems “retro,” or whatever. The “story” of MLKT, on the other hand, is admittedly a throwback to the ultra-simplistic set-ups of the early slashers. The ones before they started to become overly complicated with needless plot elements that only distracted from the business at hand. In that regard, I guess MLKT is definitely a throwback to a simpler time in slasher history.

The acting stood out for me, especially Allen Andrews as “Big Stevie”. Talk about the casting process and how you prepared your actors.

We didn’t know any of the actors before hand. We met them all through a series of auditions in which we saw many local Los Angeles actors. The first thing, to me, was to cast distinctively different types in each part. In so many low-budget horror flicks, where you’re watching actors who you’re not familiar with, it can be hard to tell the characters apart: “Wait, was that the guy who got killed earlier?” or “Hold on, is she the sister?” So, it’s important to cast visually: different looks, different personalities, different hair colors, and so on. And then, of course, make sure you dress them each in different color palettes.

So, once we put together a group of distinct personalities, I’d spend an afternoon or two with each of them, or in pairs, talking about the movie, getting their ideas, basically just trying to get them comfortable with each other and with me. I didn’t want anybody to over-think anything. “Keep it simple and play it straight,” was where I was coming from for the most part. Luckily for me, I had folks like Christine Haeberman, Allen Andrews, Kat Szumski, and Mary Legault who took this little horror movie seriously and gave it their all.

Did you screen it at any festivals? If so, where did it screen and how did it do? Tell us your thought on the horror festival circuit.

MLKT first screened at Fantasporto in Porto, Portugal. It had a good response. Not overwhelming. Merely whelming. But I met some good and very helpful folks at the fest. From there it went to the Night of Horror fest in Sydney, Australia, where we picked up a nice award. It hasn’t screened at any US fests yet. I would like to see how it plays with an American audience.

We started out submitting to festivals as a tool to get on the map and, ultimately, to help sell it. But as you, and other indie filmmakers are well aware, those submission fees can really mount up (especially when you’re getting more “we regret to inform you’s” than “yesses”). I actually had a great time on the horror fest circuit a few years back with my short “Herbie!” I met a lot of great people, other indie filmmakers, and even a couple of my heroes. And, from what I’ve seen, the horror fests have grown tremendously since then. There are no more enthusiastic and genre-smart audiences to enjoy a horror flick with than those on the horror fest circuit.

Talk about Well Go USA and how they picked up your film. Anything you can pass on to other filmmakers about the process of getting a film distributed?

Our plan, once the movie was made, was to send trailers, artwork, and images out to genre websites, send screeners out to festivals, just to get on the horror scene’s radar, and to, hopefully, help find a sales rep who could take it to film markets and sell it off territory by territory.

And, much to Chris and my complete surprise, that’s exactly how it went down. Chris cut an attention-grabbing trailer. And we commissioned badass Shock Festival artist/author Stephen Romano to do the artwork. I was a big fan of his stuff and thought his style would perfectly set up the movie, and his posters ended up getting a lot of attention on horror sites. The movie made it into a couple festivals, received some enthusiastic reviews, and we were contacted by sales reps. The rest played out from there.

MLKT and Well Go USA found each other at the American Film Market, and we were thrilled. We knew, in this market, getting a North American DVD was far from a certainty and, with the cost a company incurs with a DVD release, it was probably a real long shot for such a small movie as ours. Now I hope it does well for all parties involved.

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

From what I can tell there are as many, or more, talented folks than ever working in indie horror. But the opportunities for distribution are fewer. It seems as though, in this market, companies are less likely to pick up movies and turn a profit with them. So it’s becoming tougher for the no-budget affairs that don’t flaunt name faces or slicked up production values to get picked up and released. But I’ve only done one movie so I’m not the best person to ask. I don’t know what I don’t know. I do know that it’s tough going out there now.

As far as the future of indie horror, it ain’t going nowhere. Most of the great breakthrough horror films of the last forty years were all independent and lower-budget. I’m not even sure if a breakthrough horror flick can come from anywhere else but the independent scene, where filmmakers who have nothing to lose can push the boundaries.

Where can people find out more about “Murder Loves Killers Too” or, better yet, buy a copy?

You can buy it through Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, Target, Barnes & Noble and so on. You can find the links to all of the above, one stop shopping style, here…

MurderLovesKillersToo.com

Also, you can find it for rent on Netflix and the other rental places. And for international readers, MLKT came out in France last month (called “Meurtres”) and it should be coming out in other territories in the months to come.

What’s next for you? Any more projects in the works?

Absolutely. I’m real excited about the latest thing I’ve written. Chris and I will be putting our guns behind it. I shouldn’t say too much or we’ll look awfully silly if five or so years go by without getting it off the ground and then we come out with Murder Loves Killers Too 2. And then two sequels later it’s “What do Killers Love Murder For?” And three sequels after that we’re back with “What the Killers Who Love Murder Ate.”

New Horror Out On DVD This Week, including OC Babes and the Slasher of Zombietown

So, the biggest news from the weekend was that "Bruno" was a bit of a flop... well, not a flop, it still hauled in approx $30Million, but it had the steepest Friday to Saturday drop on record. Meaning, it took in $14.4Million on Friday to just $8.8Million on Saturday. That's a 39% drop. Reason being? Probably the so-called 'Twitter Effect', which means that the film was judged instantly, everyone posted, tweeted, facebooked and myspaced about how it wasn't as good as "Borat" and, thus, a major drop off - the next day. Moral of the story? Social and new media is making you accountable. Be good... or people will know and they'll know fast - instantly, actually.

Let's look at what's coming out this week, horror-wise. As usual, you can click on the title and go to the films Amazon page, where you can read more and/or buy them. Plus, you can go to our Youtube page and see the trailers...

So, the biggest budget release of the week is definitely "The Haunting in Connecticut", which is coming out as both an Unrated Special Edition and in a Single-Disc Edition. It was written by Adam Simon and Tim Metcalfe... and I think Metcalfe's biggest claim to fame may be for writing "Revenge of the Nerds", but he also wrote "Kalifornia", "Killer: A Journal of Murder" and... "Revenge of the Nerds" the TV Show, "Revenge of the Nerds III: The Next Generation" and "Revenge of the Nerds IV: Nerds in Love", which is a classic. The other writer, Adam Simon, was the guy behind "Carnosaur" and "Brain Dead", having written and directed them both, as well as some other projects. The film was directed by Peter Cornwell, who won a pile of awards for his short animated film, "Ward 13", in 2003, but "The Haunting in Connecticut" would definitely be his biggest project. The film did alright at the box office, although it was fairly poorly received. It was released by Lionsgate and is based on the 'true events' around the Snedeker family's encounters with the paranormal in Southington, Connecticut.

"Horsemen" or "The Horsemen", as the cool kids are calling it, is another Platinum Dunes horror from Michael Bay and crew. What's funny is, the reviews are alright on this film and the reviews were brutal on Platinum Dunes other film that came out around the same time, "The Unborn" ("The Unborn" WAS brutal, by the way), and this film has some serious talent in it, such as Dennis Quaid, Peter Stormare and Zhang Ziyi... yet, "The Unborn" got the wide release and this got a limited release. Strange. Anyhow, "Horseman" is about a bitter detective, played by Dennis Quaid, who is investigating a series of murders of rare violence when he discovers a terrifying link between himself and the suspects in a chain of murders that seem to be based on the Biblical prophecies concerning the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse... who are drawing nearer. On leather steeds they ride... they've come to take your life. On through the dead of night, with the four horsemen ride... or choose your fate and die! Can't resist a Metallica reference.

Rounding out the new releases of the week, you'll also be getting the indie horror "OC Babes and The Slasher of Zombietown", written and directed by Creep Creepersin... but I'm pretty sure that's a pseudonym. It looks like "OC Babes and The Slasher of Zombietown" is his first film, but he's on a massive tear right now... this came out in 2008, then in 2009 he put together "Peeping Blog", "Creep Creepersin's Creepshow", "Creep Creepersin's Frankenstein", "Caged Lesbos A-Go-Go", "He", "Vaginal Holocaust" and a few others... if you want to know how he does it, apparently this whole film was shot in 8 hours. Having said that, the trailer looks pretty good and if micro-cinema horror is your thing (and we hope it is), it looks like this film will deliver. The film is about a group of OC stereotypes, who are trapped in a bar due to a zombie outbreak... and they happened to be trapped in there with a slasher. The trailer's not on Youtube, but you can find it here, on Myspace.

There's a couple of notable Blu-ray releases, if you're into them: I Still Know What You Did Last Summer [Blu-ray] and A Haunting: Twilight of Evil [Blu-ray]

And if you like T-Shirts with your movies, you can order the Night of the Living Dead DVDTee, which comes in Size L and Size XL.

Interview With Tom O'Malley, Festival Director Of ACEFEST

We usually discuss what's going on in the film fest world on Fridays, but Dead Harvey will be taking a break tomorrow... So, no post. However, to make up for it, I've got a great post for you today... and it is about the film fest world. We had the chance to talk with Tom O'Malley, the Festival Director of ACEFEST.

Just to reiterate what I continually blather on about day after day, week after week - the festivals are a very important scene for indie filmmakers. Here's my quick take... you must know that there's a difference between independent film and indie film and I'm not sure that a lot of people know that. Independent film has money behind it. Independent film is, essentially, pet projects of Hollywood guys that are produced and financed outside of the studio system. Indie film, which encompasses micro-cinema and true independent film are films that are not only produced and financed completely outside of Hollywood and the studio system, but they're by people who really aren't part of the system at all. They're truly independent. Obviously there's a bit of overlap here and there, but there's a growing distinction between the two and I think a lot of people mix them up or just lump them all together. Independent film, as far as Hollywood pet projects are concerned, is a dying genre. Without getting into too much detail, I don't think the economics are there for it to work. However, I believe those same economics actually help make the TRUE independent scene flourish. Long and short, TRUE indie film and its fanbase are growing and there's only one place for that growing fanbase to turn if they want to see these films on the big screen, or with a group, and that's the festivals. So, by my math, the market should be able to bear all these festivals... in fact, there's probably room for more in a lot of cities. That being said, both audiences and filmmakers alike need to support them AND the more we do, the better they'll do and the more press they'll receive. The more press they receive, the more press the films receive. The more press the films receive, the better the films do. The better the films do, the more money filmmakers will make. The more money filmmakers make, the more indie films will end up getting made, which almost takes us full circle. Anyhow, long and short, support your film festivals - they're integral to the success of indie film. Attend them, submit to them and talk about them.

Now, regardless of whether you're a fan or filmmaker, you'll want to read this interview about ACEFEST, which stands for American Cinematic Experience FEST. So, no foreign films, please... and that's cool. Each film fest has to have its niche, this is theirs. Formerly referred to as ACE Film Festival, ACEFEST is now in its third year and it's one of the festivals that the New York's indie film scene looks forward to every year. Here now, is our talk with the Festival Director, Tom O'Malley...

Tell us about yourself, how’d you get into the indie filmmaking scene?

The entire ACEFEST staff, including myself, has filmmaking running through their veins. All graduates of various film programs, we've experienced various aspects of the process and simply can't get enough. I, myself, made a short film a few years back that was an amazing endeavor but sucked the life out of me.

Tell us about ACEFEST. When and why did it get started?

ACEFEST was born during my "resting period" of said project. I wanted to take a short break from filmmaking, move to NYC and start a new life - without leaving the film industry completely.

Tell us about a few of the success stories out of ACEFEST.

Something interesting that happens as a festival programmer - the films become your own, almost like your children in a way. With that said, I can't possibly choose just a few success stories. Many of them can be read here.

So, indie horror people will love the fact that Lloyd Kaufman is a judge this year… does that mean we can expect horror to do well?

Although we've always played a horror / thriller here and there in past programs, the looming aura of Lloyd Kaufman is all over this year's event. It's hard to say at this point, but I have a feeling indie horror will have a new home at ACEFEST 2009.

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

ACEFEST has always been filmmaker-oriented. From the minute we announce our program, each selection is promoted relentlessly throughout the industry on a local and national level. Our festival has the intimate capacity to deliver individualized attention to its films, and filmmakers seem to love that about us. Another rare benefit of exhibiting at ACEFEST is sharing one single screen in one single theater. All works are played with equal weight and presence in the program. We've had great success with this model in terms of catching industry, media and press attention for our line-ups.

As an indie film fan, what can I expect to get out of attending the festival?

For the experienced festival-goer, ACEFEST is an established annual event in the heart of New York City with a highly-impressive roster of titles to choose from. For newcomers, ACEFEST is an excellent starting point to the fest circuit. Our simplified programming structure, low ticket prices and overall ease of use makes our event attractive to all.

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

Which films come in the coolest package. (That's a joke). Our Selection Committee and Judging Panel rate each entry on a number of different points. Works that grab the viewer's attention in the first 4-7 minutes always have a slightly better chance than slow-starting films. Genre and duration are factors that don't really come into play until it's time to program the final line-up.

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

Not directly, no. It's not uncommon for a high-budget film to have better production value but we are just as likely to pick a $15 video art piece that has substance.

So, in general, why should indie filmmakers try to get their films into festivals?

Festival, for filmmakers, are the equivalent of bands playing shows. You need to get your film out there to a real-live audience. Video sharing websites are great and all, but serious industry producers, distributors and press are going to pay more attention to a theatrical exhibition.

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

Your efforts and concerns are better spent making your film the best it can be. Don't make works just to impress festivals. If it's good, it'll impress festivals - along with everyone else.

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

Budget for it in the beginning. Figure an average of $35 per festival submission. Then, don't worry about it until your film is complete or at least near complete.

What advice can you give to an up and coming indie filmmaker?

Make films about what you know. Bring part of your life into your work. If you don't, your audience will see right through it. Take this advice from script to screen in every aspect of the process.

As we are a site dedicated to indie horror, maybe we can talk a bit about that scene. Where do you think the indie horror scene is at now and where do you see it going?

Indie horror is as vibrant as ever - if not more! Fans get really into it and really passionate about it. The filmmakers have a connection with their audience, a mutual understanding, like no other genre. My personal opinion is that indie horror will be the last remaining survivor after the apocalypse in 2012.

What’s next for you and ACEFEST?

Once thought of as a temporary gig, ACEFEST has become one of the most anticipated events on the industry calendar. We're not going anywhere, anytime soon.

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

There are 3 easy ways to submit your film including Withoutabox, online form and PDF mail-in. More information can be found here.

New Horror Out On DVD This Week: The Week Of The Third Installment

Not a banner week in new horror, but it's also not a bad week... you should be able to find something you like. There's a couple of part 3's, there's some micro-cinema, there's some festival films - like I said, a little something for everyone. Anyhow, click on the title and you'll be taken to that films Amazon.com page and you can also check out all the trailers, here, on our Youtube page.

Although I did like the original, I'm not a huge fan of the "Underworld" series. Having said that, it has been a bit of a powerhouse, with the three films grossing over $300Million Worldwide and spawning comics, novels and video games. And, really, that's what Hollywood is looking for in a franchise - something that can be licensed and put everywhere. "Underworld: Rise of the Lycans" is the third installment and it's probably the weakest of the three. The plot revolves around the origins of a few of the characters and the events that lead up to the Vampire vs Lycan war. This is the first of the films to not feature Kate Beckinsale... and I say 'not feature' because she didn't actually shoot any new footage for this, but they did use a scene from the original "Underworld" to bookend the film and she provided a new monologue for the beginning and end of the film. If you're into the big budget Hollywood films, this one should satisfy you.

Speaking of weaker third installments in film series', "The Grudge 3" comes out this week, as well. This was originally slated to come out on March 23rd, but got pushed back, which is never a good thing... especially considering that it didn't even get a theatrical release. Who knows, though? I haven't seen it and, although I wasn't particularly fond of "The Grudge 2", I'll check it out. The events of this film occur a few months after the events of "The Grudge 2", where Jake, the sole survivor, is now institutionalized.

Now, to some good, old-fashioned micro-cinema horror - stuff you need to support! "Doomed To Consume" is from Jason Stephenson, distributed by new indie horror label New Blood Entertainment. If you remember, not too long ago, we talked with Nigel Hartwell, who's the writer/director of "Dead by Dawn" and the brains behind New Blood. You can check out that interview here, if you're interested - if you're looking for a distributor, you'll want to read that and check out their site. We're hoping to have do an interview about "Doomed to Consume" soon, as well. Anyhow, this is definitely one for the Dead Harvey crowd.

"Plague Town", written by John Cregan and David Gregory, directed by Gregory, screened at various horror festivals over the last year or so, including Fangoria's Weekend of Horrors. It's about an American family, visiting their roots in Ireland, that accidentally stumbles onto a hoard of bloodthirsty mutant children. Judging from the reviews and comments that I read, it should be pretty good and have a decent amount of gore. Trailer looks good... I'm always a fan of the strange shit.

"B.T.K." is written and directed by Michael Feifer and is inspired by the real-life serial killer, Dennis L. Rader. Playing Rader is everyones favorite Jason, Kane Hodder. Hodder's actually been in quite a few films inspired by real-life killers lately... he was also in "Bundy: An American Icon" and "Ed Gein: The Butcher of Plainfield". Since we're talking about Hodder, he's in a ton of upcoming projects, including "Hatchet 2", "Black Friday 3D", "Escape of the Living Dead" and around 5 other films.

If there's nothing that toots your horn up there, maybe Bruce Campbell will. I usually don't like to mention rereleases, but I always have a bit of time for Bruce. Available this week is a 2 Pack of "Man with the Screaming Brain" and "Alien Apocalypse". "Man with the Screaming Brain" is, no surprise, a sci-fi/slapstic film and it's co-written and directed by Bruce... and "Alien Apocalypse" is written and directed by Josh Becker. Both films were shot in Bulgaria, presumably back to back to save on production costs... Bruce F'ing Campbell. Bless.

New Horror Out on DVD this Week: A Good Week For Micro Cinema Fans

It's a fairly slow week in DVD releases, in that there's only 6 new films out. Having said that, they all look pretty good and most of it is indie, micro-cinema stuff. So, really, how many could you watch in one week? Go check 'em all out, if you can. As usual, you can click on the title and check them out on Amazon and you can also see all the trailers on our Youtube page, which you can go to by clicking here.

Dimension Extreme is releasing Stewart St. John and Andreas Prochaska's "In 3 Tagen bist du tot", which, directly translated, means "Dead in 3 Days". It's by far the biggest budget film of this week and it's also an award winning horror in its native Austria. We're actually a little behind on this one, as it really came out in 2006 over there and they've already made the sequel and are preparing for a third installment. By North American standards, the plot seems, well, kinda standard, as it's about a group of friends, one of whom receives a text saying, "In three days you will be dead"... and then that person does, in fact, die. One of the friends figures out a clue, meanwhile the body count starts piling up, as more texts get sent. However, the trailer looks pretty creepy and those Europeans tend to take their theatrical horror to a level that we don't get over here. So, for what it's worth... it should be good.

"In Search of Lovecraft" was written, produced, directed and edited by David J. Hohl, who's obviously a bit of a Lovecraft fan. The film is about reporter Rebecca Marsh, who, while shooting a Halloween news story, discovers that the 'fiction' that Lovecraft wrote is actually true and the creatures and cult described in his writings really exist. It was an official selection at the HP Lovecraft Film Festival, but how could they say no? It also stars Rachael Robbins, former playmate and star of such cult classics as "Bikini Bloodbath", "Vampire Lesbian Kickboxers" and "Brutal Massacre: A Comedy". Well, Rachael isn't the star, I believe Renee Sweet is the main character, but you guys may recognize Rachael's, uh... well, you'll recognize her. Also, for an indie, micro film, it looks like it has some awesome effects and some good gore. Definitely one to check out...

"False Face" is not a remake of the 1977 film from John Grissmer, although someone should think of redoing that movie, very creepy premise... This "False Face" is an in indie horror from Phil Thomas and Matt Brooks with a very interesting and, could be, timely premise... It's about a guy who needs money due to a gambling problem, then makes a deal with a shady group of mask-wearing characters. All he has to do is follow 3 simple rules, but when he can't, his girlfriend disappears, people follow him and strange phone calls coming from his own home number drive him into paranoia. I was just thinking... if you're looking for film ideas, the idea of how far people will go for money or a fear of lack of money are great places to start these days... real life is pretty scary right now and these are good, timely concepts. Anyhow...

I always like to see people leveraging what they've got... and that's just what Jason Martinko and The Jason Martinko Revue decided to do in 2003. The Jason Martinko Revue is a rock band out of Pittsburgh, I believe. They were formed in 1999... in 2003, the band began shooting "Gone The Way Of Flesh" as an attempt to promote the band. They finally finished it in 2006 and it was released by Troma. So, the DVD has bonus features, such as concert footage and other featurettes, but the main film is about a killer that has a blood-lust for rock n roll groupies... and if you're into nudity, drugs, violence and rock n roll, this one's for you.

"Wet Kiss" is being released by Brain Damage and it's from Jen Murphy, starring Sean Holahan and Andre Dell. It actually looks quite interesting... it's about a young woman named 'Sunflower' who ends up murdered. However, those involved in the murder, covered it up... and are now finding their lives in ruin. Is one of their own responsible or has Sunflower returned from the dead for justice? You can find the trailer on the RDS Productions website, which you can find by clicking here. I couldn't bring it up on our Youtube because no matter how many different ways I typed it in, "Wet Kiss" kept bringing up pages upon pages of lesbians making out. Made for an interesting search, but... when you're making an indie film, you should really weigh stuff like that into your title selection.

"Taste of Flesh" is not a remake of the 1967 film, "A Taste of Flesh", from Doris Wishman... and that's a film that really doesn't need to be remade. "Taste of Flesh" is written by Tom Whitus and directed by Christopher D. Grace and it's about a group of co-eds who head out to a rave, only to be stalked by 'The Hunter' and 'The Chef'. 'The Chef', or course, likes to cook for 'The Hunter'... who, of course, likes to eat humans. Interesting bit of trivia that's on imdb.com about it... it was originally called "Blood Feast", then was switched to "Kannibale". They later settled on "Taste of Flesh" after visiting AFM in 2007 and looking at the market. "Blood Feast" does sound a little to schlocky, but I kinda like "Kannibale". It looks like they're pulling a grindhouse vibe on the film... at least that's what I got out of the trailer. Looks really good and gory, too. This one's definitely going in my hopper, so to speak...