Indie Spotlight

We're back with another edition of the Indie Spotlight, highlighting recent independent horror news sent our way. Today's feature includes trailers for Devil's Mile, The Desert, Cybernatural, and Time Lapse, release information for Charlotte's Song, Under the Flesh, and TV series Roommates, details on The Walkers 5K and Zombie Car Wash, a review of Hungerford, and much more:

New Details and Photos from Charlotte's Song: "Titled “Charlotte’s Song”, the film, which stars Iwan Rheon of Game of Thrones and Misfits fame, is inspired by the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale the Little Mermaid, and tells the story of Charlotte (Katelyn Mager, Percy Jackson), a young girl with a supernatural gift, coming of age in the midst of one of the most desolate periods in American history.

Charlotte’s Song is the inaugural feature for Production Company Done Four Productions out of Vancouver, Canada – and with an American Dust Bowl setting and starring UK actors, it is unusual fare for a Canadian company. But says executive producer Jessica Clark-Bojin, “our properties are inspired by folklore, but always grounded in real human drama. We tell the stories that interest us with characters we care about, and we think they will resonate with an audience that transcends the usual genre boundary lines.”

Dubbed “Pan’s Labyrinth meets HBO’s Carnivale”, producer Lindsey Mann says the film’s inspiration for the creative use of practical FX comes from a number of sources, “we were inspired by films like Pan’s [Labyrinth], Alien, The Thing – not only for their exceptional art direction and attention to detail given their modest budgets, but also because of their commitment to intelligent storytelling.”

Unique creature design and art direction are not the only elements that fans of the property can look forward to – the film also features an extensive original soundtrack of music inspired by the period (a la Oh Brother Where Art Thou), as well as several period burlesque dance numbers. So keep an eye out for this one, whether you are a fan of 1930's music, mythical creatures, Dust Bowl period drama or just want to see what Ramsay Snow looks like in a fedora.

The filming of Charlotte’s Song is now complete, with the release set for Spring 2015."

To learn more about this film, or for exclusive content, go the film's Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/CharlottesSong

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Devil's Mile Trailer and Fantasia Premiere Details: "The Joseph O’Brien directed movie follows a trio of kidnappers who take an ill-advised detour en route to deliver their hostages – two teenage girls – to their mysterious and powerful employer.

Early reviews have pegged the film “both fresh and eerie” with critics claiming Devil’s Mile the film “not to miss” at the festival.

The highly-anticipated thriller Devil’s Mile will have it’s world premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival on July 26.

Devil’s Mile, starring David Hayter, Maria Del Mar and Frank Moore, will be released on DVD and VOD in August."

For more information on this film, or when the film will screen at Fantasia, go to the event’s website at: www.fantasiafestival.com

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Under the Flesh Comic First Details: "In a world ravaged by an unknown male-specific virus, mankind's last hope lies in a genetically enhanced soldier.

UTF is set in a post-apocalyptic world. It's a gritty blast of sex, horror, sci-fi, and dabbles in various sub-themes like evolution, spirituality, and transhumanism. A comic that strays away from the traditional viral story by accentuating a premeditated reason behind the virus, as opposed to leaving the origin of the outbreak as a common question mark. The pathogen also presents a rather unique trait: it only infects males!

To a degree, Under the Flesh is like a Grindhouse mashup of Captain America, Y: The Last Man, and The Walking Dead.

UTF is an independent comic book that started to take shape about a year ago. After months of drafts, scripting, and conceptual art changes, it was launched as a webcomic in March 30th, 2014. Right now, issue #1 is 100% completed, fully drawn, inked, colored, lettered, and ready for print! Backing us will help us to keep on making more and more pages and update our content more frequently!

Chapter 1: Desolation Day. It’s been two months since Desolation Day, when an unknown male-specific virus ravaged the world, degenerating men into savage cannibals called “fleshers.”

Ruben Lobos, is a short-tempered, genetically enhanced soldier, who’s clueless about his abilities since the pathogen struck at the same time of his experiment. He’s interestingly surrounded by a diverse cast of strong female characters in a dying world where women outlast men.

His group survives inside the walls of an abandoned college library, building a false sense of security that's about to crumble. Exploring his transhuman abilities comes at the price of protecting others, including the love of his life, Dinah. Is there any time for an insanely jealous girlfriend as the world collapses? Ruben needs to start making sense of things quick before the lives of those closest to him fall victim to the cannibal havoc ravaging the world."

To read more of the first chapter, or to learn how to support this comic, go to: www.undertheflesh.com

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The Desert Trailer and Fantasia Premiere Details: "Axel, Jonathan and Ana live together in a post-catastrophic world. Their whole dynamic changes when Axel and Jonathan go out on an expedition in search of provisions and return to the house with a zombie that they call Pythagoras.

Cast [includes] Lautaro Delgado, William Prociuk, Victoria Almeida, and Lucas Lagré.

Screening at Fantasia on Tuesday, July 22nd. Arriving on DVD later this year."

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The Walkers 5K Run Details: "You will start at the gates that, so far, are keeping you safe, there you will see news reports of the end of times! The dead have come back to life to eat the living. Your only chance is to make a run for and get back to the End Of Times Bar & Grill where a medical group is selling the cure. Be careful as you run this 5k, there will be obstacles in your path. WATCH OUT FOR THE WALKERS!!! 100% of the money made from this event goes directly to the kids of The Ride to a Wish Foundation, and The Toby's Dream Foundation.

Chesapeake, VA - Oct. 4th, 2014. Richmond, VA - Nov. 8th, 2014."

For complete details for volunteers, zombies, and runners participating in the race, visit: www.walkers5k.com

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The Army Within First Details: "An ideal yet imperfect world of two young lovers is destroyed. In a eeting moment, sudden alien invasion will place every life on Earth in jeopardy. Traye and Sally are now thrust into an inescapable turn of events set to change them forever. Traye - in battle to conquer deep insecurity and master his in-built survival instinct. Sally - a victim of the alien onslaught being unleashed upon virgin Earth unprepared for this biological alien terror.

"The Army Within" brings together an all-Australian cast and crew to create a new vision to the horror genre.

Set for release in September 2014."

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The Apostate: Call of the Revenant Trailer Released: "It tells the story of a man who is found crawling around, covered in his own blood, in a disused underground car park. But he's not alone. Four dead bodies are found in the same place. Through a series of flashbacks and interviews, we slowly piece together the events that took place that led to his incarceration and the grisly discoveries.

The Apostate is an original feature length psychological thriller with elements of horror that will leave audiences on the edge of their seat and, although this film is not yet rated, we would advise that some scenes may be unsuitable for children under 15. Please read the incredible true story that inspired the movie.

This is an independent feature film, which was shot entirely in Telford, and comes hot on the heels of Andy Dodd's multi-award winning family film ‘it’s a love thing’.

The main cast includes Jay Bryhan, Terri Dwyer, Carol Cummings, Bob Sanderson and Anthony Webster.

This feature was written and directed by award winning director Andy Dodd and produced by Phoenix Laine and Andy Dodd.

The film premiere will take place on September 13th, 2014 and is an open event - all are welcome to come along and meet the cast and crew.

The main feature is preceded by 'it's a love thing' and 'something I never had' - two successful short films by Mangotree Films. All attendees are invited to the after-show gathering, where the cast and crew look forward to meeting everyone all for a night of film and discussion."

To learn more, visit: www.calloftherevenant.com

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5th Annual Zombie Car Wash Announced: "They’re back, they’re hungry and they want to wash your car!

Too many bodies in your trunk? Apocalyptic acid rain left your car dull and dingy? Grave dirt encrusted tires from too many cemetery excursions? Let our zombies help you out.

On Sunday, August 17th, The Toronto Zombie Walk will be holding its 5th Annual Zombie Car Wash: Bloods’N’Suds.

The event runs from 12pm to 6pm at The Classic Coin Wash on the corner of Lansdowne and College in Toronto. All proceeds go to paying costs to run The 2014 Toronto Zombie Walk and Halloween Parade on October 25th. That’s right.. once again the zombie walk will open their walk to all MONSTERS!

Come down and bring your car, bike, UFO, or any other modes of transportation to be washed by our undead experts!

*BLOOD TREATMENT and ZOMBIE ATTACK available for a small extra fee.

Don’t have a car? You can still help out the Toronto Zombie Walk by stopping by and picking up one of our new t-shirts, or buying a raffle ticket to win a spook-tacular prize.

This event would not be possible without the undying support of the Classic Coin Car Wash, Creeped Out Canada and all our of volunteers."

To learn more about the car wash, go to the Facebook Event Page at: www.facebook.com/events/737587486284255 and for Zombie Walk and Halloween Parade at: www.torontozombiewalk.ca

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Time Lapse Trailer and Release Details: "In a sleepy apartment building, three 20-something roommates discover their scientist neighbor dead. Within his apartment they find a giant experimental machine that takes pictures 24 hours into the future. The camera is aimed into the trio's apartment, continuing to run and showing glimpses of their life a day in advance.

Armed with this revelation, the three conspire to exploit the machine's abilities. After enjoying the power of being one step ahead in life, disturbing images begin to arrive. A tense love-triangle emerges, and a sinister enemy begins sniffing around. The relationships begin to unravel and the trio descends into a dark future they no longer have control of.

Theatrical USA release 2014 by XLrator Media. Starring Matt O'leary from "The Lone Ranger" and Danielle Panabaker known for Friday the 13th, Mr Brooks, The Crazies, Piranha 3D, and Girls Against Boys."

For more information on the film, go to: www.devilworks.eu/projects/time-lapse

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Acquisition and Distribution Details for Found: "Marty (Gavin Brown) is the ideal fifth grader. He gets good grades, listens to his teachers, and doesn't start trouble in class. But a darkness is beginning to fall over Marty's life. The kids at school won't stop picking on him, his parents just don't seem to understand him, and now Marty must grapple with a terrible secret that threatens to destroy life as he knows it -- his big brother (Ethan Philbeck) is a serial killer! Brotherly love is put to the ultimate test in this emotional coming-of-age story that descends into full-blown horror.

XLrator Media has acquired North American distribution rights to the award-winning horror film Found by first-time director Scott Schirmer. The film has played more than 40 horror film festivals across the globe where it won 15 Best Feature Film awards and multiple Best Actor awards for both of its young stars, Gavin Brown and Ethan Philbeck. XLrator Media will release the film on August 15, 2014 in theaters, VOD and iTunes on its acclaimed “Macabre” genre label.

“Found is a profoundly shocking and moving horror vision from a talented new director working outside the Hollywood system. The film has been endorsed by genre icons Elvira ‘Mistress of the Dark,’ Sybil Danning and Joe Bob Briggs and has created a sensation wherever it has played,” said XLrator Media president Mike Radiloff.

Found was produced by Leya Taylor and Damien Wesner. It is based on the novel by Todd Rigney, who co-wrote the screenplay with Schirmer.

The deal was negotiated by Mike Radiloff and Barry Gordon on behalf of XLrator Media and Matt Medisch of The October People on behalf of the filmmakers."

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Cybernatural Trailer and Premiere Details: "While video chatting one night, six high school friends receive a Skype message from a classmate who killed herself exactly one year ago. At first they think it’s a prank, but when the girl starts revealing the friends’ darkest secrets, they realize they are dealing with something from beyong this world, something that wants them dead. Told entirely from a young girl’s computer desktop, Cybernatural redefines “found footage” for a new generation of teens.

Cybernatural [is] debuting at the Fantasia Film Festival on Sunday, July 20th at 9:30pm at the DB Clarke Theater.

Starring: Shelley Hennig, Moses Storm, Renee Olstead, Will Peltz, Jacob Wysocki, Courtney Halverson, and Heather Sossaman. Directed by: Leo Gabriadze."

For more information on this film, or its festival debut, go to: www.facebook.com/cybernaturalmovie

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Varsity Blood DVD Release Details: "This football season, Hogeye High’s Warriors and cheerleaders are out for blood. Unfortunately, someone is out for theirs, and they’ll be forced to take one for the team. After the big Halloween football match, the students are joined by an uninvited guest dressed as their high school mascot armed with a bow and arrow, a battle-axe, and an insatiable appetite for butchery. Soon, they find themselves fighting for more than the winning score as terror becomes the name of the game.

Image Entertainment, an RLJ Entertainment brand, brings you the slasher film Varsity Blood, available on DVD on August 19, 2014. Directed and written by Jake Helgren (Finding Mr. Wright, Bloody Homecoming), the film stars Lexi Giovagnoli (1 Chance 2 Dance, 3 Times a Charm), Wesley Scott (Deep in the Heart), Debbie Rochon (Tromeo and Juliet), Natalie Peyton, Blair Jackson, and Elyse Bigler."

For more information, visit:
www.us.rljentertainment.com/product/varsity-blood/d686f595-50a5-e311-8c44-020045490004

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Shivers Down Your Spine Trailer and Release Details: "Shivers Down Your Spine is a group of 10 short films, offering horror across the entire spectrum from comedy to slashers to a crime film noir and many more! Here is the synopsis for the various shorts included:

Out of the Lamp: A man discovers a genie lamp in his microwave. Upon rubbing it, a beautiful genie named Sabiah appears, offering him three wishes. Much to her surprise, he wishes for her to tell him nine horror stories.

Deadbolt: A young girl home alone on Halloween night discovers that the deadbolt on her door is no match for an angry ghost.

Convention Girl: Two best friends try to figure out what to do when one of them believes he staked a vampire hooker at a horror convention. Did he stake a vampire, or a cosplayer?

Birthday Dinner: A mother and father punish their young daughter on her birthday in order to teach her a lesson.

Whispering Board: Three sorority girls attempt to commune with a dead boyfriend using a whispering board with terrifying results.

I Dream of Djinni: Sabiah the Djinn tells a story of how wishes can go horribly awry if you're not careful with your wording.

Shortly After Nightfall: A creepy motel caretaker pays a hired gun to take out a young woman who is haunting one of his rooms in a ghostly film noir.

A Bad Heart: 2 years after being stabbed in the heart and nearly killed by the serial killer Ray Dean Foster, a young woman decides to get back into the dating game on Valentine's Day only to find her geeky date may be more dangerous.

Last Breath: A young woman descends into madness and depression after being stood up by her boyfriend.

A Christmas Horror Story: It's 1987 and a group of teens is cleaning an old movie theater. Meanwhile, a killer Santa is on the loose and looking to make them his next victims.

Shivers Down Your Spine will be released in October/November on DVD and Blu Ray. Extras will include a documentary, blooper reel, audio commentary tracks for all films, and a bonus short film entitled Midnight Kiss."

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First Details on Storyville: The Prostitute Murders Graphic Novel: "Caliber Comics is proud to announce that CEO Gary Reed has launched a special Kickstarter for the new graphic novel Storyville: The Prostitute Murders.

Storyville is a mystery/horror crime tale set in the Storyville district of 1910 New Orleans. It was also one of the key sites for the "Devil’s Blues" which later became known as jazz. The legalized red light district ran for 25 years and virtually everything was permitted - from sex to booze, from gambling to drugs. The only thing that was not acceptable was murder,
because murder was bad for business. When prostitutes and their customers start being killed, Detective Brian Donahue, a transplant from Chicago, finds he has no answer to these seemingly random murders. Enlisting the aid of Dr. Eric Trevor, a psychiatrist at the nearby St. James Infirmary, the two of them embark to unravel the mystery of this new type of killer seldom seen before...a serial killer.

Storyville is created and written by Gary Reed, writer of acclaimed series such as Saint Germaine, Baker Street, Renfield, and Deadworld. He has been nominated (and even won some) for awards diverse as the Harveys, Don Thompson, Shel Dorf, Ghastlies, and others. Main artist on the book is Wayne Reid - Wayne is considered an "old school" artist as his style is very reminiscent of the class black and white days of Eerie and Creepy. Many of his projects have been historically based and working with Gary Reed on some of the above titles but Wayne has also drawn other comics including H.P. Lovecraft, westerns, mysteries, and more. Additional artist is Mark Bloodworth who has done work on Clive Barker’s Hellraiser for Marvel Comics, Deadworld, Midnight Marquee and many others. Mark contributes a short tale contained within the story. Also contributing is Nate Pride - an artist in his own right (B&N Classics, Mouse Guard), Nate has lettered 100s of comics from Image, IDW, Caliber, and more."

For more information on this graphic novel, visit the website at: www.calibercomics.com

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Roommates TV Series Production Details: "Kyle keeps loosing roommates, either due to some mysterious dark forces or simply because his paranoia that horror film monsters really exist causes them to bail. Either way, without roommates to help pay the bills the landlord is going to throw him out on the street. Enter Victor, a broke and out of work movie director whom worms his way onto the lease. No job means no rent money so Victor convinces Kyle to reluctantly join him in a scheme to find additional roommates to help with the rent. Their plan: to hold a casting call and convince people to move in on the pretense of being part of a new reality TV show. Hilarity transpires as their new roomies may be a lot more than they bargained for.

Roommates is a Friends and The Big Bang Theory meets Holliston sitcom centering around a group of people who become roommates for all the wrong reasons.

Lyon Productions, the indie studio (located in Michigan) that produced such films as Little Creeps and Monsters on Main Street, announce the new television series Roommates, which is an original comedy sitcom but has a very interesting "horror" twist to the show which gradually develops as the episodes progress.

Our series moves into principal photography in the coming weeks.

Our show was slated to be shot entirely on location. One of our main locations is an apartment set which the majority of the filming takes place in over the entire first season. However, test shoots quickly (and thankfully) revealed the fact that there was some extreme external audio issues we could not control. We're a small, albeit growing, indie studio that simply doesn't have the finances to pick up the additional costs while keeping the show on schedule. As such, we've launched an Indie GoGo Campaign.

Cast members include pop star Cara Quici, David Lew Cooper (in the "Perfect" shirt), and newcomer Mackenzie Trevor. Horror icon Robert Z'Dar is also slated to star."

To learn more, or to support the progress of this project, go to: www.HelpRoommates.com

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Hillbilly Horror Show Volume 3 Release Details: "This romp into award winning Indie horror shorts and hillbilly humor releases on DVD through MVD October 21st, but can be found on VOD now, including www.thehorrorshow.tv (the ITunes for horror films). The accompanying mobile game app "Fetchin' Lulu" releases September 5th.

The series stars Bo Keister (Remember The Titans, House Of Good And Evil), Scott Geiter (Gruesome Hertzogg; The Voice Of Horror), and model Rachel Faulkner (recently in Maxim Magazine)."

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Acquisition and Distribution Details for Dark Souls: "A young girl is attacked by a man with a power drill and left for dead. When the police call the girl's father to identify his daughter's body, he tells them that she has just walked in the door but there's something seriously wrong with her. After learning of more bizarre attacks the father starts his own investigation and soon uncovers a systematic covert government program has been unleashed upon his town.

Eagle One Media is proud to announce it has acquired North American rights to the hit Norwegian horror film Dark Souls. The award winning film from Director Cesar Ducasse brings a different take on the whole zombie horror genre. The film has just been released along all major platforms by Eagle One Media.

Dark Souls is now available through most online retailers such as Amazon and available for rental/download on digital platforms such as iTunes, Amazon Instant, Play Google and Xbox."

To learn more on this film, visit: www.eagleonemedia.com

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Slasher Novel First Details: Horror writer WD Jackson's "third full length novel Slasher, influenced by my love of Hollywood and slasher movies, is set for release in late 2014 through Assent Publishing."

When a vicious serial killer targets Hollywood slasher movie actresses, Sergeant Joshua Matthews must overcome his past to end the brutal killing spree.

Matthews faces a race against time as the body count rises to keep Kiralee alive and stop the killer concluding the massacre at the premiere of Hollywood's newest horror movie, Slasher."

To learn more about the author and his novel Slasher, visit Jackson's website at: www.wdjacksonbooks.co.uk