Horror Highlights: CANDY CORN, THE EVIL WITHIN, Herschell Gordon Lewis’ BLOODMANIA, PARANORMAL LOCKDOWN, PHOENIX FORGOTTEN, THE LAST SCOUT

Candy corn, the staple of the Halloween season, is now the name of a new horror movie? What a match made in heaven! Directed by Josh Hasty, Candy Corn's crowdfunding campaign and official poster are at the top of today's Highlights. Also: The Evil Within DVD release details, Bloodmania's worldwide distribution deal, a clip from the new episode of TLC's Paranormal Lockdown, and trailers for Phoenix Forgotten and The Last Scout.

Candy Corn's Indiegogo Campaign and Poster: Press Release: "Cleveland, OH - March 1, 2017-  Buzz has been growing rapidly around the new indie film, Candy Corn, from Josh Hasty (Director, In Hell Everybody Loves Popcorn) and Butch Von Dreaux (Butchovision). The film, which stars Pancho Moler (Rob Zombie’s 31), has gained so much interest from fans that Hasty and Von Dreaux have decided to launch a crowdfunding campaign to get the fans involved. The 31-day campaign, which launched at midnight, has already exceeded 5% of its goal and is filled to the brim with perks from industry giants such as Trick-or-Treat Studios, Fright Rags, Forgotten Saints L.A., and Butchovision. Some of the perks include apparel, accessories, one of a kind masks, memorabilia, and unique opportunities to be a part of the film.

The campaign includes a 5-minute scene directly from the movie to show the backers and fans exactly what they are supporting. Hasty and Von Dreaux have been able to amass a small, but fiercely talented crew to deliver the best possible film on a tight budget. The recently released scene has already received an overwhelming amount of positive feedback.

Candy Corn was created by Von Dreaux and written and directed by Hasty. The passion behind this project stems from a love of all things horror. Both Von Dreaux and Hasty felt that there was a void in the horror film industry and wanted to create a project that was an ode to classic horror films.  And so far, it appears that the fans agree.

As the campaign progresses more perks from known horror brands will be announced and added. Many of the items are one of a kind and limited, and so they will sell out fast. For more information and to join this project, visit

For more information and to join this project, visit www.candycornmovie.com."

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The Evil Within DVD Release Details: Press Release: "February 10, 2017, Los Angeles, CA – Vision Films is set to release “The Evil Within” (aka “The Storyteller”), the first and only film written and directed by the late Andrew Getty, grandson of the oil tycoon J. Paul Getty, to all major VOD platforms in North America on February 28th, and to DVD on March 3rd, 2017.

Andrew Getty was a horror film fanatic, “The Evil Within” being his passion project that took over a decade to complete. Getty and his FX team created their own complex special effects and animatronics and shot much of the principal photography in his home.

“The Evil Within” stars Frederick Koehler (“Death Race”), Sean Patrick Flanery (“Saw 3D: The Final Chapter”), Dina Meyer (“Starship Troopers, “Saw”), Michael Berryman (“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” “The Hills Have Eyes”) and Kim Darby (“True Grit”). It was produced with Robert Hickey, Kent Van Vleet, and Michael Luceri.

Dennis Peterson (Koehler) is a mentally challenged teen who lives with his older brother John (Flanery). While John struggles between caring for Dennis and maintaining a relationship with his increasingly impatient girlfriend Lydia (Meyer), Dennis finds a friend in his own reflection in an antique mirror. But in reality, the reflection is soon revealed to be an Evil Entity (Berryman) who is more charming, smarter and stronger than Dennis, and instructs him to do horrific things in order to ‘fix’ his brain. Tortured and confused, Dennis embarks on a murderous rampage, collecting the bodies in his basement. A police investigation, helmed by a determined social worker (Darby), targets the Peterson’s in an attempt to uncover the truth behind the murders. With the walls rapidly closing in, Dennis makes his final play...with dire results.

Producer Michael Luceri tells us, “After Andrew died, I made it my mission to see that his film was completed. I have been on this project from the beginning. Andrew was such a perfectionist, each and every shot had to be perfect before he would move on. When he was young, Andrew told me that he would have these really powerful, twisted dreams, so scary that he didn’t want to believe they came from inside him, so he had this idea that it was this ’storyteller’ who created the dreams, and that became the genesis of the film’s story.”

Vision Films’ Managing Director/ CEO, Lise Romanoff, states, “This film is downright mesmerizing and creepy! It is such a shame that the Getty family, while blessed with such great wealth, has suffered so much tragedy. I hope we make Andrew and his family proud by releasing this incredible work of art.“"

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BloodMania Gets Worldwide Distro Deal: Press Release: "Diabolique Films, and HGB Entertainment Ltd, are pleased to announce the signing of an exclusive worldwide distribution deal with Monarch Films Inc. for their horror anthology, “Herschell Gordon Lewis’ BloodMania.”

“Herschell Gordon Lewis’ BloodMania” is the final film by legendary horror director Lewis, affectionately known as the “Godfather of Gore”, who passed away in late 2016, after a career in film spanning over fifty years.

“I am very excited to add Mr. Lewis’ final film to the quality package of new films we will be premiering at MIP 2017. We have already heard from many of our key TV and DVD buyers worldwide expressing their interest in licensing “BloodMania” for their territories. We will be making “BloodMania” available to horror fans worldwide via Amazon Prime and dozens of additional streaming platforms later this spring”.

Art Skopinsky
President, Monarch Films

Diabolique Films and HGB Entertainment Vice President and Producer James Saito says, “It is extremely gratifying to work with Monarch Films to bring Herschell’s final film to his loyal international fan base, and to introduce his work to a whole new generation of horror fans.”

The horror anthology film consists of four tales - each representing a different genre of classic horror cinema. Lewis himself described the film as, “… a perfect combination of horror and comedy”.

Mr. Lewis wrote and directed two segments. The other two were directed by Melanie Reinboldt and Kevin Littlelight. The anthology stars Roger LeBlanc, Stuart Bentley, Sonia Deleo and Caroline Buzanko.

A release date for “Herschell Gordon Lewis’ BloodMania” will be announced shortly.

Official Website: www.bloodmania.ca"

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Paranormal Lockdown Season 2 Episode 12 Details and Clip: "ABOUT THIS WEEK'S EPISODE: Friday, March 3 at 9/8c

Paranormal Investigators Nick Groff and Katrina Weidman delve into uncharted territory in a notoriously haunted jail in Savannah, Ga. As the first paranormal team to stay overnight at the Old Chatham County Jail, they have little to guide their investigation, but nearly nonstop noises from the start convince these seasoned investigators that there's plenty to explore. Using state of the art equipment, Nick and Katrina pursue the unknown and capture astonishing visual evidence. But as the jail is set for imminent demolition, they are the last who will be able to determine who, or what, is still trapped in these cells.

ABOUT PARANORMAL LOCKDOWN
Season 2 of the hit television series PARANORMAL LOCKDOWN on TLC follows world-renowned paranormal investigators Nick Groff and Katrina Weidman as they spend an unprecedented 72 hours locked inside a haunted location in an effort to capture groundbreaking paranormal evidence. No stone goes unturned for Nick and Katrina, who believe that the longer they stay confined in a haunted location, the more spirits will communicate with them."

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Phoenix Forgotten Teaser Trailer Revealed: "Based on the shocking, true events of March 13th, 1997, when several mysterious lights appeared over Phoenix, Arizona. This unprecedented and inexplicable phenomenon became known as “The Phoenix Lights”, and remains the most famous and widely viewed UFO sighting in history.

Phoenix Forgotten tells the story of three teens who went into the desert shortly after the incident, hoping to document the strange events occurring in their town. They disappeared that night and were never seen again. Now, on the twentieth anniversary of their disappearance, unseen footage has finally been discovered, chronicling the final hours of their fateful expedition. For the first time ever, the truth will be revealed...

Official Website: www.phoenixforgotten.com"

Directed by Justin Barber, Phoenix Forgotten stars Florence Hartigan, Chelsea Lopez, Justin Matthews, and Luke Spencer Roberts.

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Check Out The Last Scout Trailer: Press Release: "Hollywood, CA, March 1, 2017- Independent studio Epic Pictures has dropped the full official trailer and poster for The Last Scout and we have your exclusive look at this suspense filled sci-fi thriller.

Set in 2065, with Earth destroyed by war, humanity’s remaining survivors send a fleet of ships to the end of the galaxy in hope of finding a new world.  After seven years of travel and long since out of communication, the crew of The Pegasus are nearing their destination when they encounter a derelict ship. So close to completing their mission with their sanity exhausted they soon realize they are not alone and must fight for the survival of the human race.

The suspenseful film offers a chilling “what if” scenario when two superpowers, America vs China, go head-to-head in the race to find the next inhabitable planet.

Epic announced the VOD and digital release of The Last Scout across the US and Canada starting March 7th."