Exclusive behind-the-scenes stills revealed as slasher horror THE TOMBS completes production

Templeheart Films, the producing company behind Paul Hyett’s HERITIKS and Andy Edwards’ IBIZA UNDEAD, are set to unleash a new kind of monster in THE TOMBS, which has just finished filming at The London Tombs, The London Bridge Experience’s horror themed tourist attraction.

Dubbed ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ meets ‘Friday the 13th’, the gruesome slasher stars Jessica Ann Brownlie (Valley of the Witch), Jess Impiazzi (The Only Way Is Essex), Marcia do Vales (Ibiza Undead), Jessica Cameron (Truth or Dare), Akie Kotabe (Humans), Anthony Ilott (Wrong Turn 6), Ayvianna Snow (Heretiks) and Devora Wilde (Rush). It’s directed by Dan Brownlie (Self-induced Nightmares, Serial Kaller)

 

Synopsis: A clutch of C-list celebrities and the tabloid press have gathered at ‘The London Tombs’ to participate in a publicity stunt for a new horror movie being launched  They and the cast are to take part in a filmed challenge in which their task is to find the skull of notorious necromancer Robert White. The tour guide actors are on hand to make their mission as scary as possible.

Little do they know that deep in the bowls of the building something has awoken and what starts as a night of frightful fun turns into one of intense terror when the evil entity starts stalking the claustrophobic halls of this maze of terror.

 

Some games just shouldn’t be played…

 

THE TOMBS, shot over a five week period at the end of 2016, was the first film allowed access to The London Tombs.

 

Director Dan Brownlie commented: “We were incredibly privileged to be allowed to film there. considering this was the first time that the attraction has ever allowed third party photography of any kind to take place. It was an fantastic opportunity not to be missed”

 

Producer Rachel Gold added: “With the success of attractions like ‘Secret Cinema’ and, the growth of interactive genre experiences, it was a great opportunity to create a movie where the actual film location is open to the public to experience for themselves what our film’s characters are going through.”

 

The film is set to be released later this year,

 

THE TOMBS is a Templeheart Films & The Attraction Movie Production, produced by Rachel Gold, exec produced by Elisar Cabrera, Lyndon Baldock & Kevin Kane. Directed by Dan Brownlie and written by Michael W Smith.

Interview with Colin Minihan

Ahead of the UK premiere of his latest film IT STAINS THE SANDS RED at Horror Channel FrightFest Glasgow, Colin Minihan chats about the creation of his ‘zombie love story’, the challenges of shooting in Death Valley and his new movie ‘Still/Born’.

Colin Minihan with Brittany Allen

Q: Are The Vicious Brothers still an entity? You’ve only co-directed ‘Grave Encounters’ under that moniker – ‘Extraterrestrial’ and ‘It Stains The Sands Red’ carry your separate credits. That’s the way you want it from now on?

COLIN: Our roles were just less defined when we made ‘Grave Encounters’ because we were both very young.  If we make a film together and feel like it's a Vicious Brothers film, then I think we’d use it again...But then again there are far too many “brothers” right now – it starts to feel a bit gimmicky. 

Q: ‘It Stains The Sands Red’ is such a terrific and deceptively simple idea, where did the inspiration come for the story?

COLIN: A combination of things. The main one was that I had just moved to LA and was eager to find an idea befitting of the desert – which I’ve always found to be extremely cinematic but never had a good idea for. I think after watching ‘World War Z’, I jokingly asked Stuart what hadn’t been done with zombies and could be done on a low budget… He responded something like,  “I don’t know… One Zombie?” -- It was a light bulb moment for me, like, “that’s it! ONE ZOMBIE!”

Q: Did the overall arc of the story change in the writing process? Molly’s zombie pursuer would always become her best friend, then confessor, and finally saviour?

COLIN: The lead character changed throughout the writing process. The first drafts were actually written for a male protagonist who was a struggling alcoholic and had abandoned his son in the city.  After rejecting that idea, we wrote this other script called ‘The Last Stakeout’, which I’d like to make someday, but then finally I pitched the new take on the story for ISTSR to Stu – which would follow Molly, a troubled Las Vegas stripper on her journey through the desert with and against the Zombie – who she would name Smalls. This version really clicked fast while writing… it wasn’t like pounding away at the idea by force. It came out relatively quickly, which is always nice and usually means it’s flowing well. It also felt more do able on a low budget as the flashbacks were extremely minimal and most of the shoot would be just two actors on screen, albeit one is in full prosthetics.

Q: You play with zombie clichés brilliantly, and upturn them like an expert. It makes the movie a constant surprise as a result?

COLIN: We tried to just let Molly’s character arc guild the end result of the script. We knew we needed to break her down throughout and get there in an organic way – it was very challenging to write this film because she is talking to someone who can’t talk back. So she is giving exposition but it can never feel forced – it has to be earned. Which is very challenging in this case.

Q: Brittany Allen carries the movie superbly. She’s a Scream Queen favourite and you cast her in ‘Extraterrestrial’ too. Was it written for her?

COLIN: When the script was re-written for a female lead… We knew right away that it had to be Brittany. There was never anyone else. She is a character actor who has been acting since she was a child and is completely transformative in many of the rolls that she’s played… I hope people see how insanely talented she is with this film. It’s definitely her film. 

I also want to mention my pal Juan Riedinger (who is in ‘Grave Encounters’ as well). He brought a ton of depth to the role of Smalls and without his absolute commitment to the role, and his patience, this movie would not exist. He is both horrifying and lovable.

Q: The way Molly grows as a person from vacuous party girl to committed mother is superbly handled in the script by Brittany. That was always the core, the most engaging and surprising aspect of the movie?

COLIN: ISTSR was always a character journey through the desert. We were more inspired by Gus Van Sant's ‘Jerry’ more than anything while writing. 

 

Q: Talk about the filming rigours; where was the location (the Valley of Fire in Nevada?), how long was the schedule, and it looks a really difficult shoot?

COLIN: It was probably the most difficult shoot I’ve ever been a part of. We kind of knew that going into it as when scouting Death Valley as a possible location we had a close call, almost passing out from the intense sun on top of a dune.

This film is as indie as it gets. I didn’t even have an AD or Script Supervisor on set – and those are two of the main people a director leans on while making a film. We had no money so we had to be as economic and guerrilla as possible in order to pull off this sweeping story.  It was a rag tag group of like 10 people on set on any given day and the make-up crew was in a blood covered RV trying to get Juan camera ready.  -- At one point, Juan even slept in his zombie make up for three days straight because the application was so time consuming, never mind the time it took taking it off.   

Because of what happened in Death Valley in the summer (heatstroke), we aimed for the Las Vegas’ desert in November and December in hopes it would be mild and maybe a bit colder at night. Unfortunately it ended up being freezing cold most of the time, even during the day. If you watch the film it is actually taking everything in Brittany to pretend to be hot when really she is freezing. 

Q: The movie ends on an optimistic note, you see hope in an impending zombie apocalypse?

COLIN: If there is an impending Zombie apocalypse, we are all fucked. Much worse so than we already are.

 

Q: What can you reveal about your next project HAUNTED TEMPLE?

COLIN: ‘Haunted Temple’, aka ‘Temple’ is no more. Let’s skip this question. ha! 

Q: So finally, If not ‘Temple’, what is next?

COLIN: I have a new film that I am very excited about called ‘Still/Born’. It is in the final stages of post-production. It’s about a young mother trying to protect her new-born baby from a supernatural entity. It’s probably the scariest film I’ve been a part of. I co-wrote it and produced it and it should premier very soon.

 

IT STAINS THE SANDS RED is showing at the Glasgow Film Theatre on Fri 24 Feb, 4.00pm as part of Horror Channel FrightFest Glasgow 2017.

Competition: Win What We Become on DVD

What We Become is out on DVD on 20th February and to celebrate we have a great competition for you and 3 copies of the DVD to give away.

Synopsis:
The feature filmmaking debut from Bo Mikkelsen, WHAT WE BECOME is a tense post-apocalyptic zombie thriller that’s the first of its kind in Danish horror cinema.

 A family of four is quarantined in their home as a mysterious virus spreads into town, transforming their friends and neighbours into zombies. As the military moves in to try and stem the outbreak, they are forced to the extreme in a struggle to escape alive. Also stars Ella Solgaard and Marie Hammer Boda.

Check out the release on Amazon by clicking the link below: (Opens in a new window)
What We Become [DVD] [2016]

To enter all you have to do is answer this easy question...

Competition Closed



Terms and conditions
1. Closing date 27-02-17
2. No alternative prize is available
3. When the competition ends as indicated on this page, any and all entries received after this point will not count and emails blacklisted due to not checking this page first.
4. Winners will be chosen randomly and will be informed via email.

Interview with Simon Rumley

Ahead of the UK premiere of his latest film FASHIONISTA at Horror Channel FrightFest Glasgow, Simon Rumley reveals why he’s a fan of drugs in film and his planned foray into London gangster land…

Q: ‘Fashionista’ finds you back in Austin after ‘Red White and Blue’. What excites you about Austin so much? Could ‘Fashionista’ have been set anywhere else?

SIMON: I had such a great experience on ‘Red White & Blue’ for so many different reasons that it was only natural that, at some point, I’d return to Austin. With Tim League (exec producer), Paul Knauss (co-producer) and Karen Hallford (casting director) I’ve got a great bunch of friends who also happen to be great collaborators and they form the core of both films’ Austin based crew and most probably without them neither films would have happened. Beyond that, I love the unique style of Austin, the food, the music, the cinema, the clothes, the neon lights, the bars and of course the people. And although it’s a place which is constantly growing, it still feels it has an intimacy which places like LA or New York or London lack.

Fashionista’s evolution was very much a response to when I went back there in 2014 for a few days after spending a time there in 2009 and 2010 and noticing how much it had changed. Like most interesting places in the Western World over the last 5 years, it’s become gentrified; there’s more sky rise flats, more traffic, more upmarket restaurants and less locals. And, like most places which have been gentrified, there’s an erosion of some of the things that made it exciting in the first place. 

The whole vintage shop phenomena was such a massive part of the Austin that I knew in 2009 and although there are still a lot of these shops, there’s definitely less - even the one we shot in had to relocate literally two weeks after we shot there…So the lead character’s obsession with clothes in the film and her transition from vintage mash-up to designer clothes is probably not something that could believably happen in many places; I’m not sure Fashionista could have been set anywhere else in that case…

Q: It’s a film about addiction, from sex and body image to clothes and identity, but not anything drug-related. You didn’t want to throw that into the mix?

SIMON: I’m a big fan of drugs in films but, to be honest, I think all that needs to have been said has been said so I’m not sure what I would have been able to add to the genre. I’ve always been interested in a period drug film - Alastair Crowley’s Diary of a Drug Fiend for example would offer a different perspective on the subject and I’m currently reading Johny Barleycorn by Jack London which is about his relationship with alcohol - not memoirs of an alcoholic as he’s keen to point out but alcoholic memoirs, set in 1913; fascinating to consider the power of alcohol through the ages. 

I watched Christiane F again as research for this film and films like Requiem For A Dream and Trainspotting offer definitive investigations into contemporary drug addiction so I’m not sure what the point would have been but more importantly, the film is about consumerism and clothes are something that everyone can relate to. It’s so easy to buy anything these days and clothes seem to be the epitome of the consumer’s purchasing power. Given that it’s a phenomenon that hasn’t been explored in cinema it felt ripe for investigation.

Q: All your movies are so unique, your subject matters, locales and atmospheres feel so new and virtually unexplored. Is that the only way you can personally approach film as an artistic medium?

SIMON: Ah, thanks!  From an early age, I’ve always thought that to make a mark, you should try to do something different, individual and unique. I think this belief is ultimately mis-founded; it might have worked at the beginning of the ‘Midnight’ phenomena for people like Lynch and Jodorowsky and Waters in the early/mid 70s but we’re living in such a culturally anodyne time that increasingly, people really just seem to want things that are similar to things they already know and understand and are thus non-challenging.

In terms of my own creative evolution, I definitely have tried to make every film different from the previous one and much of this is done through structure, editing and the visual aesthetics of the film. The structure to ‘The Living and The Dead’, ‘RWB’ and ‘Fashionista’ are completely different from each other as is the editing and the visuals. It keeps it interesting for me as I continue to explore what cinema is and what can be done with it as a medium.

That said, I’ve been trying to do more straight forward, linear films for a while now but things just haven’t worked out that way…

Q: Once more you completely pull the rug out from the viewer’s feet with some major surprises. Do you think of them first and build your story around them, or do they evolve organically?

SIMON: Yes; interested to see how people react to these moments! They all evolve organically to be honest although there were a few deliberate decisions to make some reveals as late as possible in the film.

Q: This contains flashbacks, flash-forwards, in fact flashes everywhere! How did you cope continuity wise?

SIMON: Ha! Good question. The script was written exactly how it ended up on screen so I’m not really sure anyone really knew what was going on apart from me and so continuity was a big issue. Continuity is an incredibly tough job and I usually find continuity people incredibly annoying and often not very good at their jobs. The only great continuity person I worked with was a woman called Helene Oosthuizen who did Club Le Monde and The Living And The Dead with me and I’d love to work with her again but generally I try not to have continuity people on my film since they slow the whole process down and often confuse it. On ‘RWB’ we didn’t have one, on ‘Crowhurst’ we didn’t have one and perhaps somewhat recklessly we didn’t have one on ‘Fashionista’.

This could have been a massive disaster since there are many scenes which chronologically flow on from each other but appear in the script in a non-linear fashion. The producer and I spent a lot of time making sure the shooting schedule accommodated this and we were also incredibly lucky to have an amazing Costume Designer, Olivia Mori, who not only sourced all these incredible and different clothes (I think Amanda Fuller’s character had over 100 changes) but also spent a lot of time working out the exact linear chronology of the piece. We met up two or three mornings and went through her interpretation of the script, just to make sure it was correct. By the time we finished this, it was watertight in her mind but even then things could have gone wrong but, thankfully they didn’t. But yep, this was an

incredibly challenging film but everyone, Olivia, especially, came through with flying colours.

Q: How would you crystallise your own directing style?

SIMON: Every script is different so I try to direct the script in order to get the maximum drama/tension etc. from it, using editing, music, camera angles etc. as a means to do this. This is probably why every film looks and feels slightly different.  

Q: You give director Nicolas Roeg a name check in the end credits. And you gave Amanda Fuller and Ethan Embry BAD TIMING to watch before shooting. Is he your main inspiration here?

SIMON: Yes - I watched a few films such as Safe by Todd Haynes, Christiane F by Uli Edel, A Woman Under The Influence by John Cassavetes and Lost Highway/Mullholland Drive by David Lynch. But yep, Bad Timing was the main one and I gave it to Amanda and Ethan to try to offer a rough idea as to how the film would end up visually. As far as I remember, that jumps pretty much back, forward and everywhere else. I’ve always been a massive fan and was incredibly fortunate to get the opportunity to work with him on my previous film ‘Crowhurst’, which he exec’d produced. I’d always wanted to try to make a film which has the kind of structure he’s best known for and having spent some time with him, I thought it was a now or never kind of situation.

Q: You’re working with Amanda Fuller again, why do you rate her as an actress, because she fits into your own weird universe the best?

SIMON: Not specifically that per se, but most actresses wouldn’t have had the courage to do what she did in ‘RWB’ or even ‘Fashionista’ so now you come to mention it, that must be something to do with it! She’s absolutely fearless which helps and she’s a complete natural, able to turn the emotions on and off like a tap which also helps. Added to this, she’s a lovely person and completely reliable so it’s always a pleasure to work with her and the results are always fantastic. I’m sure we’ll work together again sometime!

Q: Do you prefer being a resolutely cult director? ‘Johnny Frank Garrett’s Last Word was a departure for you. How do you plan balancing artistry with future commercial opportunities?

SIMON: After ‘The Living and The Dead’, ‘RWB’, ‘Little Deaths’ and my ‘ABCs of Death’, I made a decision to go more commercial, something I’m still working on but hope to crack with my forthcoming films. Johnny Frank Garrett was supposed to be the first film in this direction but for various reasons, that didn’t work out exactly how I’d hoped. That said, I’ve been very lucky to make 8 feature films and 2 anthologies and generally had the freedom to do what I wanted with them. If you keep the budgets low enough, these films are still ‘commercial’ in as much as they make their investors’ money back. That said, I’d like to work on a larger canvas, get paid more and get the films seen by more people so that’s definitely my intention henceforth.

Q: And finally, what’s next?

SIMON: I’ve got three projects which are shaping up well. The first which we’re planning on shooting towards end of March is a period based London gangster film about two  guys called Jack The Spot Comer and Billy Hill. They’re the missing link between Peaky Blinders and The Krays and there’s a fantastic story to be told about the ups and downs of their relationship and who, ultimately, was the King of The London Underworld. Given how this country maintains a fascination with gangsters, it’s incredible this story has never been told before because it’s ripe for dramatisation. 

Of the two projects after that, one is a revenge thriller set in post Brexit England and the other is a thriller set in the Mojave desert about a couple who are being shot upon by a sniper, based on an excellent novel called ‘Eyeshot’ by a very talented young writer called Taylor Adams.

FASHIONISTA is showing at the Glasgow Film Theatre on Sat 25 Feb, 11.45am as part of Horror Channel FrightFest Glasgow 2017.

More Titles by Simon Rumley

Competition: Win The 9th Life of Louis Drax on DVD

The 9th Life of Louis Drax is out on DVD on February 6th and to celebrate we have a great competition for you and 3 copies of the DVD to give away.

Synopsis:
When nine-year-old Louis Drax inexplicably reawakens from the dead after his latest life-threatening accident, he becomes the patient of celebrated neurologist Dr. Allan Pascal (Jamie Dornan), who specialises in child psychology. Determined to uncover the truth of Louis’ bizarre existence, Pascal is drawn into both the child’s life and that of his fragile mother Natalie (Sarah Gadon), whose affections begin to cloud his judgements.

While Louis recuperates in a comatose state, Pascal sets about putting the mysterious pieces of the Drax family together, the truths of which begin to test the boundaries of fantasy and reality. Also starring Aaron Paul and Oliver Platt, and directed by Alexandre Aja.


Check out the release on Amazon by clicking the link below:
The 9th Life of Louis Drax [DVD] [2016]

To enter all you have to do is answer this easy question...

Who directs The 9th Life of Louis Drax?

To enter Email us on competition@mastersofhorror.co.uk with your answer, along with your name and address.

Terms and conditions
1. Closing date 13-02-17
2. No alternative prize is available
3. When the competition ends as indicated on this page, any and all entries received after this point will not count and emails blacklisted due to not checking this page first.
4. Winners will be chosen randomly and will be informed via email.

Interview with Chris Smith ahead of FrightFest Glasgow UK premiere of Detour

Ahead of the UK premiere of his latest film DETOUR at Horror Channel FrightFest Glasgow, Chris Smith tells us the importance of FrightFest, his love of ‘film Noir’ and  his hatred of reality TV…

FrightFest has premiered all your genre movies CREEP, SEVERANCE, TRIANGLE, BLACK DEATH, except GET SANTA obviously. Is this positioning an important part of the rollout process for you?

Firstly let me apologise for being away for so long and thank you for having me back. I wrote ‘Get Santa’ because I'd just had a son and was feeling like I wanted to do something that he could watch in the next 15 years. I expected the film to take a year to come together but it ended up taking four years. My son was by that time old enough to come to the premiere with a few of his class mates.

Back to the question, Frightfest is extremely important, not just to me personally, because it's always an honour, but it's important to the birth of the film. The Frightfest audiences are the first people to see it, the first to comment on it and it's nice that they're such committed fans. Putting a film out there, freeing it from the confines of the edit suite is exciting, but also scary. Frightfest, because of the audiences passion and knowledge of genre, make the process what it should be, fun. 

What was the main inspiration for the DETOUR script? Many have commented on its multi-narrative SLIDING DOORS-style vibe. Complicated to write the two sides of one story?

‘Sliding Doors’ and ‘Run Lola Run’ both came out the same year.  I must admit I was never inclined to watch ‘Sliding Doors’, but I know that, like ‘Run Lola Run’, it deals with the concept of different destinies being forged by blind change. Though actually neither of these films were an inspiration for ‘Detour’, which came about by chance.

It was early 2007 and I had just finished writing ‘Triangle’ and was in LA trying to finance it. I'd liked the film ‘Disturbia’, which had been a big hit and so for about three months Hollywood was trying to make Hitchcockian thrillers. An exec came to me and said she'd like to cook up a modern version of ‘Stranger's on a Train’. I think my brain was so wrapped up structurally from writing ‘Triangle’, that instead of two characters deciding to murder each other's wives, I cooked up one character, seemingly facing two destinies, based on one moral choice: To kill or not to kill? 

Was it complicated to write? Certainly not in comparison to ‘Triangle’ but it offered different challenges. I was really keen for the characters to shine through more than I'd achieved in Triangle, and this is tricky because you're asking the audience to question the narrative, rather than simply immersing them in a classical structure, and then you're also hoping they feel empathy for the characters. That is the main challenge for any film that makes you aware of the film making process.

DETOUR is full of film noir references, from the HARPER poster on the wall to the clip from the 1945 B movie classic DETOUR by Edgar G. Ulmer. What is it about the film noir idiom you like?

I've always loved Film Noir. I think it is, or rather was, the cornerstone of indie cinema. These are films often made often on the cheap and yet always brimming with colourful characters, taut story lines, and scenarios where a happy ending feels impossible, instead of inevitable.

 

The film that has always had the biggest effect on me is Fritz Langs' ‘The Woman In The Window’. My film ‘Detour’ is arguably more influenced by that, than the Ulmer movie that we reference in the film and borrow the title from. That said, both films contain a character who crosses a line and finds that the forces that drove him there, and the company he now keeps, will never let him free again.

A great cast of new and up-and-coming stars – Tye Sheridan, Bel Powley, Emory Cohen. You certainly know how to pick them, Eddie Redmayne in BLACK DEATH for example. Is it a knack?

Liam Hemsworth got his first role in ‘Triangle’ also. Is it a knack? I don't know. To me if you can't see that those actors are talented you're in the wrong job. When I got the audition tape from Liam Hemsworth I literally walked it around the office with my jaw dropped showing people. It was so glaringly obvious this boy was a movie star. It was the same with Eddie and all three of the leads in ‘Detour’. 

Tye Sheridan's performances in ‘Joe and Mud’ were electric. Emory Cohen lit up every scene he did in ‘The Place Beyond The Pine’s’. With Bel Powley it was a little different because I met her having seen nothing. The rumour mill was reporting that she was fantastic in the film ‘The Diary of a Teenage Girl’ but none of us had seen it The casting director loved Bel and the financier was happy to cast her on what he had heard, so I met her blind. We got on immediately; I thought she was so cool, funny and smart that I basically cast her on the spot. 

Great chemistry between the three leads - was it there from the beginning, or did it evolve gradually?

It was there from the beginning I think but the little choices we made in prep helped it along. We scheduled well so that we did all of the scenes in the house first; just me and Tye and Stephen Moyer. That gave us a real foundation so that when Emory and Bel joined the film, at the end of the first week, we were already working like a well-oiled machine. This gave me more time to concentrate on them, but their instincts were so good that there was very little in the way of notes.

Great solid anchors by Stephen Moyer and John Lynch too, whose maturity contrasts with the young cast on purpose?

Absolutely. They're the grown-ups but they still have their own problems and in some way are more immature than the younger characters. I think they're both great in the film.

DETOUR was shot in South Africa. How was filming there? 

It was shot mainly in South Africa but we also spent a week shooting in LA and Las Vegas. I love South Africa, it's a wonderful country, with great crews and so it was a no brainer to shoot it there to help with the budget. It also looks just like California. 

You’ve said the lighting owes a lot to Edward Hopper’s paintings? Can you elaborate?

Me and my designer joke that all feature films are either Edward Hopper or Carravagio. Film-makers use either artist as their inspiration, either consciously or unconsciously. With Hopper the emphasis is on framing and production design. With Carravagio the emphasis is on using practical lighting and contrast. This film is a Hopper.

It’s a film you want to watch again the moment its finished to see if you can catch all the clues and mis-directs you didn’t see the first time? Do you consciously like to manipulate your audience?

I'm a huge fan of Kiarostami. I'm drawn to film-makers that make you question the film-making process. Lars Von Trier is another I greatly admire.  Everything about film-making is fake and the film-makers' job is to make you forget this, but there's pleasure in being reminded too because it makes you engage in an entirely different way. 

I can't watch reality TV. It's ridiculous. The one thing it's not is reality. You see survival programs where someone is walking across the Sahara desert. Is he going to make or die of thirst? Give me a break! Behind the camera there's 20 camels packed full of water for him, the camera crew, the sound man, the medic, the fixer, the camel shepherd and the camels. There's probably a helicopter standing by.

I like stories where we acknowledge this deceit and try to make a feature. If you still feel tension when you are simultaneously acknowledging the artifice of the process, then I think you're doing something good. 

And finally, what’s next for you?

I'm working on a horror movie about a serial killer called The Judas Goat and a thriller called ‘The Undertaker’. Hoping to shoot either of them by the end of the year.

DETOUR is showing at the Glasgow Film Theatre on Sat 25 Feb, 4.30pm as part of Horror Channel FrightFest Glasgow 2017.

Film news (UK): Horror Channel launches Sci-Fear season

No one will hear you scream on Saturday nights this February as Horror Channel launches a Sci-Fear Season with four ultimate science-fiction shockers, including the UK TV premiere of William Eubank’s inventive and stylish fantasy head-trip THE SIGNAL starring Laurence Fishburne. There are also network premieres for Christian Alvart’s Lovecraftian survival thriller PANDORUM, starring Dennis Quaid and Ben Foster, and John Bruno’s visually stunning chiller VIRUS, based on the comic book by Chuck Pfarrer, starring Jamie Lee Curtis, William Baldwin and Donald Sutherland. Plus there’s another showing of eXistenZ, David Cronenberg’s enigmatic body horror, starring Jude Law, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Willem Dafoe and Ian Holm. The season runs from Sat 4 Feb to 25 Feb at 9pm.



Sat 4 Feb @ 21:00 – THE SIGNAL (2014) *UK TV Premiere

Nic (Brenton Thwaites) and Jonah (Beau Knapp) are MIT students engaged in an online altercation with the mysterious hacker ‘Nomad’. They get a lead on Nomad's whereabouts and, with Nic’s girlfriend Haley (Olivia Cooke), investigate an abandoned desert shack. Suddenly everyone loses consciousness, and Nic awakens in what seems to be a secret hospital. What’s going on? Where are Jonah and Haley? What is this ‘Extraterrestrial Biological Entity’ he’s being told about? And what does the mysterious Dr. Wallace Damon (Laurence Fishburne) want from them?

Sat 11 Feb @ 21:00 – PANDORUM (2009) *Network Premiere

Astronauts Payton (Dennis Quaid) and Bower (Ben Foster) awake in a hypersleep chamber with no memory of who they are or what their mission might be. While Payton stays behind to monitor the radio transmitter, Bower ventures out of the chamber into the seemingly abandoned spaceship. The men quickly realise that they are not alone, and that the fate of mankind hinges on what they do next…

 

Saturday 18 Feb @ 21:00 – VIRUS (1999) *Network Premiere

Caught in a typhoon, a tugboat commanded by Robert Everton (Donald Sutherland) comes across a mysterious near-deserted ship. Excited to find a vessel that could be sold for as much as $30 million, Everton and his crew board and prepare to move the craft, despite the warnings of sole survivor Nadia Vinogradiya (Joanna Pacula). When a malevolent alien presence begins killing off the crew, it’s up to steely navigator Kit Foster (Jamie Lee Curtis) to get the rest of them to leave before it's too late.

 

Sat 25 Feb @ 21:00 – eXistenZ (1999)

Canadian filmmaker David Cronenberg, who has long been fascinated by the ways new technology shapes and manipulates us, is in familiar territory with eXistenZ; a futuristic thriller which combines elements of science fiction, horror, and action-adventure. eXistenZ is a new organic game system that, when downloaded into humans, accesses their central nervous systems, transporting them on a wild ride in and out of reality. A leader of the field is game designer Allegra Geller (Jennifer Jason Leigh), but when she narrowly escapes an assignation attempt, she finds herself on the run with a marketing trainee (Jude Law) in a race against time as they try to prevent the pod containing the only copy of the eXistenZ game from being stolen. But what is the game, and what is reality?

 

There are also five further network premieres this month including TUCKER AND DALE VS EVIL, Eli Craig’s endearingly cheeky tribute to suspense and slasher classics, SAW IV, Darren Lynn Bousman’s bloodiest of the popular franchise, Peter Hyams’s museum monster-chaser THE RELIC, starring Tom Sizemore, John Erick Dowdle’s REC-inspired QUARANTINE, and Marcos Efron’s 2010 gripping remake of AND SOON THE DARKNESS, starring Amber Heard.

 

Fri 3 Feb @ 22:50 – SAW IV (2007)

 

Despite Jigsaw's death, and in order to save the lives of two of his colleagues, Lieutenant Rigg is forced to take part in a new game, which promises to test him to the limit.

Fri 10 Feb @ 21:00 – TUCKER AND DALE VS EVIL (2010)

Tucker and Dale are on vacation at their dilapidated mountain cabin when they are attacked by a group of preppy college kids.

Fri 17 Feb @ 21:00 – QUARANTINE (2008)

 

A television reporter and her cameraman are trapped inside a building quarantined by the CDC, after the outbreak of a mysterious virus which turns humans into bloodthirsty killers.

Fri 24 Feb @ 21:00 – THE RELIC (1997)

 

A homicide detective and an anthropologist try to destroy a South American lizard-like god, who's on a people eating rampage in a Chicago museum.

Sun 26 Feb @ 21:00 – AND SOON THE DARKNESS (2010)

 

When two American girls on a bike trip in a remote part of Argentina split up and one of them goes missing, the other must find her before her worst fears are realized.

TV: Sky 319 / Virgin 149 / Freesat 138 | Freeview 70

www.horrorchannel.co.uk | twitter.com/horror_channel | facebook.com/horrorchannel

2017 Interview with Catherine Cavendish by David Kempf

Catherine Cavendish has been writing pretty much all her life but has only in recent years been able to turn to it full time. She and her husband divide their week between Liverpool and North Wales, where they live in a "haunted" 18^th century building with a friendly ghost who visits from time to time.

It’s been a busy year for you. Tell us what has been happening.

It certainly has! It all started when Samhain Publishing announced they were closing the horror line and I faced the prospect of all five of my titles with them being orphaned. In addition to that, I had recently signed a contract with them for a new book that would not now be published. Scary times for a writer. I wasn’t alone, of course. All my fellow Samhain horror authors were in precisely the same boat – some even more badly affected than me. Fortunately we are an incredibly supportive bunch and we all shared experiences and suggestions with each other.

As a result of recommendations, I found CrossroadPress who have been amazing. I signed with them to reissue all five of my previously published titles and within days of them disappearing from Samhain, they were back out there, with gorgeous new covers.

That’s great news. What about the other book – the one you had just signed the contract for? Does that have a new home yet?

I’m delighted to say it does. I am so fortunate to have achieved a contract with Kensington-Lyrical. Wrath of the Ancients will be out in the autumn and is now the first in a trilogy. I am excited about it because I have set it in two of my favourite haunts – Vienna and Egypt – and it also combines my love of Egyptology (and history in general) with Gothic horror.

Busy times ahead then. Tell us a little about each of the five titles that have just been reissued.

Linden Manor is a ghostly tale involving a house built on land that was cursed many centuries earlier. Lesley Carpenter is drawn to it because she is writing a thesis on local folk tales and a rhyme called ‘The Scottish Bride’ derives from the manor. Little does she know what is lurking in the shadows of that house or what significance it has for her.

The Pendle Curse is loosely based on the infamous Lancashire witch trials of 1612. Ten people were convicted of witchcraft and hanged in that year. Now they are back – for vengeance.

Saving Grace Devine involves a young girl who is drowned with a curse on her lips. She reaches out from the past and it falls to Alex Fletcher to help her, but in doing so, she puts her very soul in peril.

Dark Avenging Angel is a dark and chilling tale about a lonely young girl who grows up with a secret. She is protected by a mysterious entity who allows her to avenge herself on three people who have badly hurt her. But when Jane can only name two, the angel shows her darkest side. Payment must be made in full – one way or the other.

The Devil’s Serenade is a Gothic novel set in an imposing mansion into which its former owner – Nathaniel Hargest – has interwoven evil. Maddie inherits this house she used to stay in during long summer holidays years ago. She can’t remember the last summer she was there, but she is about to, along with all the horror that comes with it.

Why do you write horror?

I love the suspense, the dark shadows and unexpected twists and turns. As you can see from my own books, I am heavily into the ghostly, scary, creepy and Gothic which is probably why I love visiting haunted locations whenever I get the chance. I also think that horror is the best form of escapism. With everything that is going on in the world, sometimes you just want to turn away from it, grab a book and become completely absorbed in a world of fictional terrors.

Do you have groaning bookshelves or a packed e-reader?

Both. There is nothing like the look and feel of a real book but, for travel and when you have to wait somewhere for anything more than a few minutes, you can’t beat a Kindle (or similar). It’s so easy to carry around.

Any other plans for 2017?

I am currently polishing the second book in my Wrath of the Ancients trilogy and I shall be writing the third in the series during the course of this year. I also have a novella – The Darkest Veil – which I hope will come out before too long and have also completed the first draft of a possible trilogy set in Edinburgh, one of my favourite places.

What is the best advice anyone has ever given you?

Don’t say you want to write a book – just do it. It may not be the greatest story in the English language but it will be yours. Keep at it.

What would you say to your 21 year old self?

Be bolder. Turn your dreams into reality and make them happen.

What were your favourite horror films of 2016?

10 Cloverfield Lane, Don’t Breathe, The Witch, The Forgotten, The Unseen, What We Become, The Tag-Along. There have been some great films and these are only a few of them.

And favourite horror stories of 2016?

Loch Ness Revenge by Hunter Shea and also his riveting The Jersey Devil. The Night Parade by Ronald Malfi. Gene O’Neill’s Lethal Birds. Gene Lazuta’s Vyrmin , Glenn Rolfe’s Chasing Ghosts, Vicki Beautiful by Somer Canon, Children of the Dark by Jonathan Janz…I’d better stop now. There’s some great new horror out there. Our favourite genre is alive and well I’m delighted to say

You can find Cat’s books here:

Amazon

And you can connect with her here:

CatherineCavendish

Facebook

Twitter

Goodreads

Adult Babies gets an exclusive reveal at FrightFest Glasgow 2017 - Joanne Mitchell Interview

ADULT BABIES gets an exclusive reveal at Horror Channel FrightFest Glasgow 2017. The film’s creator, actress / producer Joanne Mitchell, star of BEFORE DAWN & BAIT answers 10 scary questions

When did your fascination for horror films begin?

I’ve been interested in horror since being a young kid. I liked to be frightened, whether it be reading a scary book, or watching one of the Hammer House of Horrors. But it wasn’t until my 30’s that I really became fascinated with the whole genre after making ‘Before Dawn’ and watching back to back movies at FrightFest!! The fans are so loyal and open minded and really know their stuff.


What was the first horror film you saw?

I’m pretty sure it was ‘The Thing’. If I remember rightly my brother and his mates had managed to get a copy and I snuck in! I was terrified, but fascinated at the same time.


What are your favourite horror films?

There are so many! ‘The Exorcist’ (which I recently revisited) is just brilliant and so well constructed. Love ‘‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ and ‘The Shining’ and one that has really stuck with me is ‘The Orphanage’, directed by Juan Antonio Bayona. It made me go on such an emotional roller coaster of a journey and I still think about it now.  I also loved The Babadouk, again the sensitivity, especially of the mother and son relationship, something I could really relate to. And another Spanish film, ‘Sleep Tight’, probably more of a thriller I guess, but a very clever tense film full of ingenious twists and turns. Then there’s the Soska’s “American Mary” which I loved too - such a strong female protagonist. I have to mention a movie that I have only just watched too – ‘The Autopsy of Jane Doe’ with Brian Cox…


Your favourite genre director(s)?

Loads - Stanley Kubrick, Kathryn Bigelow, Alfred Hitchcock, Guillermo Del Toro, David Lynch…the list goes on and on! They all have their own unique gift in telling a timeless story. There is something to learn from all of them. I also must mention George A Romero. Having not previously been a Zombie Horror fan (until we made ‘Before Dawn’) he has to be one of the greatest in that department…with ‘Night of the Living Dead’ being one of the best and most terrifying.


Who are your genre inspirations?

I would say at the moment it’s the women who have pushed the boundaries within the genre. There are many men who inspire me too of course and will continue to do so. but within this genre it has always been very male dominated, so it is great that so many women are coming to the fore and expressing themselves creatively now. For example, The Soska Twins with ‘American Mary’ and Jennifer Lynch for ‘Boxing Helena’, and ‘Chained’. I’m also a fan of Alice Lowe and really respect her work and dedication especially within the genre, crossing again the boundaries of actress, director, writer.

What’s the worst thing you’ve done in a horror film?

Oh I think that has to be in ‘Before Dawn’. I was covered in cold sticky blood, I had prosthetic teeth in, contact lenses (which I could barely see through) and spent hours in a cold dark basement in my pyjamas, totally freezing. However, the shot looked great, so it was most definitely worth it


Horror on TV – are you a fan?

Yes, definitely. It’s gaining a massive following with the likes of ‘The Walking Dead,’ ‘Penny Dreadful and ‘American Horror Story’, which is definitely paving the way forward.  I think there should be more UK-based horror on TV though…


You and Dominic Brunt, must be the only husband / wife team working in horror films in the UK at the moment. Scary or what?

Most of my friends think it must be a nightmare living and working so closely together but it’s the opposite. Each time we start on a project it’s the start of another exciting journey. We bounce a lot of ideas off each other (not always agreeing on them needless to say!) particularly with stories and characters. We watch a lot of movies together and try to go to as many film festivals as we can together. Dom really knows his horror, he’s like a walking encyclopedia on the genre and I have to say a lot of the more ‘gory’ ideas come from him. It’s a fun, sometimes crazy, scary journey!


Vampires or Zombies?

Zombies!!! However, ‘What We Do In The Shadows’ gave them a run for their money!


Finally, what really scares you…

Apart from some of the saddening atrocities happening in the world, in a genre sense it has to be my imagination. It’s night and dark…I’m on my own…in my house...I live in a very old house!


An exclusive clip from Adult Babies, introduced by director Dominic Brunt, will be screened on Sat 25 Feb at 18.55, before the screening of Patient Zero.

You can buy Before Dawn on DVD by using the link below.
Dominic Brunt (Actor, Director), Joanne MItchell

Interview with Julie Elizabeth Powell by David Kempf

Julie Elizabeth Powell has a passion for words, and is the author of 25 books in a variety of genres and lengths.  She lives in the south of England and thinks grammar and spelling are of immense value.  Her favourite worlds are those of her own making but she often delves into others for fun, as reading is the next best thing to writing.

Interview with Julie Elizabeth Powell by David Kempf

When did you first become interested in writing?

When I was a child, I loved to read tales about magical chairs that took you to faraway lands and becoming invisible and, with a wave of a wand, anything was possible.  Words affected me and, of course, I had to write them, too.


How did you get involved in fantasy/horror?

The most interesting stories I’ve ever read include fantasy of some kind, whether it be other realms / worlds or horror, science-fiction, apocalyptic, post-apocalyptic, dystopian, paranormal…they all feel like fantasy to me.

The reason I love writing fantasy is that there are no limits, so if things get sticky, I can just make it up!


Is this a full time job?

In my head, yes!  Although, I’m a full-time carer for my disabled husband, so don’t have time to go out to work anymore, writing is something I love to do.


How would you classify the genre you write about?

I write in a variety of genres; classic fantasy, paranormal, horror, dystopian, science-fiction, humour, psychological, crime thriller, mystery adventure and non-fiction.  Sometimes I mix up genres, too.  I don’t stick to formulas or fashion.  I also write for adults and children (12+).

I like to challenge my writing and I’d become bored if I stuck to the same old thing.

So, classifying my writing is not possible.  But it is thought-provoking, different, imaginative and sometimes odd. J  I love to stretch the imagination and delve into the ‘what’s possible /impossible’!


Why do you think horror and fantasy books remain so popular?

Maybe because folks don’t like reality?  At least with fantasy, the imagination has no boundaries.   As for horror, I think people like to be petrified in a safe way.


What inspires your stories?

Inspiration can come from anywhere at any time.  Dreams, however, are a huge source, where characters speak to me, or an idea is sparked enough that I have to write it.

Short stories are great for those fleeting ideas, although novels take far longer, it’s great to develop the characters from that initial inspiration.  Of course, I people-watch – it’s amazing what folks will do and say and how it can stimulate stories.

I will say though that my first competed novel (one that I didn’t throw into the bin of history), was inspired by what happened to my daughter, Samantha.  She was born with transposition of the main arteries amongst other heart problems and when she was two, it stopped and she died.  Doctors resuscitated too long and too late, resulting in severe brain damage.

For seventeen years, Samantha survived, but her essence, what had made her who she was, had been wiped clean.  She had no memory of me or anything else.  As her body gradually twisted, her empty shell knew nothing except pain.

During that waiting time, I had a question: ‘Where had my daughter gone?’, because her essence had vanished.  So, I created a world and went in search of her.  Gone is the result – a unique fantasy, one of loss, grief, questions and answers, and an inspirational tale of hope.

Gone is not depressing, but has been described as a fairytale for adults.  I’m sure it will help others, too.  Slings & Arrows is a non-fictional account of that time.

So then, inspiration comes from deep emotional responses from anything we see, feel, smell, hear, taste and experience – never underestimate your senses and memories.


Tell us about your work on the book 13. 

I’ve always been intrigued by how the mind works and why people do what they do.  Over the years, I’ve seen wondrous and awful things, with the latter in the name of someone’s beliefs.  I can’t say that I like humans very much, and despair at how each day things are becoming worse.

The drive to power is daunting, and those who want it shouldn’t have it and those who don’t want it, would probably do a better job.  However, I’m not sure if it’s genetic or experience led, but human beings could be argued to be the scourge of the Earth.

13, then, is a story of people, and their motivations to do terrible things – but it’s left up to the reader to decide if those very people deserve what happens.  Would the reader do the same?  What would drive them?  Can they relate?

Of course, I gave it a fantastical /horrific twist – it wouldn’t be fun otherwise!


What do you think the difference between American horror and British horror is?

Oh, I’m not sure how to answer this.  I’ve read Stephen King and Dean Koontz and also many stories by Amy Cross (British) – maybe British horror is more realistic?  I do find Stephen King’s horror to be depressing, while Dean Koontz has more of a hopeful flavor, if mixed with fantasy.

Being British (English) myself, I want my stories to be routed in reality, whilst bringing tingles and chills.  The Box That Jane Built (the title story of a collection of four horror tales), is about insanity – something I think is the scariest of things and yet is completely ‘normal’ for those inflicted. All four tales about real life situations, yet are they…?


What are your favorite horror books?

Psychological stories are the best in my opinion, as the mind is the most disturbing entity.  I find that the word ‘horror’ can mean something different to us all.  Jaws, for example, was horrific to me.  But those stories in the Hammer Horror league are awful.  1984, although dystopian, was more horror to me, as was Fahrenheit 451.  Personally, I hate anything with clowns.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was sad, but the idea of man messing with nature – that is terrifying and something Dean Koontz writes about in many of his stories.  Misery by Stephen King was psychologically brilliantly horrific as was Needful Things.

It’s not possible to list them all, and it’s never that simple because horror means more than how much blood there is – it’s possibly the sound of the knives sharpening that’s worse.

True life is far my scary than fiction, I think.


What are some of your favorite horror movies?

Favourite maybe the wrong word – those that made an impression are: The Exorcist, Silence of the Lambs, The Others, The Fly, Jaws and The Shining.


What do you consider your greatest accomplishment as an author?

My greatest accomplishment is to keep writing, despite the flack, the criticism, the hard work and the lack of sales /reviews.  I have written 25 books in varying genres and lengths and am pleased with them all.  I think my work is great, but I’m a self-publisher so am at the bottom of the pile in regard to status.

Maybe one day I’ll be lucky and that ‘important person who has the right strings to pull’ will read my stories and loves them?
             

Do you have any advice for new writers?

Ignore naysayers, write for yourself and be realistic in your goals.  Believe in your work, yes, but don’t think that it will magically become a bestseller.  Never give up.


What is your opinion of the new self-publishing trend?

Most of my reading comes from the self-publishing pool because it’s refreshing and different to the traditional, on every shelf, boring stories.  Not all of it is good, but much of it is.  From my experience, it’s a growing trend due to people wanting a voice.  But that means there are too many books for sale so unless you can stand above the rest, then…

I have no money for marketing /promoting, so maybe that’s why sales are poor?

It’s important to be as professional as you can.  It’s hard work, yes, but then I love the control.  Apart from writing, editing, proofreading, marketing, promoting, and so on, I love to design my own covers.  It’s been said that the cover makes all the difference to sales, but I’m not sure if it’s true, but I love doing it and think they’re great!

Self-publishers are often criticised and are considered below independent writers (those with a small press) and traditionally published – here are three reasons: poor editing /writing, won’t be good if they can’t get a publisher and vanity.

Hmm, well, I have never read a book without a mistake, even those with expensive eyes on watch.  Some stories through the traditional route are awful!  Really awful; bad writing style and poor storyline and boring.  Vanity?  Well, maybe it is.  But, speaking for myself, I think my stories are important and very good to read.  They are meaningful and well-written, and I edit, proofread etc. to make it as professional as I can, all by myself; that surely is an accomplishment?  What choice do I have when I’ve been rejected by every relevant publisher and literary agent?  Oops, maybe I shouldn’t have admitted that?  Although, I was offered to be taken on by a small publisher but I didn’t want to lose control of my work and be told what to write.


What are your current projects?

I have several projects in the pipeline.  A new fantasy novel called, Maisie; something I’ve never done before in quite this way, so it’s taking its time.  In addition, I hope to write a few more ‘missives’ from my Weird series – Henry Ian Darling is nagging at me to get on with them.

I do have another novel in mind, but I’m not sure yet how it will go and I need to concentrate on my current work.

And of course there will be shorts from my dreams – I never know when they’ll strike or lead me.


Please in your own words write a paragraph about yourself & your work. 

Let me just give you my latest bio, as I think it sums things up quite well:

I cannot ignore my dreams, so many of them, with names and places and ideas that spark my imagination and compel me to write; to create stories, whether fantasy or horror, or mystery or psychological thriller or murder or even humour and adventure.  So, my garden is sown, flourishing, with all manner of growth, and still the dreams come.

Julie Elizabeth Powell, my soul lingering within my imagination; maybe you’ll join me?

***

Thank you very much for taking the time to interview me, David and MastersOfHorror.co.uk.  And thank you, readers wherever you are don’t forget the review!

Links:
Website - http://julizpow.wix.com/julieelizabethpowell
AMAZON UK - http://goo.gl/YUQu68
AMAZON USA - http://goo.gl/pFsY1e
LULU - http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/julizpow
GOODREADS - https://goo.gl/DcTSOO
Amazon USA page - http://goo.gl/cT0DCK
Amazon UK page - http://goo.gl/XK8TOj
FB page 1 - https://www.facebook.com/julieelizabethpowellsbooks
FB page 2 - https://www.facebook.com/GoneByJulieElizabethPowell
LinkedIn - https://goo.gl/ZXbsGv
Google+ - https://plus.google.com/+JulieElizabethPowell/posts
https://twitter.com/starjewelz
https://uk.pinterest.com/starjewelz/