The Weekend at the Box Office, Big Weekend - No Horror

What do you say about a weekend that had no genre fare? I guess I could mention that it was the highest grossing holiday season kick-off ever... that's of note. Really, though, the three films that came out were each big, in their own way, and have such distinct, different audiences that it was going to be tough for this not to be a big weekend. "Megamind", "Due Date" and "For Colored Girls" weren't going to have much overlap at all. "Megamind" won the week, pulling in over $47Million, "Due Date" came in 2nd, pulling in over $33Million and "For Colored Girls" came in 3rd, grossing just over $20Million.

"Megamind" is, of course, the big Dreamworks animated feature and what's funny is, they're considering $47Million to be a tad soft. "Despicable Me", "Monsters Vs. Aliens" and "The Incredibles", all similarly themed, kicked the shit out of it.

"Due Date" does interest me a bit, as it's from Todd Phillips, who did "Old School" and, of course, "The Hangover" and the film was almost marketed as a sequel to "The Hangover". Further, guys like Phillips and Judd Apatow are helming this resurgence of R-rated comedies, which were dead for the longest time. "Due Date" had the highest grossing opening for an R-rated comedy in November... ever, beating out "Borat", if you can believe it. Yeah, it's a comedy, but it's rated R. The more R-rated stuff that does well, the better for us.

The last big film was "For Colored Girls" and I'm not sure what to say about it... Tyler Perry has built himself a great little empire and he's now in the position where he could take a giant turd, film it for ninety minutes and his dedicated audience would still show up to watch it... and probably like it. He's coming out with over a film a year now, too. Lionsgate and Perry must just love the position they're in.

That's all I can muster for a weekend that had no genre films in it. Next week, I'm very interested in seeing how "Skyline" does and, the week after that, there's the limited release of "Heartless", which is a UK film about a guy that discovers demons on the streets of East London and if you haven't seen the trailer, go to Youtube and look for it. Should be good, I hope it comes here.

Interview with Joops Fragale, director of the short horror film, "Simone"

What can I say? I like sex and violence... Hey, you all know the saying, it's as old as film itself, "sex sells". Well, so does violence. I'm not just saying that, either. It really does. Truth of the matter is, for the better part, dramatic films, comedies, action movies and musicals all need a major star to carry the piece. Either that or a major director or something. Pornos and horrors do not. They never have. People are just in to sex and violence and they don't really care who's committing the acts. That's probably why films mix sex and violence so much, it's a natural fit. That's one level of it. The next level is the fact that because a major star, major director or major piece isn't really needed, budgets for pornos and horrors are minuscule compared to their counterparts. Minuscule budgets means bigger profit margins. Bigger profit margins means more money. More money makes Hollywood happy. So, I like sex and violence... but so does Hollywood and maybe that's why I liked the short film from Joops Fragale, "Simone", so much.

Yeah, the film has a full-on girl-on-girl sex scene and it has some great violence, but, really, that's not what got me. Come on, I have a film degree. It takes more than that. The truth is, the film is extremely well put together and crafted so well... and in a way that would make a lot of other filmmakers stumble. It's one of those films where, when you get to the end, you realize that the story is far richer than you originally anticipated. The film grips you at the beginning, then holds you as the plot and characters are slowly revealed over the course of the film. Really, for a short micro-budget horror, you can't ask for much more. However, you can ask to talk with the filmmaker... and that's what we did.

So, Joops, tell us about “Simone”, what’s it all about?

Simone is really a tragic love story. A girl who just wants to be loved, but with a certain affliction she harbors, finds it hard to make a true connection with people. The story picks up on the rare night she does go out on the town and finds someone she begins a relationship with. It’s very much a normal tale of hiding personal demons from others, whether it is drug addiction, life history or a disease. Life’s little struggles. And through the haze of the next morning she slowly puts the pieces of her horrific night together.

If you don’t mind us asking, what was the budget and how did you secure financing?

Simone was self-financed by 386 Films, which is, Producer, Michael Long and myself, along with Executive producer Nicole Long. We also had some great people that donated locations and their skills. The budget on whole was $1275 which included renting dollies and jibs from Mike’s other business Glideshot Industries. Most of the funds went to feed a cast and crew of 14. We do most of the pre and post work ourselves, including the FX make up and physical effects. We have a great, dedicated core crew who bleed for us and we make the most of all available resources. In the end we probably spent about $65 on actual production.

I really like how you slowly revealed the storyline through flashbacks and how you open with the main character seemingly being a victim, then things start to turn around. Talk about how you developed the script and the story.

The original script, titled ‘Hair of the Dog’ was penned by Frazer Lee. It was a great story of which most remained through to the screen version. His story dealt more with the fogginess of the hangover until the realization of the night’s events. When developing the idea we read more into the story and began to see it as a tragic love story. We did see Simone as a victim. So we had Jennifer Ward (Simone) play up those emotions that could be interpreted in various ways. On a second viewing you’ll see how Simone portrays being afraid, but it’s not actually from being in danger, she is terrified of what she has done. There is very subtle differences in telltale signs. It was a very fun premise to explore, and I think Jenn and Erin Cline (Eve) did a fantastic job in bringing that out.

Obviously you went for having lots of nudity, as you had a full-on lesbian sex scene. Talk about the decision to show all that, as you easily could’ve just implied most of it. Was it for the audience or was it for the story?

Ahh, the biggest controversy of the film. Naked lesbians! First, having Simone as a lesbian was as written in the original screenplay. It was a natural fit for the character in our back story development. Also, having a horror story with two women is not a very common approach. Of course, we could have implied both the nudity and the sex, but why shy away from it? Gore is accepted but sex is not? It was essential to the story of the character freeing herself from her normal constraints. The scene is the crux to the underlying story of agony and ecstasy. It’s inter-cut between the two. It would have been cheating to not fully convey that. I think we handled it appropriately. I don’t think it’s gratuitous in any way. Again, Jenn and Erin were incredibly brave and we had a great trusting relationship.

As for the gore and the effects, most of that was implied… except for the aftermath. Was this due to budget restraints or was it an artistic choice?

It was mostly an artistic choice given the budget. The violence part was not essential in the way we were telling the story. There is enough information on screen to know what was happening. Screams. Blood splatter. The aftermath is much more disturbing in how something so beautiful was destroyed. Would we have gone further with the visuals with a budget that allowed for it? Probably. We did shoot more revealing footage for the violence, but in the editing process it didn’t feel right. We did not want something cheesy, just to throw in, when you need to compete with million dollar effects. Any investors out there?

Now, tell us a bit about yourself. How did you get in to indie horror and film?

Mike is a huge horror fan. From the micro-budget to the main stream. He has a crazy DVD collection. We wanted to make a cool little horror film. Our previous projects have been gritty, dark and grim dramas so it wasn’t a stretch. There is a great market for horror and the fans really accept the work if you are honest about it. I won’t say it’s easier to pull off horror on a micro-budget but the genre lends itself to creativity. Plus it’s fun as hell!

Film school: yes or no?

Mike: Yes Joops: No

Talk about your goals behind making “Simone”. Is it for accolades, for a reel, for festivals?

All three. The reviews, so far, have been awesome. Simone has been well received on the festival circuit. It opened the Horrorfind Weekend Film Festival, was featured at the Dark Mills Festival in London and was a semi-finalist in the Action/Cut Film Competition, among others and more to come. We are using this as just another stepping stone towards bigger projects. Hopefully the right someone sees what we are doing and is inclined to work with us on a great project. We just do what we do, if people respond positively to it, then even better!

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

Technology has made it so that anyone can point a camera, edit on their iPhone and think they made a movie. Most of what is posted is not horror, it’s horrible. On the same front it allows some truly creative people to bypass the normal channels and get some great projects out to an audience. It still takes quality writing and storytelling to make a good film. There is a craft to it. If Hollywood ever pulls their head out of their re-make loving ass, they’ll realize there is a lot of great work being produced. If indie filmmakers can make amazing work using their resources, scraping together miniscule funds and working with quality actors no one has heard of, imagine what they can do with a little support behind a project.

Where can people check the film out?

Simone is available on DVD. The DVD has the original film plus over 85 minutes of bonus features. Simone will be playing to 1.5 Million viewers on KAZV-TV Modesto, CA (Oct 11 & 26) and on Oct 28th we head out to Hollywood for the Carnival of Darkness festival. Check our website (386films.com) for updates on other festivals and to get the DVD.

What’s next for you?

We are always developing new projects. A feature script is in the works. We have a few new projects slated this year and into next. It’s all about working with great, talented people and upping our game each time to make the best possible film, no matter the budget. We just love the process. We love making movies.

New Horror Out on DVD this Week

It's a slim week, but it's a decent week for horror on DVD this week. Almost everyone should be satisfied... unless you only like big budget flicks. Then, you're just probably on the wrong site. As usual, you can go to our Youtube Page to check out the trailers and you can click on the titles to be taken to the films Amazon Page, where you can read more and/or buy the film.

"My Super Psycho Sweet 16", just came out on DVD a week ago and now they're following it up, immediately, with "My Super Psycho Sweet 16: Part 2". What's weird is, the original film came out on MTV a year ago... then they released it on DVD a couple weeks ago. "My Super Psycho Sweet 16: Part 2" just came out on MTV a couple weeks ago and now it's available on DVD. Strange... in any case, it's from MTV, it's sure to become a franchise, and it's not going to be for every horror fan, that's for sure. However, they got great ratings on MTV and they were extremely successful at reaching that much-loved teen demographic, so you may learn something from watching.

"Deadfall Trail" did quite well on the festival circuit and there's some cool stories behind how it got made. Most interestingly, the writer/director Roze and the Executive Producer, Robert Guthrie, had raised around $100K for another project, but needed more... so, they revamped the idea and tailored it to that budget and came up with this film. The film is about a group that goes into the Kaibab National Forest for a 3 week survival trip and peyote vision quest... but end up battling the elements and each other. Check out the trailer, great production value for that budget. Wow.

I'm almost positive that this is the same "The Riverman" film that aired on A&E Network forever ago... Cary Elwes played Ted Bundy in that, right? Either way, I'll mention it because I remember watching it and thinking it was pretty good.

Thankfully, the week concludes with some good, old fashioned low-budget horror from Brain Damage. "Demon Kiss" had a budget of around $30K and it was directed by and stars Sally Mullins, co-directed by Dennis Devine. It also stars Julie Simone and Sebastian Gonzales. I like the plot, too... in an attempt to summon a demon by using the sacrifice of a prostitute, the evil entity possesses the body of the prostitute. I love how low-budget horror manages to always tie sex and violence together, don't you?

Horror Takes the 1 & 2 Spots at the Box Office

I thought, for sure, that "Saw 3D" was going to disappoint. With "Paranormal Activity 2" storming into the theaters last week, I was positive that it would win the week again and the entire "Saw" franchise would go out with a pathetic wimper... well, it didn't. It didn't put up Paranormal 2 numbers, but it did yank in around $22.5Million and win the weekend. "Paranormal Activity 2" dropped almost 60%, to $16.5Million and "Red" was third. "Jackass 3D" held fairly strong at almost $8.5Million and came in 4th. Sure, it's Halloween and everyone's looking to check out scary films, but it's great to see horror take the number one and two spots. Funny that they're both sequels, though. I guess that doesn't bode well for us aspiring screenwriters, huh? Once again, the only successful horror films are sequels, franchises and stories with built in audiences. Sweet. Anyhow, let's take a closer look at "Saw 3D".

There are definitely a few things to note about this release. It is, supposedly, the last installment in the series, it's in 3D and the marketing of the film didn't even mention the story or plot of the rest of the "Saw" franchise. Did you notice that? Basically, it just showed the "Saw" logo, mentioned that it was the "final chapter" and then promoted the crap out of the fact that it's in 3D. Generally speaking, one could assume that that means that they weren't looking to attract a new audience... they just wanted people who've seen the other "Saw" films. Juxtapose that with "Paranormal Activity 2", where they mentioned the previous film and discussed the plot. Truth be told, "Paranormal 2" had the leg up going into this little battle. They were the surprise hit of last year and everyone and their dog knew about the film and, on the other side, "Saw" was on its 6th film last year and that film sucked ass... tough mountain for "Saw" to climb going in to this year, but it did overcome. It won the weekend and did it respectfully. Way to save the franchise, 3D technology.

So, horror's one and two this week. Great. However, we all know that horror's domination won't last for long. There are three films set for wide release on Friday, none of which will interest the horror hounds. You have "Due Date", "For Colored Girls" and "Megamind". Really, the next film that may be of interest comes out on November 12th, which is the alien invasion film, "Skyline". Even though it may be of interest to genre fans, it may get slaughtered at the box office... I don't know, we'll have to wait and see. I hope it doesn't because I've been calling for a resurgence in alien films for a while... and I'm currently starting up on a sci-fi related script. "Skyline" is a huge underdog, but I'll be rooting for it.

So, no surprise, tomorrow brings a thin week for horror on DVD, but there are some good looking indie's coming out. So, stay tuned...

Our Halloween Picks and What's New In Horror This Week

It's the week before Halloween... well, really, it's just a few days before Halloween and it's your last chance to pick up some new horror and guess what? There's not really anything new to report... not that you would get it in time, but whatever. Either way, last week was good, but this week definitely leaves something to be desired. So, while you can pick up "Lake Placid 3", "The Bisbee Cannibal Club", "Lynch Mob" or "Eulogy for a Vampire" this week, I'm going to take the opportunity to suggest a few personal Halloween picks, just for you. Pick 'em up on Amazon by clicking on the title or just go rent them...

Let's start off with "Trick 'r Treat". It's an obvious choice and although it's probably not in the "classic" section or anything, it's definitely underrated and has been overlooked by everyone from audiences to the studio since it came out. Next up, personally, I think Kevin Tenney's "Night of the Demons" IS a classic and it does take place on Halloween - 10 teens end up at a party and awaken evil demonic forces. Next, let's not forget about the cult classic from Lucky Mckee, "May", where May tries to build a new friend out of parts from her other friends, which is awesome. It does have a large scene that takes place on Halloween... so it qualifies. "Ginger Snaps", the werewolf teen horror flick, is another little film that tends to get overlooked and it has a great scene that takes place on Halloween. You know, looking back, fans of "Twilight" that are looking for something a little more edgy and gory may like "Ginger Snaps". If you qualify, make sure you pick it up. Finally, I don't want to pick the original "Halloween", so I'll pick "Halloween 4 - The Return of Michael Myers"... I've got a soft spot for it, always liked it.

Now, I'll quickly go over the new releases of the week...

I'll admit, "Lake Placid 3" does have decent cover art, but considering that "Lake Placid 2", with John Schneider, was kinda shitty, I don't expect much here. A swarm of gigantic crocodiles terrorizes a secluded country lake...

"The Bisbee Cannibal Club" showed up on Amazon last week, but disappeared... now, it's back. And, like I said last week, I am pretty excited to check it out. I received a box of films from the distributor, Chemical Burn Entertainment and Reality Media, and this is the first to be released. I should be reporting back on a few of them soon.

"Lynch Mob" takes place in Lynchburg, Georgia and a century-old curse is condemning the citizens to a diet of human flesh. To quote the box art, "if you see one mafia, cannibal zombie horror film this year, make sure it's "Lynch Mob"."

It's definitely not going to be for everyone, as "Eulogy for a Vampire" is a gay horror, but if you're interested... it's about a young drifter that's found unconscious by a monastery, then seduces all the monks into joining his league of the undead.

Horror Kicks Ass at the Box Office

Honestly, I didn't see that coming. In fact, I don't think anyone did. "Paranormal Activity 2" delivered. Not only did it deliver, it won the weekend with ease. Further, it drew North of $40Million, which makes it the highest-grossing opening for a supernatural horror film... ever. "Hereafter" was the only other film to open this weekend and it didn't do quite as well. With all due respect to Clint Eastwood, Paranormal 2 will probably flicker out fairly quick and "Hereafter" will stick around for a while. Sure, they're both supernatural films, but they're completely different audiences. Parents are going to "Hereafter", their kids are going to "Paranormal 2". In any case, let's take a closer look at Paranormal 2...

When it was announced, I thought we were going to have another Blair Witch 2 on our hands, I really did. Now, why didn't we? I think there's a couple of things to look at, the first being the most obvious - "Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2" sucked. No question, it was just bad. Having said that, that doesn't necessarily mean it should open as poorly as it did. As we all know, bad movies can open well. What I think is the most intriguing thing is that "Blair Witch" abandoned it's 'found footage' look when it came to the sequel. They put a decent budget behind it, around $15Million, and went out and made a traditional film, based on the original. Juxtapose that with "Paranormal Activity 2", where they kept with the 'found footage' style, as the sequel revolves around a family that sets up security cameras because they think they're experiencing a bunch of break-ins, and they kept the budget low. Paranormal 2 only cost $3Million to make. Morale of the story? Even though you can do more, sometimes you should just stick with what works... or, in this case, what worked. The good news for us indie filmmakers is, this is a style that's now worked for various films and it's a look that you can easily emulate on a meagre budget. As long as 'found footage' films and horror mock-docs sell, micro-cinema filmmakers have something to hang their hat on.

Now, next week brings the opposite side of the spectrum, when "Saw 3D" comes out. The original "Saw" was a small film, but its now spawned a mind-blowing 7 installments. The last few have been a bit lack-lustre, but they're hoping to reboot the franchise with an all-out 3D version. Also interesting to note that Cary Elwes is back... I'm not sure in what capacity, though.

I'll look forward to seeing how it does. Until then, enjoy Halloween week! Always a good week for horror fans...

Interview with Dan Riesser, writer/director of the short film "Night of the Punks"

I don't know about you, but I discovered horror in the 80's, more specifically... the mid to late 80's. In 1986, I was in 6th grade - 12 or 13 years old. So, really, if I discovered horror any earlier, my parents may have had child services called on them. In any case, this is when I first discovered Freddy, Jason, Michael Myers, "Evil Dead", "Re-Animator", Troma films and "Return of the Living Dead". This was the heyday for me, when watching horror was both fun and scary at the same time. This is the era that made me a horror fan. This is the era that made me look for more films and go back and find old films that had been forgotten, as well as search for new obscure films that no one could find. 80's horror is why Dead Harvey exists today. Why do I mention this? Because I'm not alone... this era influenced lots of writers, filmmakers and fans, including Dan Riesser, writer/director of the short horror film, "Night of the Punks", a film that is obviously inspired by the likes of "Return of the Living Dead" and other 80's horror comedies.

I have to say, "Night of the Punks" was a breath of fresh air. So many filmmakers try to take themselves, or their films, too seriously and we really need to remember that we're not curing cancer here, we're just trying to entertain... and "Night of the Punks" definitely did that. It looked great, it was well acted and I never broke away from the film or wondered how much time was left, which I tend to wonder often. The film is an homage to 80's horror and it stayed very true to its roots. So much so, that it made me want to dig it out all those old films that I haven't seen in forever. It also made me remember some of the things that I forgot I loved about horror... namely tongue in cheek humor that most people don't get. The film was a joy to watch and I hope to see more from Riesser in the near future... until then, we'll have to settle for this interview.

So, Dan, tell us about “Night of the Punks”, what’s it all about?

NOTP is a horror-comedy short about a small town punk rock band that heads to their first out of town gig, only to discover the promoter has brought them there to be a ritual sacrifice for a pack of bloodthirsty demons from hell. It's a throwback to the fun horror flicks of the 1980's.

If you don’t mind us asking, what was the budget and how did you secure financing?

Budget was about 8k. I did a little bit of fundraising via Kickstarter.com (to cover my craft services budget and make sure my crew got fed well) but other than I paid for it myself.

The film looked great, what did you shoot on?

It was shot on the Canon Mark II 5D DSLR.

Talk about creating the look of the… punks. Obviously, zombie inspired. Is that what you were going for?

The look of the punks came from my makeup designer Dan Russo. I'm really lucky that he came on board, because the original makeup ideas were really tame compared to what he came up with. I always envisioned them with green boils, sharp teeth, pale complexion but beyond that Dan came up with rest. It's funny, because everyone is constantly calling the film a "zombie" movie and I have to correct them. But I suppose that's part of it... The characters aren't sure at first what they're facing, and I guess people's first thought is zombies. I personally think zombies are a bit played out nowadays.

Talk about the gore and the effects, all of which were practical effects, I believe. What was your favorite and how was it accomplished?

My writer and I wrote a bunch of gags that we had no clue how to pull off, but once again, we were lucky to have Dan Russo. The big lesson I'd give to other filmmakers is... if you don't know how to do something the right way, HIRE someone who does. My favorite effect is hands down the drumstick eye gouge. It was done using a prosthetic over the eyes with two tubes strung underneath it and an actor who was willing to work blind for a couple hours. The demon blood is just milk and green food coloring.

I’m going to assume that “Return of the Living Dead” was a big influence on this film. What other films influenced you?

ROTLD is a huge influence and the other one is Kevin Tenney's "Night of the Demons." Those two movies are quite possibly my two favorite horror films and they are both referenced pretty obviously throughout the movie. Other movies that inspired NOTP include Dead Alive, Evil Dead, Night of the Creeps.

Now, tell us a bit about yourself. How did you get in to indie horror and film?

I've always wanted to write and direct movies. I actually didn't gravitate towards horror specifically that much until I started getting serious about filmmaking. I honestly wasn't into it when I was little - I hope militant horror buffs don't hold that against me. Once I started really paying attention to how films are made and writing feature length scripts, I discovered how much I like horror. The majority of the scripts I've written are horror or have horror elements, but I don't think I'm 100% a horror guy. There are movies I'd like to make in every genre.

Film school: yes or no?

Not really. I was in a journalism/communications program in college. It was in Washington DC too, so it was very politics heavy. But my buddies and I managed to tweak the curriculum to allow us to make more creative projects. My only legitimate film school experience would be a semester abroad in Prague, where I shot a short on 16mm. I learned more in those 3 months than the rest of my time as an undergrad.

Talk about your goals behind making “Night of the Punks”. Is it for accolades, for a reel, for festivals?

A little bit of everything. I wasn't satisfied with my last attempt at a legitimate horror short, it still had a very "amateur film school" feel to it. I wanted to make something bigger, crazier, and something that looks like it has a budget. I hope that it showcases what I could do with some real money, and will lead to bigger work down the road. And yes, I hope it plays at lots of festivals (it's doing pretty well so far). My co-writer and I are currently writing the feature length version, so maybe someone will be interested in making it. It's all a learning experience too... I've got to get all my mistakes out of my system with short films before I make the jump to a feature.

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

There are always tons of movies I'm reading about online and getting excited to see, so I'm happy with horror right now. And there's a lot of people doing really awesome work on the cheap. I've been dying to see Gareth Edwards' "Monsters," which he made pretty much by himself for 15k. And you got guys like Ti West & Adam Green who are doing original, low budget, awesome work. I hope those guys get to keep doing what they're doing and I get to join their ranks soon.

Where can people check your film out?

It's got a bunch of festival screenings coming up in October. It was accepted to SCREAMFEST LA, which is a major genre festival. I'm really stoked for that one. It's also playing in Philadelphia, Washington DC, and a bunch more. All the screening details are on our website - nightofthepunks.com - I'm looking into distribution options and hopefully there will be some kind of DVD release. If not, it'll eventually make its way online.

What’s next?

My next project is going to be my first feature film. Not sure what it'll be yet, depends on money really. We're looking for investors for a couple different ideas and if I need to fund a super low budget 5k feature myself, I will. I hope to be shooting my first feature by next summer.

New Horror Out on DVD this Week

Here we are, smack dab in the middle of October - horror's wheelhouse. Usually, this means that there's a lot of good horror coming out on DVD and a lot of good horror hitting the theaters. As for this week on DVD, it's not bad. In fact, it's great for low-budget and micro-budget horror. There's certainly a lot of rereleases and I don't really want to mention them, as I like to concentrate on the new stuff... especially when a lot of the new stuff is micro and low-budget. So, as usual, you can check out all the trailers on our Youtube Page and you can click on the films title and go to its Amazon page, where you can read more and/or buy the film.

Let's just start off with "Predators", as I'm very interested in what other people thought of it. Me, I wasn't terribly impressed. The acting was great, that wasn't a problem. I was ready to write off "The Pianist", Adrien Brody, before the film started, but... I bought him as a tough guy. Really, I bought all of the actors. What I didn't buy, was the concept. I get it, I get it... you wanted to tie it to the original. You know what, though? You didn't have to ram it down our throats. There's other ways. Not only that, there's so much suspension of disbelief needed to get through the plot and concept, I just wasn't buying the whole idea. Maybe I'm being too hard on it, I don't know. What did you think of it?

Okay, NOW we're talking! Based on the best-selling manga by Shungiku Uchida, it's the follow up to "Tokyo Gore Police" and "Machine Girl" - "Vampire Girl vs.Frankenstein Girl". Don't let the goofy title fool you, this film ups the ante on all the demented Asian hardcore hyper-violence that you've seen over the last few years. Just watch the trailer. Personally, I LOVE these films and I really wonder if this stuff could cater to North American audiences? Obviously there's a market for it, but I wonder if it could ever go a bit more mainstream? Hmmm... I doubt it.

Not too sure about this one... mostly in that I'm not sure if the "Lost Tribe" that's new this week on DVD is the same as "The Lost Tribe" that I found on Amazon and IMDB. In any case, this film MAY be about a a group of friends that get stranded on an uncharted island where they encounter an ancient tribe of humanoid creatures... and it may be about something else.

Well, if you're looking for a double whammy on Adrien Brody, you might as well pick up "Giallo". If you don't care to get an Adrien Brody double shot, you may just want to pick it up because it's directed by Italian horror master Dario Argento. If you don't care about Argento or Brody, maybe you just like giallo films... if so, it looks like Argento pulls out all the stops. Takes place in Italy? Check. There's a crime involved? Check. Eroticism? Check. Gore? Check. At the end of the day, it's Argento.... pay your respects and go check it out!

I haven't seen "Colin", but I've heard about it and it's a massive achievement for micro-cinema. It's from the UK and it was shot for something like a few thousand dollars. Maybe even a few hundred dollars. It's a zombie film, but it's got a great twist... the hero, Colin, is bitten by a zombie and he dies and returns from the dead... and the film follows him as he wanders through suburbia during the throes of a cadaverous apocalypse. Low-budget, first person film shot through the eyes of a zombie. I love it.

"Horno" - it's not a porno, it's a horno. Life imitates art after several sex craze, flesh eating zombies crash a film shoot about a zombie outbreak that's spread through sodomy. Yeah, let's go through that again because it's sort of awesome. A guy decides to make a film about zombies that ass-rape people... which turns the receivers of the ass-raping in to zombies THEN real zombies attack the film set. Sold.

Just in time for Halloween, it's a Christmas horror. It's the third film in the "Bikini Bloodbath" series, featuring the likes of Debbie Rochon, Lloyd Kaufman, Rachel Robbins, Monique Dupree and many more, and it's called "Bikini Bloodbath Christmas". You like low-budget horror? You like T&A? You like a bit of gore? Of course you do... check it out, the other two were awesome.

"Deadlands 2: Trapped" is the sequel to 2006's "Deadlands: The Rising". They're self financed zombie films from Gary Ugarek and he's currently in pre-production on a third film in the series, called "Deadlands III: The New World".

"The Bisbee Cannibal Club" was on Amazon this morning, now I can't find it... I'm actually quite excited to check it out because I just got a box of films from Chemical Burn Entertainment and Reality Films, the distributor, and I haven't started watching them yet... as this is the first to be released, this will be the first one I watch. I'll report back and I may even have an interview for you guys on this!

"Jackass 3-D" versus "RED" at the Box Office

I've seen both prior "Jackass" films, the first one in the theater, and I've seen most of the episodes of the show. I'm a fan of the franchise, I'll admit it. Truth is, the whole concept behind "Jackass", which is, basically, just a bunch of guys filming themselves being, well... jackasses, has spawned a whole sub-genre. It's not the origin of reality TV, but I do think you can thank it for shows like "Wipeout" and "Half Pint Brawlers" (A Dead Harvey favorite). Not only that, how many other amateur jackasses are out there now? The jackass mentality is really one of the foundations of Youtube and accounts for most early viral videos. Is it stupid? Is it mindless? Does it not make any real sense? Yes, across the board. However, it's a viable form of entertainment and it makes money. "Jackass 3-D" made $50Million dollars over the weekend and won the weekend, beating out other newcomer, "Red"... which posted solid numbers at $22.5Million.

Now, let's look at "Red". "Red" stars Bruce Willis, Mary-Louise Parker, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren and Karl Urban. It had a budget North of $60Million and is based on a three-issue, limited comic book series of the same name created by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner. Everything is in place for it to work. Further, critics are saying that "Red" is good and it's getting generally positive reviews from the public. It's filled with recognizable names, it's got lots of action, it has a fairly tight script and the production value is through the roof. So, why did it gross half of what "Jackass 3-D" did?

Truth is, I don't know, but I've got a good idea. As screenwriters and filmmakers, we have to remember that we really don't know what the hell people are going to like. Also, we have to remember that this is the entertainment business. Just because something is written well and produced well, it's not necessarily going to be as entertaining as something that has no story or production value, but does have people beating the shit out of each other. Remember the famous words of Homer Simpson, "But "Football in the Groin" had a football in the groin". Lastly, remember your audience. Comparing the box office take of these two movies simply shows you the power of that key, young movie-going audience and they don't care about awards, nominations or even how well something is put together... they just want to be entertained for a good 90 minutes or so.

So, it really all goes back to something that I've been saying over and over again. If you're making something for you, great. Make what you want. However, if you're looking to be successful and reach people, think about your target audience and do your best to give them what they want.

As for the rest of the box office, "The Social Network" hung in at number 3, "Secretariat" was 4 and "Life as We Know It" came in 5th. The other notable film is "The Town", which is still hanging around in the top ten at 7th.

This Week In Horror DVD's

I know, I know, it's Thursday afternoon and I'm just talking about the horror out on DVD now. It's been a busy week and I'm doing my best... I'll try to get things back to normal next week. However, there may have to be a "new normal", as there's been a few changes in my life that are going to effect how I allot my time. All good, so no worries... Anyhow, let's look at the notable new releases this week.

I'm both a fan of Jake West and Danny Dyer. If you don't know who they are, you NEED to check out Jake West's "Evil Aliens". It's simply awesome. Do yourself a favor, if you haven't heard of it, get it immediately. Don't hesitate, just pick it up. It's the best thing since Peter Jackson's "Dead Alive". As for Danny Dyer, he may not be for everyone, but I think he's hilarious. Check him out in "Severance", "Pimp" or the British rip-off of "The Longest Yard", with the cast from "Snatch" and "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels", called "Mean Machine". In any case, the two of them got together for "Doghouse". If the above didn't convince you to check it out, maybe the premise of the film will... a group of men travel to a remote village to help one of their friends get over his divorce. Once there, they discover that the town is inhabited by ravenous women that have been infected with a toxin that turns them into man-hating cannibals.

If you saw the title "S&Man", how would you pronounce it? I just assumed it had to do with sex and it would be pronounced "Ess and Emm Man". Well, it's not. It's pronounced "Sandman". Yeah, look at it again. It makes sense. It's a documentary that came out a few years ago and it's about the underground subculture of horror films... but not your regular horror films. It deals with the voyeuristic nature of faux snuff films and the desensitizing of modern society. I haven't seen it, but my bet is it's heavy handed.

"Coffin Rock" is an Australian film that came out around a year ago in the land down under. IFC films picked it up and had an on-demand release in January, then another on-demand release in February. Now, it's out on DVD. It's in the vein of "Fatal Attraction" and "Cape Fear" as it's about a kid that sleeps with a married woman, who subsequently gets pregnant, and he turns from obsessive to psychotic.

"My Super Psycho Sweet 16" is the film that was produced by MTV and is based on the MTV show, "My Super Sweet Sixteen". The film aired on MTV, but was apparently cut down... and this DVD version is unrated, so it contains a bit more gore. What's funny about this film is that horror fans don't dig it that much. However, MTV audiences loved it. It was the #1 film in its time period and delivered the network's strongest ratings in that time period in over a year and a half. It was so popular that it spawned a sequel... which comes out a week from now on October 22nd.

"Brain Dead" is directed by Kevin S Tenney, who's done some classic films. He's directed "Witchboard", "Night of the Demons", "The Cellar" and various others... I don't know much about this film, but I'll take straight from the DVD cover. "An alien parasite hungry for human hosts... The infected rising from the dead, ravenous for brains... A group of desperate misfits battling for survival... someone has a really bad travel agent!"

Lastly, I really want to know more about "Meet Me Out in the Sticks". The cover art is really creepy and all it says is that the actors, director, writer and producer is someone named Creep Creepersin. It comes from Creepsville Entertainment and it's only 3 minutes long... when you order it, it's manufactured on demand using DVD-R recordable media. Obviously, I'm not going to pay the $10.99 for a 3 minute film, but does anyone know more about it?