"The Darkest Hour" Trailer - New Bekmambetov Alien Movie

Check out the newly released trailer of The Darkest Hour, the Timur Bekmambetov/Chris Gorak collaboration alien flick that was posted on Twitch movie site. It's going to be made in 3D and looks to be a movie that will utilize this medium to the extreme. Particularly impressive is the "explosive" affect the aliens have on humans (and a dog).

"Resurrect Dead" Trailer - A Very Unusual Documentary

I stumbled upon this trailer for Resurrect Dead, a documentary about Toynbee tiles, mysterious cryptic message tiles that have been placed on city streets over the past three decades by an unknown individual. After you watch this, I guarantee you'll be doing web searches on it. Very compelling documentary.

Resurrect Dead Official Movie Website:

RESURRECT DEAD

Bizarre News: Rabid Bat Bites Man And His Dog

It sounds like the premise of a B-movie, but this past Sunday a rabid bat attack took place in a town near Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Times reported that when Steve Spence of Moorpark in Ventura County was taking out the trash barefooted, a rabid bat took advantage of the situation and bit his foot. His American bulldog, Pumba, was also bitten (not sure if he got it in the foot or somewhere else). As a precaution, Spence's is taking vaccinations and his house, and dog, are under quarantine.

And the creepy thing about this is that rabid bat attacks are not as rare as one would expect. In fact, according to the news story, "Ventura and Los Angeles counties have both reported larger than normal numbers of rabid bats his summer." While I find this news item strangely fascinating,  from now on, I will most likely be avoiding trash runs in my bare feet.

Read the full LA Times article here:

Rabid Bat Bites Moorpark Man

"The Dark Knight Rises" Official Teaser Trailer

Here's a very small tidbit preview of the upcoming epic third film in the Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy. It stars the usual suspects (Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman) as well as Gotham newbies, Tom Hardy (Bane), Anne Hathaway (Catwoman/Selina Kyle), Nestor Carbonell (Mayor Anthony Garcia) and last, but definitely not least, Marion Cotillard (Miranda Tate). The Dark Knight Rises will be in theaters on July 20th, 2012.

"The Thing" 2011 Prequel - First Trailer

Like it or not, The Thing prequel is heading to theaters in October 2011. Although I have my doubts that it will come anywhere near the original in terms of style, innovation, creativity, etc, the trailer looks intriguing (and nice use of the memorable music from the original) so I'll try to keep an open mind. Please let the filmmakers be wise enough not to get carried away with CGI on this movie!

"Zombie Go Boom" - Learn Zombie Survival Skills

Finally, a reality show actually based on something useful: learning how to survive a zombie attack. Zombie Go Boom is a new reality show that tests zombie killing theories. The makers describe the show as being "one part Deadliest Warrior, one part Mythbusters." Check out the show trailer and learn how to show bloodthirsty denizens of the undead who's who and what's what, often by introducing their faces to blunt or spiked objects.

Zombie Go Boom Official Facebook Page:

ZOMBIE GO BOOM

Teen Wolf... Coming To A High School Near You

What's a square teenager to do? Just when you thought you couldn't walk down the school halls for more than five minutes without bumping into a vampire, goth, witch or perhaps even a hobgoblin, now you're going to have to add werewolves to the list of roadblocks on the highway leading to prom. Check out this news feature about a pack of teen werewolves in a Texas high school. And apparently, they're not limited to the Lone Star state. As stated in this news bit, teen werewolf pack are coming to a neighborhood near you. (High school life is so much more interesting now than when I was a teen.)

An Interview With Steampunk Concept Band Vernian Process

I recently interviewed Joshua A. Pfeiffer, founder and frontman of the fantastic Steampunk band Vernian Process. We discussed the band and their recent debut album, Behold The Machine and Joshua's other projects, as well as the background of the Steampunk movement and it's vast influence on modern culture, especially in recent times. And while you're reading, you can enjoy their tunes on the player below to get the full cinematic impact of the ominous and sublime beauty that is Vernian Process.

Your Wikipedia page describes your sound as "music themed around Victorian scientific romance and its modern counterpart Steampunk." Can you describe this in layman terms for people who might not be familiar with these timeless themes?

Basically, we write music influenced by the Science Fiction of the 19th Century. Over the past 30 years, there has been a revival of this style of fiction. It was spearheaded primarily by a small group of Cyberpunk authors, who wanted to write a few tongue-in cheek novels based on the literary work of authors like Jules Verne, and H.G. Wells. It slowly but surely spilled over into other forms of media, from movies, comics, video games, and more. And in the past 8 years... music.

Speaking of Steampunk, it's become very popular and can be seen more and more in music, movies, art, design and fashion. Any ideas why it's so in vogue at the moment?

There are several reasons for Steampunk’s recent rise in popularity. Chief amongst them is that it is something new (sub-culturally speaking of course). People have been looking for a new tribe, a new sub-culture for over 20 years. I see Steampunk as the natural evolution of the Romantic Goth style. Both cultures are based primarily in literature. But unlike Goth, Steampunk appeals to a much broader range of people. Older folks, and young kids alike can get into the style, and they do! There also isn't the stigma of "ohhhh look at those spooky Goths" with Steampunk.

Each song on your album Behold The Machine plays like its own movie, with a very visual, thematic story. Describe the story behind some of your songs?

Well I could write a whole essay on this, but I'll just pick three tracks at random to expand on. First the title track Behold the Machine, is often viewed as a sort of Ludite's theme... warning of the dangers of an industrialized society, and man's increasing dependency on technology. However the lyrics are actually based more on the controversy surrounding the legality of the existence of the IRS, the Federal Reserve Bank, and various shady dealings that have taken place throughout the history of the world's governments. I was inspired by a documentary (which I feel everyone should see) called America: Freedom to Fascism. One of the first songs that was written for the album (all the way back in 2006) "The Last Express", was influenced in part by a dream I once had which the lyrics of the song are based on. I would say that the dream its self was actually partially influenced by the classic SNES game Final Fantasy VI. In the game your party stumbles upon a Phantom Train, and there is a really sad story arc (which I won't spoil) that really hit home when I played the game back in the 90's. Basically the song is a somber, slightly creepy, but not exactly scary story about waking up on a train, and realizing that you are trapped for eternity. Fan response has been very interesting, because even though the song isn't intended to be scary, many listeners find it to be quite unnerving. Finally the closing track on the album "The Maiden Flight" (which happens to be my favorite song on the LP) , is a four part instrumental journey aboard an Airship. The first part "Dawn to Dusk" represents the progression of the journey from the rising of the morning sun, through the blue open skies of the afternoon, and the calm before the storm of an evening sunset. The second part "Vol Nocturne" is a somber night flight through light evening rain. this leads into the more early Industrial influenced "Maelstrom", a piece made entirely of storm sound effects, and arpegiated synths. Finally the storm opens into a swirling vortex of sounds, where various phrases from most of the albums songs drift in and out of the listener’s ears. It's a very fitting end to an album built around the term "Epic".

As mentioned in the previous question, your music is very cinematic, epic and haunting and would be quite fitting as a movie score. Are you planning on doing movie soundtrack or any other projects and is it true that you've composed music for video games?

Absolutely! I feel everyone in the project would agree as well. Martin and my self have dabbled in some strictly orchestral pieces, and yes we are working with a great indie team in Texas called "Imagineer Games" on the soundtrack to their in progress project "Shades of Violet".

Considering that Jules Verne is unquestionably the godfather of Steampunk, you must be a big fan of his writing. Have you heard any details on any of the upcoming Jules Verne movies, including Mysterious Island and 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea (directed by David Fincher)?

I am aware of the Fincher directed project, and I felt that he was an excellent choice to adapt a story about Prince Dakkar (aka: Nemo). Fincher's films almost always have excellent character development, and lord knows that Nemo is an incredibly complex character with tons of potential for a talented writer/director.

Tell us a bit about your music collective, Gilded Age Records.

Gilded Age Records is a project I founded in 2008 with my friend Evelyn Kriete of Jaborwhalky Productions. Our goal was to gather together as many like minded indie musicians as possible under one common banner. It operates more as a collective of artists and entertainers than a regular record label. Our only requirement, is that any artists interested in joining must have some combination of old world aesthetics or music with modern styles. But we do have a few straight up old world styled acts, and even some completely non-musical acts, such as story telling troupes, and performance artists.

How about music videos? Given the extremely thematic nature of your songs, I can only imagine that you've got some big ideas for music videos.

Indeed! In fact that is the next big thing on our plate. I can't say more for now, but keep your eyes and ears peeled come summer for some big news in this regard! In the past I released a bunch of video's using clips from stock footage and various theme appropriate films, however we are currently working on our very first full band, live action video.

Joshua, I had the privilege of interviewing you about five years ago, when Vernian Process was in its early stages. At that time you discussed some cool visual ideas that you had for your future live shows. You've since done several shows, performing with bands like Skinny Puppy, Attrition, Front Line Assembly. What have your stage shows been like?

Fortunately, having like 6 or 7 people on stage dressed to the nines, all rocking out in unison has been enough of a visual treat for our fans, but we are definitely not opposed to bringing in some other elements. But we're taking things one step at a time. We recently picked up a new drummer, and getting him up to speed is our primary concern as far as the live sets go at this time. We did have a rather memorable appearance by the great old one Cthulhu himself at one of our recent gigs. Look it up on YouTube.

Vernian Process Official Website:

WWW.VERNIANPROCESS.COM

"Attack The Block" New Red Band Trailer

The website tagline describes it perfectly: "Inner City VS Outer Space". The producers of Shaun of the Dead strike a potential goldmine once again with their new feature about London housing estate teen gangsters who find their day-to-day street life existence interrupted by an alien invasion. Attack The Block debuted in the UK in May and will be in USA theaters on July 29th. This latest new red band (aka: R-rated) trailer is fantastic and gives you a good peek into what to expect. And expect to get excited!

Attack The Block Official Website:

ATTACK THE BLOCK

First Eight Minutes Of True Blood Season 4

Season 4 of True Blood debuts on June 26th. But to give you a taste of what to expect, here are the first eight minutes of the first episode, courtesy of HBO. And true to form, it appears that this season ventures deeper into bizarre worlds of the supernatural.

"The Hum" - Mysterious Phenomenon Hits UK Town

Chalk this one up as an unsolved natural mystery. This may not exactly be movie news but just you wait. There's most likely several screenplays in the works based on this. UK newspaper Telegraph News reported that Woodland, a small English village in County Durham with a population of around 300, is experiencing a phenomenon known as "The Hum", which is an odd, unexplained sound, something similar to a car engine, is heard but with no known explanation. It apparently has occurred in different places throughout the world, including New Mexico, Hawaii and New Zealand and has even been mentioned in an X Files episode. The occurrence in Woodland has been happening nightly from midnight until 4am and is so strong that it allegedly even rattles the bed of one of the village's residents.

Read the full Telegraph News article here:

TINY VILLAGE IS LATEST VICTIM OF "THE HUM"

"Loom" and "458NM" - 2 Short Films By Polynoid

Check out Loom and 458NM, two amazing short movies from Polynoid, a visual design company in Germany. These two very different films share strikingly similar themes and can be summed up as sort of 'erotic ballets of death'. Beautiful and disturbing, not unlike a Bjork music video.

Loom from Polynoid on Vimeo.





458nm from Polynoid on Vimeo.

See more stunning Polynoid short films and design concepts
at their official website:

POLYNOID

The Darkest Hours Interview With Lance Henriksen

My ghoulishly delightful friend, Jack, host of The Darkest Hours show recently interviewed actor Lance Henriksen (Aliens, Pumpkinhead, Millennium, Close Encounters of the Third Kind) at Weekend of Horrors in Los Angeles and graciously invited me to share it. This fantastic 15 minute "living room style" interview gives you a great insight into this prolific and accomplished actor. So sit back and enjoy The Darkest Hours with Lance Henriksen who, incidentally, can curse like a sailor.

Check out more of The Darkest Hours at the official site and Youtube channel:

THE DARKEST HOURS
THE DARKEST HOURS YOUTUBE CHANNEL

"Take Shelter" Movie Trailer

Horror site Twitch recently posted an new Yahoo trailer for the upcoming Sony film Take Shelter. This ominous and intelligent looking film definitely grabs your attention. The trailer gives you a good idea of what the story's about but without giving away too much and is very effective at pulling you in (studios, are you paying attention??). Take Shelter comes out in October. I'm definitely looking forward to this.

Read the Twitch article here for more info:
WWW.TWITCHFILM.COM

Alien Abduction Insurance - Seriously!

In an age where we insure against just about everything, including lawsuits, it should come as no shocking surprise that insurance policies are also available for items more along the lines of X-Files cases. Need coverage in the event of an alien invasion? Look no further than London insurance company Goodfellow Rebecca Ingram Pearson (GRIP) to cover alien abductions and even alien baby impregnation and other equally bizarre situations. Check out this intriguing article by Yahoo writer Esther November.

(click here for article)

"Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes" Teaser Trailer

The new teaser trailer for Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes gives you a good taste of what this movie will be like. This Planet Of The Apes prequel looks very promising. Release date is August 5th.

Teaser Trailer For French Supernatural Film "Behind The Walls"

A teaser trailer for upcoming French classic supernatural 3D movie Behind The Walls (Derriere Les Murs) was recently posted on horror movie website Twitch. This film appears to be in the same vein as The Orphanage and The Others. Check it out:

Peter Jackson Presents His First Video Blog For "The Hobbit: Part 1"

Peter Jackson is a movie maker who, clearly, is not only passionate about his art but also truly appreciates his fans. Proof of both of these statements can be seen in his new 10 minute The Hobbit: Part 1 video blog that he posted on his Facebook page, and it sounds like there will be more video blogs to come. The Hobbit: Part 1 is due to hit screens in December 2012. Check out the video blog here to get a preview of the killer Xmas present that Mr. Jackson has in store for us.

"Dylan Dog: Dead Of Night" Official Trailer

Check out the trailer for the upcoming Dylan Dog: Dead Of Night, in theaters April 29th. I don't know too much about this film but it looks very entertaining and seems to lampoon many horror genres. And if the trailer is any indication, it looks like they did it well. Especially amusing is the zombie support group.

DYLAN DOG: DEAD OF NIGHT

Official Site

6 Questions For Gris Grimly

I recently had the fine pleasure of interviewing the amazing artist Gris Grimly. In case you're not familiar with him, he is the sinister mastermind behind Mad Creator Productions, his own multimedia company. He has done a diverse arrangement of quirky and ghoulish paintings and has illustrated several books, including children's stories, Edgar Allan Poe collections and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Although his books appear to be made for children, when you delve deeper, you see that they blur the lines between cute and creepy enough that they appeal to ghouls of all ages. Gris Grimly  also designs artwork and music videos for bands, (Creature Feature, Cenobites, Hola Ghost, Blitzkid,  The Horrifics, Wednesday 13, Ghoultown, Mad Sin, to name a few). If that weren't enough, he's also a filmmaker, whose cinematic style mirrors the glorious creepiness portrayed in his art. One of his classics is , Cannibal Flesh Riot a tale of two grave-robbing ghouls who deal in the serious business of grave defiling, necrophilia and cannibalism while having a deeply philosophical discussion about food condiments. Gris Grimly likes to serve his comedy very, very black. He is currently collaborating with Guillermo Del Toro to bring his animated Pinocchio story to the big screen. I think it's safe to say it won't have much in common with Disney version. Without further adieu, here is an interview with Gris Grimly.

Do you have a secret weapon you use to inspire you to create? Libations? Music? Muse?

Being is inspiration enough. I usually fall asleep anxious to wake up the next morning to work again.

I've read that you have a bloodcurdling fear of children and I can believe it since I've seen you at events when children were in your presence and you were sweating blood. Yet curiously enough, a lot of your art and books seem to be intentionally tailored to attract children because of their whimsically, creepy nature. Care to comment on this?
It's not so much that I have a bloodcurdling fear of children as I don't know what to do with them. This awkwardness usually comes off as brutal. I treat them and talk to them the same way I talk to adults. So when I sarcastically say, "Just hold your breath and die already" to a little 4 year old, it doesn't always come off as funny as I see it in my head.

A few years ago, you had the stunningly awesome honor of giving the eulogy at at a funeral reenactment for Edgar Allan Poe as part of bicentennial event honoring him. How did that come about?

The Poe house in Baltimore has been a big supporter of my Poe books. So when they asked me to be a part of it, I agreed. Which I have to say, they are endangered of getting shut down by the city of Baltimore who is trying to cut costs. If you would like to help, there is a petition you can sign.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/save-the-poe-house-and-museum-in-baltimore/

In your short movie Cannibal Flesh Riot, two white trash ghouls rob graves and devour the corpses while having an in-depth discussion on the finer points of food condiments. If you had to be trapped in a sealed cave for all eternity with only a few condiments, what would they be? (bonus points if one of them is Marmite).

Hot sauce!

By the way, you seem to have a fetish for grave robbing (even if only vicariously). If you were given a free pass to dig up any soul in the history of mankind, who would it be? 

Digging up a corpse isn't too exciting unless you're a ghoul. They all look the same when they are nothing but bones and dust. So I guess I would like to see the more interesting bodies of the elephant man or someone like that. But I think their bodies are all on display anyway.

You have been working on a big Pinocchio project for several years so it's safe to say you've done a little digging into this boy's background and have some insight. So what's your take on Pinocchio? Misunderstood lad with EMO tendencies? Juvenile deliquent?

Juvenile delinquent of course.

GRIS GRIMLY OFFICIAL SITE (MAD CREATOR PRODUCTIONS)

www.madcreator.com

"Husk" And "Prowl" - First After Dark Originals DVD Releases

After Dark Films, in partnership with Lionsgate and Syfi, present their new batch of After Dark Originals horror films. The eight movies in this year's series were released in theaters on January 28th for a short run and are now coming out on DVDs over the next several months. The first two DVD releases are Husk and Prowl, both out on March 29th. Husk is the tale of friends whose car crashes one night in the middle of nowhere and they seek shelter in a corn field only to discover unearthly horror. Prowl is a story of a group of friends who hitch a ride on a truck and unwittingly find themselves becoming prey to a horde of vampires.

AFTER DARK ORIGINALS
www.afterdarkoriginals.com

"Re-Animator"... The Musical (No joke!)

I can hear you thinking, "You've gotta be kidding." But, I jest not. Re-Animator The Musical is happening onstage at the Steve Allen Theater in Hollyweird, California. Yeah, I know, now you're thinking, "Nooo!!!". That was my first reaction too. The idea of a classic '80s horror movie re-told as a musical sounds truly horrifying (and not in a good way). But that was before I looked at the fine print. The show is directed by Stuart Gordon, the director of the original movie. That alone should get you excited. But wait, there's more... Joining Gordon in putting the play together are the original film co-writers Dennis Paoli and William J. Norris. Still need more persuasion? On top of that, the music was done by the original composer, Mark Nutter. They've even got the original special effects guys, Tony Doublin, John Naulin and John Beuchler! If that ain't enough, Norm from the show Cheers (Harry Murphy) is even in it! The onstage special effects are supposed to be outrageous and over the top with boat-loads of blood and gore. The first row of the theater has even been designated as a "splash zone" and rain gear is provided. The show was originally going to run until March 27th but the first few weeks have been so successful that they've extended it through May 29th. Get your tickets while you can. I think they're gonna go fast.

RE-ANIMATOR THE MUSICAL
http://steveallentheater.com

"Insidious" Trailer

This looks looks like a good one! Insidious, brought to you by the makers of Saw and Paranormal Activity, is the tale of a family who experiences evil forces after moving into a new home. Their child becomes comatose and seems to be targeted by the entities. They move to a new home to escape but discover that it's not the house that was the root of the haunting. Insidious will be in theaters April 1st. Check out the trailer. It looks like Poltergeist for the 2010s!



INSIDIOUS
www.insidious-movie.com

The vintage-style 1940s Sci-Fi Posters Winner!

And the winner is... (wait for it)... #5 Gina!

A big thanks to everyone who entered the contest.

Follow our blog for more cool horror/sci-fi giveaways.

Last Chance To Win Vintage-style 1940s Sci-Fi Posters!

The poster giveaway ends tonight. See details below on how to win 2 new 18"x24" vintage-style reproduction posters of 1940's pulp sci-fi Startling Stories and Amazing Stories magazine covers.

To enter, go this link:

http://www.somethingmostdreadful.com/2011/03/vintage-style-1940s-sci-fi-posters.html

 

Another New Official Trailer For French Horror/Comedy "Rubber"

Last month I posted some earlier trailers for Rubber, a bizarre French black comedy/horror movie about a psychopathic killer car tire named Robert. Well, a brand spanking new trailer has been released and it's the best one yet. Rubber will be out in theaters, fittingly, on April Fools day.



RUBBER
www.rubberfilm.com

Vintage-style 1940s Sci-Fi Posters Giveaway

Here's a real treat for you! I'm giving away these two gorgeous new 18"x24" vintage-style reproduction posters of 1940's pulp sci-fi Startling Stories and Amazing Stories magazine covers. 

Instructions:

•  To enter this giveaway, post a comment on this blog. 
• Contest open to USA readers only.
• Deadline is Sunday, March 20th at 11:59pm PST. 

 For an extra entry:

• Mention this post on your blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc and then leave a separate comment here to let me know.  

And the winner is... (wait for it)... #5 Gina!

A big thanks to everyone who entered the contest.

Follow our blog for more cool horror/sci-fi giveaways.

Adventures Of Filming A Zombie Movie In Rural Africa: Exclusive Interview With Executive Producer Of "The Dead"

I recently had the privilege of interviewing Amir Moallemi, the executive producer of the "zombie road film" The Dead, coming to theaters this summer, directed by brothers Howard and Jon Ford and filmed exclusively in rural Africa...

SOMETHING MOST DREADFUL: Amir, can I just start by saying the African filming locations in The Dead look amazing.

AMIR: It was one of those things where the idea for the script has been resonating with Howard and John for 20 years. Howard and Jon are commercial people and a lot of the commercials were based in Africa so they have a lot of contacts and friends there. And obviously, it’s one of the most beautiful continents in the world. Howard would always say to me, “When I’m shooting a commercial, it’s like a mini movie.” And he had such enthusiasm for them. Yeah, it was business, but there was a lot of passion behind them. And we just started talking one day about future films and he came up with the idea that… He and Jon had this script in the pipeline, sort of just sitting there so they just sort of polished it up and said, “Let’s actually bring it to Africa”, because A), they’ve got structure there, and B), they’ve got such good knowledge of that region that they were able to shoot a film in the Sahara Desert, you know, with some of the best vistas that hopefully people have seen.

SOMETHING MOST DREADFUL: Even given that, from what I read in your press kit about the making of The Dead, it sounds like there were quite a few surprises, as far as the actual logistics of filming in the West African countries of Ghana and Burkina Faso, which I haven’t actually heard of.

AMIR: It’s surprising how many people haven’t actually heard of it. But it’s proper Africa. A lot of people, when they go to shoot in Africa, they go to South Africa. There’s some great infrastructure there, they’ve got some beautiful hotels. We didn’t really want to do that. We were sort of like guerilla filmmakers in effect. We’re fans of the genre anyway. There are so many films out there that say they’re independent films but there’s a studio connection somewhere. Behind the scenes, there’s always a producer who’s connected to one of the studio, something like that. We weren’t. We were just three guys who went out there and said, “Let’s go and make a film,” raised the finances privately and just went and shot this movie. So, yeah, it was a bit of a gung ho attitude, but there were a lot of issues. Obviously, in South Africa it would have been much easier, but it comes at a cost. And also, we were trying to sort of bring the traditional Africa that Howard and Jon knew from traveling through that region. And we had certain issues, for example, Rob Freeman (lead actor), was nearly three days from death by malaria. He contracted malaria and just collapsed one day on the set. It was literally that close, if he had not been treated within a couple of days. He’s such a fit guy, I mean, he’s probably one of the fittest and healthiest people I know and he didn’t show the signs of it. People who were less fit would probably have shown signs earlier on. And when he went to the hospital he was on a drip for a week. He was in really bad shape. Directors Howard and Jon got robbed on the first day as well. I remember Howard phoning me up in London, he said, “I need another bank card. I just got robbed at machete point. And we had another issue where the camera blew over. It was weighted but there was a gust of wind from nowhere that just blew it over and cracked the casing, about $20,000 worth of damage to it. So we were finding it tight anyway, and then things like running out of food, it was a very ambitious project and I think the whole logistics of it, yeah, looking back on it, it was hard. But we got through it. That’s the most important thing.

SOMETHING MOST DREADFUL: Howard and Jon described it as “hell on Earth”. How did you all manage to stay motivated enough to get through it?

AMIR: To be honest, it was tough because a lot of the time I was based in the UK. My plan was to actually go out there a lot, you know, as executive producer, getting involved on it. An executive producer is usually someone who does the financing, but in this case, because it was such a close-knit independent film, everything was hands-on. I was buying props, etc, things like that. So I was supposed to go over there for a lot longer than I actually did. And what actually happened in the end, because of all of these issues with insurance and things like that, I was spending a lot of time in the UK. I’d be speaking to Howard every day and you could sort of like slowly listen to his voice dwindling. I’d phone him up and I’d be enthused and say, “How did the shoot go today? And I’d hear, “Oh, we had this problem, we have this, we need more money.” I sort of prepped him and said, “Look, we’ll get through this. Stay positive, think of the end result.” I suppose that’s what got him through, the fact that we were doing a project, which, you know, we weren’t working for a studio. We were working for our friends and family who had helped us finance this. So I suppose they were also making the movie that they had always wanted to make. It was a passion project, to a certain extent, like any film is, I suppose. We just had to fight through it. There wasn’t really much we could have done. We could have given up but I think it was a strong mind that said, “Let’s just get through it. And lucky we did. There were some very close times where the guys were actually thinking, “Should we pack this in?” But in the end, we just decided to just go for it and that’s what motivated us, I suppose, the fact that every day we were shooting was a day closer to finishing it. You kind of go on autopilot, I suppose. Luckily, we got there. How we got there, I’m still not 100 percent sure, but we managed to. “No pain, no gain” is a bit of a cliché, but it really is true.

SOMETHING MOST DREADFUL: Like the saying goes, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”

AMIR: Exactly. And all of these analogies certainly came true. But we got there in the end. That was the most important thing.

SOMETHING MOST DREADFUL: One thing I found interesting, reading about The Dead was how some of the areas in Africa where you filmed were so remote that the locals there had never seen outsiders or a camera. I can only imagine how bizarre that was from their perspective, having not only filming happening there but also seeing zombies running around.

AMIR: It was a really funny sort of experience because when we were filming there were a lot of people there who had never been involved with films so they were just intrigued to see the filming process going on. So that was sort of a learning experience on its own. Not having any Western culture over there or ever seeing a camera, that was shocking to them. But it was surprising how enthused they were. They really got behind it. Obviously, we explained what we were doing. And I have to say, a lot of them really got involved. One guy, we actually got him a donkey because he was walking five miles a day to work. You look at things like that. Going back to thinking about how tough our shoot was, you look at someone whose lifestyle is like that, they’re walking five miles a day to earn 50 pence a day. You look at that sort of commitment they’ve got and it was nice to be able to have them help out in the film. But they did find it really strange. They obviously found it a cultural difference, seeing people from the West coming over and making a film. And they obviously thought the zombies were quite interesting. They were very intrigued in terms of the way we made the zombies up and the makeup, etc. But, yeah, they were really enthused and really got behind us so it was a really nice experience.

SOMETHING MOST DREADFUL: Was everything done with makeup or did you use any CGI?

AMIR: Everything apart from a couple of headshots was makeup. That was one of the things the directors wanted to go to. Certainly the tendency in recent movies is, I think, CGI is overdone. In certain films, “popcorn films,” it works, but what we were trying to achieve, we were trying to have a proper storyline and use some really great vistas. I think if you use CGI it becomes a bit gung ho and it wouldn’t have really achieved what we were trying to achieve as well. We didn’t use any CGI. Everything was makeup, quite basic stuff. But we had talented guys. We had Max Van De Banks and Dan Rickard, a couple of really talented individuals who did a really great job on it. So, yeah, we tried to make everything with a minimalist approach which I think was important. CGI wouldn’t have fit in with the line we were taking on the whole movie. It was a proper storyline. Very rarely does a zombie film have a real strong storyline with great sceneries. So we needed to make sure the zombies were within the fit. Because although it’s a zombie movie, we’re finding that it’s attracting a lot of other people who aren’t necessarily fans of the zombie genre, but who might also like to see a storyline of a buddy movie type of thing. Or they’re looking at the great landscapes that Jon captured on film.

SOMETHING MOST DREADFUL: You mention in your press release that a cannibal visited your set.

AMIR: Yeah, that was interesting. We were filming a scene and a guy rode by on his bicycle and stopped to see what we were doing. He spoke to the translator and the translator told Howard that he was an actual cannibal. He was intrigued by seeing the zombies eating people. And he looked at Howard and said, “I’ve never tried white meat.” And he sort of laughed but it was one of those things where we were thinking, “Is he serious?” So it got a bit dark at that point. It was quite a funny story but it became for a second there a little bit daunting. We sort of swiftly moved on after that.

The Dead will be in theaters this summer and will be released on DVD through Starz/Anchorbay.


THE DEAD
www.thedead-movie.com

Troll Trouble! New Trailer for "The Troll Hunter"

The Troll Hunter is a Norwegian film written and directed by André Øvredal with a new twist on the mockumentary genre: Trolls! It is the story of Norwegian film students setting out to capture trolls on camera, whose existence has been covered up by the government. Some of Norway's most well known comedians star in this movie and I've heard that a lot of the jokes are very Norway-centric and so some of the humor may be lost on the rest of the world. But if the trailer is any indication, it looks like a real hoot (unless you've got delicate sensibilities in regards to religion). Check it out and decide for yourself.





THE TROLL HUNTER
www.trollhunterfilm.com

The Triffids Will Once Again Have Their Day!

The ultimate horror B-movie, The Day Of The Triffids is going to be re-made, and in 3D, by Mandate Pictures, who fought and won an expensive bidding war for the rights to produce the remake. And Sam Raimi, a huge fan of the original, is expected to direct it!! Not much more information is available yet about this exciting development, but it already has the making of a really cool re-make.
Just to refresh your memory, here is the original trailer of of the cheesy, but in an awesome way, original film from 1962. It's time to stock up on weed killer!

An Exclusive Video Tour Of Dapper Cadaver Prop Shop With Owner BJ Winslow

I recently had the opportunity to visit Dapper Cadaver, a movie prop shop in Sun Valley, California (a stones throw from Warner Brothers, Disney and Universal Studios) for an exclusive tour with owner BJ Winslow. They manufacture an incredibly diverse range of death-related props for film and television, especially for horror, sci-fi and crime shows, including The Devil's Rejects, Silent Hill, Pushing Daisies, Twilight, 300, Law And Order, Night Of The Living Dead 3D, Criminal Minds, Saw III, Nip/Tuck, Pirates Of The Caribbean II, Dexter, No Country For Old Men and countless others. Dapper Cadaver is also open for sales and rentals to the public and I highly recommend you visit their shop if you are in the area. They also recently launched their website so you can order all of their props online as well.





DAPPER CADAVER
www.dappercadaver.com
(818) 771-0818
7572 San Fernando Road, Sun Valley, CA 91352

French Movie "Rubber" Brings Horror To A Whole New Surreal Level

For the life of me, I cannot remember where I heard about this French movie (and it was only a few days ago!). But I can't wait to see it. The official website describes it like this... "In the California desert, the adventures of a telepathic killer-tire, mysteriously attracted by a young pretty girl, as witnessed by incredulous onlookers. An investigation begin." And if that's not enough to grab you, check out these 2 trailers.








RUBBER
www.rubberfilm.com

After Dark Originals Coming To Theaters January 28th

The folks who brought you Horrorfest 8 Movies To Die For movie festivals, now present After Dark Originals, a collection of 8 terrifying and innovative films created in a collaborative partnership between Syfi and Lionsgate, coming to select theaters January 28th. The films cover just about every subgenre within horror and if the trailers are any indication, the films should be fantastic. Check out the After Dark Originals trailer:

Visit the After Dark Originals official website for more details, including info on each of the films featured (with very tantalizing trailers for each film), including theater locations. And if you can't make it to any of the limited engagements, fear not because Lionsgate will be selling After Dark Originals on DVD starting on March 28th.

AFTER DARK ORIGINALS
www.afterdarkoriginals.com

Something Most Dreadful Has Arisen From The Murky Depths...

Greetings from the lab. It's five minutes until midnight. My new creation, the Something Most Dreadful blog, has just sprung to life. I've been tinkering with the idea of starting a blog for some time now. While the idea of a blog was appealing, the topic of the blog evaded me. I spend all day behind a computer screen at work. What subject matter could be intriguing enough to persuade me to fire up the ole home computer? Hmm. I already had a tropical plant blog but that was more of a hands-on activity and that blog mainly consisted of posting end result photos after a hard day's work toiling over the soil in the hot sun. But for this new blog, I really wanted to get my creative writing feet wet and dive right into the deep end. Then I realized that something I absolutely love yet don't spend enough time focusing on is sci-fi and horror movies. And it occurred to me that making this my subject matter would give me the perfect excuse to spend ungodly amounts of time watching sci-fi and horror movies. Perfect!

There are a lot of exciting things going on in the world of sci-fi/horror cinema. For the Something Most Dreadful blog, I plan to bring this world to you with movie news, behind-the-scenes interviews, on set exclusives, giveaways and much more. If your idea of a good time is sitting in a darkened theater, having chills run down your spine and your blood running cold, then you've come to the right place. Commence screaming now!