FROZEN’s Shawn Ashmore talks MOTHER’S DAY

By Samuel Zimmerman

While talking to Fango about his role in Adam Green’s much-anticipated chiller FROZEN (which just played the Sundance Film Festival and opens in limited theatrical release February 5), actor Shawn Ashmore gave us a little info on what to expect from Darren Lynn Bousman’s MOTHER’S DAY, the remake of the 1980 shocker which is expected to hit theaters this spring. “In broad strokes, it’s about a trio of bank-robbing brothers,” says Ashmore, previously seen in THE RUINS and the X-MEN features. “In the middle of a heist, one gets shot and they have to hole up somewhere while they figure out what to do.

Director talks SOME GUY WHO KILLS PEOPLE

By Michael Gingold

Director Jack Perez dropped Fango a line with details on SOME GUY WHO KILLS PEOPLE, an offbeat serial-killer/revenge shocker he’s just about to start lensing. Scripted by Ryan A. Levin, who made the horror shorts THE FIFTH (an award-winner at Fantasia, Fantastic Fest and other festivals) and TOUR DE FRIGHT, the movie is executive-produced by John Landis and stars Kevin Corrigan, whose credits include THE LAST WINTER and a recent recurring role on FRINGE (and playing a nerdy Fango fan in WALKING AND TALKING), in the title role.

CREATURE OF DARKNESS DVD art/details

By Michael Gingold

Just a couple of days ago, we reported that MTI Home Video had acquired the alien-hunter opus CREATURE OF DARKNESS, and now the company has given Fango the first look at the DVD cover art and passed on the specs (see ’em after the jump). Devon Sawa from FINAL DESTINATION and IDLE HANDS stars as Andrew, who’s been suffering horrible dreams of being killed by a clawed extraterrestrial beast. When he and some friends head into the desert for an off-road cycling trip, Andrew’s nightmares start coming true for all of them.

Exclusive pics, filmmaker comments: After Dark Horrorfest 4’s THE REEDS

By Michael Gingold

Fango heard from the filmmakers behind THE REEDS, one of the 8 Films to Die For playing in After Dark Horrorfest 4, which hits theaters nationwide January 29-February 4; they also provided a couple of exclusive photos (seen after the jump). Directed by Nick Cohen from a script by Chris Baker and producer Simon Sprackling, the movie was shot in Norfolk, England and is based on the true case of Tony Martin, a farmer who shot two youths in 1999 when they attempted a burglary on his property.

First report/photos: J-monster epic DEATH KAPPA

By Norman England

Joining the ranks of MACHINE GIRL and TOKYO GORE POLICE is DEATH KAPPA, the latest Japan-lensed production from the New York-based Fever Dreams company. At the helm is Tomoo Haraguchi, a veteran special FX artist and monster-suit maker whose previous directing credits include SAKUYA: SLAYER OF DEMONS and KIBAKICHI. Fango logged several days observing the filming of the recently wrapped DEATH KAPPA, and has photos from the set to share; see them after the jump.

DAYBREAKing from the Pack

By Marla Newborn

If I were a zombie, I would be jealous. Vampires have more popularity and are clearly all the rage these days. Of course, this trend didn’t begin just now, but boy, has it taken off with lightning speed. One could say it began with HBO’s TRUE BLOOD—where, due to the availability of the right type of blood, vampires went from scary monsters to ordinary—but sexy—citizens practically overnight. Or was it with the TWILIGHT books and movies that offered female fans a series of romantic supernatural fantasies? And then there’s always THE VAMPIRE DIARIES on the CW, a series that shrewdly mixes teen drama and the supernatural.

New ALL ABOUT EVIL poster: Cassandra (Elvira) Peterson

By Michael Gingold

Filmmaker Joshua Grannell passed on the latest character poster from his independent horror/comedy ALL ABOUT EVIL. It features Cassandra Peterson, beloved to genre fans as horror hostess Elvira, out of her familiar makeup as Linda, described as “a loving mother concerned about her son’s obsession for horror movies.” Check it out after the jump.

9 LIVES OF MARA DVDetails

By Michael Gingold

Fango heard from the recently launched Synergetic Distribution, which sent along the complete specs for their upcoming DVD release of the fest-award-winning chiller 9 LIVES OF MARA. Directed by Balaji K. Kumar from a script he wrote with Eric Massey, the movie, which has both Oedipal and Lovecraftian overtones, stars FINAL DESTINATION’s Chad Donella as an institutionalized young man who recounts his childhood experiences with his widower father’s new girlfriend (OFFSPRING’s Pollyanna McIntosh). Based on her strange behavior, and after readings of the ancient book The Malleus Maleficarium, the boy comes to suspect that his potential new stepmother is a witch. PHENOMENA and CARNIVÀLE’s Patrick Bauchau, Bret Loehr and Troy Gentile co-star.

New CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD DVD/Blu-ray details

By Michael Gingold

Blue Underground sent along the specs and cover art for a new special-edition DVD and Blu-ray of Lucio Fulci’s CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD that it’s releasing May 25. Also known as THE GATES OF HELL, CITY is one of Fulci’s most popular gorefests, with Christopher George and Catriona MacColl confronting zombies and other nasty stuff resulting from the suicide of a priest in the town of Dunwich.

FREE New York City Fango screening: DISTRICT 13: ULTIMATUM

By FANGORIA Staff

FANGORIA will host a free screening of DISTRICT 13: ULTIMATUM, TAKEN producer Luc Besson’s sequel to his smash-hit futuristic action thriller DISTRICT B13, at the Cinema Village (22 East 12th Street, off University Place) tomorrow, Thursday, January 28 at 7 p.m.

Doug Jones talks LEGION’s Ice Cream Man, del Toro possibilities

By Michael Gingold

Fango recently chatted with actor Doug Jones, a favorite creature performer of Guillermo del Toro, who’s now on screen—albeit briefly—in Screen Gems’ supernatural actioner LEGION. “Yes, it’s a cameo, actually—90 seconds of pure terror!” the actor quips of his appearance as the Ice Cream Man, who distends demonically to threaten the human characters caught up in a war between destructive angels.

Director talks DEVIL’S PLAYGROUND’s (very) fast zombies

By Michael Gingold

Fango got some comments from Mark McQueen, director of the new British undead opus DEVIL’S PLAYGROUND. Scripted by Bart Ruspoli, the film stars Craig Fairbrass as Cole, a ruthless killer who becomes infected by a zombie virus that is sweeping the globe, and has to find a cure before he succumbs. This movie definitely falls into the “fast zombie” category, and according to McQueen, these particular ghouls will be more mobile than ever.

Take a drive down DARK DESERT HIGHWAY; exclusive first pics

By Samuel Zimmerman

Indie filmmaker Jason Cuadrado, whose short film MONSTROUS NATURE is currently winning accolades in the festival circuit and whose feature TALES FROM THE DEAD hits DVD from Seminal Films March 9, recently got in touch with the scoop and a few early photos (seen after the jump) from his latest movie, DARK DESERT HIGHWAY. A stylistic throwback, HIGHWAY is a gloomy thriller about a group of friends traveling cross-country who become targets of a faceless, psychotic sniper.

News and exclusive photos: ZOMBIE WOMEN OF SATAN

By Michael Gingold

Fango got ahold of a couple of exclusive pics (seen after the jump) from ZOMBIE WOMEN OF SATAN, an over-the-top new horror/comedy recently acquired by British sales company Left Films (which is also handling Marc Price’s celebrated microbudget zombie movie COLIN). The film, which premiered last August at London’s Film4 Frightfest, was produced and directed by Warren Speed (who also scripted) and Steve O’Brien (who additionally served as cinematographer).

PRETTY DEAD THINGS disc, COLOUR FROM THE DARK specs & more DVD news

By Michael Gingold

• Prolific independent genre filmmaker Richard Griffin has begun self-distributing his vampire flick PRETTY DEAD THINGS via the official website of his Scorpio Film Releasing. Scripted by Griffin and Sandeep Parikh, the movie focuses on the conflict between a group of ex-porno actors turned bloodsuckers and a corrupt mayor and reverend, plus a pizza delivery boy who’s brought back from the dead by the vamps only to set out to destroy them.

First images from MEGAPIRANHA

By Michael Gingold

The Asylum has made a batch of images available from their latest mockbuster creature-feature, MEGAPIRANHA; you can see some examples past the jump. The company’s low-budget response to Dimension’s PIRANHA 3D is currently slated to debut on DVD April 27—which would have tied in with the big-screen flick’s theatrical debut, but that has now been shifted to August 27, so we’ll see if The Asylum follows suit.

Barker-praised VINDICATION finds DVD deal

By Michael Gingold

Cinematographer turned writer/director Bart Mastronardi gave Fango some comments and details on the DVD release of his fright feature VINDICATION. The movie, which has won awards at festivals and praise from genre giant Clive Barker, has been acquired by up-and-coming distributor R-Squared Films for DVD, on-demand, podcast, etc.

New Aussie chiller comes out of STORAGE

By Michael Helms

When he had to put most of his possessions into a storage facility, young Australian filmmaker Michael Craft found himself contemplating various reasons why people might use such a place—and what exactly they might have stashed behind the many locked doors. Combining these thoughts with details drawn from one of his country’s worst serial-murder sprees—which has become widely known as the “bodies in the barrels” case—Craft soon found he had the basic material for his debut feature, STORAGE. Four years later, he has come up with a tense Hitchcockian thriller that, following limited theatrical release Down Under, will make its Stateside debut care of IFC Films sometime this year, and he provided Fango with the exclusive gore pic seen below the jump.

Disc details: Stephen King pic DOLAN’S CADILLAC

By Michael Gingold

Fango got ahold of the complete specs for the DVD and Blu-ray releases of DOLAN’S CADILLAC, the revenge thriller based on the Stephen King short story that streets April 6 from NEM (National Entertainment Media). Directed by Jeff Beesley from a script by Richard Dooling, the film stars Christian Slater as a Las Vegas teacher who contrives a diabolical plan to avenge the death of his wife (Emmanuelle Vaugier) at the hands of crime boss Dolan (Wes Bentley).

Producer talks BITCH SLAP DVD and more

By Michael Gingold

Fango got a chance to chat with Eric Gruendemann, writer and producer (with director Rick Jacobson) of the over-the-top B-movie homage BITCH SLAP, about the flick’s impending DVD release and other related subjects. Set to street March 2 from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, the disc will present, in 2.35:1 widescreen and Dolby Digital 5.1 sound, an unrated version of the film that’s longer than the one that recently assaulted select theaters.

Richard Stanley launches new website, film projects

By Michael Gingold

Richard Stanley, director of the highly regarded horror features HARDWARE and DUST DEVIL, has taken his second career as a cultural anthopologist to the Internet. He went live recently with a new website called Terra Umbra—Empire of Shadows, which delves into “the mysteries behind the material that inspired such authors as Dan Brown, Kate Mosse, Philip K. Dick, H.P. Lovecraft, Trevor Ravenscroft, Jules Verne and Otto Rahn.”

Complete details, covers for After Dark Horrorfest 4 DVDs

By Michael Gingold

Lionsgate Home Entertainment has set a March 23 DVD street date for the 8 Films to Die For that will be part of After Dark Horrorfest 4, which runs January 29-February 4 in theaters nationwide, and passed on details of the contents. Jump below to check out the specs as well as the cover art for Anthony DiBlasi’s DREAD, Joey Stewart’s THE FINAL, Brian Pulido’s THE GRAVES, Pal Øie’s HIDDEN, Chris Moore’s KILL THEORY, Joel Anderson’s LAKE MUNGO, Nick Cohen’s THE REEDS and Kevin Hamedani’s ZOMBIES OF MASS DESTRUCTION.

Exclusive SPLICE pic & Natali comments, plus HIGH RISE details

By Tony Timpone

Tying in with their big Sundance Film Festival premiere this past weekend, the producers of the sci-fi chiller SPLICE shared an exclusive creature shot (seen below the jump) with FANGORIA, showing the lab-spawned female being Dren (Delphine Chaneac) on the run. We also spoke with director/co-writer Vincenzo Natali, who gave us an update on the film’s U.S. release status, which will get a boost from its Park City debut.

SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD release date news

By Michael Gingold

Fango got the word on exactly when U.S. fans will be able to check out SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD, the latest in George A. Romero’s zombie chronicles. This time, the action is set on Plum Island, where the long-running feud between the O’Flynn and Muldoon clans takes an especially gruesome turn with the arrival of not only the flesheating undead, but a rogue group of National Guardsmen as well.

I SELL THE DEAD DVDetails

By Michael Gingold

Fango got ahold of the content details for the DVD and Blu-ray releases of I SELL THE DEAD, coming from IFC Films and MPI Media Group March 30. Writer/director Glenn McQuaid’s film follows 19th-century graverobbers Arthur Blake (Dominic Monaghan) and Willie Grimes (producer Larry Fessenden) on their comic/horrific adventures with the living, the dead and the living dead; Ron Perlman, Angus Scrimm and Brenda Cooney co-star.

Synthetic Cinema starts DVD label, seeks fright features

By Michael Gingold

Independent genre specialist Synthetic Cinema, whose titles have included PREDATOR ISLAND and WEREWOLF: THE DEVIL’S HOUND, has formed its own distribution arm, which debuts March 23 with the DVD release of BANSHEE!!!. The company plans to release all of its upcoming productions and is also seeking movies from filmmakers outside their circle as well.

Indie filmmaker makes his RECOVERY

By Michael Gingold
Fango heard from Mike Prosser, director and one of the writers and producers of 1997’s THE DIVIDING HOUR, who gave us a few details and a couple of photos (seen below the jump) on his new feature RECOVERY. He describes the movie as “a supernatural drama that blends European-style art-house drama with Japanese and B-movie horror elements into a decidedly unique new flavor. It’s a very odd mix, drawing inspiration from ORDINARY PEOPLE and the original PULSE. It’s better paced than DIVIDING HOUR, I believe, and the ending packs more of a punch.”

New Shout!/Roger Corman DVD dates, SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE details

By Michael Gingold

Fango got the scoop from Shout! Factory about its updated schedule for the Roger Corman’s Cult Classics line of DVDs and Blu-rays that it’s releasing beginning this summer. Shout! struck a deal earlier this year with Corman to issue more than 50 films he directed or produced, among them a number of highly regarded horror and science fiction films. The fresh sked includes new dates for the discs of 1978’s PIRANHA, 1980’s HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP and a double-feature DVD of UP FROM THE DEPTHS and DEMON OF PARADISE.

First look at DEAD F**K

By Michael Gingold

Fango heard from Vito Trabucco, the indie director whose credits include B-MOVIE: THE SHOOTING OF FARMHOUSE MASSACRE and a segment of the anthology SLICES, who dropped some exclusive images from his new flick DEAD F**K (see them below the jump). “It’s about a group of friends in LA who go out and bring home a streetwalker,” he tells us. “The night gets a little rough when the woman gets murdered, but that’s just the beginning of their problems when she returns back to seek revenge.”

Veteran B-meister Sam Sherman talks his on-line movie channel

By Brian Albright

Fans of low-budget-film director Al Adamson can now view a number of his mind-boggling exploitation films for free on YouTube via the IIPAlAdamsonMania channel recently established by Adamson’s friend and producer Sam Sherman. The head of Independent-International Pictures, Sherman has made a package of 35 features and their trailers available on the channel.

Exclusive: Danielle Harris talks HATCHET 2

By Logan DeSisto

While visiting the set of Jim Mickle’s STAKE LAND recently, Fango had a chance to chat with actress Danielle Harris (pictured) about her role in HATCHET 2, writer/director Adam Green’s highly anticipated sequel which just started shooting in LA. The HALLOWEEN actress is a newcomer to a cast of returning favorites, including Tony Todd and Kane Hodder, in the Victor Crowley adventure.

BAD BIOLOGY/SMASH CUT DVDetails, art, etc.

By Michael Gingold
Fango got the scoop from Media Blasters on the specs for its upcoming DVD releases (on the Shriek Show label) of BAD BIOLOGY and SMASH CUT, as well as the cover art for both; see it after the jump. The latest exercise in horrific perversity by writer/director Frank Henenlotter, BAD BIOLOGY (which hits disc next Tuesday, January 26) stars Charlee Danielson and Anthony Sneed as a girl and guy who each have more than the average sex organs, and embark on a series of separate, bloody escapades on the way to a fateful meeting.