Dead Girls Coming to VOD October 2nd

Brain Damage Films is set to release Dead Girls on VOD October 2nd, followed by DVD on November 4th. Dead Girls is a chilling three-part horror anthology featuring stories in the flavor of female revenge. DVD availability is set to include many retailers and websites including Amazon, as well as rental chains including Family Video. VOD availability will include all major and minor cable/satellite operators and internet platforms.

About the Film
Dead Girls, from writer/director team Del Harvey and Neal Fischer (Rough Cut Films), tells three stories of abused and forsaken girls who return from the dead to take their revenge. Genre veteran Lynn Lowry (The Crazies, They Came from Within) provides a creepy narration while a great cast leads the short stories "Over My Dead Body," "Theta Phi's Never Die," and "Vengeance is Mine."

DVD special features include a behind-the-scenes feature, trailers, and deleted scenes.

Synopsis
Three stories of horror connected through the pages of dead girls' diaries. In one, a ghostly apparition seeks revenge upon the man who betrayed her love and is responsible for her death. In another a mystical object helps a young woman reach out from beyond the grave to exact her revenge against the stuck up sisters of a college sorority. And in the third a young woman who has lost her way and her faith finds the answer to her prayers in the last place she would have expected. "Dead Girls" is a horror anthology similar to such classics of the genre as Tales From The Crypt, Trick 'R Treat, Twilight Zone: The Movie, Creepshow, and many others.

For more information visit the films website or Facebook

The Laughing Mask to Premiere October 31st

Lake Mary, Florida – Director Michael Aguiar and Bravestarr Pictures have completed production on the horror feature The Laughing Mask. Now, this title will have its World Premiere in Lake Mary, Florida (AMStar Cinema 12), before showing in other locations. The film is a kidnapping feature by way of Angel Heart (1987), with the film’s killer influence by the Shape from John Carpenter’s Halloween (1978). Horror fans can preview the film’s release here.

The film’s plot involves a tormented man, named Jake (John Hardy). Jake has already lost his wife, Jaycee (Inge Uys), to the Laughing Mask and his daughter has just been kidnapped. Jake must team up with a dogged detective, Kate O’Malley (Sheyenne Rivers), to track down this killer and confront him in his own twisted haunt.

The Laughing Mask continues to gain in popularity. The film’s original trailer, on Youtube received over three hundred thousand views. The interest from the horror community led to a short film being developed into a feature, after financing was secured. As well, the film’s latest teaser, released September 2014, has already garnered over one hundred thousand hits. Much of the film’s popularity is based on the quality of film. The Laughing Mask was shot with the Red Epic Camera in 4K digital. The high quality film can be seen in the latest clip, hosted below.

Release Date: October 31st (World Premiere) and TBA (Wider Release).

Director: Michael Aguiar.
Cast: Fran Rafferty, Inge Uys, Gabriel Lee, Sheyenne Rivers, Thomas Noel Smith and Matt Ganey.

More on the film is available here: https://www.facebook.com/TheLaughingMask

NEW The Laughing Masks Trailer by laughingmaskmovie

Play Hooky Coming to DVD October 21st

New York, NY -- Wild Eye Releasing, a longtime sponsor of the PollyGrind Film Festival, has announced the upcoming October 21 DVD and VOD release of Frank S. Petrilli's Play Hooky. A hit among critics and audiences, the film took home the Most Innovative Film award at the PollyGrind Film Festival and is the first film to be released on Wild Eye's PollyGrind Presents label. Wicked Channel calledPlay Hooky "the best found footage film of 2014". 

Wild Eye CEO Rob Hauschild said, "Wild Eye is dedicated to giving independents like Play Hooky a position in the mainstream through traditional distribution and PollyGrind is ground zero for discovering true independent talent. Joining forces was the perfect step to propel both our missions."

Five high school friends skip class in hopes of finding the perfect spot to party. They chose the wrong place. Against all warnings, they break into an abandoned mental hospital, notorious for reports of ghost sightings, satanic rituals and demon possessions. Now, armed only with a camera, they are trapped inside, haunted and hunted by something they cannot stop, reason with, or describe. The camera captures every last breath in the fight for their lives.

Order Play Hooky on DVD

Play Hooky - Trailer from Wild Eye Releasing on Vimeo.

The DVD release of Play Hooky (SRP $14.95) will exclusively feature hours of bonus features: a feature length commentary with the director, cast and crew, an introduction by PollyGrind's Chad Clinton Freeman, two short films, bonus scenes, trailers, and an alternate ending.

New Artwork Released for The Divine Tragedies

Los Angeles, California – Brothers Jon and James Kondelik are moving closer to the final reveal of their serial killer thriller The Divine Tragedies. This film has already completed production, with several new and older horror veterans attached. Based on the famous Leopold and Loeb murder case, Dual Visions presents a new poster for the film here.

The Divine Tragedies is a film which takes its story from truth. Leopold and Loeb were two intellectuals, who thought they could get away with the perfect murder, in 1924’s Chicago. In Jose Prendes’ vision, the two killers are brothers. Set in the modern era, Charles Brubaker (Graham Denman) and Thomas Lo Bianco (Jon Kondelik) believe they are above the law and they kill without mercy. Their murders become more and more gruesome, until Detective Homer (Ken Foree) is able to intervene. But, Homer is only a few steps away from his own tragedy.

Early reviews have been favourable for the film. Josh Soriano of the horror website Icons of Fright noted the film’s many influences: “like the word of Palahniuk through the eyes of David Lynch…an uncompromising and original horror.” The Divine Tragedies is surreal in scope as imagined by director Prendes. As well, Matt (Boiselle) enjoyed the film’s darker tones: “ferocious. This tragedy is simply divine, one of the better films I’ve personally dropped eyeballs on in some time.” Both of these quotes are featured in the film’s latest artwork. You can feast your eyes on the bloody graphic here.

Director: Jose Prendes.
Producers: Jon and James Kondelik.
Cast: Lynn Lowry, Ken Foree, Sean Whalen, Graham Denman and Jon Kondelik.

For more info on the film, you can visit The Divine Tragedies’ Facebook page:
www.facebook.com/divinetragediesmovie

The Hunted 2013 - REVIEW

If you look up films that are comprised of the "found footage" and "based on a true story" premise, you'll most likely find a very long list of ones that I dislike the most. The last time I enjoyed one was in 1999 when The Blair Witch Project was released. It was a creepy, cool, new thing but flash forward 15 years and both of those concepts are way over played.

The Hunted centers around Jake (Josh Stewart) and Stevie (Ronnie Gene Blevins), two hunters out to shoot the pilot of their new hunting show. Dragging camera equipment along with them they set out into the dense woods of West Virginia in search of a massive buck named "Movie Star". Things are looking favorable until they start hearing screams coming from the darkness. After hearing it a couple of nights in a row, Jake insists that it's the scream of a bobcat but Stevie isn't convinced and goes in search of answers. During his talks with the locals, he discovers that Movie Star isn't the only thing haunting the woods but there is also the malevolent spirit of a vengeful ghost that roams in the darkness.

Stewart, first time writer and director of the film, managed to create very strong and likable characters whose dramatically different personalities enhanced both the tense and funny moments throughout the film; and the duo does an outstanding job playing off one another. What I enjoyed most about it was how both main characters propelled the story forward but in different ways. Jake's goal was getting the footage for the pilot while Stevie led the film into the supernatural direction by coaxing folklore out of the locals.

Nowadays, it's hard not to compare films from this sub genre to others. Films like Paranormal Activity and Quarantine have made it almost impossible to appreciate something as subtle and suggestive as say, The Blair Witch Project. But much like it's predecessor, The Hunted is a slow build until the final act when all bets are off.

The Hunted, however, is not without it's hiccups. The main issue I had was with the antagonist. It's hard for an audience to connect with a situation when they don't know what they're suppose to be afraid of. Viewers will know that something is out there but it's mostly subjective... like Pontypool. You get a sense of what's going on and that it's pretty bad but the rest is left up to the imagination. That doesn't necessarily lessen the value of the film though. Some people just aren't as imaginative as others and likely won't get it. At least not until the final act where it turns into a crazy, intense nail biter that's guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat.

Stewart has clearly learned the ins and outs of filmmaking during his many years as an actor and I applaud his efforts to branch out into other areas. While not a perfect film, The Hunted is leaps and bounds better than most I've seen and definitely worth a watch. Word to the wise, watch out for that Stewart gaze. Those dreamy eyes can make it a bit hard to concentrate, or maybe it's just me. Either way, this is a film I would've loved to have to added to the Twisted Tails Film Festival line up had I known about it in time.

The Hunted is available for download on Amazon and iTunes and on DVD at Walmart.

The First Trailer for the Horror Feature "Scarehouse" Has been Released - PRESS RELEASE

Director and writer Gavin Michael Booth is releasing the first trailer for The Scarehouse to fans. The clip features a primarily female cast and a bloody tale of revenge. As well, a trap filled haunted house hosts dark revelations. A Mimetic Entertainment and a Named Viking Entertainment production, The Scarehouse is set to thrill audiences, in select theatres and through Video-on-demand.

On October 5th, The Scarehouse will host its World Premiere in Windsor, Ontario, the city in which the film was shot. The premiere takes place inside an existing Halloween Haunted House attraction. Fans across North America can see the film in select theatres (Oct. 5th, 2014) and through Video-on-demand platforms, this October 21st.

In the film, two friends take revenge on their former sorority sisters. Rejected, characters Corey (Sarah Booth) and Elaina (Kimberly-Sue Murray) have set-up an elaborate haunted house attraction – The Scarehouse. Inside, they will stalk their prey, awaiting the opportunity to confront the six sisters, while revealing a troublesome past. Do Corey and Elaina have what it takes to mastermind their assault? Do they have the guts and endurance to go through with their plan? Only those who survive will be able to tell their tale. And, a brutal tale of revenge takes place this Devil’s Night, inside The Scarehouse!

The trailer is available here for The Scarehouse
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dl44rG-wGxA&feature=youtu.be


The “Try More Clothes” clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6ZzuGyCXDA
The “I Can Still See Some Fat” clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qOeILSTmN8

Release Date: October 10th, 2014 (World Premiere) and October 21st, 2014 (VOD, iTunes).

Director: Gavin Michael Booth. Writer: Gavin Michael Booth and Sarah Booth.

Cast: Sarah Booth, Kimberly-Sue Murray, Katherine Barrell, Teagan Vincze, Emily Alatalo, Dani Barker, Ivana Stojanovic and Jennifer Miller.

The film’s homepage is here: http://www.scarehousemovie.com

The film’s fan page: https://www.facebook.com/TheScareHouse/timeline

J.R.'s Top 5 list of Horror Movies for 1987

The late 80's hold a special place for me because it was when I started watching horror movies.  I may have only been 7 or 8 but I knew what was a good movie.  1987 looking at the list of horror movies released, I am finding it really hard to pick just 5.  Love the picks or hate them, this is my top 5 of 1987.

Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II

The Prom Night sequels are guilty pleasures of mine.  Prom Night II is so much fun you can't help but  have a blast watching it.  True it does not have anything to do with the original and does not star Jamie Lee Curtis but it is a great watch and I highly recommend it!

Creepshow 2

The follow up to the anthology horror success of Stephen King and George Romero is my number 4.  I could watch this movie probably once a week and never get tired of it.  It has just the right mixture of cheese and just good horor.  There are only 3 stories on this one opposed to the original that had 5 but it does not lack in quality.

Dolls

This great film I really did not see till much later.  Mainly because the movie poster and the previews freaked me out when I was little and I was too terrified to see it.  I am a sucker for killer doll movies like this and Puppetmaster.  Guy Rolfe is such a great actor too.  His performance is one of the reasons I love this movie.

The Lost Boys

I am not a huge fan of vampire movies but this is one of best in my opinion.  Packed with a cast of young and virtually unknown actors at the time makes this movie so enjoyable.  I have to mention also that Corey Feldman and Jamison Newlander will be appearing at the Twisted Tails Film Festival hosted by Twisted Central.

Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors

This film has to be my number 1 for 1987.  Not only is it the best out of the franchise in my opinion but it is also the first horror movie that I ever watched.  This movie started it all for me.  It totally scared the shit out of me at that age but I still loved it and Freddy Krueger.