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Epic Pictures Group has released their apocalyptic horror/thriller creature feature Day of Reckoning on DVD and in Redbox units today. The film was written by Gregory Gieras (Big Ass Spider!), directed by Joel Novoa (God’s Slave), and stars Jackson Hurst… Continue Reading →

The post Epic Pictures Group Releases Day of Reckoning On Home Video and Redbox appeared first on Dread Central.

Stars: Jackson Hurst, Heather McComb, Jay Jay Warren, Hana Hayes, Nick Gomez, Raymond J. Barry, Barbara Crampton, Randy Vasquez, Daz Crawford, Maz Siam, Luis E. Carazo | Written by Gregory Gieras | Directed by Joel Novoa

Made for the Syfy channel Day of Reckoning can be summed up in one easy description: it’s a demonic monster-movie take on The Purge, an old-school disaster movie given a CGI-filled makeover…

Fifteen years ago, the world suffered a horrific global disaster when millions of demon-like creatures ascended from the bowels of the earth, swarming the entire planet, and feasting on mankind for one full day. Now due to a lunar eclipse they have returned for 24 hours to purge the earth’s population. One family will battle against the odds to not only save themselves but to also seal the breach.

See what I mean?

The latest film from writer Gregory Gieras, Day of Reckoning...

The Neon Demon

A bunch of new stills are out from "Drive" director Nicolas Winding Refn's latest feature "The Neon Demon" which premieres during the Cannes Film Festival next summer. Elle Fanning, Karl Glusman, Bella Heathcote, Jena Malone, Abbey Lee, Desmond Harrington, Christina Hendricks, and Keanu Reeves all star in the horror tale about an aspiring L.A. model who finds her youth and beauty the envy of the beauty-obsessed women around her. [Source: The Film Stage]

Zootopia

Disney Pictures has announced a June 7th Blu-ray, DVD and VOD release date for "Zootopia," their animated feature that has proven a smash with both audiences and critics - taking in $910 million at the global box office to date along with a stunning 98% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Cotton Club

Filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola has revealed to the The Associated Press that has gone back and put together a longer cut of his 1984 film "The Cotton Club...

Epic Pictures Group has set Jackson Hurst (pictured in Drop Dead Diva) and Heather McComb (Ray Donovan) for its latest action fantasy film Day of Reckoning, Deadline reports. Joel Novoa (God’s Slave) is directing from a script by Gregory Gieras, who also penned Epic’s sci-fi film Big Ass Spider. “The story is set in Los Angeles 15 years after the world suffered […]...

Exclusive: Epic Pictures Group has set Jackson Hurst (Drop Dead Diva) and Heather McComb (Ray Donovan) for its latest action fantasy film Day Of Reckoning. Joel Novoa (God's Slave) is directing from a script by Gregory Gieras, who also penned Epic’s sci-fi film Big Ass Spider. The story is set in Los Angeles 15 years after the world suffered a horrendous disaster when demon-like-creatures invaded Earth and nearly destroyed mankind. Hurst plays mediocre husband and father…...

Stars: Greg Grunberg, Lombardo Boyar, Clare Kramer, Lin Shaye, Ray Wise, Lloyd Kaufman | Written by Gregory Gieras | Directed by Mike Mendez

When it comes to movies about giant animals, fish, reptiles and insects Syfy and The Asylum pretty much have that genre dominated. Normally low quality they sometimes entertain but often show a certain quality where it feels it’s more about making a quick buck than making a good movie. With Sharknado they manage to turn this around and showed that these movies can actually be good. Now though a film has appeared that shows how to do the modern day creature feature and focus on what should be more important, character chemistry (and acting ability). What film is this you ask? Big Ass Spider!

When an alien spider is set free in La exterminator Alex Mathis (Grunberg) finds himself in the middle of the hunt for it. With...

B-movie throwback 'Big Ass Spider' arrives on DVD and Blu-ray here in the UK from Monday 23 December. And if the oversized eight-legged creepy crawly on the DVD cover (shown below) doesn't draw you in then perhaps this new spider-related infographic from Studio Canal will help. I mean it includes a breakdown of ineffective weapons to use against such an event and even other notable and more famous 'big asses'! The movie stars Greg Grunbert ('Heroes'), Lombardo Boyar ('24'), Ray Wise ('Dead End') and Lin Shaye ('Insidious Chapter 2'). Mike Mendez directs from a script penned by Gregory Gieras. Check out the new graphic below....

We recently let you know that Big Ass Spider! will receive a digital download, DVD and Blu-ray release on January 7th. If you want a better idea of what to expect from the creature feature, we now have the first few minutes for you to watch right now.

“An exterminator (Greg Grunberg) and his Hispanic sidekick (Lombardo Boyar) are caught in an epic battle when a military assault fails to contain a giant alien spider rampaging through the city of Los Angeles.”

Big Ass Spider! was directed by Mike Mendez, written by Gregory Gieras, and stars Greg Grunberg, Clare Kramer, Lombardo Boyar, Ray Wise, and Patrick Bauchau.

The post Watch the First 3 Minutes of Big Ass Spider! appeared first on Daily Dead.

It has been announced that Big Ass Spider! will receive a digital download, DVD and Blu-ray release on January 7th. Here’s a look at the official cover art and trailer:

“An exterminator (Greg Grunberg) and his Hispanic sidekick (Lombardo Boyar) are caught in an epic battle when a military assault fails to contain a giant alien spider rampaging through the city of Los Angeles.”

Big Ass Spider! was directed by Mike Mendez, written by Gregory Gieras, and stars Greg Grunberg, Clare Kramer, Lombardo Boyar, Ray Wise, and Patrick Bauchau.

The post Big Ass Spider! Blu-ray / DVD Release Details and Cover Art appeared first on Daily Dead.

Giant insect movies have been around for the better part of the last century. There’s just something about those tiny things that creep so many of us out running amok and squashing us for a change that seems to speak to moviegoers. When you couple that notion with the recent public adoration of made-for-cable campfests like Sharknado, Piranhaconda, or Mega-Whatever-Animal-Meets-Some-Other-Mega-Thing, it’s not hard to figure out why a movie called Big Ass Spider! (orginally known as Megaspider) would be a real thing. Well, as far as movies featuring giant CGI bugs go, Big Ass Spider! is far from the worst of the lot, but it’s also nothing that you need to rush out and see as soon as possible either.

The plot of the film is simple: Everyman exterminator, Alex (played by Heroes‘ Greg Grunberg), gets bitten by a brown recluse, resulting in a trip to the hospital.

Following a debut at SXSW 2013 in the Midnighters section, Big Ass Spider, a Ray Harryhausen-esque monster movie where a massive spider attacks Los Angeles, is coming to theaters and VOD. The unlikely heroic duo of a blue-collar exterminator (Greg Grunberg) and Latino security guard (Lombardo Boyar) must save the day when a giant spider escapes from a military lab and rampages across the City of Angels. It's got all the makings of a ridiculous B-movie, but the special effects look pretty decent, and the action looks like a lot of fun. We just wish the film was R-rated instead of PG-13 for maximum horror craziness. Here's the full theatrical trailer for Mike Mendez's Big Ass Spider via Deadline: Big Ass Spider is directed by Mike Mendez and written by Gregory Gieras. When a giant alien spider escapes from a military lab and rampages across the city of Los Angeles,...

We return with the latest edition of the Indie Spotlight, highlighting the recent independent horror news sent our way. Today’s feature includes details on a comic anthology series featuring Alice Cooper, UK premiere details for Big Ass Spider!, information on the Karen Black fund, and much more:

Details on the Karen Black Fund: “Karen has been waging a battle for over two years with cancer. She has not talked about this publicly because she was hoping it would be cured and she could call herself a cancer survivor. Karen was diagnosed with ampullary cancer in November of 2010. After suffering through nausea, fainting and losing over thirty pounds, she was finally declared Ned – No Evidence of Disease in July. But by December 2011 a small tumor developed and another surgery was in order, which left her completely bed-ridden. Her cancer seemed conquered though. By spring 2012 she was doing a lot better...

Big Ass Spider! is coming to international soil. The horror comedy Big Ass Spider! gets its UK premiere Saturday April 27th as a part of the 20th year of the Dead By Dawn horror film festival, running from Thursday April 25th to Monday April 29th in Edinburgh. Read on for the press release on the Mike Mendez film, which stars Greg Grunberg (Heroes, Lost) and Ray Wise (Reaper).

Los Angeles, CA (March 27, 2013) – The Dead By Dawn Horror Film Festival announces today that director Mike Mendez’s horror-action comedy Big Ass Spider! will have its official UK Premiere at the festival at midnight on Saturday April 27th. The festival, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary, will run from Thursday, April 25th to the early hours of Monday, April 29th at the Filmhouse Cinema in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Big Ass Spider! was produced by Patrick Ewald and Shaked Berenson for Epic Pictures, along...

I'm a huge fan of spider cinema, and I'm not talking about superhero silliness. I mean flicks like Tarantula (1955), The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957), Tarantulas: The Deadly Cargo (1977), Kingdom of the Spiders (1978), Arachnophobia (1990), Spiders (2000), Eight Legged Freaks (2002), and a dozen others you've probably never even heard of. Like most people, I have a natural wariness of spiders, but like most horror fans, I love to see the creepy little buggers wreak havoc safely within the world of movies. Of course sometimes the spiders aren't so little, and that's when I know I'm dealing with a flick I'll probably enjoy.

Simply put: one of the most entertaining things about movies is that they can deliver funny stuff that you'd (hopefully) never see in real life, stuff like a giant spider wreaking havoc across Los Angeles as it skewers screaming people with its spindly legs and wraps other victims up in webbing and swallows them whole.

Last week the Midnight slate for SXSW was revealed, showing us what horror titles we can expect from the festival. The movies range from Rob Zombie to creature feature to a dose of Vincenzo Natali and even to the realm of sequels (hello V/H/S 2). Here’s the list, showing the cast and the director(s) and screenwriter(s) behind the films.

Big Ass Spider!

Director: Mike Mendez, Screenwriter: Gregory Gieras

When a giant alien spider escapes from a military lab and rampages across the city of Los Angeles, it is up to one clever exterminator and his security guard sidekick to kill the creature before the city is destroyed.

Cast: Greg Grunberg, Lombardo Boyar, Clare Kramer, Ray Wise, Lin Shaye, Patrick Bauchau

Cheap Thrills

Director: E.L. Katz, Screenwriters: Trent Haaga, David Chirchirillo

Recently fired and facing eviction, the married father of a newborn has his life turned upside...

Fun fact: Our own Alex Billington is so terrified of spiders that he was not willing to watch or even write about this trailer. Premiering at SXSW 2013 in the Midnighters section is Big Ass Spider, a Ray Harryhausen-esque monster movie where a massive spider attacks La. It's up to one clever exterminator and his security guard sidekick to kill the creature before the city is destroyed. The film is currently looking for a buyer at the European Film Market, but a film with a B-movie flare like this will hopefully get picked up. There's not any big talent to be found except for Ray Wise and Greg Grunberg, but this looks fun. Here's the first trailer for Mike Mendez's Big Ass Spider via EW: Big Ass Spider is directed by Mike Mendez and written by Gregory Gieras. When a giant alien spider escapes from a military lab and...

The feature film slate for Austin's South by Southwest festival (SXSW) was revealed last week, but as most genre fans know, the real cinematic treasures are lurking in the festival's midnight lineup. As SXSW Programmer Jarod Neece put it: "This year we scoured the globe and brought back a batch that we knew would truly satisfy the gore hounds of SXSW. Full of scares, sex, madness, laughs, chills and major mind f--ks, we hope there's a little something for everyone."

Browsing the titles, it's hard to tear our eyes away from a film called "Big Ass Spider" (directed by Mike Mendez of "The Gravedancers"), but the addition of Rob Zombie's "Lords of Salem," sequel "V/H/S/2," a movie from "Splice"'s Vincenzo Natali ("Haunter"), and vampire tale "Kiss of the Damned" from Xan Cassavetes certainly helps.

Earlier this week, a full trailer was released for Zombie's witchy opus,...

First of all – we have to inform you that Mike Mendez‘s upcoming sci-fi thriller Mega Spider (we already had a little chat about this project, remember?) now has a completely new title – Big Ass Spider. Why? Well, probably because the giant spider also has a giant ass, or something like that. Anyway, the good thing is that we finally have the first trailer for the whole thing, and, as usual – we definitely recommend you to check it out! Mendez directed the movie from a script written by Gregory Gieras, which centers on a 50 foot tall alien spider who escapes from a...

This year's SXSW looks to be one for the ages as the Midnighters film line-up has just been announced! There are a lot of heavy hitters making their premiere including the newly retitled V/H/S/2 (formerlyS-vhs) and Big Ass Spider! (formerly Mega Spider).

The 2013 South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival takes place March 8-16, 2013, in Austin, Texas. Visit the official South by Southwest website for more info in the meantime.

Big Ass Spider!

Director: Mike Mendez, Screenwriter: Gregory Gieras

Cast: Greg Grunberg, Lombardo Boyar, Clare Kramer, Ray Wise, Lin Shaye, Patrick Bauchau

“When a giant alien spider escapes from a military lab and rampages across the city of Los Angeles, it is up to one clever exterminator and his security guard sidekick to kill the creature before the entire city is destroyed.”

Cheap Thrills

Director: E.L. Katz, Screenwriters: Trent Haaga, David Chirchirillo

Cast: Pat Healy, Ethan Embry, Sara Paxton,...

Just last week the official lineup for the upcoming 2013 SXSW Film Festival was announced, and today the fest has unveiled its lineups for the midnight and shorts categories. While films like Before Midnight, Much Ado About Nothing, Evil Dead, and The Incredible Burt Wonderstone will screen in the film festival’s other sections, the midnight lineup includes films like Rob Zombie’s The Lords of Salem, the anthology sequel V/H/S/2 (which recently changed its title from S-v/H/S), and the much buzzed-about horror pic You’re Next. Hit the jump to take a look at the full lineup. Here’s the lineup: Midnighters Scary, funny, sexy, controversial – provocative after-dark features for night owls and the terminally curious. Big Ass Spider! Director: Mike Mendez, Screenwriter: Gregory Gieras When a giant alien spider escapes from a military lab and rampages across the city of Los Angeles, it is up...

As if the line-up for SXSW wasn’t already incredible; the fest just announced their Midnight slate, which includes Rob Zombie’s The Lords Of Salem, V/H/S/2, You’re Next and the latest from director Vincenzo Natalie.

SXSW runs from March 8-16.

Here is the main lineup. You can see a complete list, which includes short films, over at their site.

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Midnighters

Big Ass Spider!

Director: Mike Mendez, Screenwriter: Gregory Gieras

When a giant alien spider escapes from a military lab and rampages across the city of Los Angeles, it is up to one clever exterminator and his security guard sidekick to kill the creature before the city is destroyed. Cast: Greg Grunberg, Lombardo Boyar, Clare Kramer, Ray Wise, Lin Shaye, Patrick Bauchau (World Premiere)

Cheap Thrills

Director: E.L. Katz, Screenwriters: Trent Haaga, David Chirchirillo

Recently fired and facing eviction, the married father of a newborn has his...

With festival favorites like V/H/S 2 (retitled from S-vhs) and Xan Cassavetes’ terrific vampire Euro throwback Kiss Of The Damned, the world premiere Dennis Iliadis' (Last House On The Left) Plus One and E.L. Katz' Cheap Thrills, SXSW’s Midnighters look to have the spectrum from gory blasts to lush dreams covered. You can find the entirety of the lineup, below. SXSW Film spans March 8-16. For more, visit the official site.

• Big Ass Spider! Director: Mike Mendez, Screenwriter: Gregory Gieras

When a giant alien spider escapes from a military lab and rampages across the city of Los Angeles, it is up to one clever exterminator and his security guard sidekick to kill the creature before the city is destroyed. Cast: Greg Grunberg, Lombardo Boyar, Clare Kramer, Ray Wise, Lin Shaye, Patrick Bauchau (World Premiere)

• Cheap Thrills

Director: E.L. Katz, Screenwriters: Trent Haaga, David Chirchirillo

Recently fired and facing eviction,...

With festival favorites like V/H/S 2 (retitled from S-vhs) and Xan Cassavetes’ terrific vampire Euro throwback Kiss Of The Damned, the world premiere Dennis Iliadis' (Last House On The Left) Plus One and E.L. Katz' Cheap Thrills, SXSW’s Midnighters look to have the spectrum from gory blasts to lush dreams covered. You can find the entirety of the lineup, below. SXSW Film spans March 8-16. For more, visit the official site.

• Big Ass Spider! Director: Mike Mendez, Screenwriter: Gregory Gieras

When a giant alien spider escapes from a military lab and rampages across the city of Los Angeles, it is up to one clever exterminator and his security guard sidekick to kill the creature before the city is destroyed. Cast: Greg Grunberg, Lombardo Boyar, Clare Kramer, Ray Wise, Lin Shaye, Patrick Bauchau (World Premiere)

• Cheap Thrills

Director: E.L. Katz, Screenwriters: Trent Haaga, David Chirchirillo

Recently fired and facing eviction,...

SXSW has announced its selection of midnight films, which include screenings of The Lords of Salem, the recently retitled V/H/S/2, and You’re Next before they open in theaters across the country. Don’t forget that Evil Dead will also have its world premiere during the event which is taking place from from March 8th – 17th in Austin, TX. We’ve included the full list of midnight features below and you can learn more at http://sxsw.com/

Big Ass Spider!

Director: Mike Mendez, Screenwriter: Gregory Gieras

When a giant alien spider escapes from a military lab and rampages across the city of Los Angeles, it is up to one clever exterminator and his security guard sidekick to kill the creature before the city is destroyed. Cast: Greg Grunberg, Lombardo Boyar, Clare Kramer, Ray Wise, Lin Shaye, Patrick Bauchau (World Premiere)

Cheap Thrills

Director: E.L. Katz, Screenwriters: Trent Haaga,...

Big Ass Spider will have it’s World Premiere as a part of the Midnighter’s lineup during SXSW 2013. Here’s the world premiere of the trailer with an introduction by director Mike Mendez.

When a giant alien spider escapes from a military lab and rampages across the city of Los Angeles, it is up to one clever exterminator and his security guard sidekick to kill the creature before the city is destroyed. Big Ass Spider! (aka Mega Spider).

Mendez has directed the horror films The Gravedancers that premiered at Tribeca, The Convent (Sundance) and Killers (Sudance). This is his 5th feature film. The screenwriter is Gregory Gieras (Dark Asylum, Beyond).

The cast includes Greg Grunberg, Lombardo Boyar, Clare Kramer, Ray Wise, Lin Shaye, and Patrick Bauchau.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mega-Spider/...

We’re here to start a little chat about the upcoming Mega Spider movie. As you probably know, this sci-fi thriller (or horror?) comes from director Mike Mendez, the project is currently in post-production, but we finally have a completely new image from the whole thing, and as usual – we’re here to share it with you! A giant alien spider terrorizing the city of Los Angeles? That should be fun! Just kidding.

Written by Gregory Gieras, Mega Spider will tell us the story of a 50 foot tall alien spider who escapes from a military lab and rampages the city of Los Angeles.

But you have nothing to be afraid about – there’s also a great team of scientists, soldiers, and even one clever exterminator who will (just a wild guess) kill that damn thing before the city is destroyed.

Beside that giant spider, the movie also stars Greg Grunberg,...

Just when you thought it was safe to venture into downtown La and hit the taco truck, SyFy and director Mike Mendez make the streets of angels dangerous again. It's an orgiastic arachnid attack, and you still have a chance to fall victim to the fanged menace of Mega Spider! Here is word from the official press release - The film, which is being described as a "Tremors-style creature feature about a towering mutant arachnid on an 8-legged rampage across Los Angeles," is being directed by Mike Mendez (The Gravedancers) and was written by Gregory Gieras (Dark Island).  Shooting began September 6th.Battling the beast are Greg Grunberg (Heroes, Alias) and Lombardo Boyar (The Bernie Mac Show) who star as an exterminator and his security...

As reported previously, production has begun on the sci-fi actioner Mega Spider. The film, described as a “Tremors-style creature feature about a towering mutant arachnid on an 8-legged rampage across Los Angeles,” is being directed by Mike Mendez (The Gravedancers) and was written by Gregory Gieras (Dark Island). Shooting began September 6th, and if you're interested in being an extra, read on because we have all the details, but act fast - the deadline is September 15th.

The project first generated press when it was announced that willing participants could be terrorized on camera by contacting iwanttobesquashedbymegaspider@yahoo.com. Since then hundreds of extras have participated in the on-screen mayhem with requests being accepted until September 15th, 2011.

From the Press Release:

Battling the beast are Greg Grunberg ("Heroes", "Alias") and Lombardo Boyar ("The Bernie Mac Show") (pictured below), who star as Alex, an exterminator, and Jose, his security guard sidekick,...

As reported earlier, Mike Mendez has begun shooting Mega Spider in the Los Angeles area with Greg Grunberg starring. An official press release and image have gone out today which includes more cast details and intentions with the film. Glad to hear they're going for something zany. Read on for all of the details! It was announced today that production has begun on the Sci-Fi actioner Mega Spider. The film, which is being described as a .Tremors-style creature feature about a towering mutant arachnid on an 8-legged rampage across Los Angeles,. is being directed by Mike Mendez (The Gravedancers) and was written by Gregory Gieras (Dark Island). Shooting began September 6th. Battling the beast are Greg Grunberg (Heroes, Alias) and Lombardo Boyar (The Bernie Mac Show) who...