Indie Spotlight

We're back with another weekend edition of the Indie Spotlight. Today's feature includes a new horror comic release from Monsterverse, a Cthulhu video game, a new Hershell Gordon Lewis book, and the latest indie horror movie news sent our way:

Flesh and Blood Volume 2: "Vampires! A Werewolf! And Baron Frankenstein collide in the second book of the award-winning graphic novel series from Monsterverse! Superbly written by Robert Tinnell. Illustrated with eerie elegance by Neil Vokes! Colored with a master's passion by Matt Webb.

If you thought the first volume rocked the world of horror comic books and graphic novels, you will not be able to put down the second book which has more dark intrigue, heart-stopping action, epic adventure, sensual eroticism and shocking twists than ever before!

Plus two back-up features! OPERATION: SATAN by Tinnell and artist Bob Hall and the new FRANKENSTEIN by Tinnell and Adrian Salmon. No graphic novel series delivers pure unadulterated horror entertainment like FLESH AND BLOOD!

Available in shops NOW! Contact your local comic shop for the book or to order. Diamond distribution will honor all orders. Give the shop this code: Diamond order # MAR121120.

Vol. 2 synopsis: After the girl he loves becomes a vampire, an embittered Van Helsing seeks revenge on Countess Dracula. Baron Frankenstein, a prisoner of the Countess, is forced to return the vampire Carmilla to life. Meanwhile, a powerful entity driven by hate and madness seeks the destruction of them all."

Learn more at: http://monsterverse.com/

---------

All Hallows Evil: Lord of the Harvest: "The sleepy town of Hallowed Hill is known by many as the Halloween capitol of the world because of its history, and because of its Pagan origins. People from all around come to visit the town on the night of All Hallows Eve.

200 years ago, on Halloween, a great evil was unleashed on the town by a witch who dabbled in the black arts. After a long night of mayhem, brought on by this terrible evil, a select group of towns folk were able to stop the witch, and dispatch the evil back into the darkness from whence it came.

Now 200 years later a young girl finds an ancient Pagan book archived deep in the old cellar of the local library, and with the help of her wicked foster mother the two again release the evil Sam Hain from his hell-bound prison to once again wreak havoc on Halloween night. The question is, can the town once again join together to stop the evil, or will Hallowed Hill be completely devoured by the Lord of the Harvest.

All Hallows Evil is written and directed by Ron McLellen (‘Jack O'Lantern’) of Southlan-Films. The film is produced by Ron McLellen and Eric Burton, and stars Alyssa Lewis, Ian Isaksson, Rusty Smith, Adam Rosenberg ('Teen Wolf'), Sonya Thompson ('The Walking Dead'), Ashlyn Henson, Kenny Caperton and Joshua Haire. The majority of the movie was filmed in the beautiful small town of Rome, Georgia, but several scenes were shot at Kenny Caperton’s infamous Myers House NC, which is a life-size replica of the Michael Myers house from John Carpenter’s HALLOWEEN. All Hallows Evil is scheduled to be released in October 2012, but is still working out distribution. For more information, check out the film’s official IMDb page and visit the film’s official Facebook page."

---------

The Godfather of Gore Speaks: Hershell Gordon Lewis Discusses His Films: "Exploitation filmmaker Herschell Gordon Lewis is credited with single-handedly creating the gore genre with the 1963 release Blood Feast. This low-budget shocker would ultimately influence nearly every horror movie which has followed, as well as “high-brow” films as varied The Wild Bunch and Reservoir Dogs. Lewis, dubbed “The Godfather of Gore,” crafted more than thirty-five films in his ongoing career. In The Godfather of Gore Speaks: Herschell Gordon Lewis Discusses His Films, the filmmaker explains his choices and motivations—from concept to finished product—in much more detail than ever before. Assisted by noted film historian Andrew J. Rausch, Lewis shares often hilarious anecdotes and provides analysis for the thirty-nine films which he either directed or assisted with direction."

To learn about the book, visit: http://www.bearmanormedia.com

---------

Screaming in High Heels: The Rise & Fall of the Scream Queen Era: "Breaking Glass Pictures is proud to announce the September 4 DVD Release of "Screaming in High Heels: The Rise & Fall of the Scream Queen Era" (SRP $19.99). Edited for its TV debut earlier this year, the unrated DVD of "Screaming in High Heels" chronicles the careers of the original girls of terror as they show that cannibalism, demonic possession, flesh eating, and even chainsaw hookering is all in a days work.

Three girls living in Los Angeles, CA, in the 1980s found cult fame when they "accidentally" transitioned from models to B-movie actresses, coinciding with the major direct-to-video horror film boom of the era. Known as "The Terrifying Trio", Linnea Quigley "The Return of the Living Dead", Brinke Stevens "The Slumber Party Massacre" and Michelle Bauer "The Tomb", headlined upwards of ten films per year, fending off men in rubber monster suits, pubescent teenage boys, and deadly showers.

They joined together in campy cult films like "Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama" (1988) and "Nightmare of Sisters" (1987). They traveled all over the world, met President Reagan, and built mini-empires of trading cards, comic books, and model kits. Then it all came crashing down. This documentary remembers these actresses - and their most common collaborators - on how smart they were to play stupid."

---------

Call of Cthulhu: The Wasted Land: "As the hotly anticipated addition to Steam's popular digital games service, Greenlight launches today, one of its first titles is 'Call of Cthulhu: The Wasted Land' by indie developers Red Wasp Design. Gamers can now head over to Greenlight and vote on the games they love and think should be promoted to the full Steam system. To celebrate its inclusion in the Greenlight launch, Red Wasp Design have created a new 'Director's Cut' trailer for the game, full of Mythos mayhem.

If you are new to this cult title, it is a turn-based strategy RPG inspired by the works of noted horror writer H.P. Lovecraft. The game was created by indie developer Red Wasp Design in cooperation with Chaosium, the publishers of the paper role-playing game, Call of Cthulhu. The game is set in the trenches of World War One. In 'The Wasted Land' the player uses their team of investigators to uncover a deadly inhuman conspiracy underlying the Great War. As the game progresses, the player can build up the skills, weapons and equipment of their team. Key to the game is Sanity; the investigators must guard their minds against the myriad horrors that threaten to send them into the mouth of madness. Barbed wire, mustard gas and machines guns will prove to be the least dangerous thing the investigators will encounter as they venture out into No-man's Land to overcome the horror of the Wasted Land."

For more information, visit:  http://redwaspdesign.com

---------

The Black Dahlia Haunting Trailer: "The first official teaser trailer for the paranormal psychological thriller “The Black Dahlia Haunting” has hit the internet. The film stars Devanny Pinn (#Hold Your Breath), Britt Griffith (SyFy's Ghosthunters), Noah Dahl (Bad Teacher), Alexis Iacono (The Penny Dreadful Picture Show), Cleve A Hall (SyFy's Monster Man), Jessica Cameron (Silent Night), Sarah Nicklin (Beg), Daniel Murawka (American Girls), and Brandon Slagle (Patient Zero) who also directed the film.

The film follows a young woman, Holly (Pinn), why flies from New York City to Los Angeles to follow up on the murders of her abusive father and stepmother by her blind since childhood younger brother Tyler (Dahl). She soon encounters the psychiatrist assigned to treat Tyler, Dr. Owen (Griffith), who seems to have a special connection to a spirit Tyler claims speaks to him, Elizabeth Short - known in lore as THE BLACK DAHLIA (Iacono).

Consumed by vengeance, the spirit of the Dahlia has been playing mind games with individuals who have experienced great pain in their lives, from Tyler, to Malcolm (Slagle) a man who can speak to the dead by touching objects that were of great importance to them, and now to Holly..."

---------

Whispers: "Fourth Wall Studios premiered “Whispers,” the first installment in its new DARK WALL anthology, exclusively on RIDES.tv. DARK WALL is a new online anthology of horror shorts. Combined, the episodes cover all the sub-genres of horror, from psychological thrillers to tales of the paranormal to slasher stories. A unique and distinct DARK WALL wrapper will identify each episode with an eccentric and unnerving host. Mr. Dark Wall, played by James Urbaniak, (Unforgettable,The Office, Weeds), is a disfigured paraplegic and recluse, always delighted to show another tale of madness, misery, or flat-out terror that will leave audiences scared out of their minds.

DARK WALL brings morbid curiosity to life in a way that has never before been possible prior to the RIDES platform. By delivering the scares through text, email, and even blood-curdling phone calls the RIDES features add a whole new meaning to the phrase fear factor.

Written by award-winning science fiction author Maureen McHugh, “Whispers”, the first installment in the DARK WALL anthology, centers on a father and his mentally-ill son living in an isolated farmhouse in the winter. When the father suffers a terrible accident, the son is left to cope on his own, with only the voices in his head to help him survive – but these whispers don’t seem to be his friend. “Whispers” is a story of psychological horror in which the life of a man and his young son depend on the unexplained voices surrounding them."

Learn more at:  http://Rides.TV

---------

The Hospital Teaser: "The highly anticipated horror film from Assombrada Pictures titled THE HOSPITAL, featuring John Dugan (THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE), Jim O’Rear (THE DEEPENING), Daniel Emery Taylor (RETURN OF THE SWAMP THING), Scott Tepperman (GHOST HUNTERS INTERNATIONAL), and Jason Crowe (DEAD MOON RISING), has wrapped principal photography in eastern Tennessee.

Filmed in actual, undisclosed haunted locations, THE HOSPITAL mixes themes from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Hostel, Saw, and Paranormal Activity to bring to the screen what Tony Todd (CANDYMAN) says is, “the sickest shit since Rosemary’s Baby.”

The story is this… Old St. Leopold's Hospital has many urban legends surrounding it, but the residents of Bridgeport all agree on one thing: tortured souls roam its abandoned halls. The mystery proves too much for a pretty young student who decides to investigate for her senior class project. Unfortunately, she does not find ghosts. She, instead, finds Stanley... serial rapist, murderer, and psychopath. As the young girl becomes Stanley's new pet, a team of young investigators descend on the hospital to "hunt some ghosts." Stanley sees nothing but fun and games in his future. But, what Stanley does not know is that the hospital truly is haunted and the restless spirits there are not happy with what he has been doing."

 ---------

Not Long Now: "Not Long Now is an immersive theatre project taking place in London 2013 in which the audience find themselves trapped in a large building while the early hours of a zombie apocalypse rage outside. The audience may join any of several groups of survivors and attempt to survive the onslaught as the creatures fight their way inside, or may be already there.

...the show takes place in the early hours of the zombie apocalypse. The audience are rushed inside a large building away from the danger, and several groups of survivors are littered around the building. The audience can explore the building, finding the survivors and choosing who they will accompany. All these plots will then play out simultaniously with the audience in whichever group they chose, but things get more and more chaotic as the groups clash with one another and the zombies start to break into the building."

Learn more at: http://www.notlongnow.net/

---------

Smiley Theatrical Release Details: "AMC Theatres® and Fever Productions today announced an exclusive partnership on the national theatrical release of the highly anticipated horror/thriller film SMILEY from director Michael Gallagher (“Totally Sketch”). Beginning Oct. 12, AMC will exclusively release the film theatrically through its AMC independent platform on 28 screens in 14 markets including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Houston and Atlanta. The release will also be supported by a marketing campaign from AMC.

SMILEY, co-written by YouTube sensation Gallagher and Glasgow Phillips (“South Park”), and produced by Michael Wormser (“Some Guy Who Kills People”) of Level 10 Films, has an enormous fan base to call on. Gallagher and his YouTube partners on “Totally Sketch,” as well as the other performers in the film including Shane Dawson (“Shane Dawson’s TV”) and Toby Turner ("The Annoying Orange"), have over 11 million subscribers, 2.2 billion views and 4 million plus fans on Facebook/Twitter combined. The trailer has accumulated over 15 million views since its debut.

The story of the film follows a mentally fragile college student named Ashley (Caitlin Gerard from “Magic Mike” and “The Social Network”) who, after learning of an urban legend in which a mysterious serial killer named “Smiley” can be summoned through the Internet, must decide whether she is losing her mind or becoming Smiley's next victim. SMILEY also stars Melanie Papalia (“Endgame”) and Andrew James Allen (“Make It or Break It”), with Roger Bart (“Desperate Housewives”), Keith David (“The Thing”) and Liza Weil (“Scandal”) rounding out the cast.

The deal was brokered by Michael Gallagher and Michael Wormser for Fever Productions and Nikkole Denson-Randolph, Vice President of Alternative and Special Content at AMC.

In addition to the AMC release, the film will be available on more traditional platforms including DVD, Blu-Ray, iTunes, Redbox and cable VOD after the traditional theatrical release window has closed."

Atlanta:
AMC Southlake Pavilion 24; AMC Barrett Commons 14

Chicago:
AMC Crestwood 18; AMC Village Crossing 18, AMC Cicero 14

Cincinnati:
AMC Newport on the Levee 20

Columbia, SC:
AMC Dutch Square 14

Houston:
AMC Gulf Pointe 30; AMC Studio 30; AMC Deerbrook 24

Los Angeles:
AMC Ontario Mills 30; AMC Orange 30; AMC Norwalk 20; AMC Universal Citywalk 19; AMC Burbank Town Ctr. 8

Miami-Ft. Lauderdale:
AMC Aventura Mall 24; AMC Sunset Place 24

New York/New Jersey:
AMC Palisades Center 21; AMC Jersey Gardens 20; AMC New Brunswick 18

New York/Manhattan:
AMC Empire 25

Norfolk/Portsmouth/Newport News/Hampton:
AMC Hampton 24; AMC Lynnhaven 18

Philadelphia:
AMC Cherry Hill 24; AMC Neshaminy 24

San Francisco/Oakland-San Jose:
AMC Mercado 20