Indie Spotlight

We return with another edition of the Indie Spotlight, highlighting the recent independent horror news sent our way. Today's feature includes a trailer for The Devil's Hand and Motivational Growth, screening details from Cub, the short film lineup from Screamfest, first details on The Nightmare, and more:

The Devil's Hand Trailer and Release Date Announced: "When six girls are born on the sixth day of the sixth month to different mothers in the small, devout village of New Bethlehem an ancient prophecy is set in motion -- on their 18th birthday one of the girls will become the Devil’s Hand. As the day approaches and one by one the young women begin to disappear, terror overtakes the quiet community and those remaining girls band together to uncover who or what is behind these treacherous acts.

The Devil’s Hand will be available OnDemand and open in theaters October 10, 2014.

Presented by Lionsgate & Roadside Attractions.

Directed by Christian E. Christiansen. Written by Karl Mueller. Starring Jennifer Carpenter, Rufus Sewell, Alycia Debnam Carey, Adelaide Kane, Leah Pipes, and Thomas McDonell."

To find out more about this film, go to The Devil's Hand's Facebook at: www.facebook.com/thedevilshandmovie

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TIFF Screening Dates and Trailer for Cub: "A troupe of young Cub Scouts find themselves stalked by a psychopathic huntsman who has riddled the forest with ingenious and deadly traps.

Midnight Madness – WORLD PREMIERE

In attendance from the film:
Jonas Govaerts – Director Sept. 8-12

Screenings:
Wednesday, September 10th at 11:59pm - Venue: Ryerson Theater (Public 1)
Thursday, September 11th at 8:30PM - Venue: Scotiabank Theater 8 (Public 2)
Saturday, September 13th at 12:30PM- Venue: Scotiabank Theater 13 (Public 3)."

For more information on this film, or its screening at TIFF, visit: www.tiff.net/festivals/thefestival/programmes/midnight-madness

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First Details from The Nightmare: "Production wrapped last week in Los Angeles on The Nightmare – the latest film from acclaimed director Rodney Ascher (Room 237) and Content.

The Nightmare follows the disturbing investigation into the demonic visions experienced by victims of sleep paralysis and provoked by Ascher's own unsettling experiences with the condition.

The horror documentary is produced by Ross M. Dinerstein (The Pact, The Divide) and Glen Zipper - producer of the Academy Award winning film, Undefeated. The film is executive produced by Content Film President Jamie Carmichael (The Pact, Black Book) and co-produced by Tim Kirk (Room 237).

Content is handling worldwide sales on The Nightmare and working with Preferred Content on North American sales. A teaser is being shown in Toronto during TIFF. The film has already been presold to the UK (Altitude) and France (The Jokers Films).

Director Rodney Asher said: "This project was a once in a lifetime opportunity to cross-breed two genres I love, documentary and horror. After exploring people's real-life waking nightmares in long, free-flowing personal interviews, it was a bizarre trip through the looking glass to bring them to life and get lost inside of them on the set."

Ascher is represented by Lee Stobby at Silent R Management."

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Motivational Growth Trailer and Release Details: "In Motivational Growth, Ian Foliver (Adrian DiGiovanni), a depressed and reclusive man in his 30s, finds himself taking advice from a growth in his bathroom after a failed suicide attempt. The Mold (‘ReAnimator’ star Jeffrey Combs), a smooth talking fungus born of the filth in a neglected bathroom, works to help Ian clean himself up and remodel his lifestyle. The Mold has big plans for Ian, but they may not be as innocent as they seem. A labyrinthine-narrative follows, full of colorfully-drawn characters and gruesome body horror.

A new trailer has been released for Don Thacker’s sleeper festival-hit Motivational Growth (starring genre-legend Jeffrey Combs). The film will hit VOD worldwide on September 30th (via Devolver Films and Indiecan Entertainment in Canada), Blu-Ray & DVD in Canada on the same date, and DVD in the US the following week (via Parade Deck Films), on October 7th.

The DVD release will include a commentary track (with actors Jeffrey Combs and Adrian DiGiovanni, and director Don Thacker), a photo gallery and trailers. The Blu-Ray edition will also include an hour of behind the scenes material."

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2014 Screamfest Short Films Announced: "Screamfest Announces Shorts To Die For.

Alone (Seule) (France) – Directed by Didier Philippe - Claire, a young woman, lives alone in a large apartment. Her fear of the outside world stops her from going out and letting people in. One day, she discovers evidence revealing that a man lives in her home. The presence of that man becomes more and more apparent and eventually threatening.

3 Versos (US) – Directed by Antonio Yee – After a violent encounter with an abusive spirit, two sisters seek the help of a mysterious medium who guarantees that she can rid them of their problem.

Behind The Bush (France) – Directed by Yoann Luis - Humiliation and violence punctuate the life of this broken man. The silence is his refuge, the perversion his outlet.

Cold Feet (Canada) – Directed by Daniel D’Alimonte - A mop boy clashes with his superior after an unfortunate accident in this gory comedy. Official Festival Selections Fantasia Film Festival Montreal 2014 Houston Worldfest (Golden Remi Award) 2014 Rincon International Film Festival (Film Excellence Award) 2014 ScreamFest LA 2014 Italian Contemporary Film Festival 2014 Mascara Popcorn Film Festival 2014 Razor Reel Flanders Fantastic Film Festival 2014.

Count To 10 (US) – Directed by Vincent Masciale A single mother in a new house tries to reassure her son that fear is only in his mind...but what if she's wrong?

Day For Nite (Nuit Americhèn) (Italy) – Directed by Federico Greco – An Italian director and two actors shoot the key scenes of a no-budget-badly-English-spoken-splatter-horror-movie in a strange villa on the outskirts of Rome. But something, obviously, goes wrong.

Dead Hearts (Canada) – Directed by Stephen W. Martin - A young mortician learns that not even death can stand in the way of true love. A whimsical, gothic bedtime story filled with love, loss, taxidermy, kung-fu, and biker werewolves.

Downstairs (US) – Directed by Lee Boxleitner - A staunch security guard has the night from Hell, when his curiosity sends him investigating what goes on... Downstairs.

DUI (US) – Directed by Nicholas Kramer - DUI is a 16 minute thrill ride! This chilling suspense horror thriller tells a gripping story of an everyday young couple who land in the wrong place at the worst time. It contains a compelling story, tense plot twists and a claustrophobic sense of hopeless desperation. David Ross Paterson, Jenna Stone and Chase Clarke give outstanding performances that will pull you in and leave you on the edge of your seat.

Evil Twin (Germany) – Directed by Christian Pfeil – The film begins at the end of a robbery. The main characters, the up-market criminals, are old friends and also two sets of brothers. In the job they just completed, teleportation technology was stolen and this brought out the worst in one of them. The Evil Twin begins a fight that catapults them back and forth through time and space; nobody knows which way this fight will go or the next place the devices will send them… Who will be the winner in this brotherly battle and have the control of the teleportation and the gang?

Facsimile (UK) – Directed by Justin Villiers - Three eco-activists break into a warehouse in search of a police device that they plan to destroy. What they find is something they could never have imagined.

The Gas Man (UK) – Directed by Matt Palmer – A gas man makes a call to a woman who lives alone.

Good Samaritan (US) – Directed by Jeffrey Reddick - Nathan is an agoraphobic who videotaped a man get fatally beaten while bystanders watched and didn't intervene. Nathan is interviewed by a TV pundit, who blasts him for his inaction and points out that two of the other witnesses have died mysteriously. Nathan is convinced the other deaths were accidents. But one night, he finds himself confronted by haunting visions and wonders if his own guilt is tormenting him, or something far more insidious.

Hunger (US) – Directed by Brian Frager - A desperate mother on the run from domestic violence struggles to protect her disturbed young daughter, but their dark past threatens to ensnare them. Love is a vicious cycle.

Screamfest discovering the new blood of horror and honoring the masters. Screamfest takes place in Los Angeles on October 14 through October 23 at the prestigious TCL Chinese 6 Theaters."

To purchase tickets, or get the full lineup of short films, visit: www.screamfestla.com

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The Dead Hour New Episode Details: "The horror anthology webseries, "The Dead Hour" has launched it's newest episode of season 3 entitled "Android Bride".

The episode is a horrific love story about one man's obsession for finding true love that will take him to the darkest of depths.

The episode is directed by Daniel B. Iske, written by Scott Coleman and stars Konrad Case, Illa Ridder, Tara Hinson and Melissa Holder as DJ Raven.

"The Dead Hour" is an online indie horror anthology series now in its third season. The show centers around a mysterious and sexy radio DJ who brings her audience dark and twisted stories each week. All webisodes from seasons 1 & 2 of the critically acclaimed series can be seen for free."

For more information on this webseries, go to: www.thedeadhour.com or Facebook at: www.facebook.com/magnumpictures

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Rampant Release Details Announced: "Everything you thought you knew about werewolves is about to change.

Source Point Press has announced they will be publishing the horror novella "Rampant" by Joshua Werner, scheduled to be released in early September. Werner’s werewolf tale will kick off the beginning of Source Point’s fall releases of creator-owned books and comics, and an anthology of werewolf stories, poems, and artwork will be released soon after.

Joshua Werner is the author of The Brutality of Fact and Adoration for the Dead, as well as such popular short stories as Osiris and The Invention. After taking a hiatus to focus on his illustration work, Werner returns to the writing arena with Rampant. Set in the 18th Century Swiss Confederacy, Rampant tells the tale of a young man who stumbles upon a family’s terrible secret that will change his life forever, and will reveal lycanthropy’s true origins.

“It’s a very ambitious story,” says the author, “and it dives deep into the roots of the werewolf curse, offering a brand new origin to the folklore that’s deeply embedded in our real history.”

Accompanying the story are multiple illustrations drawn by the author, done in a style similar to woodcuts of the time period, as well as a map of the village highlighting locations pertinent to the narrative. There are also two afterwords by Werner; one discussing the story’s connection to Frankenstein and another that separates the facts and real history within the story from the fiction. The book will be available for sale on Amazon, Storenvy, and other online retailers first, followed by select stores shortly after, and the first signing will take place at Grand-Con in Grand Rapids, MI Sept. 19th."

To learn more, visit: www.twitter.com/SourcePtPress or www.facebook.com/SourcePointPress

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A Look at Interview With a Time Traveler: "A time traveler meets with a journalist in a hotel room under the guise of sharing their story for an article, but what the journalist doesn't know is that the time traveler has an ulterior motive for inviting him that will change his life forever.

Produced & Directed by James Cooper (@cooper_jim). Written by Peter Rowley (@typingfaster). Director of Photography: Pasha Patriki, csc.

Starring Eric Johnson as the Time Traveler (@EricJJohnson79) [and] Elias Toufexis as Paul (@EliasToufexis)."

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Humans Production Details: "Humans tells the story of a zombie society infected by the oldest of enemies, Humans.

Who are the goodies and baddies? How does a zombie society operate? Hunter or prey?

Humans is a story that starts in World War II Britain. It follows the rise of the zombie nation and watches an enemy, long since vanquished, return to give the zombies a taste of their own medicine.

Our film is different because the zombies aren't bad. The Humans are not the goodies. How many zombie films treat the arrival of the zombies as an invasion? What is the world like when it is run by zombies? When they have won the war?

Humans derives inspiration from two distinct styles. Two films carry some of the tone we are going to convey. Where Eagles Dare and Inglorious Bastards.

We have a multi-award winning team of filmmakers working on this project:

Director – Philip Stevens

Producer - Tom Walsh

Writer/Producer - Sam Wardhan

Director of Photography - Stewart MacGregor

What's next?

If the short is a success the long-term plan is to shoot the full feature film in 2015. We are in the middle of approaching traditional film financiers. We are very hopeful, as we have had a great deal of interest thus far as there is substantial market potential in this film.

During all of this, we will maintain a constant connection with the growing community that is following the Humans project. Some of our team will focus on our production and pre-production experience. Some will focus on wider news, within the zombie and horror community. Some will focus on publicizing the activities of members of our community who have interesting projects they would like to see supported. The point is we are going to create a community that includes two-way conversation.

Our team has, and will continue to, research the kind of organisations that might be interested in Humans. We will approach these organisations with the complete project (short film, script, business plan, crowdfunding campaign and perks). We will work with these organisations to see if we can help them as much as they can help us."

To learn more about this project, and to support its progress, go to: www.humansmovie.com/info

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The Measurable Blood Release Details: "Professor Brian Donaldson is a man on the run. When he discovers his trusty Australian Shepherd spooked one winter night, he is brought face-to-face with an eerie chapter of his past and the ghostly specter of a mad scientist that grew up around him.

With nowhere else to turn, Donaldson confides in a local detective. The statement he gives on a dark, winter night offers a disquieting view into youthful ambition, madness, and a crooked spin on evolutionary science gone amiss.

The book is up on various retail sites (iTunes, Amazon, Audible). Am planning the full court press for September 26th, 2014."

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Gravedigger Distribution Details Revealed: "Steve Borden (Collins) a brilliant, young criminal defense attorney. As junior partner in a local, high end law firm, he makes his living defending the indefensible. When a case gone horribly wrong haunts him, Borden's conscience begins to send him into a guilt-ridden spiral. Police Chief George Orkin (McKeown) is the town's top cop. With more bodies turning up buried, District Attorney Mike Ruble (Ruckdashel) suspects Orkin's ties to crime boss Charles Muzzatti (Stoerback) may be the answer to the case. Now, Orkin must deal with his own eroding sense of integrity to keep both sides of the law off his back. As paranoia rises and Borden, Orkin, Ruble & Muzzatti try to pin the murders on each other, could another, more sinister force be hunting them? Codes, morals and misguided views of justice collide when the law, the mob and the Gravedigger face off in a bloody battle that will darken the survivor's souls forever. But will burying the guilty, bury the Gravedigger's own guilt?

Gravedigger is set to ax the horror genre worldwide! Shami Media Group, Inc. a distribution, marketing, and media leader in worldwide film distribution has recently acquired "Gravedigger" and has set a release date of November 18, 2014.

Shami Media is led by film veteran Bob Shami who has been in the film distribution business for over 15 years. Their movies are currently found in retailers such as, F.Y.E., Best Buy, Tower, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Sears, Kmart, MVD, Walmart, Target, Frys, Baker & Taylor, Red Box, iTunes and Netflix. They will now be adding Gravedigger to their catalog of outstanding films.

Gravedigger was shot in Point Pleasant Beach, NJ, a few months after the devastation of Hurricane Sandy. The movie features a unique cast including TV personalities, professional sports players, reality stars and rock stars. The original soundtrack is by guitar rock lord Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal of “Guns N’ Roses”. Gravedigger, nominated for multiple awards won two for Best Thriller FIlm & Best Actor, Keith Collins.

Directed by Doug Bollinger (“Waltzing Anna”). Produced by Keith Collins. Executive Producers John Stoerback, Michael Levine & Jeff Quinlan (“Bare Knuckles”). Co-Executive Producer Brandon Ruckdashel. Line Producer Theresa Galeani. Written by Joseph & Billy Pepitone.

Starring Keith Collins (“The Jersey Devil”,”The Meat Puppet”), Brandon Ruckdashel (“Co-Ed Confidential”), Jim McKeown, Angela Sharp, John Stoerback (“The Next Vigilante”), Katelyn Pearce, with Billy Sample (“Former NY Yankee”), and Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal (“Guns N’ Roses”).

Alongside a well-rounded cast with many special appearances Including: Jim Leyritz (Former “NY Yankee”), Brian McRae (Former “NY Met”,”KC Royals”), Annette Dziamba (“The Apprentice”,”Playboy”), Gregg Valentino (TLC’s “The Man Whose Arms Exploded”), Gervase Peterson (“Survivor, Season One”), Emilio Masella (Oxygen’s “Love Games”), Gary Garver (“formerly from the Howard Stern Show”), Mark Pinkhasovich ( NBC’s “The Biggest Loser”), April Hunter (“WCW”, ”TNA”), Anastasia Smith (“NY Majesty Lingerie Football League”),Theresa Galeani (“Cross the Line”, “I am Legend”), Joe Sernio (“All My Children”), Celebrity Photographer Steve Mack, Cindy Fox (“The Naked Cowgirl”), and Adam (“Speed bag Scissorhands”) Salomon."

For more information, go to the film's Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/gravediggerthemovie

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Solaris Books to Release Nyctophobia and Wakening the Crow: "We have a couple of titles coming out soon:

Nyctophobia by Christopher Fowler
Hyperion House in southern Spain is an eccentric and remote place: serene and beautiful, but eerily symmetrical, and cunningly styled so that half the house is flooded with light, and half – locked up and neglected – is cloaked in darkness. But when recently qualified architect Callie Shaw and husband Mateo happen upon the building it seems the perfect home for their new family.
Increasingly isolated in the foreign countryside, Callie determines upon a project to research the history of the curious building, and discovers instead that the past is sometimes best left alone.

As a teenager Callie was afraid of the dark, and now with her adolescent nyctophobia returning she becomes convinced there’s someone in the shrouded rooms. In uncovering the folklore of the house’s strange history, Callie finds herself drawn into darkness and delusion. Somewhere in the shadows lurks the truth about Hyperion House.

Wakening the Crow by Stephen Gregory
Wakening the Crow is a wonderful new take on the literary ghost story tradition, drawing on the works of Edgar Allan Poe to create a novel that is both a homage to Poe’s original tales and stories haunted by them.

On a freezing night in January bookshop owner Oliver Gooch and his small daughter Chloe come across the crow, a raggedy skeletal wretch of a bird, that takes up a persistent refuge in their new converted church home. Oliver took the money for their home from his daughter’s accident insurance. Chloe, once a rambunctious and defiant child, is now a silently smiling companion to Oliver, both a gift and curse as Oliver balances his guilt over her accident with his preference for this new, easy-to-manage child.

As the crow begins to infiltrate their lives it changes something in Oliver and Chloe. How is the crow connected to the boyhood tooth of Edgar Allan Poe, a mysterious gift to Oliver from which his bookshop draws its name, and with what purpose does it haunt the gloomy, fire-lit vestry of Poe’s Tooth Bookshop?"

To find out more on either of these novels, or how to purchase them, go to: www.solarisbooks.com