From the set: The Curse of Yig...

Tim Uren has checked in with another update from the set of the forthcoming film The Curse of Yig! Read on for more...


The cast and crew of the Curse of Yig went back to work over the weekend of May 14th through the 16th. We wrapped up all our exterior shots with a visit to a farm in Chaska, MN and a return to the Little Log House Pioneer Village in Hastings, MN. We had two new folks join our cast this weekend, Michael LaFleur and Kurt Schweickhardt. They both turned in phenomenal performances, and Kurt's presence provided us with our third Schweickhardt. (His son James is a Production Assistant for us and his daughter Amy is playing the roles of Zealia, Audrey, and the thing in room B116.) There were bugs aplenty to chew on us, but after the bitter cold of February, nothing else really seems quite so challenging.

Now we start editing and all the other post-production tasks!

There are over 200 photos from the set over at richardmolby.com, a few of which can be seen below...












(Thanks to Tim Uren)

Eldritch Animation adapts Randolph Carter...

A new animated short film based on Lovecraft's oft adapted The Statement of Rondolph Carter has appeared over on YouTube, and I'm happy to say that they've changes things up a bit, while keeping the core of the story intact...

The short was directed and animated by Doug Simon (along with Becky Bettencourt and Kate McElroy), who previously adapted The Terrible Old Man, which you can see here...

Check out Randolph Carter below, and click here for further details...



(Thanks to lmuanimators.blogspot.com)

Anchor Bay gains Altitude...

Anchor Bay Entertainment has acquired distribution rights to Kaare Andrews' Lovecraftian thriller Altitude through their Anchor Bay Films label. A release date has not been announced...

Directed by comic writer and artist Kaare Andrews, the film stars Jessica Lowndes, Julianna Guill, Ryan Donowho, Landon Liboiron and Jake Weary...

About the film: After a mysterious malfunction sends their small plane climbing out of control, a rookie pilot and her four teenage friends find themselves in a showdown with a malevolent supernatural force...



(Thanks to Dread Central)

Updated: Go Under the Mountain in August...

Lionsgate will release Jonathan King's Lovecraftian feature, Under the Mountain, on August 10th. The film stars Sam Neill, Sophie McBride, Tom Cameron, Leon Wadham and Oliver Driver, and revolves around teenage twins Rachel and Theo, who investigate the creepy old house next door, where they discover the Wilberforces - shape-shifting creatures that lurk beneath Auckland’s ring of extinct volcanoes. Then, with the help of their older cousin, and the mysterious Mr. Jones, the twins must rekindle the unique powers they once shared if they are to destroy this ancient evil - before it destroys them...

Update: The film will be presented in anamorphic widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound, and the disc will include a director's commentary and a making-of featurette. Retail is $26.98...


(Thanks to Dread Central and fangoria.com)

The Legend of the Loveland Frogmen premiere...

Having been born and raised in Ohio, and interested in cryptozoology from an early age, I was always intrigued by the Loveland Frogmen sightings (even before learning of Lovecraft's Deep Ones), and now the legend is coming to the screen courtesy of a group of students raised on the stories...

The Legend of the Loveland Frogmen, a 30-minute short film, starring Gretchen Kessler, Denver Coulson, Matt Hall, Kia Fix, Marshal Miller, Paul Schliesser, Amara Clough, Fred Russell and Molly Kessler will premiere Monday, May 24th at 7PM in the Loveland High School auditorium. The screening is FREE and open to the public (ALL ages welcome)...

Director Gretchen Kessler tells Loveland Magazine, "Almost everyone in Loveland has heard of the alleged "frogman" that likes to terrorize the local police force late at night, but now my dad and I have made a movie about it."

After the premiere, the film will appear on ICRC (Intercommunity Cable Regulatory Commission) public access, then it's off to the fesitval circuit...

Head over to Loveland Magazine for a detailed (and spoiler filled) synopsis of the film. You can also learn more about the Loveland sightings here...

Info:

The Legend of the Loveland Frogmen
May 24th at 7PM
Loveland High School auditorium Loveland, Ohio

1 Tiger Trail
Loveland, OH 45140
(513) 683-1920 Phone




(Thanks to Cryptomundo and Loveland Magazine)

Tentacles from the abyss...

Colossal squid? Giant octopus? Cthulhu? The teaser trailer and artwork for Giacomo Cimini's Bleak Sea hints at something, but we'll have to wait for the finished film (or an unfortunate spoiler) to know for sure...

Based on a concept that won first place in the Trailermade 2010 competition, the trailer screened at this years Cannes Film Festival in the hopes of finding backers for the feature...

When asked about a Lovecraft connection, Cimini told the film site Opium, "I read Lovecraft when I was a teenager (and played the RPG based on "Call of Cthulhu") and it's of course part of my "imagnarium", but I cannot say too much at this stage. Let's say I’m trying to have a more scientific approach. And the question I'm asking myself is: what was really Lovecraft writing about?"

The trailer stars Vincent Regan, Samuel Roukin and Robert Sheehan, and was produced by Cimini and Tommaso Colognese, with scriptwriter Stavros Pamballis working on the feature...

Check out the teaser and poster art below, and head over to the Undead Backbrain site for more a more in depth write-up of the film...




(Thanks to Corey Whitworth, Undead Backbrain, io9, Opium and Dread Central)

Cthulhu storms the stage...

Actor Michael Sabbaton has adapted The Call of Cthulhu as an one-man stage show that he will perform during the 2010 Edinburgh Festival Fringe! Previews take place, at the Hill Street Studio Theatre, August 5th and 6th, with performances running on selected dates from August 7th through the 30th...

For booking information and venue details, check out the official sites for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Hill Street Studio Theatre...

"For me, 'Cthulhu' is a fearful, 'Pandora's box' of the mind and I hope that my interpretation holds some way true to that."

- Michael Sabbaton


(Thanks to Strange Aeons Magazine)

The Festival sneak preview...

Richard Terrasi's Dark Vision Films has released a new sneak preview clip for their upcoming adaptation of The Festival! Check it out below...



(Thanks to Richard Terrasi)

Updated: Monstrous nightmares lurk within The Home...

Bloody-disgusting.com reports that Kristoffer Aaron Morgan's Lovecraftian thriller The Home begins production this September in Austin, Texas! Written by Eric Vespe (from a story by Morgan), The Home revolves around a man who is nearly killed during a horrible accident that leaves him physically and emotionally scarred. To recuperate, he is taken to a secluded nursing home where the elderly residents appear to be suffering from delusions. But after witnessing a violent attack, he soon realizes that the screams behind the walls are caused by more than hallucinations, and the residents are being preyed upon by twisted, monstrous nightmares that lurk within the home itself...

Peter Jackson's Weta Workshop will design creatures for the film, which director Kristoffer Aaron Morgan describes as "a character driven, atmospheric, twisted creature flick," while KNB EFX has been tapped to do the build...

More as it becomes available...


(Thanks to bloody-disgusting.com and Kristoffer Aaron Morgan)

Unfilmable.com poll: favorite game...

The Unfilmable.com poll, Which aspect of Lovecraft do you find most interesting, his life or his works?, is over and our latest poll, What is your favorite game based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft?, is now online. Results will be available June 12th...

Results for the "his life or his works" poll are as follow:

1 vote: His life
5 votes: His works
7 votes: both

Thanks again for voting...

Beware the Hounds of Tindalos...

Conor Timmis has announced, via his official blog, that his next project with director Gary Fierro (after the Robert W. Chambers film In the Court of the Dragon) will be Black Dog. The film will be a 1920's period piece based on the famous "Black Dog" folktale from Meriden, Connecticut (more information is available here) and the classic Frank Belknap Long short story "The Hounds of Tindalos"...

"They are lean and athirst!" he shrieked... "All the evil in the universe was concentrated in their lean, hungry bodies. Or had they bodies? I saw them only for a moment, I cannot be certain."

- Frank Belknap Long


(Thanks to Conor Timmis)

Video Junkie's week of H.P. Lovecraft...

Thomas Simmons and William Wilson of the Video Junkie blog are celebrating all that is Lovecraftian Cinema as part of their special "A Week of Howard Phillips Lovecraft"! If you are a fan of Lovecraft films, both good and bad (and if you are reading this, you probably are), then head over to Video Junkie, and check out their cool as hell articles on Lovecraftian Anime, H.P. Lovecraft: The Unwatchable, films based on Cool Air and The Unnamable, Stuart Gordon's unrealized Shadow Over Innsmouth film, plus videos including H.P. Lovecraft's The Book, From Beyond, The Terrible Old Man and more...

There's a wealth of information to be had, so set aside and hour or two, and see if you can come out with your sanity intact...


(Thanks to William Wilson)

Tim Burton's Monsterpocalypse...

According to several sources, DreamWorks has acquired the screen rights to Monsterpocalypse, a strategy game played with collectible miniatures, and they are looking towards Hollywood's wasted genius, Tim Burton, to direct...

About the game: Monsterpocalypse is a fast-moving, action-packed strategy game played with high-quality collectible miniatures portraying the most fearsome giant monsters on Earth, including the Lords of Cthul, dark beings from another plane come to enslave the human race...

Visit the official Monsterpocalypse site here...





(Thanks to Keith and Dread Central)

Create the look for The Cthulhu Key...

Filmmaker Jason Heath is currently raising funds for The Cthulhu Key, an original horror film inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft. Individuals interested in donating should check out Kickstarter for details...

About the film: Kharma Jones (Bianca Barnett) must decipher a code from the beginning of time to stop an ancient cult from destroying all of reality...



(Thanks to Jason Heath)

Dead Dreamer reviews Colour...

Blog of a Dead Dreamer reviews Colour from the Dark, Ivan Zuccon's latest Italian masterpiece, here. There's not much I can say about the film that hasn't already been said, so check out the review, or better yet, pick up a copy here...



(Thanks to Debbie Rochon)

New Splatterhouse Blood Thrash trailer...

Check out the new Splatterhouse trailer below...



(Thanks to fangoria.com)

The Thing in the cemetery...

Cinespia will screen John Carpenter's The Thing, a film that's getting a lot of press these days because of the currently filming sequel, as part of their "cemetery screenings" at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. The screening takes place May 22nd...

Visit cinespia.org for details...


(Thanks to shocktillyoudrop.com)

More Lovecraftian 3D with Back2Hell...

Fantastic Films International has announced the cast for its forthcoming 3D film Back2Hell, which is part of a multi-picture deal with UK distributor House of Fear...

Principal photography is currently underway on the film, described as a gothic tale of legendary occultist Aleister Crowley with a touch of H.P. Lovecraft (which started with Evil Calls, part of the Raven Series), and the genre loaded cast includes; Michael Madsen, Bai Ling, Patrick Bergin, Sylvester McCoy, Colin Baker and Christopher Lee (as the Narrator)...

Click here for an extensive synopsis of the film, and as always, watch this space for more...

(Thanks to earthtimes.org)

Poe trailer debuts...

Head over to Dread Central for the official trailer for Francis Xavier's Poe...

About the film: Poe follows formerly acquitted and rehabilitated criminal Dr. Andrew Casey (David Fine), who relocates to Los Angeles under the alias Jack Conway, aka 'The Chef'. Conway and his butler, Mr. Peeples (Mike Iorio), establish a respected soup kitchen/charity, 'The Help Feeding Foundation', which lures the likes of actresses and models under false pretense.

The women are in fact obtained to satisfy Casey/Conway's culinary tastes. He handpicks respected writer Jonathan Poe (Stelio Savante), descendant of famed writer Edgar Allan Poe, to immortalize him in the form of an autobiography. Poe is intrigued by Conway and his lucrative offer and agrees to the assignment. Once at the house, Poe is forced to witness all manner of horrors without the ability to either escape or help the women who have been captured.

Resigned to his fate, Poe takes up the task at hand and begins recording the autobiography of Casey and his cannibalistic spree.

Check out the Poe site for more...

(Thanks to Dread Central)

Big screen Fulci...

Fangoria editor-in-chief Chris Alexander will screen an uncut 35mm print of Lucio Fulci's City of the Living Dead as part of his ongoing Film School Confidential (sponsored by Eyesore Cinema) at Toronto's Bloor Cinema...

The screening takes place May 27th (at 9:30 pm), with Alexander providing a pre-screening lecture on Fulci and the film's place in horror history...

Click here for details...


(Thanks to fangoria.com)

Miskatonic Institute welcomes you...

There's a new column over on fangoria.com written by the newly formed The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies in which kids aged 14 to 16 wrote reviews (written by participants in Miskatonic Course #102: Introduction to Horror Film Criticism for Teens) for several films including Let The Right One In, [Rec] and Stuck...

Future offerings from the Miskatonic Institute (in its physical form) will consist of horror-theory and production-based workshops for students aged 14 to 29, which are currently offered on demand...

Click here for more...

(Thanks to fangoria.com)

Watch Beyond the Wall of Sleep online...

Nathan Fisher's adaptation of Beyond the Wall of Sleep can now be seen, in its entirety, over on Vimeo! An official selection of the 2009 HPLFF, Sleep features Greg Cannon, Jason Finley, Gia Bathory, Stacey Dixon and Troma's own Lloyd Kaufman...

In other Gonzo Entertainment (Nathan's production company) news, principal photography is complete on their latest Lovecraftian venture, The Island, and the film has moved into post...

More as it becomes available...


(Thanks to Nathan Fisher)

Photographer needed for Bait...

For Immediate Release:

V.G.C. Films has announced an "on-set production photographer" call for their current project, Bait! The film, a short inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft, revolves around a transient who finds great treasure...at great cost. Like their previous film, The Picture in the House, Bait will be directed by Christopher James Jordan and written by Gary M. Lobstein...

Check out the "on-set production photographer" call below...

V.G.C. is looking for an on-set production photographer to document a series of upcoming film shoots at the end of May and beginning of June. Interested? Head over to www.vgcfilms.com for more details.

(Thanks to V.G.C. Films)

Heisserer talks The Thing...

The Thing screenwriter Eric Heisserer spoke with io9 recently about how the film sets up the back story for John Carpenter's classic...

"You're actually in the Norwegian camp before all that stuff happens," Heisserer tells the site. "You get to see how it happens — that's the reverse engineering there. The way we approached it was by autopsy, where the director, producers, and I pored over Carpenter's film. We must have screened it two or three dozen times. And we'd freeze frames and have lengthy discussions about what evidence is there that would lead to so much blood. It was a forensic discussion of Carpenter's film. That's probably where the whole 'fire axe in the door' came from. Because we said, 'We have to justify that; we have to have a moment in our movie where you see that happen.'"

Heisserer continues, "If we do this right — I just spoke on the phone today with [producer] Eric Newman; he's on set up in Toronto, [and] he said things are going well. But if we can pull this off, this movie will work perfectly [as] the first half of a double feature. So that the last shot of this film will be two Norwegians and a chopper chasing after a dog. And you can plug in Carpenter's film, and they will both feel and look as they have been made around the same time."

I'm sure there will be more, as the film is currently shooting in Toronto, Canada with Matthijs Van Heijningen at the helm...


(Thanks to Dread Central)

"The Silver Key" in Florida

"The Silver Key" is an official selection of the 2010 Central Florida Film Festival.

The Silver Key (2010) from SK on Vimeo.

Stuart Gordon talks Nevermore and Re-Animator musical...

Horror legend Stuart Gordon dropped Unfilmable.com a line in regards to a couple of his projects, current and forthcoming, including news on Re-Animator: The Musical!

"In regard to RE-ANIMATOR The Musical," Stuart tells Unfilmable.com, "We are currently workshopping the script with a production planned for the fall in Los Angeles."

As for NEVERMORE: An Evening With Edgar Allan Poe, the one-man show will be performed at the Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal in July, and will continue touring with appearances in Austin and San Diego...

Also scheduled for Fantasia is a 25th Anniversary uncut 35mm screening of the cult classic, Re-Animator, with Stuart and actor Jeffrey Combs in attendance...


(Thanks to Stuart Gordon and fangoria.com)

Frank DanCoolo one-sheet...

Check out the one-sheet for Frank DanCoolo: Paranormal Drug Dealer, the new film from Andrew W. Jones! DanCoolo, a cyberpunk parody with heavy Lovecraftian elements, tells the story of reporter Holly Malone and paranormal pill pusher Frank DanCoolo...


(Thanks to Andrew W. Jones)

Watch Picture in the House online...

MovieScreams!, the online horror film fest, has added V.G.C. Films' production The Picture in the House to its growing database of streaming horror films! Based on the Lovecraft story of the same name, House revolves around an individual who, while searching for genealogical data in Miskatonic Valley, seeks refuge from a storm in a most curious country home...

Check it out here...


(Thanks to V.G.C. Films)

Pickman's Models: Strange Aeons...

Check out the cover of Strange Aeons #2 by the amazing Rob Corless! Issue two streets in June (purchase issue one here) and contains the long-awaited second part to Rob Corless's Awakener (part one appeared in Planet Lovecraft #4) and Lee Davis's Terror and Vengeance in the Yuppie Invasion...

More details to come...


(Thanks to Kelly Young)

House of Black Wings coming to DVD...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

HOUSE OF BLACK WINGS to be released on DVD on May 31st 2010

Chicago, Illinois – May 3rd, 2010 – Sword & Cloak Productions are proud to announce the official release of its second feature-length movie, HOUSE OF BLACK WINGS on DVD on May 31st, 2010. The movie will initially be available from Amazon.com and through swordandcloak.com. The DVD will contain the 101 minutes feature, as well as a "Making of" Featurette, Wrap Reel, Trailer, Photo Gallery, and Crew Commentary.

About the Movie: After a tragic act of violence cuts short her music career, Kate Stone is returning to a city full of ex-fans and ex-friends. Taking shelter with her last friend, a struggling artist named Robyn Huck, the two women work to restore the aging courtyard apartment building Robyn has inherited. But a terrible secret infests the venerable structure, and soon Kate will be haunted by horrific dreams, sinister apparitions, and the sounds of something moving in the walls. She will be dragged into a confrontation not only with her own dark past, but the unspeakable nightmare that lurks beyond the walls!

House of Black Wings is a character-driven Lovecraftian ghost story. Inspired by the character-driven thrillers of the 70's like Polanski's The Tenant, Don't Look Now, or The Shining. It is a nightmare of urban paranoia, loss of identity, and the blurred line between creativity and madness.

"Equally as creepy as any Roman Polanski vision...a unique effort full of dark flavor. ...this one has something great to offer."

- Horror News

"As poignant as it is oddly paranoiac and featuring fearlessly passionate performances."

- Horror Society

"something unique and special...we were quite impressed with this film."

- Kitley's Krypt

"Takes the time to build a story around our main characters...so when the horror becomes unleashed further we actually care about what happens."

- Horror Yearbook


(Thanks to David Schmidt)

New Tell Tale review...

Head over to fangoria.com for a review of Michael Cuesta's Tell Tale (based on Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart), starring Josh Lucas. The film debuts on DVD and Blu-ray May 25 from Genius Products/Vivendi Entertainment...


(Thanks to fangoria.com)

A Night of Horror awards announced...

A Night of Horror International Film Festival has announced its award winners and Andrew W. Jones incredible short film Frank DanCoolo: Paranormal Drug Dealer won for Best Lovecraft Short, while Jeffrey Blake Palmer's screenplay The Sleeping Deep was a Feature Screenplay Finalist...

Congratulations to both filmmakers...



(Thanks to anightofhorror.com)

The Festival wraps...

Richard Terrasi's adaptation of The Festival has wrapped and is currently in post! Richard tells Unfilmable.com that the film will premiere in New York City in June or July, and to look for a new trailer to debut soon...

Be sure to visit The Festival on Facebook or the official Dark Vision Films site...


(Thanks to Richard Terrasi)

'20 Minutes of Oxygen' video fundraiser...

For Immediate Release:

The auction starts NOW!

Friend and ally to The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets, Adam PW Smith Photography, has offered a unique memorabilia opportunity for Thickets fans everywhere. As part of our effort to raise funds for our music video for "20 Minutes of Oxygen", Adam is offering a framed 6" x 9" print of the band, signed by members of the band, which we will auction off! There are four prints to choose from, the highest bidder can choose his/her favourite. View the four prints here.

Recently The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets have been presented with an opportunity to use both a science-fiction themed 'space bar' and a high definition digital video camera for a video project. We chose to re-record our popular "20 Minutes of Oxygen" song and film a music video to go with it. The band will need about $400-500 to buy/rent props and lights, and pay for the crew. Naturally the video will be released on youtube and will go on the DVD/CD album, tentatively titled "The Ultraviolet Album" currently in the works by the band.

View the auction here...

(Thanks to Toren Atkinson)