News

July 14th may not have a lot of genre-related titles arriving on DVD and Blu-ray, but the films making their home entertainment debuts this week are a rather stellar bunch nonetheless. For anyone who may have missed two of the best indie films this year in theaters—Ex Machina and It Follows—you’ll have a chance to catch up with both this coming Tuesday.

Scream Factory is also keeping busy this week with their high-def release of Philippe Mora’s cult classic, Howling II: Your Sister is a Werewolf, and they also have two double feature Blu-rays coming out as well. Severin Films has put together an extensive special edition release of the recent documentary Lost Soul, which follows the troubled production of Richard Stanley’s Island of Doctor Moreau and looks pretty incredible and for all you X-Men fans out there, the Rogue Cut version of Days...

A tense trailer for a post-apocalyptic thriller, variant cover art for The Walking Dead #1 featuring Michonne and her pets, and Blu-ray / DVD release details for Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley’s Island of Dr. Moreau comprise this round-up.

Z for Zachariah: Directed by Craig Zobel from Nissar Modi's screenplay that's based on the 1974 novel by Robert C. O’Brien, Z for Zachariah stars Margot Robbie, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Chris Pine. The film is slated for a limited theatrical release from Roadside Attractions beginning August 21st.

Synopsis (via Collider): "In the wake of a nuclear war, a young woman survives on her own, fearing she may actually be the proverbial last woman on earth, until she discovers the most astonishing sight of her life: another human being. A distraught scientist, he’s nearly been driven mad by radiation exposure and his desperate search for others.

Earlier this month we told you about Plague World, Chapter 3 in Dana Fredsti's Ashley Parker Trilogy, and with the book hitting stores and online outlets Tuesday, August 26th, we're back with an exclusive excerpt as promised.

Plague World, from Titan Books, is the conclusion of the zombie apocalypse series begun by Fredsti in Plague Town and continued in Plague Nation. In this final chapter the zombie plague has gone airborne, and the conspiracy that began it all reaches the boiling point.

Click Here to download a Pdf of our exclusive excerpt from Plague World.

Synopsis:

Having been ambushed in San Francisco, which is now fully engulfed in the zombie plague, Ashley and the wild cards must pursue the enemy to San Diego. There they will discover a splinter of their own organization, the Dolofónoi tou Zontanoús Nekroús, which seeks to weaponize the plague.

But that isn't the worst news.

After being introduced to Dana Fredsti’s take on the zombie apocalypse last year in the form of Plague Town and Plague Nation (read my review here), I’ve been looking forward to the concluding part of the trilogy and I’m happy to report that I haven’t been disappointed.

Picking up right where Plague Nation left off, our heroine Ashley Parker is plunged straight into a battle with the undead, Fredsti launching into her trademark breakneck pace that doesn’t let up until the end of the book. As the title suggests, the zombie plague has progressed from its initial outbreak in Redwood Grove (a la Racoon City), via the whole of America, and now to the rest of the world, having finally gone airborne.

Ashley’s story is focused on San Francisco, where she and the rest of her Wild Card team – people who have survived zombie...

Plague World, the conclusion of the zombie apocalypse trilogy begun by author Dana Fredsti in Plague Town and continued in Plague Nation, arrives online and in stores on August 26th from Titan Books.

In this final chapter of Fredsti's Ashley Parker series, the zombie plague has gone airborne, and the conspiracy that began it all reaches the boiling point.

Check out the book's cover art and synopsis below, and look for an exclusive excerpt soon!

Synopsis:

Having been ambushed in San Francisco, which is now fully engulfed in the zombie plague, Ashley and the wild cards must pursue the enemy to San Diego. There they will discover a splinter of their own organization, the Dolofónoi tou Zontanoús Nekroús, which seeks to weaponize the plague.

But that isn't the worst news. The plague has gone airborne, making it transferable without physical contract. It cannot be controlled by anyone so reports of...

That's right, Dreadies! It's time for you to stare your fears right in the face... well... not really! But you can take a few seconds to stare at these new stills from the upcoming indie fright-fest known as Phobia. Don't be a pussy! Check 'em out!

From the Press Release

Ruthless Pictures has picked up North American rights to the psychological thriller Phobia, written by Matthew Barnes and Rory Abel, produced by Elias (Gut) and Mike Aransky (London Betty), and directed by Rory Abel.

The film follows an agoraphobic man trapped in his own home and plagued by a malevolent spirit.

"We wanted to take the traditional haunted house scenario and approach it from a different perspective," said director Abel.

Ruthless Pictures CEO Jesse Baget commented on the acquisition, “Rory and his team made a gripping psychological thriller that had me at the edge of my seat. I’m excited...

As regular Shadowlocked readers will know I’m a major fan of all things zombie, and have watched, read, played and written about more z-related things than is possible healthy for one person, but like the walking dead themselves, I’m always hungry for more.

In terms of zombie literature, I think it’s fair to say that the shelves are positively groaning with hordes of undead adventures, and that for every masterpiece like Max Brooks’s World War Z, Brian Keene’s The Rising, David Wellington’s Monster trilogy or David Moody’s Autumn series there are a horde of pale imitations that leave a taste in the mouth not unlike Boomer bile.

Thankfully Dana Fredsti’s Plague Nation is way up the z-scale in terms of enjoyment and is a welcome addition to the party. Upon receiving Plague Nation and its predecessor Plague Town I was initially fearful...

In 1991, Dana Fredsti was sword-fighting for Sam Raimi. She’d fallen in love with zombies long before then, but with the production of Army of Darkness, she had an opportunity to step into the demon-infested skin of their close cousins. She was a Deadite, and her only goal was to kill Bruce Campbell. Of course she was also an assistant armorer, but that thing about taking down the guy with the chainsaw arm was her main focus. And with a little inspiration from a stop-motion legend, she even had the Deadite walk down to a bone-shuffling art. Now she’s fallen back into the rotting arms of her first love, writing the Ashley Parker novels that set a very skilled young woman against the brain-munching hordes. Fredsti took some time out to talk with us about how the popular book series came to life, to recommend some Zombie reading/viewing, and...

Zombies are all the rage! In this over saturated market of zombie movies, comics and TV shows – why not books too? Well Plague Nation is there to fill this void. Plague Nation is the sequel to Plague Town written by Dana Fredsti – both books released by our friends over at Titan Books. The Plague series follows the sassy Ashley Parker as she battles the undead with friends, her love interest Gabriel, and a sassy attitude.

While Plague Town centered around Ashley and her friends affectionately dubbed as ‘wildcards’ containing the zombie plague in the small town of Redwood Grove – Plague Nation takes it .. national! The stakes are bigger, the danger is more real, and the angst is palpable.

My initial thought when reading this series was that it was the Twilight of zombie books. While far more violent than Twilight, it still has a very easy writing style seemingly directed at a teenage audience.

Plague Nation is Dana Fredsti’s sequel to the zombie novel Plague Town, and continues to follow Ashley Parker fighting the zombie threat. The book is now available in the Us, and will be available in the UK next week, and we’ve been provided with an exclusive excerpt to share with Daily Dead readers.

Synopsis: “The undead have been defeated in Redwood Grove, CA, but reports of similar outbreaks are coming in. What seemed to be an isolated event is turning into a pandemic. The last thing Ashley Parker wanted when she went to college was to join the military, but she is one of a select few who are immune to the virus. Gifted with enhanced speed, strength, and senses, she’s recruited by a shadowy international organization that’s existed for centuries, its sole purpose to combat the zombie threat.

Dark secrets begin to emerge, and when an unknown enemy strikes,...

Titan Books has just released Plague Nation where fans will be immersed into an action-packed adventure through hordes of undead with our zombie hunter Ashley Parker. We recently set down with author Dana Fredsti to discuss the undead chaos ahead in her latest novel.

Amanda Dyar: Tell us a little bit about Plague Nation (the thrilling sequel to Plague Town) and what were your inspirations for it. Why did you choose to write from the zombie standpoint?

Dana Fredsti: First off, I like the use of the word "thrilling" there. Thank you!

Plague Nation picks up where Plague Town left off. Allow me to cheat and use the copy written by the lovely folks at Titan:

The undead have been defeated in Redwood Grove, CA, but reports of similar outbreaks are coming in. What seemed to be an isolated event is turning into a pandemic. The last thing...

Win a free e-copy of Where The Dead Fear To Tread, a novel that’s been called;

“…frantic, horrific, brutal, and without doubt the darkest thing I have read in years. Maybe in my life.” Marc Nocerino of She Never Slept

“The world of William Chandler starts out dark and grim and M.R. Gott is not afraid to make it darker and grimmer with every page.” Dana Fredsti, author of Plague Town

“…a combination old time detective pulp story, a revenge story and a good old fashioned horror story.” Peter Schwotzer of Literary Mayhem

“Where The Dead Fear To Tread is an immensely enjoyable read; jam-packed with great action sequences and wonderfully horrific monsters that will chill you to the bone.” Dark Rivers Press

“It could be a future movie or video game franchise hit that you can brag about having picked up when it was just a humble indie e-book.

"I'm thrilled about this," says Alexander, after hearing Blood For Irina nabbed Best Experimental Feature Film award at the PollyGrind Underground Film Festival in Las Vegas and both Best Medium Length Film and Best Director for Medium Length Film at Buffalo Screams."I made this film early in the year, in five days between producing Fangoria. It's a very personal film and it’s a thrill to know people are responding to it."

The film will screen at both the Razor Reel Fantastic Film Festival in Bruges, Belgium on November 2nd and the Horrible Imaginings Film Festival in San Diego November 10. It sees Shauna Henry in a haunting performance as Irina, a dying vampire spending her last days in a rundown waterfront motel. Drifting around her, are the motel manager (David Goodfellow) and a downtrodden prostitute (Carrie Gemmell) whose plight may be even more desperate than Irina's. Written, directed, shot,...

"I'm thrilled about this," says Alexander, after hearing Blood For Irina nabbed Best Experimental Feature Film award at the PollyGrind Underground Film Festival in Las Vegas and both Best Medium Length Film and Best Director for Medium Length Film at Buffalo Screams."I made this film early in the year, in five days between producing Fangoria. It's a very personal film and it’s a thrill to know people are responding to it."

The film will screen at both the Razor Reel Fantastic Film Festival in Bruges, Belgium on November 2nd and the Horrible Imaginings Film Festival in San Diego November 10. It sees Shauna Henry in a haunting performance as Irina, a dying vampire spending her last days in a rundown waterfront motel. Drifting around her, are the motel manager (David Goodfellow) and a downtrodden prostitute (Carrie Gemmell) whose plight may be even more desperate than Irina's. Written, directed, shot,...

"I'm thrilled about this," says Alexander, after hearing Blood For Irina nabbed Best Experimental Feature Film award at the PollyGrind Underground Film Festival in Las Vegas and both Best Medium Length Film and Best Director for Medium Length Film at Buffalo Screams."I made this film early in the year, in five days between producing Fangoria. It's a very personal film and it’s a thrill to know people are responding to it."

The film will screen at both the Razor Reel Fantastic Film Festival in Bruges, Belgium on November 2nd and the Horrible Imaginings Film Festival in San Diego November 10. It sees Shauna Henry in a haunting performance as Irina, a dying vampire spending her last days in a rundown waterfront motel. Drifting around her, are the motel manager (David Goodfellow) and a downtrodden prostitute (Carrie Gemmell) whose plight may be even more desperate than Irina's. Written, directed, shot,...

Continuing our coverage of the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con comes the programming for Thursday. For the full run down, go to the con’s website. Thursday is the first full day of the Comic-Con and is filled with awesome panels about zombies, monsters, The Walking Dead, Dexter, The Hobbit and others. Including our very own panel at 7:30 Pm in 24Abc in Hall H. We hope to see you there.

For the events that cater more to the sensibilities of FM, check the highlights below:

10:00-11:00 The Witty Women of Steampunk— The Victorian era was one marked by constraints on behavior, morals and bosoms. When you add a bit of sci-fi to the mix, however, those corset laces begin to loosen. The steampunk genre has allowed a new wave of female creators and personalities to explore how liberating, sexy, and adventurous the age of steam can be. Robin Blackburn...

Comic-Con 2012 is so close we can taste it! The epically badass geek convention is set to invade San Diego from July 11th to July 15th, and we can't wait to get over there and get crazy!

Comic-Con International has released the full schedules for Wednesday July 11th and Thursday July 12th, and there's a ton of stuff going on! It's going to kick off with a great first couple of days that will give you plenty of stuff to do! Wednesday looks like it's going to be an awesome day of pilot screens and Thursday has got stuff like Twilight... (fart) and Disney will be holding their big panel, along with a ton of other great stuff to check out!

I've gone through the schedule and put a *** next to all the event's we hope to be able to cover. If there's anything on the list you would like information on please let us know,...

The schedules for the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con Preview Night and Day 1 (July 11 and July 12) are now live, and we have the horror highlights for you here (along with a few panels of general interest). As always, though, be sure to check the official Sdcc site for updates!

We also recommend downloading the Sdcc app if you have a smart phone.

Preview Night - Wednesday, July 11

6:00-9:45 Special Sneak Peek Pilot Screenings— Comic-Con and Warner Bros. Television proudly continue their annual Preview Night tradition, with exclusive world premiere screenings of the pilot episodes of five of the most highly anticipated TV series pilots of the 2012–13 television season: 666 Park Avenue, Arrow, The Following, Revolution and Cult. More info can be found here. Ballroom 20

Day 1 - Thursday, July 12

10:00-11:00 The Witty Women of Steampunk— The Victorian era was one marked by constraints on behavior, morals and bosoms. When you...

Dana Fredsti is a writer and an actress with a background in theatrical sword-fighting. She has appeared in Army of Darkness and her love of zombies has resulted in Plague Town, a zombie novel that was released earlier this month. We recently had a chance to ask her some questions, and learned more about the inspiration for the novel, working on Army of Darkness, and who she’d want on her zombie survival team.

Dana and Titan Books are also giving readers a chance to participate in the Plague Town Pandemic Tour, where the winner will receive a signed copy of the book and will have a character named after them in the next novel in the series:

“Plague Town Pandemic Tour: Stop 6 - A zombie virus of guest articles, Q&As and excerpts from new urban fantasy novel, Plague Town, will be infecting websites, blogs and social media accounts...

It made the festival rounds in 2011; now The Theatre Bizarre is getting its due on VOD and DVD. The anthology film that touches on love, sex, addiction, and brutality features segments directed by horror luminaries Richard Stanley (Hardware), Buddy Giovinazzo (No Way Home), Tom Savini (Night of the Living Dead ), Douglas Buck (Sisters), Karim Hussain (Ascension), David Gregory (Plague Town) and Jeremy Kasten (The Wizard of Gore). Hit the jump for more. The Theatre Bizarre is available right now on VOD, with a DVD to follow on April 24th. Official synopsis: Down a seedy city street, a young woman is obsessed with what appears to be a long abandoned theatre. One night, she sees the front door...

Image Entertainment presents a horror anthology like no other with its release of The Theatre Bizarre. The film was directed by seven veterans of the horror genre including Richard Stanley (Hardware), Buddy Giovinazzo (No Way Home), Tom Savini (Night of the Living Dead (1990)), Douglas Buck (Sisters), Karim Hussain (Ascension), David Gregory (Plague Town) and Jeremy Kasten (The Wizard of Gore (2007)). This boundary-pushing film featuring stories of ancient evil, love, obsession, addiction, gluttony, sexual nightmares, pain, brutality and of course, death, is now available On Demand with cable and satellite providers, and will be available on DVD April 24, 2012. "Down a seedy city street, a young woman is obsessed with what appears to be a long abandoned theatre. One night, she sees the front door slightly ajar and impulsively decides to sneak inside. But there in the vast, eerie auditorium, a show unlike any other unfolds before her eyes. Its host is...

Image Entertainment announced today that they will be bringing the lunacy that is The Theatre Bizarre home to the masses, and we've got the scoop on what to expect once it arrives. Dig it!

From the Press Release

Image Entertainment presents a horror anthology like no other with its release of The Theatre Bizarre. The film was directed by seven veterans of the horror genre including Richard Stanley (Hardware), Buddy Giovinazzo (No Way Home), Tom Savini (Night of the Living Dead (1990)), Douglas Buck (Sisters), Karim Hussain (Ascension), David Gregory (Plague Town) and Jeremy Kasten (The Wizard of Gore (2007)).

This boundary-pushing film featuring stories of ancient evil, love, obsession, addiction, gluttony, sexual nightmares, pain, brutality and of course, death, is now available On Demand with cable and satellite providers, and will be available on DVD April 24, 2012.

Down a seedy city street, a young woman is obsessed with what appears to be a long abandoned theatre.

Image Entertainment has announced that the horror anthology, The Theatre Bizarre, is heading to DVD on April 24th.

The film was directed by seven veterans of the horror genre including Richard Stanley (Hardware), Buddy Giovinazzo (No Way Home), Tom Savini (Night of the Living Dead (1990)), Douglas Buck (Sisters), Karim Hussain (Ascension), David Gregory (Plague Town) and Jeremy Kasten (The Wizard of Gore (2007)). This boundary-pushing film featuring stories of ancient evil, love, obsession, addiction, gluttony, sexual nightmares, pain, brutality and of course, death, is already available On Demand with cable and satellite providers.

Read more...

Image Entertainment has announced that The Theatre Bizarre is now available on VOD and will be released to DVD later this month:

“Chatsworth, CA – Image Entertainment presents a horror anthology like no other with its release of The Theatre Bizarre. The film was directed by seven veterans of the horror genre including Richard Stanley (Hardware), Buddy Giovinazzo (No Way Home), Tom Savini (Night of the Living Dead (1990)), Douglas Buck (Sisters), Karim Hussain (Ascension), David Gregory (Plague Town) and Jeremy Kasten (The Wizard of Gore (2007)). This boundary-pushing film featuring stories of ancient evil, love, obsession, addiction, gluttony, sexual nightmares, pain, brutality and of course, death, is now available On Demand with cable and satellite providers, and will be available on DVD April 24, 2012.

Down a seedy city street, a young woman is obsessed with what appears to be a long abandoned theatre. One night, she sees the front door slightly ajar and impulsively decides to sneak inside.

Dana Fredsti is writer and an actress with a background in theatrical sword-fighting. She has appeared in Army of Darkness and her love of the undead has resulted in Plague Town, a zombie novel that will be published this month.

We found out that she was interested in writing an article for Daily Dead and thought it would be interesting for aspiring writers. Continue reading to learn about how she got started writing zombie stories, how her stories have changed, and why there is still plenty of room for new zombie fiction:

“One of the questions I get asked a lot in reference to Plague Town is why I chose to write about zombies, especially when the market is so apparently glutted with books and anthologies on the subject. Haven’t zombies jumped the shark?

For those of us in love with stories and movies about flesh-eating walking dead, there...

It's been a long road getting the controversial little film The Bunny Game domestic distribution, but finally a light is showing at the end of the tunnel. Read on for all the details and a new still from the flick.

From the Press Release:

Producer Derek Curl (Tla Releasing/ The Innkeepers, Stake Land) announces the launch of the new label, Autonomy Pictures, a filmmaker-driven company dedicated to producing and distributing boundary-pushing, uncompromising cinema on a worldwide scale. The company, spearheaded by Curl, David Gregory (Severin Films/ Plague Town, The Theatre Bizarre), and Lewis Tice (Danger After Dark), has acquired all U.S. rights to Adam Rehmeier¹s The Bunny Game, a shockingly explicit cinematic experience about the abduction of a prostitute and the terror she is subjected to at the hands of her captive. Featuring a fearless performance by actress Rodleen Getsic, who also co-wrote the film with Rehmeir based on her own experiences,...

Some really eye catching new artwork for The Theatre Bizarre was on display at this year's Afm, and of course we have every pixel of it here just awaiting your peepers!

One of the most hotly anticipated genre films of 2011, Theater showcases the combined talents of some of the world's most exciting and iconoclastic fantastic film figures: Richard Stanley (Hardware, Dust Devil), Karim Hussain (Subconcious Cruelty, cinematographer of Hobo With a Shotgun), Douglas Buck (Sisters, Cutting Moments), Buddy Giovinazzo (Combat Shock), David Gregory (Plague Town, founder of the Severin video label) and Tom Savini (legendary FX artist – Creepshow, Dawn of the Dead, Friday the 13th and countless others, director of the 1990 Night of the Living Dead remake and actor in such films as From Dusk Till Dawn and Machete).

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Showing at this years London Film4 Frightfest, The Theatre Bizarre is an anthology film directed by six of the most varied film makers working in genre cinema today – Douglas Buck, Buddy Giovinazzo, David Gregory, Karim Hussain, Tom Savini and Richard Stanley, who makes his welcome return to the horror genre after Eighteen years away…

The Theatre Bizarre is a modern horror anthology inspired by the over-the-top shocks of Paris’ early 20th century ‘Theatre du Grand Guignol’. The feature will be comprised of six films by six cutting-edge genre directors enlisted from around the world and granted total creative freedom. The Theater Bizarre is executive produced by Daryl J. Tucker and produced by Severin’s Carl Daft, David Gregory and John Cregan, Metaluna’s Fabrice Lambot, and Michael Ruggiero of Nightscape Entertainment.

The project’s six filmmakers have all made at least one modestly budgeted and internationally acclaimed movie in the horror field.

Welcome folks! Kids of all ages step right up and witness scenes of unspeakable cruelty! This vaudeville themed trailer for the upcoming horror anthology film The Theatere Bizarre, looks like a three-ring circus from hell. If Udo Kier doesn’t creep you out in this exciting new trailer, maybe some of the other scenes of violence and torture will directed by such horror greats as Tom Savini (the 1990 Night of The Living Dead remake) , Douglas Buck (Sisters), Buddy Giovinazzo (Combat Shock), David Gregory (Plague Town), Karim Hussain (Subconscious Cruelty), Jeremy Kasten & Richard Stanley (Hardware, Dust Devil). The 2011 Fantasia Film Festival will premiere the film in Montreal on July 16. If you can’t make it to Montreal, at least you can get a peak at the coming attraction after the break.

Severin Films is releasing The Theatre Bizarre. No word yet on when it will be released for our viewing pleasure.

by Michael Pickle, MoreHorror.com

My next installment of Hidden Horror Gems is the ultra-creepy, low-budget, inventive and visual horror shocker from first time director David Gregory. Plague Town, from Dark Sky Films, is one of my favorite and most watched horror films in recent years for many reasons.

A healthy balance of gothic atmosphere, well structured, original and fresh musical score, well crafted and striking shots, great special effects and naturally effective sound effects make for a pitch perfect bombardment of the senses. The best you are likely to see on such a meager budget.

Plague Town is set up perfectly by an opening scene in which a priest comes to a modest cottage to deliver a baby and tries to shoot it when it comes out deformed. In present day; a family, who immediately appears dysfunctional, are vacationing in Ireland and get dropped off in the middle of...

The omnibus chiller The Theatre Bizarre has its first trailer and it’s all kind of sickness. Thanks to Dread Central!

The project’s six filmmakers have all made at least one modestly budgeted and internationally acclaimed movie in the horror field. The films of Douglas Buck include the 2003 Sitges sensation Family Portraits: A Trilogy Of America and the recent remake of Brian DePalma’s Sisters. Buddy Giovinazzo exploded onto the genre scene with 1986′s Combat Shock and went on to write and direct such features as the Tim Roth-starrer No Way Home and last year’s acclaimed ensemble drama Life Is Hot In Cracktown (adapted from his novel), as well as numerous works for German television. UK native David Gregory is the industry’s foremost documentarian of horror films on DVD, and his 2008 feature debut Plague Town was hailed as “a nightmare captured on celluloid” by Fangoria. In...

I just came back from the Fantasia Film festival press conference and I am already overwhelmed. I’ve been looking over the schedule all afternoon (which includes around 126 films in just over three weeks) trying to figure out how to find time to watch everything I want to see. One of this year’s most anticipated films is a horror anthology titled The Theatre Bizarre featuring cult icon Udo Kier (Blood for Dracula, Melancholia) with film segments directed by Richard Stanley (Hardware, Dust Devil), Tom Savini (Night of the Living Dead remake), Buddy Gionvinazzo (Life is Hot In Cracktown), Douglas Buck (Sisters remake), Karim Hussain (Subconscious Cruelty), David Gregory (Plague Town), and Jeremy Kasten (Wizard of Gore remake). The film will have its World Premiere at the 2011 Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal on July 16th at 9:20pm, and you can be guaranteed we will be reviewing it. Severin Films...

Playing at both the upcoming Fantasia Film Festival and the Film4 FrightFest is Severin's new horror anthology The Theater Bizarre! On the subject of Canadas esteemed horror film culture, Fantasia will be the site of the world premiere of the partially-made-in-Quebec (as well as the USA, the UK, Germany and France) anthology film, The Theatre Bizarre (read our set visit). One of the most hotly anticipated genre films of 2011, Theater showcases the combined talents of some of the world's most exciting and iconoclastic fantastic film figures: Richard Stanley (Hardware, Dust Devil), Karim Hussain (Subconcious Cruelty, cinematographer of Hobo With a Shotgun), Douglas Buck (Sisters, Cutting Moments), Buddy Giovinazzo (Combat Shock), David Gregory (Plague Town, founder of the Severin video label) and Tom Savini (legendary FX artist Creepshow, Dawn of the Dead, Friday the 13th and countless others, director of the 1990...

Who's ready to get dirty with some gory new stills for the next anthology film to come our way that's making its world premiere at this year's Fantasia Film Festival? Yeah, we thought you would be. Read on for the goods!

The Theatre Bizarre is a modern horror anthology inspired by the over-the-top shocks of Paris' early 20th century 'Theatre du Grand Guignol'. The feature will be comprised of six films by six cutting-edge genre directors enlisted from around the world and granted total creative freedom. The Theater Bizarre is executive produced by Daryl J. Tucker and produced by Severin's Carl Daft, David Gregory and John Cregan, Metaluna's Fabrice Lambot, and Michael Ruggiero of Nightscape Entertainment.

The project's six filmmakers have all made at least one modestly budgeted and internationally acclaimed movie in the horror field. The films of Douglas Buck include the 2003 Sitges sensation Family Portraits: A Trilogy Of America...

Montreal's Fantasia International Film Festival, which will be held from July 14 to August 7, will kick off with Kevin Smith's Red State.

Fantasia also made the first announcement about the films that will be part of this 15th edition's line-up.

People can see the anthology film Theatre Bizarre. This coproduction between Canada, France, Germany, the UK, the USA reunites Richard Stanley (Hardware), Karim Hussain (La belle bête), Douglas Buck (Cutting Moments), Buddy Giovinazzo (Life Is Hot in Cracktown), David Gregory (Plague Town) and Tom Savini, as directors.

The festival will also hold the world premier of The Wicker Tree, from Robin Hardy. Moreover, a book launch is also expected because The Wicker Tree is based on the novel Cowboys for Christ, by Hardy.

As for a Canadian premiere, Ryoo Seung-wan's The Unjust will be screened. Besides, Ryoo will be invited by the festival's organizers to teach choreography for action films.

Charles Band, the man behind the prolific B-movie machine Full Moon Entertainment (which over the years has churned out scores of genre features including the Puppetmaster, Subspecies, Trancers and Demonic Toys franchises, among dozens of others) is set to roll next week on the feature Killer Eye 2: Halloween Haunt. Read on for a synopsis, casting news and more!

Scheduled to shoot in Los Angeles, Killer Eye 2: Halloween Haunt will serve as a sequel to the Band-produced, David DeCoteau-directed 1999 film The Killer Eye. Written by August White and Kent Roudebush from a story by Charles Band, the film’s photography will be handled by Tom Calloway and Terrance Ryker is handling the splatter, as well as the delivery of the “replica-sized, horny monster that terrorizes a fun group of hot chicks, as they set up a Halloween haunt in an old mansion” (according to the flick’s official...

Shooting wrapped yesterday on a new anthology film with some heavy genre names to its credit. The film is being co-produced by Severin Films. No word yet on a release date.

Severin Films and France’s Metaluna Productions today announced their international co-production of The Theatre Bizarre, a modern horror anthology inspired by the over-the-top shocks of Paris’ early 20th century ‘Theatre du Grand Guignol’. The feature will be comprised of six films by six cutting-edge genre directors enlisted from around the world and granted total creative freedom. The Theater Bizarre is executive produced by Daryl J. Tucker, and produced by Severin’s Carl Daft, David Gregory and John Cregan, Metaluna’s Fabrice Lambot, and Michael Ruggiero of Nightscape Entertainment. Production on Richard Stanley’s (Hardware) segment ‘The Mother Of Toads’ began 10/10/10 in Montségur in the French Pyrenees.

The project’s six filmmakers have all made at least one modestly...

Erica Rhodes is an actress who caught my attention where else, on Facebook of course and there was that cool horror movie Plague Town that I listed in my “obscure horror movies” must see article back last Halloween! She’s acted in comedy and horror and is also involved in several hit web series. We cover everything I could think of for the first go-around, from her weird hobbies to, playing the cello, to all of her impressive acting gigs. Check out my latest Versus with my newest crush, actress Erica Rhodes.

Brian S- First off, tell me how you got into acting?

Erica Rhodes- I have been acting since I was 5 years old. My Mom was constantly being told by strangers that she should get me into acting, that I reminded them of a young Drew Barrymore. So, she got me an agent in Boston. I remember my...

When the Fantasia International Film Festival returns to set Montreal ablaze this summer, the fantastic film festival – one of the largest and most influential of its kind in the world – will be celebrating its 15th anniversary with an astonishing three-week showcase of international genre cinema, from July 14th to August 7th, 2011.

The full line-up of over 120 feature films from across the world will be announced in another few weeks. But for now, Fantasia is proud to reveal several juicy teases, each related to the country it calls home.

2011 Artwork:

For the festival’s 2011 edition, a painting by esteemed Montreal artist Donald Caron was commissioned. As of this year, the festival will be calling its main jury award “Le Cheval Noir”, and it was desired that the event’s 15th-anniversary artwork would depict this in an imaginative way.

The poster art and award moniker are a nod to a wonderfully fantastical...

If you're a fan of horror anthologies you may be interested in checking out an upcoming film entitled Theatre Bizarre, which features several short films all revolving around the concept of "Grand Guignol". Rather unique for an anthology is that each segment is being helmed by a different director, with those taking part including old-school names like f/x master Tom Savini (Night of the Living Dead remake), Richard Stanley (Hardware), Buddy Giovanizzo (Combat Shock), Severin Films topper David Gregory (Plague Town), Doug Buck (Sisters remake), Karim Hussain (Ascension) and Jeremy Kasten (The Wizard of Gore remake), who was responsible for the "wraparound" story tying the other six segments together. B-d's Chris Eggertsen recently stopped by the Los Angeles set to take a gander at Gregory's segment entitled "Sweets", starring actress Lindsay Goranson (Plague Town)...

In early 2009, Severin's Evan Husney came across a very strange sight while checking out the scene at the Sundance Film Festival.  It was a mini-van adorned with numerous promotional flyers and a fake bird fake attacking from the hood.  Turns out, the driver was the creator of a film called Birdemic: Shock and Terror, which is, by any standard metric, a very bad film.  However, Evan saw something in the passion of the filmmaker and his film and convinced his partners to take a look.  This chance encounter led to several firsts for Severin Films.  Birdemic: Shock and Terror became Severin's first contemporary acquisition, it also became the first film that they decided to release theatrically.  Contrary to all logic, Birdemic has taken off, no pun intended, and the story isn't over yet.

It takes a company with big league cajones to step up to the plate with Birdemic and...

When I first got into collecting movies part of my obsession was all of those great extra features that would give me a behind the scenes look into a film and its creation.  It never really crossed my mind that someone had to put those together.  Someone does.  A lot of people do.  In fact, it is a nice little cottage industry.  There are several companies dedicated solely to creating extra features for DVD and Blu-ray releases.  One of these companies started out as Blue Underground in the UK many years ago with Carl Daft and David Gregory.  Daft and Gregory were middle school friends with a passion for films.  While they were working on Jim Van Bebber's The Manson Family in Los Angeles, they hooked up with John Cregan and started working together as Severin Films in 2006.  In 2009, Evan Husney came on the scene, allegedly as the result...

A new anthology is on its way that's attracting not only a lot of indie talent but also a segment from none other than Richard Stanley (Hardware) and Tom Savini. Interested? We thought you would be. Dig on the details and early artwork.

From the Press Release

Severin Films and France's Metaluna Productions today announced their international co-production of The Theatre Bizarre, a modern horror anthology inspired by the over-the-top shocks of Paris' early 20th century 'Theatre du Grand Guignol'. The feature will be comprised of six films by six cutting-edge genre directors enlisted from around the world and granted total creative freedom. The Theater Bizarre is executive produced by Daryl J. Tucker, and produced by Severin's Carl Daft, David Gregory and John Cregan, Metaluna's Fabrice Lambot, and Michael Ruggiero of Nightscape Entertainment. Production on Richard Stanley's (Hardware) segment 'The Mother Of Toads' began 10/10/10 in Montségur in the French Pyrenees.

We just received word that Severin Films has announced an awesome co-production with French outfit Metaluna: a feature-length horror anthology based on the French Theatre du Grand Guignol.  Titled The Theatre Bizarre, six filmmakers are given identical budgets, the same delivery date, and total creative freedom.  Their only stipulation is that their short must in some way be inspired by the term "Grand Guignol."  So who has been tapped for the six segments? Directors recruited for the project include Douglas Buck (Family Portraits: A Trilogy of America, Sisters); Buddy Giovinazzo (Combat Shock); David Gregory (Plague Town); Karim Hussain (La Belle Bete); Richard Stanley (Hardware); and genre god Tom...

Apparently not simply content with just providing genre fans with an endless stream of cult classics remastered and packed with extras in new DVD and Blu-ray packages, Severin Films announced today a partnership with Metaluna Productions to produce a horror anthology film. The stories will draw inspiration from ‘Theatre du Grand Guignol’, a Paris theater that specialized in graphic horror shows. What is even more exciting than the prospect of a new serious horror anthology is the talent behind the segments, particularly ones directed by horror effects legend Tom Savini and woefully under-appreciated and underutilized director Richard Stanley (Hardware, Dust Devil). Rounding out the list of directors attached is Douglas Buck (Family Portraits: A Trilogy Of America), Buddy Giovinazzo (Combat Shock), David Gregory (Plague Town) and Karim Hussain (Subconscious Cruelty).

Read more on Severin & Metaluna to co-produce anthology horror The Theatre Bizarre, Tom Savini & Richard Stanley amongst directors…...

Ok my peeps, we are in my favorite season of the year, the month of Halloween and Yes I said that right! Being the horror movie fan that I am I get to watch some DVD's and Blu-ray's that sometimes might miss some of the horror fans out there so these picks this month will be nothing but obscure horror movies I have picked out for you to go rent (Yes Netflix has them!) or you buy right here because we rock like that! We'll post 5 movies for you each week. Happy month of Halloween and here we go!

1. Plague Town- I love this movie, it's one of my newer go-to-horror flicks! The story is fun and the creepy factor is at a high level!

Plot:

Rosemary is not like other children...

Fangoria calls it A boundary-pushing, taboo-breaking experience. Av Maniacs says it embodies the spirit and atmosphere of...

Mosaïques Festival Of World Culture, London

World cinema festivals might be more common these days, but this one shows you the parts of the globe British festivals don't reach, ie: the French post-colonial landscape. There's quality cinema here from north and west Africa, south-east Asia and the Middle East, much of it produced with French support. Whisper With The Wind is set in Iraq, mind you, and deals with a clandestine radio messenger, while Brazil's The Famous And The Dead is a dreamy Bob Dylan-themed thriller. Closer to home there's London River, in which Brenda Blethyn and Malian actor Sotigui Kouyaté play parents brought together by the 7/7 bombings.

Ciné Lumière, SW7, Thu to 12 Jun, visit institut-francais.org.uk

Science On Film, London

Which would you rather watch, Craig Venter in a lab coat spending 10 years creating the world's first synthetic life form, or James Whale's crazed Dr Frankenstein screaming,...

Note: This Will Be Posted At The Top Of Our Headlines Throughout The Weekend! Happy Shopping! With the holiday shopping season officially upon us, I figured it might be a good idea to start making some recommendations for the lucky horror-loving folks on your lists!

Blu-ray players once again are going to be pretty hot items this year, but what of the movies available for them? If you already own the DVD of your favorite flick, is there a need to replace it with a Blu-ray? I'm here to answer all of your questions in the second annual ...

Before we get into my picks, let's take a second to explain how I rated them. They're broken down into three categories:

Can't Miss -- Must Haves: These are the cream of the crop! The purchases that are guaranteed to bring a smile to someone's face. Items no one with the tech should be without.

Touted as the UK’s answer to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Gnaw (just out on U.S. DVD from Dark Sky) shares many elements with its illustrious predecessor. Both feature a group of attractive teens intent on a relaxing vacation in the country. Both contain the horror-staple image of a girl running down a road with her attacker in hot pursuit. Both films’ villains are cannibalistic in nature. But while Gnaw works to follow these established rules, it also deviates frequently from the well-traveled path of its subgenre.

The setup is rather conventional: Six friends travel deep into the country for a little R&R, only to find themselves stalked by a lumbering, ominously large pitchfork-wielding maniac (Gary Faulkner). As if a Breakfast Club reunion were taking place, all stereotypes are present, with each actor playing their part to a T. We have the overbearing ice queen (Rachel Mitchem), the...

In Paul Morrissey’s eccentric and utterly unhinged 1974 Eurotrash classic Blood For Dracula (often erroneously credited as the brainchild NYC art guru Andy Warhol), the opening imagery of Dracula (played by iconic German weirdo Udo Kier) painting his face kabuki white has always haunted me. The sequence is the spine and soul of the picture, showing the good Count as a tired, lonely showman who has long been forgotten by time and by the audience he once terrified.

And as eerily gorgeous as that bit of credit crawling business is, it’s the delicate piano waltz playing in the background that truly sells it.

Like Morrissey’s 3D companion film Flesh For Frankenstein the music for Blood was composed by Italian musician Claudio Gizzi. It’s orchestral, elegant, full of melancholy mourning and sadness. And truthfully it’s that dichotomy between the excessive gore, sex and general insanity on screen with Gizzi’s sophisticated,...