Thanks to Entertainment Weekly, we get a look at the bloody trailer for 'Zombies' in which Tony Todd once again goes head to head with the undead.
Zombies is directed by Hamid Torabpour and also stars Steven Luke, Raina Hein, and Aaron Courteau. It opens in limited release on October 21, and until then you can visit its Facebook page and official website.
Synopsis: A Virus leaves the World in shambles and plagued by Blood-thirtsy Zombies. Will Luke and his Crew have enough strength and ammunition to stay alive long enough to outlive the undead?
TC: How did you come about working on the project House of Bad?
JT: Back in college I’d had the basic idea of a story about three sisters on the run with a suitcase full of drugs they’ve stolen. Back then I was working in comics, so I originally envisioned it as a graphic novel-type narrative. As the years went by and I focused on other projects, I moved from writing and drawing comics to writing and directing films, and (what would become) House of Bad evolved with me.
TC: What is the plot of House of The Bad?
JT: Three struggling sisters- an ex-con, a stripper and a junkie- hatch a plan to steal a suitcase full of heroin from the stripper’s drug dealer boyfriend. Their plan is to lay low in their old childhood home up in the hills and wait for the heat to die down, then head south and sell the stash and retire in style south of the border. Unfortunately a lot of bad stuff happened in their old house, and the place is haunted by the ghosts of their father and mother. As the girls hunker down to wait, the house starts turning them against each other. Meanwhile the dealer is searching for them, so it becomes a question of whether they’re in more danger if they leave, or if they stay.
TC: What kind of Horror movie is this? Slasher? Supernatural? Suspense?
JT: I like to call it a Horror Heist film. The film’s a bit of a mashup between thriller and supernatural horror. It’s got a strong dramatic story, as well as a healthy shot of action gore in it, as well.
TC: Do you enjoy working in the horror genre?
JT: Absolutely. The genre has so many nuances to explore, so many different styles to embrace. I could do a dozen horror films and never repeat myself in style or story, it’s such a malleable medium.
TC: Any other projects that you are working on that you would like to share?
JT: I wrote and am producing a horror western called A Man with a Gun, starring Tony Todd, and I’m directing a supernatural detective story called 13 Girls. Both of those should be shooting in 2014. I have a zombie sitcom called The Living End I’m pitching around right now trying to find a network/channel to produce it, and there’s another project I’m developing with Sadie Katz (Sirah from House of Bad) that should be a very sexy type of ghost story.
House of Bad will be released December 3rd and is available for pre-order on Amazon.com.
Tony Todd to creep out viewers in Dead of the Nite on DVD and VOD starting January 7, 2014
About the Film:
Dead of the Nite is an intelligent twist on the paranormal genre including horror icons Tony Todd (Candyman, Hatchet, The Rock), Simon Bamford (Hellraiser, Nightbreed) and Suzie Lorraine (Roxanna, Torment, Destined to be Ingested).
Midnight Releasing will be releasing the film in North America on DVD and Video On Demand this January to all major and minor digital platforms, rental chains and more.
Synopsis:
When a group of internet sensation ghost hunters are found brutally slaughtered in the infamous Jericho Manor, Police Detectives Jenkins (GARY MAVERS) and Anderson (JOSEPH MILLSON) must piece together what happened on the fatal night by viewing the paranormal investigators video footage. With the only witness being the secretive caretaker (TONY TODD) claiming it was the ghost of killer Jeffery Heath, will the detectives discover more than they had bargained for? From ghostly happenings to breath-taking action thanks to stunt co-ordinator CLAUDIO PACIFICO (MI:III, Pirates of the Caribbean 4, Gang of New York), DEAD OF THE NITE will have audiences on the edge of their seat and guessing until the very end as to who, or what is slaughtering the team, and usher in the new dawn of ‘psychological slashers’.
I've made the comment countless times that just because you have a camera doesn't mean you'll be a good filmmaker. I guess the same can be said for writers. Being a successful comic book creator doesn't mean the next logical jump is filmmaking. Sure, it works for some but so does body suspension but you won't see me hanging from hooks any time soon.
Abby (Jillian Murray) and her sister Megan (Clare Grant) are two sisters off on one last hurrah before Megan moves off to New York to start her new life. What starts off as a fun filled road trip full of comics and punk music takes a quick turn when they find themselves lost on a lonely stretch of road in the middle of nowhere. When they stop for lunch at a small town diner, they meet a waitress named Darlene (Amanda Wyss) who conveniently points them toward the town's local exhibit, Skull City, an decrepit mining town abandoned back in the 40's. Megan being the dare devil, try anything once sister, convinces Abby to take the tour and off they go. Little do they know they'll have not only human but also supernatural forces to deal with.
There are films that I sit and watch where I spend 90% of it shaking my head and the other 10% wishing I could pluck out and eat my eyeballs so I wouldn't have to watch any longer. There are also films that spend the majority of their budget on "name" actors but don't give said actors the material they need to be the greatness that they are. There are films that should have never been more than a thought in the mind of whoever thought it up. The Graves is all of the above and more.
Watching an actor as phenomenal as Bill Moseley strap on a pig nose and deliver cliche lines while chasing two hot chicks around the Arizona desert was almost painful. Oh and then we'll bring in Candy Man himself (Tony Todd) and give him this ridiculously cartoonish character and hope that he doesn't strap on his hook and gut us before we wrap. It's beyond blasphemous to me and hurts my little twisted heart.
I really can't fathom what director Brian Pulido was thinking when he put this film together. The whole film was so chaotic that most of the time you're trying to figure out what the hell is going on and not in an "it's hard to follow" kind of way but in a "what the fuck am I watching" kind of way. The ADR was atrocious and the only consistent thing throughout the entire film was how truly awful it was. What's worse is I can't believe that this was selected as one of the "8 Films to Die For" by After Dark Horrorfest. The idea that The Graves is packed in a box next to Kill Theory and The Final should be devastating to horror fans. Unless you're one of those guys/gals who likes to watch ample breasted women run through the desert I'd stay far away from this one. The only thing it does effectively is piss you off.
Acort International, one of the top distributors of independent films in the global marketplace, has recently acquired S.J. Evans’ horror film “Dead of the Nite” for international and US distribution. Distribution plans are currently in consideration which will include a North American DVD on the indie-horror label Midnight Releasing and cable/satellite/internet VOD run as well as being showcased at this year’s 2013 American Film Market.
About The Film: Dead of the Nite is an intelligent twist on the paranormal genre including horror icons Tony Todd (Candyman, Hatchet, The Rock), Simon Bamford (Hellraiser, Nightbreed) and Suzie Lorraine (Roxanna, Torment, Destined to be Ingested).
More information on the official release date in the United States is yet to be announced. Official artwork and more news coming soon!
Synopsis: When a group of internet sensation ghost hunters are found brutally slaughtered in the infamous Jericho Manor, Police Detectives Jenkins (GARY MAVERS) and Anderson (JOSEPH MILLSON) must piece together what happened on the fatal night by viewing the paranormal investigators video footage. With the only witness being the secretive caretaker (TONY TODD) claiming it was the ghost of killer Jeffery Heath, will the detectives discover more than they had bargained for? From ghostly happenings to breath-taking action thanks to stunt co-ordinator CLAUDIO PACIFICO (MI:III, Pirates of the Caribbean 4, Gang of New York), DEAD OF THE NITE will have audiences on the edge of their seat and guessing until the very end as to who, or what is slaughtering the team, and usher in the new dawn of ‘psychological slashers’.
As a full service independent distributor, Las Vegas, Nevada and Scottsdale, Arizona-based Acort International distributes feature films to the international marketplace. Acort International and their associates release 50-60 films a year into a variety of domestic and international outlets including theatrical, DVD, VOD, broadcast, internet and mobile. For more information please visit AcortInternational.com and MidnightReleasing.com.
What was it Matthew Lillard's character said in Scream... 'Cause Let's face it baby, these days, you gotta have a sequel.' That couldn't be truer when it comes to filmmaking these days. Lately it seems movies are made faster than we can even say sequel. Before one is even out and being viewed by an audience they're already working on the next one and before you know it, there's five of them. There's an old saying that goes "the more the merrier" and I suppose in certain situations that might fit but for film franchises it's usually not the case. I'll just go ahead and put it out there and you can dislike or hate me or call me crazy if you want, I promise it won't be anything new BUT...... I'm not a fan of the Saw films. Yes, they broke new ground and gave new life to what some people would call a dying genre and I most definitely appreciate that. I enjoyed the first film, I thought it was really good but they've made so many that the last one (I can't even remember what number they're on) was a cluster fuck of flashbacks referencing the films that preceded in order to make sure everything tied in together. Yawn! Want another confession?? Ok... I love the Scream franchise, all of them, even 3. I think they're fun. There, I said it. Judge me if you must....
It's been twelve years now since James Wong changed the face of horror by ironically bringing audiences a faceless killer.... DEATH him(or her)self. I loved this one. I thought it was an original idea with a cast strong enough to support a very well written script. The deaths were thoroughly thought out. Yes I know that tons of things would've had to go wrong for most of them to happen, but when it all came together, it seemed plausible enough. I admit I was skeptical when I first heard of this film. A bunch of teens cheat death and continue on with their lives until death comes calling once again, picking them off one by one. In fact, I never even bothered to get off my ass and go see it in the theater. Then when it finally hit DVD, I wasn't even the one that brought it home to watch it. I just figured it was another ho-hum film with a 20 something cast trying to act like teenagers. Once I finally sat down to watch it, I was pleasantly surprised and now I watch it every chance I get.
Final Destination 2 came three years later with Clear Rivers (Ali Larter) locked up in a psych ward and a new visionary that foresees the tragic event that will lead (in some way) to the death of many. This time around Death has a different design and a new reason (yes, Death does have reason) for the impending tragedy. With David Ellis at the helm, a new set of writers and a bigger budget one would assume you'd get more thrills and chills but as with most sequels it paled in comparison to the first. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed this one too but it didn't seem to have the same "reach out and grab ya" as the first one did. It also had the one death in the entire series that didn't make sense to me. In all the deaths, there are a progression of ironic events that lead to each death like a woman getting her hair caught in something or a cigarette igniting a fire BUT, when things started moving and closing on their own, I had to call bullshit. Still, I can overlook it because it's well written, has a strong cast and it's definitely a fun film.
Fast forward another three years, bring back James Wong and Glen Morgan and throw in a defective roller coaster and you've got yourself another installment of Death gone bad. Being the third in a series I always assume they'll get progressively worse as they go along but I was pleasantly surprised when I saw this one. The roughest part to get through is, believe it or not, the beginning. There's so much CGI that in my opinion wasn't very well done that it distracts from the events taking place. Once it gets going, it never really slows down and in the end, it turns out to be the goriest FD of the bunch. Definitely made me think twice about working out. It's also the first to introduce the double vision story line. Yep... twice the fun!! Sadly, other than a voice over, it's also the first one of the series that doesn't include and appearance by the great Tony Todd :( All things considered, it's a solid film with good acting and a decent script, nothing over the top fan'freakin'tastic but again, it's a fun film that keeps you on the edge of your seat.
Skip ahead another three years (anyone see a pattern here?), switch directors AGAIN and you've got what is without a doubt the worst film in the franchise. Released in 3D with the same premise as the one before THE Final Destination is a mere shadow of the previous three. The acting was horrible, the deaths were laughable and the writing was such a joke that my brain immediately did a disconnect and rebelled on the entire franchise. It seems everyone involved got distracted by the elements of 3D that they didn't focus on anything other than making it look like tires and rocks were gonna smack you in the face. About half way through, I contemplated stabbing my TV with scissors to see if 3D worked in reverse because I wanted them all dead right then. I didn't want to have to sit through another 40 minutes of it. Granted it was the same premise as the others but it was like they didn't even try. This is a classic case of a film trying to cash in on the 3D craze and that's it. It's like a bunch of people sat around and tried to craft the deaths around 3D and forgot about the story entirely. The only thing that would make me dislike this even more is if I had to sit through it again.
Which brings me to the most recent installment. Final Destination 5... wow, five already? Because of the homicidal feelings 4 brought out in me, I didn't even want to see this one. I kept thinking if 4 was that bad, 5 is really gonna suck balls. In fact, when my 16 year old saw it in the theater she came home raving about how great it was so I had her tell me all about it. I honestly had no intentions of sitting down and watching it at any point and time. Skip ahead to the DVD release and I gave in and brought it home. By the time I got around to it, I'd completely forgotten that she told me all about it. This film was way (and when I say way I mean WAAAAAAAAAAY) better than the one before it. I'd even go so far as to say it gave the original a run for it's money (yep I went there). It was darker than any of the others and very reminiscent of the original which is a good thing. The formula is the same but the twists are much different. The writing is solid, the acting is bulletproof, the CGI is top notch and even Tony Todd is back and has been promoted to Coroner Bludworth. Let's not forget about that ending... O-M-G!! I was speechless (and that's not an easy task)! Fun, fun and more fun!!
SplatterFest will be hosting the Comicpalooza Film Festival May 27-29, 2011 at the George R. Brown convention Center in Houston.
Special guests include Tony Todd (CANDYMAN, STAR TREK: NEXT GENERATION) and Linnea Quigley (RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD: A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 4) and many more.
Film submissions in the horror, sci-fi, action, animation, comedy and fan fiction genres are now open. The deadline for entry is March 31, 2011. Submissions are free - see splatterfest.com for details and entry form. Premiere trailers for upcoming movies will also be accepted on a case by case basis.
Comicpalooza is one of the best and biggest annual pop culture conventions in the southwest region of the United States, serving not only fans of comics, science fiction, fantasy, gaming, anime, music and film but also as a trade show and showcase for studios, publishers and manufacturers in those industries. Visit comicpalooza.com for more information and registration.
Exhibit booths are available at discounted rates for filmmakers who submit. All exhibitors will be included in the festival's massive PR campaign and numerous media outlets will have a presence at the convention making it a great opportunity for exposure.
SplatterFest, known for their weekend short film competition, began in 2010 producing 18 films with over 250 filmmakers and drawing an attendance of over 2000 at the Alamo Drafthouse West Oaks. SplatterFest will return in the fall of 2011 with it's annual short film competition.
If you've followed my sight for very long then you know that I am a huge Adam Green fan. He is quickly becoming a force to reckon with in the horror community. From the original Hatchet to Spiral to Frozen he has consistently given horror fans what they want. The original Hatchet didn't do so well in theaters but gained a huge following once the DVD was released. Green was pelted with requests for a sequel and once again gave horror fans what they wanted. Believe me when I say he knows what we (well most of us) want. A rip roaring good time full of gore and cheesy one liners. He makes me, a child of the 80's, feel like a kid again with his ability to channel the old school style and bring it to life on the big screen.
Once again, we join Marybeth (Danielle Harris) at the exact moment the original ended as she escapes the clutches of Victor Crowley (Kane Hodder). Marybeth seeks out Rev. Zombie (Tony Todd) in search of answers regarding her family's connection to the slasher in the swamp. With his own ulterior motives in mind, he gathers a group of money-hungry hunters and heads off to the swamp to confront the legendary evil.
Before I give my thoughts on the film I have to say that I am seriously disappointed in my local horror community. We got to the theater an hour ahead of start time because I was certain there would be a line of hungry horror fans just waiting to indulge in the gore and mayhem. Turns out it wasn't necessary because we were the only four people in the theater. It was nice because we could kick back and enjoy the film without all the usual distractions but I'd expected to see so many more genre fans come out in support of unrated horror. All the bitching and complaining on Twitter and Facebook about horror not having a voice and this is unfair and that's unfair and we're the only four people in there? WAKE THE FUCK UP PEOPLE! Nothing is gonna change if we keep pussing around and shying away from things we should be standing up for. Ok, stepping off my soap box now.
Keeping with typical slasher format, there really isn't much character development going on but under the circumstances it's not really necessary. Green knows how to make a fun film and if he wanted it to be a likable cast, he'd have written them that way. I often have issues when there's a major cast change in a sequel but veteran scream queen Danielle Harris fit perfectly into the role of Marybeth. Colton Dunn's character Vernon cracked me up every time he appeared on screen. His 'Chicken and Biscuits' song had me rolling. Word is it was completely improvised but I can't say for sure. Parry Shen makes another appearance as the goof ball side kick. Not much different than his role in the original except he may be a little smarter this time around... NAH. AJ Bowen has what will probably go down in horror history as one of the best sex scenes ever. I had hoped he'd have a little more screen time but he made an impression nonetheless. Even Adam Green makes an appearance as a puking Mardi Gras patron. And let's not forget horror veteran R.A. Mihailoff as the take no shit hunter Trent.
Hatchet II starts off rather slow, much slower than the original but rest assured the violence is coming. And while we're on the subject, Green comes up with some of the most creative kill scenes in horror history and apparently scoured the shelves of Fastenal for the biggest chainsaw I have ever seen. It's a good thing Kane Hodder is both Jason and Victor Crowley otherwise there might be a little chainsaw envy going on there. Originally I wasn't convinced that it would make sense for Marybeth to go right back into the swamp after the shit storm she just survived but Green worked his magic and made it plausible. This film is what it is and you know exactly what you're in for when you walk in the theater (well now you have to wait for the DVD - thanks MPAA). Green set out to make a 100% fan film and that's what he did. It's a throwback and a tribute to every slasher before it. Full of grit and guts and campy humor. You're either gonna love it or hate it.
Even though Hatchet II was unfairly pulled from theaters the point has been made. It will still go down in history as one of the few unrated films to show in theaters and all the attention it's getting will bring more horror fans to the DVD once it's released. Whether you're a Hatchet fan or not you have to respect Green for sticking to his guns and fighting for his film to be shown in all it's gory... er... glory. Kudos to him bringing attention to cause of unrated horror. I'm sure it gave him many headaches and caused him much stress but hopefully more indie directors/producers/studios will take a cue from him and fight for the same privileges the bigger budget productions are given.
