Indie Spotlight

We're back with the latest edition of the Indie Spotlight, highlighting recent independent horror news sent our way. Today's feature includes release details for The Black Dahlia Haunting, information on a new episode of Ghost Trek, a review of Vamp U, and much more:

Release and Distribution Details for The Black Dahlia Haunting: "Zeroinside Films and Pinnovating Productions are proud to announce that their paranormal thriller “The Black Dahlia Haunting”, written and directed by Brandon Slagle and starring Devanny Pinn (Hold Your Breath), Britt Griffith (SyFy's Ghosthunters), Noah Dahl (Bad Teacher), Alexis Iacono, Cleve A. Hall (SyFy's Monster Man, Troll), Jessica Cameron (Silent Night), and Sarah Nicklin (Alice D, The Disco Exorcist) has signed distribution agreements with JY Entertainment (China) and the newly-formed Origin Releasing (United States and Canada). The film is also represented internationally by Phoenix Group Releasing.

Additionally, the film was recently selected for inclusion in the HORRORHOUND convention's film festival in Cincinnati as well as LONE STAR COMIC CON in San Antonio. Actresses Devanny Pinn and Alexis Iacono will be present for the San Antonio screening.

Further screenings will be announced as the film's home release nears. Until then you can keep up-to-date with news relating to the film on its official Facebook and Twitter."

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New Ghost Trek Episode Details: "The all-new, half-hour uncensored episode of GHOST TREK premieres at MAD MONSTER PARTY 2013 ON SATURDAY, MARCH 23rd AT 7 PM in Charlotte, NC at the sold out Blake Hotel.

The sleeper hit of Fright Night Film Fest 2011 and winner of “Best Comedy” which aired in webisodes last Halloween returns with a wordy but wholly appropriate, GHOST TREK: GOOMBA BODY SNATCHERS MORTUARY LOCKDOWN (AND PANEL SHOW). The new episode lampoons everything from Goodfellas to Ghost Adventures, Robert Mapplethorpe to The Real Housewives and is absolutely hilarious.

The Mad Monster Party convention will feature guests: Bruce Campbell, Kirk Hammett of Metallica, Alexa Vega, Gary Busey, Danny Glover, Lea Thompson, Lita Ford, Peter Chris of KISS, Danielle Harris, Tyler Mane, Kane Hodder, aJaws Reunion, a Cabin Fever Reunion and many more.

Addy Miller, “Little Zombie Girl” from The Walking Dead will be a last minute addition to the Ghost Trek ballroom table as well, who incidentally played the “Ghostly Pageant Princess- Tyler Rae Kinsey” in the first episode entitled, The Kinsey Report (link here: https://vimeo.com/22536715#at=0).

The ensemble cast of Goomba Body Snatchers stars Michael Melendez, Jonny Fairplay, Julia Bullock, Christy Johnson, Disco Inferno, Kevin Johnson and Tim Ross, with appearances by Colt Cabana, Gia Allemand, Mike Bortone, and Brett Gentile.

To read all about the Ghost Trek characters go to www.ghosttrektv.com or visit the facebook page at www.facebook.com/ghosttrektv or follow us on twitter at www.twitter.com/ghosttrektv"

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UK Release Details for Rabies: "A psychotic serial killer on the loose in the woods crosses paths with a group of unsuspecting teenagers. Soon people are dying one by one... but the bad guy isn’t who you’d think. Turning genre conventions on their head with a smart script, plenty of unexpected scares and a massive helping of bloody mayhem, RABIES thoroughly earns its mantle as one of the best slasher films of recent years.

The first horror film ever produced in Israel, RABIES finally makes its long-awaited UK DVD debut on April 22, 2013 heaving with an array of UK-exclusive bonus features, including a brand new directors’ commentary."

Rabies was directed by Ahron Keshales and Navot Paposhaddo and stars Lior Ashkenazi, Ania Bukstein, Danny Geva, Yael Grobglas, Ran Danker, and Ofer Schecter.

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Kill Me Now VOD Release Details: "In the not-too-distant past, with the help of a windowless van and a jar of chloroform, a group of Internet sketch comedians were hauled off to the backwoods of Illinois to shoot their first movie! The horror comedy Kill Me Now, features Streamy and Webby Award winner Michael Swaim (“Agents of Cracked”) and the casts of “Those Aren’t Muskets!,” “Good Neighbor,” “Tremendosaur,” “Team Tiger Awesome,” and “Horsehead Businessman.” The film will be released on VOD and Digital Download on March 21, 2013.

Kill Me Now chronicles one unforgettable night in the lives of a ragtag group of small-town teens on grad night. It's a night that will prove equally unforgettable for the sinister Driller Killer (Brett Fancy – “EastEnders,” “Luther”), a deranged serial killer bent on ridding the world of vapidity and dumbassedness (Everyone Else). When he comes upon the kids' all-night graduation party--conveniently held at a cabin deep in the woods--he finds both in spades. Unfortunately, Mr. Killer is about to learn something crappy bumper stickers learned long ago: stupid people can be deadly in large numbers."

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Trailer for The Pyramid: “Written by Alex Visani and Raffaele Ottolenghi and produced by Empire Video, the movie is an anthological horror divided into four episodes strictly connected to an infernal object: a bizarre pyramid that came into our world to spread madness, death and destruction. Along the centuries the pyramid was the focus of terrible happenings and we found it again nowadays left on the desk of a fair abandoned like an useless toy.

Found by chance by an unfortunate guy; the pyramid opens the door to a series of terrible and unstoppable events which will lead human race to the verge of extinction.

Unanimated objects coming to life, demonic possessions, monstrous creatures, living deads, portals, pestilence and catastrophic events: that’s what you’ll find in THE PYRAMID.”

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Monster Massacre Volume 1 Anthology Series: "Titan Comics and ATOMEKA are pleased to announce the release of the first volume of a brand-new graphic novel series, Monster Massacre – a SF and fantasy anthology headed up by A1 creator Dave Elliott and starring the greatest comics talent: past, present and future! Monster Massacre is an epic, heart attack inducing, spanky new graphic anthology series for fans of science fiction, fantasy, big monsters and all-out mayhem! Hitting book stores on September 11, 2013, Monster Massacre Vol.1 showcases 10 stories from some of the greatest comics talent...

The series will also be available to read day and date on the iPad, iPhone, Web, Android and Kindle Fire, exclusively through the comiXology app and comiXology.com. Retailers can order Monster Massacre Vol.1 from the April 2013 edition of Diamond PREVIEWS.

To keep up-to-date with news from Titan Comics, visit www.titan-comics.com"

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CLONED: The Recreator Chronicles Trailer: “While on a camping trip, Tracy, Craig, and Derek stumble upon an abandoned laboratory and accidentally trigger a deadly experiment that creates their clones – superior duplicates who plot to kill the kids and take over their identities. Trapped by their captors, the teenagers discover they are no match for their physically stronger, faster, better selves. Their only hope is to unlock the secrets of the Recreator – the scientist behind the experiments – and escape with their lives before they are replaced.

Starring Stella Maeve (TV’s “Golden Boy” and “Gossip Girl,” “The Runaways,”) as Tracy Bernstein, a small-town girl with big-city ambitions; John de Lancie (TV’s “Star Trek: The Next Generation”) as Dr. Frank Miller, a man with a secret who threatens Tracy and her friends during a camping trip on his private island; Alexander Nifong (TV’s “Glee,” “Pretty Little Liars”) plays Tracy’s boyfriend Craig; and Jamal Mallory-McCree (“We Need to Talk About Kevin”) as Derek, the third member of their group.”

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Text Adventure Game, First Times: "It's a horror video game, but completely without graphics. It's a text adventure... set in a morgue. You awaken in a morgue with no memory of how you arrived. Journey deeper into your fears, regrets, and doubts as you explore the ruins of what appears to be a hospital. Can you survive a psychological trip through a nightmarish dreamscape? But then again, dying is a far cry from the most frightening thing that you will face. There are four endings. These are your first times. Open your eyes...

One player of the game described First Times as, "a fantastic deviation from the classic Text Adventure genre. It utilizes both sound and game timers to give the player the most horrific experience possible. The game play and in-game descriptions are both shocking and intense. Fans of classic gaming, horror, or anyone looking to experience something strange and different should definitely play."

It's available for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch on the App Store and for Android smartphones and tablets from Google Play"

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Intrusive Behavior Trailer Released: "After 10 year old Heidi is committed to an institution for behavioral problems, Her family moves on with their lives. When they are told Heidi has committed suicide they feel they can finally break free of the guilt of abandoning their child 15 years earlier. But all is not what it seems as the family is stalked by an intruder who has a debt to settle."

Intrusive Behavior is directed by Brian Troxell and stars Jessica Cameron, Heather Dorff, Lorrie Remington and Taylor Frase. For more information on this film, visit: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Intrusive-Behavior/232964200117786

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New Poster for Witchfinder: "In WITCHFINDER, a small community lives in fear of the satanic evil that festers within the dark forests that surround their small village. One night, a love-struck villager ventures into the oppressive woods in search of forbidden magic and ancient rites. To aid them, the townsfolk enlist the aid of William Thatcher Blake, a witch hunter whose arrival stirs a cauldron of terror that threatens to engulf them all in a bloody pit of horror!

DAVE JUEHRING plays the role of William Thatcher Blake. VALERIE MEACHUM plays the role of The Witch. TRAVIS WORTHEY plays the part of John Hawthorne. NICOLE KILMER plays the part of Sarah Blake. CHLOE KONIECZKI plays the part of Mary Blake.”

For more information, visit: http://facebook.com/witchfindermovie

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Teaser Trailer for Death Rot Released: "A death metal band breaks down on the road and encounters a clan of brothers that have a very specialized diet.

Death Rot is an independent feature length horror film shot in the Sioux Falls, SD area which is currently in post-production with an expected Summer/Fall 2013 release date."

Written and co-directed by Dominc Wieneke, Death Rot, stars Lena Howe, Jason Yapp, Jason Hegg, Tayn C Reis, Benny Blades, Kevin Kunkel, Snip Jackson, David T Boe, and Scott Wessels.

To stay up-to-date on the progress of this film, and to watch the teaser trailer, go to: https://vimeo.com/61846478

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Review: Vamp U

by: Tamika Jones

The vampire has been coursing through the veins of our spoken, written and visual mediums for a very long time. While it's tough to breathe any of kind of freshness into the subject of vampirism these days, Vamp U provides an entertaining comedic take on the subgenre.

Written and directed by Matt Jespersen and Maclain Nelson, Vamp U tells the story of Wayne Gretzky, a 300 year old vampire who accidentally killed the love of his life, and now can no longer get his fangs to drop. He takes a job as a professor at a university where he meets Chris (Julie Gonzalo) who turns out to be a dead ringer for his deceased love, Mary. Her appearance proves to be just what Wayne needs to get his vampire mojo back, and during a passionate moment with Chris, he turns her into a vampire.

This film is classified as a horror-comedy, but it's more of an outright comedy that happens to be surrounded by a vampire story. Much of what works is because Julie Gonzalo and Adam Johnson (Wayne Gretzky) have really great chemistry together. Julie Gonzalo does a great job of playing both Chris and Mary in the film, as both characters have their own distinct traits. Most of the outlandish scenes in the film involve Maclain Nelson and Matt Mattson as best friends at the university, and are fun to watch in almost every scene they are in. However, the best part of Vamp U is Gary Cole who plays the school counselor. He channels Lumbergh from Office Space and brings it to this character with ease.

The jokes are a mix between low-brow college humor and quirky pop culture references. Some of the jokes work, and some of the jokes fall flat, so the film has some dead spots during its 90 minute runtime. There are also definitely plot points in the film that needed more attention, and characters like some of the sorority students were too stiff and robotic.

Despite some elements that didn't work, Vamp U, was fun and entertaining. The jokes are hit and miss, and there isn't any outright horror in the film, but solid performances from some of the film's actors makes this worth watching. The love component is interesting to watch, and is anything but sappy. It's a crazy, spunky, campy good time.