Anxiety Films, LLC

News From the Dark Side

Amanda By Night

August 2005

News from the Other Side:

Although the horror world got a break from the recent spate of unfortunate deaths, a few people who are probably of interest to fans of the genre have unfortunately passed on. I always think everyone deserves a nod to their life and achievements, so here we go:

John Fiedler – A wonderful character actor who is probably best remembered for two things. He played the sweetly neurotic Mr. Peterson on the Bob Newhart Show and he was also the voice of Piglet in Disney’s Winnie the Pooh movies. Like so many other TV friendly faces, John appeared in several Made for TV thrillers like Bad Ronald, Who Killed the Black Dahlia and The Night Stalker TV Series. He was 80 years old.

Norman Prescott – The Chairman of the Board and executive producer for 70s kid-friendly Filmation Studios died July 2nd at age 78. A force to be reckoned with in the world of superhero animation, Filmation was also responsible for the kitsch live action classics Isis and Shazam!.

Bruce Malmuth – An actor and director, Bruce Malmuth was the force behind the underrated Sly Stallonem/Rutger Hauer thriller Nighthawks. On the other end of the spectrum, he was the guy who gave us the Steven Seagal action classic Hard to Kill. Also a noted Clio award-winning commercial director, Bruce died from esophageal cancer at age 71.

Debralee Scott – Groundbreaking comedic actress who starred in everything from Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman to the Police Academy series, used her offbeat beauty and strong sense of timing to create several memorable roles. Horror fanatics will remember her best as Sandy the brunette cheerleader in the brilliant send up of the genre Pandemonium. Sadly, Debralee fell into a coma after moving to Florida to care for her sick sister. After three days, she awoke and was released where she died of natural causes soon after at the age of 52. Debralee has always been one of my favorite actresses and I miss her dearly. Rest In Peace.

Pat McCormick – Even at 6’ 7”, Pat looked more like a member of a Barbershop Quartet and not the innovative comedian he was. A familiar face both on the big and small screen, his most memorable performance was as Big Enos Burdette in Smokey and the Bandit, but Pat also wrote for the Tonight Show for several years before he even tried his hand at appearing before a camera when he was already in his 40s. Pat suffered a debilitating stroke in 1998, which rendered him speechless and died on July 29th at the age of 78.

Edward Bunker – Although his adult life started out as a career criminal, Edward was able to turn his life around after receiving a typewriter while serving time in prison. He became the highly respect author of such darkly poetic books as Little Boy Blue and No Beast so Fierce, which was adapted for the big screen in Straight Time. He also appeared in several movies, including playing Mr. Blue in Quentin Tarantino’s debut feature Reservoir Dogs. Edward was 71.

Mainstream Films that want to Be Indie News:

Rolling on with the Wicker Man, Nu Image is co-producing the Neil LaBute remake with Redbus Film distribution. This is the first of three productions this merger is producing. I guess there’s no stopping it now - production began in late July.

Lions Gate Films, a force in the genre industry, has recently acquired the rights to several of Steve Niles graphic novels to be turned into feature films. Titles include The Lurkers, In the Blood and The Dark Country. These flicks are intended to be starring vehicles for actor Thomas Jane (The Punisher). Niles and Jane are partnering under the moniker Raw Entertainment and will have a first-look deal with LGF to produce other Niles created projects.

The new big budget thriller The Sentinel is NOT a remake of the 1977 demonic classic starring Chris Sarandon and Christina Raines. I just wanted to point that out.

Wes Craven is executive producing a new movie called Breed. With a plot that feels very reminiscent of Humongous - five friends vacationing on a desolate island run afoul of a pack of wild dogs (OK, so it’s missing the giant mongoloid but it’s close enough) - will star Michelle Rodriguez and Taryn Manning.

Paramount Pictures is currently prepping for Zodiac, a true story based on a serial killer who terrified residents of Marin County for several years and was never caught. Based on Robert Graysmith’s excellent book of the same title, David Fincher is slated to direct and Jake Gyllenhal and Robert Downey Jr. are set to star.

Ghost House Pictures is working on a family version of The Monkey’s Paw as well as planning a sequel to their hit the Grudge.

The REAL Indie News:

Hip Hip Hooray! Anchor Bay has announced that they are releasing the US DVD for Argento’s most recent giallo entry, The Card Player on August 23rd! This movie has inspired a love/hate reaction amongst diehard Argento fans. I fall in the love category. This superb thriller will be accompanied with an Alan Jones commentary track and an interview with the master himself along with the usual bag of DVD goodies. Mark your calendar!!!

Also on August 23rd, you can finally pick-up your copy of Halfway House, the excellent new monster movie starring Mary Waranov. If you live in the LA area, you can get your DVD signed by the director, Kenneth Hall and Mary too! The signing is taking place at Dark Delicacies on August 28th at 2 p.m. If you want to support great indie films, I highly suggest you grab yourself a copy…

Fans of zero budget potboilers will be thrilled to know that Tim McCann’s Nowhere Man starring Debbie Rochon (Tromeo and Juliet) will finally be available to the masses on July 19th thanks to First Run. Featuring a commentary track with McCann and Rochon, this tale of a woman who lops off her lover’s schlong and holds it for ransom enjoyed some great critical recognition during its all-too-short theatrical run.

Noted genre scribe, Mike Watt (Resurrection Game) recently sold his script Dead Men Walking to Asylum Home Entertainment!!! Congrats Mike! You can read all about the wonderful world of low-budget filmmaking at Mike's Blog.

Kenneth Guertin and his company Make Believe Entertainment recently wrapped production on Well Enough Alone, which is about a guy who dives into his past only to regret what he finds out. No news yet on a release, but he’s been showing it around and getting a pretty good response. Good luck, Ken!

I recently had the pleasure of seeing Lloyd Kaufman, cofounder of Troma Films, speak at an independent filmmaker’s conference. I was among the few privileged enough to see one of the amazing props he’s created for his newest movie Poultrygeist: Attack of the Chicken Zombies. The prop was an egg that turned at furious speeds when you pressed on the pump. Impressive, no? The movie is still in pre-production. (I didn’t know that Troma bothered with pre-production!).

There are two new-ish DVD companies that are making some serious waves in the horror industry. The first, Dark Sky Films recently acquired the James Van Bebber horror movie The Manson Family and are also releasing a 2 disc special edition of Henry Portrait of a Serial Killer.

The other company, No Shame Films is making a splash with their giallo releases. Upcoming titles include Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key, A Whisper in the Dark and the controversial Devil in the Flesh. No Shame Films is based in Rome and Los Angeles and a company to watch.

Hey all you female filmmakers, now’s the chance to get your name out there. Pretty Scary is looking for a few good films for their first competition. This is a great opportunity to get your name out there and there’s no submission fee! Find out more on the Official Site. And good luck!

Got a vampire short that needs a home? Check this out, from Ted Alderman: “I'm needing 3 shorts for a DVD collection of vampire stories that will be hosted by Debbie Rochon and Jim O'Rear. The DVD already has distribution interests. To find out more about it, go to www.tedalderman.com under the news section. Entries are needed by the end of Aug. Sooner would be better.”

Our favorite vixen at e.i., Paige Kay Davis is going to be appearing in Scorpio Film Releasing’s upcoming horror feature, Seepage, which began production in late July. Scorpio’s press release states, “Seepage is a true return to the classic horror films of bygone drive-in days, filled with rubber-suited monsters, mad scientists, screams, blood and plenty of laughs. The cast for Seepage is comprised of Scorpio Film Releasing’s usual suspects including Andrew Vellenoweth, Patrick Pitu, and William DeCoff. Joining the cast are newcomers Heather Lee, Leigh Radziwon, and ei Cinema’s Corporate Communications Director, Paige Kay Davis, as twisted mad scientist Doctor Helen Reed.” Paige as a mad scientist? It makes perfect sense!

Zombie Honeymoon is getting a theatrical release in New York in October at the infamous Two Boots Pioneer. Check out the movie’s official site HERE.

Check this out: Sight Unseen Pictures is where you can find information about blind comic book creator Joe Monks’ directorial debut, The Bunker. It’s looking good and we wish Joe all the luck in the world!

Scary Screenings, Cool Events and other Terrifying Happenings around the Country:

Even though October is still months away, summer is always the second best time of the year to get your frights. Case in point, check out these fabulous events that taking place:

The American Cinematheque has always been an excellent venue to view some of best and most obscure movies in any genre. A great supporter of all kinds of films, they are prepping to embrace the horror community with their annual Festival of Fantasy, Horror & Science Fiction Festival (July 30-August 19) to be held at the Egyptian and the recently acquired Aero theaters. The biggest events are a screening of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre with Tobe Hooper scheduled to speak as well as screenings of The Reanimator, the Argento classic Deep Red and an ultra rare showing Lucio Fulci’s On Top of One Another. But the biggest event is surely to be a reunion of the cast of Return of the Living Dead who will be celebrating the movie’s 20^th Anniversary. Clu Gulagher and Linnea Quigley are going to join the writer/director Dan O’Bannon among others to celebrate. Tell ‘em Amanda By Night sent ya!

Genghis Con is looking pretty good. The line up includes Joe Bob Briggs, Herschell Gordon Lewis and Brinke Stevens among other fine celebs. If you’re near Pittsburgh, PA from November 18^th -20^th, you should check it out. And tell the holders of the grand event, Amy Lynn Best and her hubby Mike Watt that Amanda By Night sent ya!

The ultra-cool Grindhouse Tuesdays have just gotten cooler. Mark your calendar for August 23^rd and catch the Psycho Lover and the original Toolbox Murders. Robert Vincent O’Neil and Gary Graver are scheduled to appear. Be there or be square! Find out more here.

CIA, the host of LA’s faboo Fright Nights is a club worth checking out even if you’re not there to see a couple of so-bad-they’re-good flicks. Check out their website for all the creepy happenings and make sure when you visit them to see the mummified clown. Pretty gross and super cool. And on Friday, August 12^th, you can enjoy another Fright Night specialty: Mr. Vampire and Warning From Space. Find out more here.

Those of you lucky enough to either live in or have the ability (i.e. cash) to get to Rue Morgue’s Festival of Fear being held August 26^th – 28^th, well then you’re a lucky bastard! Some of the guests will include Clive Barker, Elvira, Ken Foree and Linda Blair. You can access the complete guest list and other details here.

The Retro Minute

The Slayer

S. Cardone’s monster/nightmare hybrid is one of those movies that fell through the cracks and never seemed to get the attention it deserves.
Kay is a very skinny and slightly disturbed young woman who suffers from violent nightmares. She heads to a desolate island with her beau and two friends to relax and stumbles across a boathouse that she’d previously dreamt about. Unfortunately, this won’t be the last time her nightmarish visions to creep into their reality as Kay’s deadly apparitions begins picking off her friends (and a stranger or two) in the most violent manners.

A subdued fusion of A Nightmare on Elm Street and The Mutilator mixed with just a touch of Pumpkinhead, The Slayer is a low budget stunner with impressive gross out effects, cool set-pieces and an interesting, if unresolved, mystery. The surrealism of the vacation and the murders are expertly handled by director J.S. Cardone, who was unlisted on various video releases and remained a mystery for years, which added to the sinister charm of it. The talented cast of unknowns keeps the wild story in perspective but it’s really the cool murders that make this a film to seek out. Yes, it’s shot with a panache for the lush and eerie and has a great over-the-top yet atmospheric score but it’s the awesome decapitation and nasty fishhook scene that keep the horror buffs coming back for seconds. The Slayer is well worth a look if you can find it.

ARCHIVES

June 2005

May 2005

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