Indie Spotlight

2014/06/15 14:36:14 +00:00 | Tamika Jones

We return with another edition of the Indie Spotlight, highlighting recent independent horror news sent our way. Today's feature includes casting news for the post-apocalyptic horror film, State of Desolation, a new clip from Crawlspace, release details for Worm, Devil's MileGlorious Plague, and much more:

State of Desolation Casting Details: "Writer/Director Jim Towns (House of Bad), is at work again filming his next feature film, a post-apocalyptic horror called “State of Desolation”. The film takes us on the journey of an unusual relationship forged between an aging mercenary, played by Craig Stark (Django Unchained) and a young pampered suburbanite, played by Jamie Bernadette (Axeman), as they both try to survive the Apocalypse. Rounding out the cast are Daniel Buran (True Blood), Jessica Morris (Haunting of the Innocent), Maria Olsen (Paranormal Activity 3), and Victoria De Mare (Stripped). In the coming weeks, more roles will be filled and director Jim Towns states, “I am thrilled with the remarkable talent that we already have and we are in talks with some phenomenal actors to complete our cast”.

Lead actress Jamie Bernadette is excited to be a part of Jim’s latest movie, stating, “When I saw House of Bad at a special screening at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood, I thought Jim was such an incredibly talented artist. I have wanted to work with him in a feature film for quite some time and I am so ecstatic to have the opportunity to do so. Thus far, the shoot has been amazing with Jim and the dedicated crew and this very talented group of actors whose work I have always admired”.

Today, the producers released some first stills from the movie, which began principal photography at the end of May."

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New Clip from Crawlspace: "Written and directed by Hollywood horror guru, Josh Stolberg, comes the high-action thriller Crawlspace, starring Steven Weber (The Big Year, 2 Broke Girls) and Lori Loughlin (90210, Full House). Disappear into the story of a banker who moves his family into a foreclosed home with a dark, eerie past. The family is terrorized throughout this gory and gruesome film that is the ultimate for horror fans.

Produced by Vuguru, Mike Karz, Jamie Burke and Josie Rosen, and written by Josh Stolberg and Nick Tavarella, the film also stars Jonathan Silverman (In Case of Emergency, Hot in Cleveland), David Koechner (Anchor Man, The Office), and Raleigh Holmes.

Tune in worldwide to Crawlspace on Hulu Plus!"

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DVD Release Details for Worm: "In a future where we no longer have the ability to dream, people have turned to 'Fantasites,' genetically engineered worm-like parasites, for sleep relief. Delivered right to your door, these “worms” allow you to experience your wildest nocturnal fantasies by just dropping one in your ear canal right before bedtime!

Charles (John Ferguson), a socially awkward young man, begins using this new miracle dream aid hoping it will bring excitement to his mundane life and get him closer to the girl of his dreams. Soon, things squirm out of control for Charles and his friends, when the Government bans the product and people seek the addictive ‘Fantasites’ through underground illegal means.

A fascinating, genre-bending, sci-fi thriller, Worm is an outstanding independent production that took film festivals by storm. Originally conceived as a short for Nashville’s “48 Hour Film Project” (also included as an extra on this release), this feature-length version was developed without a written script and the actors improvised their dialogue during filming.

Special Features [include]: Worm - Original Short, Audio Commentary featuring Jeremy Pearce, Julian Herrera, Jennifer Bonior, and director Doug Mallette. Deleted Scenes. Trailers."

Worm was directed by Doug Mallette and stars John Ferguson, Shane O'Brien, and Jes Mercer.

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The Possession of Michael King Theatrical Release Details: "Michael King (Shane Johnson) doesn’t believe in God or The Devil. Following the sudden death of his wife, the documentary filmmaker decides to make his next film about the search for the existence of the supernatural. Michael decides to make himself the center of the experiment - allowing demonologists, necromancers, and various practitioners of the occult to try the deepest and darkest spells and rituals they can find on him - in the hopes that when they fail, he’ll once and for all have proof that religion, spiritualism, and the paranormal are nothing more than myth. But something does happen. An evil and horrifying force has taken over Michael King. And it will not let him go. Dale Dickey (Iron Man 3), Tomas Arana (Gladiator), and Julie McNiven (“Mad Men”) co-star in this intense supernatural spine-tingler from the producers of White Noise and The Haunting in Connecticut.

Anchor Bay Films will be releasing The Possession of Michael King in theaters on August 22nd and available on VOD on August 26th."

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First Photos from Infectious: Prelude: "A medical breakthrough causes the zombie outbreak when it mutates within certain individuals in the trial injections. A small group of survivors band together after the emergency shelter is overrun. They try to reach a safe haven at a military base, where civilians are being air lifted out...but the infection has spread faster than expected."

For more information, go to: http://www.infectious-movie.com

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Infliction DVD Release Date Announced: "Two brothers calmly record their gruesome crimes in the buzzed-about horror document Infliction, which takes the found-footage genre to the next unbearable level. The deeply unsettling shocker will have home viewers double-locking their doors when it arrives on DVD and VOD on July 1, 2014, from Virgil Films.

Writer-director Jack Thomas Smith put himself on the horror movie map in 2006 with the cult psychological thriller Disorder. Now, with Infliction, he upends conventions and expectations to deliver a stunning and utterly surprising thriller that has already developed strong word-of-mouth based on its select theatrical screenings, including at New York City's venerable Anthology Film Archives.

With Infliction, Smith assembled footage taken from the cameras used by two psychotic brothers, who documented a murder spree in North Carolina in 2011. Unlike its predecessors The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity, which relied on sparse visual evidence of supernatural activity, Infliction reveals in shiver-inducing detail the brothers' hideous actions and what led them to commit their crimes. It shows the effects of people's actions (or inactions) and their effect on others' lives, presenting in cold reality a hard look at the blurred line between society's criminals and its victims.

The film screened at the 2013 Buffalo Niagara Film Festival, where Smith won the award for Best Story in a Feature.

"Working on Infliction left me troubled and haunted," the filmmaker said. "It left me thinking about people's actions or lack thereof and the inevitable domino effect. We all walk our own path in life, which shapes and defines us. What happens to us today, good or bad, will affect generations to come.""

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Zombies and Calculus First Details: "Just in time for the fall premiere of AMC’s The Walking Dead, mathematician and humor columnist Colin Adams presents a fictional account of how math can save your life in a zombie invasion.

Zombies and Calculus is the account of Craig Williams, a math professor at a small liberal arts college in New England, who, in the middle of a calculus class, finds himself suddenly confronted by a late-arriving student whose hunger is not for knowledge. As the zombie virus spreads and civilization crumbles, Williams uses calculus to help his small band of survivors defeat the hordes of the undead.

Along the way, readers learn how to avoid being eaten by taking advantage of the fact that zombies always point their tangent vector toward their target, and how to use exponential growth to determine the rate at which the virus is spreading. Williams also covers topics such as logistic growth, gravitational acceleration, predator-prey models, pursuit problems, the physics of combat, and more. With the aid of his story, you too can survive the zombie onslaught and learn more about calculus in a fun, new way.

Zombies and Calculus is part of a subgenre of popular math books known as math novels. These are well-written, intriguing, and most definitely, fictional accounts that are peppered throughout with mathematical information, formulas, and equations. The intent is help readers with minimal mathematics backgrounds grasp basic calculus concepts, while also providing a really good read. Adam strikes exactly the right balance between humor and horror, geek and nerd, brain and brains... This book will appeal to fans of zombies in popular culture, literature, film, and television, as well as mathematically inclined general readers and those looking to brush up their calculus skills."

To learn more about this novel, go to: https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/show/id/48824

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Glorious Plague Book Details: "What if the apocalypse strikes, and it’s beautiful?

When a virus leaps the species barrier in “Glorious Plague,” by Karen Heuler, people all over New York and New Jersey start singing and climbing to the rooftops, to the bridges, to lamp post and road sign, steeple and water tower, singing gloriously, triumphantly, tirelessly—and dying.

When it’s all over, Manhattan has to rebuild a new society, and it seems to be having a lot of help in the form of angels, gods, and walking myths. What’s real? And does it really matter? It does to Dale, searching for her missing daughter, and to Omar, an entomologist searching for the cure, if there is one, with little interest from those in the grip of the new order."

For more information, visit: http://www.permutedpress.com

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Production Details on Sting: "After three girls rob a convenience store on a drug filled rampage, they set out for a cross country road trip. After a terrible car accident, the girls are assisted by a stranger. The stranger ends up being more deadly when they find out that revenge is killer. You think you know how the film will end, but plot twists will keep you guessing on the edge of your seat until the final bloody moments!

Lakeshore Pictures LLC will begin principal photography for new horror/thriller “Sting” this month. Shooting is expected to begin Friday, the 13th. This is the debut feature for the entertainment company.

Written and Directed by Alex Aronson (“What Comes From Within” *winner of “Best horror/thriller” at International Short Film Festival Hollywood). Retired Pro WWE Fighter Spazman Simmons will be handling fight coordination. The film is shooting in Western New York and will wrap at summers end."

To learn more about this film, go to: http://www.facebook.com/stingmovie

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Devil's Mile DVD Release Details Announced: "A gang of psychotic convicts take a dangerous and ill-advised detour after brutally kidnapping two young girls. As the captors speed away, events quickly turn out to be much more dangerous and gruesome than they had planned for. While driving down a long and dark stretch of deserted highway, the car becomes surrounded by mysterious sinister spirits, forcing the captors and young girls to work together in hopes of surviving the deadly evil force.

Phase 4 Films has announced an August 12 DVD/VOD bow for director Joseph O'Brien's highly-anticipated horror-thriller Devil's Mile starring David Hayter (writer of X-Men and Watchmen), Maria del Mar (24) and Casey Hudecki (Wolves). Devil's Mile is released August 12 on DVD and VOD."

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Kids Get Dead 2: The Kids Get Deader Trailer: "Kids Get Dead 2: The Kids Get Deader is a return to the classic midnight movie slasher genre featuring horror hostess Peaches McNeil (Samantha Glovin). It continues where part one left off.

After years of nightmares and therapy sessions Casey (Leah Rudick) sets out to find the author of a mysterious novel that foretold the brutal murder of her brother at the hands of a masked maniac.

Meanwhile, it's all boobs blood, and rock 'n' roll for a group of teenagers at a house party. All except for Brian (Bradley Creanzo) who is buried in Charles Carver's (Steve Buja) latest novel. When the crazed killer (Alexander Kollar) returns to slaughter their sexcapades with blood-splattering similarity found within the novel Brian and Casey must struggle to unseal their own fates before it's too late.

Are they just characters in a story living out the brutal fantasies of a mad man? Or can freewill save them from the clutches of a gruesome destiny?"

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Hunting the Legend DVD Release Details: "Five years ago, a deer hunter vanished in the Alabama woods, leaving behind only a rifle, bloodstains and an enormous footprint from a species unknown to science. Now, the hunter’s son Chris, his two best friends and a documentary film crew set out to learn the truth… and seek vengeance. Their search leads them deep into rugged terrain rumored to hide the huge, man-like beast known as Sasquatch. As they close in on their prey, they learn the horrifying consequences of Hunting the Legend.

Image Entertainment, an RLJ Entertainment brand, announces the DVD and Digital Download release of the monster thriller Hunting the Legend. Directed and written by Justin Steeley and starring Christopher Copeland, Hannah Wallace, Jeff Causey, Alex Ballew, and Stan Copeland, the film takes you on a terrifying journey to uncover the truth the mythical beast. Hunting the Legend will be available on DVD on July 8, 2014."

  • Tamika Jones
    About the Author - Tamika Jones

    Tamika hails from North Beach, Maryland, a tiny town inches from the Chesapeake Bay.She knew she wanted to be an actor after reciting a soliloquy by Sojourner Truth in front of her entire fifth grade class. Since then, she's appeared in over 20 film and television projects. In addition to acting, Tamika is the Indie Spotlight manager for Daily Dead, where she brings readers news on independent horror projects every weekend.

    The first horror film Tamika watched was Child's Play. Being eight years old at the time, she remembers being so scared when Chucky came to life that she projectile vomited. It's tough for her to choose only one movie as her favorite horror film, so she picked two: Nosferatu and The Stepford Wives (1975).