Icons of Horror

For the first time since 2006, Friday the thirteenth falls in October. While this news might get paraskevidekatriaphobics (look it up, fact fans) in a spin, the rest of us can use it as an opportunity to get into the Halloween spirit a whole 18 days early. What’s more, with Jigsaw hitting the screens on 26 Oct, we’ll need the extra long spooky season to catch up on the first seven movies in the Saw franchise, as well as some of our other favourite horror classics.

So, grab an extra-large cushion to hide behind, and cosy up with some of the movie world’s most truly terrifying characters…

Jigsaw - Saw
Born from the genius minds of James Wan and Leigh Whannell, Jigsaw (aka John Kramer) is the antagonist of the terrifying Saw franchise. Despite what his name may suggest, Jigsaw prefers manipulative mind games to the puzzle variety; the former civil engineer became a psychotic serial killer after a series of bad luck and a terminal cancer diagnosis left him believing that life must truly be appreciated. Those who take it for granted might end up meeting Billy the Puppet (clue - you won’t want to).

Freddy Krueger - Nightmare on Elm Street
Don’t let that hipster sweater and trilby hat fool you, you’re more likely to run into Freddy Kruger in your worst nightmare than down the local craft beer house. Nightmare on Elm’s antagonist was burnt alive by an angry mob of parents after he escaped jail due to a technicality following a child killing spree. Although his body died, his spirit lives on to torment a group of teenagers by entering their dreams. You may not want to sleep alone after watching this one, so keep loved ones close.

Jason - Friday the 13th
Thanks to his trademark mask, it’s hard to even watch a game of hockey without getting a shiver these days. Jason Voorhees is an absolute killing machine, having knocked off well over one hundred people in the Camp Crystal Lake area, largely to avenge the death of his mother, but also because he’s somewhat insane after living (in some capacity anyway) on his own in a secluded wood for a couple of decades. Be very afraid.

Bathsheba Sherman - The Conjuring
The fact that the plot blurs fiction and real life events makes The Conjuring’s Bathsheba even more terrifying. A relative of Mary Towne Eastey, who was a victim of the 1692 Salem witch trials, Bathsheba sacrificed her week-old child to the devil and committed suicide, though not before cursing all those who take her land in Harrisville, Rhode Island. Enter ‘real life’ paranormal investigators, Ed and Lorraine Warren. You’ll probably strike Bathsheba off your baby name list after this.

Sadako – The Ring
We’ve all felt a bit like The Ring’s Sadako when crawling blearily out of bed on a Monday morning, but hopefully without her psychotic tendencies. It’s the Japanese character’s elusive nature that makes are so scary, so we don’t want to give too much away. But let’s say, powerful psychic abilities play a big part, as does a cursed videotape that claims to kill anyone who watches it after seven days. Thankfully it seems unlikely that you’ll be watching this on VHS.

Michael Myers – Halloween 
Your annoying little brother has nothing on Michael Myers. The main antagonist of the John Carpenter’s franchise was admitted into a psychiatric hospital for the murder of his older sister. After nearly 15 years, he breaks out and relentlessly hunts down the rest of his petrified family. True fact: the mask Michael wears is said to be based on the face of William Shatner's Captain Kirk.

A new puzzle begins…advance tickets are NOW on sale nationwide at participating cinemas, book your tickets here and celebrate Halloween the right way! http://www.jigsawmovie.co.uk

Interview with Can Evrenol - Director of Housewife

Ahead of the UK premiere of his latest film HOUSEWIFE at the Horror Channel Frightfest Halloween event, director Can Evrenol tells us why film is a ‘pervert’s art’, shares his feelings for Fulci and reveals his contribution to Horror Anthology The Field Guide To Evil.

Was it important to make your follow-up film to BASKIN in the English language?

 

CAN: I wanted to make the film available for a wider audience and to test myself with a different language movie. I thought it was a fun thing to do.

 

How do you describe HOUSEWIFE? What would be your perfect pitch line?

 

CAN: Man, I had this crazy fu*ked-up dream last night! Do you want to see it?

 

Like BASKIN, HOUSEWIFE shares many similar themes of sexuality, family, social claustrophobia and surreal nightmares. Why are these elements so important to you?

CAN: The day I find out why, I would probably quit filmmaking and move onto more tangible things in life.

 

Elaborate more on why you say HOUSEWIFE is your homage to Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci?

 

CAN: I am very inspired by Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci films. Fulci is one of the reasons I decided to be a filmmaker. They are more like crazy people painting with their own blood. I love their attention to weird details and emphasis on atmosphere and music, while some others aspects of their filmmaking seems super shallow and cheap. I am not intending my films to be shallow and cheap at any level, but I'm taking huge risks and sometimes when there are flaws, I try to make them in tune with the madness of the movie. 

Where did you find lead actress Clémentine Poidatz and actor David Sakurai, who plays the head of the Umbrella of Love and Mind Cult? 

 

CAN: I met Clementine in Paris, through my French producers Vixens. We clicked right away. I thought she had the right face and state of mind. She read the script and said she loved it. I thought she must either a really good actress or crazy. Turns out she was a bit of both. We were blessed to have her as Holly. She was the angel of our team from day 1! 

 

David, I met in Fantasticfest, 2015. He was there with Liza The Fox Fairy. You gotta love that dancing grim reaper character! At the time, my reference for Bruce O'Hara was Joel Osteen. But after sharing the same taxi to the airport with David Sakurai, talking about movies and martial arts, he was the face of Bruce O'Hara for me. I really love both Holly and Bruce O'Hara. They are like my friends now, thanks to Clementine and David.

 

You don’t make your films easy for the audience to either watch or follow, is it important to make them invest more in your quirky ideas?

 

CAN: It's all about submitting yourself to somebody else's dream. That's why it's the pervert's art. For me, that's the most precious and unique thing about cinema. I also try to lose myself - as coherently as ı can - during the various stages of filmmaking. It's tricky, confusing and soul consuming, and people think you don't know about or care about the narrative, but it's not that. I love it so far.

 

Talk a little about your relationship with co-writer Cem Ozuduru who you worked with on both films?

 

CAN: Cem is the reason I launched into Housewife after Baskin. It all started in our post Baskin movie nights. We had an overdose of male synergy in Baskin so this time we were chatting about making a revenge movie of sorts with a female lead. Then we decided to add some alien conspiracy in it. Then we went for English language. Then I think, it was me at some point who pushed it more to the way of dreams and dream logic. I felt that I had to bring it home. But the last 20 minutes were always there form the earliest draft. 

 

Making a personal film is like searching for your inner child. And in this movie at some point, my inner child and Cem's turned out to be different people. So we had some trouble keeping up the same dream together. And Cem had to leave the project for some days during the shoot and then in the editing too, because he was offered a top notch TV series work as writer and co-director. So ultimately I think Housewife ended up more of a film from my instinct, rather than the collaboration we started with. But still, Cem has been the biggest support for both Baskin and Housewife. Both times he was much more than the co-writer, and storyboard artist.

We constantly share videos about cinematography, crazy movies, music and aliens. We will collaborate again for sure.

 

What are you hoping audiences will take from the film?

 

CAN: A little slice of death for their dreams.

 

What’s next? Will you stay with horror, or do you want to try something totally different? 

 

CAN: I recently completed a new short film, a segment for the upcoming horror anthology: The Field Guide To Evil, from the producers of ABC's of Death. I tried a different approach this time. Rather than the operatic, stylish and heavy metal tone I usually go for, this time I tried to make it more like an East European festival film, but with a slight dose of nightmares, and a demon of childbirth! The camera language is closer to what I want to aim for in my next projects.

 

Next, there's a dark fairy tale that we have been cooking for a while with my producer Muge Buyuktalas. I'll try to bend it to my own world as much as I can, but hope to aim it for kids. 

 

Has the Turkish Film Industry taken note of your international success? Are they now more open to genre production?

 

CAN: No. I don't think they have. After Stranger Things and It, you know every producer is talking about making a horror movie / series these days, but we hate those kinds of motivations, don't we? They don't lead to sincere work.

 

Housewife receives its UK premiere at Horror Channel FrightFest Halloween 2017 on Saturday 28 Oct, Empire Haymarket, 6.45pm.

Tickets: http://frightfest.nutickets.com

Interview with Elisa Hansen "The Maven of the Eventide" By David Kempf

Elisa Hansen is a writer, editor, actor, singer, vampire scholar, and media critic. She is co-founder of Chez Apocalypse and hosts the humorously analytical video essay webseries Vampire Reviews in character as the gothic Maven of the Eventide. She has a BA in Theatre Arts from Pace University, and is a member of American Mensa.

When did you first become interested in vampires?

They were always in my childhood consciousness as Awesome Things, perhaps because my mom was a gothic horror fan. But the first that really hooked me was Christopher Pike’s The Last Vampire series when I was in middle school. Reading about this amazing, powerful 6000 year old vampire who looked like a teenage girl with blond hair and green eyes like me made me feel like I could accomplish anything. She was unstoppable and dark, yet vulnerable and lovable, and I wanted to BE her.


What gave you the idea for your characters and getting on YouTube?

Lindsay Ellis helped me develop the concept for my show to be a spinoff of The Nostalgia Chick. I didn’t often appear as myself on her show (usually I played other characters), but I was there a few times as just me, Elisa, so we wanted to keep the continuity between our shows. Maven is supposed to be the same me that was on her show, just indulging in my gothic sensibilities that I normally have too much social anxiety to show in public.

At the time, I was working as sort of a staff writer for Nostalgia Chick and helping Lindsay with ideas and such. But I had a lot of ideas she wasn’t interested in pursuing, and decided to try my hand at pursuing them myself. My original show idea was one where I compared books to their film adaptations. But as I was making a list of all the books/films I wanted to talk about, I realized the bulk of them were vampire stories.
I have an old friend who does a YouTube show where he just reviews versions of Phantom of the Opera (The Phantom Reviewer), and that gave me the idea to do a show where I talk about just vampires. I scoured the internet to make sure no one else was already doing it, and I was in luck!

I liked Lindsay’s idea to do it “in character” as a shtick to add humor and framing to the concept, similar to how Nostalgia Chick was a “character” version of her critical persona. I decided my character would be a lonely, pathetic wanna-be Elvira so I could indulge in my dorkiest side, and I came up with the name Maven of the Eventide as a play on Elvira’s title Mistress of the Dark.

I love the roommate character insisting you pay your share of the rent. What made you decide to mix the real world creeping into your fantasy world you created?

When I started the show, I lived in NYC in close proximity to a lot of my fellow video-makers, and we loved incorporating skits and cutaway gags into our reviews. We had already established our characterized versions of ourselves as zany dysfunctional roommates in Nostalgia Chick. It was Lindsay’s idea to add the part with her in it to the end of my very first video as a way to connect our shows and add a framing context for how I fit into Channel Awesome with the whole Team NChick shared universe we were building at the time that eventually became Chez Apocalypse.

But now that our shows have developed into (even)more analytical video essays, the cutaway storyline bits don’t feel like they fit as well. Also, I’ve sadly moved away from NYC and am no longer near any of the friends who used to appear in my videos. So I’ll have to do with using my toddler for comedic cutaways from now on.


How did you develop an interest in fantasy/horror?

I can recall playing pretend super heroes as a tiny kid with my little brothers, and though they always played the white ninjas, I insisted on being the lord of darkness. I wrapped a heavy dark grey blanket around my shoulders as a cloak. My mother used to read me Edgar Allen Poe as bedtime stories (amid other lighter things, of course). She also had this amazing popup book of classic Victorian horror that I loved to play with. I was big into Nancy Drew at a tender age, and the stories where she went to haunted houses with creepy secret passages were my absolute favorite.

But I think it really started with Phantom of the Opera. I can remember a day on the playground when I was 5 years old. Another girl was talking about seeing the Phantom musical, and how scary it was, and I was fascinated. From then on I had this mentality that Phantom was the Epitome of All Things. When I was 11, I finally got a CD of the musical. I liked it all right, but I went and bought the book and after reading it, I was obsessed. Phantom led me to other spooky gothic classics, and it was a rapid spiral from there.


Is this a full time job?

Yes, in a sense that it’s the only thing I do that pays the bills (Thank you Patreon patrons!!!) . But I’m also a novelist. I’m currently shopping a finished novel with agents for publication (yes it has vampires in it). Meanwhile I’m writing a new novel about a YouTuber that I plan to finish by the end of the year, as well as working on the sequel for the novel I’m shopping. I spend about 2 weeks a month working on Vampire Reviews and the rest of the time writing fiction. I also sometimes do work for Lindsay.

Do you have any plans to write vampire fiction yourself?

Though vampires are a part of my novel (and the two other books in that trilogy), I wouldn’t really consider it a “vampire story.” It’s actually a monster mash where I include several different supernatural elements, and vampires are just one of them. I’ve often said that with how over-done vampires are in fiction after all these years, it takes some amazing geniuses to come up with awesome fresh original ways to tell vampire stories. I am not an amazing genius. But I do like to have fun with vampires for whatever that’s worth, so I toss them in when I can and try to do my best by them.

I have another novel outlined I haven’t started on writing yet that is an actual “vampire story” where the vampires are a humanoid species that evolved alongside Homo sapiens. I plan to get working on that book as soon as I finish my current projects as well as (yet) another novel I have outlined that’s more futuristic scifi with monsters, but no vampires.


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

They provide allegories for ourselves in an exciting, fun way. The concept of The Other is something a lot more people can relate to than not. On some level, most people feel like they don’t quite fit in with other people, they have some deep inner self that nobody fully understands. Even the most socially-accepted popular people often have secret insecurities. Some horror and fantasy show these dark forces as being defeated, and that gives people hope that they can conquer their own demons. Other stories show the dark forces as being relatable and sympathetic, and that gives people a connection and understanding they don’t get from other media.


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

The first thing that comes to mind is the Hammer Dracula films compared to the Universal Studios ones. The original American interpretation of Dracula was sterilized and snooty. It had a nouveau riche pretention to it, tried to be “glamorous,” clean. Whereas the British interpretation was sexier, bloodier, and took more risks. Some might call it “trashy,” and yet the Hammer films still have this much more widespread reputation for being “classy” because of their Britishness. Due to the stereotype that anything British is automatically “sophisticated,” they could get away with digging much deeper into the dark corners of Dracula and still attract acclaim from a widespread international audience.

What are your favorite horror books?

I’m assuming Dracula, Carmilla, Frankenstein, Phantom, Dorian Grey, etc. are too obvious to mention?

Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist
The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey
World War Z by Max Brooks
The Shadow Out of Time by H.P. Lovecraft


What are some of your favorite horror movies?

The Phantom of the Opera (1989, starring Robert Englund)—It is not anywhere close to being accurate to Phantom canon, but it is so much fun from a fandom perspective. The Phantom is made into this grotesque superhero badass, but he’s also head over heels in love. So much my aesthetic.

Interview with the Vampire—unlike my mixed opinion on the book, there’s no denying the film is fantastic and an awesomely seminal work in pivoting the modern popular relationship with vampires and everything I personally love about what they can represent.

Crimson Peak—This definitely isn’t Guillermo del Toro’s best film, and I had some big issues with parts of its script, but it is SO BEAUTIFUAL to look at. The most aesthetically pleasing creepy spooky gothic film of the modern era.

Pan’s Labrynth—Now this is de Toro’s best film. The horror elements are a lesser part of it, but when they’re on screen, they’re life-affirming.


Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire is my favorite novel of all time. It sounds like it might be yours as well. Is it?

I think it’s probably the most IMPORTANT novel of all time to me. If it wasn’t for that novel, I absolutely wouldn’t exist as I do, and my show for sure wouldn’t be a thing. I’ve been a Vampire Chronicles fan for decades and it significantly shaped my emotional and personal development. There’s definitely still fanfiction of mine out there on the internet for it. But I’m a Lestat fan, and Interview isn’t good to him. He wasn’t fully developed yet in that novel. It’s probably Anne Rice’s BEST book, but not my favorite. I love The Vampire Lestat more.

But my favorite novel of ALL TIME would have to be Wuthering Heigths, followed very closely by The Phantom of the Opera. I love intricately twisted character dynamics and inevitable tragic inability for resolution, and I’m all about the classic gothic aesthetic of oldy times. Modern novels just don’t reach me as deeply. My favorite characters are Gothic Villains In Love, and those two books are the apex of that.


Do you have any advice for folks who want to create YouTube character?

I don’t think creating a character is necessary. There are tons of successful YouTube personalities who are just Being Themselves. People find them relatable and can connect to their realness.

But if you really do want to create a “character,” look to yourself as well. Take something about yourself that’s sincere and heighten and exaggerate it. You can use hyperbole to make points in whatever your discussing, but if it’s rooted in something personal, then it will be that much more impactful. The best parody comes out of love. You can’t joke about something in a truly enjoyable and engaging way if you don’t have some level of appreciation for it to grant you nuanced understanding of its significance. Hatefulness and cruelty do not make for good characters.


Do you have any advice for new writers?

First of all, finish what you’re writing. If you haven’t finished a Thing yet, sit your butt down and WRITE. Don’t write what you think other people would like. Write what YOU like. The best story you can write is something that no one else has yet, but you wish existed. If you haven’t finished anything yet, stop looking for advice, because it’s distracting you from writing.

But after you’ve written a Thing, get feedback, and LISTEN to that feedback without “explaining” anything. Ask several people you trust, and if more than one person says the same thing, they’re probably right. Listen for repeated criticism, and take lots of notes. Do a word search of your manuscript for “had” and “that” and delete every last one you possibly can. Kill 99.9% of adverbs. Replace dialogue tags with actions and descriptions. And then write more. Writers are people who write. Have you written lately?
   

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

I think it’s great. It takes a lot of work, and you have to be comfortable (and savvy) with self-promotion to succeed at it. But it offers opportunities for so many writers to get their work out there that traditional publishing will not support. An agent isn’t going to take a chance on a book if they think they can’t make money off it even if they think the book is amazing. But an author in a niche market can do very well with a book like that if they know how to reach their target audience. If you’re interested in self-publishing, do invest in having your book professionally edited, though. Don’t put it out there until you’ve revised, revised, and revised again. Get professional feedback and follow it. So many people are self-publishing their first drafts, and that’s just self-sabotage.


What are your current projects?

Aside from the novels I’m working on, I’ve got a list of upcoming Vampire Reviews based on my Patreon pledge requests. I’m really enjoying working on a request basis because it presents a challenge to come up with ideas I normally wouldn’t have been inspired to otherwise. Kind of like getting an assignment to write an essay with a deadline. I keep my list private as a perk for my patrons, but I can let you know there are some very popular vampire films on it as well as some totally obscure things.


Thank you for joining us, and anyone interested in finding out more can check out the links below.

https://www.youtube.com/mavenoftheeventide
https://twitter.com/ElisaInTime
https://www.facebook.com/mavenoftheeventide/

Competition: Win Cage Dive on DVD

Cage Dive is out on DVD on October 9th and to celebrate we have a great competition for you and 1 copy of the DVD to give away.

Synopsis:

In this intense thriller, three friends from California head to the rugged Australian coast for a cage-dive encounter with deadly great white sharks. But after attracting a swarm of vicious sharks, their tour boat is destroyed by a massive rogue wave.

As clouds gather and darkness descends, the three friends fine themselves alone and defenceless, afloat in the chilly ocean as hungry man-eaters begin to circle. With little hope of rescue, they must fight to survive using only their courage.

Cage Dive is written and directed by Gerald Rascionato and stars Joel Hogan, Josh Potthoff and Megan Peta Hill.

You can buy Cage Dive from Amazon UK using the following link that opens in a new window.
Cage Dive [DVD]


Competition Closed




Terms and conditions
1. Closing date 16-10-17
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.

Competition: Win Resurrection of Evil on DVD

Resurrection of Evil is out on DVD on October 9th and to celebrate we have a great competition for you and 3 copies of the DVD to give away.

Synopsis:

Welcome to Havenhurst, a turn-of the-century gothic apartment complex in the heart of New York City with one rule: live a good and decent life and you can stay for as long as you like. Break this rule and face eviction – and never be seen or heard from again.

When Jackie Sullivan (Julie Benz, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dexter) is released from rehab, she moves into Havenhurst to start a new life. Guiltridden over the tragic loss of her daughter, Jackie is quickly drawn into the mysteries of the building, in particular the unsolved disappearance of a previous occupant.

Aided by a hardened police detective, Jackie must not only battle her inner demons but the very real ones that live deep within her new home. Also starring Fionnula Flanagan (The Others) and Danielle Harris (See No Evil 2). RESURRECTION OF EVIL is a nightmarish horror from the producers of the Saw franchise.

You can buy Resurrection of Evil from Amazon UK using the following link that opens in a new window.
Resurrection of Evil [DVD] [2017]


COMPETITION CLOSED



Terms and conditions
1. Closing date 16-10-17
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.

Horror Channel FrightFest announces line-up for Halloween 2017 event

Horror Channel FrightFest Halloween 2017 unleashes seven choice shockers for the 7th annual West End Halloween chillorama – a wits-end wallow in all things gruesome, gory and glorious.

This year, the all-day shocktoberfest is at the Empire Haymarket on Sat Oct 28, 2017 and embraces one world, one European and five UK premieres, spanning three continents.

From the emotional making of a low-budget slasher to zombie nightmares, Gothic horrors, an outrageously strange mind cult, a sci-fi alien action extravaganza, a comic strip creature feature and the last word in Killer Clowns, this year’s line-up is an eclectic mix of the quirky, unusual and extreme.

Alan Jones, FrightFest co-director said today: “After FrightFest’s successful return to central London in August for our biggest and most acclaimed event yet, we’re pleased to announce our equally ambitious, and extended Halloween spooktacular. The line-up is a heady cocktail of horror, fantasy and sci-fi, which we hope haunts your nightmares until our Glasgow grindhouser next March”.

Attending guests will be announced shortly.

Tickets go on sale from noon on Sun 1 Oct. Passes: £45, single tickets: £14.50.
Bookings: http://www.frightfest.co.uk/tickets.html
Remaining single tickets can also be bought at the cinema on the day.

FULL LINE UP:

10:00 HORROR MOVIE: A LOW BUDGET NIGHTMARE (European Premiere)

Director: Gary Doust. Cast: Craig Anderson, Dee Wallace, Gerard Odwyer, Bryan Moses, Robert Anderson. Australia 2017. 99 mins.

A funny, sad, candid and revealing documentary on the making of RED CHRISTMAS, a recent FrightFest favourite. Sick of playing quirky roles on Australian TV shows, actor/filmmaker Craig Anderson puts everything on the line to make his first low budget slasher about an aborted foetus seeking revenge on its family. With money issues, union troubles, an angry Hollywood Scream Queen and even a circumcision to overcome, we follow Craig’s nail-biting rollercoaster production journey as he gambles his family’s life savings to relaunch his career as a horror film director in the highly competitive digital age of moviemaking and distribution.

12:05 HOSTILE (UK Premiere)

Director: Mathieu Turi. Cast: Brittany Ashworth, Javier Botet, Gregory Fitoussi, Jay Benedict, David Gasman. USA 2017. 82 mins.

A worldwide epidemic has killed most of the planet’s population. The few survivors struggle to find food and shelter. But they are not alone, for the ravaged remnants of society go hunting at night for human flesh. On her way back to base camp from a foraging expedition, Juliette has a terrible accident. Stuck in her car, with a broken leg, in the middle of an unforgiving desert, she must survive the perils of the post-apocalypse while a strange creature prowls around... From producer Xavier Gens, director of THE DIVIDE and FRONTIER(S), a terrifying, moving and unusual shocker.

14:10 THE BLACK GLOVES (World Premiere)

Director: Lawrie Brewster. Cast: Macarena Gómez, Nicholas Vince, Alexandra Nicole Hulme, Craig J. Seath, Jamie Scott Gordon. UK 2017. 80 mins.

The terrifying story of a psychologist obsessed with the disappearance of his young patient and the menacing owl-headed figure that plagued her nightmares. His investigations lead him to a reclusive ballerina who, just like his patient, is convinced that she is about to die at the hands of this disturbing entity. In the bleak Scottish highlands, Finn counsels his new patient, under the watchful eye of her sinister ballet teacher. He soon finds himself entangled in a pas-de-deux of paranoia, dark agendas and a maze of deadly twists and turns, as the legend of the Owlman becomes a terrifying reality.

16:10 IT CAME FROM THE DESERT (UK Premiere)

Director: Marko Mäkilaakso. Cast: Mark Arnold, Harry Lister Smith, Vanessa Grasse, Alec Mills, Callum McGowan. Finland/UK/Canada 2017. 89 mins.

Inspired by Cinemaware’s cult 1980s video game, itself motivated by the giant creature feature craze infesting 1950s Hollywood, get ready for the pulp action horror mutant monster movie of the year! It’s a terribly tall tale involving rival motocross heroes and cocooned heroines, out-of-control kegger parties in the New Mexico desert, crashed meteors from outer space, secret underground labyrinth military bases, romantic insecurities …and epic havoc caused by massive spider/ant hybrids! Smartly scripted, extremely funny and very creepy, with terrific special effects in homage to Ray Harryhausen, get with the OTT deadpan delivery and the Project T.H.E.M. program. 

18:45 HOUSEWIFE (UK Premiere)

Director: Can Evrenol. Cast: Clémentine Poidatz, David Sakurai, Ali Aksöz, Defne Halman, Alicia Kapudag. Turkey 2017. 82 mins.

The first English-language feature from innovative Turkish director Can Evrenol who took shocked audiences on a tour of hell in BASKIN. After that homage to John Carpenter, join the Turkish delight as he navigates Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci territory with another pitch black delve into dark sexuality, family values, social claustrophobia, and outrageous nightmares. On a snowy eve, little Holly's sister and father are killed by her frantic mother. Twenty years later, Holly is married, lonely, and her life is soon about take a turn for the ultra-weird when she visits the ‘Umbrella of Love and Mind’ cult.

20:40 BEYOND SKYLINE (UK Premiere)

Director: Liam O'Donnell. Cast: Frank Grillo, Bojana Novakovic, Iko Uwais, Johnny Weston, Antonio Fargas. USA/Indonesia 2017. 105 mins.

In the highly-anticipated sequel to the 2010 breakout blockbuster hit SKYLINE, tough-as-nails detective Mark (THE PURGE star Frank Grillo) embarks on a relentless pursuit to free his embittered rebellious son Trent (Johnny Weston) from a nightmarish alien warship as the extraterrestrial menace continues its human harvest. Set concurrently with the original sci-fi shocker, with Mark and Trent trapped on a subway train as the intergalactic invasion begins, THE RAID franchise martial arts star Iko Uwais joins the thrilling turbo-charged action adventure as a disparate group of survivors must learn the true meaning of family.

23:00 TERRIFIER (UK Premiere)

Director: Damien Leone. Cast: Jenna Kanell, Catherine Corcoran, Margaret Reed, Katie Maguire, David Howard Thornton. USA 2017. 82 mins.

You thrilled to IT, now chill to Art the maniacal clown of all your worst nightmares. Appearing initially in director Damien Leone’s 2008 short THE 9th CIRCLE, then the 2011 award-winning short TERRIFIER, horrifying Art returns for his first full-length frightener. Here Leone delivers all the gore and much more in this slasher exploitation extravaganza that’s both lip-smackingly disturbing and screamingly shocking. For Art is back on the silent prowl ready to terrorize three young women on Halloween night and anybody who stands in his dismembering way.

www.frightfest.co.uk
Twitter @frightfest

Interview with Griff Furst - Director of Cold Moon

Horror movies are an easy sell? That’s BS, says Cold Moon director Griff Furst.

Congrats, sir! Do you remember how you pitched the film to your investors and cast initially? What was it that got them to bite?

We had a great crew lined up  with a great story to tell.  It was exciting for everyone involved.  That makes it easy to fund.


There’s some brave stuff in there from some of the young performers. What kind of guidance and direction did you give them?

I spent a lot of time with Josh Stewart and Candy Clark.  The movie really banks on the details of their characters.  I could work a scene for 100 hours, but we had limited time, so the actors had to come prepared, and they all did.  I got to work a scene where Frank Whaley confronts Josh Stewart in the living room for about an hour, which is a lot of time on a short shoot.  That was a lot of fun.


The film goes to some pretty dark places. How did you decide on just how far to push it?

How far did we push it? I'm curious what the outside perspective would be on that topic. I'm a big fan of setting up A particularly violent or disturbing sequence so that the questionable act, whatever it may be, happens offscreen. For that reason I feel like he dark moments,could be okay for all audiences, but I do realize the nature of wha is being implied is pretty heavy.   So I'm curious how dark or disturbing it feels, since we intentionally did not go over the top with the on screen violence.

How has the reaction to the film been so far? I imagine it’s affected people different ways?

It has indeed. Some people love it some people hate it. All of the critics seem to love it so far. I think part of it's a appeal at the moment is the success of Stephen king's It. McDowell and King have a very similar style. The style of the movie itself is meant to resemble cinema from the late 80s early 90s. This movie takes place in 1989.


There’s a common belief that thrillers and horror movies are the easiest sell in the marketplace. Agree? Was that your experience?

That's bullshit.  It's just as hard to sell as anything (except dramas).  Cameras are cheap and people with cheap cameras love to make horror movies because they think they're easy to sell so there's hundreds of them in every market, which makes it hard for the buyers to select the winners. 10 years ago you could box any horror movie and sell it on DVD. I think it will be a bit of a resurgence of horror theatrically and in the home-video market. But I'm not sure exactly what it's going to look like with everything being digital now.

Besides filmmaking, you also work another job. Tell us about that and how that led to making your own movies.

 Acting is my first true love. And there's obvious benefits to the job, like shorter hours, and having enough down time to eat, go to bathroom, that sort of thing. And your present enough to truly enjoy your co-workers. The director is always thinking about the next thing. Me and my Assistant Director will have swollen feet at the end of the day, and then go to the hotel and schedule till the wee hours of the morning, but it’s fulfilling in a self mutilating kind of a way. When I direct, my initial approach is identical to if I was acting in it. I breakdown the scene, and figure out what it's about. Once I've got that down, everything else comes easy (unless it's a complex sequence like the opening of Temple of Doom.  HUGE). It's a similar workflow, but a completely different beast. I will direct for the rest of my life, but when I'm in front of the camera the only thing I think about is my role, and how happy I am that I'm not directing.

Cold Moon is released on VOD and in select theaters October 6.

FILM NEWS (UK): Horror Channel celebrates Stephen King's 70th year and goes SOUTHBOUND this October.

Works by Stephen King feature heavily this month on Horror Channel, which celebrates the icon’s 70th year as one of horror’s most prolific and popular authors. There are network premieres for his fearsome feline anthology CAT’S EYE, starring James Woods & Drew Barrymore; his darkly weighty cautionary tale STEPHEN KING’S THINNER, directed by Tom Holland in his directorial debut; the science-fiction action horror MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE, starring Emilio Estevez; and the 2009 adaptation of his short story CHILDREN OF THE CORN.

Horror Channel has eleven film premieres in October, including the UK premieres of SOUTHBOUND, a chiller compendium from the creators of the V/H/S franchise; Mitch Wilson’s gruesome hell-ride KNUCKLEBONES; and Declan O’Brien’s twisted take on the Outback slasher franchise, WRONG TURN 5: BLOODLINES.

There are also network premieres for remakes THE HILLS HAVE EYES 1 & 2, George Mihalka’s Canadian slasher MY BLOODY VALENTINE, and hillbilly horror returns in Valeri Milev’s WRONG TURN 6: LAST RESORT.

Full film details in transmission order:


Fri 6 Oct @ 22:50 – WRONG TURN 5: BLOODLINES (2012) *UK TV Premiere

The popular Outback slasher franchise continues… A small mining town hosts the Mountain Man Festival on Halloween. The wild night of costumes, drinking and partying turns into a bloodbath when an inbred family of hillbilly cannibals target several college students for dinner. Doug Bradley, Roxanne McKee, and Camilla Arfwedson star.


Sat 7 Oct @ 21:00 – CAT’S EYE (1985) *Network Premiere
Three shocking Stephen King short stories are linked by a stray cat that roams from one tale to the next. First, Dick (James Woods) is trying to quit smoking by any means necessary — even joining a shady self-help group. Next, Johnny (Robert Hays) is an adulterer forced by the wronged husband to circle a building’s hazardous ledge. Lastly, Amanda (Drew Barrymore) is threatened by an evil gnome who throws suspicion on the family cat.


Fri 13 Oct @ 23:00 – WRONG TURN 6: LAST RESORT (2014) *Network Premiere

Get ready for more backwoods gory mayhem as a sudden and mysterious inheritance brings Danny (Anthony Ilott) and his friends to Hobb Springs, a forgotten resort deep in the West Virginia hills. Hobb Springs is being looked after under the watchful care of Jackson and Sally, a socially awkward couple who introduce Danny to the long lost family he's never known. Soon, Danny is forced to choose between his friends and his bloodline.


Sat 14 Oct @ 21:00 – MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE (1986) *Network Premiere
After a comet causes a radiation storm on Earth, machines come to life and turn against their makers. Holed up in a North Carolina truck stop, a group of survivors must fend for themselves against a mass of homicidal trucks. A diner cook, Bill Robinson (Emilio Estevez), emerges as the unlikely leader of the pack, attempting to find an escape plan for himself and the survivors.


Fri 20 Oct @ 22:45 – THE HILLS HAVE EYES (2006) *Network Premiere

Alexandre Aja’s remake of Wes Craven’s 1977 original centres on a family who becomes stranded in a barren US atomic zone. They soon discover, to their horror, that the wasteland is far from uninhabited. A band of bloodthirsty mutants prowls the area, and there is nothing they like better than fresh human meat.


Sat 21 Oct @ 21:00 – STEPHEN KING’S THINNER (1996) *Network Premiere
Billy Halleck (Robert John Burke) is an obese lawyer who accidentally hits a gypsy with his car. Given Halleck's influence in town he manages to brush the incident under the rug with some unethical legal help. However, the victim's father, Tadzu Lempke (Michael Constantine), places a curse on him and he starts to lose weight at an alarming rate. Then, events become even more macabre.


Sun 22 Oct @ 23:00 – MY BLOODY VALENTINE (1981) *Network Premiere
It's Valentine's Day in a tiny mining town in Nova Scotia, and, for the first time in two decades, the residents are planning a holiday dance, defying an old folk tale surrounding a deranged murderer killing those who celebrate Valentine’s Day. True to legend, bodies begin piling up, setting the scene for a tale of monstrous revenge and a climactic chase through the mines.


Fri 27 Oct @ 22:50 – THE HILLS HAVE EYES II (2007) *Network Premiere

During a routine patrol of the New Mexican desert, members of a National Guard unit (Michael McMillian, Jessica Stroup & Daniella Alonso) stop at a deserted research camp. Picking up a distress signal coming from a mountain range, they set out to investigate, unaware that a tribe of vicious, cannibalistic mutants awaits their arrival…


Sat 28 Oct @ 21:00 – CHILDREN OF THE CORN (2009) *Network Premiere

As physician Burt Stanton (David Anders) and girlfriend Vicky (Kandyse McClure) drive across the American Midwest to his new job, their trip comes to a sudden halt when they encounter the body of a murdered boy in the road. Trying to contact the authorities, Burt and

Vicky wander into a small town populated only by children. Soon they realise in horror that the youthful fanatics want to sacrifice them to their demonic deity.


Sun 29 Oct @ 21:00 – SOUTHBOUND (2015) *UK TV Premiere

Five interlocking tales of terror follow the fates of travellers who confront their worst nightmares over one long night on a stretch of desert highway. There are two blood-soaked men on the run from supernatural horrors, an all-girl band taken in by a strange family, a man who has to perform emergency surgery with spooky 911 assistance, a home invasion and a rescue mission that goes horribly awry. The Crypt Keeper would be so pleased! Directed by Roxanne Benjamin, David Bruckner, Patrick Horvath and Radio Silence.


Tues 31 Oct @ 21:00 – KNUCKLEBONES (2016) *UK TV Premiere

When a group of bored friends come together for a night of fun they dare each other to draw a pentagram and perform an ancient rite. Then they stumble across an antique dice game of chance made from human knucklebones. Their first instinct is to roll them gruesome bones. Their second instinct is to run for their lives when they summon up a murderous demon…

TV: Sky 319 / Virgin 149 / Freesat 138 | Freeview 70
www.horrorchannel.co.uk | twitter.com/horror_channel | facebook.com/horrorchannel

Dark Moon Comic Ends With a Blast!!!

Dark Moon Comic started a few years ago as a motion comic series that combined atmospheric art and music with a creepy and thrilling storyline, offering a unique science fiction and horror experience.  With the release of Dark Moon #4, they complete the storyline they started, and they made sure that the end is action-packed!

The creator of the series, Tom Freeman or “Freematik”, had this to say about the finale: “Many fans had been following along for years, and were patient and supportive as we tried various formats to combine the music and art that make up the Dark Moon universe.  I really felt like this ending had to have a lot of exciting moments, so that it felt like a roller coaster ride, because I felt like the fans deserved to have some fun as a reward for getting through so many creepy moments.”

Like the three episodes before it, Dark Moon #4 can be watched for free at: darkmooncomic.com/episodes or on their Youtube channel: youtube.com/darkmooncomic and also via the Madefire app, which provides the reader with the ability to turn pages and enjoy the comic at their own pace.



About Dark Moon
Dark Moon is an indie sci-fi horror motion comic that combines comic art with music to immerse the reader in a complete atmospheric experience.  The episodes are offered for free at darkmooncomic.com/episodes

Interview with Frank Merle - Writer/Director of #FromJennifer

Horror icons Tony Todd (Candyman, the Final Destination series) and Derek Mears (Friday the 13th, "Twin Peaks") star in #FromJennifer, the "highly original and radically ingenious" (Starburst) new film from award-winning writer/director Frank Merle, out 9/28 on Digital and Cable from Sector 5 Films.

Jennifer Peterson (Danielle Taddei) is having a very rough week. She's been fired from a movie shoot, her manager just dropped her, and her boyfriend dumped her, right after releasing a sex tape of them together.
But Jennifer has decided to turn things around: she hatches a plot she calls "Revenge Porn Revenge," in which she plans to settle the score by filming a devastatingly elaborate video and posting it online, making herself famous in the process. But like everything else in her life lately, her revenge plot doesn't go according to plan, and a shocking trail of carnage is left in her wake.

Winner of no less than 7 major film festival awards, including Best Director at the Illinois International Film Festival (Frank Merle) and Best Actress (Danielle Taddei) at the Mindfield Film Festival, #FromJennifer features a host of genre favorites in-front of and behind-the-camera including actors Aaron Abrams ("Hannibal"), Meghan Deanna Smith (Sharknado: Heart of Sharkness), Trae Ireland (13/13/13) and Danielle Taddei (“Pretty Little Liars”), with producers Frank Merle and Hunter Johnson (#2Jennifer) and executive producers James Cullen Bressack (Bethany, To Jennifer) and Warren Croyle.

"A truly timely and Relevant Film" (We are Indie Horror), #FromJennifer on Digital and Cable September 28 from Sector 5 Films.


How many months have you been on the promo trail for the film now?

During the hunt for distribution I spent way too many months waiting to be able to talk about it, so now that I finally get to, it feels like it’s going by too quickly. Everything in the film business seems to go way too slowly or way too fast.


Is it something you enjoy – talking about the movie?

I feel so fortunate that I get to make movies, so I absolutely like talking about it. People who complain about this part of the process seem ungrateful to me.


In terms of the film itself, how close to it are you? Is it like a child you’re sending out into the world?

I once heard Werner Herzog speak about his career, and he was asked how he feels about the mistakes/imperfections in his earlier work, and would he go back and change them if he could. His answer was that he thinks of his films as his children and you don’t love your children any less just because they might have some flaws. I liked that answer a lot.

What was it about this particular project that appealed to you?

I got to work with some of my favourite people on this film. Danielle Taddei, who plays Jennifer, went to college with me, as did Aaron Abrams who plays her boyfriend Ralph. I’ve also been friends with Derek Mears for a while, too, and I really enjoyed getting to work with him. I didn’t know Tony Todd before working on this, but Candyman has always been one of my favourite horror films, so it was a real treat for me to get to direct one of my horor idols.


Are horror fans going to dig it? 

This film defies the expectations of the genre. It’s funnier than expected, especially Derek Mears and Tony Todd, until the third act. Just when you think you understand the type of film it is, it takes a hard, gory turn than I’m sure horror fans will appreciate.


Was there a check-list of things you HAD to have in the film?

The only self-imposed requirement was a big, bloody climax. The original body count was six, but as we shot the film, I came up with some more ideas for added carnage, and the resulting final body count is now nine. Not too shabby!


It is comforting to see people covering the movie, and genuinely getting behind it? 

Oh, yes! It’s very rewarding. I make movies for the fans, so my worst fear is making a movie and not been able to find an audience. All this coverage will help #FromJennifer find its audience.


They said that a theatrical release is only a ‘promo’ for a VOD/DVD release these days.  What’s your take?

That’s more of a question for distributors, sales agents, and marketing. They crunch numbers and determine that a theatrically released film has more value than a straight to VOD film. In general, I don’t think audiences care about that stuff.


Will we all, at some time, be watching films on VOD only?

Have cars replaced horses as a way to get from A to B? Yes, they have. But you can still find a horse to ride if you really want to, but you might have to drive out to a ranch to do so. Perhaps the extra effect makes the experience even more special. The same might eventually be true for movies. The theatrical experience will never go away entirely.


How much do you love the theatre, though?  The genre film is almost made for it, isn’t there?

For those who enjoy the theatrical experience, it will always be the optimal way of watching a movie, not because of the size of the screen, but because of the communal experience. That’s why scary movies work so well with big crowds, you can hear the gasps and feel the fear of those around you.


If a film of yours isn’t getting a big screen release do you usually try and set-up a screening for it in a theatre anyway? Or get it a festival run? So that those that want to see it on a huge creamy screen can.?

Oh yes, of course. Always. All of my films have been fortunate enough to play at several festivals, and I’ve attended as many of them as I can, because it’s great fun to watch it with audiences.


With film fans themselves being the biggest supporter of sci-fi, horror and fantasy movies, should genre films be excluded from film criticism?

The only problem with film criticism is that so many so-called critics are doing it wrong. Criticism should always be framed as a subjective opinion, as in, how the reviewer felt about the film, what was his or her personal experience. That’s always fair and should be welcomed, whether it’s good or bad. The trouble is, so many reviewers try to make themselves the standard-barer of taste, so instead of saying “I enjoyed this film because…” they say “This is a good film because…” Or of course, what’s worse is: “This is a bad film because…” We’ve all seen movies we’ve loved that were trashed by critics. But I don’t think that’s reason enough to exclude criticism from genre films. I just think critics should do their job correctly.