Indie Spotlight

We're back with another edition of the Indie Spotlight, highlighting all the recent independent horror news sent our way. Today's feature includes first details Dark, casting news for Bedlam Stories, DVD release details for Evidence, a Q&A with the creators of Zombie Gnomes, and much more:

Bedlam Stories Casting Update: "Director Pearry Teo’s (Necromentia, The Gene Generation, and the upcoming The Dark Prince) newest twisted horror movie has added a seasoned indie veteran to their cast, Scream Queen Jessica Cameron.

Set in the 1920s, intrepid reporter Nelly Bly fakes insanity to gain admission into the infamous Bedlam Asylum. While researching her expose, Nellie meets a young patient, Dorothy, who has delusions of a fantasy land she calls “Oz.” Digging deeper into the dark history of the asylum, Nellie uncovers evidence of human experimentation on another inmate, a young girl named Alice, who’s “Wonderland” mirrored Dorothy’s imaginary world. Nellie is determined not to let Dorothy share Alice’s fate as a human guinea pig. But the horrific experiments open a portal to these other worlds. When the dark and twisted inhabitants of Oz and Wonderland clash for control, Nellie realizes that they aren't delusions at all ­they are terrifyingly real.

Cameron joins the cast with actress Anna Harr who will be playing the titular role of Alice. Bedlam Stories is being produced under Pearry Teo’s company, Teo/Ward Productions and the film’s companion novel is to be released on September 15th of this year. You can expect an art book for Bedlam to hit some time in November."

For more information on this film, visit: www.facebook.com/bedlamstories

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First "Dark" Details: "Iconic director Joe Dante (Gremlins, The Howling) has teamed up with indie filmmaker Nick Basile (American Carny: True Tales from the Circus Sideshow) for the indie thriller Dark. Basile will helm the film from a script penned by Elias (Gut). Attached to star are Whitney Able (Monsters, All the Boys Love Mandy Lane) and Alexandra Breckenridge (American Horror Story, True Blood). Dante will serve as Executive Producer.

A psychological thriller set in New York City during the 2003 blackout, Dark's story centers on Kate, a disturbed young woman who confronts her worst fears when she finds herself trapped alone in a Brooklyn loft when the power goes out."

To keep up-to-date with Dark's progress, visit: www.facebook.com/DARKmovienyc

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Evidence DVD and Digital Release Details: "Image Entertainment, an RLJ Entertainment brand, has officially announced the release of Evidence on DVD, Blu-ray and Digital Download from Director Olatunde Osunsanmi (The Fourth Kind) on Aug. 20, 2013. The film stars Stephen Moyer (HBO’s “True Blood”), Radha Mitchell (Silent Hill, Man on Fire), Torrey DeVitto (CW’s “The Vampire Diaries”), Caitlin Stasey (I, Frankenstein) and Dale Dickey (HBO’s “True Blood”) and is written by John Swetnam.

Evidence tells the story of a team of detectives (Moyer, Mitchell) trying to piece together what happened at the site of a brutal massacre using a number of recording devices found at the crime scene. The footage reveals a group of bus passengers who were forced to fight for their lives after they crash in the middle of the desert and a mysterious killer violently murders them one by one.

Evidence was produced by Bold Films’ Michel Litvak and David Lancaster, Marc Platt, Adam Siegel, Nik Mavinkurve, Anthony Rhulen and Jeffrey Stott, and executive produced by Gary Michael Walters of Bold Films and Jake Wagner. The music was composed by Atli Örvarsson, known for his work on Babylon A.D., Iron Man and Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters."

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First Fairfield Teaser Trailer: "When a mysterious illness suddenly spreads through the town, Gabriel Cooper finds himself fighting for his life. After seeking refuge in the local high school, he's united with a group of teenagers who are hiding in the school. Together, they must face the gravest of teenage dilemmas: sex, parents, friends, and zombies."

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Bounty Killer Theatrical and VOD Release Date Announced: "ARC Entertainment will be releasing Bounty Killer in theaters and VOD on September 6th. Film stars Matthew Marsden, Christian Pitre, Barak Hardley, Eve, Gary Busey, Beverly D'Angelo, Alexa Vega and directed by Henry Saine.

It’s been 20 years since the corporations took over the world’s governments. Their thirst for power and profits led to the corporate wars, a fierce global battle that laid waste to society as we know it. Born from the ash, the Council of Nine rose as a new law and order for this dark age. To avenge the corporations’ reckless destruction, the Council issues death warrants for all white collar criminals. From amateur savage to graceful assassin, the Bounty Killer’s now compete for body count, fame and a fat stack of cash. They’re ending the plague of corporate greed by exterminating the self serving CEO and providing the survivors of the apocalypse with retribution. These are the new heroes. This is the age of the Bounty Killer."

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Fargo Limited Edition Print and Screening Details: "Odd City Entertainment is excited to announce in conjunction with Paramount Theatre, a limited edition screen print for a screening of Joel and Ethan Coen’s Academy Award winning movie, Fargo, at Stateside at the Paramount on Wed., August 21st in Austin, Texas. The screening is part of Paramount Theatre’s Summer Classic Film Series which features Film Noir 101; classics that recall the history of Noir while taking it in a new direction.

Roman Morales, Odd City CEO and print connoisseur, discussed working with the artist Gabz on his print for this iconic and cult classic movie, “Fargo was the first piece Odd City had fully produced with Gabz. The versions that had been considered and dismissed could fill a book. There were people with their heads chopped in half, outrageously brilliant colors, and even a landscape version. With the cooperation of the cast, the tools were all laid out in front of him. All he had to do was let his imagination run wild. I believe he nailed it.”

Both Regular and Variant prints will have a GID layer with the Variant printed on a pearlescent paper.

The Odd City limited edition prints will be sold at the Stateside at Paramount’s screening of Fargo on Wed., August 21st. Paramount Theatre Film Fans will receive priority when purchasing prints. A portion of the proceeds will go to benefit the Austin Film Society."

For more information on the prints, or the screening, go to: http://www.austintheatre.org/site/Calendar?view=Detail&id=34841

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Details on the 2013 Toronto Zombie Car Wash: "They’re back, they’re hungry and they want to wash your car! Too many bodies in your trunk? Apocalyptic acid rain left your car dull and dingy? Grave dirt encrusted tires from too many cemetery excursions? Let our zombies help you out.

On Sunday, August 18th, The Toronto Zombie Walk will be holding its 4th Annual Zombie Car Wash: BLOODS’N’SUDS. The event runs from 12pm to 6pm at The Classic Coin Wash (1247 College St) on the corner of Lansdowne and College in Toronto. All proceeds go to paying costs to run The 2013 Toronto Zombie Walk and Halloween Parade. That’s right.. the zombie walk have opened their walk to all MONSTERS this year!

Come down and bring your car, bike, UFO, or any other modes of transportation to be washed by our undead experts! *BLOOD TREATMENT and ZOMBIE ATTACK available for a small extra fee. Don’t have a car? You can still help out the Toronto Zombie Walk by stopping by and picking up one of our new t-shirts, or buying a raffle tickets to win a spooktacular prize."

To learn more about this event, go to: https://www.facebook.com/events/541830369208166/

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First Clip from Harold's Going Stiff: "Level 33 Entertainment is proud to announce the release of the award-winning zombie-themed “mockumentary” feature film Harold's Going Stiff. An official selection of 19 International Film Festivals and recipient of the Narrative Feature Award at the Austin Film Festival, Harold's Going Stiff will have a multi-platform release on August 20th including select theaters nationwide and on VOD platforms including iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, PlayStation and XBOX available for rental or purchase.

Written and directed by Keith Wright and produced in the U.K. by Richard Guy, Harold's Going Stiff stars newcomers Stan Rowe and Sarah Spencer. Earlier this month, the film’s trailer ranked #1 on iTunes Trailers.

In grey-skied, rural England Harold (Rowe) is suffering from a new disease that is slowly transforming him into a zombie. A young, lonely nurse, Penny (Spencer), is sent to help ease the symptoms of Harold's frightening illness and they quickly and unexpectedly become very close. After an experimental treatment fails, Harold's condition deteriorates rapidly and the two end up on the run from a group of violent vigilantes seeking to rid their town of zombies."

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A Psycho's Medley Release Details: "Pleasant Storm Entertainment, Inc. presents a blood soaked collection featuring some of the most disturbing horror fiction that author Terry M. West has ever written! These stories revolve around the human monster known as the psychopath. West closely examines the twisted souls and crimson fantasies of these killers. Take this journey through terror that is all too real and you may never feel safe again! This collection includes the never before seen story A Psycho's Medley, The Night Out, the brand new story Morsel, Traiteur, Waiting for the Thunder, and the newly expanded novelette, Hair and Blood Machine (which made the 1999 preliminary ballot for a Stoker Award for long fiction).

[This] short story collection, A Psycho's Medley, is now on Amazon Kindle."

For more information, or to purchase this book, head over to Amazon

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Rabid Love Teaser Trailer and Distribution Details: "When Heather Ross and her lifelong friends take one final trip out to a cabin in the woods before they go their separate ways after graduating from college, the weekend takes an unexpected turn when people start disappearing. Is one of their own responsible? How about the killer bear that’s rumored to be in the woods? Maybe one of the seemingly unstable hunters that have been drawn to the area and are out to get the bear? Join Heather and the gang as they find out where their loyalties truly lie and discover the secrets of the forest that might become a grave for all of them!

Acort International has recently acquired Rogue Taurus Productions’ classic 80's throwback horror film “Rabid Love” for international and US distribution. Distribution plans are currently in consideration which will include a North American DVD on the indie horror label Midnight Releasing and cable/satellite/internet VOD run as well as being showcased at this year’s 2013 American Film Market.

Rabid Love takes place in 1984 and is a rejuvenation of classic films like 'An American Werewolf in London', 'Friday the 13th', 'Evil Dead', and 'The Howling'. Rabid Love is not a gory slasher film, but a thrilling and nostalgic story about unique characters with their own motivations and desires."

To learn more about this film, visit: http://rabidlovemovie.com/index.html

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DVD Release Date Announced for Wither: "Artsploitation Films, the rising American film distribution company, continues to deliver edgy international movies to North American audiences with its first-ever horror release, a Swedish tribute to Sam Raimi’s horror classic, Evil Dead. Wither is a bloody, scary tale of demonic possession. A group of naive young people come to find that their carefree weekend in an isolated country house goes off the hinges when one of them accidentally unleashes a mysterious and murderous creature trapped in the basement. As the demon begins to attack the couples, the blood-dredged body count mounts and with it, more creatures out for a taste of human flesh. The dazed young men and women soon mount their own desperate counter attack.

Artsploitation’s release of Wither, will arrive on DVD for the first time ever on August 20. The DVD extras include a fully illustrated eight page booklet, a deleted scene and a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film."

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Drinking Games Trailer: "Drinking Games is a new psychological thriller from award-winning indie filmmaker Ryan Gielen, based on the off-Broadway play, "DORM", by Blake Merriman. Five friends are trapped in a dorm by a blizzard on the last night of the semester, while a psychopath attempts to manipulate them into killing each other."

To learn more about this film, go to: https://www.facebook.com/DrinkingGamesMovie

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First Details on Model Behaviour: "Jordan Rhodes is an honest detective investigating the heinous murder of a leading talent agent. As he delves into a melting pot of beauty, ego and violence, the stakes are raised when the killer distributes horrific crime scene photographs to the press, thrusting a reluctant Jordan into the spotlight in a city where everybody wants to be famous.

Model Behaviour stars Nathan Hill, Stacey McMahon, Samira Amira, and Michael Fenemore. [It is] due for a Christmas release worldwide on all platforms."

For more information on this film, visit: http://www.modelbehaviourthemovie.com

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Tales of the Supernatural Premiere and Trailer Details: "Tales of the Supernatural gets its premiere in the UK on Monday 23rd September at Empire Cinemas.

The film consists of six supernatural tales (Disturbance, The Hike, Bryan's Daughter, The Book, Naked and Paralysis) linked together by THE DEMON who is intent on collecting human souls (banished to Earth by The Devil) as he performs an unholy ritual that releases the souls of the damned from each story segment."

For more information on Tales of the Supernatural, or to watch the film's trailer, go to: http://youtu.be/6DW6Y9qtntI

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Bubba the Redneck Werewolf Live Action Film Details: "In the town of Broken Taint, a vicious evil is unleashed, offering the dreams of humanity if you just sign on the dotted line. One lovesick dog catcher makes a deal with the Devil and not only is his life turned upside down, but so is Broken Taint. Bubba the Redneck Werewolf is born and the town goes to Hell while his local bar is filled with the Damned, Bubba figures out how to beat the Devil—but first, he needs another beer and maybe some hot wings. When the fate of humanity is in Bubba’s hands, Heaven help us all!

Based off of the underground comic book classic: Bubba the Redneck Werewolf by Mitch Hyman. Written and Directed by Stephen Biro and produced by Unearthed Films, And You Films and Two Rubbing Nickels Ltd.

Bubba the Redneck Werewolf has been a comic book series for over ten years. Bubba will be a horror comedy in the vein of-- all of them. Shooting for Bubba begins on August 2, 2013 in Crystal River, Florida."

To learn more about this comic series and the live action film, visit: www.Unearthedfilms.com

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Indie Spotlight Review: A Resurrection

by Tamika Jones

For decades, returning from the dead has been a popular theme within horror films. From the humans we once knew and loved to our beloved furry friends, the undead of all kinds always find a way to return to the living and wreak havoc. It's difficult for a film this day and age to take on such a topic, while remaining fresh and entertaining, but A Resurrection accomplishes both very well.

Directed by newcomer Matt Orlando, A Resurrection stars Mischa Barton, Devon Sawa, Michael Clarke Duncan, and J. Michael Trautmann. Taking the slow-building approach, A Resurrection gradually leads up to a very tense and scary last half of the film. There are few special effects, so a lot of the intensity relies on the acting range of the film's cast, and everyone in the cast delivered solid performances. The two performances that really stand out are Michael Clarke Duncan as Addison, the principal, and J. Michael Trautmann as Eli, a troubled boy who believes his dead brother is going to have revenge on the students who killed him.

A Resurrection is not gory or overly violent. It takes a while for the tension to ramp up, but when it does it well worth the wait.

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Q&A with the creators of Zombie Gnomes, Chris and Jane

Can you tell our readers how the idea first came to you to create Zombie Gnomes?

Jane: Chris was the one that first came up with the concept. He was driving down the freeway in California where we live, and wondered if a hypothetical zombie virus could jump to fantasy creatures like gnomes. I said, ‘Yes, that is awesome! You have to make that!’ So we made one for laughs and out of curiosity we put it up on Etsy to see if others might like it too.

Before creating Zombie Gnomes, what did you two do for a living? Creatively, was this something easy for you to get started on or did it take a lot of practice to get it right?

Jane: Chris was going to school at Cal Poly Pomona and Jane had just graduated from Azusa Pacific University with a BA in Theatre Arts. We were both looking for work but all we could find was unpaid gigs with practical effects or stage managing positions. So we came up with Zombie Gnomes for fun and when we started making money we devoted most of our time to it. Making Zombie Gnomes have been a great learning experience and we are always looking for new ways to make our products better.

Can you walk our readers through the process of creating your Zombie Gnomes?

Jane: We design them together. Chris sculpts them and makes a mold of them.

Chris: We both figure out a color palette for the sculpture and then Jane paints it up.

When did you sell your first Zombie Gnome and how many have you sold since?

Jane: We sold our first Zombie Gnome in Feb 2011 and since then we have sold almost 10,000 individual gnomes.

Do you make custom creations based on customer ideas? What kind of requests do you usually receive?

Jane: We do custom orders for customers but we also try to listen to our fan base and make the kind of Zombie Gnomes they would like to add to their collection. Usually we get requests for personalized paint jobs and special notes painted on the Gnomes.

What are some of your favorite Zombie Gnome creations and why?

Chris: I really like Bye Bye Birdie because every time I look at it, it still makes me laugh.

Jane: I love Doomsday Dan, because we twisted this very traditional gnome into something comical.

Is this something you're going expand on? Will we see other zombie creations from you two in the future?

Jane: Yes, we are always developing new Zombie Gnomes. Right now we are working on our largest Zombie Gnome creation that we plan on unveiling at Stan Lee’s Comickaze in LA Nov. 1-3.

What are some of your favorite zombie movies? Where do you draw inspiration from for your Zombie Gnomes?

Jane: We love Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland. We get inspired by garden gnome folklore like Wil Huygen’s book ‘Gnomes’ and Zombie pop culture.

To learn more about their Zombie Gnomes, visit:  

http://www.chrisandjanesplace.com/#!shop/c1ylq