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David Hillenbrand takes us on an unrated trip through Transylmania

Transylmania, the latest comedy outing from Dorm Daze creators David and Scott Hillenbrand, is finally making its long awaited DVD debut on April 27th. The film reunites the cast from National Lampoon's Dorm Daze franchise, and finds a motley crew of college students embarking on the wildest, sexiest, most outrageous semester abroad ever at famed Romanian cultural outpost Razvan University. Located deep in the heart of the "cursed land" of Transylvania in a centuries-old castle, Razvan isn't your typical institution of higher learning. And the black leather-clad professors, three-foot-tall dean, instruction in crucifix-wielding, and topless vampiresses lurking in dark corners are just the start in this laugh riot that ignites the screen with sexiness. We recently caught up with David to find out more about the film. Here's our conversation with Mr. Hillenbrand:

Most modern spoof films are truly awful.

If you are reading this right now, then chances are you did not see the vampire comedy Transylmania when it opened on 1,000 screens this past December to the fourth lowest wide release opening weekend per theater average of all time. And you are better off that way.

Ostensibly Transylmania (review here) is the third installment in the Dorm Daze DVD franchise. Directors David and Scott Hillenbrand apparently got it in their heads that they could ride the Twilight bandwagon with their alleged comedy about college dimwits spending a semester at a Transylvanian university that used to be a vampire’s castle, rebranded Dorm Daze 3 as Transylmania, and somehow organized a 1,000-theater release whereby it grossed a whopping $397,641 (according to Box Office Mojo). $5.50 of that came out of my pocket -- time and money I will never get back.

But if you are a glutton for punishment, DVDActive has word on...

Horror-comedy dud Transylmania is hitting DVD through Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on April 27. Special features include a filmmaker and cast commentary, an alternate opening and ending (with optional commentary), deleted scenes (with optional commentary), a gag reel, a behind-the-scenes featurette and a "stoner" trailer. Directed by David Hillenbrand and Scott Hillenbrand - and starring a cast which features Musetta Vander, James DeBello, Patrick Cavanaugh and Tony Denman - Transylmania opened on just over a 1,000 screens in December and grossed an estimated $397,641. We'll update this spot when cover art comes in.

Audience apathy drove a stake through the heart of vampire spoof Transylmania at the weekend when it became a spectacular, record-breaking box office flop.

The R-rated, low-budget indie horror comedy - about a group of college kids on a semester at Razvan University in Romania - had the worst American opening in history for a movie playing at more than 1,000 venues.

It earned an abysmal $263, 941, taking the record of shame for worst debut ever from 1991's Rich Girl. On review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, it has a rating of 0 per cent. Yes, that's a zero.

It also had the third worst movie opening in more than 600 cinemas, behind New Market's 2005 recut of The Passion of the Christ and 2008 indie drama Proud American.

The 92-minute spoof, which premiered at the American Film Market in November 2008 and later screened at the European Film Market in February 2009, was directed by brothers David and...

I’m thinking this is what happened: The “creative” team of directors David and Scott Hillenbrand and writers Worm Miller and Patrick Casey -- who previously brought us the beloved and acclaimed Oscar winner National Lampoon Presents Dorm Daze -- were sitting around toking up one night, and someone said, “Semester abroad in Transylvania!” And cinematic history was made. Next Friday, December 4, there are four films opening wide: the potential awards contenders Everybody’s Fine (trailer here) and Brothers (trailer)... and Armored (trailer), which will not screen for critics, and this film, which I also suspect will not screen for critics. I guess that’s clever counterprogramming, and it’s probably safe to assume that the people who wish to avoid potential awards contenders are probably not bright enough to catch on that they’re being particularly targeted that weekend because they’re neither choosy nor discriminating.

This holiday season horror is slim, which is why we're going to have to settle for Full Circle Releasing's horror comedy Transylmania on December 5, which I'm sure non of you will see (including me). David Hillenbrand and Scott Hillenbrand's flick takes place place deep in the heart of the "cursed land" of Transylvania in a centuries-old castle, Razvan University isn't your typical institution of higher learning -- and the black leather-clad professors, three-foot-tall dean, instruction in crucifix-wielding, and topless vampiresses lurking in dark corners are just the start. Beyond the break you'll find a new clip featuring a fight for a bike. Patrick Cavanaugh, James Debello, Paul H. Kim, Tony Denman and Jennifer Lyons all star.

Directors David and Scott Hillenbrand are back on the scene with the hilariously scary new horror comedy Transylmania. In the film, a motley crew of college students embark on the wildest, sexiest, most outrageous semester abroad ever at Razvan University in the dreaded town of Transylvania. We are debuting a never-before-seen TV spot from Transylmania, which you can check out by clicking on the box below:

Located deep in the heart of the "cursed land" of Transylvania in a centuries-old castle, Razvan University isn't your typical institution of higher learning. Black leather-clad professors, a three-foot-tall dean, instructions in crucifix-wielding, and topless vampiresses are just the start. It seems Castle Razvan was overtaken by a band of vampires led by the feared Vampire King Radu in the dark ages who's now come back to reclaim it. A bubbling cauldron of wacky horror spoof, vampire action-adventure, and naughty college comedy, Transylmania culminates...

We brought you an earlier look at a trailer for Full Circle Releasing’s upcoming horror/comedy Transylmania which while funny, wasn’t able to show you everything you might want to see about this movie. Fortunately, we can remedy that problem right now by bringing you this new Redband trailer for the film which is able to show a lot more of the “flavor” you can expect.

In case this is your first experience with Transylmania, it tells the story of a motley group of college students who embark on “the wildest, sexiest, most outrageous semester abroad ever” at Razvan University. Of course, in true horror/comedy style, the campus isn’t located in a plush, beautiful paradise but instead, deep in the heart of Transylvania in a centuries-old castle.

Once the students arrive, all hell breaks loose and they are forced to deal with all manner of strange things like black leather-clad professors,...

Here's the new Red Band trailer for horror comedy "Transylmania", opening in theaters on December 4. Directed by David Hillenbrand and Scott Hillenbrand, the film stars Patrick Cavanaugh, James DeBello, Tony Denman, Paul H. Kim, Jennifer Lyons, Oren Skoog, Irena A. Hoffman, David Steinberg, Musetta Vander, Natalie Garza and Nicole Garza. In the spoof, a motley group of college students embark on the wildest, sexiest, most outrageous semester abroad ever at Razvan University. Located deep in the heart of the "cursed land" of Transylvania in a centuries-old castle, Razvan isn't your typical institution of higher learning . and the black leather-clad professors, three-foot-tall dean, instruction in crucifix-wielding, and topless vampiresses lurking in dark corners are just the start....

Check out the Red Band trailer for the spoofy horror comedy Transylmania, directed by David and Scott Hillenbrand. Opening in theaters on December 4, the film stars Patrick Cavanaugh, James DeBello, Tony Denman, Paul H. Kim, Jennifer Lyons, Oren Skoog, Irena A. Hoffman, David Steinberg, Musetta Vander, Natalie Garza and Nicole Garza.

In the film, a motley group of college students embark on the wildest, sexiest, most outrageous semester abroad ever at Razvan University. Located deep in the heart of the "cursed land" of Transylvania in a centuries-old castle, Razvan isn't your typical institution of higher learning - and the black leather-clad professors, three-foot-tall dean, instruction in crucifix-wielding, and topless vampiresses lurking in dark corners are just the start. It seems Castle Razvan was overtaken by a band of vampires led by the feared Vampire King Radu in the dark ages who's come back to reclaim it.

Here comes yet another red band trailer, but this time from the upcoming horror comedy Transylmania. The story revolves around a group of college kids do a semester abroad in Romania and realise that if the partying doesn’t kill them, the vampires just might. The film is directed by David and Scott Hillenbrand and starring James Debello, Patrick Cavanaugh, Jennifer Lyons, Paul H. Kim and Tony Denman. Check out the trailer below from Full Circle Releasing and Hill & Brand Entertainment. The feature opens in theaters on December 4th:

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You think horror is done with 2009 when this month is over? Think again. There are a few offerings in November, then, come December, there's the genre comedy Transylmania from Full Circle Releasing. The red band trailer is now available for your viewing pleasure below. In addition to that, we now have over 15 hi-res photos in our gallery here ! Patrick Cavanaugh, James DeBello, Tony Denman, Paul Kim and Jennifer Lyons star in David Hillenbrand and Scott Hillenbrand's film which follows a group of college students running amok in Transylvania. Transylmania opens on December 4.

We've received the new Red Band trailer for horror comedy Transylmania , opening in theaters on December 4. Directed by David and Scott Hillenbrand, the film stars Patrick Cavanaugh, James DeBello, Tony Denman, Paul H. Kim, Jennifer Lyons, Oren Skoog, Irena A. Hoffman, David Steinberg, Musetta Vander, Natalie Garza and Nicole Garza. In the spoof, a motley group of college students embark on the wildest, sexiest, most outrageous semester abroad ever at Razvan University. Located deep in the heart of the "cursed land" of Transylvania in a centuries-old castle, Razvan isn't your typical institution of higher learning . and the black leather-clad professors, three-foot-tall dean, instruction in crucifix-wielding, and topless vampiresses lurking in dark corners are just the...

If you’re a fan of horror/comedies like Night of the Creeps and Scary Movie then this is your lucky day because newcomer Full Circle Releasing has got a movie for you. Transylmania tells the story of a motley group of college students who embark on “the wildest, sexiest, most outrageous semester abroad ever” at Razvan University.

Of course, in true horror/comedy style, the campus isn’t located in a plush, beautiful paradise but instead, deep in the heart of Transylvania in a centuries-old castle. Razvan isn’t your typical institution of higher learning either – and the black leather-clad professors, three-foot-tall dean, instruction in crucifix-wielding, and topless vampiresses lurking in dark corners are just the start.

If you’re curious about the film — and with the above description you should be — we’ve got the first trailer for you after the jump. Transylmania, which features Patrick Cavanaugh, James DeBello,...

Chicago – We just received the new, high-definition movie trailer for “Transylmania” as well as the new, high-resolution movie poster for the horror comedy film, which opens on Dec. 4, 2009.

“Transylmania” from directors David Hillenbrand and Scott Hillenbrand stars Patrick Cavanaugh, James DeBello, Tony Denman, Paul H. Kim, Jennifer Lyons, Oren Skoog, David Steinberg, Musetta Vander, Irena A. Hoffman, Natalie Garza and Nicole Garza. You can watch the new, high-definition “Transylmania” trailer now below!

The plot description for “Transylmania” is below. The new, high-resolution “Transylmania” movie poster follows the synopsis.

In “Transylmania,” a motley group of college students embarks on the wildest, sexiest and most outrageous semester abroad ever at Razvan University.

Located deep in the heart of the “cursed land” of Transylvania in a centuries-old castle, Razvan isn’t your typical institution of higher learning. The black leather-clad professors, three-foot-tall dean, instruction in crucifix wielding and topless vampiresses lurking in dark corners are just the start.

With tongue firmly planted in cheek, Transylmania is poised to hit theaters on December 4 from Full Circle Releasing. A teaser one-sheet, which looks like an Abercrombie & Fitch ad, has premiered today echoing, I think, the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer poster, in some respects. Directed by David Hillenbrand and Scott Hillenbrand, the film follows a motley group of college students who embark on a semester at Razvan University. Located deep in the heart of the "cursed land" of Transylvania in a centuries-old castle, Razvan isn't your typical institution of higher learning . and the black leather-clad professors, three-foot-tall dean, instruction in crucifix-wielding, and topless vampiresses lurking in dark corners are just the start. It seems Castle Razvan was...

The serious brutality of the torture trend gives way to a more lighthearted type of bloodshed with Transylmania, a grisly horror/comedy going into limited release December 4 from Full Circle Releasing. Writing/directing brothers David and Scott Hillenbrand, whose credits include King Cobra and PIÑATA: Survival Island, discussed the flick with us and passed on a couple of photos, including an exclusive gruesome pic (see them below).

In the film, a group of students set off to study abroad at the isolated Razvan University, located in a centuries-old Transylvanian castle. What they find are black leather-clad professors, a 3-foot-tall dean, instructions in crucifix-wielding and topless vampiresses lurking in dark corners—basically the standard European experience.

“We thought it would be very interesting to mix the college comedy of Animal House with the vampire/monster-hunting genre,” the Hillenbrands tell Fango, “and spoof scenarios and characters like Professor Van Helsing, Selene in Underworld,...

The toothy new vampire comedy from David and Scott Hillenbrand, Transylmania, got itself a shiny new website chock full of all sorts of goodies today, and we got our paws on some stills for you.

Synopsis

Located deep in the heart of the "cursed land" of Transylvania in a centuries-old castle, Razvan University isn't your typical institution of higher learning -- and the black leather-clad professors, three-foot-tall dean, instruction in crucifix-wielding, and topless vampiresses lurking in dark corners are just the start.

To visit the official site, click on the first image below before the stills. Look for the flick to arrive in theatres on December 4th.

Transylmania - Trailer

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The horror-comedy Transylmania (emphasis on "comedy" with this one) will introduce you to a wide assortment of characters when it opens in theaters on December 4. Our photo gallery for the David and Scott Hillenbrand-directed film is open. Click on the image below to see more hi-res photos and visit the official site . A full plot synopsis can be found in our film database .

Even before the Twilight revolution, vampires were in. Before pink was the new black, vampire movies were making their way into the mainstream with a vengeance. And now, with franchises like the aforementioned teen broodfest Twilight and the low-down and dirty HBO series True Blood, it seems that we just can't escape the fangs of a vampire-crazy culture. Which makes the whole thing ripe for spoofing. Enter brothers David and Scott Hillenbrand, the writer/director team behind such gems as King Cobra, National Lampoon Presents Dorm Daze and the ever-popular Dorm Daze 2. They are taking the vampire fad to task in their new movie, Transylmania, a spoof that appears to be one part Twilight, one part wannabe Monster Squad (I stress the word wannabe) and one part ever other National Lampoons Presents movie of the past 5 years. Except, based on the trailer below, this movie looks downright awful. Not awful in the Friedberg/Seltzer sense, but...

Horror comedies. They either hit the mark or they suck. Some, however, suck on purpose. The latter looks to be the case when talking about David and Scott Hillenbrand's vampire comedy Transylmania, which saw its online trailer debut today.

Check out the trailer below courtesy of Yahoo! Movies by clicking on the image, and look for the film starring Patrick Cavanaugh, James Debello, Paul H. Kim, Tony Denman, and Jennifer Lyons in theatres(!) December 4th.

Synopsis

Located deep in the heart of the "cursed land" of Transylvania in a centuries-old castle, Razvan University isn't your typical institution of higher learning -- and the black leather-clad professors, three-foot-tall dean, instruction in crucifix-wielding, and topless vampiresses lurking in dark corners are just the start.

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Granted, “Transylmania”, what with its Euro-trash vampires, skanky looking Brides of Dracula, and leather-clad Musetta Vander sure are temping, but I’m reminded that it is directed by David Hillenbrand and Scott Hillenbrand, the same guys behind the Godawful “Survival Island”. Hey, maybe they’ve improved since then. One can only hope. Here’s the trailer for their latest, the comedy horror spoof “Transylmania”. Is it wrong that the whole hunchback gag had me laughing and cringing at the same time? In Transylmania, a motley group of college students embark on the wildest, sexiest, most outrageous semester abroad ever at Razvan University. Located deep in the heart of the “cursed land” of Transylvania in a centuries-old castle, Razvan isn’t your typical institution of higher learning – and the black leather-clad professors, three-foot-tall dean, instruction in crucifix-wielding, and topless vampiresses lurking in dark corners are just the start. It seems Castle...

Piñata: Survival Island 's David and Scott Hillenbrand are tapping into the vampire zeitgeist with Transylmania , a new horror-comedy opening in a theatrical release on December 4. Full Circle Releasing is handling distribution. In Transylmania , a motley group of college students embark on a semester at Razvan University. Located deep in the heart of the "cursed land" of Transylvania in a centuries-old castle, Razvan isn.t your typical institution of higher learning . and the black leather-clad professors, three-foot-tall dean, instruction in crucifix-wielding, and topless vampiresses lurking in dark corners are just the start. It seems Castle Razvan was overtaken by a band of vampires led by the feared Vampire King Radu in the dark ages who's come back to reclaim it....

I know I’m at Los Angeles’ American Film Market when, as soon as I get off the plane, I run into Lloyd Kaufman (in a men’s room, no less). The Troma chief serves as the Chairman of the Independent Film and Television Alliance, which runs the Afm. Who better to chair an organization and market dedicated to discovering and promoting movies created outside the studio system than Kaufman?

This November, the Afm unveils over 500 films in dozens of languages for prospective international buyers. They screen the majority of these new motion pictures at seven different screening venues in sunny Santa Monica. The Afm is the proud home for the smaller guys, foreign and art-house features and B- to Z-grade movies. Just about everything stars Michael Madsen, C. Thomas Howell and/or Billy Zane. Best of all, the number of genre films has increased substantially over the 11 years I’ve been coming here,...