In today's Horror Highlights, we have details on Crystal Lake Entertainment's upcoming horror film The Elevator Game, a Q&A with musician Joe Becker—whose creepy chords have helped establish an eerie atmosphere in many horror films—and info on COMET TV's new app.
The Elevator Game Acquired by Crystal Lake Entertainment: "Crystal Lake Entertainment announced the acquisition of The Elevator Game inspired by the Elisa Lam story and written by horror scribe Nicole Jones-Dion. Cunningham will be Executive Producer on the film to be shot in Los Angeles in September. Jones-Dion will direct from her original screenplay.
Jones-Dion describes The Elevator Game as a unique thriller that has ties to the infamous Elisa Lam story.
The Elevator Game was originated in Korea and Japan and went on to gain worldwide notoriety online when it was blamed for the mysterious death of Elisa Lam - a young woman who was found drowned in a sealed water tank on top of the Cecil Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.
Synopsis: Leila had never heard of the Elevator Game until her younger sister, Mandy, went missing. Security camera footage showed Mandy entering an elevator in a decrepit old hotel downtown... and never coming back out.
When the police investigation into Mandy's disappearance runs cold, Leila takes matters in her own hands. The internet has stories of people disappearing after playing something called “The Elevator Game.” Some think it’s an urban legend, others swear it’s true.
Buried in the darkest corners of the Internet are the rules for one of the world's most dangerous games. According to the Game, if you enter an elevator and press the buttons in a certain sequence, you will be transported to another dimension in the spirit plane... the Otherworld. There you may be granted your deepest secret desire or you may find death and damnation.
Convinced her sister is trapped in the Otherworld, the only way for Leila to save her lost sister is to play the Elevator Game herself.
But the Game comes with a steep price. Some players have lost their lives... others their souls. If Leila isn't careful, she might lose both.
You can check out more about the movie at: www.praxiscope.com/elevator"
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Q&A with Musician Joe Becker: Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions for us, Joe. When did you initially become interested in music and what did you listen to in your formative years?
Joe Becker: Ever since I was a child. My dad is a musician. I listened to nearly everything.
When did the idea of becoming a composer on film projects first appeal to you, and how did you get into the industry?
Joe Becker: I always wanted to be in movies somehow. I got in to the industry by pounding the “virtual pavement,” so to speak. Sending emails, reaching out to people working on projects, looking for opportunities.
You’ve composed the music for many horror films in your career. What is it about creating music for horror projects in particular that appeals to you?
Joe Becker: I just love horror movies! I don’t think I could ever have music in a romantic comedy or a drama. Although I did just donate some music to the Pediatric Oncology Treasure Chest Foundation (www.treasurechest.org) for a new video which came out very touching. That opportunity came up through my friend Derek Braash of Cheevies Film Productions.
Growing up, did you enjoy watching horror movies?
Joe Becker: Oh, yes. Especially zombie movies. Starting with all Romero’s movies and Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things, The Return of the Living Dead, etc.
What types of instruments do you usually use for your soundtracks?
Joe Becker: Guitar, bass, piano, drums, and vocals. I use synths for strings or other orchestral instruments.
Is there any equipment in particular that you rely heavily on in the studio?
Joe Becker: There’s lots, but I would be remiss if I failed to mention GHS Strings, which are on all my guitars and basses (www.ghsstrings.com), Evidence Audio Cables which everything gets plugged into (www.evidenceaudio.com), Morley Pedals (www.morleypedals.com) and Graphtech Guitar Labs products (www.graphtech.com).
What is the most challenging or rewarding experience you’ve recently had while composing music for a film?
Joe Becker: I don’t actually compose for films per se. Most filmmakers I’ve met either aren’t musicians or really don’t know what they want, although they have an idea. So I just give them private access to my catalog and allow them to pick and choose what they think works. The most rewarding? Hmm... I’d have to say that’s kind of a toss-up between a few. Cellar Secret just premiered at the Apollo, which is very cool. The Passage was an official selection for the 2016 Grindhouse Planet Film Festival and also a nominee for the iHorror Awards 2017. I do enjoy when a friend will tell me they’ve rented one of the films from Amazon.com. I always get a kick out of that.
What projects do you have on deck that you can tease?
Joe Becker: For 2017? So far there’s The Date : A Tale of Love, Horror and Revenge, which is also featured in Muerte : Tales of Horror. It’s like a Creepshow-style anthology of several short horror stories. There’s also Curse of the Slasher Nurse and a re-cut of 2014’s Ghoulish Tales, which is another horror story anthology. I also have music in The Making of The Mouse, which is the sister film to What the Mouse?
And where can our readers find you online?
Joe Becker: www.joebeckermusic.com You can also read my Guitar World Magazine column at http://www.guitarworld.com/tags/joe-becker
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COMET TV on Apple TV and Roku with New App: Press Release: "(Baltimore, MD and Los Angeles, CA) – March 21, 2017– Sinclair Television Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: SBGI) (“Sinclair”), and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (“MGM”), partners in COMET TV, a science fiction broadcast network, jointly announced that COMET TV will be available on Apple TV and Roku through a newly downloadable COMET TV App, beginning today. COMET TV will continue its broadcast offerings to customers in over 100 markets as well as online at www.COMETtv.com
COMET TV’s app will include live playback of the network’s broadcast feed with an integrated program schedule along with information on the current programming.
The expanded distribution allows COMET TV to reach more science fiction fans and entertain them with the network’s vast programming library including feature films such as: The Crow, Gattaca and Labyrinth. Television series include: “Stargate: Atlantis,” “Mystery Science Theater 3000,” and returning in April, “Stargate: SG-1.” Currently airing for the entirety of March is a selection of March Movie Badness movies, 36 classic science fiction and genre films airing as an alternative to college basketball programming elsewhere.
Apple TV Generation 4 and Roku 3 & 4 series equipment can be used to download the free COMET TV apps. Availability on additional digital platforms will be announced later this year.
COMET TV, a partnership between Sinclair and MGM, is the first-ever 24/7 science fiction digital broadcast network and features more than 1,500 hours of premium MGM content. Currently the network is carried in over 100 markets, reaching over 80 million homes. In addition, COMET TV is available online and for free at www.COMETtv.com. COMET TV offers popular favorites, cult classics and undiscovered gems on a daily programming schedule. The network is also the exclusive broadcast home of the “Stargate” Franchise."
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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