Today's Horror Highlights begins with a gallery of beautiful screen prints from artist Matthew Johnson from the Hero Complex Gallery Black Light show. We also have a Q&A with WTF! executive producer Steve Parker, a Ghost House trailer, a Q&A with the producer of Volumes of Blood, an exciting ScareLA announcement, Dementia 13 release details, and a look at the short film The Knock.
Bram Stoker's Dracula Screen Prints by Matthew Johnson: ""Dracula 12”x24” AP screen prints by Matthew Johnson from the Hero Complex Gallery Black Light show earlier in the year.
- Three variations: Standard is black light responsive, and then there is a “Blood Red” variant on white stock and foil as well
Watch the New Ghost House Trailer: ""A young couple, Jim, and Julie, are vacationing in Thailand where Julie falls in love with photographing small shrines called “Ghost Houses” that are believed to give spirits shelter and comfort. A couple of British travelers take them into the countryside with the promise of showing Jim and Julie a ghost house graveyard where many of the shrines are discarded. After leaving the graveyard with a souvenir, Julie is increasingly plagued by visits from a malevolent spirit that threatens both her sanity and her life. After Julie is literally frozen in a state of terror, Jim must find a way to lift the curse before he loses Julie to the ghost world forever.
Starring James Landry Hébert, Scout Taylor Compton and Mark Boone Junior, the film opens in theaters and on VOD August 25th via Vertical Entertainment."
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Volumes of Blood Q&A with Producer P.J. Starks: "As announced a couple of days back, the troupe behind Volumes of Blood are back for another exciting saga of scares with Volumes of Blood: Horror Stories – out August 1 via Dark Cuts. We speak to producer and brainchild P.J Starks.
When and how did the movie get up, sir?
P.J. Starks: In 2013 I created a program called Unscripted at the Daviess County Public Library and it became an overnight success. It actually has become an annual event at the library. This eventually led to the creation of an interactive film school experience for the community of Owensboro to participate in. That is what laid the ground work for Volumes of Blood. After the continued success of Unscripted, they asked me to come up with something that was “bigger and better”. I had been wanting to make an anthology film for a long time, so that opened the door for me to do so.
Where did you get the inspiration from? Any particular films or filmmakers?
P.J. Starks: The whole idea behind Volumes of Blood, is that its lovers of the genre making a horror film for horror fans. We wanted to hit as many sub-genres as we could within the films. I’m also a huge fan of nuances, so when writing the scripts, I layer my scenes and dialogue with homages to those who’ve come before us. We tried as hard as we could to make the films feel like a love letter to all the masters of horror and their films. I’ve been told before by audiences that they love re-watching the films because they catch something new every time because they're so many references to different horror films like The Prowler, The Blob, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and House.
How did you decide on which stories to include?
P.J. Starks: The first film was an amalgamation of different sub-genres that I love which included a monster, a classic ghost story, a slasher and so on and so forth. Honestly, it was supposed to be a one-off project and we never anticipated the reaction or a sequel. Going into Horror Stories we wanted to build on the successes of the predecessor without rehashing the same concepts. The second film was made to be an entirely new experience while also including some fan service. This go around we touch on madness, cannibalism, serial killers; topics that are a little darker and a little more grounded. I had a series of ideas and sat down with some co-writers, along with the help of my producing partner Eric Huskisson, we all decided on the stories and then I did the bulk of the writing.
How would you describe the tone of the movie? Or does each segment have a different tone?
P.J. Starks: The tone and atmosphere of Horror Stories are a lot darker than the first film, but there’s still some humor included along with another genre blending. Each sequence has its own tone because we wanted each director to infuse their own style into the segments they helmed. Overall though it’s a much darker ride.
Tell us about some of the directors you have in this volume…
P.J. Starks: Horror Stories has some incredible director involved. Justin M. Seaman, the mind behind the much beloved Halloween throwback The Barn, directed the sequence “The Deathday Party”. Which has a death so over-the-top it has literally become a fan favorite and honestly, my favorite kill scene I’ve ever written. Horror artist Nathan Thomas Milliner, who directed The Confession of Fred Krueger, wrote and directed the segments “Murder Death Killer” and “Fear, For Sinners Here”. Nate is a tremendous talent. His meticulous methods have been a pain in my ass, but I can’t deny that he’s very good at what he does and it was truly a pleasure to work with him and watch him grow as a filmmaker. John William Holt, director of The Dooms Chapel Horror, directed my personal favorite segment called “Feeding Time”. John also came onto the project as Director of Photography along with his team Austin Madding, Barbie Clark, Jason Turner, Kiaya Young, Amber Langston, Jordan Troutman and Christopher Bower. They’re some of the best, most passionate and most professional people I’ve ever worked with. I’ve worked on a lot of projects, but being on set with this team every day was the most fun I’ve ever had on a production. The other directors Sean Blevins, Jon Maynard and James Treakle were also great to work with and I’d do it again in a New York minute.
Where did you shoot?
P.J. Starks: The entire production was filmed here in my hometown of Owensboro, Kentucky. We shot in an old house that was located in the historic district. Unfortunately, due to some time constraints, we were forced to film in a few locations that doubled as the interior locations of the home, but I’ve been told you can’t even tell. Of course, that credit goes to John and his awesome team. Making the film was a logistical nightmare, but they made the process so much smoother.
What’s next for you?
P.J. Starks: Currently I’m producing several other projects such as the Halloween themed anthology 10/31; the creature feature Cryptids; the demonic horror feature Deimosimine; Close Calls which is about to have its world premiere; the monster flick Gnawbone; the slasher thriller Angel; and the horror comedy Butcher the Bakers, which recently found distribution through Petri Entertainment. We’re in early development on Devil’s Knight: Volumes of Blood 3 and I’ve got a few other potential projects in the future. As you can imagine it’s an understatement to use the word “busy”."
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ScareLA Announcements: "Press Release: "LOS ANGELES, CA – July 19, 2017 – Welcome to SCARYWOOD! ScareLA is proud to present its biggest and most immersive dark experience to-date! Enter Scarywood, a spooky town out-of-place, and out-of-time where fans will be able to mingle with its ghoulish residents and explore its creepy Carnival, spooky streets and more!
The 60,000 sq.ft. dark hall will include:
The world premiere of ‘Flatline” a groundbreaking new virtual reality experience where the audience can experience having a near-death experience in the back of a real ambulance and going to the other side and coming back irreversibly changed!
‘Rose MacBeth’ a blindfolded knife fight graveyard, presented by Wise Guys Events and a two-time Developers Choice Award winner!
‘The Summoning’ an exclusive AR experience from Clever Fox and director, Dekker Dreyer. A group of explorers will enter the basement of the Magnolia Hotel and with their smartphones reveal a hidden dimension of the gruesome and untouched crime scene of occultist Raphael Davidson who went on a killing spree in 1987.
‘ZTag Zombie Infection Arena’ an interactive game experience where four groups of humans are tasked with discussing the future of ‘The Safe Zone’, an area inhabited by humans after Los Angeles was destroyed by the undead. Fans can choose which group to join, including the undead and will have free will as to whom they will award their loyalty! ‘Debis’ Halloween 3D’ a UV black light maze with a surreal vibe and where monsters will abound!
ScareLA will take place on August 5-6 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Tickets for the convention are still available for purchase, but all monsters must act now before quantities die out!
Dementia 13: "Press Release: "NEW YORK – July 25, 2017 – Chiller Films announces today the release of the upcoming horror thriller DEMENTIA 13, in theaters on October 6, 2017, and on VOD and Digital HD on October 10, 2017. This retelling of Francis Ford Coppola’s 1963 film of the same name is directed by Richard LeMay (“The Dark Rite,” “Naked As We Come”) and is written by Dan DeFilippo (“The Invaders,” “Chilling Visions: 5 Sates of Fear”) and Justin Smith (SiREN, THE BOY). The cast includes Julia Campanelli (“Walking Away”), Ana Isabelle (“The Eye,” “Lost Cat Corona”), Marianne Noscheze (“Horror Time”), Channing Pickett (“Redheads Anonymous”) and Christian Ryan (“Celebrity Ghost Stories,” “Casters”).
In DEMENTIA 13, a vengeful ghost, a mysterious killer and a family brimming with secrets converge in one night of terror.
DEMENTIA 13 is produced by Dan DeFilippo and is executive produced by Justin Smith.
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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