COMPETITION: Win Stalker on DVD

Stalker released on DVD on 10th October.

And to celebrate we have a great competition for you and 3 copies to give away.

Synopsis: 

In this tense and atmospheric horror, Rose Hepburn, a young actress, returns to her empty hotel. Forced to use the old freight elevator, it jolts to a halt on the twelfth floor, leaving her trapped with an unusual stranger. Left with no phone signal as a storm approaches, tensions escalate and suspicions rise when Rose discovers the identity of the mysterious man is Daniel Reed, a camera operator who is seemingly obsessed with her.

Starring Sophie Skelton (Outlander), BAFTA winner Stuart Brennan (Risen) and WWE legend Bret Hart, Stalker is directed by Steve Johnson (Convergence).

Kaleidoscope Home Entertainment presents Stalker on DVD and Digital from 10th October

Order from Amazon at https://amzn.to/3SRYheU

For your chance to win just answer the question below.

COMPETITION CLOSED

Quick Terms and conditions - For full T&C click here
1. Closing date 17-10-22
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.

5. Entries that come directly from other websites will not be accepted.

COMPETITION: WIN MORTAL KOMBAT LEGENDS: SNOW BLIND ON BLU-RAY™

MORTAL KOMBAT LEGENDS: SNOW BLIND IS AVAILABLE ON BLU-RAY™ 

ON 10th OCTOBER 2022 AND DIGITAL DOWNLOAD ON 11th OCTOBER 2022

 

To celebrate its release, we're giving lucky winners a copy of Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind on Blu-Ray™!

Inspired by the worldwide video game sensation now celebrating its 30th anniversary, Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind finds vicious, power-mad Kano determined to take over Earthrealm, one soul at a time. Assisted by a trio of cold Black Dragon mercenaries, he embarks on a brutal assault from town to defenseless town. The choice is simple: Kneel or be annihilated. But when the cocky and talented but undisciplined Kenshi doesn’t take a knee, Kano and his clan destroy the young warrior, taking his eyesight and his confidence. Under the tutelage of reluctant, retired Kuai Liang, the only one powerful enough to challenge the malevolent Kano, Kenshi finds renewed hope and a clear path to redemption. But will it be enough to stop Kano from decimating all of Earthrealm?

Manny Jacinto (Top Gun: Maverick, The Good Place) and David Wenham (Elvis, 300, The Lord of the Rings franchise) lead a terrific voice cast as Kenshi Takahashi and Kano, respectively. Patrick Seitz returns (Mortal Kombat X, Aggretsuko, Naruto: Shippuden) as Scorpion, Artt Butler (Her, Star Wars: The Clone Wars) as Shang Tsung, and Debra Wilson (World of Warcraft: Shadowlands, MADtv) as Graji. 

Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind is produced and directed by Rick Morales (Mortal Kombat Legends franchise, Injustice) from a script by Jeremy Adams (Supernatural, Justice Society: World War II), based on the video game created by Ed Boon and John Tobias. Jim Krieg (Batman: Gotham by Gaslight) is Producer. Sam Register and NetherRealm Studios’ Ed Boon are Executive Producers.

Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind is set for release on Blu-ray™ on 10th October 2022 and Digital Download on 11th October 2022.

Pre-Order from Amazon at https://amzn.to/3fFm3g9

For your chance to win a copy of Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind on Blu-ray™, simply answer the following question:

COMPETITION CLOSED

Quick Terms and conditions - For full T&C click here
1. Closing date 17-10-22
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.

5. Entries that come directly from other websites will not be accepted.

Interview with Alan Howarth by David Kempf

From scores to special effects, from Halloween stalkers to Star Trek, Alan Howarth’s electronic imagination has contributed to some of the biggest genre films of the ‘80s. Alternately wearing the hats of both composer and sound effects man, Howarth has collaborated with John Carpenter with the music on nearly all of his movies starting with ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK; he’s provided sound design and effects for POLTERGEIST, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, all of the STAR TREK movies, THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER, Coppola’s DRACULA, TOTAL RECALL, and STARGATE, among others. As a composer, he’s scored all or part of the HALLOWEEN films. His latest film score is music for the terrifying horror film BRUTAL.

On a personal note, I’ve been a lifelong fan of Alan’s work. When I was 15, my cousin Erik and my friend Ron and I went to see HALLOWEEN 3: SEASON OF THE WITCH. We were all too young to see an R rated movie but we got in anyway. The movie changed my life. Although many critics panned the Halloween movie without Michael Myers, we loved it. One thing that was not criticized was the brilliant score by Carpenter and Howarth. I’ve listened to that soundtrack more times than I can count. It’s been the music that has inspired me to write short stories and eventually novels. A few years ago at the Monster Mania convention, I had the thrilling experience of meeting John Carpenter. I had him sign a copy of my first novel DARK FICTION.  He congratulated me on writing my first novel.

Now I’ve had the honor of  interviewing Alan Howarth who generously took time out of his  very busy schedule to talk to Masters of Horror U.K.. Alan, I deeply appreciate all of the time you took for us. Happy Halloween!

By David Kempf

----

Tell us how you became involved in movie music?

My first outing in film was with sound for my wife’s student film at the UCLA extension in 1979. She needed a soundtrack and I decided to make it for her show. At the time I was working with a jazz band, Weather Report, as the synth tech for the keyboard player Joe Zawinul. I was familiar with the recording studio and applied that to the soundtrack, writing music and recording sound effects. This led to a recommendation to the sound team for Star Trek, the motion picture. The Star Trek film editor, Todd Ramsay’s next project was “ Escape From New York”. He introduced me to John Carpenter. John agreed to work at my home studio to create the score for the Escape. I just followed my instincts and took direction from Carpenter as to what he wanted for his film and added the entire latest tech to the soundtrack.
We went on to making soundtracks together throughout the 80’s. I also made several solo soundtracks during that time.


How many film soundtracks have you recorded?

I have created the film music so about 30 films. I have created sound design for 100’s, many huge blockbuster series Star Trek 1-6, back to the Future 2-3,and for The Hunt for Red October and Coppola’s Dracula, our team got Oscars for the best sound effects those years.

Tell us about your work with John Carpenter.

My first outing with Carpenter was the score to Escape from New York, I worked on Halloween 2-6, Christine, Big Trouble in Little China, Prince of Darkness, They Live and a little on The Thing. It was always a memorable and creative experience. It was John Carpenter’s film, so he gave the musical direction we went in and often came to the session with themes that he had created for the shows.

I had the studio and all the synth gear and my first responsibility was to keep is all running and in tune. We recorded to analog 24 track tape and I introduced the idea of running video tape synchronizes to the 24 track recorder for the scoring process. Carpenter loved the idea and called it an electronic coloring book. The score were improvised as they were created and the scoring was done in a linear fashion, from start to finish. I also brought in the first Linn drum LM-1 as a drum machine and used it to drive the analogue sequencers that we used to create the electronic music repeating patterns. I always brought in the latest technology to each new score and found this challenging, very rewarding and inspirational. Our scores grew in sonic complexity with both the evolving analog keyboards and also the emergence of digital sampling, midi and computer sequencers.

Please tell us what it was like to learn your craft when you were younger. 

When I was in grade school, I was focused on art. I wanted to be a visual artist and showed lots of talent in my ability to draw, paint, and sculpt materials. My father had an accordion up in the attic that I dragged down and fooled with since I was 5. Music was a hobby and just something to fool around with, I played saxophone in the high school band.  I planned to be a great painter of something like that. In high school, I was the president of the art club and one day one of my classmates asked if I was interested in sitting in with he boyfriend’ band at a sock hop at a local high school. I played dance music from charts that night and at the end, he handed me 80 dollars, well, that was all it took to have me jump head on into music.

I got a bass guitar and started playing in local rock bands on the west side of Cleveland. The bands grew in popularity and eventually we made some records and were opening for bands like the Cream on the “Wheels of Fire” tour.

And The Who on the “Tommy” tour in 1971. I later took to musical instrument and sound recording business with a retail music store called PI Keyboards and audio with partner David Yost. I continued to writs music and had bands called “Braino” and Pi Corp that continued play in clubs and to record in studios the to 1976. In that year I want on the road with Weather Report and traveled all over the world with them. Little did I know that this was to prepare for the film music and sound business?

Do you enjoy creating the terrifying music of horror movie soundtracks?

When it came to making music for films, I drew from my favorite rock bands like Pink Floyd, Tangerine Dream, Genesis; I also looked to the Avant-garde composers like Stockhausen, Carlos, and Penderecki. I always enjoyed strange sound textures, and unusual sound juxtaposition. The best soundtracks for horror films are simple use of sounds, themes and silence. Quite passages leading up to loud dissonant musical textures the have you jump in your seat.


How do you enjoy doing special sound effects for movies?

I actually view sound effects as music in a way, I always think about sound design in terms of texture. Often my specialty is to create sound for fantastical images, dinosaurs, space ships, earthquakes, monsters, and future tech, what fun. I have also been on the cutting edge of multi channel surround sound in configuration like 48.6 of more. Immersive 3D sound, and natural frequency studies in nature own tunings (www.RAmusic.com)


Are there significant differences between working on your own projects and working for other filmmakers?

I love to work with other filmmakers and collaborate on music and sound designs. The project itself dictates the content and frames what we will do for it. I have actually been going out to play live concerts of the music I created with Carpenter as well as my own film music. When working on my own projects, it is most exciting to make projects that are pioneering challenges, you know, like being the first guy to try this or that way of doing things.


What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment as an artist so far?

Well, one of the greatest accomplishments is to look back over the years and still have musicians and filmmakers come up and recognize the work I have creates. Like the soundtrack to Halloween III. The opening music is called “Chariots of Pumpkins’ although the film was not successful, the soundtrack still outshine the film 30 years later. Other great soundtracks are to Big Trouble in Little China and Prince of Darkness. Recently I have created soundtracks to some pioneering younger filmmakers like a film called ‘Brutal” and won 3 awards for the best soundtrack at festivals.


How do you come up with the original themes you create? Halloween 3: Season of the Witch certainly comes to mind. 

Well, back to Halloween III. The theme to the opening scene was created on the ARP 16 channel analog sequencer. I dialed up the notes and we recorded it in several passes to tape. I played the melodic lead and Carpenter played several of the textured elements and then went on to improvise the tracks through out the film, one at a time. I would have to re-listen to the tracks to make a scene-by-scene narrative, but it sure was fun.


Name some of your favorite horror books. 

Classics like Frankenstein, Dracula, Dante’s Inferno, Cujo,  Interview with the Vampire.


Name some of your favorite horror films. 

Psycho, Halloween series, Poltergeist, Dracula, More recent shows are 30 nights, Evil Dead, Hell Boy, The Ring, Dark Night. I also thought The Lovely Bones was fantastic.


Why do you think older low budget horror films remain popular?

Low budget horror hold up because the filmmakers were forced to make shots that did not have elaborate special effects. Often the horror is unseen by cutting the face in horror versus the knife going in and spurting blood. Practical effects vs. CGI or just using old school filmmaking.


What are your latest projects?

My latest Projects are films titled Brutal, House at the End of the Drive and next month, Zombie Night on SCFI channel. I am playing live shows in October in Atlanta, Ashville at the Mountain Oasis Festival, Brooklyn NY on Halloween and future shows on Chicago, Austin TX and Vancouver.


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

Well, looking back and then forward, it has been a great career run, from Star Trek and Halloween to monsters and ghosts, time warps and planet explosions. Go to www.Alanhowarth.com for more history and coming projects. I look forward to the future revealing more than we can possibly imagine from where we stand now.  I have several pioneering projects in natural music and realistic voice synthesis. I plan also want to collaborate with popular DJ who wants to work with me on new version of many of my themes using modern beats.

In addition, I am slated to produce and direct an animated feature series and continue on for decades to come.

www.alanhowarth.com

FrightFest announces line-up for Halloween 2022

Following on from its frightfully successful August five-day event, the UK’s biggest genre film festival is back at the Cineworld, Leicester Square with a bumper all-day Halloween event on Sat 29th October, featuring a six-pack of festive shockers.

Embracing three World premieres, the line-up is headlined by The Soska Sisters latest venture, ON THE EDGE. Taking a departure from medical horror, Jen and Sylvia delve into new ground with this tantalising psychological erotic thriller. ‘The Twisted Twins’, who also star in the film, will be hosting the screening, alongside lead actor Aramis Sartorio.

Also receiving its World Premiere is US actor Joe LoTruglio’s debut feature OUTPOST. This gripping, violent, ever-twisting mountain-set nightmare stars Beth Dover as a fire lookout volunteer forced to face her past demons. Both Joe and Beth will be in attendance for this gala screening.

The third World premiere is TRIPPING THE DARK FANTASTIC, a documentary on the life and work of award-winning composer Simon Boswell, complete with a live performance filmed at Earth, London. The highly regarded composer, who can boast SANTA SANGRE, PHENOMENA, SHALLOW GRAVE, HARDWARE and PHOTOGRAPHING FAIRIES, amongst his credits, will be joining us.

Receiving its International premiere is Charlie Steeds H.P Lovecraft inspired FREEZE, in which an Arctic expedition is attacked by bloodthirsty fish creatures. It’s a chiller in every sense of the word! Leading members of the cast will be joining us including Johnny Vivash, David Lenik, Beatrice Barrila, Jake Watkins and Ricardo Freitas.

What’s the current exploitation hit on the fantasy festival circuit? Well, that would be MAD HEIDI, an action adventure horror comedy featuring death by lactose intolerance, mutilation by Toblerone, fondue torture and cuckoo clock death traps as our intrepid Alpine heroine battles a human cheese-fuelled machinery of dystopian hate. And FrightFest is pleased to welcome actor Alice Lucy, MAD HEIDI herself, to introduce the UK premiere, alongside the directors, Johannes Hartmann & Sandro Klopfstein, plus other leading cast and crew.

Completing the line-up is the International Premiere of THE OFFERING. Director Oliver Park’s shocker, in the tradition of THE VIGIL, turns the European legend of ‘Abyzou: The Taker of Children’ into an edge-of-the-seat, emotional rollercoaster ride with eye-popping special effects.

Alan Jones, FrightFest co-director, said today: “We’re thrilled to announce our Halloween Saturday extravaganza. We’ve assembled a six-pack of shocks to make this year’s Halloween a happy haunting ground with all treats – no tricks – to sate your jaundiced appetites”,

Passes and tickets go on sale at noon on Saturday 1st October.

Prices: Full pass: £55, single tickets: £15 + booking fees

To book: https://www.frightfest.co.uk/2022halloween/frightfesthalloween.html

(Online booking only)

FULL LINE UP:

SATURDAY 29 OCTOBER

10:45 TRIPPING THE DARK FANTASTIC (World Premiere)
Director: LG White. With: Simon Boswell, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Dario Argento, LG White. UK 2022. 93 mins.

Showcasing a live performance at Earth Theatre, London in 2021 and interviews with the artists he has collaborated with from over 35 years of scoring horror, fantasy and genre films, TRIPPING THE DARK FANTASTIC is a stunning record of musician Simon Boswell’s career. An exciting trip through such classics as PHENOMENA, DEMONS 2, STAGE FRIGHT, SANTA SANGRE, PERDITA DURANGO, LORD OF ILLUSIONS, SHALLOW GRAVE, HARDWARE and many others, peppered with interviews by the likes of directors Dario Argento, Alejandro Jodorowsky, the concert features Simon with his 12 piece band, Caduta Massi, filmed by acclaimed DOP Vince Knight.

13:10 FREEZE (International Premiere)
Director: Charlie Steeds. With: Johnny Vivash, Ricardo Freitas, David Lenik, Jake Watkins. UK 2022. 90 mins.

H.P. Lovecraft goes Arctic! On a rescue mission to the North Pole to retrieve an old friend and his lost expedition crew, Captain Mortimer gets more than he bargained for when his ship is frozen into the ice sheet and set upon by bloodthirsty fish-creatures. Mortimer and his surviving crew flee the ship, beginning a treacherous journey to find safety in an ice-bound desolate wilderness. Suffering from starvation, frostbite and a slow madness, they find shelter inside a snowy mountain, but are they as safe as they think, or have they entered the heart of the creatures’ lair?

Contains: threat, blood, gore and fantasy monster mayhem

Plus… GNOMES (Short) (UK Premiere)

Director: Ruwan Suresh Heggelman. With: Moïse Trustfull, Duncan Meijiring. 6mins.

Unknowingly, a girl enters the habitat of a tribe of killer gnomes during her daily run. Lured by mysterious glowing mushrooms, she'll soon wish she'd stayed on her usual tracks.

Contains: Contains splatter / gore.

15:35 MAD HEIDI (UK Premiere)
Directors: Johannes Hartmann, Sandro Klopfstein. With: Casper Van Dien, David Schofield, Alice Lucy, Leon Herbert. Switzerland 2022. 92 mins.

From the producer of IRON SKY, an action adventure horror comedy and the first Swissploitation film ever made. In a dystopian Switzerland under the rule of a fascist cheese magnate, Heidi lives a simple life in the mountains protected by her grandfather. Soon her longing for personal freedom sparks a revolution after abduction by brutal government storm troopers. Escaping prison, and the roving eyes of muscle bound inmates, the naïve Alpine girl must battle a human cheese-fuelled machinery of hate.

Contains: comedy violence, splatter slapstick, offensive language, nudity and sexual innuendo.

18:00 OUTPOST (World Premiere)
Director: Joe Lo Truglio. With: Beth Dover, Dallas Roberts, Dylan Baker, Ato Essandoh. USA 2022. 84 mins.

Veteran character actor Joe Lo Truglio, most recently owning the cult sit-com ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’, makes a stunning feature debut as writer/director with this high concept, ever twisting mountain nightmare. Kate seeks recovery from a violent assault by taking a job as a fire lookout, but becomes increasingly overwhelmed by her isolation and tragic past. A story about pain, what happens when you run from it, how it always catches up and controls what you see, hear and governs what’s real. It commands what you do. If you don’t face your demons, the demons will come to face you.

Contains: domestic abuse, violence, serious threat, menacing suspense.

20:15 ON THE EDGE (World Premiere)
Directors: Jen & Sylvia Soska. With: Aramis Sartorio, Jen Soska, Sylvia Soska, Mackenzie Gray. Canada 2022. 114 mins.

Family man Peter gets more than he paid for when he books a 36-hour session with the sadistic Mistress Satana who seems more intent on making him suffer for his sins. Is it blackmail? Is it torture? Or is it the Devil come for his soul? Will Peter’s faith save him from his own personal Hell or is he already damned? A brilliant depiction of how Kink Culture can heal past trauma and be a source for shocking redemption.

Contains: Strong language, sexual content, violence, sexual violence, nudity,

23:00 THE OFFERING (International Premiere)
Director: Oliver Park. With: Nick Blood, Alan Corduner, Paul Kaye, Emm Wiseman. USA 2022. 93 mins.

In the tradition of THE VIGIL comes the European legend of ‘Abyzou: The Taker of Children’. Hoping to reconcile with his orthodox father, Art, the son of a Chasidic funeral director returns home with his pregnant wife Claire. But his intentions are put to the test when the family morgue receives the body of a mysterious corpse containing an ancient entity with a sinister plan for his unborn child. Blending authentic Jewish demonology and deep Kabbalistic secrets with classic horror, THE OFFERING provides super shocks and an all-stops-out chilling climax.

Contains: supernatural threat, bloody imagery, body horror.

For full programme details: http://www.frightfest.co.uk/

COMPETITION: Win The Twin (A Shudder Original) on Blu-ray

The Twin released on Blu-ray on 3rd October.

And to celebrate we have a great competition for you and 3 copies to give away.

Synopsis: 

Prepare for double the trouble as we come face to face with The Twin – a disturbing and terrifying psychological horror from Finnish director Taneli Mustonen (Lake Bodom, Reunion). Midsommar and Hereditary fans will be thrilled with this unflinchingly eerie and spine-chilling Shudder Original, arriving on Blu-ray, DVD, and digital 3 October 2022 from Acorn Media International.

In the aftermath of a tragic accident that saw their son killed, Rachel (Teresa Palmer – A Discovery of Witches, Lights Out, Hacksaw Ridges) and Anthony (Steven Cree – Maleficent, Outlander, Brave) decide to move to the other side of the world to focus on their surviving twin son, Elliot (Tristan Ruggeri – The Witcher).

What begins as a time to heal in the isolated Scandinavian countryside turns into a desperate battle for the very soul of their child. When an entity claiming to be his dead brother possesses Elliot, Rachel must embark on a deadly and disturbing journey to unravel the horrible truth about the twin. Forced to confront the unbearable truth, Rachel’s nightmare is only just beginning... 

This horror promises twists and turns galore and sinister shocks aplenty that will keep viewers guessing until the very end.

Dare you meet The Twin in this highly atmospheric and unrelentingly tense thriller?

Order from Amazon at https://amzn.to/3BGhvNI

For your chance to win just answer the question below.

COMPETITION CLOSED

Quick Terms and conditions - For full T&C click here
1. Closing date 10-10-22
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.

5. Entries that come directly from other websites will not be accepted.

LEGEND reveals slate of horror, sci-fi and action premieres for October

 

October weekends will be haunting, horrifying and hair-raising as Legend presents a premiere-packed month of must-see movies, headed up by the Channel premieres of THE DEVIL-SHIP PIRATES, a rare Hammer swashbuckler, starring Christopher Lee, Darren Lynn Bousman’s twisted ST. AGATHA, which pushes the boundaries of “nunsploitation”, Xavier Gens’ beautiful and dark COLD SKIN and the stirring action thriller BOILING POINT, starring Wesley Snipes and Dennis Hopper.

There are also first time showings for action thriller MOTHER LODE, directed by and starring Charlton Heston, SWEENY!, a Brit action crime drama, inspired by the ITV series The Sweeney, and white-knuckle ride VEHICLE 19.

Plus, two channel premieres head up the popular VINTAGE VAULT strand. Nightmarish chiller FIEND WITHOUT A FACE and the blood-thirsty FIRST MAN INTO SPACE are part of the terrifying Sunday night double-bills – cult masterpieces from the B-movie world of strange creatures, alien invaders and lurid horror.

The vault is unlocked on Sunday October 2nd with subterranean monster thriller THE MOLE PEOPLE. This is paired with Nathan Juran’s Ray Harryhausen-inspired 20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH.

The following Sundays include the beastly mutant classic THE DEADLY MANTIS, Fred F. Sears’ saucer-invading caper EARTH VS THE FLYING SAUCERS, spell-binding horror fantasy THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN, THE MONOLITH MONSTERS, in which the world is attacked by thirsty giant crystals, the brilliant Hammer horror, THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1957) and the hypnotically sensual DRACULA (1958).

And the second season of hit series KNIGHT RIDER, in which Michael, K.I.T.T. and gang return for more roadside adventures, has its channel premiere.

Full film details in transmission order:

Saturday 1 October @ 21:00 – THE DEVIL-SHIP PIRATES (1964) *Channel Premiere
Christopher Lee stars as Captain Robeles, a Spanish privateer in charge of the galleon 'Diablo'. When he realises that Drake has won the battle of Armada, Robeles escapes with his cut-throat crew to a lonely inlet on the Cornish coast. He manages to make the villagers believe that Drake has been defeated and he and his men begin to terrorize the locals.

Sunday 2 October @ 21:00 – THE MOLE PEOPLE (1957)
*Part of The Vintage Vault
John Bentley (John Agar), leads a Middle Eastern expedition in search of a lost tribe of Sumerians. He and his cohorts follow a tunnel deep below the surface of the earth, eventually coming across a tyrannical tribe of albino Sumerians, who use the semi-human Mole People as slaves. Aware of the danger the scientists pose, the subterranean High Priest wants them eliminated.

Sunday 2 October @ 22:30 – 20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH (1957)
*Part of The Vintage Vault
A manned space flight from Venus crash lands in the Mediterranean, losing its most precious cargo: reptilian eggs from the planet's surface. Italian zoologist (Frank Puglia), his American granddaughter, Marisa (Joan Taylor), and returned astronaut Calder (William Hopper) must battle to the creature before it destroys everything in its path.

From Wednesday 5 September @ 19:00 – KNIGHT RIDER, Season Two (1993) *Channel Premiere
In the second season of this hit series, Michael, K.I.T.T. and gang return for more roadside adventures. Whether in a drag race or fighting Michael's evil half-brother Garthe and his behemoth truck, this duo of man and super car are driving straight for thrills and excitement! At full speed!

Saturday 8 October @ 21:00 – BOILING POINT (1993) *Channel
Premiere
Making money is to print it. That's why everyone wants to get in on the act. As the "money men" blow away their rivals, they're sending smoke signals out to the cops. Cornered in a hotel stake-out, the mobsters have to choose between rubbing out their biggest rival and saving their own skins. Stars Wesley Snipes and Dennis Hopper and Viggo Mortensen.

Sunday 9 October @ 21:00 – THE DEADLY MANTIS (1957)
*Part of The Vintage Vault
When a giant insect attacks several people in a remote Arctic region, Col. Joe Parkham (Craig Stevens) swings into action. Parkham and his associates, Dr. Ned Jackson (William Hopper) and Ned's assistant Margie Blake (Alix Talton), track the predatory mantis as it heads southward to Washington DC.

Sunday 9 October @ 22:35 – EARTH VS THE FLYING SAUCERS (1956)
*Part of TheVintage Vault
UFOs from a doomed star system invade Earth with plans of world conquest. Surrender is not an option so the human race must fight to the bitter end. Special effects are by Ray Harryhausen.

Saturday 15 October @ 21:00 – SWEENY! (1976) *Channel Premiere
When one of his informants is murdered, Detective Inspector Jack Regan (john Thaw) is drawn into a deadly political game. He is soon a marked man and, after being framed, is suspended from duty. This doesn't stop him and Detective Sergeant Carter (Dennis Waterman) searching for the truth.

Sunday 16 October @ 21:00 – THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN (1957)
*Part of The Vintage Vault
An adaptation of a drama by Nigel Kneale, creator of the Quatermass series, this horror fantasy stars Peter Cushing as scientist John Rollason, who, ignoring his wife's objections, joins an expedition lead by American Tom Friend (Forrest Tucker). They are searching for the legendary yeti in the high Himalayas - a quest with deadly consequences.

Sunday 16 October @ 22:40 – THE MONOLITH MONSTERS (1957)
*Part of The Vintage Vault
A meteor crashes in the desert, leaving behind huge black chunks. While being analysed in a science lab, the crystalline stones are accidentally drenched with water and begin to grow to gargantuan dimensions. The monoliths grow to unimagined heights. Can the world be saved by the saline solution which the scientists are hurriedly developing in the lab?

Saturday 22 October @ 21:00 – VEHICLE 19 (2013) *Channel Premiere
A parolee unwittingly gets in the wrong rental car at Johannesburg airport with terrifying consequences. He soon realises that not only is he a stranger in inhospitable surroundings, but is the target of an entire police force that will use any means necessary to stop him and the tied-up female passenger he discovers in the back of the vehicle.

Sunday 23 October @ 21:00 – FIEND WITHOUT A FACE (1958) *Channel Premiere
A scientist's thoughts materialise as an army of invisible brain-shaped monsters (complete with spinal-cord tails!) who terrorize an American military base in this nightmarish chiller.This independently made British black-and-white cult classic was directed by Arthur Crabtree and stars Marshall Thompson, Kynaston Reeves, Michael Balfour, and Kim Parker.

Sunday 23 October @ 22:30 – THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1957)
Scientist Victor Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) will stop at nothing in his quest to reanimate a deceased body and assembles a hideous creature (Christopher Lee) out of dead body parts. He succeeds in bringing it to life, but the monster is not as obedient or docile as Frankenstein expected…

Friday 28 October @ 22:45 – ST. AGATHA (2018) *Channel Premiere
In 1950s Georgia, a pregnant woman on the run from the police, seeks refuge in a desolate convent, only to be met with an unsettling and horrendous evil waiting on the other side. Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman, the director of Saw II, III and IV.

Saturday 29 October @ 21:00 – MOTHER LODE (1982) *Channel Premiere
A couple of adventurers go into the wilds of British Columbia in search of a lost colleague, but when their plane crashes they find themselves at the mercy of a crazy miner who has lived in isolation searching the mountain caves for a chamber of long lost gold. Kim Basinger stars.

 

Sunday 30 October @ 21:00 – FIRST MAN IN SPACE (1958) *Channel Premiere
*Part of The Vintage Vault
Brash U.S. Navy test pilot, Lieutenant Dan Prescott, hungry for fame, rockets himself beyond Earth’s atmosphere on test flight Y-13, only to become encrusted with cosmic dust and return to earth as a blood-drinking monster. Directed by Robert Day, it stars Marshall Thompson, Marla Landi, Bill Edwards, and Robert Ayres.

Sunday 30 October @ 22:30 – DRACULA (1958)
*Part of The Vintage Vault
On a search for his missing friend, Jonathan Harker (John Van Eyssen), vampire hunter Dr. Van Helsing (Peter Cushing) is led to Count Dracula's (Christopher Lee) castle, where he finds an undead Harker in Dracula's crypt and discovers that the count's next target is Harker's ailing fiancée, Lucy Holmwood (Carol Marsh). With the help of her brother, Arthur (Michael Gough), Van Helsing is determined to protect Lucy and put an end to Count Dracula's parasitic reign of terror.

Monday 31 October @ 22:45 – COLD SKIN (2017) *Channel Premiere
On the edge of the Antarctic circle, a steamship approaches a desolate island. On board is a young man, poised to take up the post of weather observer, to live in solitude far from civilization. But on shore he finds no trace of the man he has been sent to replace, just a deranged brute in the lighthouse who has witnessed a horror he refuses to name. Then night begins to fall…

TV: Sky 148 / Virgin 149 / Freeview 41 / Freesat 137

COMPETITION: Win They Live in the Grey on DVD - Starring Michelle Krusiec and Ken Kirby

They Live in the Grey DVD - Released on 26th September

And to celebrate we have a great competition for you and 2 copies  to give away.

Synopsis: 

Get ready for unrelenting terror with They Live In The Grey – a stylish and terrifying paranormal thriller with echoes of paranormal big hitters The Sixth Sense and The Conjuring. Written and directed by The Vang Brothers – best known for Bedeviled – this scare-you-senseless supernatural Shudder Original is set to arrive on DVD and digital on 26 September 2022 from Acorn Media International. 

When clairvoyant social worker Claire (Michelle Krusiec – Hollywood) is handed a new child protection case, a young girl called Sophie (Madelyn Grace – Don’t Breathe 2), she notices the child is covered in scratches and bruises. Sophie says they’re from reckless skateboarding, but it’s not long before Claire senses there’s something else in her house… something sinister.

As Sophie and her parents, Giles (Ken Kirby – Good Trouble, Dynasty) and Audrey (Ellen Wroe – For All Mankind, Shameless), are tormented by an evil spirit, Claire realises that to save the parents from losing custody of their child, she must confront her fears and stop the malevolent force... before it’s too late.

Suspenseful, chilling, and at times heart-wrenching, this emotionally packed, nerve-jangling paranormal thriller promises to put audiences through the wringer.

They Live In The Grey delivers an enthralling and potent exploration of grief and makes for a compelling, captivating must-watch.

Order from Amazon at https://amzn.to/3QV1hWz

For your chance to win just answer the question below.

COMPETITION

Quick Terms and conditions - For full T&C click here
1. Closing date 03-10-22
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.

5. Entries that come directly from other websites will not be accepted.

Interview with Ayvianna Snow

 

Is there a horror film that scarred you as a child?
I have always been terrified by 'The Shining.'

What is your favourite horror film, and why do you love it?
My favourite horror film is 'Little Joe', directed by Jessica Hausner. The cinematography has a Kubrickian quality; lots of long, slow pans zooming into two characters talking and then creepily continuing past the actors, focussing on the background as if the actors are only incidental to the scene. The camera is forever peering round corners, giving us the impression of eavesdropping on conversations we weren't meant to hear.

What I love about this film is that it's a slow burner; it's not all jump cuts and gory, bloody deaths; instead, Hausner manages to build a growing sense of unease. The film is disturbing and unsettling rather than flashy. There is a question over whether the lead character, Alice, can truly trust her own perceptions.

In terms of working in independent film, what are the most creative or funny things you or cast colleagues have had to do to make a scene work / be scary?
When I made 'The Lockdown Hauntings' with Howard Ford, he was acting as a one-man camera crew to comply with the Covid restrictions, which meant he had to do every job himself. I remember him having to pull a bit of string to make a door close on cue while also having to operate the camera, record the sound and say the other actor's lines! When the ghost appeared behind me briefly in one scene, he had to set the camera up, put the mask on and then play the ghost himself!

What appeals to you about working in the horror genre?
I think it is such a versatile genre. Many different topics can be explored through a horror lens. And horror has traditionally featured strong leading roles for women.

You recently narrated Orchestrator of Storms, a documentary about the life and work of Eurocult director Jean Rollin…
As an actress who works mainly in the horror genre, I am thrilled to be involved in Orchestrator of Storms, as Jean Rollin is, in many ways, the father of modern horror. His influence on horror has been so far-reaching.

What else do you have coming up?
'Video Shop Tales of Terror' is out in January 2023

Links
Instagram: www.instagram.com/ayviannasnow/
Spotlight: https://www.spotlight.com/5817-5640-0092
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6757384/

COMPETITION: Win The Last Thing Mary Saw on DVD

The Last Thing Mary Saw - Released on 19th September

And to celebrate we have a great competition for you and 2 copies on DVD to give away.

Synopsis: 

Every family has its secrets, and The Last Thing Mary Saw is a frightening secret audiences will want in on. From Edoardo Vitaletti, in his directorial debut, this gothic horror features a stand-out cast, including horror favourite Isabelle Fuhrman (Orphan), Rory Culkin (Signs), Stefanie Scott (Insidious 3) and Judith Roberts (Orange Is the New Black, You Were Never Really Here), who give showstopping performances. Having premiered at the 2021 Fantasia International Film Festival, this dark and enchanting Shudder Original is now set to arrive on DVD and digital on 19 September 2022 from Acorn Media International.

We begin in Southold, New York, 1843, where we meet a young Mary (Stefanie Scott) with blood trickling from behind the blindfold tied around her eyes, as she is interrogated about the events surrounding her grandmother’s mysterious death.

As the story flashes back, we witness Mary, raised in a repressively religious and eerily claustrophobic household, finding fleeting happiness in the arms of Eleanor (Isabelle Fuhrman), the family’s maid. Her family, who believe they are seeing, speaking, and acting on God’s behalf, view the girls’ relationship as an abomination to be dealt with as severely as possible, inflicting brutal punishments.

The couple attempts to carry on in secret, but someone is always watching or listening, and the wages of perceived sin threaten to become death, with the tension only heightened by the arrival of an enigmatic stranger (Rory Culkin) and the revelation of greater forces at work...

The Last Thing Mary Saw oozes with palpable oppression, suspense, and sin. This dark and dread-filled horror promises to sate genre fans' thirst for supernatural twists and innate terror. Audiences should get ready to witness The Last Thing Mary Saw, a painfully tense, heart-wrenching, and impossible-to-forget film.

Order from Amazon at https://amzn.to/3RTOHrw

For your chance to win just answer the question below.

COMPETITION CLOSED

Quick Terms and conditions - For full T&C click here
1. Closing date 26-09-22
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.

5. Entries that come directly from other websites will not be accepted.

Interview with David Kempf - By Jon Donnis

So this is lucky Number 13?

Yes, Jon, it is. Counting all the plays and the kids' books plus the novels...this is my 13th book. 

Starting with Dark Fiction all those years ago, this is my 13th book. The Wager of Sin is the sequel to Dark Fiction and Damned Fiction. It is the conclusion of the trilogy. Although it does have the character of Andrew from Travel Bug who is somewhat loosely based on my son Andrew. It also has Christopher from Dark Fiction and Damned Fiction.

And of course, Dr. Henry David Wells. 

Yes, of course. He is my most heavily used character. He is a professor, a writer, has lived an unnaturally long life, and holds many deep, dark secrets. He is a mystery that is gradually solved over the course of every book and this one is no exception I promise you. The first one (Dark Fiction) was about his Faustian deal with the Jinn. The second book (Damned Fiction) was about his competition (with his former student Sarah Nolan) to write the Devil's life story. This one continues the tale of the last story but it also concludes the trilogy. 

That is some title. 

Coming from Romans 6:23 in the Bible, "the wages of sin is death," I think it was an interesting play on words for their competition to write the Devil's life story. The story gives the full meaning of the title at the conclusion. 

Sounds like a twist. 

Yes, and I consider it the best twist ending to a novel or short story that I have ever written. 

Is the character of Satan as important in this one?

No, it is actually much more about the inner minds and souls of our competitors Dr. Wells and Sarah Nolan. The short stories featured in the novel also reflect what is going on in our world now. The relationship problems between men and women, economic uncertainty, freedom of speech, and the way horror films have deteriorated into the masked boogieman who, of course, has nothing to do with us.

Does this book feature more or less humor than Damned Fiction?

Less humor and more pure horror to speak of. It feeds off exhilaration and terror as Ray Bradbury might have said once. My last novel They Laughed at Me was very dark but filled to the brim with humor because it was about a comedian on house arrest. The horror within these pages is more about the human condition than the supernatural elements of some of my other stories. It would be like a haunted house story but one that was more concerned with haunted people than what invisible forces occupy the house itself. 

I assume there are still supernatural elements within the story.

Oh, yes, sinister forces are at work indeed. 

Do you have a favorite blurb?

"Two writers vie to tell the Devil's story. One pens the tale, the other dies horribly. The writer who dies is the lucky one."

— Gary Raisor, author of The Old Black Hat and Occupational Hazzard 

That's a good blurb.

Your blurb is also my favorite.  

"With The Wager of Sin, David completes his trilogy with a remarkable twist ending worthy of Psycho and The Twilight Zone."

— Jon Donnis, Editor Masters of Horror U.K. 

Speaking of humor. We never did an interview for your novel They Laughed at Me.

Well, that was a fun book to write. It was a novel that concentrated on humor, but is a dark sort of gallows humor. It was a story about an alcoholic comedian on house arrest. He snuck out of his apartment to do his comedy routines even when he was on house arrest. Jack Lively the main character was featured briefly in my novel Damned Fiction but They Laughed at Me is a prequel and he is in every conceivable way the center of attention here. It was very cathartic to me and I quit drinking myself around this time. And, of course, Dr. Wells has a little cameo in it as he does in almost all of my books. 

Finally getting a review from Kirkus was nice, and thank goodness it was a good one.

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/david-kempf/they-laughed-at-me/

Tell us about Four Murder Mystery Plays and your interview with NBC Radio's House of Mystery

Well, I am a huge fan of Ira Levin's DeathTrap and Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap. It's no secret what a huge fan I am of Edgar Allan Poe so the detective character in the play is a distant relative of Dupin. Poe is, after all, the father of the modern detective story. That way I could put some gothic horror moments in the four stories, they are all different one-act plays but all feature that one character. Andre Dupin is sort of my theatrical equivalent of Dr. Henry David Wells in my novels of fiction. The amazing thing is that people who are actually in rehab have been enjoying reading these plays in group and that means a lot to me since all four stories deal with addiction in some form. The plays have received mostly positive reviews but the best I have done in play competitions is winning semi-finalists. My friend Jeffrey Oliver helped me get connected to Al Warren and David North Martino to be on their radio show NBC's House of Mystery. It was a great experience to talk about my plays as well as my favorite authors, and of course my own novels.

https://shows.acast.com/houseofmysteryradio/episodes/david-kemp-four-murder-mystery-play

A sense of accomplishment. 

Yes. In concluding the trilogy, there is a great sense of accomplishment. 

Your book covers are getting more and more amazing. Why is that?

My cousin Heather started a publishing company called Graylyn Press. She does book covers and editing. She's also a writer. She wrote a murder mystery trilogy called The Element Mysteries. They are Element of Secrecy, Element of Danger, and Element of Truth. You actually interviewed her and it is on this site. I love the cover she did for this new novel. 

What's next?

Well, I've worked with some wonderful people like you, Jon. I already mentioned my cousin Heather who is a great editor and collaborator.  My other editors have been wonderful as well—A.L.Sirois, a wonderful writer as well, Erin Potter, a great talent, and the playwright Colette Freedman who helped me write four plays I am quite pleased with. 

Ultimately, this trilogy and my other work have been the fulfillment of a dream to tell the best stories about the human condition that I could. I loved horror books and movies as a kid and when my number is up someday, I am happy to say that I did it. I told the best stories that I could. In the meantime, I will be working on a box set of my trilogy with Graylyn Press. Other than that, we will just have to see. I go wherever my imagination and my muse guide me.  

https://www.graylynpress.com

Get The Wager of Sin Kindle Edition by David Kemp at the link below.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BCS7D1CH/