Indie Flick Of The Day: Deadheads Trailer

Zombies are obviously over played in Horror films…wether you love it or not. Sure there has been a few parodys, and some interesting twists on the zombie movie equation, but never yet has a movie shown just how difficult it is to be a zombie. Deadheads, from indie film maker Brett Pierce, is an incredibly good looking, low budget, zombie flick. Right at that junction of where Shawn of The Dead and Pineapple Express meet, we have the plot for a solid fun movie.

The movie centers around Mike, and Brent, who find themselves dead, and reanimated. Finding themselves apparently murdered, and with no recollection of their death, Brent and Mike set out to find how they met their end. A long the way, they cross pass with bounty hunters who were hired by the corporation that was responsible for zombiefication.

The hybrid zombie / comedy / road trip makes me giddy with excitement. This movie looks amazing. Keep your eyes out for it!

Deadheads

CGIs Absence in Horror Films

CGI has taken over film in some instances (case and point, Beowolf.), CGI making a presence in horror is yet to be seen. Is this a good thing? Horror film makers seem to have an unspoken agreement to keep horror low tech, and beautiful in its real effects. Its fantastic really.

However, playing devils advocate, is the lack of CGI a bad thing? What can CGI produce in horror films that will put make up artists and special effects artists out of work? Its obviously not far fetched to imagine that CGI can benefit the genre. Some of the scariest experiences, in any medium, that I have experienced have been video games like Fatal Frame and Half Life 2’s epic Ravenholm environment. While obviously not the same effects seen in full CGI films like Bayowolf, it is inconsequential evidence that CGI can produce legitamentally scary horror effects.

I’d love to see some professional horror films using high class CGI special effects…see just what it can produce. But don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to see real special effects and make up simple wipe off the face of the earth, I just feel we are neglecting a potentially ground breaking technology in the genre of horror.

Deja Drugs

I just rented the Irish horror film “Shrooms” (2007), which succeeded in being quite scary, despite the fact that I figured out its “secret” about a third of the way into the movie (it reminded me of the French horror film “High Tension,” although I couldn’t put my finger on why I made the connection between the two).

The film’s about five American friends who join their Irish friend (who is actually English, another thing I figured out) to do magic mushrooms in rural Ireland near a closed institution that used to house a bunch of sadistic, homicidal brothers and a weird twin with a bag over his head (that reminded me of “Baghead,” which I’d just seen).  One girl, Tara, eats what she doesn’t know is a “death’s head mushroom” (that reminded me of “Silence of the Lambs”), which is potentially lethal, and has the ability to take the consumer into another dimension.  She goes into that other dimension resulting in bloodshed and horror, yada yada yada, one survivor, blah blah blah.

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Early Joker Concept Images

and I thought Heath Ledger was creepy…

[via]

The Amityville Horrible: A Review

You know it’s a bad sign when you start taking notes during a horror movie. An even worse sign is that the notes you’re taking are about how bad the movie is.

The Strangers: Review

‘The Strangers’, is based on ‘true events’ surrounding the grisly murders that took place on the night of February 11th, 2005. From the hollow echoes of the record player that seem consistent throughout the movie, to the relentlessness silence in between major scenes, this movie will remind you of what it’s like to have a shiver run down your spine when you’re alone. The surprisingly artistic and deeply disturbing nature of the film creates an eerie yet tense atmosphere is what really makes the movie good; the balance of gore and psychological horror that is exhibited in this thriller brings a nice shock value to the table that you don’t see every day; and that’s something that really makes this movie worth the money.

High School Zombie Film

Awesome! Finally some students got together and put together all of the high school student fantasies…a zombie outbreak in the hlls of the high school. Looks like everyone had a fun time making it. Awesome work guys!

Midnight Movie: Battle Royale

The Japanese horror scene is loved by some, hated by others, but there is gold to be found in the stack of Japanese horrror, and the first ever Friday Night Flick is solid gold.

In one of the most ingenious plots in a long time, Japanese film maker Batoru Powaiaru places a 9^th grade class on an island, straps bombs to their necks, and forces a fight to the death. With a plot like this, how can it go wrong?

Horror Movie Plot Guidelines: Things to Avoid

These days, horror movies are going in the wrong direction, no debate about that. For these recent atrocities in horror films, I lay down the law on how to approach coming up with plots for your next indie horror movie plot.

• Please, do not incorporate any new age technologies. This includes, but is not limited to:
  • Cell Phones
  • Emails
  • The Internet in general. (Social networking, blogging.)
• Keep us guessing. Maybe we are getting too smart (with the whole information age and all), but plots these days are too easy to figure out!
• Use as little post-production special effects. While your effects are nifty, you can’t fake the flinch when the actor gets fake blood in his eye.
• Get out of College / High School. We know, you’re bitter about how you were treated in high school, but don’t take it out on us with crappy movies!

Lets hope that this list dosen’t go to deaf ears, and we some decent horror coming up!