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Wild Eye Releasing has just unveiled the trailer for Shark Encounters of the Third Kind. The movie finds inspiration from two Steven Spielberg classics: Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. With influences like that, and a low budget, the movie is already set up for success. If that wasn't enough, it was directed by horror/sci-fi legend Mark Polonia, who is responsible for 1986's Splatter Farm, Amityville Exorcism, Splatter Beach, Land Shark, and way too many more to list here. Shark Encounters of the Third Kind can currently be streamed via VOD and purchased Digitally right now. A DVD and Blu-ray release is coming in March 2021.

Shark Encounters of the Third Kind is directed by Mark Polonia from a screenplay penned by John Oak Dalton. The movie stars Titus Himmelberger, Natalie Himmelberger, and Jennie Russo. The movie surrounds a group of hostile aliens who crash land at the bottom of the ocean.

Stars: Jeffrey Ryan Kent, Cassandra Hein, Beau Crawford, Mike Nielsen, Lawrence A. Mandley | Written and Directed by David Willis

The plot of Cicada (or Cicada! as it appears on-screen) is simple: after a swarm of mutated, over-sized cicadas hatch in Los Angeles, four eccentric friends led by a disgraced baseball player must band together to defend the city from the swarm of insects who are literally out for blood. Oh and did I mention these killer cicadas are also explosive? Because they crave sugar and sugar, in high enough quantities and under the right conditions can explode… I didn’t know that but it’s an eventual key plot of of Cicada‘s story!

I’ve been on something of a low-budget filmmaker kick recently having watched a number of Sov films from the late 80s/early 90s and caught up with Mark Polonia’s more recent direct to market efforts; and honestly,...

Stars: Heath C. Heine, Rick Haak, Jon Cotton, Dmitri Raskes, Elvis Sharp, Ivan Pavletic, Aga Kistler, Rich Richardson III, Leon Mayfield, Nicole Goeke, Mia J Park, Kevon Ward, Mia Paris, Jared Johnson | Written by Milko Davis | Directed by Milko Davis, Thomas Martwick

Jurassic Thunder starts as it means to go on. There’s an absurd Zhx opening title card that parodies the old Thx audio logo, only this film is Zombie sound… It’s an introduction to the film that sets up exactly what tone this film is taking and where the audiences mindset needs to be.

Then the film throws the audience in at the deep end starting with a zombie attack in the jungle, before introducing an armed dinosaur a la Dino Riders toys of old. Oh and the title comes from the name of a comic in the film, which features zombies and armed dinosaurs… Coincidence? I think not.

Welcome back to our ongoing From VHS to VOD column – our guide through the strange and obscure – the odd, unseen and unreleased (well unreleased on disc formats) films available on streaming and on-demand services.

Once again we’re taking a look at the obscure movies hitting Amazon Prime Video – available for streaming and/or purchase, some of which have been made available in the UK for the first time since VHS and a Lot that have been added to the service in their original uncut form! And yes, despite the recent reported cull of genre titles from Amazon Prime’s vaults there’s still a Huge amount of obscure films to watch right now without ever leaving the couch (feel free to sit around in your pants too if that’s how you roll).

Bermuda Triangle (1978)

The passengers and crew of a boat on a summer cruise in the Caribbean...

While 2018 featured a plethora of high-def home media releases for horror fans to enjoy, 2019 is already looking to be an even better year with a bunch of upcoming releases from a wide range of distributors, including the folks at Vinegar Syndrome, who have announced three February 26th Blu-ray releases—Battle for the Lost Planet / Mutant War, Party Line, and Wacko—that should have cult horror and sci-fans marking their calendars with giddy anticipation.

Battle for the Lost Planet and Mutant War Blu-ray: "This special limited edition embossed slipcover (designed by Earl Kessler Jr.) is limited to 1,500 units and is only available here at VinegarSyndrome.com!

In Battle For The Lost Planet rogue master thief Harry Trent (Matt Mitler) who, in an attempt to steal military secrets, found himself stranded alone in space for years, finally returns to earth only to discover that the planet has been taken over by vicious gangs of alien mutants.

Stars: Michelle Simone Miller, Kathryn Metz, Rich Lounello, A.J. DeLucia, Steve Diasparra, Danielle Donahue, Ken Van Sant | Written and Directed by Brett Piper

The latest film from cult auteur Brett Piper (They Bite, The Screaming Dead, Raiders of the Living Dead) Queen Crab is – from start to finish – a loving, action-packed tribute to the classic days of practical stop-motion animation, evoking the days of Ray Harryhausen creature features.

The official synopsis reads thus: A meteor crashes into a quiet lake in the remote countryside, awakening a centuries-old beast. She emerges from the deep and tears through a nearby town and its inhabitants. The humans must fight for their lives and stop this Queen Crab before she can hatch an army of babies that will overrun the entire world.

Though to be fair that synopsis exagerates things a little. It’s more a case of girl develops relationship with a crab,...

Queen Crab Rises from the Deep on DVD & VOD September 29th

Wild Eye Releasing has announced the September 29th DVD and VOD release of Queen Crab.  The latest film from cult auteur Brett Piper (They Bite, The Screaming Dead, Raiders of the Living Dead) Queen Crab is a loving, action-packed tribute to the classic days of practical stop-motion animation, evoking the days of Ray Harryhausen creature features. ...

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The new poster for Turkish horror film Baskin wants us to "enter a world of suffering and madness". Also in this round-up: Theatre of the Deranged II and Queen Crab release details as well as news on the launch of a new horror label called Making Horror.

Baskin: A new poster has been revealed for Can Evrenol's Baskin, which is set to premiere at Toronto International Film Festival (Tiff) next Friday, September 11th. The film stars Gorkem Kasal, Ergun Kuyucu, Mehmet Cerrahoglu, Sabahattin Yakut, Mehmet Fatih Dokgoz, and Muharrem Bayrak.

"Five cops, working the graveyard shift in the middle of nowhere are dispatched to investigate a disturbance. Isolated and without backup they find themselves confronting a labyrinthine ruin. Pushing ever further into the depths of the lair, it becomes clear they have stumbled into the darkest pits of a terrible evil. A squalid and blood-soaked den of ritual...

Yesterday, it was revealed on the Killer Pov podcast that Scream Factory is releasing four of Larry Fessenden's films as a Blu-ray collection in October. Release details for Rebound, a Queen Crab trailer, and a look at the short Don't Despair are also in this round-up.

The Larry Fessenden Collection Blu-ray: From Scream Factory: "As we revealed today on Killer Pov's exclusive podcast with us, we will be releasing The Larry Fessenden Collection this October which will include four of the Director's more notable and critically-acclaimed films: No Telling (1991), Habit (1995), Wendigo (2001) and The Last Winter (2006).

Artwork, extras (expect a lot) and specific street date will be announced at a later date. Stay tuned!"

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Rebound: "Emotionally tormented after finding her boyfriend cheating, Claire decides to move home to Chicago. Shortly after beginning her journey across country, she finds another reality that is far worse.

Written and Directed by Megan Freels.

Queen Crab Overtakes Planet…sort of

Remember the glory days of stop-motion … Queen Crab captures that old-school essence –Horrormovies.ca Wild Eye Releasing has unleashed a new trailer and key art for Queen Crab. The latest film from cult auteur Brett Piper (They Bite, The Screaming Dead, Raiders of the Living Dead) Queen Crab is a loving, monstrous tribute to the ...

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Indie film company Slaughtered Lamb Productions has released the first set of stills from Killer Rack, a horror comedy shooting at the Pierce Arrow Film Arts Center in Buffalo, New York. Check 'em out right here!

The film, written by Paul McGinnis, is directed by Gregory Lamberson (Slime City Massacre, Dry Bones) and is co-produced by Lamberson, McGinnis, and Rod Durick (Filming the Undead: How to Make Your Own Zombie Movie).

Newcomer Jessica Zwolak stars as Betty, a young woman who discovers her new breast implants are man-eating monsters. Debbie Rochon co-stars as Dr. Cate Thulu, Lloyd Kaufman plays psychiatrist Howard Foin, and Brooke Lewis voices the titular monsters.

The photos depict Betty's initial examination by Dr. Thulu and a confrontation which occurs later in the film. Robert Bozek plays Thulu's nurse, Herbie East. Additional photos are behind-the-scenes shots of a disarming date between Betty and her boyfriend, Dutch (Sam Qualiana,...

by Seth Metoyer, MoreHorror.com

More details are rolling in about the upcoming horror film Killer Rack. We recently reported that scream queen Brooke Lewis joined the cast. Now add another scream queen in Debbie Rochon as well as genre icon Lloyd Kaufman.

Check out the full announcement below and follow the link under the details to help with the crowdfunding campaign.

From The Press Release:

Cult filmmakers Roy Frumkes and Brett Piper have joined Killer Rack, which Gregory Lamberson directs in Buffalo, New York later this summer. Frumkes, best known for writing and producing Street Trash and directing The Definitive Document of the Dead, has signed on as a producer and will play a role in the film, as he did on Lamberson's Slime City Massacre, and Piper, who has amassed a long list of credits as director, writer, producer and visual effects artist, including Shock-o-Rama, Bacterium and the upcoming Queen Crab,...

The giant crab portion of the nature run amok sub-genre has been woefully under-served, but indie flick director Brett Piper is looking to change that with his latest flick, Queen Crab. Check out the first stills and more.

The film has wrapped and is now in post-production. Piper writes and directs the film, which stars Michelle Simone Miller, Kathryn Metz, A.J. DeLucia, and Danielle Donahue. No official plot synopsis was available at press time, but if you check out the stills below, well, I think they pretty much speak for themselves... Giant crab goes on rampage... wrecks structures... and kills townsfolk. Really? That's all that we want! Dig on the cool old-school stop-motion action of the clip.

For more, including some neat behind-the-scenes photos, click on the link below to head on over to Brett Piper's Facebook page. Thanks to the ever vigilant Avery G for the heads-up!

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They said it couldn’t be done. A fifth year of 31 Days of Horror? 31 more terror, gore and shower scene-filled movies worth highlighting? But Rejects always say die and never back away from a challenge, so we’ve rounded up the horror fans among us and put together another month’s worth of genre fun. Enjoy! Synopsis When a low budget horror production company cuts loose their star actress Rebecca Raven (Misty Mundae) in the hopes of upgrading to a larger chested model, the frustrated thespian takes some time off at a haunted estate. Meanwhile, the two bumbling studio heads dig through cheap independent horror flicks looking for blood, sex, and a new actress. Killer Scene Because of the segmented nature of the flick, it’s easier to isolate a segment than a scene that really shines. Zombie This deals with the “real world” where Rebecca Raven funnily fights off a zombie with a chainsaw, but...

I must confess that I have never seen the movie Raiders of the Living Dead. I don’t recall even knowing such a movie existed until I stumbled upon the opening credits song by accident. One listen, and you’ll understand why I realized that song was an instant B-Sides.

Raiders of the Living Dead was a 1986 horror movie about a reporter investigating the mysterious happenings on a remote island where a mad scientist is creating zombies. From what I’ve read on IMDb, it was such an ultra low budget production, much of the crew were New York film students. B-moviemaker and effects guy Brett Piper pretty much started his career with this film.

As I said, I’ve never seen the movie, and from some of the reviews I’ve skimmed over, I’m probably better off for it. Most seem to agree that the opening credits song,...

Snow Shark: Ancient Snow Beast, the feature film debut of screenwriter, director, and actor Sam Qualiana, has been acquired for worldwide distribution by Independent Entertainment, part of the Alternative Cinema network. The deal includes DVD, VOD, cable, and digital downloads.

“This is a real achievement for everyone involved with Snow Shark,” says Gregory Lamberson, one of the film’s producers. “As many filmmakers have come to realize, the market for independent genre films is brutal, and obtaining distribution can seem like an impossible goal. We’re thrilled to be working with Independent Entertainment and the wonderful people at Alternative Cinema. I know they’ll give this film the tender loving care it deserves.”

Other Alternative Cinema brands include Shock-o-Rama Cinema, Seduction Cinema, and Camp Motion Pictures. The company offers Lamberson’s first three films, Slime City, Undying Love, and Naked Fear on the two-disc DVD Greg Lamberson’s Slime City Grindhouse Collection.

It's been several months since we've gotten an update on Sam Qualiana's Snow Shark: Ancient Snow Beast, but now the film has its premiere screening scheduled, a festival date in the works, and a brand new trailer.

From the Press Release:

Snow Shark: Ancient Snow Beast, written and directed by 26-year-old Sam Qualiana in Lockport, New York, will have its world premiere at Dipson’s Amherst Theater in Buffalo, New York, on Tuesday, April 10th, at 7:00 pm; the premiere will be open to the paying public. Two nights later, on Thursday, April 12th, at 7:30 pm, the film will play at The Screening Room Cinema Café in Williamsville, New York. On Saturday, May 12th, it will have its film festival premiere at the South Bronx Film Festival.

Snow Shark: Ancient Snow Beast is a creature feature which details the exploits of a prehistoric shark, freed by an earthquake,...

Are you at all a fan of late 1980s Sov (“shot on video”) horror films? If so, your ears should perk up at this latest news that The Monster Channel has signed a deal to stream over a dozen feature titles in 2012 from the various video labels of Camp Motion Pictures.

From the Press Release:

Fourth Castle Micromedia’s The Monster Channel is the only 24/7 interactive channel for horror fans. For more info visit the official The Monster Channel website.

The first seven titles will run as part of The Monster Channel’s weekly spotlight show, “Lunchmeat VHS Rewind Theatre”, a series created for the growing fanbase of retro VHS cult aficionados. They were selected from Camp Motion Pictures’ collection of now-classic late 80s Sov horror films and include Video Violence (1987), Video Violence 2 (1987), Cannibal Campout (1988), Woodchipper Massacre (1988), Splatter Farm (1987), Beauty Queen Butcher (1990), and Ghoul School (1990).

Nine more horror titles will...

Make no bones about it, my friends: “A Nymphoid Barbarian in Dinosaur Hell ” director Brett Piper’s 2009 horror/comedy “Muckman” is absolute crap. If anyone says otherwise, they’re probably lying to you. Everything about the film is cheap: the script, the special effects, the acting — it’s a hot pile of microbudget feces that would send most discerning film fans screeching from the room in anger. However, if you’re a fan of no-budget horror with a penchant for low-brow laughs and bargain basement monsters, the film is actually kind of fun. Sure, the creature is a direct rip-off of “The Swamp Thing”, and the story spends more time goofing off than it does exploring the legend of its titular villain, but it’s silly charms and wonky thrills do contain a fair amount of entertainment. Assuming, of course, that you have a sense of humor about cinema. Perhaps...

Producer Greg Lamberson dropped us a line to let us know that principal photography has wrapped on Sam Qualiana's Snow Shark: Ancient Snow Beast up in the Buffalo area, and he also provided us with a half-dozen new behind-the-scenes stills.

From the Press Release: Snow Shark: Ancient Snow Beast, the feature film debut of 25-year-old writer/director Sam Qualiana, has wrapped production in Lockport, New York, outside Buffalo. Qualiana originally made a Snow Shark short seven years ago, when he and his brothers attached a shark fin to their dog. After winning the Buffalo Screams Horror Film Festival’s “Filmmaker to Watch” award for his short crime drama No Road Out, he decided to remake the Snow Shark short using the skills he had developed in the intervening years. Reaction to the project was so positive he turned it into a feature instead and started shooting on weekends, before the script was completed,...

Blockbuster – the one-time giant in the home video rental business which went bankrupt last September – was bought at auction this past week by Dish Network for $320 million. According to Dish, it intends to combine its wireless technology with Blockbuster’s brand name recognition, studio relationships and digital rights to re-establish Blockbuster as a player in the direct-to-home market against Netflix and newer contenders like Amazon and a Warner Bros. online rental service to be offered on Facebook.

However this plays out long-term, the auction buy is the last page in a final chapter begun back in September when Blockbuster busted. To trot out the old cliché, it’s the – everybody now — end of an era.

The business Blockbuster used to be in seemed revolutionary in its day, though it seems almost quaint now; come Friday, some delegate from the family would trot to the neighborhood video store hoping to get...

Matt Mitler began his indie horror career with the cult favorite The Mutilator in the early 80's. He followed that with a handful of other horror films most notably Frank Henlotter's Basket Case 2. For more info. on what Matt is up to today visit http://www.dziecitheatre.org/ or to find out more about his debut film as director, Cracking Up, Click Here.

For those unfamiliar with Matt Miter, who are you and what are you all about?

I will expedite matters by referring to an abbreviated bio: Matt Mitler has been hospitalized in seven different countries and has a criminal record in the state of New York. He starred in over a dozen grade Z motion pictures in the 80's, before making his own film, "Cracking Up", which won a number of international awards but still isn’t available on DVD. Matt has also been a comic, a mime,...

Ok, this one should be pretty self-explanatory. Polonia Brothers Productions have been responsible in the past for such gems as "Splatter Beach" (IMDb-rating: 3.4), "Dinosaur Chronicles" (IMDb-rating: 2.5) and of course "Holla If I Kill You" (IMDb-rating: 1.8), so their latest effort "Muckman" might be trashy fun if you are in the mood. And they have now put a trailer online!

 

Actually it does indeed look like trashy fun. Did I just see a stop-motion monster attack a toy trailer? Cool!!

Unlike the examples above it's not directed by either Mark or John Polonia, instead we have Brett Piper of "A Nymphoid Barbarian In Dinosaur Hell"-fame (IMDb-rating: 1.6). Also check out Brett's site which shows stills of many of his monster creations, all of which look pretty awesome in that old-school sort of way (warning though: some of the snaps might be construed as Nsfw...).

 

Anyway, without further ado: the trailer.

That Boggy Creek sorta-remake trailer is not the only new swamp monster trailer to arrive today. Now our first look at Brett Piper's Muckman has arrived and brings with it all the rubber monster-suited b-movie euphoria you could hope for and want from a motion picture about a swampy slime monster run amok.

Synopsis

A sexy TV host goes hunting to uncover the mystery of a legendary swap creature called the Muckman. She, her crew, and their local "guides" get much more than they bargained for as night falls and they find themselves invading Muckman territory.

- The Foywonder

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Halloweenight, the latest creation from Polonia Brothers Entertainment, marks the first movie done by the company without the help of John Polonia, the twin brother and other half of Pbe who passed away suddenly in February of 2008. Based on a story and a concept for a feature film John had written years earlier, Mark Polonia takes on the job of bringing his late brother’s old story to life with the help of a cast of old Polonia Bros. movie regulars (like Todd Carpenter, Cindy Wheeler, Bob Dennis, Dave Fife, Ken VanSant, etc.) and with the monster and gore making prestige of make-up effects artist Brett Piper (Screaming Dead, Bacterium, etc.).

Longtime indie fright filmmaker Mark Polonia is self-distributing Halloweenight, the latest Polonia Bros. Entertainment production, on DVD beginning today under the Cinegraphic Productions banner. It’s the first feature he has made since the untimely death of his brother/moviemaking partner John in February 2008, and is also the final movie of their frequent collaborator Mark Satterly.

Written and directed by Mark from John’s story, Halloweenight is about a put-upon college student who constructs a living scarecrow that he uses to take revenge on his enemies during an All Hallow’s party. “Halloweenight is the culmination of many talented people putting forth their best efforts to make this film as good as can possibly be,” Mark says. “It was produced, first and foremost, to honor the memory of John Polonia, who tragically passed away as preproduction began. Sadly, after the movie was finished, the producer, Matt Satterly, also passed away.

We've been following the progress of two new swamp monster movies in the works, and today we can bring you new news on both. More plot details have emerged on the Boggy Creek non-remake. The first image giving us a good look at swamp thing on the prowl in Brett Piper's Muckman is now available for gawking at. Put on your galoshes; things are about to get swampy.

It seems almost strange that more and more information about this Boggy Creek flick is coming via local newspapers in the areas where the film is shooting rather than Internet horror websites. That truly is the mark of an old school indie film production. Another surefire sign is when you're actually filming in a town named Uncertain.

Last month I reported on news courtesy of a Texarkana newspaper, and this month our Boggy Creek news comes via the Marshall News Messenger.

Nothing beats a good old fashioned swamp monster movie. That's exactly what b-movie maestro Brett Piper (Bite Me!, Drainiac, A Nymphoid Barbarian in Dinosaur Hell) has in mind with his newest, a throwback to Swamp Thing and Man-Thing entitled Muckman.

Not much to go on plot-wise at the moment, but given Piper's mission statement is keeping b-movie cliches alive and well, one can gather it will be a throwback to the classic swamp monster movies of old with a slimy creature wreaking havoc and terrorizing attractive women.

Starring in Muckman are two veterans of previous Brett Piper productions, Alison Whitney of Bacterium and Anju McIntyre of Shock-o-Rama. See? Attractive women to terrorize just like I told you a second ago.

You can keep tabs on the progress of Muckman over at Fearzone where Piper is doing a production diary and at Piper's own website.

- The Foywonder

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Sorry it's so late, folks, but there's lots of horror DVDs to choose from coming your way this Tuesday, June 24th, so I hope you’ve been saving your cash!

Cannibal Terror (1980)

Directed by Alain Deruelle

One of the original Video Nasties! This French/Spanish co-production follow a pair of idiotic thieves and their large-breasted accomplice as they kidnap the daughter of a local tycoon and decide that the cannibal-infested jungle is the best hiding spot. True, no one would look for them there! Pretty soon they’re either being eaten alive or trying to escape from being eaten alive. Buy it here!!

The Chilling (1989)

Directed by Deland Nuse & Jack A. Sunseri

Now, I can see the benefits of having a cryogenics lab, freezing bodies to preserve them and bring them back when a cure is found for whatever is making them sick, but you’d hope they’d have...