Indie Spotlight: The Dark Below, Pilgrimage, Hell Town

We return with another edition of the Indie Spotlight, highlighting the recent independent horror news sent our way. Today's feature includes casting news for Pilgrimage, details on the 15th Annual Shriekfest Call for Entries, release details for 3 Easy Steps to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse, new posters from The Events Surrounding a Peeping Tom & the Horror That Followed, and much more:

Exclusive Stills from The Dark Below: An update to our coverage from earlier this week, we now have new exclusive stills from The Dark Below. You can the view new stills and release details below, along with the recently released stills:

"Dead Wait Productions announce the completion of principle photography for their new genre film the Dark Below. Award winning genre director Douglas Schulze (Mimesis, Dark Fields) and Executive Producer Seth Willenson bring us a survival thriller that explores the fear of entrapment beneath a frozen lake.

The film stars screen veteran Veronica Cartwright (Alien, Witches of Eastwick) and Lauren Shafer (Mimesis) and boasts an authentic production value that took cast and crew into the depths of Michigan’s Great Lakes in the dead of winter.

Producers Schulze and Kurt Eli Mayry previously produced Dark Fields with the late David Carradine that was released domestically by e1 Entertainment. More recently Anchor Bay Entertainment / Starz released their film Mimesis: Night of the Living Dead featuring screen veteran Sid Haig. Mimesis, a thriller about horror fans forced to live a real life horror film has become a cult favorite and is now airing on Showtime networks after a successful video and pay cable release. Mimesis immediately attracted festival and fan attention thru exhibition at over 20 horror festivals worldwide including Shriekfest, New York Horror Fest and the prestigious La Samain Du Cinema Fantastique in France.

The producers are planning to introduce the Dark Below to audiences via the festival circuit before aligning with domestic and international distribution. Visit and follow the action on the official facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/darkbelowmovie"

Jon Bernthal Joins the Cast of Pilgrimage: "Jon Bernthal, Richard Armitage and Tom Holland have joined the cast of the Irish action-thriller Pilgrimage, which will be directed by Brendan Muldowney this spring in Ireland and Belgium. The film was written by Jamie Hannigan and will be produced by Conor Barry and John Keville of Dublin-based production outfit Savage Productions and Benoit Roland of Wrong Men North. XYZ will executive produce and handle worldwide sales rights. WME Global is co-representing the U.S. with XYZ.

The film is scheduled to commence production in April 2015 and shoot for over seven weeks on the West Coast of Ireland and the Ardennes Region of Belgium.

Set in 13th century Ireland, Pilgrimage follows a small group of monks as they undertake a treacherous pilgrimage to escort their monastery’s holiest relic to Rome. But, as the true material, political and religious significance of the relic is revealed, the group’s journey becomes increasingly fraught with danger. Ultimately, the faith that binds the men together threatens to be the very same thing that will tear them apart."

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Wasted Trailer and Production Details: "Four deadbeat friends come alive when they they are caught in the middle of the apocalypse, freeing them of their dead end jobs. Now these four friends must use the knowledge they have learned from video games; internet; life lessons; and zombie films (starring their favourite action hero, Lovina) to survive in this wasted new world."

To learn more about Wasted, or the CineCoup 2015 challenge, head over to the film's Facebook or Twitter account. You can also go to CineCoup.

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Details on The 15th Annual Shriekfest Call for Entries: "Shriekfest, the Los Angeles Horror/SciFi Film Festival continues its tradition as Los Angeles' Premier horror film event, presenting an exciting program of films each fall with beautiful Los Angeles as its backdrop. Now, in its 15th year, Shriekfest takes place at the legendary Raleigh Studios, which is the largest independent studio operator in the country. We offer filmmakers and film fans alike an ideal setting in a world-famous city. Both established and emerging filmmakers gain media exposure, connect with the region's diverse audiences, and participate in an acclaimed event attended by industry professionals as well as horror and scifi fans. Over the past Fifteen years, Shriekfest has welcomed numerous indie icons into its family.

We are looking for original films and screenplays. We are accepting films/screenplays in five categories: narrative feature, narrative short, narrative super short, feature screenplay, and short screenplay.

After 15 years, Shriekfest has decided to add a NEW category and we are very excited about it. "We wanted to come up with a category that would allow more people to be involved and receive exposure in the festival." said Denise Gossett, Festival Founder and Director. "Most filmmakers don't have a project to submit every year and this will allow everyone to be involved in the festival." This new category will cover demo reels from anyone in the industry: directors, producers, editors, actors, writers, sound design, visual fx, makeup, etc. Most industry people have a demo reel and many have trouble getting people to watch it. This new category allows industry people to judge it and then the top demo reels will screen at the festival! Prizes and a trophy will be awarded to the winner!

Demo reels can be any genre and must be 2 min or less.

We will be awarding prizes to the winning filmmaker in each category.

Last year's festival was a great success. We had our biggest audience yet, with a 20% increase over the previous year and more than 35 filmmakers in attendance.

We look forward to seeing your film!"

For more information, go to: http://www.shriekfest.com

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3 Easy Steps to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse: "YouTube Star Wesley Johnson (WesTheEditor) and Chris Jai Alex (Boondocks, Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark) co-star in this tutorial on how to survive the zombie apocalypse. It is directed by Leo Kei Angelos."

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Teaser Posters from The Events Surrounding a Peeping Tom & the Horror That Followed: "The Events Surrounding a Peeping Tom & the Horror That Followed is the disturbing story of Martin Malone, a lonely Peeping Tom who finds himself caught and arrested following a misstep. As he nears the end of his court-mandated rehabilitation, Martin is still unable to fight his urges and begins to peep again. It is then that he discovers Rowan, the girl of his dreams. As his obsession with her grows, he begins to suspect that she may be involved with the occult. Using his peeping skills, Martin begins an investigation that leads him down a twisted path to something more horrible than anything he could ever imagine and realizes that all the while, he's being watched himself.

This is a character driven tale examining the psychology of voyeurism in our postmodern world of hyper-surveillance. An exploration of being trapped by our desires and the ghosts of our pasts. Who watches us when we are alone, exposing our true selves?

Brian James Fitzpatrick is a writer/director who worked as associate producer on Spring Breakers, Holidays (horror anthology), and co-producer on the upcoming London Fields. Damian Maffei is a professional actor known best in NY for many stage performances and movies such as Joe R. Lansdale's Christmas with the Dead and Closed for the Season.

This project is to be produced in association with Muse Productions, the fiercely independent film company behind such artsploitation madness as American Psycho, The Killer Inside Me, Spring Breakers, and London Fields.

We will be working with practical, real deal special FX! For that we are teaming up with the Emmy nominated (Boardwalk Empire) Jeremy Selenfriend and his fantastic FX house Monster in My Closet. No stranger to handling the bumps, bruises, monsters, and oozes of cinema (The Blacklist, Netflix series Daredevil, The Adderall Diaries AND Chernobyl Diaries to name a few...) we could not be in more talented hands.

We have been prepping TESAPTATHTF for months and are currently in pre-production with principal photography to begin this May."

To learn how to support this film's progress, visit the official Facebook or Twitter account.

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Hell Town Trailer and Premiere Details: "The Austin Horror Society will present the world premiere screening of the horror soap-opera Hell Town, a new film by Steve Balderson and Elizabeth Spear.

The special event will take place at the Alamo Drafthouse (Lakeline) in Austin, Texas. Both directors and much of the cast and crew will be in attendance. The event is open to the public.

Hell Town follows the melodramatic antics of high school seniors clashing over love, sex, and betrayal. In the middle of all the one-sided infatuations, backstabbing bitchiness, bottled-up sexuality, sibling rivalry and general small-town angst, there is the “Letter Jacket Killer” who is killing students in a variety of sadistic ways. As the body count rises and the blood pools closer to home, it becomes clear that one of our main characters is the killer…but who? Everyone, from the Prom Queen and Shirtless Jock to the Nosey Geek and Super Bitch, are all suspect.

The tale of the Letter Jacket Killer is presented as a slice of soap opera. Literally. Balderson and Spear have carved the story as three consecutive mid-season episodes of a fictitious TV serial, including opening and closing credits.

“The inspiration,” Balderson says, “comes from the Netflix model of the world. It’s so much fun to binge-watch an addictive show—especially serials involving catfights, cliffhangers and murder.”

In May, Hell Town will play as an official selection of Crimson Screen Horror Fest in Charleston, SC. Other special events and festival dates forthcoming."

For more information about Hell Town, visit: http://www.Dikenga.com

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The Shells Release Details: "Haunted by dreams that appear all too real, Alex reluctantly joins a team of amateur filmmakers in a former undercover DOD research facility to make a film about Dr. Marzena, a mysterious neurologist who disappeared in the 1960s while in the midst of a secret neurological experiment. As members of the crew are transformed into sleepwalkers, Alex discovers that Dr. Marzena is alive inside the building, entrapping her victims in a dream dungeon from which they cannot escape. Caught in the cross hairs of Dr. Marzena's demonic plan, Alex must embrace her innate powers to save herself and the crew, before it's too late.

The film [had] its world premiere at the Phoenix Film Festival on Friday, March 27th at 9:25pm.

Directed by Max Finneran, The Shells was filmed entirely in an incredibly spooky abandoned Kodak factory in Rochester, NY which actually was the inspiration for the film. Once the cameras started to roll, this empty 'shell' of a location took on a life of its on and there was no turning back.

Directed by: Max Finneran. Starring: Britt Lower, Sara Chase, Erik Heger, Andy Ridings, Nadia Gan, Nick Fondulis, Michael Pemberton, Anna Andresen, Carolyn McCormick, Lee Wilkof, Lea Mancarella, Avery Kristin Pohl, Gary Sundown, and Christopher Randolph."

To watch the film's trailer, visit: http://theshellsfilm.com/trailer

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Lights Camera Blood! Trailer Released: "Low budget horror filmmaker Mandalor is the laughing stock of the film community. His films are atrocious and his gore effects are pathetic. When Montag is filmed accidentally killing the lead actress of his latest film, he edits the graphic footage into the final cut and his film opens to rave reviews. Sinister plans hatch to MAKE MORE BLOOD-CURDLING FILMS!"

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Schlock Shock Radio Podcast Release Details: "A new podcast that is an homage to the old radio dramas of yesteryear. Schlock Shock Radio! These are short, horror themed stories done on a very small budget. Our actors record their dialogue on their personal cell phones from across the country and email them to us and we cut them together with music and sound effects and the end result is: Schlock Shock Radio! They are free to download on iTunes! Every two weeks, we will release a new tale of terror and in between, we may have an interview or two about them!"

To learn more about this podcast, head over to iTunes or on Twitter.

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Absolute Zero Trailer and Release Details: "A kidnapping goes sour when the mastermind behind the operation decides to change the game plan at the last minute."

"The movie is going to be released on June 1st, 2015 via VHX.com for video download and rental. A limited DVD release will follow."

For more information, visit the film's Facebook and IMDB pages.

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Wind Walkers US and UK Release Date Announced: "A group of friends and family descend into the swamp lands of the Everglades for their annual hunting trip, only to discover that they are the ones being hunted. A malevolent entity is tracking them and they begin to realise that one of their party, Sean (Zane Holtz), may be possessed by something he has brought home from a tour of duty in the Middle East – a demon of war so horrible and deadly that even he is unaware of its devilish presence.

Or are they facing something even more unspeakable? Is a legendary Native American curse about to unleash its dreadful legacy? Has the mysterious Wind Walker beast, thirsting for colonial revenge, returned to claim more souls?

With no place to run, the group, starved and consumed with fear, must make a final stand – before madness and murderous mayhem consumes them all.

Acclaimed director Russell Friedenberg’s latest feature, Wind Walkers, has completed post and is primed for an Autumn 2015 release in both the US and UK."

To learn more about this film, go to the official website, Facebook, or Twitter account.

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Frackin' Zombies Trailer: "Winnipeg Production Company “Zell-Koj” Studio, producers of the upcoming 2015 Slasher/Thriller “Dark Forest”, are developing “Frackin Zombies” their second genre feature, which is in the 2015 Cinecoup accelerator competition.

After a fracking disaster in the town of Allure, long divided townsfolks are left needing a hero. Allure, is a booming town financed by fracking and is home to "pleasant-ville" type townfolks. Long ago the naysayers were driven to live alongside the biker babes AKA “Brazen Black Hearts” on the fringes of town. DUSTY, respected leader of the babes, is the rightful owner of land where old fracking operation is. DUSTY and the babes make a final stand for land and life as corrupt Mayor Paul's thugs let greed get the better of the them & unknowingly unleash a reign of terror of fire breathing Zombies.

The Cinecoup Film Accelerator gives each team weekly marketing missions, the top team will receive $1 million in financing and a guaranteed theatrical release. A concept trailer has already been created and a social media following for the project continues to grow.

When the concept trailer was shot, word was spread and 4 times the amount of people showed up to be extras in this exciting and original Zombie project. Winnipeg artist “Arlea Ashcroft” is slated to play Dusty leader of the Biker Babes, and the word of this project is starting to get out locally."

For more information on this film, go to: http://www.cinecoup.com/frackin-zombies/trailer

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Short Film, Slit, Released in Entirety: "Slit is a sexy short horror film in which passion and murder are in store for two party girls whose steamy sexual encounter turns bloody when a black-gloved killer follows them home.

Taking its cue from Italian "Giallo" thrillers of the 1970's, Slit is a contemporary horror experience that mixes together a color-saturated visual style, vivid sensuality, and shocking violence, set to a pulsating synthesizer score. NSFW.

Starring Lillian Lamour, Miranda Cox, Aley Kreinz and Travis Worthey.
Music by Andrew Kalbfus.
Cinematography by Brent Jepsen.
Produced by Colin Clarke and Brent Jepsen.
Written, Edited and Directed by Colin Clarke."