Posted on August 24th, 2010 by Bindi Lavelle for Bindi's Bloodbath
Having looked in earlier weeks at Australia's indie film industry and the predecessors of the current crop of Aussie horror let's now focus on Aussie horror itself.
Australian horror is just as influenced by Australian cinema as it is other horror, using landscape and Australian cliches fequently.
No Though Road, the debut feature from Perth director Sam Barrett, is a great example of this (for more info on this film see the review in the archives). This film follows directly in the foot-steeps of Wolf Creek; taking the mundane aspects of Australian suburbia adding a menacing threat to it.
The film's antagonists have much in common with Wolf Creek's stereotypical Aussie bloke Mick Taylor being three footy loving tradies in a ute (that is three tradesmen in a pick up, if you were wondering); something so plain in the suburban landscape, but twisted in this film into something dangerous and volatile.
No Though Road provides plenty of psychological thrills combined with stark moments of harsh violence; these moments always have such high impact because of the tone generally used in Australian film.
Australian horror has continued to evolve and grow into it's own sub-genre, taking Ozploiation's influence and moulding it into something grim and bloody and yet all the while keeping the Aussie laid back attitude and humor present.
Over the coming weeks, to follow on with the series of Australian New Wave and exploitation films we will look at the raise of Australian horror influenced by these earlier films, what makes these films work and how they are influencing other films.
Official Red Band Trailer for LAKE PLACID 3!!!
Posted on August 30th, 2010 by Infernal Dreams
Available on DVD/Blu-ray October 26, 2010
Get ready for a living, feeding nightmare when a swarm of gigantic crocodiles terrorizes a secluded country lake. When local wildlife is brutally mauled and campers are reduced to carcasses, biologist Nathan Bickerman (Colin Ferguson) knows a voracious predator is on the loose. So does a feisty female hunting guide (Yancy Butler) out for her next trophy. As the body count rises, the local sheriff tries to keep things quiet and keep the tourists coming. But when the horrifying, hulking truth emerges, can anyone stop these cold blooded killers before they claim their next victim? Lake Placid 3 is pulse pounding, adrenaline pumping, pure horror film fun.
Adam Green's HATCHET slashes its way to Blu-ray September 7th from Anchor Bay Entertainment
Posted on August 17th, 2010 by Infernal Dreams
Anchor Bay Entertainment proudly announces the Blu-ray debut of Adam Green's slasher classic HATCHET on September 7, 2010. A fan favorite ever since its 2007 debut, the cult hit not only assembled some of the greatest modern horror film actors around, but gave film and horror fans the first new horror icon in a generation: Victor Crowley! SRP is $29.99 and pre-book is August 11th.
With a stellar cast including Joel David Moore (Avatar), Mercedes McNab ("Buffy The Vampire Slayer"), Richard Riehle (Office Space), and horror cinema legends Robert "Freddy Krueger" Englund, Tony "Candyman" Todd, with Kane "Jason Voorhees" Hodder as Victor Crowley, HATCHET is a gory throwback to the classic 1980s slasher/creature horror films. HATCHET on Blu-ray features an all new 1080p high-definition transfer of the unrated "Director's Cut" with Dolby TrueHD 5.1 high-resolution audio, all the bonus features from the original DVD release, AND an all-new commentary track with writer/director Green and Victor Crowley himself - Kane Hodder.
HATCHET spins a terrifying tale of tragedy and comeuppance from beyond the grave. Victor Crowley is a hideously deformed boy, living in seclusion with his father (Hodder) in an isolated cabin deep in the Louisiana Bayou. When a Halloween prank initiated by local kids goes terribly awry, Victor is accidentally killed in a vicious twist of irony. Years later, a tourist group visiting New Orleans "haunted swamps" stumble upon the remnants of that shocking event, transforming an evening of seemingly innocent fun into a horrific nightmare, from which there may be no escape.
The Power of Conventions
Posted on August 17th, 2010 by Infernal Dreams own Mari Lynne
Since I was seventeen, when I'd first seen the advertisement for "Fangoria's Weekend of Horrors" I wanted to attend a horror convention. I'd heard of Trekkie conventions, and to have one where we talk about scary movies for 72 hours?! Oh, my geeky heart did pound. Unfortunately, Los Angeles seemed far away to a teenager working part time hours at a nursing home in small-town Ontario.
Life-choices led me eventually, to a family and job in Lexington, Kentucky where I unknowingly put myself in a prime spot for independant filmmaking. I also was unaware that it would be a prime spot for some of the best conventions!
After our son was born in 2006, we were caught up in the "new parents" rut of working, coming home to the baby and working some more. On my first mother's day, my husband bought us tickets to something called "Fright Night Film Fest" in Louisville, and I was excited! My first...FIRST!....Horror convention! And it was a DOOZY! I couldn't believe the camraderie, the carnival feel, the whole...AWESOMENESS of just hanging out with like-minded people! The actors and actresses just walking about like regular fans, and going in and out of theater screenings of cheaply-but-well-made movies!
The family-oriented attitude was what surprised me the most....We brought our nine-month-old for the whole weekend, and everyone just acted like it happened all the time. We had emailed the promoter ahead of time about it, and he was very happy we were bringing him! One fo the actresses became instantly enamoured of my wee boy and toted him around like she'd had ten kids herself!
We attended the awards dinner that first year and breaking bread with actors from the original "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" was an almost dream-like experience to me! I never forgot it and got a taste for "convention weekends".
So my husband and I looked into attending conventions regularily. We even brought our son the next year to the Fright Night Film Fest and decided it wasn't always a good idea. We had an unfortunate incident involving Cousin Itt, a cup of starbucks, and a hyper two-year-old.
After a few years, we even began to branch out. We attended the very first Scarefest, with me toting family from Canada to meet the actors, actresses and paranormal celebrities. It was also a very posetive experience and just a fun time.
Each Convention seems bigger and better than the last, and when World Independant Film Expo started in Richmond, not far from where we lived, there we were near THREE fantastic yearly conventions....It seems almost too good to be true.
So we looked into branching out to "bigger" and further away conventions, and came up quite disappointed. For one, the cost was outrageous. The guests were charging incredible amounts just for photo opportunities...I mean I LOVED Spike from Buffy, but what else has he done?? Really, is he worth 50$ for a photo op? Fright Night Film Fest and Scarefest prices don't normally go up year after year, and the guest charges haven't changed since 2007.
These people need to understand that while people DO save up, they've already spent alot with travel, food and hotel charges, leaving not much for photos, autographs and assorted sundries that vendors sell. (It must be noted that vendor charges for tables are more than reasonable still)
These other, further-away conventions are quite large and intimidating, expensive and not very intimate.
This past Fright Night, volunteers and workers were tireless in walking about, making sure everyone was having a good time, and that the guests were comfortable. Scarefest, everyone's moving around, and you could bump into almost anyone taking a break, going for lunch or sneaking a smoke. If you're lucky enough to have a hotel room at the convention center, you could invite one of the guests up for a drink, they might say yes, and there you are, drinking beer with a well-known horror face like you're friends. You're not going to find that at the larger conventions, there's too many people, there's too much energy, and too much is invested, emotionally and financially. At Fright Night, you could bump into Ken Daniels himself, and tell him to his face you're having a good time! At Scarefest, you might be having lunch next to Jeff Waldridge, you never know. It's a wild, exciting time to leave reality behind, and live in the fantasy of the movies we all love. You could take your picture next to coffins, cadavers and scream queens or plunge your fist into a bowl full of zombie blood-n-guts. And at the end of the convention, there's always the let-down of coming back to work monday morning, and facing the real world again...Bills, co-workers, kids, stress...But when it gets too much, Penny Lane from "Almost Famous" said it best...You pop in a DVD...and visit your friends.
Midnight Sun Teaser Trailer
Posted on August 11th, 2010 by Infernal Dreams
Midnight Sun starring John Wells, Zach Schuylar, Chris Albro, April Hunter,DJ ,Ryan Beyer and Ben Wood Directed by Troy King and produced by Ken Daniels
Fright Night Film Fest 2010
Posted on August 5th, 2010 by Infernal Dreams own Mari Lynne
Fright Night Film fest has quite a lot to be proud of. Upon returning home and reflecting on the entire weekend, the people responsible have a lot to be proud of. Hosting Award-winning film producer Roger Corman, for one. And bringing in Academy-Award nominated Chris Sarandon, as well as all the other principle actors from the 1980's classic movie "Fright Night" as well as Heather Langenkamp, the actress who not only starred in the original "Nightmare on Elm St" but two of its sequels. Fright Night Film Fest should be awfully proud of hosting some of the nicest actors you could possibly hope to meet, including Tyler Mane (Halloween, X-Men) Tom Atkins, Jason Lively,(Night of the Creeps) Leonard Lies(Dawn of the Dead), producers such as Charles Edward Pogue, and Sean Clark and Stu Pollard….There were sooo many people, I couldn't even name them all.
Fright Night should be very proud of the people who worked on it, the volunteers who tirelessly worked to make sure guests and celebrities were comfortable, that con-goers had a good time and were able to safely meet and greet all of their favorites and had direct access to the massive vendors hall, where you could pick up any t-shirt or collectible their hearts could desire. The volunteers who did all this in spite of setbacks and without complaint.
The best part is the entertainment Fright Night Film fest provided entertainment such as Ari Lehman's band "First Jason", and the Drive-In viewings (which I understand turned into a huge party!) of 35mm classics such as "Death Race 2000". Not to mention the talented actors and producers screening their independent movies throughout the weekend. You could walk into any room at any given time and see a zombie movie, vampire movie or slasher flick….All well acted and directed by local talents.
The convention had an almost carnival-like feel, with promoters from "Italian Zombie Movie" walking around with a bowl of zombie "intestines" daring con-goers to touch them, and costumed guests walking around casually as if any mall in America sports people dressed as Freddy, Jason or Michael Myers.
It also happens, in spite of technical setbacks, that most everyone in attendance, including the celebrities and guests, had a wonderful weekend and would plan on returning.
Fright Night should be VERY proud of this, because I'm very proud of Fright Night and everyone who made it happen.
ZP International Announces New Feature Film, 'Bunker of Blood'
Posted on June 24th, 2010 by Infernal Dreams
Richmond, KY -May 20,2010: ZP International Film Production and Distribution announced today that they have gone into production on a new feature film to be released in Fall 2010.
The new film will be titled Bunker of Blood, and will be directed by award-winning film maker George Bonilla.
"We came across this idea while in production for our current feature Santa Claus Versus the Zombies," said Bonilla. "I was talking with our Production Designer, Mark Rogers, about what a great job he had done constructing the bunker and control room sets. Well, we thought that since the sets were both realistic and incredibly well-built, that instead of striking the set after finishing Santa Claus Versus the Zombies, we could modify what we had and shoot another feature. The idea blossomed from there and grew into Bunker of Blood"
Bunker of Blood, the eleventh film to come out of the Richmond, KY-based film company, takes place in the near future. Negotiations with the Far East have failed, and the unthinkable has happened: all-out nuclear war. With civilization as we know it at an end, the United States President is whisked away to safety in an underground bunker. Along with him is a team of scientists and advisors, as well as an elite fighting force of the best assassins and soldiers in the country. This Presidential Security team is hand-selected to protect and preserve the government in this time of crisis.
With no way in, and no way out, everyone is suspect when murder happens in the bunker. As the killings continue, this last vestige of civilized beings begin to turn on one another to find the killer. Is someone in the bunker fighting for the enemy? Or is something even more sinister and supernatural coming into play?
Confirmed to appear in the film are Billy W. Blackwell, Jeffrey Wayne Smith, Dori Cagle, Tony Armstrong, Claude D. Miles and Steve Bryant. Bonilla promises more cast announcements in the coming weeks with a few big surprises. Producers on the project include Tammy Bonilla, Todd Burrows, David Sowder, and Frank Santoroski.
Bunker of Blood will be shot at ZP International's studios located in Berea, KY. The powerhouse independent production company is responsible for films such as; Zombie Planet, Dance With a Vampire, Monstrosity, The Kane Chronicles, Hell-ephone and the award-winning feature The Edison Death Machine. In addition to these feature films, ZP International has also produced an instructional video aimed at young film makers, Fighting on Film:Enter the Independent.
Writer / Director George Bonilla was honored as "Kentucky Filmmaker of the Year" in 2008 at the Fright Night Film Fest and was further honored as "Kentucky Filmmaker of the Decade" at the 2010 Darkwoods Convention.
More information about ZP International and their work is available atwww.zpmovies.com.
New Reviews
August, hot and miserable, what a better time to give you awesome folks some COOL t-shirs courtesy of Joe & Fast Custom Shirts. Go on and enter, be the most stylin' horror fan on your street with one of these bad ass shirts. Send an email to conests@infernaldreams.net with the subject 'Joe Rocks', don't forget to include your name and mailing address. Winners will be chosen at random and announced before the end of the month. Staff and affiliates of Infernal Dreams and their families are unfortunately ineligable. Thanks to all the people who stopped by our table at Fright Night.
Having looked in earlier weeks at Australia's indie film industry and the predecessors of the current crop of Aussie horror let's now focus on Aussie horror itself.
Australian horror is just as influenced by Australian cinema as it is other horror, using landscape and Australian cliches fequently.
No Though Road, the debut feature from Perth director Sam Barrett, is a great example of this (for more info on this film see the review in the archives). This film follows directly in the foot-steeps of Wolf Creek; taking the mundane aspects of Australian suburbia adding a menacing threat to it.
The film's antagonists have much in common with Wolf Creek's stereotypical Aussie bloke Mick Taylor being three footy loving tradies in a ute (that is three tradesmen in a pick up, if you were wondering); something so plain in the suburban landscape, but twisted in this film into something dangerous and volatile.
Get ready for a living, feeding nightmare when a swarm of gigantic crocodiles terrorizes a secluded country lake. When local wildlife is brutally mauled and campers are reduced to carcasses, biologist Nathan Bickerman (Colin Ferguson) knows a voracious predator is on the loose. So does a feisty female hunting guide (Yancy Butler) out for her next trophy. As the body count rises, the local sheriff tries to keep things quiet and keep the tourists coming. But when the horrifying, hulking truth emerges, can anyone stop these cold blooded killers before they claim their next victim? Lake Placid 3 is pulse pounding, adrenaline pumping, pure horror film fun.
Fright Night Film fest has quite a lot to be proud of. Upon returning home and reflecting on the entire weekend, the people responsible have a lot to be proud of. Hosting Award-winning film producer Roger Corman, for one. And bringing in Academy-Award nominated Chris Sarandon, as well as all the other principle actors from the 1980's classic movie "Fright Night" as well as Heather Langenkamp, the actress who not only starred in the original "Nightmare on Elm St" but two of its sequels. Fright Night Film Fest should be awfully proud of hosting some of the nicest actors you could possibly hope to meet, including Tyler Mane (Halloween, X-Men) Tom Atkins, Jason Lively,(Night of the Creeps) Leonard Lies(Dawn of the Dead), producers such as Charles Edward Pogue, and Sean Clark and Stu Pollard….There were sooo many people, I couldn't even name them all. 
Richmond, KY -May 20,2010: ZP International Film Production and Distribution announced today that they have gone into production on a new feature film to be released in Fall 2010.
