SPILLS, THRILLS AND CHILLS DEPT
.Major applause to Mike T. Lyddon for his dedication to the fine of art of giving us goosebumps. Released in October 2013, his new DVD HORROR ANTHOLOGY MOVIE Vol.1 offers the hungry horror film fan six short slices of cinema that will give your nightmares bad dreams. Mike wrote and directed three of the shorts while King Jeff, Karl DeMolay and Will Frank provide the three remaining gruesome nuggets of celluloid. In Mike's first offering THE CORDYCEPS PRINCIPLE, a thoroughly henpecked husband discovers a fearsome fungi that completely solves his domestic problems. The outstanding make-up effects by Mike, his wife Rubi and Kristal Shannon earned the film a nomination for Best Special Effects at the Macabre Fest in NYC in January 2014. Mike was also nominated for the Best Screenplay award. I watched a nearly finished cut of THING IN THE SHED with Mike last spring and still have haunting memories of that first viewing of the title creature. You'll have a whole new take on social media and your cell phone after checking this little creeper out. Mike's third film (co-scripted by Michael Gosack) FOUND FOOTAGE, ARABI focuses on a visit H.P. Lovecraft made to New Orleans in June 1932 and gives new insight into his masterful stories of ancient demons. Some boxes are best left unopened. Hope for the phallicly challenged is provided by Will Frank's film BLOOD OF A SAINT. Our hero Monty is offered a new lease on his sexual life by Dr. Benweise with an automatic powered penis transplant ("Congratulations–you're a rich white man and you're hung like a mule"). However, this is a Will Frank production so naturally, mayhem ensues. Did I mention the film is cast by puppets and features psychedelic sets courtesy of Dr. Lance Boyle, Pierre Pressure and P-Raw.horror anthology movie Great stuff and a nice bit of comic relief for the anthology. There is something powerful, controlling and extremely disturbing inside the video monitors the host of SECTION 49 is slave to. Directed by Karl DeMolay from a script by Michael Gosack, the set design of this film overwhelmed me. A noirish and unique tale of technology's takeover of a fragile mind. Wrapping up with King Jeff's FIVE MILES STRAIGHT AHEAD, we follow the sorry fate of four World War II soldiers whose scouting mission to wipe out a German squad leads them to something far more terrifying. Visit http://www.horroranthologymovies.com/ for order information and look forward to the second volume in this Reel Progress LLC series which will feature an adaptation of Joe Landsdale's short story BY THE HAIR OF THE HEAD. Meanwhile, check the festival circuit for screenings of individual works from the anthology. THE CORDYCEPS PRINCIPAL won Best Producer and Best Creature Concept at the Zed Fest in L.A. last November while FIVE MILES STRAIGHT AHEAD took 1st place in the Horror/Sci-Fi Short Film category at the Urban Media Makers Festival.
