“MAURY THE MISERABLE VAMPIRE” TO HIT THE BIG SCREEN AS AN ANIMATED FEATURE: "Theatrical rights for “Maury the Miserable Vampire,” the surprise hit children’s book written by first-time author Jeff Roland, have been acquired by Josh Ruben’s Nocturnal Kid, a new genre label from the director of 2020’s breakout Sundance hit, Scare Me, and Ubisoft’s Werewolves Within. Nocturnal Kid plans to adapt the film into an animated feature. The acquisition was announced today by Ruben and Roland, who will also be writing the screenplay.
Complete with easter eggs and a hidden puzzle, the book contains positive messages for children about friendship and acceptance. Available from major retailers and Amazon, Maury has become a beloved member of families all over the country.
“I’m a big fan of Josh’s work and know that he has the exact mindset needed to not only handle a story involving classic monsters and comedy but the emotional elements of the story as well,” said Roland. “He completely gets it. I’m beyond ecstatic to be working on the script with him and the prospect of being able to share an expanded view of Maury’s world with his fans. You may just find out why Maury is so miserable.”
" 'Maury' is a kid's story about friendship and respect, and the protagonist is kind of a jerk who takes his only friend for granted. This story has a terrific emotional core, which is that, even at our worst, all we want is to be loved and accepted. Telling this story through animated gateway horror with werewolves, bats, and all things that go bump in the night has me thrilled to be producing Jeff Roland's genre tale under my new banner,” said Ruben.
About Maury the Miserable Vampire
Maury the Miserable Vampire lived in a cold, dark castle and he liked it that way. He never laughed, he never smiled, and he never went outside. When his only friend, Barry the Bat, suddenly disappears, Maury must summon the courage to set out into the world for the very first time in order to find him. Along the way, Maury meets friendly, funny monsters from across the globe and learns about other cultures, teamwork and, most importantly, the value of friendship.
Jeff Roland works as a Marketing Manager for Shout! Factory and Producer for Scream Factory. His next children’s book “Cindy the Sewergator” hits shelves in Fall 2023. He lives in Los Angeles with his goofball cats Trixie and Spooky.
Josh Ruben's directorial debut SCARE ME starring Aya Cash, Chris Redd & himself premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. His second feature, WEREWOLVES WITHIN premiered at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival and won a Hollywood Film Critics Association Midseason Award for “Best Indie.” An animated feature film adaptation of Jeff Roland's popular children's book MAURY THE MISERABLE VAMPIRE is the first of several films in development under Ruben's genre banner, NOCTURNAL KID. Other titles include SURGAT from Sam Marine and Michael Borowiec, Adam Frucci's THE DISRUPTORS, and short films PARE by Lauren Sick and THE KNOWING by Erin Lovett. Ruben will next direct Aaron Horwitz's sci-fi thriller GREEN BANK, starring Jasmin Savoy Brown and Tatiana Maslany, with producer Andy Horwitz."
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Monster Forge Productions Expands Publishing and Animation Division With Executives David Hartman and Jeff Mariotte: "Monster Forge Productions is expanding its newly launched entertainment entity with an expanded publishing arm. This new division connects Monster Forge Productions’ expansive library of titles and creators with the expertise of powerhouse Executive Consultants Jeff Mariotte and David Hartman.
“Today was a monumental step forward for Monster Forge,” co-founder Shannon Eric Denton said. “Comics have grown into an undeniable worldwide phenomenon over the past 20 years. As longtime comics creators ourselves, this is another important step in building a greater outlet for our creations in a medium we love and know so well. As an award-winning author of more than seventy novels and numerous comics, former comic book executive Jeff Mariotte, former VP Image Comics’ WildStorm Productions and Editor-In-Chief of IDW Publishing, brings a well-rounded expertise that will help us advance our publishing goals. Together with frequent Rob Zombie collaborator David Hartman, director of numerous animated series as well as the live-action Phantasm Ravager in addition to all his comics work, we couldn’t be in better hands in terms of expanding our goal of getting fun, high quality genre entertainment out in as many different formats as possible.
With our first tile MONSTER BORN (from writers Steve Niles and Shannon Eric Denton and artist Tom Mandrake) just announced at Dark Horse Comics we couldn’t be more thrilled. Dark Horse has a tremendous track record in publishing as well as consistently being a strong partner for creators.
“It feels great being able to do this with the people who originally inspired me to create my own projects. Partnering with Dark Horse furthers our personal mandate to work with the best while having fun doing it. Their expertise in comics is without question and with their current success in tv/film ala Netflix’s Umbrella Academy, Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles and SyFy’s Resident Alien as well as the upcoming Grendel, they couldn’t be a more perfect business partner for Monster Born. We’re all excited to take entertainment to the next level,” said Denton.
Following up on their original press release, Monster Forge has partnered with a deep roster of talented artists and writers to build franchises across all media platforms, the first of which will see print in Fall 2023.
“2023 is going to be a fun year for fans of horror and monsters but especially for all of us involved,” Mariotte said.
Hartman added, “This partnership represents an important next phase in Monster Forge’s evolution as a true multi-platform company. This investment by Dark Horse in us and our incredible comic partners is just the beginning. In addition to Monster Forge’s recent collaborations with Ice-T, the Bernie Wrightson estate, James Groman, Mondo and Marvel we have multiple deals in the works and new comics projects featuring myself, Kevin Grevioux, Rodney Barnes, Cullen Bunn and more.”
Artist Tom Mandrake, “Working with Steve and Shannon on MONSTER BORN has been a monster labor of love for me! Feels like old times even though we're launching into all new territory.”
The graphic novel MONSTER BORN with Shannon Eric Denton, Steve Niles and Tom Mandrake is the company’s first of many titles.
ABOUT MONSTER FORGE PRODUCTIONS
Monster Forge focuses on a spectrum of horror and genre properties, ranging from light monster fare for children to full-blown adult scares. Monster Forge enters the entertainment space with a multi-platform production division bringing their monstrous library of titles and creator relationships to film, television, interactive entertainment, gaming, and merchandising.
For more info, visit www.MonsterForgeProductions.com"
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Exclusive Early Look at Goldilocks and The Three Bears: Death and Porridge: Coming soon! Written and directed by Craig Rees, with Toson Chan as the Director of Photography. A new twist on the character of Goldilocks, you'll have to wait until the teaser trailer later this month (and an official trailer in June) to learn more!
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ARROW Offers Classic and Cutting Edge Cult Cinema May 2023 Lineup Includes More Gore, Molto Argento, A Deep Dive into Straw Dogs, A Woman Kills and Cinematic Specters: "On May 1st, dive deep into the master with Molto Argento (UK/US/CA/IRE).
A killer collection of one of the all-time master of horrors' murderous masterpieces, Molto Argento is a season of slick and stylish films from maestro Dario Argento.
Featuring all of his very best films, including the absolutely untouchable first two films in his Three Mothers trilogy, and all of his standalone classics like Tenebrae, Deep Red and Phenomena, as well as team-ups with Lamberto Bava and George A. Romero; Molto Argento is a collection full of terrifying, nerves-splitting set pieces, brain-boggling whodunits, unforgettable lighting, astonishing camera moves and soundtracks that will take your roof off.
If you love giallo god Dario Argento, you will no doubt devour this season multiple times, but if you are discovering his instantly recognisable brand of shock and suspense for the first time then there is absolutely no better place you could have come to.
Titles Include: Deep Red, Tenebrae, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, Deep into the Red.
May the 5th kicks off with PSYCHOTRONIC (UK/US/CA/IRE): a collection of far-out films all listed in Michael Weldon's cult guide to the wildest movies ever made, and the film guide that Quentin Tarantino swears by, The Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film. Described by Weldon as "[films] traditionally ignored or ridiculed by mainstream critics at the time of their release: horror, exploitation, action, science fiction, and movies that used to play in drive-ins or inner city grindhouses", this is where you will find all our wildest, coolest stuff.
From the slightly offbeat to the outlandishly bizarre, PSYCHOTRONIC is a collection of outrageous films ranging from sincere social commentary to degrading trash, but all united by the fact that they are all full of mucho weirdness and massive fun! So, sit back and prepare yourself for a journey into a dimension of Cult film that can only be described as PSYCHOTRONIC.
Titles Include: Something Weird, The Crazies, The Baby.
May 5th continues with ARROW's curation of Paul Joyce documentaries, this time diving into Sam Peckinpah's Straw Dogs and the work of German filmmaker Wim Wenders. A controversial Cult siege thriller that cuts so close to the bone that we are still talking about it today, Mantrap: Straw Dogs: The Final Cut (UK/US/CA/IRE) is an absolutely unmissable documentary that unflinchingly examines a challenging film that pushed the limits of mainstream cinema. Presented by the iconic Mark Kermode (The Fear Of God: 25 Years Of The Exorcist) and, thanks to the access of producer-director Paul Joyce, featuring interviews with director Peckinpah (The Wild Bunch) and writer David Zelag Goodman (Logan’s Run), as well as key cast members including stars Dustin Hoffman (Midnight Cowboy) and Susan George (Dirty Mary Crazy Larry).
Put on your shades and get ready to hang out in a Berlin apartment with the super-cool German filmmaker behind Paris, Texas and Wings of Desire, Wim Wenders. The feature-length documentary Motion and Emotion: The Films of Wim Wenders (UK/US/CA/IRE) examines every facet of the work of Wenders, whose love of rock ‘n’ roll and outsider POV have conjured up unique views of America and Americana. Featuring unparalleled access to Wenders, as well as interviews with the stars he has worked with, including Harry Dean Stanton, Peter Falk and Dennis Hopper, Motion and Emotion: The Films of Wim Wenders is an intriguing insight into the cult filmmaker who prefers sax and violins to sex and violence.
The May 5th lineup ends with a look back to the 60s with Big Time Gambling Boss (UK/IRE/US/CA) and A Woman Kills (UK/IRE/US/CA).
An atmospheric tale of gangland intrigue written by Kazuo Kasahara (Battles Without Honour and Humanity) and starring Tomisaburo Wakayama, (Lone Wolf and Cub, The Bounty Hunter Trilogy) and genre legend Koji Tsuruta, Big Time Gambling Boss is one of the all-time classics of the yakuza genre. Paul Schrader called it the richest and most complex film of its type, while novelist Yukio Mishima hailed it as a masterpiece.
Filmed in the tumultuous events of May 1968, Jean-Denis Bonan's A Woman Kills never found distribution due to controversy around the director's first film and producer Anatole Dauman (The Beast, Hiroshima mon amour) was unable to find distribution for the film for 45 years until Luna Park Films brought it back to life in a new restoration. Now for the first time, audiences outside of France can finally experience this utterly singular film, a new wave-influenced serial killer film that presents its narrative in an almost true crime approach yet focuses more on the psychological aspect with echoes of German Expressionism and Franju, set to a discordant, jazzy score.
On May 8th, enjoy one of Jackie Chan's earliest speaking roles after proving his mettle as a stuntman. Hand of Death (US/CA) is an old school hard-hitting kung fu gem (with a dash of wuxia) that any fan of classic Hong Kong cinema needs in their collection!
When Golden Harvest first released Hand of Death in 1976, no-one paid much attention to the names of writer/director Wu Yu-sheng, third-billed actor Chen Yuen-lung or fight choreographer Hung Chin-pao in the opening credits. Within a decade, however, each of those men had changed the course of Hong Kong action filmmaking forever, under the names they are best known under to this day: John Woo, Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung.
On May 12th, as spring blooms towards summer, Come and take a nice long soak in a bright red bloodbath of a Season: The Gore The Merrier. Featuring all of our most artery-opening, guts-spilling films, those of a nervous or queasy disposition need not apply. This is an ARROW abattoir and your armchair is smack dab in the middle of the splatter zone!
Titles Include: Microwave Massacre, Island of Death, Inferno of Torture.
On May 19th, ARROW invites subscribers to celebrate the Masters of Horror. Nine directors whose game-changing work in the genre earned them the title Masters of Horror (and a spot directing an episode of the legendary 2005 television show of the same name).
Featuring cult classics from the likes of Dario Argento, George A. Romero, Lucio Fulci, Takashi Miike, Don Coscarelli, Stuart Gordon, John Landis, Lucky McKee and John McNaughton, these Masters unite for a collection showcasing their most absolutely must-see films.
Titles Include: Audition, Don't Torture a Duckling, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer.
Also on May 19th, North American subscribers can enjoy a pair of pictures packed with raunchy comedy and cruel controversy: Jess Franco's Mansion of the Living Dead (US/CA) and Ruggero Deodato's House on the Edge of the Park (US/CA).
On May 22th, open a new chapter with Adam Cesare Selects (UK/US/CA/IRE).
Adam Cesare is the Bram Stoker Award-Winning author of the young adult slasher novel Clown in a Cornfield and its sequels Clown in a Cornfield 2: Frendo Lives, and the upcoming Clown in a Cornfield 3. His other works include the cult hit novels Video Night and The Con Season, several produced horror screenplays, and the Dark Horse Comics graphic novel Dead Mall, with artist David Stoll and available in trade paperback now.
With the Clown in a Cornfield series--especially the upcoming Part 3--serving as a blood-drenched celebration of Americana, an examination of what brings the country together (and tears its people apart), he limited his Selects choices to American-made films. So come on, hop in, we're taking a road trip across America, starting in Hollywood and ending up very far away from *Hollywood*.
Titles Include: The Stylist, The Crazies, Dark August.
The month wraps up on May 26th with Ghostly Goings-On.
Be prepared to hide under the covers as ARROW unleashes all of our spookiest spectre-stacked stories in... Ghostly Goings-On.
These haunting supernatural tales will give you goosebumps and send shivers up your spine. There's not a bedsheet with eye holes cut in it in sight, just ethereal apparitions and pulse-pounding phantoms dead set on ensuring you don't get a wink of sleep tonight.
Titles Include: Scared Stiff, 8-bit Ghost Hop, Lady Morgan's Vengeance.
ARROW is available in the US, Canada, the UK and Ireland on the following Apps/devices: Roku (all Roku sticks, boxes, devices, etc), Apple TV & iOS devices, Samsung TVs, Android TV and mobile devices, Fire TV (all Amazon Fire TV Sticks, boxes, etc), and on all web browsers at https://www.arrow-player.com.
With a slickly designed and user-friendly interface, and an unparalleled roster of quality content from westerns to giallo to Asian cinema, trailers, Midnight Movies, filmmaker picks and much, much more, ARROW is the place to go for the very best in on-demand entertainment."
Daily Dead's Official Podcast! Daily Dead's Official Podcast!
