Casting news for Mickey Keating's Psychopaths was revealed and we have details on this story and more in today's round-up. Also: Love is Dead Kickstarter details, a Q&A with Decay director Joey Wartnerchaney, Image Expo guests, and release information for a new young adult Buffy book from Dark Horse.
Psychopaths: Press Release: "(Los Angeles, CA - 16 March 2016) - ScreenDaily broke the exclusive late last night, revealing that Ashley Bell (CARNAGE PARK, THE LAST EXORCISM), Angela Trimbur (TRASH FIRE, THE FINAL GIRLS), Mark Kassen (ALONE, JOBS), Ivana Shein (MEADOWLAND, THE WOODS), and James Landry Hébert (HBO's "Westworld", GANGSTER SQUAD) are to headline Mickey Keating’s fifth feature, which wrapped principal photography Friday, March 4th, in Los Angeles, CA. They join previously-announced cast members Jeremy Gardner (THE BATTERY, SPRING), Helen Rogers (BODY, V/H/S), and Larry Fessenden (IN A VALLEY OF VIOLENCE, YOU’RE NEXT) in the latest genre pic from Keating.
PSYCHOPATHS is a sprawling, psychedelic ensemble piece that follows several serial killers over the course of a single night. The film is written and directed by Keating, who previously wrote and directed RITUAL (Lionsgate / After Dark Films), POD (Vertical Entertainment), DARLING (coming to theaters April 1st from Screen Media), and CARNAGE PARK, which celebrated its world premiere at Sundance 2016.
PSYCHOPATHS is produced by Jenn Wexler, William Day Frank, and Keating, with Cam McLellan and Al Lewison producing for Bad Camal and Fessenden executive producing for Glass Eye Pix.
Bell is repped by Gersh, Trimbur by Abrams Artists Agency, Kassen by CAA, Shein by Framework Entertainment, and Hébert by The Kohner Agency."
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Love is Dead: From Jerry Smith: "LOVE IS DEAD is a short film about the emotional violence we can subject loved ones to when love dies. It's a very dark story, one that features honest dialogue that goes for the jugular. It's a very personal project for me, and something that I've worked on for years, until recently, when the opportunity arose to make the film with great people, all of which love the script and are excited about our "emotional horror" film.
This film has been years in the making for very specific and personal reasons. Nobody has perfect relationships and though some storytellers feel more comfortable venturing into stories and films that are fantastical and unique in that way, I have always been a "Blood on the page" kind of writer. This is a very true story, and though the real-life story ended without the film's finale, it was pretty close. It's something I've wanted to make for quite some time, and if you wonderful pledgers help make it happen, I SWEAR to you, it will be one emotionally brutal ride.
A very active film critic/journalist in the horror genre, Smith is the Editor in Chief of Icons of Fright, a site that was created in 2004 and is still going strong. Also actively writing for Blumhouse.com, Fangoria and Delirium Magazines and various other publications, online and in print form, Smith is a work horse whose very personal approach to his writing offers something different than just the typical, sometimes robotic fare.
A writer of various scripts in developmental stages for other directors, Jerry has been working on this project for quite some time. Equally in love with Cassavetes, as he is with Carpenter, Smith aims to offer something different in the form of LOVE IS DEAD.
AARON "SMALL HANDS" THOMPSON
Our cast features Aaron Thompson, who is an accomplished adult film star under the name of Small Hands. Aaron is a complete asset to the film and is going to give a very dark performance as Peter, a man telling the support group about the death of his wife.
TRISTAN RISK
As Mara, we have the always wonderful Tristan Risk, from genre favorites AMERICAN MARY, THE EDITOR and the upcoming film FRANKENSTEIN CREATED BIKERS. In LOVE IS DEAD, Risk will bring Mara to life, being Peter's wife, someone who just wants to know the truth about her husband and like many people, gets more than she bargained for.
RUBEN PLA
As Michael, the leader of the support group, we have Ruben Pla, who has been featured in films like INSIDIOUS, BIG ASS SPIDER, and CONTRACTED. Ruben's ready to bring to life a man who wants to help Peter recover from the pain and regret of pushing someone to the absolute edge.
Our Goal:
Our goal is to get the film into as many festivals as possible and we've figured that into the budget. I've attended Fantastic Fest for three years now and I think it's time to attempt to have a film playing there, instead of sitting there writing about someone else's film.
Like I said, it's a very personal film for me, having gone through a similar situation, which ended with a loved one's attempted suicide. It's a blood on the page kind of short film, and we have great perks including signed DVD's/Photos from Aaron (ladies, don't tell me you don't want a signed photo or better yet DVD of that dude), signed photos from Tristan (Hell, if this wasn't my campaign, I'd donate just for that) and exclusive artwork (horror icons or commissions) from Morbidlybeautiful.com's Stephanie Malone.
The funds raised through the campaign will go towards the filming of the shoot. All funds are to used for equipment rentals, actor's fees, locations, etc. Not a penny is going to waste.
People are already starting to hype the short up, wanting it to be made, so that's awesome, but in order to bring this one to life, we need you guys, the generous pledges, people who feel inclined to help us get this mean beast made. Thank you guys and gals."
To learn more about the Love is Dead Kickstarter, visit:
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Decay: Press Release: “The “meticulous and engrossing” (Aint it Cool News) Decay hits theaters and On Demand April 8th from Uncork’d Entertainment.
Featuring a “mesmerizing” performance by Rob Zabrecky, writer-director Joseph Wartnerchaney’s vividly nightmarish pic focuses on a middle-aged grounds keeper at a local theme park that suffers from a debilitating case of OCD. One day, his daily routine is disrupted by a surprise visitor in his basement: a beautiful young woman who, through a jarring turn of events, ends up dead. Jonathan panics and chooses not to report the dead girl. Instead, he invites her to dinner. Jonathan is happy to have a friend, until the police start closing in, and his mind and the body of the girl begins to decay.
Winner of the True Grit Award at the Denver Film Festival 2015, Decay also stars Lisa Howard (The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2), Jackie Hoffman (Garden State), and Elisha Yaffe (TV’s Better Call Saul).”
Q&A with Decay director Joey Wartnerchaney:
"Congrats on the upcoming theatrical release, that’s just been announced. How important to you was getting a big screen bow?
Joey Wartnerchaney: Hi- Thanks, and it’s great to be talking with you! This is incredibly exciting for us. When we set out to make this small movie, we would have never guessed that it would see a theatrical release. This was always a passion project for the team. And if a couple people saw it in the end, we would be thrilled! I will say however that I’ve gone to two public screenings now, but I don’t sit down and watch it with the audience anymore – I’ve seen it too many times. So what I do is stand in the entrance to the theater where I can’t see the picture but I can hear the audience reaction. I stand there for the entire movie listening to the sounds of what people think. That experience (hearing particular moments land) is beyond words and something that I will forever cherish.
If I had to ask you to name two films that Decay is similar to, what might you choose?
Joey Wartnerchaney: That’s a tough one. I think there are probably hundreds of movies that have inspired the overall tone, pacing, and decisions. We tried not to take any cheap shots and always make the more challenging choice. Collectively, it creates a movie that I think is a bit hard to squarely put into a single genre or comparable.
Do you have a favorite filmmaker? Favorite horror film?
Joey Wartnerchaney: I have too many favorite filmmakers to count. My interests run the gauntlet from highly commercial to gritty indie. I love seeing people who have a voice, take risks and are strong at what they do – talent is sexy!
As for favorite horror films, at the risk of sounding cliché, it doesn't get much better than “Rosemary’s Baby”, “The Shining”, “The Changeling” and “The Exorcist” in my book. I’ve recently watched all of them again, and they’re such astounding pieces of cinema. It’s really inspiring.
I take it you did the visual effects on the film? So that’s writer, director, visual effects maestro.. any other hats you wore on the movie?
Joey Wartnerchaney: We had the amazingly talented Jeff Janusheske do the VFX work for the film. I worked closely with him, but that is his blood, sweat, and tears on screen.
We also had a ton of practical effects. We were blessed to have Todd Debreceni and Chris Guarino on our team. These guys are tops in the field, in fact, Todd literally wrote the book on special effects makeup. This movie owes a lot to their work.
As for wearing multiple hats it becomes somewhat of a necessity on a smaller film like ours. Directing one moment and taking out the trash the next. That’s when I get the most excited about a project when we are all in the trenches together working towards a common goal. I thrive on the creative process and surrounding myself with people who are far more talented than myself.
Decay is clearly your baby. Are you happy with the finished product?
Joey Wartnerchaney: I am. As on any project, there is a lot to learn and many takeaways for your next collaboration. But I am thrilled with the way the team came together, facing what felt like insurmountable odds. I can tell you with complete certainty that this film exists only because of the tireless efforts of a very small, insanely talented and extremely committed family of filmmakers. Each time I watch the final product, I see their love and passion on each and every frame.
The new poster is killer. Your creation?
I’m so glad you like it! It’s a combination of several people. I did a version of the poster with the face on a black background. I kept seeing the image of Katlyn’s decaying face in the edit and felt it was strong enough to carry an entire poster. Our amazing production designer Mike Huling did the treatment on the word “Decay” and Uncork’d Entertainment fine tuned the design into the current version with the gritty background. Uncork’d is awesome, they really get it. Together it makes for a pretty weird poster that I really like!
DECAY is released April 8th in cinemas and On Demand."
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).
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