Comic readers who are fans of Blood & Gourd can now download the first two issues of the series on ComiXology. Also in today's Highlights: a Q&A with Havenhurst director Andrew C. Erin, a clip and a trailer for Blind Sun, Mystery Science Theater 3000 Volume 38 DVD release details, Arbor Demon acquisition info, and the trailer for Plaga Zombie: American Invasion.

Blood & Gourd Comixology Digital Download Details: The first two issues of Blood & Gourd are now available as digital downloads on ComiXology! If you prefer to collect your comics in physical form, you can limited print copies at bloodandgourd.com.

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Q&A with Havenhurst Director Andrew C. Erin: From the Press Release: "Brainstorm Media and Twisted Pictures have announced the February 10th limited theatrical and nationwide Cable VOD and Digital HD release of Andrew C. Erin's Havenhurst. Co-written by Erin (Sam's Lake, Simple Things) and Daniel Farrands (Amityville: The Awakening, Haunting in Connecticut, The Id), the film stars genre vet (Julie Benz, "Defiance", "Dexter", "Buffy the Vampire Slayer") as a woman battling her own demons while trying to uncover what happened to her apartment's previous tenant (Danielle Harris, Halloween 4 & 5, Rob Zombie's Halloween, the Hatchet franchise). Havenhurst will debut in Los Angeles at the Laemmle Music Hall.

Havenhurst will begin weeklong theatrical runs in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Houston, Kansas City and Phoenix. Nationwide, Havenhurst will be available on Cable VOD and Digital HD platforms, including Charter Spectrum, Comcast, DirecTV Cinema, Dish, iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, Google Play, Vudu and more."

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Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions for us, Andrew. How did you get attached to Havenhurst and how involved was Daniel Farrands in the project?

Andrew C. Erin: Daniel and I came up with the concept together and developed the idea into both a TV series and a feature film.

What types of horror can viewers expect to experience in Havenhurst?

Andrew C. Erin: It is more of a thriller that builds up to some pretty horrific moments with a few jumps scares mixed in.

Where did filming take place and what did those environments add aesthetically and atmospherically to your movie?

Andrew C. Erin: We were lucky enough to build all the sets on a stage in Los Angeles. The interior of the apartments were exactly how we had imagined them when writing. I believe it really helped us create a unique tone to the movie and made some of the action sequences possible.

What was the shooting schedule like for Havenhurst?

Andrew C. Erin: We did 25 days in LA and two in NYC. With all the technical aspects to the building we were trying to achieve combined with the action sequences, it really felt like we were racing the clock every day.

Do you have any favorite horror films that influenced you while making this movie?

Andrew C. Erin: The obvious ones are Rosemary’s Baby and The Shining because of the location, but I’m a horror fan so I’ve been influenced by so many great films that it’s hard to list them all.

When you look back at your time on set, is there a particularly funny or memorable moment that stands out?

Andrew C. Erin: I think it would be trying to get Julie Benz to trust the stunt team as they dropped the floor out from under her in one of the sequences. She was very brave and ended up doing it twice. We had a good laugh about it.

Many horror fans know Julie Benz from her memorable role as Darla on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. What was it like working with Benz and giving her another platform in this genre?

Andrew C. Erin: She was such a pro, it was a real pleasure working with her. I’d been a big fan of hers for a long time, so it was really a treat.

Is this a world you would consider returning to in a potential sequel?

Andrew C. Erin: Definitely. I love the world Daniel Farrands and I created. Now having done it once, it would be great to try and take it to another level.

With Havenhurst coming out in select theaters and on VOD and Digital HD on February 10th, what projects do you have on deck that you can tease, and where can our readers find you online?

Andrew C. Erin: I have projects in development, but nothing worth mentioning yet. You can find me at www.andrewerin.com or my current company website www.themobentertainment.com.

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Watch a Clip and a Trailer for Blind Sun: "Women in Horror Month is going strong on Shudder! Premiering today is  Blind Sun, the hallucinatory dystopian debut from Lebanese female director Joyce A. Nashawati. Blind Sun is a Greece-set thriller that follows a solitary immigrant looking after a villa while its owners are away. Ashraf is in the middle of an intense heat wave, in a place that water is scarce; his world as he knows it is about to change.

In addition to Blind Sun, Shudder’s latest collection “A Woman’s Touch” highlights film made by female directors."

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Mystery Science Theater 3000 Vol. 38 DVD Release Details: Press Release: "Riffer extraordinaire Mike Nelson hosts all four episodes in the 38th collection of episodes from the beloved comedy series Mystery Science Theater 3000, but the true theme for this set is diversity. Proving to the world that no single genre is immune to cheesy movies and that our hilarious heroes aboard the Satellite of Love are equal opportunity critics, Shout! Factory presents an incredible melting pot of cinema’s multicultural genres, including the worst in Cold War drama, Sword and Sandals, Juvenile Delinquents, and Monster movies.

Available March 28th, 2017 from Shout! Factory, Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume XXXVIII includes previously unreleased episodes Invasion USAColossus and The HeadhuntersHigh School Big Shot and Track of The Moon Beast, as well as a plethora of bonus features including the featurette Zugsmith ConfidentialTracking A Moon Beast with actress Leigh Drake, Mike, by Joel interview, the original feature film of High School Big Shot, four mini-posters by artist Steve Vance and more!

In addition, the first 1,500 fans who order directly from ShoutFactory.com will receive an exclusive bonus disc, MST3K: Play MSTie For Me Triple Decker, which gathers 39 of the finest MST3K musical moments into one eminently singable package.

In Invasion USA, a tapestry of Cold War-era American archetypes discuss the perils of Communism before witnessing the invasion of America by an unnamed but Soviet-flavored army; Colossus and The Headhunters is a 1960 Italian flick that clearly found the swords and the sandals at an Italian movie thrift store. We have a hero, we have a damsel in distress, and we have plenty of bad guys. Atypical of this genre, however, there are no monsters, unless you count the filmmakers and cast; High School Big Shot follows a beleaguered young man who gets involved in a crime for a payoff that he thinks will cure the troubles with his alcoholic father and cheating girlfriend;  and Track of The Moon Beast brings us a sad tale of a mineralogist’s nightly transformation into a killer reptile following an unfortunate meteor shower.  Alas, even make up effects by legend Rick Baker cannot redeem this film.

Volume XXXVIII Bonus Features

  • Zugsmith Confidential featurette
  • High School Big Shot (original feature film)
  • Mike, By Joel interview
  • Tracking a Moon Beastwith Actress Leigh Drake
  • Theatrical Trailers"

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Film Mode Entertainment Announces That Gravitas Has Acquired Arbor Demon: Press Release: "BERLIN (February 9, 2017) – Film Mode Entertainment announces Gravitas has picked up the new horror-thriller ARBOR DEMON, from writer/director Patrick Rea (NAILBITER, TIME’S UP, EVE). The film is currently in release this month in the US and Canada in cinemas and across all platforms. The cast of ARBOR DEMON includes Jake Busey (IDENTITY, STARSHIP TROOPERS, ENEMY OF THE STATE, Fiona Dourif (CURSE OF CHUCKY, THE MASTER, FEAR CLINIC, THE MESSENGER) and Kevin Ryan (PADDY’S IN THE BOOT, COPPER, LAREDO).  Veteran horror heavyweights, producers Warren Ostergard (CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES, FEAR CLINIC) and Marcel Sarmiento (DEADGIRL, V/H/S VIRAL) set the aggregate box office for the ARBOR DEMON  team at over a hundred million dollars (US).

Arbor Demon is one of those films horror lovers must see and won’t ever forget,” says Film Mode Entertainment’s President, Clay Epstein. “These filmmakers are masters at the art of terrifying throngs of horror fans. Arbor Demon is sure to be a success worldwide due to its universal theme of entrapment, and a wallop of an ending.”

ARBOR DEMON has gained major audience and industry traction since it premiered in Cannes in 2016. The film has been invited to headline the top horror-thriller festivals across the world and has played to high acclaim in each, including but not limited to FrightFest London - World Premiere, St. Louis International Film Festival, New York City Horror Film Festival, and Razor Reel Flanders Film Festival.

ARBOR DEMON is about a woman with a dark secret who goes on a camping trip with her husband hoping the serene setting will help her summon the courage to confide in him. Before she is able, a group of nearby hunters are slaughtered by an unknown force. With a shapeless predator roaming the forest, the couple’s too terrified to emerge from their tent. Is the evil outside trying to get in, or is it something they have spawned from inside their enclosure?

Film Mode Entertainment is handling worldwide rights on the film and will be presenting the film for distributors at EFM in Berlin."

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Plaga Zombie: American Invasion Trailer: From Sai-Con Productions: "Picking up 20 years after the original trilogy the aliens return to Earth with another plan for world domination. This time setting their eyes on the small fishing city of New Bedford, Massachusetts, to begin the attack. What they were not counting on were the four lone survivors of the zombie virus they’ve unleashed into the city. Now a has-been wrestler Sam (Matthew G. Hill), his immigrant landlord Manny (Ben Tolosa), a love-torn athlete Nash (Corey Omar), and a mercenary for hire Kobra (Walter Rivero), must battle through the hordes of zombies in order to survive. Adding insult to injury the government blows up the city at its fault line setting it adrift into the Atlantic Ocean. Can the four unlikely heroes stay alive long enough to escape the floating city and warn the rest of the human civilization or will the aliens successfully infiltrate the government and wipe out mankind off the face of the planet?"

  • Tamika Jones
    About the Author - Tamika Jones

    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).