"The Drift" - theatrical trailer

Checkout the trailer for indie sci-fi horror "The Drift" from Backyard productions (apparently, this was filmed locally to me).

For more info visit the official Website, Facebook and Twitter pages.

88 Films to release "The Pigman Murders"

Stephen Patrick Kenny’s "The Pigman Murders", is coming to UK DVD this September from 88 films.

 

7 friends head to the wilderness of Connemara, Co. Galway for a weekend break to celebrate the first year anniversary of a close friend. First night in they come across a beaten and bloodied male looking for help as he warns them that two masked men attacked him and took his girlfriend. Some of the group head into the wooded area in search as others return to their cars which have disappeared.

 

With no houses for miles and no transport they must walk themselves back but are not alone! All caught on camera “The Pigman Murders” is a intense rollercoaster that will bring documentary style to another level.

 

Mark Hutchinson, Tom Ward, Camille Yourell, Gerard Fallon, Andrew Neenan, Marius Puodziunas, and Eugene Horan star.

 

The film is released to UK DVD 22 Sep and is available to order from Amazon.co.uk

James Cullen Bressack to direct "SQUEAL: Blood Harvest"

The production team of upcoming horror feature, "SQUEAL: Blood Harvest" has officially announced that horror director James Cullen Bressack has officially signed on to direct the psychological horror thriller. “I’m very excited to be a part of this awesome project and to push the envelope to a place it hasn’t been yet.” said Bressack in response to inquiries about his involvement in the much anticipated release.

 

Bressack is known within the indie horror film industry for his work on such films as "13/13/13", "Hate Crime", and "Blood Lake". He first exploded onto the scene at the age of 18 with the success of his first feature "My Pure Joy" and has been generating a considerable amount of buzz ever since.

 

"SQUEAL: Blood Harvest" follows the story of young Maggie Crane and her brother Jake as they attempt to unravel the mystery behind Jack’s recurrent nightmares of squealing pigs. After a move to their Uncle Ollie’s farm, Maggie and her camera further explore the dark and sinister foundation of her brother’s fears to the tune of chilling revelations.

 

The film is currently in preproduction and scheduled for a 2015 release through Dismal Productions in association with MOnsterworks66. The screenplay was written by Michael Hultquist (Arena, Victim) based on an original story concept created by Seth Metoyer (Cell Count, Deadly Punkettes, Ballerina Massacre) and story coordinator Shannon Hilson. Executive Producer Steve Boyle has recently joined the project, and casting is also in progress with Bill Oberst Jr. (Criminal Minds, Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies, Children of Sorrow) set to play the lead role as Uncle Ollie.

 

More details will follow as additional details about the film are released. For more information, be sure to visit the official Facebook and Twitter pages.

 

 

"Blood Widow" comes to US DVD and VOD

One of America's foremost homes for horror, Midnight Releasing has picked up the highly-anticipated fright-flick Blood Widow. The Jeremiah Buckhalt-directed slasher will be available on - among other outlets - Redbox in the US on June 3rd, 2014.

 

A bloody, creepy cocktail that blends the wickedness of A Nightmare on Elm Street with the dark, macabre seasoning of Candyman,  Blood Widow introduces us to horror's next major slasher icon - and she's not going away anytime soon!

 

Danielle Lilley, Brandon Kyle Peters, Christopher de Padua, Jose Miguel Vasquez,  and Kelly Kilgore star in a Jeremiah Buckhalt film.

 

After buying a nice house in the country, Laurie and Hugh, a successful young couple, throw a party for their friends. During the wild night a few friends decide to explore the abandoned and decaying boarding school next door, only to wake an emotionally broken killer: The Blood Widow.

 

Make a date with the Blood Widow at Redbox on June 3rd, 2014 and on DVD at Amazon.com.

View the trailer on YouTube.

 

Leeds Zombie Film Festival - 11th May

The dead will walk Leeds again on Sunday the 11th May at the Cottage Road Cinema in Headingly for the 7th annual Leeds Zombie Film festival.

 

Emmerdale’s Dominic Brunt and Mark Charnock (Paddy and Marlon) will be presenting 12 hours of daftness and friendly zombie japery, with all proceeds going to the WSPA (World Society for the Protection of Animals).

 

Dominic and Mark will give a short intro to each film and explain why it was chosen. The movies will be both old and new, giving fans of zombie culture a chance to see classics from the past on the big screen for the first time and some more recent contributions to the genre that may have passed many fans by.

 

A great night out (but not for the whole family.)
 

Films so far include...

 

The Battery.
Lifeforce.
Stalled.
World War Z (Extended gory version).
Night of the Chicken Dead (errrrmm).
 

...and a load of really really amazing zombie short films from around the world.

 

Please be aware that the Leeds half marathon is taking place during the morning. The roads should be clear by the start of the festival, but check their website nearer the time just in case.

For more info, visit the official Facebook and Twitter pages.

The Expendables of Horror "Smother" Louisiana in May!

One for US horror fans. Actor and filmmaker John Schneider (Dukes of Hazzard, Lake Placid 2) has rounded up some of horror's most famous faces for  "Smothered", premiering in New Orleans in May.

 

The highly-anticipated fright-fest, which features the likes of Kane Hodder, Don Shanks, R.A Mihailoff, Bill Mosely, and Brea Grant , boasts the largest number of horror icons ever to grace the screen at the same time.

 

Smothered, written and directed by Schneider, sees the horror icons playing themselves in a scenario that sees them attending a small, disheartening horror-convention on Friday the 13th.  Running out of patience but principally money, the group accept a cash-offer to go and scare-up the local RV park - but things take a surprising, dark turn when they arrive.  The tables are turned as the monsters of the movie screen become the prey!

 

A recent sneak preview resulted in glowing reviews across-the-board. Smothered will premiere in Louisiana, where the film was shot and Schneider's Fairlight Films is now located.

 

The premiere,  being held at the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel on Friday May 16, encompass a pre-screening social hour and post-screening Q&A with Schneider.

 

Members of the film's cast and crew, as well as city dignitaries are expected to be in attendance.

 

Smothered, also featuring Michael Berryman (The Hills Have Eyes), John Kassir ('The Crypt Keeper' from "Tales from the Crypt") , Dane Rhodes (True Detective), and Shanna Forrestall (The Last Exorcism), is due for release late 2014.

Visit the films official Facebook and Twitter pages.

 

"Theatre of Blood" - UK BD review

"Theatre of Blood", starring horror legend Vincent Price, comes to UK BD this month from Arrow films and I got an advance look at it.

 

In this, Vincent Price plays Edward Lionheart. A Shakespearian actor who doesn’t take criticism of his performances lightly. After being passed over for one award too many, it was believed he’d committed suicide. But unfortunately for the members of the critics circle, they suddenly find that someone is out for revenge for all the bad reviews they gave him.

 

At first they’re unsure of who might be targeting them or why. But as the bodies begin to pile up, they suspect that it must be Lionheart owing to the way they have been killed.

 

One critic who criticised his performance in Julius Caeser is brutally slain in a similar manner on March 15th, the day of the original assassination.  Another who criticised his performance in Troilus and Cressida is speared through the heart in a re-enactment of that plays death scene, and so on…

 

The Police do their best to try and protect the remaining critics, but it seems Lionheart, who has enlisted the help of a group homeless winos, always seems to be one step ahead of them (Star Wars fans may recognise Declan Mullholland amongst them, who played the original Jabba the Hutt).

 

Played as a “straight” horror, the story is really more of a dark comedy and Vincent Price seemed to be genuinely enjoying himself in this. As, no doubt, the thought of getting to bump off critics amused him (the film was reportedly his favourite).

 

The film also features a well rounded cast of veteran British actors of their day, including Sir Michael Horden, Arthur Lowe, Ian Hendry, Jack Hawkins and Diana Dors. Diana Rigg (TV’s The Avengers) also turns up in a supporting role as Lionheart’s daughter and comedian Eric Sykes also appears as a somewhat inept police detective, providing the film with some of its lighter moments.

 

Overall I would say the film was great fun. In many ways, it was rather reminiscent of the “Dr Phibes” films, except this time he lives in an old theatre (actually the old  Putney Hippodrome) and the story here isn’t quite as dark, though the kills are no less inventive.

This film has been out on DVD for a while, but this marks the first time the film has been released on high definition Blu-Ray, which has been newly transferred from original film elements so looks considerably more “polished” than previous releases.

 

The film also comes with the usual bumper crop of extras you’ve come to expect from Arrow, which includes.

 

Audio commentary with The Leaugue of Gentlemen. Yes it seems that the people behind the cult BBC comedy, Jeremy Dyson, Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith are huge horror fans and provide an amusing and insightful running commentary.

A Priceless Pot Boiler. Vincent Price’s daughter Victoria recalls her memories about her fathers time on set and discusses her father’s other films.

A Fearful Thespian. Author and film historian David Del Valle discusses the film and how this came to be one of Vincent Price’s favourite roles.

Staged Reaction – Madeline Smith discusses how she got the part and her time working on set.

A Harmony for Horror. In which Composer Michael J. Lewis discusses how he scored the film.

Lastly there’s the original theatrical trailer.

 

The case also contains a full colour booklet, containing stills and promotional artwork from the film along with linear notes by Cleaver Patterson and the sleeve features reversible artwork, giving you the choice of displaying the disc with either newly commissioned artwork, or its original theatrical poster art.

 

To summarise, I’d say this release is a must for Vincent price fans, if you’ve never seen this before, or are looking to upgrade your bare bones DVD, then this release by Arrow is an essential purchase.

 

The Blu-Ray was originally scheduled for release May 5th, but due to a glitch on the initial batch of discs, this has been pushed back and is now provisionally scheduled for release May 19th. The film is available in both standard case and in a limited edition Steelbook case.

Buy the UK BD from Amazon.co.uk

Buy the UK BD Steelbook from Amazon.co.uk