Check out the great new streaming site, IBLEEDINDIE.COM!

 
  Check out the great new streaming website dedicated to indie horror!   It's like Netflix for indie horror films!   Here is a brief description from the IBleedIndie.com website:

 IBleedIndie is a PPV website dedicated to indie horror. Many indie horror film makers choose to distribute their films independently rather than dealing with distribution companies or sales agents. This option severely limits their VOD options, narrowing it down to personal Youtube or Vimeo channels. This site is designed with self distribution in mind, although we do also have a good few films from amazing indie friendly companies like Wild Eye, Artsploitation, Brinkvision, SGL, and more! We allow indie film makers to keep 90% of the sales from rentals on this site and they get to keep all rights to their films rather than being locked into years-long contracts. If you love indie horror, be sure to check out our parent company, theblood-shed.com, one of the best indie horror-focused news sites out there! Stay scary and support independent film makers!

  I looked around the site tonight and they have tons of great short films and feature films, all available for around $1 to $3 to rent.   This is an awesome new service that focuses solely on indie horror!  Click the links below for more info!

CLICK HERE to check out IBleedIndie.com!
CLICK HERE to visit IBleedIndie.com's Facebook page to stay up to date on news and new releases

Check out the great zombie short film, REST

My buddy Caleb has been flooding my inbox with some great stuff lately that he thought my blog readers might enjoy, and he has really outdone himself this time!  Caleb recently told me about this zombie short film called REST, by filmmaker Cole Schreiber.   The film tells the story of a fallen WWI soldier who rises from the dead, but instead of searching for brains, he goes searching for his late wife.  The zombie travels by land and sea in order to see his beautiful wife again.  
 This film is extremely well done, with some of the best cinematography I have seen in a while, especially in a short film.  The film is about 12 minutes long.  Check this one out for sure!


CLICK HERE to watch the short film REST

Check out the great zombie short film, TOO LATE

My buddy Caleb has brought another great item to my attention that he thought my readers would enjoy.  This time it is the zombie short film, TOO LATE.  I can't say too much about it, because I dont' want to ruin the surprise ending.  It is only about 2 minutes long, so take a couple of minutes to watch this now!  You will be glad you did!

CLICK HERE to watch TOO LATE


TOO LATE credits:
Directed & Edited: Rani Naamani
Makeup & Set Dressing: Nedy Acet
Performance: Nelson Brown
Color Correction & FX: Carlos Puertolas           

Check out the awesome short film, DEUS IRAE

   
My buddy Caleb is always pointing out cool horror stuff he thinks I might like and my blog readers might like.  He has once again hit a home run with this one!    Caleb recently told me to go watch the short film, DEUS IRAE.  He didn't tell me anything about it, he just told me to go watch it and I am glad I listened to him.  This is an awesome short film that is being turned into a feature length film according to the film's official website. 
Here is the basic plot synopsis of the short film from the film's official website:

A fragile border separates our world from the realm of darkness, a limit where nightmarish creatures await in the shadows, looking for a way into our world: the tender souls of the weak and the innocent. Once possessed, people are used as portals to infect our reality.

Only one thing has been standing in their way: a secret order of priests, who devote their lives and souls to protect this border. Soldiers of a silent war, who hunt the monsters down to look them in the eye... and blow them away.

They are the 'Deus Irae'.

Check this one out for sure......this is an amazing short that keeps you wanting more!  I really hope this gets made into a full feature like the website says.  I want to see more from the 'Deus Irae'!!


CLICK HERE to watch the short film
CLICK HERE to visit the official website

DVD Review: THE DEAD HAVE RISEN (2006) and NOTHINGFACE (2007)

-------------Review by contributing writer Scott Baker-------------

I was very intrigued when Hayes handed me these movies to review. THE DEAD HAVE RISEN and NOTHINGFACE, both done by a company called Dirt Productions. There were no pictures or anything on the disks, so I didn't know what I was getting into and was therefore a bit hesitant.

Luckily, the lack of a picture is not worth 1,000 words. Both films are very good and I am glad I watched them.  Here's a brief description of each film; THE DEAD HAVE RISEN is a summary from me and the Nothingface synopsis is courtesy of the Dirt Productions website:

 

THE DEAD HAVE RISEN:

Edward and his girlfriend, Kate, visit his grandfather in the hospital where he is being treated for emphysema. But when they return the next day, something is very wrong: the hospital is in ruins and the dead are overtaking and devouring the living! Edward and Kate must fight their way through the hospital and escape before the flesh-eating dead find them. But when Kate is bitten, Edward must contemplate doing the unthinkable...

NOTHINGFACE:

Follow Jobe as he travels on an hallucinatory trip through the hellish nightmares of the world that surrounds him. After a routine visit to the dentist, Jobe befriends a toy robot who attempts to warn him of the dangers ahead. It's only a matter of time before Jobe finds himself in a maze of the obscure and a labyrinth of torture and skin-crawling nightmares as he is committed to a hellish insane asylum, only to come face to face with the head doctor himself, and then Jobe realizes out why he is really there! Poor Jobe!

Let me start off by saying both of these films are very well done for being low-budget productions. The cinematography in both is impressive, although the actual film quality in THE DEAD HAVE RISEN was lacking...I would guess that they used simple home video cameras to shoot it. But even so, both films are thrilling and entertaining, with great acting and special effects.

THE DEAD HAVE RISEN is a pretty familiar zombie story, but it's not one that you should ignore. I am very impressed with how the production team made the hospital look chaotic during the zombie takeover. That was no small feat. They did a great job with the details and it shows onscreen. I also like the great use of gore. For being low-budget, the team definitely used their money wisely.

One particular aspect that I enjoyed was the number of extras they used as zombies. When the zombie horde is beating on the outside glass of the hospital, it literally looks like there are hundreds of the living dead trying to get in! Very nice. That adds more realism to a film than most people give it credit for.

My only negative about THE DEAD HAVE RISEN is the film quality. In some shots, the picture is so grainy that it almost looks digitized. But luckily, there are only a few of those shots so it's almost not noticeable.

THE DEAD HAVE RISEN is my favorite of the two, but I do have to give serious props to NOTHINGFACE. It is a unique piece of film that you literally have to see to appreciate.

NOTHINGFACE looks like something David Lynch would daydream about. It is bizarre and surreal, almost to the point of being hallucinatory. But it totally works for the story and really helps to immerse the audience in to Jobe's plight. I do have to admit, though, that the ending is slightly confusing...I had to sit and think about it for a couple of minutes before I got it. Still, NOTHINGFACE is definitely worth checking out as well, if anything to see how background, setting, and extras can completely make a movie set look real.

Both THE DEAD HAVE RISEN and NOTHINGFACE are worthy to purchase and I will definitely have to get my hands on a copy of them. I hope the team at Dirt Productions can keep their momentum going and continue to produce good quality film like these two. It would not surprise me to see a feature-length production from them in the near future as well. Check them out...I'm sure we'll be seeing more of them soon.

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer for THE DEAD HAVE RISEN
CLICK HERE to watch the trailer for NOTHINGFACE
CLICK HERE to purchase THE DEAD HAVE RISEN on DVD
CLICK HERE to purchase NOTHINGFACE on DVD

CLICK HERE to visite the official website of Dirt Productions

DVD Review: STULL (2010)

---------Review by contributing writer Scott Baker---------

STULL

Directed by J. Ott

Courtesy of Grandview Productions

The narration at the beginning of this short film proclaims that Pope John Paul II visited the United States in 1993 and, on a flight to Denver, had the pilot divert the plane from flying over Stull, KS. No explanation was ever given as to why. STULL gives us an interesting look at the area the Pope avoided and a supernatural story as to why.

If you’ve never heard of Stull, you’re not alone. I’m not even sure if it’s a real town or not because Google Maps doesn’t like it. But STULL is a horror short that was done last year (in 2010). Here is a synopsis, courtesy of imdb.com:

In 1993, four teens went to investigate an abandoned church in Stull, Kansas -- a place rumored to be a gate to Hell. They were never heard from again. 'Stull' shows the events leading up to their disappearance, including an encounter with a strange man who may be the Devil himself. The story is based on the chilling real-life legend.

What the synopsis doesn’t mention is that the teens meet two men: Old Scratch and Old Bull, who have a verbal battle of wits in front of them. We are never really told who these guys are, but inferences lean towards God and Satan.

I really enjoyed STULL and love the potential symbolism that is conveyed in the story. This symbolism is why I am going to label STULL as a smart horror short. This is one of those films that you’ll think about and dwell on for quite a while after the credits roll.

The acting is good for a low budget film, as are the visual special effects (there’s not many fx shots, only a couple, but they’re done well). My only complaint about the film is that I couldn’t turn the subtitles off (possibly due to a disk glitch or a programming error) and had to watch the film with them on the screen. Otherwise, STULL is a provocative short that definitely deserves a look.

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer

CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD
CLICK HERE to visit the film's official website

DVD Review: SPLATTERFEST SHORTS VOLUME 1 (2010)

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I recently got the chance to check out the DVD of SPLATTERFEST SHORTS VOL. 1. For those unaware of SPLATTERFEST, here is a brief description of the film fest from it's official website:

SplatterFest is dedicated to inspiring creativity in the horror genre! It is our desire to provide an exciting and rewarding competition for filmmakers, providing an opportunity for exposure and creative growth. Filmmakers will gain exposure on the big screen, and SplatterFest is committed to getting as much press and industry attention as possible to the event and filmmakers.

The past event hosted over a dozen filmmakers, who all had one weekend to write, shoot, and edit a short Horror film. Each filmmaker was given a certain murder weapon and character that they had to incorporate into their film. They were also given this one line of dialog that they had to fit into their movie any way they saw fit: "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship". It was very interesting to see how different minds used this same line of dialog in such different ways.

The DVD features 17 short films, ranging in all sorts of styles...including haunting tales, splatter films, and even horror/comedy films. As with most all film compliation DVD's there are a mixture of the good and bad, but fortunately, there are definately more good films than bad here, with only one short that I would really describe as a 'stinker'. One of my favorites of the bunch was DON'T LOOK IN THE ATTIC, a tale of a being that lives in the attic of a nice couple who use the being to get rid of those that have done them wrong. Also, IT'S NOT YOUR GRANDMA is a great film full of lots of gore, including a scene of a person's skull and spine being ripped from their body. As for my #1 favorite film, that would probably go to the fillm called, AWARD WINNING MASTERPIECE: THE MOVIE. Now don't get me wrong, this film was pretty silly, but it was supposed to be that way and all the goofieness was intentional. The film is as much comedy as it is Horror, and unlike a lot of Horror/Comdies, it is actually very funny. The opening scene is an EXORCIST spoof and is hilarious. Later in the film we learn that there is a killer on the loose, and that killer is........plastic wrap! HA! It is as silly as it sounds and is a fun watch for sure.

All the films are ultra low budget and it shows, but it is cool to see what talented filmmakers can do with little or no budget. I can see a lot of potential in most all these filmmakers. Get yourself a copy of the DVD, and you might have a copy of the short films of some filmmakers that go on to much bigger and sucessful projects! There is a limited amount of these DVD's left, so be sure to order yours today!!


CLICK HERE to visit the official Splatterfest website, watch the trailer, and purchas a copy of the DVD!

DVD Review: ZOMBIES! ZOMBIES! EVERYWHERE! and THE GREEN MONSTER

---------Review by contributing writer Scott Baker---------


ZOMBIES! ZOMBIES! EVERYWHERE!
THE GREEN MONSTER
Production Company: Untold Horror

I decided to review these two films together since they are both shorties. ZOMBIES! ZOMBIES! EVERYWHERE! clocks in at 15 minutes, while The Green Monster runs a little over an hour long.

First, let's start with ZOMBIES! ZOMBIES! EVERYWHERE! This film is very well done and is very entertaining to watch. It chronicles Dan "The Man" Spencer, a self-proclaimed zombie exterminator on a night mission to clear out a zombie nest. With him is an amateur film director who does his best to keep up and not get eaten. But what Dan doesn't know is that he has found The Hive, the origin point for all zombies. What ensues is a gore party and Dan "The Man" is the guest of honor.

ZOMBIES! ZOMBIES! EVERYWHERE! makes very good use of a low budget. The special effects are excellent and the gore flows freely (which is as it should be for a zombie flick!). And the use of the white snow to contrast against the red gore splatters only enhances the visuals even more.

Furthermore, Dan "The Man" is a great character, full of wit and trailer-park wisdom. What he lacks in brains, he makes up for in balls. I would honestly love to see a feature-length film with him as the lead…but only if actor Edward X. Young were allowed to play the part once again. I don't believe anyone else could do it justice.

All in all, ZOMBIES! ZOMBIES! EVERYWHERE! earns an 'A' for being entertaining on many levels and downright fun to watch.

THE GREEN MONSTER is a slightly different story however. If you're not familiar with this one, here is the plot courtesy of the writer, Trevor Wright:

What would you do to stay beautiful forever? What would you give to have a loved one back for good? Welcome to Gerald's Hungry Shack! Your one stop shop for all your material needs. Where your wish is their command. Buyer beware - you pay with your blood - and if the customers don't eat you, THE GREEN MONSTER will!

I wasn't too terribly fond of this one, mainly because the plot has many holes and I don't feel like it is written as well as Zombies! Zombies! Everywhere. THE GREEN MONSTER is an attempt at non-comical horror, but it comes off instead as confusing and (in a couple of instances) ridiculous.

For example, maniacal Gerald tempts a patron with a hamburger that will supposedly grant wishes. There's no way in hell that I would eat what he put in front of that patron, even if the promise of wishes coming true were an option. And as crazy as it sounds, the guy's wish does come true.

Why is this ridiculous? Because the plot up to this point is a type of murder-mystery combined with a psychological thriller…it then shifts to a 'Monkey's Paw' type of scenario (Google it if you need to) and completely slips out of gear. Add to that the ending, which comes across as humorless comedy instead of seriousness.

This is not to mention the fact that nothing is ever mentioned about 'staying beautiful forever', as referred to in the description above. Not sure what that is about, but it sounds like the production team tried to do too much in a single movie.

I wanted to like THE GREEN MONSTER but its flaws are too distracting. Still, I see a lot of talent in directors Nolan Ball and Bryan Roberts and look forward to seeing future works. As for these two films, check out ZOMBIES! ZOMBIES! EVERYWHERE! but give THE GREEN MONSTER a polite pass.


CLICK HERE to visit the Untold Horror website and check out trailers for all their films

DVD Review: AAAAAH!! INDIE HORROR HITS VOL. 2 (2010)

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---------Review by contributing writer Scott Baker--------

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AAAAAH!! INDIE HORROR HITS VOL. 2
Produced by: Crypt Club Productions Inc.

Released: 2010

Back in October, I had the distinct pleasure of reviewing the first volume in this horror-hits compilation. If you didn’t catch the review, click here. But if you did get a chance to read it, you might remember that I enjoyed Volume 1 immensely.

To be honest, though, I didn’t enjoy Volume II as much as the first, but it is still really good and definitely worth watching. My only reservation about Volume II is that it had a couple of films that did not really engage me. For example, Hell’s Habit is a short that is filmed in black and white with no sound and uses subtitles to convey the dialogue. I respect the vintage aspect of this one, but did not find it entertaining at all for some reason.

Another short titled Out of the Darkness makes no sense to me. It basically entails a man fighting with his pregnant wife and then storming off to drink and drive. After an insinuated wreck, he awakens in a strange woman’s home and then basically has an affair with her. We find out at the end that he actually died in the wreck. Although it is shot well, the confusing storyline threw me off.

BUT…with those negatives aside, there are three true gems in this compilation, three films that I absolutely LOVE. First is a short titled The Room. This one starts off as a woman imprisoned in a room for an unknown reason, but quickly escalates into much, much more. I love this one because it’s NOT what you expect it to be. And the chilling ending leaves you with a feeling of dread…for her AND the rest of the world.

Second is The Strain, a short that details a man’s trials as he succumbs to a strange virus that causes genetic mutations. The man’s wife is forced to watch as her husband slowly changes and eventually has to survive the end result. The suspense in this one really got me. I found myself wringing my hands at certain scenes, urging her verbally to ‘get a move on!’ My reaction is a true testament to how well The Strain is done.

And finally, my third favorite out of the whole bunch is Trick or Treat. This bizarre horror-dark-comedy is pretty short in length, but very impactful. It follows a young woman who opens her door to a trick-or-treater on the night after Halloween and the hellacious chaos that ensues afterward. The costumed kid in Trick or Treat is one of THE CREEPIEST characters I’ve seen in a long time. Part of the creepy factor is that you never see his face…but the ending and what he does will literally make you cringe!

I have to give the short film Gnaw an honorable mention too, because I sure do love a good zombie flick. Gnaw is intense and has a great ending. My only complaint is that we never get to see any of the living dead! I would attribute this to a low budget, and if that’s the case, the production team does a masterful job of building suspense without the visual elements.

The coolest thing about a collection of short films is that you never know what you’re going to get. Sure, the DVD cover will usually tell you the titles of each film and maybe a one sentence description. But that doesn’t describe much about what the films are going to show you.

All of the films I’ve watched in both volumes of the AAAAAH!! INDIE HORROR HITS series have been well done and worthy of praise on a production level. The acting is tight, the special effects are (for the most part) top notch, and the cinematography is some of the best around. I would dare say that many of these directors and DPs could compete with some of Hollywood’s biggest names at this very moment.

The folks at Crypt Club have a great resource in bringing on these unique talents and I tip my hat to them for doing so. There are not many avenues for indie filmmakers to try and make a name for themselves outside of the festival circuit, so this format is a great way for them to show what they can do. And it’s also enjoyable for us as the audience as well!

Definitely give the AAAAAH!! INDIE HORROR HITS series a look!

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer

CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD

Check out the awesome short film, GET OF MY PORCH

I have recently come across a great production company called SenoReality Pictures. I recently watched their latest short film titled, GET OFF MY PORCH. Before we go into the film, first I want to give you a little background on SenoReality Pictures. Here is a description of the company from the SenoReality Pictures official website:

SenoReality Pictures, LLC is a production company based on the talents of Patrick Rea, Ryan S. Jones and Josh Robison. We were founded in March 2002 and are based entirely in Lawrence, KS. We run Avid and Final Cut Pro, DVD authoring and Digital 5.1 sound mixing. Since our foundation, we have produced numerous films, including two feature DVD releases in 2007--The Empty Acre (Cinema Epoch) and Heartland Horrors - Season 1 (Elite Entertainment). In 2008 we won a regional Emmy for the short film Women’s Intuition.

This is a great company and one to keep your eye on for sure. Now, back to the short film. GET OFF MY PORCH is probably one of the best short films I have ever seen. I know that is a bold statement, but I stand behind it 100%. I will definitely be watching this again in the near future. Clocking in at just 14 minutes, it is the perfect length to tell its story, but not overstay it's welcome as some "short" films do.

The basic premise of the film is that a couple of girl scout type girls called the Adventure Girls go to sell a man cookies, which he does not want to buy. The girls are very adamant about him buying some cookies, as most of his neighbors have bought some, but he is having no part of it. The girls don't take no for an answer and go as far as invading his home, laughing and giggling the whole time. But while they seem like sweet little girls, they are hiding a very big secret which the man soon discovers.

I wont ruin it for you by telling you too much, you will have to see it for yourself. I will give you a hint, the film reminded me of such films as INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS mixed with a bit of THE STEPFORD WIVES. Apparently, these cookies do more than just taste good!

The acting in this film is superb. It was shot well and directed well. Production wise, this movie couldn't have been any better. The film mixes suspense, horror, and even some humor together flawlessly. Take a look at this film and keep checking back over the next few weeks as I highlight more short films from SenoReality Pictures!


CLICK HERE to watch GET OFF MY PORCH for free, online at Vimeo.com

CLICK HERE to visit the official website of SenoReality Pictures

MUST WATCH!! Greg Nicotero's short film, UNITED MONSTER TALENT AGENCY

Greg Nicotero, the "N" of KNB FX (the greatest special effects company) has recently directed a short film titled, UNITED MONSTER TALENT AGENCY. The video was released on AMC's website. Mr. Nicotero is the Special FX Make-Up Designer for the upcoming series, THE WALKING DEAD, which premeires Halloween night on AMC.

The concept for UMTA is simple, and is a fresh idea on some familiar monsters to us all. The idea is that the classic Universal monsters such as The Wolfman, The Mummy, Frankenstein, Dracula, and The Gill-man are actually real monsters that were used in the filming of their movies. UMTA represents the monsters and keeps them under control while they are not being filmed. This is a very funny short that features all your favorite old monsters. Genre vets Eli Roth, Robert Rodriguez and THE WALKING DEAD's Frank Darabont all make special guest appearances! This is a must watch!

CLICK HERE to watch UNITED MONSTER TALENT AGENCY courtesy of amctv.com

DVD Review: AAAAAH!! INDIE HORROR HITS VOL. 1

------Review by contributing writer Scott Baker------

The last time I watched a compilation of horror shorts was when CREEPSHOW 2 came out, many years ago (yes, I realize I'm showing my age). So when Hayes offered this one to me to review, I eagerly jumped on it. And wow, was I glad I did! AAAAAH!! INDIE HORROR HITS VOL. 1, from Crypt Club Productions, is a collection of seven very well made short films that vary in regard to sub-genre. Represented here are ghost stories, outbreak scares, horror-comedy, and more.

One of the best aspects to this collection is that ALL of the stories are interesting and pulled me in immediately. The script writers do an excellent job of creating the tension and suspense they are striving for in such a short period of time. The films range in length from three minutes long all the way up to 32 minutes long. But even so, they are each perfect in length for their stories.

Also, the acting is superb. I was a little unsure about what I was going to get, given the fact that these are indie films and low-budget in most cases. But I was pleasantly surprised. Each cast is top-notch in all categories.

Two of the films that stand out above the rest are THE CRYPT CLUB and OCULUS.

In THE CRYPT CLUB, an initiation gone wrong leaves two girls dead and the ring-leader of the group fighting for her life to escape a graveyard. I love everything about this piece. The story was excellent and suspenseful, the acting was perfect, and the cinematography was stunning. I hope to see future work from these folks soon.

In OCULUS, a young man's obsession with an evil mirror leads him to the brink of madness. This film is the longest in length, but is also excellent in every way. The story, acting, and filming are great as well, but the fact that there's only one character in the whole piece really makes it for me. Bottom line for this one: excellent.

Overall, I highly recommend AAAAAH!! INDIE HORROR HITS VOL. 1. The intriguing blend of genres on this disk makes me want Volume II very badly. So if you're a fan of shorts, pick this one up for sure.

CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer