The Splathouse podcast team heads to Haddonfield with their new episode on Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, and you can listen to it in today's Horror Highlights. We also have a Q&A with the writer/director of Sightings, a new prize pack contest from our friends at COMET TV, a trailer for Aliens: Zone of Silence, release details and a trailer for the stranger than fiction documentary Mansfield 66/67, a look at LINE Webtoon's horror anthology comic series, and details on the Kickstarter campaign for the Zombie Doctor tabletop game.
Listen to a New Episode of the Splathouse Podcast: From Splathouse: "One, two, Chucky’s coming for you, pinhead!
This week the goobs at SPLATHOUSE watched HALLOWEEN: THE CURSE OF MICHAEL MYERS (1995) and just barely survived! Pervy Paul (Don’t Call Me Stephen) Rudd, culty runes/ruins/ruse, miraculous household appliances, and the lack of any coherency: This movie has it all!
We are joined by writer/producer Stephen Scarlata (BEYOND THE GATES, JODOROWSKY’S DUNE) and Anya Novak (BMD, Dread Central, Blumhouse) to hear their perspectives on the various cuts/controversies of the film’s production...Sarah Jane gives her recommendations for fans of Joe (Don’t Call Me Dave Again, Motherfucker) Chappelle’s film...and (clears throat) Russ P. Coltrane T. Firefly MAAAAAAY have sent a literal tape to us…
PLUS!
BAD HALLOWEEN NAMES, Slick Rick, some shit about Jim having an eternal #MCM on Paul (Don’t Call Me Stephen) Rudd, and Joe (MOTHERFUCKING JOE FUCKING MASON, MOTHERFUCKERS) Mason smoked some bougie strain of weed called Candyland and watched this shit thrice and sent notes…and stops by...
All that! (Copyright Nick Kids)
Plus more…
Follow us on twitter at @splathousepr"
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Q&A with Sightings Writer/Director Dallas Morgan: "Writer-director Dallas Morgan’s unnerving supernatural thriller Sightings premieres on VOD this November.
Dante Basco (Hook, Bad Ass 2 : Bad Asses), Kevin Sizemore (Fear the Walking Dead: Flight 462), and Boo Arnold (Nashville) star in a pulse-pounding cornucopia of Stranger Things, Signs and Jaws, arriving November 7.
When former Sheriff and skeptic of the paranormal, Tom Mayfield (Boo Arnold), encounters three dead bodies on his TX ranch, he must enlist the help of his conspiracy-theorist brother-in-law (Rawn Erickson II), a local surveillance expert (Dante Basco), and a renowned cryptozoologist (Stephanie Drapeau), in order to uncover who or what is behind these mysterious events.
While being pursued by the local detective (Kevin Sizemore) as a lead suspect for these deaths, Tom is forced to reconsider his preconceived ideas of what lies beyond our planet.
Ultimately, he must mend the estranged relationship with his daughter (Tahlia Morgan) and come to grips with the truth of his missing wife (Tiffany Heath), as he discovers the importance of community in survival and the belief in the unseen.
From High Octane Pictures, the studio that brought you Clowntergeist and The Answer, comes another workout for your goosebumps, Sightings out 11/7.
Dallas, the film has been described as a mix of Stranger Things and Jaws. Can you describe the parallels between those films?
Dallas Morgan: First of all, Jaws is one of my all time favorites so there were several things about it that inspired me for Sightings. I even had our crew watch this and some other movies to understand what we were setting out to accomplish.
One stylistic connection is the way Spielberg rarely shows the shark, which is similar to the elusiveness of the cryptid in our film. There are also parallels from a structural standpoint. For example: The entire third act of Jaws consists of these three guys venturing out onto the water to hunt and kill this deadly shark … similarly in Sightings, we propel into the climax with this team going into the woods together to find this thing. I always saw Uncle Rickey in Sightings as kind of the “Quint” character — a little cooky and no hesitations about putting himself in danger.
Visually, I love a lot of the progressing master shots in Jaws. Rocky Conly (our Director of Photography) and I attempted to mimic that shooting style as often as we could with wide angle lenses and choreographed blocking between the actors and the camera.
As for Stranger Things — to me they share a spirit and tone in the magical nature of their supernatural elements. I also appreciate the camaraderie that’s created in the group of kids, which occurs with our cast of characters in Sightings too.
And were Spielberg and M.Night an influence to you growing up?
Dallas Morgan: Yes, and they’re still an influence to me. One of the greatest movie-going experiences I can remember is when I saw Signs on opening weekend. The theater was packed, so every emotion was exaggerated.
What I love about both of their films is there is always something more happening that the movie is really about. Unbreakable is about the need to know and find your purpose in the world, Jaws is about a man overcoming his fear of the water, Signs is about a father regaining his faith.
And that’s what I set out to do with Sightings — To create something that wasn’t just entertaining, but that also had a heartbeat behind it. So it is really about a man transforming from a skeptic into a believer and learning the importance of community in survival.
How do you keep a monster movie like this realistic? How did you manage to keep it grounded?
Dallas Morgan: Life is about relationships. So to keep everything believable, I knew we had to focus on these characters, their relationships to each other, and how those change over the course of the story. If the audience can relate to the people they’re seeing on screen, then all of the “fantastical” things will be accepted too. The monster elements then just really become the catalyst that causes the emotional themes and character arcs to take place.
What are scarier – sasquatch or aliens?
Dallas Morgan: Haha - I’m going to go with Aliens here. A Sasquatch seems more animal-like to me, and humans have been able to hunt and kill animals since the beginning of creation. Aliens however, are so unknown. Thinking about what kind of weaponry or technology they might have can be scary!
Is sound as important as vision?
Dallas Morgan: Yes! Not just sound FX either. Even well-mixed dialogue is super important. Poor dialogue sound quality and overall bad mixing risks taking the viewer out of the moment.
This is especially true if you’re talking about the music too. Which in our case — Brandon K. Verrett’s score really helped complete Sightings and made it all come together as a cohesive piece.
All of the various elements should carry the same weight and work together to create a unified and unforgettable experience for the audience. So I strive for excellence in all categories of the process."
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Aliens: Zone of Silence Release Details & Trailer: Press Release: "LOS ANGELES, CA – The new horror/thriller Aliens: Zone of Silence will be available on-demand throughout the world October 24, 2017. The film is being released by independent film distributor Gravitas Ventures, the largest VOD aggregator in North America, and will be on over 100 cable and digital platforms, including: Comcast, Cox, Dish Network, and Verizon Fios, in addition to Amazon Video, Google Play, iTunes, Vimeo on Demand, and Vudu. The film will also be available on DVD and Blu-ray at Amazon and Family Video.
Starring Sarah Hester (Youthful Daze), Peter Gesswein (A Plea for Tenderness), Jed Maheu (The Rambler), and Vince Tula (Four Cities), Aliens: Zone of Silence follows a young woman who goes on a daring search for answers after her brother vanishes from the Mexican desert. But when she discovers an extraterrestrial presence, she must risk her life to expose the desert’s otherworldly secret.
This is the feature directorial debut for renowned visual effects producer Andy Fowler, who was previously the Vice President of Visual Effects and Production at the Walt Disney Company and has worked as a VFX producer on such blockbusters as The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, 300, TRON: Legacy, Noah, and San Andreas, to name a few. He is currently the Director of Visual Effects at Netflix.
Fowler also served as a producer on Aliens: Zone of Silence along with Jorge García Castro (Amateur Night), Marcos Cline-Márquez (Sin Ella), and Diego del Río Toca (Little Bitches). The team brought their visual effects experience to the forefront, utilizing veteran VFX companies One Of Us and Atomic Arts.
Aliens: Zone of Silence largely takes place in a swath of the Mexican desert known as “La Zona del Silencio.” In 1970, the U.S. military launched a test missile containing radioactive elements from Green River, Utah toward White Sands Missile Range. But they lost control of the missile, and it fell in the Mapimí Desert region. Ever since, there have been rumors of magnetic anomalies that prevent radio transmissions, local plant and wildlife mutations, and extraterrestrial activity.
“We’re excited to finally share Aliens: Zone of Silence with the world,” said García Castro. When asked to describe the film, Cline-Márquez summed it up nicely: “Think The Blair Witch Project, but instead of witches in the woods, it’s aliens in the desert.”
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COMET TV October Contest: "Excuse me, I have to go. Somewhere there is a crime happening.
This October there is so much happening on COMET TV!
First up, The Robocop trilogy is airing Saturday, October 21 and Thursday, October 26! Who doesn’t love Robocop, talk about classic sic-fi!
Then, there’s the Underground Horror series airing throughout the month of October! Check out the schedule at CometTV.com/underground-horror
There is something for everyone!
Prize Details: (1) Grand Prize Winner will receive (1) prize pack from COMET, including:
How to Enter: We're giving Daily Dead readers multiple chances to enter and win:
1. Instagram: Following us on Instagram during the contest period will give you an automatic contest entry. Make sure to follow us at:
https://www.instagram.com/dailydead/
2. Email: For a chance to win via email, send an email to contest@dailydead.com with the subject “COMET October Contest”. Be sure to include your name and mailing address.
Entry Details: The contest will end at 12:01am EST on October 28th. This contest is only open to those who are eighteen years of age or older that live in the United States. Only one entry per entry method, per household, will be accepted."
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Mansfield 66/67 Trailer & Poster: Press Release: "Who could resist cheering for Jayne Mansfield — the punk Marilyn Monroe and the ultimate atomic-era sex-positive kitten-gone-berserk — as she navigates the cultural and spiritual landscape of a quickly changing world?
Welcome to Mansfield 66/67, a true story based on rumor and hearsay, where classic documentary interviews and archival materials are blended with dance numbers, performance art, and animation — elevating a tabloid tale of a fallen Hollywood idol into a celebration of the mythical proportions of a true original we can’t help but live to love more each day.
Mansfield 66/67 will have its theatrical opening in Los Angeles at Laemmle's Ahrya Fine Arts Theatre on October 27, 2017, co-programmed alongside a number of Mansfield classics including Girl Can’t Help It and Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter. There will be a special premiere on Wednesday, October 25th, with talent in attendance.
For additional dates visit: www.mansfield6667.com"
Directed by P. David Ebersole and Todd Hughes, Mansfield 66/67 features Jayne Mansfield, Anton LaVey, John Waters, Mary Woronov, Tippi Hedren, Mamie Van Doren, and more.
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Have You Any Fear? Horror Anthology Comic Series: "We’ve all heard children’s nursery rhymes like “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” and “Pop! Goes the Weasel” before, but what if there was something darker lurking beneath those seemingly innocent tales? Just in time for Halloween, LINE Webtoon is debuting a twisted new horror anthology series – Have You Any Fear?. The chilling series brings a unique, frightening twist to the nursery rhymes we know so well, crafting them into unique tales that are sure to send shivers down your spine. Fo real.
Have You Any Fear? is a collection of original stories that explores the sinister and corrupt nature lying under the surface of classic children’s nursery rhymes. Just launched, the first three chapters offer a chilling spin on classics “Ring Around the Rosie,” “Bobby Shafto’s Gone to Sea,” and “Pop! Goes the Weasel.” Additional stories, including “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” “One, Two, Buckle My Shoe,” “Jack and Jill,” and “Old Mother Hubbard” will debut each Friday.
Have You Any Fear? is available exclusively through the LINE Webtoon app, so download it now at the Apple App Store or Google Play…if you dare."
NSFW comics:
Zombie Doctor Kickstarter Campaign: Press Release: "Edinburgh, United Kingdom (18th October) Colin Hutton, the sole creator of Zombie Doctor, is proud to announce his new card game launched on Kickstarter on 2nd October and will run until 31st October 2017. The campaign has already gained 50% of its funding in just 10 days.
New Expansion Pack
Due to popular demand, a Classic Horror Expansion Pack has been added as a new reward. The expansion will be four iconic horror characters that can be mixed with the original characters from the base game, or played with as a standalone game. Pain or Gain Cards from the base game will be needed.
The characters will be:
· Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
· The Mummy
· The Invisible Man
· Dracula
This exclusive set is perfect if you want to see modern zombies clash with classic monsters from a different era! The expansion will come in the same box as the base game. You will only ever be able to get the base game and expansion in one box on Kickstarter.
About the game
Zombie Doctor is a fun and frantic card-turning game. Amputate, reattach and even swap limbs to stall the zombie infection. Each player chooses to be one of four medical professionals and has several cards laid out to represent their body parts. The game's unique mechanic is that one side of a card has your healthy limb and if you turn it over, the zombie equivalent is shown.
Players take it in turn to use one of their Pain or Gain cards. The Pain or Gain Cards have the power to help you or hurt others. You can heal limbs with medicine, amputate infected limbs and even use a defibrillator. Do whatever it takes to stay alive!
The winner is the last player to have the infection reach their head! There are many reward tiers available on the Kickstarter campaign, all of which includes a copy of the game and some are Kickstarter exclusives.
Zombie Doctor is being manufactured by Ad Magic, a well- established company who have printed excellent card games such as Cards Against Humanity and Exploding Kittens.
Zombie Doctor's creator Colin Hutton said 'I've always loved the variety of games available on Kickstarter and amazed by the quality of work coming from independent developers. It made sense to seek funding for my game in this very creative and supportive environment. I'm confident Zombie Doctor offers something exciting and easy to play.' You can view the Zombie Doctor Kickstarter campaign at http://kck.st/2yiPoWC"
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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