New Horror Out on DVD this week... 8 of which are from the new label, Ghost House Underground

Well, I didn't have a new post up yesterday and I apologize. I was out of town, but had started working on this one before I left and couldn't get it finished on time. Either way, it's done now and it's a good, yet slower week in new releases. If you'd like to help us out, click on the titles to buy the DVD's off Amazon... otherwise, as always, you can check out the trailers on our Youtube page.

The biggest release of the week is probably "Stuck", which we covered a while ago. It's a pretty cool deal, as it was based on the true story of a lady who accidentally hit a pedestrian with her car. Then, with the homeless man trapped in the car's windshield, she drives home and debates what to do. So, she figures that the accident will destroy her life and she opts to let the man die slowly in her garage... and the homeless guy figures that out and painfully tries to escape. It was directed by Stuart Gordan, who you should remember as the guy behind "Re-Animator" and "From Beyond", and it won him the Silver Raven award at the Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Film, as well the Staff Prize for Narrative Feature at the San Francisco Indiefest. It stars Mena Suvari as the driver... Stephen Rea as the homeless guy.

"Deadly Game", which as orginally called "Complexx", is from the Netherlands and it's in Dutch. It's from director Robert Arthur Jansen, who co-wrote it with Clifford Adsonn and it's his directorial debut. As it's from the Netherlands, I have NO idea of who any of the actors are... the film is about five people who get locked in a maze-like entertainment complex to play a special level for an online game in reality. However, they soon discover the bizarre rules of this game get more and more horrifying and deadly.

I almost didn't notice the Steven Shea directed "Hoodoo For Voodoo", which comes out today, as well. It's got some indie horror classics in it, including Tiffany Shepis, Debbie Rochon, Linnea Quigley and it's even got old Lloyd Kaufman in it, as well. Shea also directed "The Night Owl", which was part of the "Tomb of Terrors" 50 pack and "Clarks". It's about a group of college kids who win a trip to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, where the bodies start to pile up right, smack dab in the middle of the biggest party of the year.

There's 8 more horror films, most of which are fairly indie, coming out today. They can all be purchased individually, but they can also be bought as an 8 pack of films called the "Ghost House Underground Eight Film Collection". I know you've heard the name "Ghost House" and seen the logo, but I'll tell you a bit more about them, in case you don't much more than that. Ghost House is a joint venture between Mandate Pictures, Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert. Tapert's the long time producing partner to Sam Raimi and if you don't know who Sam Raimi is, you probably shouldn't be reading this site. They came out with a slew of decent films, including: The Grudge, The Grudge 2, The Messengers, 30 Days of Night and Boogeyman. Their next film is the Sam Raimi directed, Drag Me To Hell. Anyhow, they just came out with "Ghost House Underground", which acquired a bunch of indie horror films for direct-to-DVD release. Like I said above, you can buy the entire set or buy each film individually. Here are the films in the set...

"Dance of the Dead" got quite a bit of buzz on the festival circuit. It was directed by Gregg Bishop and stars Jared Kusnitz, Greyson Chadwick and Chandler Darby. If you couldn't guess from the title, the dead rise to eat the living on the night of the big High-School Prom. Of course, the only people who can stop them are the losers who couldn't get dates to the dance.

"The Last House in the Woods" is directed by Gabriele Albanesi and stars Daniela Albanesi, Daniele Grassetti and Gennaro Diana. It's about a woman who escapes a group of bullies seeking to rape her and she takes refuge with a seemingly kind couple... who have a dark secret hidden in their quiet, secluded house.

"Brotherhood of Blood" is directed by Michael Roesch and Peter Sheere and stars Sid Haig, Ken Foree, Jason Connery and Victoria Pratt. So, I'm assuming you know who Sid Haig and Ken Foree are... anyhow, they team up again in this claustrophobic thriller about a team of vampire hunters who must infiltrate a nest of the undead to save one of their own.

"Dark Floors" is directed by Pete Riski and stars the LORDI, Skye Bennett, Noah Huntley and Dominique McElligott. We've also covered this film in the past... LORDI is a heavy metal quintet from Finland that are a lot like GWAR, in that they dress up in elaborate monster-like costumes. Anyhow, they're HUGE in Finland. So huge that they spawned comics, books and, now, this film, which is about a father and his autistic daughter that try to escape a hospital that has mysteriously become a portal for dark creatures from a different world.

"Room 205" is directed by Martin Barnewitz and stars Neel Ronholt, Mikkel Arndt, Julie R. Olgaard and Jon Lange. I don't know anything about the film, but with those names, I'm assuming it's from somewhere in the Netherlands? It's about a girl who moves into a haunted university dormitory.

"Trackman" is directed by Igor Shavlack and stars Dmitri Orlov, Svetlana Metkina, Aleksandr Vysokovsky and Yuliya Mikhailova... I haven't heard of this one, either... but I'm thinking it's from Russia? It's about a bank heist turned deadly, when the robbers and their hostages flee to the abandoned underground subway station where they encounter the Trackman... a deformed madman that prowls the darkness.

"No Man's Land: The Rise of Reeker" is directed by Dave Payne and stars Michael Muhney, Wilmer Calderon and Desmond Askew. It's about a sheriff and his son who chase casino robbers, only to find that they're all being chased by something else. They're not really advertising it or anything, but this has to be the sequel to Payne's 2005 film, "Reeker", which was pretty damned good.

"The Substitute" is directed by Ole Bornedal and stars Paprika Steen, Jonas Wandschneider, Ulrich Thomsen and Sonja Richter... Okay, Sweden? It's about the sixth grade students of a small town who begin to realize that their new substitute teacher is an alien. When the parents don't believe them, they are forced to take matters into their own hands... and that's actually a really cool idea... I'm going to have to check that one out, for sure.

Interview With Jim And Chris of The Phoenix Fear Film Fest

When talking to filmmakers, the second most asked question we get is about the film festivals. We do think they're one of the most important ways for filmmakers to get exposure and we usually cover off a few festivals or conventions every Friday, but we've started doing something that I think is far more useful to filmmakers. We're actually talking with the festival directors and founders and getting you some real insight into the indie horror festival scene. This time around, we talk to Chris and Jim, the guys behind The Phoenix Fear Film Festival...

The Phoenix Fear Film Festival is one of the best of the year and what we really like about it is that it's really all about indie-horror. They're going into their third year now and they've screened tons of wicked indie films. If you're thinking of entering or attending a festival, you gotta read this.

Please tell us a bit about yourself… how'd you get into indie horror?

Chris: I've always been into horror movies since childhood. My favorite films were the low budget because sometimes there were some real gems to be found in the less-than-mainstream projects put together by people with a lot of heart and no money.

Jim: I grew up in the UK during the 80's, when the 'video nasty' scare was in full swing - telling me I'm not allowed to see a film, is the best way to get me interested in it! But Re-Animator was probably the first film I saw that really opened my eyes to the possibilities of the genre. Though before that, growing up I was always a fan of Hammer and their work.

Tell us a bit about The Phoenix Fear Film Fest… when and why did it get started?

We've always wanted to have a film festival, I remember talking about it when we first met, how great it would be to have a venue where we could have several things going on at once and always, a film festival was one of the events. Every time we go to a film festival, we inevitably critique it a little, talking about how different (or the same) we would do it if it were ours. When we had the opportunity to do it, we jumped in head first. We learned a lot!! And I'm sure we'll continue to learn even more with each festival we do.

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

The most important thing, in our experience, to a film maker, is to have their hard work seen. Point in fact, we had film makers drive from San Diego to Phoenix for our film festival just for the moment when they can see all their hard work, all their efforts, on a big screen, with an audience watching it. It is a very satisfying moment, from a film maker's perspective. Obviously, there's also the possibility to have it distributed, nationally and worldwide, or the possibility of this leading to other projects that will be paid for by someone else, is a dream come true.

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

You get to see your movie screened on a big screen with an audience of genre film goers watching it. That's something which would cost you hundreds of dollars to arrange yourself, but we deliberately keep our entry fees as low as possible - frankly, if we break even, that's all we want, Of course, not everyone will have the same vision of your work: some won't like it all, then some may love it! There is also the possibility your film will win one of the awards we present, based on audience and judge selections, which means that your film will get worldwide distribution. That will get you the respect of your peers - and a neat trophy!!!

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

Basically, it's the opportunity to watch brand new films, often never before seen, and in many case, films that will never be on the big screen again - and you'll be able to say you saw it here. You can meet and greet the film makers, old and new, famous and not, up close and personal. You can chat with them one on one about film making and their visions, buy merchandise and hang out with like-minded people. It's an all day event concentrating on the horror film and its makers, and you're in the middle of it.

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

Chris: I look for originality, I look for good story lines. I look at the feel of the film, the atmosphere, the cinematography, the film as a whole as well as any interesting tidbits inside the making of it that would make this film original, edgy and smart.

Jim: Did I enjoy the film? That's really the key for me. Of course, the word "enjoy" covers a huge range of territory, but the worst sin a film can commit in my opinion is to be dull. I don't need a killing every five minutes, but if a movie is not capable of holding my attention... Well, I'm pretty tolerant [I am the only person I know who can offer a straight-faced defense of Showgirls!], so that probably means it won't hold an audience's attention either.

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

Chris: As the festival directors, and the persons who have to sit there for months before the actual event and screen all these submissions, the ones we like the most are the ones that give us the most information. A press kit with lots of good photos, bios of cast/crew, interesting anecdotes about the making of this film. All these things create a package that is a pleasure to watch and critique honestly. The more information we have, the better it will be for the film maker.

Jim: It'd be wrong for a film-maker to pander towards the festival circuit when making their film - especially at our event, there is no such things as 'festival friendly', as we're more concerned about whether it's a good movie. That said... Though I must admit, when it comes to short films, we'd rather show three ten-minute movies than one thirty-minute one.

Are there any particular success stories from films that screened at The Phoenix Fear Film Fest?

At our first Phoenix Fear Film Festival, the film CareGiver was awarded best feature, and that film has gone on to worldwide distribution as did "The Great American Snuff Film" - that screened out of competition, but its world premiere was at our festival and is also being distributed worldwide. We're very proud of that. This year's film festival showed great promise with the best feature award going to "Sick Girl" and we know that film will do great things simply because of its "in your face" attitude that you cannot turn away from. Director Eben McGarr has a powerhouse of a film there, that we are very proud to have screened at our festival. It's a great satisfaction for us to see good films finally getting the attention they deserve, instead of having one little bang in a theatre and are never heard from again. We feel as though we had a hand in that, and it's a wonderful feeling knowing that we won't be the only ones to see this diamond in the rough.

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

Chris: Do what your heart tells you. Pour your blood, sweat and tears into your projects, make them yours. What makes a good horror movie, or any type of genre film for that matter, are films that are made from good stories, good directing, good camera work and great special effects. None of which are possible without a lot of hard work. In the end, it will be worth it. Many blockbuster film makers of today, started out with Super 8 cameras, doing stop motion animation with their GI Joes and kept at it until they finally became who they are today.

Jim: There's no substitute for getting out there and making movies, Having been involved in that process at just about every stage, we know how much work is involved, but every day brings more experience. The more you have, the better you get - even if it's not on a horror film, the principles of cinema are still the same.

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

Chris: With the way technology is going, it won't be easy to tell the super high budget films from the indies. CGI, Hi Definition and computers are letting the regular film maker, with a creative mind, to make films that are just as beautiful as the big studios. It would be interesting to see what else is out there, now that you can pretty much make a movie on your own, without spending months pitching to financiers. It has now become a matter of who is more creative, mentally.

Jim: As Chris says, making a movie is no longer the hard part. Right now, the issue is much more distribution - how do you get your work out there to be seen? That's going to be the next great leap forward, when video on demand and Internet streaming replace hard copies of films, allowing makers to bypass the need for distributors and sell their work directly to the public. That should offer great opportunities for the truly independent maker.

What's next for you and the Phoenix Fear Film Fest?

A break! It always takes a couple of months after the event before we can smell popcorn without throwing up. But then, we recover, and start thinking about how we can make the next one even better. So we are looking forward to the next PFFF - sometime in Fall/Winter 2009 - and the next generation of film makers.

Where can people find out more about The Phoenix Fear Film Fest and how can they go about entering their film?

Our website is phxfearfilmfestival.com - we'll be posting info there shortly on how to enter PFFF 3 - or we can be emailed at director@phxfearfilmfestival.com

Interview with Scream Queen Melissa Bacelar - star of "Pink Eye" and "Skinned Alive"

We've done a lot of interviews at this point. Some of them are by email, some are over the phone and some are in person. This interview was done by email, but it's one that we wish was done in person. Why? Well, it's an interview with scream queen, Melissa Bacelar. Take a look at the photo to the right there and you'll see what I'm talking about.

Melissa started out with Troma, did some work on "One Life to Live", but she's now making a name for herself in horror. So, she's hot, she's talented and she's into horror. What else do you need to know? ...besides the fact that she's in the just released "Pink Eye" (which is getting great reviews) and played the lead in "Skinned Alive", a kick-ass film we just covered a week or so ago. Thanks for the interview Melissa!

First off, tell us a bit about yourself. What are your influences, where did you get started and what brought you into the world of indie horror filmmaking?

I am an animal lover mostly..I never liked people thats why I kill them in my movies. Troma got me started...Crazy Lloyd and his antics made me fall in love with fake blood.

Film School: Yes or No?

Nope, school is over rated and it teaches people rules. The great filmmakers don't follow rules. I know when I started working as an actress in the real world I had to forget everything I learned in acting school

You've been involved in lots of different areas in the industry; actress, producer, model… what's your ultimate goal? Is there a means to an ends here or are you just diversifying yourself as much as you can?

Fame and Millions and Millions of dollars :) I don't know. I like lots of things and I love being in the public eye...So whatever will put me there I will do. Besides like... porn.

Let's talk about "Skinned Alive". How did the project come about and how did you get involved?

My very good friend and one of the best actors and writers I know...Joshua Nelson told me he had a script. I read it and basically fell in love with it...So I went to Trashy Lingerie and started buying costumes.

Talk about some of the hurdles in producing an indie horror. What kind of advice can you pass on to other people who are looking to get an indie horror made?

Get Funding!!!! There is so much really low budget and even no budget out there that the market has become oversaturated. Collaborate.instead of 20 people and 20 movies for $1000 each do 1 movie for $20,000 and try and make something decent.

How did you secure financing for the film and what was the approximate budget?

Skinned Alive was an easy film to get the money for. Everyone loves zombies, hot girls ect... Once we optioned the script and had our package together (actors, director, locations) we approached investors and they saw that because of the research and work we had done already the budget was tight and we had a product that would get made and appeal to the fans.

Talk about playing dual roles as both lead actress and producer. Any trials and tribulations there?

Well my job as producer was finding the money. Joshua did the "Line" producing which is a way more hands on job. I just made a few decisions on set and mostly concentrated on the role :)

From the perspective on an actress, talk about the difference between acting in an indie film vs. acting in something bigger… for example, I noticed that you've had a reoccurring role on "One Life to Live".

Everyone on an indie set loves what they are doing. They are their enjoying themselves...This is not always the case on bigger projects.

I've found that one of the biggest hurdles in getting an indie horror film made is in the casting process. It's very tough to find good actors who will work for little or no pay… what advice can you pass on to an indie filmmaker who's about to cast his film?

I don't think actors should work for no pay. I understand small amounts due to budget but honestly even offering an actor $75 a day (which barely covers gas) is appealing. I mean for me to walk on a set I have to get my hair done, my nails, maybe get a facial or tan...It costs me out of pocket 5 or 6 hundred dollars to show up...I love low budget but honestly if you can't pay the actors something.. people are gonna flake...And its the same with anything. You get what you pay for right. Last week I was shooting a pitch and I thought about going on craigslist and finding someone to work for trade and shoot it and light it.. But I realized that I wanted it done well. So I paid someone WELL, and I rented lighting. The pitch looks amazing and we got what we wanted..It's the same deal here.

What's your take on the indie horror scene right now? Where do you see it heading?

With You Tube and the internet in general everyone is a film maker. I think its awesome. I think it gives people a creative outlet. Indie will never die..It's getting stronger and being recognized. I think as Hollywood continues to un Glamourize TV and take the originality out of every film they make people will need a place to turn. Thats were we come in. Indie Film is rising. It's the only place people are taking risk and being interesting... WATCH OUT HOLLYWOOD

What's next for Melissa Bacelar and where can people find out more information about you and your projects?

I am shooting almost everyday...So the films will be coming soon. I have been super lazy about updating my site but I will get on it soon, MelissaBacelar.com I bullentin on MySpace and Facebook alot and I am literally everywhere, signings, charity events, radio appearances, web shows. LOL...I mean literally everywhere. Email me through the site and I will email right back :)

Exclusive Interview with Geno McGahee, writer/director of Evil Awakening

I don't know about you, but when I'm watching a big budget Hollywood horror film, I find that they all look and feel the same. Especially if it's a Platinum Dunes film. So, what differentiates them tends to be a character (maybe), a unique story (hopefully), stuff like that... Long and short, it's never about production values and they tend to be formulaic. One of the things that draws me to indie horror is that fact that I could be holding a few films in my hand, knowing nothing about them, and they could be so different from each other in all aspects, yet I'm going to dig all of them. One could be from a veteran that's done 40 films on low-budgets, one could be from a recent film grad who had a bit of funding or one could be from someone who's just getting started... Hell, I like them all. And there's something about the micro-budget directorial debuts that I really like. It's like watching the minor leagues, where people are honing their talent. For example, I recently had the opportunity to watch "Evil Awakening" from Geno McGahee and it was his first film, even though he's now gone on to make another, plus he's in production on a third.

"Evil Awakening" is the type of film that the general public wouldn't understand. However, for an indie-horror fan, it's a kick-ass, micro-budget slasher flick. Obvious budget constraints aside, McGahee puts together a great story with various interweaving plotlines. It's a great debut effort and who knows what he could've done with a bit more budget? We had a chance to discuss the film with him and if you're a micro-budget filmmaker who's setting out to make a film for pocket change, the interview is definitely worth the read.

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

My parents bought this 1980’s clunky camcorder and it collected dust for the most part. I was slowly becoming a horror fan and when I was 12 or so, I wanted to make a horror short and got together with my buddy, Mike, and shot a horrible 10 minute skit about aliens, and then we shot one about a monster rising from the ground, which is where Evil Awakening stemmed from. I began filming countless skits and they were all adlibbed…and I still have them all, but they are so bad that I doubt that they will make it beyond my collection.

My influences to go into filmmaking are many but none more than the great Don Dohler and his film “Galaxy Invader.” In Galaxy Invader, I saw a no budget film that had heart and humor and it was really entertaining. Not only that, Dohler went against the grain and got a no budget film out there to the masses. He set the standard and gave me hope that I could follow in his footsteps and get out there and perhaps, get a fan base, even if it would be smaller. It wouldn’t really matter. I appreciate Dohler and I thought that people would appreciate my work one day should I get it out there.

I am a creative person...sort of obsessive when it comes to writing or filming or just about anything. I usually can’t just sit still. I have to be writing or drawing. I currently manage and write for a boxing website called Ringsidereport.com, and have been covering boxing for five years. Boxing and horror are my two loves, outside of my wife (Dani) and my son (Geno, JR., aka: “Munch”). After managing the boxing site, I started Scaredstiffreviews.com and that helped immensely with distribution of my films. I’m a little on the crazy side and my humor can be offensive, but if you see Evil Awakening, you can probably figure that much out.

Film School: Yes or No?

No. I went to college for Marketing, getting my Associate’s from Springfield Technical Community College in Massachusetts in the USA. Had I known then what I know now, I would have gone to film school, I think. I have been improving on the job and I think that the rawness that you see and the technical problems that you might notice in Evil Awakening have been improved in my second film Rise of the Scarecrows and improved greatly in Scary Tales the film that I am nearly done filming.

“Evil Awakening” is your first feature, where did the idea come from and what was your motivation to get this project done?

In 1996, my good friend Jeremy Weiskotten and I were at a Pizza Hut and were deciding just what we were going to do, and I had been filming stupid skits for the longest time, so I proposed filming a skit. Being a big Friday the 13th fan at the time, I thought that we should go in that back from the dead slasher direction. So we got together with several friends and filmed it and it was a blast and it was about as ridiculous…it’s also an extra on the Evil Awakening (2003) DVD. We screened it at my birthday party and everyone was laughing and asked for copies of it. I realized then that we had the skill to entertain. Well, we continued with skits but they got crazier and better and that’s when I began thinking about a full length low budget horror film.

My other buddy, Steven Joseph Adams, came to me in 2002 and said that he wanted to film something because Evil Awakening (1996) was so much fun, so I came up with the idea for Evil Awakening 2…a mere skit, but this one was not going to be adlibbed like the first one. As I wrote it, I elected to not call it a sequel and not make it a skit either. This was the moment and this was the movie that was going to be our introduction to the horror world. I wrote it in about six weeks and we filmed it in 3 months. My motivation for finishing it was basically who I am, I guess. I can’t see starting something and not finishing it and one way or another, it was going to be done. It would bug the hell out of me if I had footage of a movie that was 60% done or whatever and it was never completed.

What was the approximate budget for the film and how did you secure it?

The budget for Evil Awakening was, maybe, 500 bucks. It was basically a no budget horror film that was done with very little money and a lot of ambition. I paid for the fake blood and pizza for the crew and such, but realistically, there wasn’t a lot of money behind it.

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

We used a Sony Digital Video Camera…nothing special for the first time around. Rise of the Scarecrows was the same and Scary Tales is shot on a digital video camera, but a better camera and shot better. Evil Awakening was shot in 3 months, Rise of the Scarecrows took 2 ½ years for various reasons, and now Scary Tales is nearly done and when the dust settles, it will have been 3 months of weekend shooting. I’m organized now and that has made a big difference.

I thought you did a great job of creating little storylines and weaving them all together around the main story of the Cock Monster. (I’ll assume I’m spelling that right?) Talk about keeping continuity. I’m assuming that on a low-budget and shooting out of sequence, with all the stories and characters involved, continuity can be problematic. How’d you handle that?

Thank you! The actual spelling is “The Coch Woods Monster” but it’s pronounced “Cock Woods Monster” so you are basically correct. Continuity and low budget are not friends of each other and it’s very hard to shoot when people are not getting paid and when they change their looks. Hair grows quickly, people gain and lose weight, and people lose clothing that they need for the next film. I think that I’m more in tune now and continuity is now a lot better. Evil Awakening did pretty well because it was shot quickly and most people understood that they needed to keep their look. Rise of the Scarecrows was tougher because it almost didn’t come and took over two years to complete and there are some continuity problems there but they aren’t that obvious unless you really look for them and you see continuity problems in big productions like Rocky IV when Apollo Creed is wearing boxing gloves and then pointing at Ivan Drago without a glove in the same scene. It is very tough and tough for me because I’m not as organized as I want to be, but we’ve done pretty well and I think that we’re on the right track.

What were some of your biggest hurdles in getting the film finished?

I guess just dealing with nonpaid actors that didn’t take it as seriously as I did and would often miss shooting days. Other than that, the rest is easy…time consuming but easy. Weather in New England is also difficult and can throw a wrench in the works.

Did you enter it into any festivals? If so, how did it do and what did you get out of the experience? If not, why?

I did enter both Evil Awakening and Rise of the Scarecrows into film festivals and neither one was ever allowed to compete. I don’t get it and I’m not convinced that they even watched them. I’ll be doing the same thing with Scary Tales with no expectations. I see the movies that win these film festivals and I know that my films belonged there in the running. It’s so frustrating, but it’s part of the business. They expect a certain look and sometimes want that artsy stuff instead of what I provide. So, I’m hoping that they will look at Scary Tales and give it a shot and if not, so be it. There are more than one way to skin a cat.

Talk about distribution. What was the process like for you and how’s that going?

Distribution was the toughest thing in the world. I had sent Evil Awakening everywhere and the few replies I got were either negative ones or they loved it and wanted to run with it, BUT they wanted the rights to the film, the money, and no guarantees on anything! How’s that for a deal. In other words, Evil Awakening 2 could come out without me and I would get nothing for the sales of Evil Awakening. F that. I thought that the best way, perhaps, to get a distributor was to start a horror site and interview them so that they know me when they see my submission and my chances would increase greatly. JR Bookwalter, a great filmmaker and now a distributor, gave me my shot and picked up both Evil Awakening and Rise of the Scarecrows.

I have a tentative deal for Scary Tales, which will probably be released next summer, and Rise of the Scarecrows is supposed to be released in January/February 2009. I have found that most distributors are ruthless and use filmmakers to line their own pockets while not throwing a crumb to the people that have done all of the work. I sat on Evil Awakening for five years before I found the right guy (Bookwalter) to see my work and give me a shot and a very fair deal as well.

After it’s all said and done, what would you have done differently?

I would not have put a deadline on the movie to complete. There were scenes that were cut out so we could finish and make a film festival that they didn’t allow us to compete in. I will never do that again. I would have shot it differently…fix some technical things, but all in all, for what it is, I like Evil Awakening. It’s got some problems, sure, but if you can look beyond the technical flaws, you will find the fun in it.

I would have developed more characters, rather than focus primarily on Sam Adams (Steven Joseph Adams), although I love that obnoxious and crazy guy!

Where can people find out more about “Evil Awakening” and your other projects and, better yet, buy a copy?

Anyone can go to scaredstiffreviews.com or xposse.com for details and can go to Amazon.com to purchase Evil Awakening. They can find my myspace page and become a friend with the Coch Woods Monster. Or anyone that wants to contact me directly can email me at genobambino69@gmail.com. Good or bad, I love to hear from the horror fans and any fans that I may have out there.

What’s next for Geno McGahee and X Posse Productions?

The continued promotion of Evil Awakening and the future promotion of Rise of the Scarecrows and Scary Tales are on the agenda as well as the planning for the fourth movie which will be filmed next summer. I am hoping that we can make a dent in this horror world and that the people give me a chance. You won’t regret it.

Lastly, talk about the indie horror scene. What do you think about where it’s at now and where do you see it going?

The indie film scene is pretty good, although it does get saturated with bad movies because the digital video camera and editing programs have leveled the playing field and has allowed many to make a movie when they probably shouldn’t. The Campbell Brothers are great and when they come back to horror, they could easily make their mark on a huge level, my friend Jim Haggerty is a great filmmaker and has a lot of ambition and knows how to network very well, and another friend of mine, Polly Frost, is not only an exceptional writer but she also excels at filmmaking. She has a great web series called “The Fold” that I really think is fantastic.

The fact of the matter is Indie Horror is where the heart is and where the originality is coming from. There is vision and love there and when you rent or buy a film made on a shoestring budget, you are getting something special. I think that Indie Horror now has an advantage over it in the past because of technology and we are now getting more and more indie films and I LOVE watching them because when you don’t have money, you need a good story and ingenuity. I see Indie horror going into the mainstream more than ever because it has to. How many Asian transfers, remakes, bad sequels, and PG-13 fluff horror movies will the public stand for before they begin looking elsewhere?

I do want to thank you for the time Ted, and I thank everyone that have purchased Evil Awakening and have written me to give me their thoughts. I sincerely appreciate the support and keep an eye out for Rise of the Scarecrows and Scary Tales.

New Horror Out On DVD This Week - 4 words: Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer

October is always a good month for horror... there was a pile of good films out last week and this week is no different. In fact, this week could be better than last week, if only for one title - Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer. It's another jam-packed week, so this post is long. As usual, if you want to help us out, please click on the title and buy the DVD off Amazon. Also, you can go to our Youtube page and check out all the trailers.

If you only see one new horror film from this week, please let it be "Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer". It's co-written and directed by Jon Knautz, with screenplay and story credits to John Ainslie and just story credits to Patrick White and Trevor Matthews, who also stars and produces. Personally, I think it's unreal... definitely one of the best of the year. It screened at something like 14 film festivals and walked away with Best Motion Picture at the Midnight X-Treme Program at Sitges and the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature at the Calgary Underground Film Festival. It's the first feature film from a group of guys who got together to make short films and, well... they really hit it out of the park with this one. I don't know what to tell you, other than they landed Robert Englund, the monster effects are perfect, it's funny as shit and there's lots of blood. Without saying too much, it's a wicked throwback to when horror movies were a lot of fun. To quote Jovanka Vuckovic from Rue Morgue, "If Jack Brooks was made in the 80's, it would be a cult classic by now." Do yourself a favor and check this one out.

I was pleasantly surprised with the original "Feast", which was the horror film that was the result of Ben Affleck and Matt Damon's 'Project Greenlight'... I did think it was a little too reminiscent of the original "From Dusk Till Dawn", but who cares? It was successful enough and stood up to horror fans well enough to spawn two sequels, this one is called "Feast II: Sloppy Seconds" and "Feast 3: The Happy Finish" is currently in production. This one's written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan and directed by John Gulager, which is the exact same team that brought you the first one. So, a bunch of indie filmmakers win 'Project Greenlight', then make a successful film and NOW, they're making two sequels? Awesome. Good work, guys. I haven't seen it yet, but I'll definitely be watching it soon.

I'm not really sure I want to even talk about M. Night Shyamalan's "The Happening", but I will. What can I say about Shyamalan that hasn't already been said? He peaked with "Sixth Sense" and has never been able to get back there... I thought that his first R-rated film, this one, was another let down. If you can continue to call them 'let downs'... it's just what I expect from him. The only thing that really sucks is that it would be considered a box-office success, in that it had a budget of $60Million and grossed over $160Million Worldwide. Guess what that means? There's another Shyamalan let down coming your way soon.

"The Devil's Chair" comes out of the UK and it's from writer, producer, director and editor Adam Mason. This is one of those films that could only come out of the UK, as no US financier would put money towards it... and I mean that because I'm disappointed that I don't see more films like this. "The Devil's Chair" is an extremely gory, f'ed up film about a guy who gets a bunch of drugs and takes his girlfriend out to get messed up and have some sex. However, when they explore an abandoned asylum, their drugged-out bliss turns into agony and despair. Here's an actual quote about the film... it's "a tale of a simple man fucked over by demons that are not just in his mind". Check out the trailer, you'll want to see it. Trust me.

The original "Joy Ride", starring Paul Walker and Steve Zahn, directed by John Dahl, was another film that ended up being a pleasant surprise for me. I definitely wasn't expecting something as good as what I got. Now, because it was pretty good, we get "Joy Ride 2: Dead Ahead", which has no real big names attached and is directed by Louis Morneau, who also made "The Hitcher II: I've Been Waiting" and "Carnosaur 2". The big let down about "Joy Ride 2" is that Ted Levine, who did the voice for 'Rusty Nail', does not return to reprise his role... and I thought he kind of made the first one.

"20 Years After" is an indie horror from Jim Torres, who has only one other film to his credit with "SadoMannequin"... which I now have to see, just because of the title. "20 Years After" won him 3 awards, two from the George Lindsey UNA Film Festival (the Clyde "Sappo" Black Sweet Home Alabama Award and the Gold Lion) and the Robert Rodriquez Award from the Hollywood MiniDV Festival. It's an ambitious, post-apocalyptic story that takes place "twenty years after the bombs fell and the plagues ran their course" where "the few that remain live in fear and without hope". Even though it's a "by the book low-budget horror", he managed to wrangle up a few actors of note, including Azura Skye, who was in "28 Days" and "One Missed Call", as well as Nathan Baesel from "Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon".

"Wicked Lake" was directed by Zach Passero and was written by Chris Sivertson, while the screenplay was written by Adam Rockoff. It's got some great cameos in it, including: Tim "The Dollman" Thomerson and Troma Alum - Will Keenan. It's about four women who go on a road trip, but two clans of deranged men follow them... however, even though the girls appear to be easy prey, come midnight... all hell breaks loose and the tables are turned.

"Return of the Curse" is an indie horror from Dog Byte Video, written and directed by Chris Penney. Now, I'm not sure if it's called "Return of the Curse" or "Diary of a Female Assasin", which they refer to a lot on their website. Either way, it's as indie as it gets and it was filmed in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The film is about an evil curse that's been passed down from generation to generation, making those infected lose their sanity which leads to their horrific demise. It looks interesting and I'm going to try to find out more about the film and Dog Byte... so, stay tuned.

I haven't seen "Beneath The Surface", but it looks interesting for a few reasons. First off, the plot sounds very intriguing - "By uncovering a world thought only to exist in his imagination, Ethan brings the love of his life back from the dead in order to clear her name and expose the truth behind her apparent suicide. However, he did not expect the chaos that would come back with her as well". Beyond that, it's written, directed, produced and edited by Blake Reigle, who's been involved in some very interesting projects, including being an assistant on both the new "Friday the 13th" and the new "The Last House on the Left". He's also producing a film called "His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th". So, he's obviously a fan and knows his stuff... I'll look forward to finding out more about this project.

"Prey for the Beast" is from Brett Kelly, who's been involved in some pretty interesting projects. He's acted in a ton of movies, including "Goregoyles 2" and "The Bonesetter", he's also written a bunch of films, including "Good Dog, Dead Dog" (which he also directed) and "My Dead Girlfriend". This film, however, he directed, but did not write. It's written by Jeff O'Brien, whose collaborated with Kelly before. "Prey for the Beast" is about a group of dudes who meet up with a group of sexy hikers and them become prey for a predatory animal that's on the hunt.

Honestly, Lloyd Kaufman's reach knows no bounds. Even though he's based in New York, he managed to get his voice into the Australian made "Dead Country". What I do like about Lloyd is that he offers his talents to films that are 'Troma-like'. So, when you see Lloyd in the credits, you know what you're in store for. And this looks to be just what you would expect. It's written by Anthony Davis, Clifford Hoeft and Kaye Redhead and it's directed by Andrew Merkelbach. It's about a space ship that explodes above a small rural town, showering the population with a deadly alien virus that spreads a zombie plague upon the town folk.

"The Devil's Mercy" is directed by Melanie Orr, who also directed "Grindstone Road" and "Harm's Way". It was written by James A McLean and stars Stephen Rea, whose made a rash of horror films lately, such as "Stuck", "The Reaping" and "Metamorphosis", which is currently being filmed. "The Devil's Mercy" is about a family that moves to Connecticut and their kid becomes increasingly anxious around the new downstairs neighbours. They dismiss it as an overactive imagination, but it turns out that their may be something a little more sinister going on down there...

I can't find out much about "Super Hell", which is directed by Johny Walker and stars b-movie legend, Conrad Brooks... who was in the original "Plan 9 from Outers Space", as well as other Ed Wood films, like "Glen or Glenda". He's had a long career of being in b-horror and has recently shown up in a whole S-load of micro-cinema horror films. He'll also appear in the remake of "Plan 9", which is in pre-production right now... talk about closing the circle. "Super Hell" is about the dead coming back to life, while Satan walks the earth and good people have become murderous filth... playing out their perverse and sinful desires. We follow along with Conrad Brooks as his depravity steers him towards the most insane vampire to ever stalk the screen.

Exclusive Interview with Neil Kellen

I guess it's the march towards Halloween and there's just tons of horror coming out each week... I started to go through them all, trying to get a 'new horror releases of the week' post done for this morning, but it's just not going to happen. So, once again, that left me with nothing ready to go for this morning. However, I actually do have something cool to post.

Some of the best parts of doing the site is meeting new filmmakers, discussing the whole indie scene and finding out what's going on out there. Further to that, we love helping people out. In fact, I hope to have some news soon, as Dead Harvey will be branching out soon and doing some new things in that regard, but that's not for this post. This post is about up and coming filmmaker, Neil Kellen.

I was chatting with Neil back and forth, as he's in pre-production on his project, "Abaddon". I thought it could be pretty cool to talk to him about that process, as we usually talk to filmmakers after they've completed their project, not when they haven't even shot a frame yet. Anyhow, it's a great read and if you're a filmmaker that's about to head into the same stages that Neil's heading into, this is a must read for you...

Tell us a bit about yourself. What are your influences, where did you get started and what brought you into the world of indie filmmaking?

I'm a 42 year old filmmaker who lives in the last place on Earth you would think a filmmaker should ever live, Henderson, Kentucky. I have spent the majority of my adult life with some kind of motion picture camera in my hands, or on my shoulder, so it was a natural progression for me to move from documentary style shooting to narrative moviemaking.

Although being a kid seeing the original 1977 STAR WARS in theaters didn't hurt my desire to make films either.

Film School: Yes or No?

I think film school serves as a valuable networking opportunity and can be a benefit for those that have no real idea of the technical side of movie making, but have a strong desire to learn just the same. With that being said, my studies were in television and video production and not “film.”

Tell us about any previous films or projects that you’ve completed.

I am a news photographer by day, so I shoot and edit a minute thirty short story that is seen by around 200,000 people daily. Last Fall, I challenged myself to create a short horror film with a minimal budget and to be shot within a non-consecutive, 24 hour time frame.

FOREVER, a story inspired by “The Monkey's Paw”, was created in 18 total hours with a final running time of just under 10 minutes and a final cost of $28.00 USD

You’re in pre-production right now, tell us a bit the decision to go out and make an indie film. What was the catalyst?

I love movies. I love the process of making movies. From the initial idea to the final edit, I'm addicted. I get a high from the work, As exhausting as it is to some , It's adrenaline to me. I can stay up for days working on a concept.

The project is called “Abaddon”, where did you get the idea from and is this something that you were always intending to go out and make yourself?

I have never understood how someone could come up with an idea only to pass it off to someone else After completing FOREVER, I made notes about mistakes made during that filming and immediately started brainstorming the next idea. I upgraded my video equipment and started tapping out various scenes in CELTX. I brought in a writing partner and knew, at that point, that ABADDON was a GO for me.

I'm a a huge fan of superhero graphic novels and films, and a horror buff. I'm also a very spiritual person. ABADDON is a combination of all these elements.

The classic struggle of Good versus Evil has never been better personified then by the modern imagery of Angels and Demons . I wanted to tap into these legends and build a new story with elements that are already familiar to a 21st Century audience. Leaning much on the Neo-Gothic look that I think is currently the sexiest fashion around, I plan on turning the indie horror genre on its ear by introducing superhero elements to it.

If you're a comic fan, or a fan of action horror, you'll love this movie.

We’ve found that the biggest hurdle for indie filmmakers is financing. What’s your approx. budget and how do you plan on securing it?

The working budget for the version of the script we are tweaking now is just under $162,000.USD

The truth is, there are few individuals that are willing to invest in a risk as high as that of an independent film. Most movies that are made outside of Hollywood don't make a cent. We all know that. Self financing a film yourself could lead to bankruptcy. So what do you do?

I've done a lot of research on this subject and found there are still ways to secure financing for your project. Tapping into overseas markets and approaching genre cable networks to co-produce are some to consider.

I've given ABADDON a year to reach it's budget goals, but regardless if it meets the dollar amount I'm looking to raise, I WILL create this story.

What are you going to shoot on and why?

ABADDON will be shot on HD.

The cost saving is just too large for the independent filmmaker to ignore anymore. So many of us already own our own cameras, editing software, and lighting kits that a large chunk of our budgets can be covered by using our own equipment.

There will always be film elitist in the world decrying the use of any electronic medium as a storytelling tool, but I'm a believer that if the story is good, no matter what medium used, people will want to watch that story you are telling them..

Talk about some of the hurdles that you’ve encountered up until this point.

When you work on a project, time is always an issue. I'm a photojournalist by day and a father of six and a husband by night, so budgeting time and keeping ideas flowing can sometimes be an exhausting experience.

Money is the next most frustrating hurdle. I'm self financing ABADDON throughout the preproduction process. Preproduction is not just polishing screenplays, scouting locations, and sketching out some storyboards. It also means paying for temporary costumes for the promotional photography, buying products so the makeup guy, Joe Stanley, can start developing the demon transformation effects, and working to keep various websites up and running to build a preliminary buzz about the film.

At this point, are you thinking about film festivals, distribution or anything like that? Or are you just simply trying to get the film done?

At this point, getting the film finished is all I'm focused on. I do intend on entering ABADDON into the festval circuit, but it is too early to tell which venues I will pursue. I think every filmmaker dreams of seeing his film on a large screen, but historically, films similar to ABADDION find themselves limited to DVD release. To be honest. I would be pleased with that.

Where can people find out more about yourself and/or the project?

The first of three planned websites is digitalspectrumfilms.com

I will be updating the site often with news on ABADDON and offer up space as forum for other filmmakers projects. I love seeing what the independent horror community offers to it's fans and want to give them yet another venue for their work.

Just because you mentioned it in your email to me, I’m going to bring it up. You’re childhood friends with Gregg Hale, producer of “The Blair Witch Project”, “Altered” and “Seventh Moon”. Tell us about that relationship and if he’s planning on getting involved in this project or is going to help you in one form or another.

Gregg and I grew up with super 8 cameras and big dreams. I think between the two of us, we churned out 50 or so short film scripts from imaginative ideas like “Battle of the Bottles” where two opposing brands of cola fight out a WWII style, marketing battle to our epic “EARTH: Nuclear Holocaust” telling of a group of children from a Moon base who come back to Earth to explore the planet after a nuclear war.

We were only eleven years old then. Those were BIG stories.

Gregg is now in New York and busy with a new job and an even newer baby, but we do stay in contact. He is aware of the ABADDON project, but we haven't discussed the movie beyond the initial idea.

Gregg is a businessman. He has been very supportive of the indie film scene and is willing to invest in projects that he believes might be successful. ABADDON is not at a point in the filmmaking process where I would ask him for a commitment of any kind, but I'm sure he will be open to listening to any pitch I would like to make when the time is right..

He's cool like that.

Lastly, talk about the indie horror scene. What do you think about where it’s at now and where do you see it going?

Hollywood has proven time and time again it does not know how to make a good horror film and they are, finally, starting to give up. The opportunity for you to make a huge splash in the horror genre market has never been better. The fan base is hungry for something new, different, and really really scary.

If you have an idea, or the talent to think of one, grab a camera and some friends who can act and start shooting. Post it on Myspace or Youtube. Don't let the lack of professional tools slow you down.

I'm waiting to watch too.

Interview with Hoss Wuerslin: Creator of The DeadBooks

I really just wanted to add something quick here because I hope a lot of you check this out. It's projects like this that are what indie, underground horror is all about and, not only that, I think what Wuerslin's done here is really quite groundbreaking. Anyhow, on to Brad...

Hoss Wuerslin's, website: deadbooks.com is one of the coolest things I've seen in quite some time. It's basically an internet novel combined with multimedia elements. Here's how it's described on the site:

Deadbooks.com is a massive, Hyper-Serialization of Hasso Wuerslin's SF-Horror series, The DeadBooks.

Spanning 150 chapters, involving 100 actors, and the cutting-edge sounds of musical artists worldwide, Deadbooks.com is a revolutionary mash-up of story-telling techniques.

The first ten-hour season is available now.

In a recent email, Hoss added, "There is meant to be a blair-witchy quality to this site. This isn’t an 80 million dollar Hollywood production. This is underground content, meant to be rough around the edges and damn cool at the same time - Blair-witchy."

I've got to tell you. I had a blast checking out all the features on the site and I think Hoss is onto something very unique and groundbreaking here. It is definitely worth your time to check this out. Congrats on all the hard work, Hoss! We here at Dead Harvey look forward to what DeadBooks has in store for us in the future!

DH: Tell us about yourself. Where are you from and what's your background?

HW: Pretty much a Vermonter since two, and like most Vermonters that grow up here, I eventually went AWOL out of the state, trying to figure out what I was going to do with my life. A number of years ago, I was camped out in Hollywood, trying to break into acting and screenplay writing. In my spare time which I had a lot of - I started writing the Deadbooks which at the time were individual novels, not yet a series.

Death brought me back to Vermont, where I continued trying to make it. I actually had better success in VT then in CA, but that success wasn't leading me anywhere. There's not a lot of work in the entertainment field out in these woods. So I switched completely back to novels and continued writing, eventually linking the four novels together into one long series: the Deadbooks Project, in the hope of increasing its attractiveness to publishers.

The end result was that I was just as ignored by the big publishing houses, as I had been by Hollywood. The consistency was very nice, but something had to give.

DH: Talk about the origins of the, "Deadbooks" project.

HW: Back in 1999, I was working on my 4^th novel and getting real pissed because nothing was happening. I was going nowhere, I had a crappy mind-sucking job, my agent couldn't do a thing, the damn hallway ceiling was falling in… on and on. It's at times like these when you throw everything on the table, ignore all the rules, start thinking out of the box, because basically you've got nothing to lose.

So in 99 I began to think of ways to get my books noticed. That led to the idea of Book Trailers you can see my Hollywood training coming in. This was when books-on-demand was coming on strong. A huge amount of content was flooding the Net, and I knew I had to try something different to make my books stand out. Thus I created a website and a book trailer for one of my books, Mirror The Dead. The book trailer idea was pretty much ignored by everyone except The Hollywood Reporter, they got it. But it wasn't enough to make the project successful, so back to square one.

That's when I turned to Little Red Riding Hood and The Three Pigs.

Quick back track, just in case your readers haven't watched the demo yet at Deadbooks.com.

Description…
Deadbooks tells the story a mining scout ship, led by the gifted Shallen, who discovers an Earth void of human life... except for the memories of a long dead, Will Lant. Memories so powerful that they posses Shallen, revealing to him Lant's final days. Days in which Lant was forced to live the lives of three alternate beings in a desperate attempt to rectify a terrible mistake. Now, like the spider, the ghost of Lant traps all passerby, in the hopes that one can achieve what he could not bring himself to do.

LRRH and the Three Little Pigs was a children's book I had growing up. It had a cool feature. Inside the front cover, was a colorful map of the town where LRRH, the Three Pigs, the wolf, and grandma all lived. Their streets, houses, the woods where the wolf hid, etc. It created this little world in which the book lived.

Why not do something like that on the Net? (I bet Stephen King would have done this to his Castle Rock setting, if he were just starting out). Why not bring the Town of Landsgate Vermont the series' overall setting - to the Net. Lift the ghost character of Will Lant (who inhabits all of the books), out of the wood and make him a purely Net character.

Once I start thinking along these lines, ideas snowballed. I began to ask why not bring ALL the characters from the first life Will Lant must live the book, Mirror The Dead - to the net as well? Then the Spaceman Shallen emerged from my mind as the overlord and the story just expanded like a super nova.

Remember, I had nothing to lose. And as I've said, when you're in that place, you don't mind breaking rules; thinking out of the box.

DH: How long has it taken to develop and what challenges have you run into during the process?

HW: Once I had decided to destroy my dream of being published in the traditional way, I then had to face the new challenge, what was going to replace it. What would my book look like/act like? One thing I kept saying was there were no rules, but there did have to be a consistency in over all design. People don't mind you creating a new form of entertainment, but they do mind you reinventing the wheel at every turn.

I did know this: that I wanted to breed film and book together. The power of the novel is that you can spend so much time within the character's heads. The power of film was its use of image and sound. Both devastating forms of entertainment in their effect upon us, but both up until the arrival of the net, unable to truly coexist within the same story.

But the net has no such rules. It doesn't care how you tell a story. The story is - someone ate my dog and I think it was my wife. Want to read about it online… go ahead. Want to listen to it as a song online, go ahead. Want to watch a movie about it online, go ahead. Same story, choose your method; the Net doesn't care.

Or… you can do what I did, dump it in a blender.

I decided that the book would be the base. Words would be the rock. Film would be the water, flowing in and round the words. A dance.

I ripped out every page of the first book and stuck it up on the screen. Each page became a canvass. What was happening within those words that would be more exciting to show then tell? When was the word more powerful? When should both speak at the same time?

Another story idea rose up we love being read too. Goes back to our childhood. Let's have a narrator, but not for everything, because there's something about reading inside our heads that connects us to a book, just as watching and listening connects us to movies. So I made sure that you and the narrator share many of the pages.

Then came the music. Talented musicians from around the world were able to connect with me through the power of the Net. Forty musicians from almost as many countries joined up.
Hundreds and hundreds of shots followed; of settings, of actors. And then hundreds more as I digitally painted the world of Landsgate Vermont. Hours of Vos were recorded; many more hours of SFXs created. Around 140 tracks of music were laid down next to the words. Over 300 flash movies were made. Don't look at the clock, don't look at the calendar. The learning curve felt at times like being trapped on a roller coaster.

8 loooong years would pass. Actors would move on to other parts of the country. Bands would break up, removing their music. Children would be born and parents would die. Friends, what few new about the DeadBooks project, slowly stopped asking how close was I to finishing it.
And the man that started Deadbooks.com, was definitely different from the man that ended it.

DH: What's been the general reaction from the public been so far?

HW: You know I don't know. In truth, very few people know it's even out there yet. I know it catches people, stops them. It's not for everyone, but then what is? I hope that fans of SF/Horror will support it, cause I can't make a season 2 without that support. I figure 12.95 for ten hours is pretty cheap.

But that's why the 8 years isn't over yet! Now I have to get the word out. Now I have to teach myself to become a PR guy, another damn learning curve hat! You see if deadbooks.com dies, I want it to die because it sucked, not because I couldn't get the word out to enough people that would have supported it.

DH: Describe your vision for the, "Deadbooks" project?

HW: I'd like to do to the novel what video did to the song. Music videos didn't kill the song, they just showed another powerful way of experiencing it. That's what I want this Hyper-serialization to do. Maybe I read the book on the beach or maybe I check out the Hyper-Serialization of it.
But I think it's the books turn to evolve. It's been stuck in its wooden coffin for too long. Let's put the concept of the book into play and then lets have fun playing with it.

DH: What are your plans with "Deadbooks" for the future?

HW: As indicated above, I'd like to start making season 2, but I have family responsibilities that must be honored. So I need this project to sell or I cannot recoup savings spent to justify another season.

DH: What are the pros and cons behind keeping, "Deadbooks" independently owned and operated?

HW: 1) Well, I can break the rules. 2) Nobody can tell me what to do. 3) I live and die by my hand as ignorant at times as it can be.

That's why many people like me eventually start doing things themselves, starting their projects, striking out on their own, they've become tired of waiting for big media, agents, publishers, etc, to give them permission to do it.

Underground content, in my humble opinion, is the wave of the future.

That said, I would rather this site be advertising supported. I would rather give this site away for free. It's all so much easier, than asking for support.

DH: Talk about all the great talent you have involved in this project. How were you able to coordinate such an involved undertaking on an independent level?

HW: Touched on this a bit above. I've had a full time job these last 8 years and have been raising a family as well… but I also had time. I had about 3 hours every day to move the project forward. Inch by inch. Unlike a movie set, I was dealing with images. So for instance, all I needed was one day with an actor to shoot the hours of images needed. I had an excellent photographer in my wife, Kitt - and then another day to record Vos. A fast shoot.

And all the actors I used, I knew. From watching them in real life, on the job, at dinner parties, etc. Many of them are what are called natural actors. With the proper coaching, they have a natural ability to act. Hollywood teems with them. Some times I would find myself saying, Listen I know you're not an A***** in real life, but for this scene that's how you have to come across.

The other big piece of the talent process was the music. I had decided, because of 911, that I wanted a world thing, music from around the world, many different countries, all coming together to help. And they did willingly. It also, once again, amazed me at how much fantastic, unknown talent resides in this world. The music of the Deadbooks is right up there with the best of them. Again, the power of underground content; the net unleashing all this talent for the world to find!

DH: Where can people find out more about, the "Deadbooks" project for themselves?

HW: Deadbooks.com and from people like you that have stepped forward and offered to help get the word out.

Interview with Richard Hooban, Festival Director and Founder of Zero Film Fest

Believe me, we're aware of the trials and tribulations that low-budget, indie horror filmmakers go through. That's precisely why we created this site, to help out like-minded people and have a place where they can read and learn about what other filmmakers have gone through. However, there's more to the world of indie horror than just the filmmakers, there's distributors, actors, writers and the film festivals, to name a few other facets. The film festivals are of particular interest, as not only are they a great place to find an audience, get some promotion and meet other people, but because the festival directors have to go through a lot of the same things as filmmakers do to get their festivals up and running. A lot of them have been around for a while, have big sponsors, are associated with some company and things like that... others just want to be what they are. Zero Film Festival is one of those. Zero is in their first year and they stand for everything that we stand for, promoting and finding an audience for niche independent film. We had the chance to talk with Richard Hooban, the festival director and founder... give it a read. And if you're in the L.A. area, go check it out or get involved!

Tell us a bit about yourself. How'd you get into indie film?

Zero Film Festival isn't about me, I'm just the current connecting and illuminating the bright lights around the world. Zero Film Festival is about the DIY filmmakers and other individuals dedicated to a life of creating...

Tell us about the Zero Film Fest… when and why did you start it up?

I first conceived of the idea for Zero Film Fest after my initial exposure to the "independent" film festival circuit. I looked at the ratio of submissions/acceptances at most of the "important" film festivals, and knew there must be a lot of filmmakers out there who poured their souls, time and money into projects they believed in- but projects that didn't fit a certain formula or lacked studio/financial/celebrity backing- which in turn were completely disregarded by most film festivals. I thought, "These filmmakers shouldn't be getting form - Dear Filmmaker- letters, they should be showing their films to appreciative audiences also fed up with paint by numbers "Indie" films chasing Hollywood's tail. Thus began Zero Film Festival!

Tell us about the process of starting up a film festival, what kind of hurdles and experiences did you have there?

In a way Zero Film Festival started itself. The initial conception was to organize the few stragglers around Los Angeles who made innovative and original films and who at the same time weren't oriented towards Hollywood. The need for a festival like ZFF was so strong that it spread like wildfire, and since the moment I said, "O.K., Zero is a festival, show me your films" the response has been so great, and we've received so much positive feedback, that we've been frantically evolving and expanding to meet the needs of our filmmakers.... Then the unsigned and indie label bands started contacting us...

What do you think of the festival circuit right now? What do you look to do the same and what do you look to do differently?

I met an old man with a beard from Austin who talked slowly about the early days of SXSW, when it was a group of friendly bands coming together to celebrate life. That sounded nice.

Zero Film Festival doesn't care about competing or integrating itself into the current festival circuit. Filmmakers looking for the Hollywood glitz and bright lights have other channels. We take an opposite approach to the mainstream festival circuit and are happy where we are. I guess it's secretly my dream to become the festival DIY filmmakers come to first, and after we've helped the world discover their talent, they can move onto the Toronto's and Rotterdam's or -hey, even Hollywood- we're here to help.

What can a filmmaker expect to get out of having their film screen at Zero Film Fest?

Besides the feeling of satisfaction of showing their film to a receptive audience? Besides the amazing after parties featuring some of Los Angeles' best independent bands? I guess it would circle back to the previous question.

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

We ask for each and every filmmaker to send us a letter to personalize the submission. And the letters we've received! Primarily we're looking for filmmakers who had an original vision and broke a lot of rules along the road to making it a reality. Obviously execution is also important. Surprise us.

Tell us about the future of indie film, where do you see things going?

Youtube. Netflix. The prohibitive cost barrier has been torn down. A lot of filmmakers talk about over saturation. Distribution just needs to catch up! As soon as art house cinemas can screen digitally at no cost, I see an explosion of originality. I see power being re-distributed from the traditional heavy hands into the hands of filmmakers and audiences. Cutting out the middle men. Zero Film Festival supports this.

What advice could you give to an up and coming filmmaker?

Make your film personal and keep your integrity. Throw out the Syd Field choke hold and re-invent your own language of cinema. As an art form the potential of communication is limitless, we've only scratched the surface.

What's next for Zero Film Fest?

We've got to keep some secrets. We're hosting launch parties once a month up to our festival. All of our energy is going into making December 1-6th the most fun and memorable it can be. As for the future... well, as I said, we've got to keep some secrets.

Where can people find out more about Zero Film Fest and how can they go about entering their film?

Check out our enigmatic website at Zerofilmfest.com, or our myspace.com/zerofilmfest. It's possible to enter your film into consideration through either channel or of course, the industry standard WAB, withoutabox.com. The more films we receive, the better our festival becomes.

Linkapalooza - October 1, 2008: The Film Industry Continues Marching Into The Digital Age

I used to actually link to a lot of horror fan shit in the past, but I've started to just link to things going on in the industry that I think will interest indie filmmakers... as well as stuff that I think indie filmmakers need to know about. Anyhow, today is no different. There's just too many changes going on in the industry to not comment or look into.

Michael Moore to release film online for free on msnbc.com: I'm not a big Michael Moore fan. Let me just get that out there... and it has nothing to do with his political stance, it's more his stance as a filmmaker. I don't want to get into a debate on it, but I think he's fantastic at getting his point across, which makes him a great filmmaker; but piss-poor at getting the truth across, which makes him a shitty documentary filmmaker. Now, having got that off my chest, let's give a bit of free promotion to "Slacker Uprising", his next film. His last film, "Sicko", was pirated very early and every torrent site had it 3 weeks before it came out in the theaters. Knowing that, he's releasing "Slacker Uprising" for free, for three weeks, as a free download beginning Sept. 23 and he claims it's gift to his fans. Go to slackeruprising.com and sign up, you can download it after a few clicks. However, here's the thing. Nothing's for free... and I see what he's doing here, but it works out well for you, the audience. First off, he probably has some deal with bliptv.com, they are the guys who are distributing it. They're going to get a bunch of traffic, so I'm sure they paid something. Also, I think he looks at this as a loss-leader. When you sign up, he asks you to punch in the email addresses of friends who may be interested. So, he gives away the film for free, but at the end of the day he gets a massive database of fans that he can now email, spew his rhetoric on and sell other shit to. I have other thoughts here, but I'll save them... Any way you slice it, interesting concept and delivery.

SanDisk rolls out new medium for music on SFGate.com: Ever heard of a company called SanDisk? You probably have, you just don't know why... SanDisk is a California based company that "designs, develops, markets and manufactures products and solutions in a variety of form factors using its flash memory, controller and firmware technologies." Yeah, so, they're a tech company that specializes in flash memory (meaning that no power is needed to maintain the information, it has faster access times and it's REALLY shock resistant. Translated, it's perfect for portable devices). Now, here's why they're an interesting company... they're partnering up with some of the biggest music labels to create a new music medium based on its microSD cards and it'll feature full-length, pre-loaded albums and additional content. They call it slotMusic AND it's going to be compatible with more than "a billion cell phones, MP3 Players, PCs and game consoles". So, as an indie filmmaker, why should you care? I'll tell you why. The first version of the microSD card will sell with 1GB of storage, with future models having up to 8GB of storage. What's that mean? That means movies are next. So, let's see here... if your movie could be distributed on a microsSD card, you just opened yourself up to a billion potential new devices for your film to be watched on. Yeah, I'd say that's significant. Between online distribution, DVD releases, VOD and now stuff like this... really, why are you still thinking about a theatrical release? Think EYEBALLS... so many eyeballs.

Coming Soon From Paramount Pictures: Digital Feature Films on adage.com: I've stopped keeping track of all the mainstream Hollywood people who are now venturing into web-based projects, but you can now add Paramount to that list. Like I've said a thousand times, the best part about these guys rolling out projects like this, is that you can watch what they do, how they do it and figure out what worked for them and mimic them. By Paramount Digital's own admission (in a round-about way), they don't know how to release this shit, but they're going to try a few different ways, including: "free, sponsor-supported, subscription and via paid download". So, let them spend the money testing it out, then figure out what worked for them and do that.

Q&A: JJ Abrams Talks 'Fringe' on Forbes.com: This is a wicked little interview with JJ Abrams about his new show "Fringe", which I'm starting to waver on a bit... but that doesn't take away from the concept, marketing and everything behind the show. But, am I the only guy who's waiting for something kick-ass to happen? Start tying shit together, already! Anyhow, it's cool to see what the thought process is like for a guy like Abrams, who could probably get anything green-lit that he wants. It's little interviews like this, that you need to soak about and think about next time you're putting together your own project.