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An eight-pack of indie vampire flicks is hitting store shelves and virtual retailers on July 18th, and it's loaded with original director cuts presented in their original form the way they were intended to be viewed: raw and over-the-top!

The two-disc set includes:

Bloodwine: Andrea is just an ordinary Goth college girl trying to deal with the tragedies life has thrown at her. When her best friend, Brandy, comes back into her life, Andrea thinks things might finally be taking a turn for the better. But when the machinations of a mysterious woman, Carmilla, cause a birthday gift to go horribly awry, Andrea is forced to make the most difficult choice of her life, not only for herself, but for her dearest friend.

Livestock: A mysterious cult has decided to take a new direction in giving Victor, a hard working trusted member, a promotion. However, his cruel minded disciples have...

Renfield: The Un-Dead had its long awaited home video release earlier this week, and in honor of the occasion Melissa Nichols, one of the film's producers who also worked as production designer, art director, and special makeup effects artist/creature effects assistant (and had a small role in the film - talk about wearing a lot of hats!), sent over a batch of behind-the-scenes lobby cards for us to share.

Renfield, completed in 2010, is the newest in an aggressive lineup of Poison Apple productions and stars Phil Nichols (brother of Melissa) as Renfield, John W. Stevens as Count Dracula, Keli Wolfe, Tyler Tackett, Roxy Cook, Calvin Lafiton, and Paul Damon as Inspector Cranston.

Synopsis:

R. N. Renfield, the mad slave of the evil vampire Count Dracula, is now himself an insane vampire stalking a modern day metropolis (Bayou City). Known as "The Bayou City Butcher", a serial killer, Renfield is...

The Tuesday before Halloween is bound to have a lot of genre titles. There are some good ones too like Attack the Block, Blue Underground releases Fulci in High-Definition with Zombie and The House by the Cemetery, also Criterion releases The Island of Lost Souls on DVD & Blu-Ray and the most talked about film of last year, A Serbian Film finally hits the shelves. Read below, if you dare, for all your DVD and Blu-Ray releases for this week and if you plan on purchasing any films through Amazon, click on the buttons provided as they help us out with paying the bills around here.

Animal Attack Two Pack (Maneaters Are Loose/ Shark Kill)

Two savage and rare TV movies in the 1970s “Animal Attack” genre that have rarely been seen since their initial release, now back in print and together at last on DVD.

Buy the DVD @ Amazon.

Renfield: The Un-Dead, a movie we've been reporting on for quite a while now, is hitting home video courtesy of R Squared Films, and finally everyone will have a chance to see it for themselves this coming October 25th.

Renfield, completed in 2010, is the newest in an aggressive lineup of Poison Apple productions and stars Phil Nichols as Renfield, John W. Stevens as Count Dracula, Keli Wolfe, Tyler Tackett, Roxy Cook, Calvin Lafiton, and Paul Damon as Inspector Cranston.

Synopsis:

R. N. Renfield, the mad slave of the evil vampire Count Dracula, is now himself an insane vampire stalking a modern day metropolis (Bayou City). Known as "The Bayou City Butcher", a serial killer, Renfield is relentlessly pursued by Paul Cranston (Paul Damon), a driven British detective who always gets his man. Renfield is also sought by Mina Harker (Roxy Cook), now a vampire, and her half vampire son Quincy...

Fresh off its win of two Remi awards at the 44th annual Worldfest-Houston International Film Festival, indie horror vampire tale Renfield: The Un-Dead, directed by Bob Willems, written and produced by SFX master Phil Nichols, and starring Nichols in the title role, has launched a clever series of promo images featuring Renfield leaving his mark on history.

During WorldFest (official site here), which took place April 8-17, 2011, in Houston, Texas, the film won Gold in the category of Independent Feature Film Horror/Fantasy, which is the collective work of the cast and crew of Renfield. In addition a Grand Gold was awarded to Renfield: The Un-Dead for the best Spfx Make-up. Phil Nichols, president and founder of Poison Apple Films, is also the founder and owner of Facades FX, which has been churning out astounding FX work for over 25 years.

As an official selection of Worldfest, Renfield was one of only 34 films shown.

The folks at Poison Apple Films have lifted the curtain a bit on what went on behind-the-scenes during the shooting of Renfield: The Un-Dead, including a special effects "sizzle" reel and a gag reel that shows what happened when Phil Nichols, dressed in character as Renfield, encountered a landscaper on the set.

Renfield, completed in 2010, is the newest in an aggressive lineup of Poison Apple productions and stars Phil Nichols as Renfield, John W. Stevens as Count Dracula, Keli Wolfe, Tyler Tackett, Roxy Cook, Calvin Lafiton, and Paul Damon as Inspector Cranston.

Don't forget Renfield: The Un-Dead will be the featured film for the 44th Annual WorldFest’s Midnight Madness program. WorldFest (official site here) takes place April 8-17, 2011 in Houston, Texas, and Renfield will screen on April 15.

Synopsis:

R. N. Renfield, the mad slave of the evil vampire Count Dracula, is now himself an insane vampire stalking a modern...

We've been talking about director Bob Willems' Renfield: The Un-Dead for quite a while now, and in case you've been wondering when you might be able to see it, if you happen to live in or around the Houston, Texas, area, you're in luck!

Renfield: The Un-Dead will be the featured film for the 44th Annual WorldFest’s Midnight Madness program. WorldFest (official site here) takes place April 8-17, 2011 in Houston, Texas. Renfield will screen on April 15; the program starts at 11:00 p.m. with a horror short film to be followed by Renfield The Un-Dead. It is open to the public and will be held at the AMC Studio 30, 2949 Dunvale Road, Houston, TX 77063. Tickets are just $10 and may be purchased online here. In addition, the Houston-based Poison Apple Films’ release is set to be awarded two Remi Awards at the Fest's gala awards banquet on Saturday, April 16.

But that's not all.

It's been almost a year since we first got the early word on Poison Apple Films' Project Pangea: Dinosaurs Unleashed, but we heard from director Phil Nichols today with an update, and things seem to be moving along quite nicely.

From the Press Release:

From the team that brought you Renfield: The Undead and S.I.C.K. Serial Insane Clown Killer comes a sci-fi horror movie with the flavor of the Carnosaur movies, Lake Placid, and Ssssssss. Poison Apple Films presents Project Pangea: Dinosaurs Unleashed!

It was written by Melissa Nichols and will be directed by Phil Nichols, both of whom are also producing along with Bob Willems. Dinosaur and special make-up effects will be handled by Nichols and his Facades FX Make-up Lab. The film's music will be composed by Jeffrey Walton.

"There’s trouble in Paradise…" Paradise, Texas, that is. A small town sheriff and his deputy try to...

One indie project we've been following for a while now is Bob Willems' Renfield: The Un-Dead, and today we learned that the film's distribution will be handled by The Phoenix Group, the same entity that will be distributing the 2010 Boggy Creek remake from Brian T. Jaynes.

Dana Webber of The Phoenix Group's Atlanta office will head up all domestic licensing efforts, and Scott Hanock, Los Angeles, will team with Douglas Schaffer, Boca Raton, to pursue the international markets. Barbara Conte will address the Spanish markets.

Renfield, completed in 2010, is the newest in an aggressive lineup of Poison Apple productions and stars Phil Nichols as Renfield, John W. Stevens as Count Dracula, Keli Wolfe, Tyler Tackett, Roxy Cook, Calvin Lafiton, and Paul Damon as Inspector Cranston.

Synopsis:

R. N. Renfield, the mad slave of the evil vampire Count Dracula, is now himself an insane vampire stalking a modern day metropolis...

Director Bob Willems' recently retitled Renfield the Undead is in its first full week of post-production, and its star/screenwriter Phil Nichols has dropped a new batch of stills on us showcasing some of the make-up effects work by Facades FX.

Besides Nichols as the titular character, the cast include Julin, John Stevens (as Dracula), Cory Hart, Shelley Boozer, Mel House, Paul Damon, Joe Grisaffi, Tyler Tackett, and Keli Wolfe.

Synopsis:

R. N. Renfield (Nichols), once the slave of Dracula, is now an insane vampire stalking a modern metropolis (Bayou City). Known as "The Bayou City Butcher", he is pursued by Detective Paul Cranston, a driven homicide investigator who always gets his man.

Renfield is also sought by Mina Harker (newcomer Roxy Cook), now also a vampire, and her hybrid-vampire son, Quincy (Tackett). The dark pair are seeking a relic in Renfield's possession: the skull Of Dracula. It is...

Renfield: The Undead is a vampire styled horror film that has just announced that the film will complete in two weeks and that actress Julin has also participated. Although a small role, Julin (The Final) appears with Denise Williamson (Spirit Camp), Cory Hart (Boggy Creek), Roxy Vandiver (Killer School Girls from Outer Space), and Phil Nichols (Walking Distance) in the picture. This Poison Apple Film will be released later this year (October 1) with more info' on this bloody goodness found below.

A synopsis for Renfield: The Undead here:

"R. N. Renfield, once the slave of Dracula, is now an insane vampire stalking a modern day metropolis (Bayou City)" (Renfeild).

Release Date: October 1, 2010.

Director: Bob Willems.

Writer: Bob Willems.

Cast: Mel House, Joe Grisaffi, Paul Damon, Shelley Boozer, Tyler Tackett, Keli Wolfe, Roxy Cook, Bobby Simpson II, John Stevens, Melissa Nichols, Ryan Johnson, and Lillian De Michele.

No trailer available yet.

If there's anybody out in the indie world that sends us updates on their projects more often than the multi-talented Phil Nichols, I don't know who it is. Today he sent over a new batch of stills from Vampire Diaries Renfield, but best of all, they include the first shot of one of the creatures Nichols' Facades FX is doing for the film.

Phil, who, along with portraying Renfield, also wrote the screenplay, tells us, "Week 6 has wrapped. We did a lot of flying FX and aerial fight work on green screen for the climax. These pictures are from the Harkers' lair and all the naughty goings on that will happen in there..."

Besides Nichols, the stars include Julin, John Stevens (as Dracula), Cory Hart, Shelley Boozer, Mel House, Paul Damon, Joe Grisaffi, Tyler Tackett, and Keli Wolfe. The director is Bob Willems.

The new pictures begin on Page 4 of our Renfield gallery.

Phil Nichols, who portrays Renfield in the currently filming Vampire Diaries Renfield, dropped us a line with an update on the shoot and provided us with a batch of new photos to share with Dread Central readers.

Here's what Phil told us, "We're winding down Week 5 and are 3/4 through shooting the script. We are working to make the deadline to premiere the film at the Bram Stoker Film Festival in Whitby, England this October.

Last night we wrapped the 1895 flashbacks with Renfield. We're keeping Count Dracula's make-up a secret and won't release pics of his face until the movie premieres, but here's a look at the Brides of Dracula (Denise Williamson, Reem Al-Hellou, and Michelle James)."

Along with Nichols (who also wrote the screenplay) and the aforementioned Brides, the stars include Julin, John Stevens (as Dracula), Cory Hart, Shelley Boozer, Mel House, Paul Damon, Joe Grisaffi, Tyler Tackett, and Keli Wolfe.

It's the start of Week 3 of shooting on Vampire Diaries Renfield in Houston, Texas, and Renfield himself, Phil Nichols, sent over a batch of new stills -- and a pretty cool lobby card -- for the film.

Along with Nichols (who also wrote the screenplay), the stars include Julin (Boggy Creek, Cherry Bomb), Denise Williamson (Boggy Creek, Cherry Bomb), Cory Hart (Boggy Creek, Stop Loss), Shelley Boozer (Bloodsucking Babes from Burbank, Toxic), Mel House (writer/director of Walking Distance, Possum Walk), Paul Damon (Walking Distance), Joe Grisaffi (Zombiefied, Walking Distance, Pirates of the Caribbean), Tyler Tackett (Possum Walk), and Keli Wolfe (Possum Walk).

Creature and make-up FX are being handled by Nichols (talk about multi-tasking!) and Facades FX (Boggy Creek, Walking Distance, Ace Ventura II, Powder, Jason's Lyric, S.I.C.K.: Serial Insane Clown Killer), and the director is Bob Willems (S.I.C.K.: Serial Insane Clown Killer).

Synopsis:

R.

It's been over a year since we've heard anything about the indie vampire film Vampire Diaries Renfield (whose title used to be Bram Stoker’s Vampire Diaries), but Poison Apple Films just sent over the full cast list and the news that principal photography is beginning on February 18th in Houston, TX.

The stars include Julin (Boggy Creek, Cherry Bomb), Denise Williamson (Boggy Creek, Cherry Bomb), Cory Hart (Boggy Creek, Stop Loss), Shelley Boozer (Bloodsucking Babes from Burbank, Toxic), Mel House (writer/director of Walking Distance, Possum Walk), Paul Damon (Walking Distance), Joe Grisaffi (Zombiefied, Walking Distance, Pirates of the Caribbean), Tyler Tackett (Possum Walk), Keli Wolfe (Possum Walk), and Renfield's screenwriter Phil Nichols (Powder, Walking Distance, Boggy Creek, S.I.C.K.: Serial Insane Clown Killer).

Creature and make-up FX will be handled by Phil Nichols and Facades FX (Boggy Creek, Walking Distance, Ace Ventura II, Powder, Jason's Lyric,...