President Lincoln’s mother is killed by a supernatural creature, which fuels his passion to crush vampires and their slave-owning helpers.

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Set in an alternate vision of the future, Robert Stenuit struggles to survive alone in a dark barren environment while seeking human contact.  However, he must avoid the threats that surround him.

Sounds pretty bleak and nihilistic … I love it.  Here’s the teaser trailer for the short film, and as you watch it keep in mind that Thomas made this on a budget of about 1100 pounds over the course of a four day shoot!!

 Looks pretty good doesn’t it.  THE WATER’S EDGE is currently making the rounds on the festival circuit and the filmmakers are looking into making this one into a full-length feature.  I’ll keep ya updated.

Stay Bloody!!!

This version of the Transylvanian’s story will be told from the perspective of Jonathan Harker. But instead of him being a lawyer, he’ll be a detective working for Scotland Yard. His main objective will be solving a string of grisly murders (throughout England) that the count has committed.

HARKER will be produced by Leonardo DiCaprio and is being co-written by Lee Shipman and Brian McGreevy.  Jaume Collet-Serra (2005′s HOUSE OF WAX, 2009′s ORPHAN) is attached to direct.  Crowe might be Warner Bros. number one choice, but he has a pretty full plate of upcoming films.  Crowe is next gonna be playing opposite Huge Jackman in a big-screen adaptation of LES MISERABLES, and it’s also rumored that he’s gonna star in Darren Aronofsky’s next film, NOAH.  We’ll see.

Do you think Crowe would make a good Dracula?  He can’t possibly be worse that Colin Firth’s portrayal of a vampire in the FRIGHT NIGHT remake!!

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director Edgar Wright (on the left ... I think)

First DARK SHADOWS and now THE NIGHT STALKER??  I’m game!!  According to deadline.com, Disney is setting up Edgar Wright (director of SHAUN OF THE DEAD) to helm a film remake of the TV movie/series, THE NIGHT STALKER.  Disney is developing the film as a potential vehicle for Johnny Depp who will play Carl Kolchak, a tabloid reporter who always seems to be up to his nipples in supernatural troubles.  Depp and his Infinitum Nihil partner Christi Dembrowski will produce.

No writer has been hired yet but Wright will oversee and shape the project with Depp and Dembrowski from the ground floor.  Why THE NIGHT STALKER, you may ask?  Well if you asked that then you obviously have never seen this TV show!!

[The project] took root at the studio last summer, borne out of Depp and Dembrowski’s fond memories of the original 70s movie and series that starred Darren McGavin. He covered crime for a tabloid and his cases always led to supernatural perpetrators that included zombies, vampires, werewolves and aliens. Of course, neither his editor nor anyone else would believe him or allow him to run what seemed like outrageous stories. But Kolchak would put himself in grave danger each episode.

This project sounds like a winner.  With a great director and Depp’s talent at being able to craft really unique and memorable characters, this is one I’ll be keeping my eyes on!!

Do you remember the original THE NIGHT STALKER show?

Stay Bloody!!!

THE THEATRE BIZARRE is the latest anthology I’ve seen, and from what I understand the first to get a theatrical release in a long while, albeit a limited one, bolstered mainly on the talent behind the camera – or cameras. There are six tales here (the most I’ve seen in an anthology since CREEPSHOW, I think), of varying lengths and styles, bound with a framing device story (each director was given the same budget, schedule and narrative directive; other than that, they were given free rein). The framing story involves A young artist (Virginia Newvcomb, MACHETE JOE), who becomes obsessed by the abrupt and unexplained opening of the abandoned theatre across the street, to which she is inexplicably drawn. Alone in the audience, she watches a life-size marionette, played by legend Udo Kier (whom I keep getting mixed up with Klaus Kinski, and I hope neither of those creepy mofos take it personally, coz they’d probably stab me for less reason), who introduces each tale using other marionettes. The framing story is basic, because like an emcee in a variety show, it’s not meant to distract from the acts, but simply keep the mood going, and director Jeremy Kasten (THE THIRST, THE WIZARD OF GORE remake) manages this with a surreal, nightmarish Grand Guignol touch.

Feeding Time in Sweets

The first tale, “Mother of Toads”, from Richard Stanley (HARDWARE, DUST DEVIL), and based on a short story by Clark Aston Smith, concerns a young bickering couple (Shane Woodward and Victoria Maurette) holidaying in France. They’re bickering because the girl doesn’t understand her boyfriend’s obsession with the occult. An old woman (Catriona MacColl, THE BEYOND, CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD, and looking here like that bald priestess in DUNE) offers him a chance to examine a surviving copy of the Necronomicon, and you know it’s not going to end well… this one’s an okay segment, atmospheric with some decent scenery, though I never found toads all that scary… I was sort of put off by the use of the Necronomicon, which everybody seems to namedrop nowadays. It’s too convenient a plot device in horror, at least for me, and using it so much would be like watching a whole season of NCIS where every episode involved finding a rogue nuke.

Hi Udo; Nice Seeing You Again!

The next segment, “I Love You”, from Buddy Gionazzo (whose only work I’ve seen was the raw, brutal 80s movie COMBAT SHOCK), opens with Axel (André Hennicke, The Free Will, Antibodies) lying bloodied and confused on his bathroom floor. But before you start to feel too sorry for him, the story unfolds to show him as a selfish, possessive, passive-aggressive prick who has dominated his wife Mo (Suzan Anbeh, AGNES AND HIS BROTHERS) for years, to the point where she’s leaving him for another man. And he can’t seem to get it in his head that their relationship is at an end. They fuck, they argue, it gets confusing. And then it becomes clear. And very, very bloody… What starts out looking like some European drama ends on a strong and satisfying note, and it’s well-acted, and you do feel like this is an accurate portrayal of a dysfunctional relationship at its end.

Legend Tom Savini takes us back into more overtly horrific territory with his segment, “Wet Dreams”. Here, an unfaithful, abusive man, Donnie (James Gil) is growing obsessed with losing his junk, having nightmares about his girlfriend Carla (horror veteran and professional nude scene participant Debbie Rochon) frying up his penis for breakfast, and sprouting insect-like shearing blades at the entrance to her vagina; issues, anyone? His psychiatrist Dr Maury (played by Savini himself) offers him the usual tricks to snap him out of the dreams. But the dreams aren’t that easy to send away. Or is it reality? There is some decent gore to be had here (as you’d expect from anything helmed by Il Maestro Savini), though it reminds me a little too much of an episode of TALES FROM THE CRYPT.

Vision Stains - Thats Gonna Hurt

Director Douglas Buck (CUTTING MOMENTS) brings us something altogether different with “The Accident”. It’s a short, stark vignette about a mother (Lena Kleine, TERRITORIES) having to explain to her young daughter (Melodie Simard) about death, both of them having witnessed a gruesome, fatal accident involving a biker and a deer. I’m not sure about this one. As part of a horror anthology where you expect blood spurts and boobs, it fits in about as well as a banana daiquiri at a fratboys’ kegger. As a quiet, sober reflection on life and death, and the inevitable erosion of childhood innocence about the world, it’s a standout piece, beautifully shot and effectively directed and acted. Parents would probably get more out of this than

Wet Dreams - Its Enough to Make Me Go Vegan!!

We’re back in more familiar terrain with “Vision Stains”, directed by Karim Hussain (who did cinematography work on HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN). It’s a gruesome little piece about a writer (Kaniehtiio Horn, IMMORTALS) who has discovered that when you die, your life does pass before your eyes, and that by extracting ocular fluid from a person in their final moments, and injecting it into her own eye, she can experience their lives, and write about them. She’s clearly crazier than an outhouse rat, but the method does work, as we see when she goes out and kills junkies to obtain their biographies. When she decides to kill a pregnant woman to see the memories of her unborn child, however, she makes a discovery about life and death that she really rather wouldn’t have minded staying ignorant about. It’s a good little slice of bleakness, though it’s spoiled by Kaniehtiio Horn’s narration is flat and lifeless.

The final segment, “Sweets”, by David Gregory (PLAGUE TOWN, as well as an impressive body of work involving documentary shorts on the horror scene; check out his IMDb listing), is a colourful, grisly piece about an exclusive restaurant for gluttons, a restaurant that will cater for tastes that go beyond haute cuisine into cannibal cuisine… There’s a wild, garish style to this, like a cooking show by Leatherface, and therefore expects lots and lots of gore, dismemberment and bloodletting…

Wet Dreams - Owie Time!!

The tales are not all bound by any single pervading theme, but most seem to make women the threats, either to men or to each other (the exception being Douglas Buck’s “The Accident”, and even that can fit in, if you think of the mother destroying the child’s innocence about the world, even if it’s for the best of intentions). I don’t know if this was intended or not, given the disparate talents involved (nearly all of the directors also wrote the screenplays), but it was something which crept up on me, and a refreshing use of brainpower I usually reserve for cataloging lesbian scenes in movies.

THE THEATRE BIZARRE is not a bad viewing experience, not at all. It was fun and gruesome, with more hits than misses. The trailer can be viewed here. The film has had limited screenings, so if it shows up in your area, give it a watch.

Deggsy’s Summary:

Directors: Jeremy Kasten, Richard Stanley, Buddy Giovinazzo, Tom Savini, Douglas Buck, Karim Hussain, David Gregory

Plot (collective): 4 out of 5 stars

Gore (collective): 6 out of 10 skulls

Zombie Mayhem: 0 out of 5 brains

Reviewed by Derek “Deggsy” O’Brien

Since I saw this image I’ve been trying to like it, but I can’t do it. Depp looks ridiculous!! He looks as though Eddie Munster and comedian Dimitri Martin had a love child!! Well another still has been released and I’m still not really impressed. I have a feeling Depp is gonna play his role of Barnabas close to his Willie Wonka role. Check out the second still (again, click to enlarge):

I’m trying folks … I’m really trying, but Depp looks ridiculous!! Here’s the plot crunch to refresh your memory:

Check out the trailer:

The trailer looks pretty good and Method Man looks like he does a pretty decent job, but it just doesn’t look all that much like a horror film. Looks like one of those inner0city, redemption flicks. I’ll wait for some clips to be released and then see if it’ll be worth reporting on again. THE MORtICIAN has recently been released, so look for it in DVD store and on your cable system’s MOD/VOD.

Stay Bloody!!!

The film starts off perfectly capturing that 50s-rockabilly vibe. From the look of the film (it begins in black and white), to the soundtrack, to the cars being used, to the actresses, Simpson nails it. During the opening credits we see the three main actresses, Beretta (Nelli Scarlet), Blondie (Karli Madden), and Snowball (Kate Watts), playing the role of the innocent, sexy, helpless vixens that have car trouble and are stranded on the side of the road. Two fine, young gentlemen come to the “rescue” and learn the hard way that these particular girls are anything but helpless and innocent. Obviously out looking for ‘kicks’ (yeah, I know the lingo), the three vixens do their damage (no spoilers here) and then drive off. We gets hints here and there that the vixens are on the run after some kind of illegal trade or drug sale went bad. They find themselves traveling to a small coastal shack where they plan on laying low for a while (well I guess “low” for these three). The first thing Simpson does extremely well is the casting. The three women he gets to play the vixens are spot on. Scarlet, Madden, and Watts look exactly like the kind of girls you’ll find in old 1950s exploitation and creature feature flicks. They are sexy, full of curves and attitude. There’re no current day skinny-minny, anorexic chicks here!! What’s also pretty fun with the opening sequence is that it takes place in black and white until blood is spilled. With the blood comes the color. It’s a nice touch and makes the movie feel like a grindhouse flick.

Once they get to their seaside shack (yes; it’s literally a shack), the girls bust out the booze, pills, and drugs and party it up. Their neighbors are a young, twenty-something girl, Hannah (the very cute Kyrie Capri) and her grandfather, Joe (Norman Yemm). When the vixens go out swimming, Joe, in his wheelchair, is shouting at them that they should never go into the water … EVER. The vixens, of course, ignore him and the titular EL MONSTRO ends up making an appearance.

The vixens definitely have a bloody past!!

Overall you’ll immediately notice that this film doesn’t take itself too seriously. I wouldn’t go so far as to label this one a “horror-comedy,” but Simpson definitely goes for a more lighthearted, fun approach here. And it works for the most part. There are a few elements that never sync up, though. The vixens, for example, are vicious and cold-hearted in the opening sequence and Simpson keeps them pretty hardcore all throughout the film. Their viciousness doesn’t really go with the overall tone of the film. There’s also a few subplots that never really gel here; like the relationship between Hannah and her grandpa, Hannah trying to exert her own independence, and the hints we get about the vixens past “adventures” that led them to this seaside shack. The middle of the film also drags a little bit as we watch what feels like endless scenes of the vixens partying it up and having fun. I would’ve loved to have seen more scenes of the creature attacking and fucking shit up. There are also spots in the film where the musical soundtrack is way too loud and you can’t hear the dialogue, which is a shame because the dialogue is great.

Cute chick. Big gun. I'm in!!

These criticisms are, overall, minimal because I found myself really enjoying EL MONSTRO DEL MAR!. The cast does a really great job here, and it is so refreshing to see some really sexy, curvy gals being sexy. The last act of the film is when EL MONSTRO finally makes his move and attacks the vixens, Hannah, and Joe. It’s a fun battle scene that is plucked right out of the Creature Double Feature flicks I used to watch growing up. The creature is made up of a lot of tentacles and at times reminded me of the titular creature from 1983’s THE DEADLY SPAWN. But the battle that ensues is well filmed and you know me, I always love watching sexy girls swinging around machetes and shooting big guns. Don’t judge me!!

EL MONSTRO DEL MAR! is overall a fun, 1950s throwback kinda film. Borrowing elements from old-school creature feature flicks, rockabilly flicks, and even grindhouse/exploitation flicks, EL MONSTRO DEL MAR! is a well-made homage film that you’ll find yourself warming up too. The middle of the film does stumble a bit, but it ends strong and nicely sets up a possible sequel that I’d love to see. So to answer the question posed in the opening paragraph above, Simpson does indeed make an homage film, but he also gives the film enough of its own identity that it stands up as a film unto itself and not just as “that homage flick.” Nice job Simpson. Look for EL MONSTRO DEL MAR! on DVD on February 28, 2012.

Is she a plumber?

My Summary:

Director: Stuart Simpson (& writer)

Plot: 3 out of 5 stars

Gore: 4 out of 10 skulls

Zombie Mayhem: 0 out of 5 brains

Reviewed by Scott Shoyer

Filed under: Exploitation Flicks, Independent Horror Scene, Movie Reviews, New Posting, Upcoming Releases ]]> http://anythinghorror.com/2012/02/21/el-monstro-del-mar-2010/feed/ 0 El Monstro del Mar 1 anythinghorror El Monstro del Mar poster2 El Monstro del Mar 2 El Monstro del Mar 3 El Monstro del Mar hannah1 El Monstro del Mar 4 http://anythinghorror.com/2012/02/21/confirmed-jessica-lange-will-return-in-season-2-of-american-horror-story/ http://anythinghorror.com/2012/02/21/confirmed-jessica-lange-will-return-in-season-2-of-american-horror-story/#comments Tue, 21 Feb 2012 15:17:41 +0000 anythinghorror http://anythinghorror.com/?p=15402 Read more]]> The new horror series AMERICAN HORROR STORY was bad ass. VERY bad ass. So good, in fact, that it almost made me forget abut THE WALKING DEAD!! But after the explosive season finale, word came down that an entire new cast would grace the second season of AMERICAN HORROR STORY in a completely different story and setting. My first thought: “Wow that’s ballsy!!” They’re taking the formula that’s a sure-fire hit and completely shaking it up for the next season. My second though: “What about Jessica Lange?” Don’t get me wrong; I thought the entire cast did an incredible job, but let’s face it, Jessica Lange was blow-you-away amazing. Her character was scary, creepy, and even when she appeared to be doing something sweet or kind, there was always something bubbling right under the surface. An amazing performance all around.

In a recent interview over on BravoTV.com, AMERICAN HORROR STORY co-creator, Ryan Murphy, confirmed that Jessica Lange will indeed be in the second season of the hit show. Now in what capacity we have no idea. It could be a walk-on cameo in the first episode of the new season, it could be in a flashback, or it could be an entirely new role all together. We have no idea, and Murphy’s lips were shut tight on the details. That’s okay, though. For now I’m happy to hear who’ll be back, but I will miss the other cast members from the first season!!

More on this one as it develops.

Stay Bloody!!!

From Executive Producers James Cullen Bressack and Jarret Cohen at Psykik Junky Pictures, comes the NEWEST HORROR ANTHOLOGY starring horror film icons Shawn C. Phillips, JD Fairman and Cory Jacob and adult-film sensations Sophie Dee and Veronica Ricci:  THEATRE OF THE DERANGED! (theater of derange)

Join Andy the Arsonist as he shares five of his favorite short horror films in all their demented glory. The collection features never-before seen films by popular indie horror writer/directors James Cullen Bressack, Shawn C. Phillips, Liz Gilbert, Brian Dorton, and Creep Creepersin.

The Film was Picked up for WORLD WIDE distribution by the company WORLD WIDE MULTI MEDIA and is scheduled to be released on DVD in June 2012.

Here’s the red band trailer for THEATER OF THE DERANGED:

Bressack also sent me the press releases for some of his other soon-to-be-released projects, UNMIMELY DEMISE and  THEATER OF THE DERANGED, PART 2:

PRESS RELEASE: UNMIMELY DEMISE

 

THE OFFICIAL TSHIRT for UNMIMELY DEMISE is now available for sale, having been released on valentines day!  UNMIMELY DEMISE is the headlining film of the upcoming THEATRE OF THE DERANGED II anthology.  Originally part of the anthology MORBID MOVIES, UNMIMELY DEMISE has been acquired along with the rest of the MORBID MOVIES series.

T-SHIRTS CAN BE BOUGHT HERE:  http://www.fastcustomshirts.com/servlet/Detail?no=1328

From Executive Producers James Cullen Bressack and Jarret Cohen at Psykik Junky Pictures, comes the NEXT ADDITION IN THE HORROR ANTHOLOGY SERIES THEARE OF THE DERANGED. The film Unmimely Demise was written and Directed by James Cullen Bressack and stars Alexei Ryan (MY PURE JOY) Randy Fratkin, Jody Barton, and adult film sensation Sophie Dee!

 

Here is a synopsis of the film:

 

“After 10 years, Cheeky the Mime returns reaping havoc on anyone in his path. Armed with an arsenal of invisible weapons, it is up to a meek friend from Cheeky’s past to stop him!”

Here’s the trailer for UNMIMELY DEMISE:

 Sounds and looks like a few fun indie horror projects coming our way.  Stay tuned!

Stay Bloody!!!