Horror Highlights: Dynamite Entertainment to Develop Elvira Comics & Collectibles, PUPPET KILLER Trailer, HAUNTED TOWNS

2017/07/18 14:14:42 +00:00 | Derek Anderson

Dynamite Entertainment will honor the Queen of Halloween with new comic books and collectibles, and we have all of the details in today's Horror Highlights, which also includes a look at the trailer for Puppet Killer (produced by Jessica Cameron) and information on the new Destination America series, Haunted Towns.

Dynamite Entertainment Teams Up with Elvira: Press Release: "July 17, 2017, Mt. Laurel, NJ: Dynamite Entertainment is proud to announce that Elvira, Mistress of the Dark - the beloved horror icon brought to (after)life by actress Cassandra Peterson - will join their line of licensed pop culture properties courtesy of a new licensing agreement with Queen "B" Productions and DevlinAgency. The publisher will develop and manufacture a wide variety of product categories including comic books, trading cards, posters, lithographs, card games, and board games.

With her signature blend of sex appeal, fearlessness, sarcasm, and smarts, Elvira rose to stardom in 1981 as the nationally syndicated hostess of Elvira's Movie Macabre. Her distinct personality a hit with audiences everywhere, she evolved quickly into a cultural icon and film star (including two motion pictures, Elvira, Mistress of the Dark and Elvira's Haunted Hills). Becoming a universally recognized brand, Elvira is a hallmark of Halloween costumes, action figures, pinball machines, Halloween decor, model kits, calendars, perfume, and dolls, and over the course of thirty-plus years, has served as a spokesperson for global brands including Coors and Pepsi.

Cassandra Peterson says, "Where better to find ‘Yours Cruelly' then with my fellow freaks and fiends of the comic book scene? Nooo….of corpse I'm not talkin' about you, darling, but the ghouls and goblins in the pages of my very own Dynamite comic book! I can't wait to light this powderkeg!!"

Scott D. Marcus, President of DevlinAgency says, "We are thrilled to be working with Dynamite on new ELVIRA comic books, and many other exciting consumer products. We took our time to find the right company to carry on the tradition of ELVIRA comic books and ultimately chose Dynamite because of their talent, marketing, and distribution....and they are cool dudes!"

Nick Barrucci, CEO and publisher of Dynamite Entertainment, says, "Elvira is timeless. Who else straddles the line between camp and class like Cassandra Peterson's adored alter-ego? Her image is blazoned in the mind's eye of a generation, a fierce and feminine figure as fresh on October 31st, 2017, as she was when she appeared on October 31st, 1981. It's a delight to bring her fans (and her fiends) a wickedly wide array of brand-new comics, games, and merchandise, as we expand our merchandising categories."

"I think we're all pretty excited to bring Elvira back to comics," says Kevin Ketner, Assistant Editor at Dynamite. "Just taking a look at how people consume media and have embraced horror movies and camp, it's a perfect time! Plus, she's absolutely iconic. She's the horror host that is currently missing from our lives and our comic shops… or digital outlets."

Fans are encouraged to subscribe to Dynamite's social media for the latest news and updates on product development and release. Dynamite Entertainment products are available at comic book stores worldwide, and digital comics are available through Comixology, Kindle, iBooks, Google Play, Dynamite Digital, iVerse, Madefire, and Dark Horse Digital."

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Puppet Killer Trailer: Press Release: "The much anticipated trailer for Lisa Ovies' film Puppet Killer comes on the heels of some amazing additions to the team. Joining Lisa is producer Jessica Cameron (Truth or Dare), composer Stephen Gallagher (The Lovely Bones, The Hobbit Trilogy) and Darren Leader of Steel Panther.

The film features a powerful ensemble cast including Aleks Paunovic (War For the Planet of The Apes, Van Helsing, iZombie), Richard Harmon (The 100, Bates Motel), Lee Majdoub (Supernatural), Lisa Durupt (Murder She Baked), Kyle Cassie (Deadpool) and Gigi Saul Guerrero (El Gigante, Barbarous Mexico).

The plot of the film centers around a group of high school students who are stalked by a psychotic killer obsessed with horror movie icons during Christmas vacation.

Watch the trailer here: https://youtu.be/q46t4JmrVAY

Daren Leader, known for his work with the hugely popular band Steel Panther, is working on several exclusive songs for the film.

“I jumped at the chance to work with Lisa. She is incredibly talented and she just knows how to make a killer movie! Puppet Killer is a great homage to the movies I grew up on and it is an honor to be a part of it. “

Also joining the post production team is the award nominated composer, Stephen Gallagher. Stephen Gallagher is most known for his work on The Hobbit franchise, Lovely Bones, and District 9.

“Lisa and her team have created a fantastically compelling film. I am extremely excited to be collaborating with her in creating the soundtrack to Puppet Killer. It will be great! Well...it better be....Simon threatened to hunt me down if it was not up to his own high standards...”

Director Lisa Ovies is rightfully excited and here is what she had to say about the film.
"I can’t wait to share this film with the world. We were excited about it before as our cast is so amazing and the film was such a passion project, but the calibre of people that have jumped on board to finish it is unbelievable. Working with Stephen on the score and with Darren to write original songs is insane. They are so crazy talented and having their marks on our film is fucking awesome. And obviously bringing the passion and energy of Jessica has been a true gift. The entire team has worked so hard to get here and I could not be happier to be working with them all to get this film out to the world"

Puppet Killer is expected to hit the film festival circuit early 2018.

You can keep up with the film on it’s social media pages, listed below. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Puppet-Killer-1607153252931204/ Twitter: @Inofilms"

Haunted Towns on Destination America: Press Release: "(Silver Spring, Md.) – The Tennessee Wraith Chasers (TWC) ghost hunting team is getting their spooky on in an all-new series as they travel across the country investigating America’s most haunted towns. From infamous hotbeds like Gettysburg and Salem to small towns with turbulent pasts that fueled generations of ghost stories, HAUNTED TOWNS explores places that played key roles in the darker chapters of American history, where battle, disaster, and injustice have condemned unsettled spirits to every street corner. Follow TWC – consisting of Chris, Doogie, Porter, and Brannon – as they interview witnesses, investigate hotspots using the latest ghost-hunting technology, and follow new leads until they can pinpoint who is haunting the town and why. But the team isn’t just about collecting evidence. Their m.o. is to find truth – if any – in the legends that have shaped each town’s paranormal notoriety. The eight-episode first season of HAUNTED TOWNS premieres Tuesday, August 15 at 10/9c on Destination America.

“HAUNTED TOWNS is about so much more than ghost stories. It’s about places of deep historical significance, where stories of hauntings are passed down over generations. Is it simply folklore, or is it true? We want to find out what is really going on in these towns,” said Jane Latman, general manager of Destination America. “With extensive experience investigating both legendary asylums and – in their pre-TV days – private homes, no team is more prepared for the challenge of confirming the ghostly lore of an entire town than our beloved Tennessee Wraith Chasers.”

In the series premiere on Tuesday, August 15 at 10/9c, TWC heads to Gettysburg, Pa., where more than 51,000 soldiers lost their lives during the Civil War’s most epic battle. The town is a hot spot for paranormal activity and the perfect testing ground for an experiment using trigger objects that may have had personal meaning to the spirits and could activate paranormal activity. While attempting to contact ghosts from both sides of the Civil War conflict, the boys investigate a militaria shop filled with war memorabilia as well as a local farm that served as a temporary field hospital for wounded Confederate soldiers. During their attempt to connect with the restless souls of dead soldiers, TWC encounters evidence that something darker may be lurking in the legendary haunted town.

Other episodes this season investigate:
· Salem, Mass., one of the most legendary haunted towns in America
· Savannah, Ga., where hauntings plague the businesses surrounding the former site of the city’s gallows
· Vicksburg, Miss., the site of major civil unrest during Reconstruction
· Bisbee, Ariz., the old mining town plagued by union strife
· Fall River, Mass., home of Lizzie Borden
· McDonough, Ga., where the Camp Creek train crash of 1900 left dozens of passengers dead
· Cape May, N.J., the epicenter of the Victorian Era’s Spiritualism movement

Fans are invited to watch the premiere of HAUNTED TOWNS online a week in advance of its television premiere, which will be available unlocked beginning on August 7 on DestinationAmerica.com. Download Destination America’s TV Everywhere app on Android and IOS to see weekly sneak peeks of upcoming episodes and browse the network’s entire library of paranormal content.

About the Tennessee Wraith Chasers
The Tennessee Wraith Chasers (TWC) are a serious team of paranormal investigators who don’t take themselves too seriously. Each investigation is packed full of southern charm and wit, but when it comes down to business they don’t mess around. TWC’s motto is respect, detect, collect, meaning they rely on a unique combination of the scientific method and spiritual faith to navigate investigations. Growing up in an historic, and some say haunted, area of Tennessee has given them with an authentic desire to make sense of the mysterious things they’ve experienced through paranormal research. They take great pride in establishing trusted relationships with witnesses and call on the strengths of each team member to leave no stone unturned. The Wraith Chasers made their television debut as the stars of Destination America’s fan-favorite series GHOST ASYLUM, in which they investigated America’s most frightening asylums, sanitariums, penitentiaries and haunted hotspots.

HAUNTED TOWNS is produced for Destination America by Tremendous! Entertainment with Colleen Needles Steward, Shannon Keenan Demers, and Devon Platte as executive producers. For Destination America, Fay Yu is executive producer, Jane Latman is general manager, and Henry Schleiff is Group President of Investigation Discovery, Destination America, and American Heroes Channel."

About the Author - Derek Anderson

Raised on a steady diet of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Derek has been fascinated with fear since he first saw ForeverWare being used on an episode of Eerie, Indiana.

When he’s not writing about horror as the Senior News Reporter for Daily Dead, Derek can be found daydreaming about the Santa Carla Boardwalk from The Lost Boys or reading Stephen King and Brian Keene novels.

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