THAT’S A WRAP: "Award winning director Marcel Walz’s upcoming horror/thriller THAT’S A WRAP is scheduled to release on digital platforms on August 25th, 2023 from Quiver Distribution.  Cerina Vincent (Cabin Fever), Monique T. Parent (Jurassic City), Sarah French (Space Wars : The Quest for Deepstar), Gigi Gustin (The Retaliators) and Dave Sheridan (The Devil’s Rejects) star in a film written by Joe Knetter and Robert L. Lucas.

The cast of a film arrive to a wrap party, but someone has dressed up as the slasher in the film, and begins to stage their own kill scenes. One by one, the cast disappear until the true nature of the evening is revealed.

Joe Knetter, Marcel Walz and Sarah French produce, with BJ Mezek, Andreas Tremmel, Justus Heinz, Yazid Benfeghoul,  Tina Limbeck, Robert L. Lucas and Kai E. Bogatzki executive producing.

Says director Walz (Blind, Pretty Boy), “I’m so excited to have a colorful Giallo slasher as the first movie from our own production company, Neon Noir. Everyone involved in this project brought so much love and talent to the table and made the whole process from start to finish something special. I know the audience will see the love in the end product. My favorite film of all time is Wes Craven’s Scream. That’s a Wrap is a fun meta slasher that showcases my love for that series of films combined with my love of Ryan Murphy’s American Horror Story. As a gay director I’m thrilled to have an opportunity to have LGBTQ characters represented in the film. One even plays a key part in a scene that will no doubt get people talking about how that kill is something they’ve never seen before. It’s so ridiculous. I love it.”"

STARRING
Cerina Vincent, Monique T.Parent, Sarah French, Gigi Gustin, Dave Sheridan

DIRECTED BY
Marcel Walz

ON DIGITAL AUGUST 25

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DeskPop Acquires Grinch Horror Parody THE MEAN ONE, Arriving on VOD October 3rd: "DeskPop Entertainment is proud to be releasing Steven LaMorte's outrageous slasher parody, THE MEAN ONE, on VOD on October 3rd. An indie smash that dominated last holiday season, the film racked up massive attention online, through the media, and through its wildly successful theatrical run exclusively at Regal Cinemas.

In the audacious new parody, The Mean One (David Howard Thornton) is a hairy, green-skinned grump in a Santa suit, living on a mountain high above the town of Newville, despising the holiday season. Young Cindy You-Know-Who (Krystle Martin), whose parents were butchered by The Mean One twenty Christmases earlier, is returning to town to seek closure... but when the Mean One launches a new reign of terror that threatens to destroy Christmas, Cindy finds a bold new purpose – trapping and killing the monster.

In THE MEAN ONE, David Howard Thornton (TERRIFIER 2's Art the Clown) further cements his presence in horror history with this newly-iconic slasher villain. Holiday aficionados who think they know The Mean One are in for a very big surprise.

Filmmaker Steven LaMorte states, "We are thrilled to be partnering with Mat and the entire team at DeskPop for the worldwide release of The Mean One. Making this movie and seeing the global reaction has been a dream come true. I speak for myself and all of the hard-working artists in front of the camera and behind the scenes when I say the entire Mean One family is so excited to bring our Christmas horror parody to the world with DeskPop!"

Says DeskPop Entertainment Vice President Mat Levy, "With over 20 million trailer views across YouTube and social media, it's clear that moviegoers are prioritizing letting loose and having fun again and boy does this film make good on its promise to horrify and rip apart your childhood, while simultaneously laughing with you every step of the way. I am thrilled to bring one of the most talked about cinematic experiences of the year to audiences worldwide in time for both Halloween and Christmas. I assure you that your heart will grow three sizes for this film before getting pierced by a delicious candy cane spear."

The deal was was negotiated by DeskPop Entertainment Vice President Mat Levy and Jordan Rosner of Scatena & Rosner Films on behalf of the filmmakers.

Directed by LaMorte with a script by Flip and Finn Kobler, THE MEAN ONE stars David Howard Thornton, Krystle Martin, Chase Mullins, John Bigham, Erik Baker, Flip Kobler, and Amy Schumacher. A co-production between Sleight of Hand Productions, Amy Rose Productions, and Kali Pictures, the feature is Produced by Schumacher, LaMorte, and Martine Melloul. Executive Producers are Jordan Rosner, Gato Scatena, and Zach Stampone."

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Details on LESLIE VERNON UNIVERSE Short Film WAIT FOR IT: "Creator and screenwriter of the cult hit horror/comedy  BEHIND THE MASK: THE RISE OF LESLIE VERNON, David J. Stieve’s directorial debut short film, WAIT FOR IT, is currently on its festival run! 

Synopsis: Set within the same universe as BEHIND THE MASK: THE RISE OF LESLIE  VERNON, WAIT FOR IT is a loving deconstruction of the slasher genre, seen from the  perspective of survivor girl Darcy (Lily Anne Harrison), who is living in the aftermath of her own  encounter with a psycho-slasher killer. We follow Darcy as she travels home from a night out  with friends, always remaining wary of the inevitable return of her tormentor. 

“After its initial announcement, we immediately had festivals reach out to us about submitting  to them. We’ve already played at some, including the Portland Horror Film Festival where David  participated in a Q&A. It was very well received by an almost packed house! We’re very grateful  and looking forward to screening at more festivals we have lined up in the fall that we can’t  announce just yet.” - Chris Gierowski, Executive Producer.  

The short is written and directed by Stieve, produced by Amy Larsen and Dan Czerwonka, and  executive produced by, Steve Squillante (THE AUTOPSY OF JANE DOE, POSSESSOR, 13  SINS, LOCKE), Chris Gierowski (DON’T F IN THE WOODS 1 AND 2, THE WICKED ONE,  STRANDED, HEAD), Richard Stringham (CLOSE CALLS, 13 FANBOY, 10/31), and Russ Troutt. 

“It’s what I call an ‘Easter basket’ of slasher moments, about how a survivor girl copes with the  monotony of day-to-day life after her experience. Always looking over her shoulder, always  waiting for something to happen, because she knows that ONE day her boogeyman will  eventually return. But most days aren’t THAT day. WAIT FOR IT let me explore this in a way that  throws back to classic horror tropes, with a Leslie Vernon style spin on it.” - David J. Stieve. 

“Obviously, after the WGA strike is over and the writers get a fair contract, we have several  ideas of how to spinoff this expansion to make more films in the Leslie Vernon universe. The  positive reaction to it has definitively proven there is a loyal following who want more from this  world and we want to deliver on that. So contact your local film festivals, especially the horror  ones, and tell them you want to see Wait For It playing there.” - Chris Gierowski 

The movie stars Lily Anne Harrison, Ashley London, and Nathan Baesel."

  • Jonathan James
    About the Author - Jonathan James

    After spending more than 10 years as a consultant in the tech and entertainment industry, Jonathan James launched Daily Dead in 2010 to share his interest in horror and sci-fi. Since then, it has grown into an online magazine with a staff of writers that provide daily news, reviews, interviews, and special features.

    As the Editor-in-Chief of Daily Dead, Jonathan is responsible for bringing the latest horror news to millions of readers from around the world. He is also consulted with as an expert on zombies in entertainment and pop culture, providing analyses of the zombie sub-genre to newspapers, radio stations, and convention attendees.