The Digital Dead Issue 15

REVIEW

Tribute to christopher lee 1922 - 2015

PLUS

Interview with

JAMIE BERNADETTE

Interview with

POLLYANNA MCINTOSH

SQ: Katrina Grey FILMS: We Are Dead EVENTS: Night of the Living Dead Live GRSC: Apocalypse Kiss BOOKS: The Living and the Lost, and much more!

IN TRIBUTE TO CHRISTOPHER LEE

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If you are a fan of all things gruesome and gory then you are in for a truly ‘bloody’ treat as The Digital Dead Issue 15 has arrived. With exciting horror stories, world class interviews and spot on reviews, it promises to satisfy even the hungriest of horror appetites.

We dedicate this issue to the legend Christopher Lee who has had many acting roles and is most notable for personifying bloodsucking vampire, Dracula, on screen, he portrayed other varied characters on screen, most of which were villains, whether it be Francisco Scaramanga in the James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), or Count Dooku in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002), or as the title monster in the Hammer Horror film, The Mummy (1959).

Lee died at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital on 7 June 2015 at 8:30am after being admitted for respiratory problems and heart failure, shortly after celebrating his 93rd birthday there. His wife delayed the public announcement until 11 June, in order to break the news to their family.

In this issue we have interviews with Women in Horror, Pollyanna McIntosh and Scream Queen, Katrina Grey. Jamie Bernadette talks about Spit on your Grave: Deja Vu. Genoveva Rossi talks to the director and one of the main cast of Apoclaypse Kiss.

Plus: first look at the Blair Witch Project video game and lots more.

So whether your horror tastes are in the extreme, classic, indie or mainstream, our wide range of everything horror will have something to quench the thirst of even the blood thirstiest fan.

And for those with a much more upmarket palette, there are regular features on dark arts, novels and music. With in-depth interviews from some of the world’s leading macabre writers.

So, if you want to know what’s going to be big in the dark world of film, book or gameplay allow The Digital Dead to take you on this terrifying journey and let’s keep indie horror alive... or should that be dead!!!

Thank you for supporting The Digital Dead Magazine.

Jason Wright EDITOR IN CHIEF

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CONTENTS

12 EDITOR IN CHIEF

Jason Wright

FEATURED ARTICLES

ART DIRECTOR

06. BLAIR WITCH PROJECT 12. JAMIE BERNADETTE

Jason Wright ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Kirsty Richardson

WOMEN IN HORROR

WRITING TALENT

Kirsty Richardson Clare Nixon Michael Dedman Jones SJ Lykana Genoveva Rossi Baron Craze Damien Colletti Gary Andrew Hindley Austin Wood Jim Morazzini Ashley Lister Leigh Walker James Pemberton Joe X Young PHOTOGRAPHY

Jason Wright

24 24. POLLYANNA MCINTOSH

SPECIAL THANKS TO

CRYPT TV

SUPPORTING THANKS TO

Walker Stalker Con Popcorn Horror Zombie Rising Magazine Weird Tales Magazine Sanitarium Magazine

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DEADLY FILM REVIEWS 38. FrightFest 2019 Review 82. FILMMAKER DAVID BLACK

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GENOVEVA ROSSI SCREAMING CORNER 56. APOCALYPSE KISS

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HORROR ART 76. JADE, HANNAH & PIGGYMOUTH

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SCREAM QUEEN 64. KATRINA GREY

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DEAD ARCHIVES 100. Underated Horror Films

100 DEADLY BUSINESS 44. NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD LIVE! 50. TRIBUTE TO CHRISTOPHER LEE

PAGES OF THE DEAD 20. THE LIVING AND THE LOST 90. HORROR AUTHOR INTERVIEW : JESSICA CHAVEZ Contact the magazine via the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/thedigitaldeadmagazine The Digital Dead is a Silent Studios publication.

All photography © in the magazine is held by the individual photographers concerned. All rights reserved. You may not copy, reproduce, distribute, publish, modify, plagiarise, transmit or exploit any of the materials in this publication.

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THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT: WHISPERS WORTH A THOUSAND SCREAMS

The original Blair Witch Project holds a special place in horror cinematic history. Released in 1998, it was, for many, their original exposure to the phenomena of “documentary horror” (i.e. the concept of genuine, amateur footage that has somehow been “discovered” and cobbled together into a kind of feature). A format that, by its very nature, acts as a parody of its own medium, calling into question what we as audiences assume and allow ourselves to be told from entertainment media (even now, there are those who genuinely believe the events of The Blair Witch Project are documentarian, despite the supposedly “missing” cast having made multiple appearances since, the creators having made documentaries and conducted interviews on how it was originally contrived etc, etc).

The piece serves as a stark examination of how we relate to media, how credulous we are when something has the simple veneer of authenticity. Furthermore, the work serves as a transitional marker between eras as determined by escalating technologies: whilst the internet was in its infancy at that point (most homes lacking easy access to the network), the film’s marketing utilised the then-infant medium to its fullest; creating false police reports, community and tourist sites for the entirely contrived township of “Blair,” Maryland and numerous journals, missing persons reports, blogs et al, ensuring that great swathes of the viewing public were taken in by the phenomena, making their engagement and interaction with the “footage” in the film even more intimate and intense.

On a personal level, The Blair Witch Project is a key piece of input in my own imaginative development: it taught me the value of space and quiescence, of how emptiness and silence can be as disturbing and engaging as the most evocatively drawn monster or set piece and how audience engagement can be enhanced by suggestion and intimation as much as it can statement.

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As a teenager of barely fifteen, the film was my first experience of documentary or “found footage” horror, outside of the seminal 1992 BBC Halloween prank, Ghostwatch. It engaged me in ways very few horror films ever have. Whilst many are certainly superior in terms of their production, their narrative, their storytelling, the wider implications of their imagery and situations; when it comes to pure, sincere dread there is very little that evokes the same degree of creeping inevitability, the moribund sense that the people on-screen are dead and don’t know it, and we as the audience are just waiting, waiting for that axe to fall.

It has since become a perennial watch, a piece I return to again, and again and never tire of. In that, it is highly subjective; the kind of experiment that people will either respond to, or not.

But, for my own personal tastes, there is very little that captures the same degree of hostile beauty, the same desolation, the same sense of nihilism that intensifies, and intensifies up to the film’s disturbingly oblique climax.

Unfortunately, like so many out-of-nowhere success stories, the film quickly became a victim of its own success.

Emulated, and emulated to the Nth degree, rendered into a crass, sequel-baiting franchise by the Hollywood sequel-machine, the extended media deriving from the original film has universally exhibited a lack of comprehension of what made it so successful. A sequel that lacks any and all of the quiet wit, the cleverness, the

versimilitude of the original; video games that were clearly some other project before they were adapted to shoe-horn in the Blair Witch mythology, a 2016 addition to the franchise that so profoundly misses the central ambiguity that rendered the original so disturbing, it commits the cardinal sin of physically showing the damn witch on screen... as you can imagine, as horror franchises go, it is one of the most illegitimate and unnecessary when it comes to spin-offs and sequels.

However, that has not stopped the mythology from spawning everything from comic books to video games, TV documentaries et al. There are even toys of the damn franchise; honest-to-god action figures of the eponymous witch (who is never actually depicted in the film and may not exist at all) and of her various victims.

Like many original horror films, The Blair Witch Project is one that does not lend itself to expansion or elaboration: the original film succeeds through its obliqueness and its suggestive nature. Engagement occurs because of the mysteries it establishes: the great gaps in lore and back story, and the general lack of explanation.

Therefore, when self-proclaimed “storytellers” (or, more accurately, hacks) start tromping all over the woods in their size-9s, presuming to narrativise those elements that are best left unspoken and un-rendered, you can understand why I respond with more than a degree of skepticism.

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It’s not even that successive instalments to the franchise can’t necessarily work: I can certainly see how, for example, a period drama set in the days when the “Blair Witch” herself was purportedly left in the Blackhills Woods to die of exposure by the townspeople could potentially be very effectively rendered, especially if the audience had no idea that it was linked to The Blair Witch mythology until its closing chapters.

But the success of such expansions relies heavily upon the agendas and comprehension of those involved: if they are simply cynical attempts to make money off of a familiar franchise they will be doomed to failure, and will inevitably further dilute a franchise which hasn’t been particularly healthy for nigh on twenty years now. Even those who come to such projects with some degree of passion or genuine enthusiasm can so easily screw it up.

So, you can imagine my ambivalence upon discovering that, at the recent E3 show, a trailer was aired exhibiting a video game instalment to the franchise. This is not the first attempt to render the franchise in this medium: way, way back in the early 2000s, there were several semi-successful “survival horror” video games that came under the banner. Whilst they were fairly servicable (though by no means revolutionary) on a technical level, as instalments in The Blair Witch Project mythology they fail dismally. This is largely due to their reliance on traditional horror video game tropes and subjects such as monsters, jump-scares and so on and so forth. Everything is highly visual, more redolent of Resident Evil than a piece of “found footage” work, everything is codified, and particular and absolute. Whilst the games could have potentially played with the “found footage” format of the film to great effect, they simply neglected to, resulting in experiences that, whilst not terrible in and of themselves, are profoundly lack-lustre and incongruous with the tone and ethos of the original film.

Since then, many, many horror video games have seized upon the “found footage” and “documentary horror” formats, either in part or completely, to create novel and fascinating sequences and overall experiences. Most notably, a recent addition to the Resident Evil franchise, Resident Evil 7, borrows significantly from The Blair Witch Project and numerous others in several key instances, even defaulting to a “found footage” format in several notable sequences.

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So, it can be done, but requires a degree of experimentation and risk that is very, very rare in mainstream video game development.

Having viewed the trailer a number of times, it’s somewhat clear that, whilst the new game itself might be a fantastic piece of work, like almost every entry to the franchise since the orignal film, it has profoundly missed the point.

The trailer is full of extremely familiar horror techniques and set-pieces, none of which are redolent of the “found footage” verisimilitude of the original film, has a high degree of visual horror, from hallucinogenic distortions to phantoms, monsters, shapes in the woods etc., (again, elements which the original film refutes by its very nature) and audio cues, stings etc., to signify when the “scary moments” are happening, in the manner of a traditional horror film.

It also has a musical score, which, if the trailer is anything to go by, is servicable, but no great shakes in the annals of truly amazing horror video game soundtracks (Silent Hill 1, 2 and 3, Resident Evil 1 and 2, System Shock 2, Outlast, Darkwood etc).

Now, in and of itself, none of these elements suggest that the game will be bad. At all. As a trailer, it’s actually rather well put together. Whilst it doesn’t betray anything supremely interesting, it does have one or two notable moments (such as when the protagonist looks through a video camera view screen and sees himself entering the woods), suggesting that the work might have merit in and of itself, beyond its purported place within the Blair Witch mythology. The first-person perspective the game seems to take certainly emulates the sense of wandering around the Blackhills Woods for the player, the gnarled and twisted configurations of trees in conjunction with the natural murk of the environment making for a perpetually paranoid atmosphere in which the player will no doubt find themselves jumping at shadows and shrieking at nothing at all.

And that is precisely what a game based on the Blair Witch mythology should ideally be: like the film itself, largely empty: something that preys on the player’s own imagination, that convinces them that they’re being chased or stalked by something that perhaps isn’t there at all. Clever use of sound and environmental cues, breaking twigs, shifting shadows, all might conspire to evoke that atmosphere, as previous horror games have.

Where this trailer falls down, for me, is that there most certainly ARE things in the woods that the player most definitely encounters. Beyond calling into question the player character’s perceptions (it’s entirely possible that the game will suggest that what is happening is purely psychological as opposed to actual, thereby allowing space for the conjuration of all manner of phantoms and beasties), this demonstrates the same profound lack of understanding of The Blair Witch Project mythology as any of the ancillary media.

As previously detailed, the original film made its mark by making something out of nothing at all, by playing with the audience’s perceptions and paranoia, leading them to believe they’ve seen something when they haven’t at all. The woods as an environment are perfect for this, as trees can very often look like twisted or intertwined figures, configurations of branches and boughs can look like shapes or silhouettes. The manner in which the film relies upon the natural human proclivity to see humanoid shapes and familiar patterns in random configurations of objects is phenomenal; witty, engaging and sublimely clever, as it entices the audience to look closer, to engage their imaginations and project them onto the film itself.

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A video game set in the Blair Witch mythology could do this. There are games that already do.

However, if this trailer is anything to go by, that’s not what this game is about. The tone of it is far closer to the likes of Outlast and FEAR than what I would expect from a Blair Witch Project game. Barring the aforementioned phantoms and figures we’ve already been shown, the woods also boast qualities such as musical cues, horror set-pieces, jump-scares etc, etc, all of which might be well placed and handled, but none of which work within the context of The Blair Witch Project.

There is a particular type of game (though some argue that it stretches the definition) that is so well-suited to this subject, it might have been tailor-made for it: The -often perjoratively called- “Walking Simulator.”

Those who have played the likes of Dear Esther, SOMA, Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs, Firewatch etc., will already be well familiar with the nature of these games: quiet and slow-burning works of pure atmosphere, they rely exclusively on their environments to tell story, to evoke mood and suggest what might be happening around the player. Often criticised for lacking game-play, the player’s part in these games is often nothing more than to walk around, observe, occasionally interact with objects etc. They are purely atmospheric, aesthetic and narrative exercises, which has led to them being incredibly divisive. Some -such as myself- generally adore them, whereas others bemoan their general lack of action, engagement and specific purpose.

However, for a video game that seeks to elaborate on the Blair Witch mythology, there is hardly any better format. The original film itself has drawn similar criticisms from various circles -the lack of “monsters” or overt antagonists, the lack of overt narrative or plot, the reliance on implication and suggestion rather than more traditional means of exposition- and for similar reasons: The Blair Witch Project is to film as “walking simulators” are to video games: highly experimental, often jarring with tradition, but, at their best, incredibly emotive, evocative works that rival arthouse cinema in their conception and beauty.

The up and coming video game has the potential to be that, to be as deviant and transgressive and novel as the likes of Dear Esther and its contemporaries, and thereby tie itself to the original film in terms of its genre-breaking revolutions.

Judging by this trailer alone, though, I have sincere doubts that it will.

Time will no doubt tell.

Score: 7.0/10.0 Review by George Daniel Lea

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Jamie Bernadette Review by SJ Lykana Hi Jamie, and welcome to The Digital Dead Magazine.

1. I Spit on Your Grave: Deja Vu is the only direct sequel to the 1978 original movie. Can you tell us about the plot of the movie?

Camille Keaton returns as Jennifer Hills and I play her daughter, Christy. The families of those she killed are angry and seek vengeance on her, and I happen to be there when she is kidnapped so they take me along for the ride.

2. You play Christy Hills, daughter of Jennifer Hills from the original movie. Can you tell us a little about the character?

She’s been modelling her whole life, and she is tired of it and wants something more meaningful. Though she has been very successful, it isn’t who she is nor what she wants. She is also suffering from a mild case of anorexia, which is common in the modelling profession.

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3. What was the casting process for the role of Christy like?

I sent in a tape, then they called me to come in in person and I was with Director, Meir Zarchi, and producer, Terry Zarchi, at that callback for 40 minutes. Terry said that he knew I was the one when I opened my mouth and spoke the first lines. They continued to audition others, totalling hundreds of actors over many months for just a handful of roles. Then they called me back for a third audition that lasted for 5 hours. I read with a lot of different actors who were going for different parts. Then I received the call about 2 months after that saying I got the role.

4. Had you seen the 1978 original before getting the part in Deja Vu? Yes, I had seen it before I ever submitted to the casting notice. I thought it was an extremely powerful film. I loved it.

5. Was there any special preparation you needed to do for the role?

Yes, I researched rape, murder and gang rape for many months. I watched interviews of women who had survived rape and did a lot of reading. I also watched the original film several times as well. I didn’t sleep too well during that time. I also lost a lot of weight for the role because I was playing an anorexic model. So, I look sickly thin in the film.

6. The 1978 movie was pretty intense. Can we expect the same thing from Deja Vu? No, it is not as intense as the original. It has the same feel because the cinematography of the film looks older as the original and the camera work is similar, in that the camera is often more of a spectator in the room rather than moving around all of the time. There are many more similarities, such as there is no music in either film. The two films are so alike in so many ways, but this sequel is somehow also completely different than the original. Meir Zarchi did something totally original here while keeping the same feel as the original.

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7. Deja Vu looks and feels quite similar in style to the 1978 movie. Do you think this was intentional?

Yes, it was definitely intentional. It was carefully thought out and executed.

8. Were there any particular scenes in Deja Vu that you found difficult to film?

Yes, filming the rape scene was a difficult week for everyone. We took 4 days to film it at 12 hours per day. I had a couple of people come up to me crying because they knew someone who had been raped. There were a lot of tears on that set and it was quite traumatic for a lot of people to be honest. But, it’s important to tell these stories that reach real-life victims and help them in some way.

9. Deja Vu sees the return of Camille Keaton as Jennifer Hills. What was it like to work with cult movie royalty like Camille?

Camille is incredible. She’s a humble, honest, down-to-earth, kind spirit and I love her dearly.

We are very close.

10. You look to have a strong onscreen bond with Camille. Did you get to spend time with her before filming started?

No, not too much time. I met her at lunch one day and we were filming together the next.

But we bonded immediately. There is just no way to explain a connection like that with some people. You either connect or you don’t. And we definitely did.

11. Camille Keaton had some very harsh scenes in the original movie. Did it help to have her insight?

Yes, it did. She told me stories about filming in the original that helped with my own experience. One such story she told was about when she was accidentally kicked and it was pretty bad. She told me many others as well which you can hear a lot of in Terry Zarchi’s documentary “Growing Up with I Spit on Your Grave”.

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12. As violent and gruesome as the I Spit on Your Grave movies are, many people interpret them as actually being empowering to women. Do you see the franchise as empowering?

Yes, I absolutely do. Camille has received letters from women who are rape survivors saying that the movie helped them heal. The films are about women who have been victimised and who survive and come out on top.

13. With how much attitudes towards women have changed since the 1970s, do you think that the franchise is still relevant to the world we live in?

Absolutey. I believe the statistic is 1 in 4 or 5 women are raped. So, we still have a big problem here. Most of us know someone who has been raped. I do.

14. The franchise is renowned for violent and realistic rape scenes which in documentaries and interviews the director Meir Zarchi has defended by stating that he portrays the reality of what happens in real life. Do you think such realistic scenes are necessary?

Yes, I do. Rape is nothing to glamorise. The only way to tell it is to tell it like it is: an ugly, evil crime. To sugar-coat it or glamorise it, I believe, is morally wrong.

15. Do you think that I Spit on Your Grave helped to pave the way for more modern movie franchises, for example: Hostel and Saw? Yes, definitely. It has inspired a lot of films. It has been pretty much copied really, over and over again. I notice the poster gets copied as well a lot.

16. Sometimes, at this point in development in the horror industry, I wonder if the audience can still be shocked. As both an actor and writer, what do you think?

I don’t believe that we are still shocked in the same way that they were back in the 1970s, because we have seen so much at this point. Films are not censored nowadays the way they were back then.

17. There are three other I Spit on Your Grave movies. Have you seen any of them and if so, what are your thoughts on them?

I have seen the 2010 remake and the second film. I thought both were very good.

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18. The past decade there has been a trend for remaking movies. 2010 saw the remake of the 1978 I Spit on Your Grave starring Sarah Butler as Jennifer Hills. How do you feel about this remake trend?

I like it! I enjoy seeing films done again and then comparing them to the original. I say “Why not?�

19. 1978 saw the iconic original I Spit on Your Grave movie. 2010 spawned a remake with a standalone sequel in 2013 (I Spit on Your Grave 2) with a direct sequel to the 2010 movie emerging in 2015. Do you think the ever expanding franchise trend is an over kill on a single idea or do you see it more as a creative opportunity for film makers?

I see it more as a creative opportunity for filmmakers. I don’t see an issue with expanding on a franchise if that is what filmmakers want to do. I am all about letting people create what they want to create, regardless of what others may think about it.

20. What is your favourite genre of movie?

Horror. I think horror is so artistically creative.

21. What would be your ideal movie franchise to star in?

Halloween. Definitely. I have wanted to be in Halloween since I was a child.

22. You always look fit and toned in your movies and online photos. Do you ever do your own stunts?

I almost always do my own stunts. I have done wire work - flying through the air, etc. - falling, a lot of fighting, and underwater work.

23. The 6th Friend (2018) seemed like a big deal for you. Not only did you star in it, you also wrote and produced it. How was that for you?

It was a huge challenge to hold all of those hats, but it was very rewarding. It was great to be part of the filmmaking process every step of the way and have a finished product at the end that I could be proud of.

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24. Have you any more plans for writing or producing?

I am actually working on producing 5 films at the moment. Three of those are dramas, and the other two are horror. I am writing one of them and I am also finishing up a poetry book in the meantime that will be published within a year.

25. The last few years you have been busy in the horror industry. All Girls Weekend, The 6th Friend, 4/20 Massacre and even an appearance in Midnight Texas. Do you plan to do more horror movies?

Yes, I hope so! I love doing horror. It is so much fun. I am also working on getting into more television shows and I have films I am doing in other genres as well.

26. So, you are being interviewed for a zombie loving magazine, by a zombie obsessed woman. It’s time for a bit of zombie fun.

Ok! 27. You awake one morning to find a bad batch of moonshine has turned most of the population into flesh eating zombies. You need a weapon and only have household objects.

What do you choose to defend yourself with?

A fire extinguisher. I had to use one before and they are no joke. They will mess anyone up, even a zombie!

28. You hit the zompocalypse jackpot and discover a fully stocked abandoned grocery store that’s zombie free. What is the first item you head for?

Easy, cheese with Ritz crackers.

29. If you could team up with any character from any movie or TV show as your zompocalypse survival partner, who would it be?

Rick from “The Walking Dead”! He’s hot, and strong, and smart and, well, hot.

30. What is next for you Jamie? Are there any upcoming projects you’d like to tell us about?

The faith-based drama that I lead called “The Furnace”, directed by Oscar-Nominated Director Darrell Roodt, is coming out in about a month. The film is heart-wrenching, but beautiful. Everyone who has seen it has told me that they literally weep, so it’s very moving and I hope it touches a lot of people’s lives. I also have “Ash and Bone” coming out, which is a horror film that I play a strong supporting role in. “State of Desolation” I am the lead in and I also produced it and that is coming out in 2020. It is a post-apocalyptic zombie horror film. I have “Cerberus”, “The Bone Box”, and “Nicole, Her Ex, and The Killer” coming out as well and they are all horror. “Colonials” I just finished filming in as the female lead and it is a sci-fi. I am attached to 19 other films and then there are the 5 I mentioned that I am producing. Those are yet to be filmed.

Jamie Bernadette, it has been a pleasure to interview you. Thank you for your time.

Thank you so much!

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THE LIVING AND THE LOST Authored by RICHARD FARREN BARBER

This debut novel from a writer whom had earlier released a couple of impressive novellas certainly piqued my interest. Graduating from the hundred-page range novella to the meatier 300+ full-monty is never easy, but I’m delighted to reveal that The Living and the Lost makes the upgrade admirably. Equally impressive is the fact that content-wise this novel has very little in common with his earlier shorter fiction. Stylistically, however, it is very similar. Richard Farren Barber has a very quiet, understated method to his writing.

It is most certainly horror, but do not expect fireworks, his technique relies more upon atmosphere, humour, location and character development.

What do I mean by a ‘quiet’ style of writing? In his superb post-apocalyptic novella Perfect Darkness, Perfect Silence the survivors of a killer virus deal with clearing away and burning the bodies of the dead. There is no big drama, with the story beginning after the event. In Closer Still, a teenage girl is haunted by her dead best friend, with much of the action taking place in her bedroom, with bullying an underlying theme. Although The Living and the Lost is bigger and more ambitious in scope, it does follow the same low-key storytelling principles and works perfectly by doing so. It takes a long time for the word ‘exorcist’ to be used in this novel, but do not expect any head-spinning, it is just not this author’s style. And that’s a major compliment.

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The action opens with Karl, who is in his early twenties, starting a new job for the Borough of Long Draeston, Department of Environment and Waste. Karl is pleased to have finally landed steady employment after a period drifting, and believes he will be involved in emptying the homes of the recently deceased.

The job advert had vaguely mentioned “waste disposal and people skills” as a requirement. He finds himself doing just this, but not in the way he expects. His boss, and mentor, is Archie, who is a veteran of the department and shows Karl the ropes whilst grumpily passing on his years of wisdom. However, once he is on the job he realises that they are cleaning houses of dead spirits who have refused to move on, for a variety of reasons. After watching the first cleaning, Karl is thrown in at the deep end and is scared witless helping Archie with this rather strange job.

I really liked the way this ‘cleaning’ department was portrayed as a genuine council department. Set in Nottingham (the home town of the author) it has a convincing working class, downtrodden, feel to it. When not on the job Karl hangs out with Archie and other workmates Paddy, Anna, and George and it realistically portrays men dealing with everyday paperwork (B2 Work Docket) and the daily plod of mundane day to day work. This works exceptionally well and the author slowly expands the story around the co-workers as Karl moves from new boy who does not quite fit in to more of a team player.

The author gives very little away about how the supernatural aspects work, but this is not a particular drawback and only makes the reader pay attention to the occasional nugget Farren Barber does decide to drop. For example, there is a great scene where Archie flips out after realising Karl had been drinking and was therefore more susceptible to being noticed by the dead. Or another encounter when it was quietly revealed that both the police and the hospital staff expect Archie and his friends from the department to pitch up and help. There is also quite a funny scene where Karl is kitted out with his job equipment, which includes; a candle, crucifix and Star of David. It was amusing as it took place in a weird little shop which reminded me of James Bond getting ‘sorted’ with his latest gadgets!

However, on occasions you may well find yourself questioning the lack of information. One such query; there is never any mention of Karl (or anyone else) believing in God, so in this world being an exorcist does not seem to be connected to being Christian in any way. Don’t you have to believe in the theology for everything to work?

Karl does say a number of prayers, but there does not seem to be any question of faith in the book.

The haunting sequences were convincing and quite downbeat; from powerful presences, the speaking of different languages and use of very simple dialogue such as “he’s still here” was very expressive. The novel had so many nice understated touches; Karl started to smell (it is never explained why), but his parents understandably think it is because he is working collecting garbage! Also, bearing in mind this is 2019 and cash is in short supply, at a certain point Archie and the boys are threatened with redundancy, or early retirement. I doubt you would see this sort of down to earth

plotline feature in an American supernatural novel! Richard Farren Barber’s fiction is endearingly British and this adds an extra level of charm to it. It has the feel of something which might appear on ITV or the BBC as a 9pm supernatural drama, but I doubt Hollywood will come knocking!

A crisis, and near tragedy after a routine exorcism goes wrong, in the cleaning department moves the plot along and I did not find the second half to be as strong as the first.

Archie has skeletons in his closet and the result is the spirits of the deceased (The Lost) almost being able to force their way back into the world (nobody mention Ghost Busters!) This was an importance sequence in the second half of the novel and it became slightly repetitive, The Lost threatened many times, but did not exactly do very much with their frequent appearances.

Ultimately you cannot keep saying “BOO!” and then fail to deliver the money shot. Also, Karl was pretty slow on the uptake on the direction everything was heading in the second half, to the extent that it became a bit frustrating. As I said, everything is kept understated and low-key and these small gripes did not detract from an excellent novel too much.

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I would highly recommend The Living and the Lost, which is peppered with a host of engaging characters, an authentic slice of British life mixed with an excellent supernatural themed story. It might not roll of the tongue, but...

If there’s something strange in your neighbourhood, Who you gonna call?

The Borough of Long Draeston, Department of Environment and Waste!

Score: 8 out of 10

Interview by Tony Jones

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Interview by Jack Wilhelmi

Following the midwest premiere of Pollyanna McIntosh’s, “Darlin’”, I was fortunate to discuss the film with the writer and director herself.

We spoke about some of Darlin’s sociopolitical themes: how it is a horror film that embraces both the light and dark sides of humanity, how a feral teenage protagonist could very well be a guiding voice for young, horror-loving audiences, and much more.

Many fans know Pollyanna McIntosh from her work in Lucky McKee’s, The Woman and her role as Jadis in The Walking Dead, but the actress, turned filmmaker, had so much to tell in this story and the background to tell it properly.

Although it could have easily been a challenge to undertake a sequel to such a beloved, cult film, there was no one better to successfully rise to the challenge.

“The story came to me quick and fast. And I was lucky enough to have the great influences of (Jack) Ketchum’s writing, his novels, and also Lucky (McKee) and Ketchum’s novel ‘The Woman’ and the film. I knew the character inside and out,” said McIntosh.

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“…writing a story about a young, teenage girl (Lauryn Canny) and the awakening of her own sexuality and coming of age, I really felt that I did not want her to be objectified in any way. That was the only point in the writing where I had to step back and go ‘can I do this?’ Luckily, I got a lot of assurance that it would be done the way I wanted it to be done, and so I carried on. And here we are.”

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Whereas The Woman is told via a grim, omniscient narrative that follows the Cleek family after the family’s patriarch, Chris (Sean Bridgers), captures The Woman (McIntosh), Darlin’ is a coming-of-age tale with heart and a powerful message underneath its blood-soaked scenery. mcintosh seemed to know her work would be cut out for her.

But out of her immense love for the characters created by Ketchum and McKee, both of whom she’s worked with closely over the years, she was determined to bring this side of the story to audiences.

“Directing is a wonderful challenge. And again, knowing the thing from the inside out as the writer, and having played her before, I think I had a great advantage there. I had a very clear vision of what I wanted the film to look like. I had an amazing cast and crew. But of course, it’s an indie film, so you’ve got a very tight schedule. You’ve got a very tight budget,” said McIntosh. beyond the typical challenges for independent filmmakers, the elements even contributed to some rather interesting days on set.

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“It snowed in Louisiana for God’s sake, that never happens!” said McIntosh.

“Even our snow day, which could have been a real challenge for us because we couldn’t shoot that day we couldn’t have people on the roads with the driving conditions and with the drivers who are so unused to them - we still managed to shoot some wonderful snow stuff that day. So even with the problems, I think it’s really coming at things from a problem-solving perspective and having that kind of crew around you.

You could make anything happen.”

In the still male-dominated world of filmmaking, it is more important than ever for women to take their seats in directors’ chairs.

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Women can tell stories from perspectives that aren’t always seen and heard. But, according to McIntosh, the narrative of a good story isn’t necessarily specific to gender.

“I don’t even think it’s just women’s stories. I think it’s our stories of humanity told by the female from obviously the female perspective, though we can also talk about the male perspective because we live in a male-driven society. I think that, for some people, it can be, ‘What does a female-driven movie look like?’ It sounds like it’s very much just for women, but no. It’s about opening up perspectives and allowing our voices to come into the fray so that we can tell more nuanced stories.”

She goes on to explain: “I think for some people it’s jarring because they’re used to always the male perspective. A lot of people have told me, you need to see this movie twice. A lot of men have said that, where a lot of women have said ‘I got it the first go-round’” One of her close collaborators, Lucky McKee, is also known for making female-driven stories and has been for his entire career.

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This further proves that, while it is important to have diversity amongst directors, the dedication to the characters can be told from any good storyteller - as they are committed to the material.

Another example of this is Cooper Andrews’ (The Walking Dead) character, who plays a nurse who wants to adopt a child with his partner, but can’t. This is a common issue for people in the LGBTQ community, particularly when looking to adopt through religion-based organisations.

Nothing in the film dwelled or lingered on Andrews’ sexuality. For McIntosh, it was less about writing a gay character and more about the role that he plays, showing that these lives and stories are commonplace and not necessarily specific to any one group of people. She explains: “He was wanting, like everybody else in the film, wanting a family and wanting a community and wanting to connect. He finds that connection in Darlin’. He’s longing for a family, and so she comes along at a time that’s important for him.”

A common theme shared by The Woman and Darlin’ is the notion that the real monsters frequently wear friendly faces.

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The people who society may fear most are, deep down, not the ones who are truly dangerous.

“Who’s the monster? The cannibal feral woman or the Bishop?” asked McIntosh.

“I feel like our allowance for the abuse that’s gone on, not just in the Church or the MeToo Movement it’s becoming more and more clear that it kind of takes a village. It takes a lot of blind eyes to allow this stuff to continue, and I really do believe in that saying… ‘The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.’”

For Sister Jennifer’s (Nora-Jane Noone) character, finding her voice is a reflection of some of these themes, including how important it is to have the strength to speak out and be a guide to others in need.

Even so, it is through Lauryn Canny’s Darlin’ that we get the meat of McIntosh’s intention.

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“What really interested me about taking it from Darlin’s perspective is that if you go ten years later after THE WOMAN came out, you have somebody on the cusp of teenagerhood and discovering their own sexuality. And really, I found as a teenager around the age of 13, I started developing boobs and a butt.

And I was having my own experience with my own sexuality. That should be personal and precious and wonderful, and you should have time to explore that. What I found was as soon as I looked like a sexual being, it was coming from all angles from adult men and from adult women, just the different way I was being treated. It felt like a bit of a robbery,” said McIntosh.

In the film, the Catholic Church also essentially robs Darlin’ of the ownership of her own body by using her as a publicity stunt and objectifying her as a feral beast. The message to audiences is that there are many ways of taking someone’s autonomy away from them that doesn’t necessarily have to be sexual.

But they can still be invasive and stunt someone’s freedom to come into their own peacefully and without outside influence.

Given the rise of film accessibility with modern technology, a lot of younger people may take an interest in this film and gain access to it.

Darlin’ has an especially potent message for younger viewers who may be experiencing some of the same things as the titular character.

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“Being on ‘The Walking Dead’, I meet a lot of fans who watch it (the show), young and old. I think there are a lot of young people who are around that age who can handle that kind of horror. I remember watching a French movie when I was 13 which had some really deep, dark themes in it. I felt they were beautifully explored, and I felt seen and heard for the first time in a film. I thought ‘oh my God, they’re writing something for me.’ I hope young girls and young men watch it because a lot of it I did write for that audience,” said McIntosh.

“A lot of it (horror) is outsider art as well. It’s about that sense of feeling on the outside, and I think, again, for a patriarchal society, women are by default outsiders from the get-go. So I do feel that horror movies can be a very positive influence on young people.”

Some viewers may not know that Darlin’ is actually the third film in the series Ketchum started.

Pollyanna McIntosh has now revisited her character, The Woman, for the third time.

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She first appeared in Offspring (2009), then in The Woman (2011), and now in Darlin’.

“It is weird directing something that you’re also in, which is one of the reasons why I put myself more in the fringes and focused on Darlin’ in this one. But I think for The Woman fans, you’ll really get a satisfying bunch of good kills and a bunch of vicious, unapologetic aggression. But she’s also showing herself here to be really adaptable. Here, she’s on another mission… a very different one, and very much unrestrained. It was a joy to get back under that skin again,” said McIntosh.

Darlin’ finds her place with other girls in a group home that’s run by the Catholic Church, and The Woman finds hers with a homeless encampment with other women who grow to embrace and accept her while she’s on her way to find Darlin’.

McIntosh found herself finding her place in the director’s seat just as easily as she found herself inhabiting The Woman’s skin.

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“I could just switch in and out of character really fast. It was really weird for other people, I think, more than it was for me. I had all this dirt make-up on, these yellow teeth and these claws, and this huge, long wig. And I’m directing children, smiling at them with these big, blackened out and yellow teeth. And at first I was like ‘Why aren’t these little girls in the church warming to me? Oh right, I look like a terrifying creature.’ They got into it, believe me.”

Darlin’ isn’t without its moments of levity, and some might argue that the humour detracts from the horror. But there’s something to be said for finding light in any dark situation. There are some who may feel the humour is misplaced.

So I asked McIntosh to explain why she feels it’s important to showcase all sides of her characters, even in horror films.

“For me, life is absurd and funny even in the darkest times. I’m Scottish and Celtic. I have a gallows humour. It’s my style, and it’ll remain my style for sure. Big John Waters fan, and I just wanted some of that absurdity that life brings in horror. In a way, I don’t think I was consciously thinking that people needed relief from the horror. I think it’s just a way that I write.”

She goes on to explain: “There was a lot of wit and humour in ‘The Woman’, too… even in ‘The Woman’. That awful slap that Chris Cleek (Sean Bridgers) gives his wife, people laugh at that. They often laugh nervously. But they laugh, because the cut of it is so brilliantly done - and because the absurdity of that violence coming after the audience is questioning ‘Do you think we really should be doing this? WHACK.’ It’s that uncomfortable kind of humour that was throughout ‘The Woman’, and I relate to that.”

“I don’t feel these things need to be exclusive. And like I say, when life is really tough, often the most absurd things happen. And I think it’s sometimes to remind you that there’s always the day and the night.”

The best stories lean on well-developed characters who are relatable to audiences and have their own voices.

McIntosh took inspiration from some of her own, real life experiences in developing some of the characters.

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This is particularly true of the girls Darlin’ meets along her journey.

“If all the kids in the care home, for instance, had been miserable and depressed and upset about their situation, I didn’t feel you would connect with them as much. And I also think they would remain ‘other’ rather than you seeing yourself and a way into their community - and a way into feeling what they’re feeling. Also, I’ve worked with kids in their situation. I’ve worked a lot in jail, and in foster care with young offenders in jail. And, man, they are some of the funniest people. They’re in such hellish conditions, but they find a way,” said McIntosh.

With her directorial debut well underway, McIntosh took a moment of reflection to offer advice to fellow filmmakers who may be preparing to put out their first film - or even those who are looking for a push to get started.

“Oh my God, it’s such a great time for just doing it and just getting it out there. I think just listen to your own voice and really follow it, and obviously you have to collaborate with people in this industry. That’s one of the most wonderful things about it. But as far as starting to tell your story as a writer or filmmaker, I as an audience member want fresh perspectives. I want to hear from people I haven’t heard from before.

And if a story is important to you, it will be important to somebody else out there. So just go for it,” said McIntosh.

Darlin’ will be released to the wild on July 12th in theaters and video on demand.

McIntosh asked fans to consider supporting her work not just by seeing Darlin’, but also by considering a donation to her charities: the Joshua Nolan Foundation (https://www.joshuanolanfoundation.org) and the Skid Row Housing Trust (http://skidrow.org).

You can also follow her on social media (@pollyannamcintosh on Instagram and @PollyAMcIntosh on Twitter) to stay up to date with her current and future endeavors.

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https://www.deepsilver.com/en/usdead-island-2/

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“Horror on the High Seas and London Duppies” FrightFest 2019 review

By Nina Romain

Saturday 28 August at FrightFest started with “Mary”, a horror-on-the-high-seas, with Brit stalwarts Gary Oldman and Emily Mortimer. Playing an unhappily married couple struggling to survive the wife’s affair, they buy a wrecked ship, called Mary, refurbish the ripped sails and rust, and head out to sea on it. It may have a curse in it involving an angry female sea siren, but it’s still pretty cheap. So getting the whole family on board for a cruise to nowhere will be a great idea... won’t it?

Splicing “Dead Calm” with “Ghost Ship”, this is an entertainingly crazy revamp of the low-budget deserted ship movie. From the beginning the family unwisely decide to take a photo of the ship and instead get a terrifying glimpse of the demented sea siren, too far away from land, the deceptively calm weather stops and the crew start seeing strange glimpses of a black figure about the ship.

Oldman and Mortimer are perfect together, with the former excellent as a bespectacled 60-something family man who just wants to know his wife doesn’t need any one else, and there is “no one else coming up in the review” (mirror), as he puts it, despite her past infidelity.

The director, Michael Goi, took audience questions after the screening, about how difficult it had been to shoot in the Alabama hurricane, and how there had been extra footage shot of the backstory of the original curse and a Bermuda Triangle subplot which sadly never made it to the final cut.

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“Ghost Killers vs Bloody Mary” is a meta Spanish comedy horror about a gang of ramshackle Ghostbusters imitators who make a living filming themselves capturing imaginary fiends in supposedly haunted locations. Despite the fact the “ghost” is their fourth member disguised in a nightdress and long wig.

This goes horribly wrong when their latest case of a killer (“Bathroom Blonde”) in a local school turns out to be unfortunately genuine. They are then captured on camera being pursued by the real (undead) deal.

“The Drone” is a straight splatter comedy, with indie horror darling Alex Essoe - disturbingly good in Los Angeles nightmare “Starry Eyes” - as newlywed Rachel whose husband unwisely brings home a toy drone. This new gadget likes to fly around the house to record its owners’ intimate moments, kills their pet dog, and (somehow) emails the police incriminating evidence about them after murdering their next door neighbour.

One night Rachel decides she’s had enough and gets back home, hubby still at the police station and finds the drone (clearly feeling amorous) has decided to annoy her by decorating the house with rose petals and candles. This attempt to wind her up works; she grabs a broom and invites it to duel to the death: “Come out and play, you little sonuvabitch!” Hilariously tasteless and ridiculously funny, this is a wisecracking, crazy, dysto-nightmare. There’s also a gruesome death in the kitchen which pays tongue in cheek homage to “The Terminator” murder of Ginger by the fridge, which makes it worth seeing for that alone.

Brit horror-comedy premiere “Are We Dead Yet?” sees a gang of lovably inept London criminals on one last raid, hiding in a haunted castle to evade the police. They find themselves in the middle of a curse which needs to be lifted, but the film ends with them in a New York bar, celebrating their ill-gotten gains. One of the criminals glances up to the ceiling to see the remains of an antique china doll staring at them and realises the curse has followed them - leading to possibly the sequel Director Fredi Nwaka said: “It was great to have our film premiere at FrightFest, and get our actors and crew in front of a crowd of horrorhounds. All those freezing night shoots in freezing cold castles last year was worth it to hear the applause and the questions we got at the end of the screening!”

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Fredi Nwaka continues to say, “It’s not a traditional horror comedy in that it features serious actors as well as musicians, social media influencers and comedians. The black culture generally have very little to do with the horror genre and ‘duppies’ (ghosts) as we call it so I wanted to play on this.

“People wanted to know will there be an ”Are We Dead Yet?” sequel and what we are going to shoot next - it was great to get so much positive feedback. It inspired me to start writing my next horror!”

Mary: 7.0/10.0

The Drone : 7.0/10.0

Ghost Killers vs Bloody Mary : 5.0/10.0

Are We Dead Yet? : 7.0/10.0

Review by Nina Romain

Interview by Nina Romain

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https://www.weirdtales.com/ https://www.facebook.com/weirdtalesmagazineonline https://www.twitter.com/weirdtales Page 42

SILENT STUDIOS PRODUCTIONS RELEASE OFFICIAL GREEN BAND TRAILER FOR their new film “acid pit stop” youtube link- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xX9H562LYAw

“A rave in a deserted warehouse, the perfect place to introduce a NEW designer drug – right? Two young blokes, alongside two girls picked up en route, quickly discover just how wrong they were. With Users turning, blood gushing and body parts flying Will there be anyone left alive amongst the undead?” more details to come on this film #acidpitstop

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GEORGE A ROMERO’S: NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD LIVE!

Review By Tony Jones

Romero’s Night of the Living Dead… LIVE! Played for laughs, jump-scares and even a song.

There may well be more than one stage version of George A Romero’s (1968) cult-classic zombie flick doing the rounds, but this review is of the production showing in London from April-June 2019 at the Pleasance Theatre, which was written by Christopher Bond, Dale Boyer and Trevor Martin and created

by Christopher Harrison and Phil Pattinson. If you’re reading this I’ll presume you’re familiar with the Romero film on which this inventive comedy is based upon. I am not going to make many references to the film or fill you in on what should be very familiar territory, except for way of comparison with this play.

It really was a production of two halves; the first of which stays relatively close to the film, the black main character, Ben (Ashley Samuels), in particular plays it with a straight bat with much of the other cast hamming it up around him. This version of Ben is the closest thing you get to Romero’s film in this production.

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The second part was a major departure from the film and came dangerously close to overstaying its welcome with six (or was it seven?) ‘what if?’ sliding door scenarios which had me looking at my watch.

Thankfully they got shorter (and more farcical) as they went along and effectively these alternatives tried to play out scenarios where things might have ended differently for Ben and the others trapped in the farmhouse. A couple of the funniest included; ‘what if’ an all-American (white) boy was in charge? A second; ‘what if’ the women were in change? A third; ‘what if’ everyone hid in the cellar as the obnoxious character Harry (Marc Pickering) always wanted to do in the film causing much friction with Ben? In between each scenario the stage revolved and off we went again, one time too many perhaps? Probably.

Even if most featured sly digs on stereotypes we often see in modern cinema, it went on a bit. With the farce, any tension which existed at the interval disappeared.

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Right from the start we know we are going to be viewing ‘what if’ episodes, as the play opens with Ben being shockingly shot before flashing back to when he earlier arrived in the house and is quickly joined

by Barbra (Mari McGinlay) who is in shock after being chased by one of the ghouls (the zombie word is never used) and is then joined by Jennifer Harding who plays both Helen and Judy. After a while Barbra grated with a high-pitched whine of a voice which mimicked comedy stars of the period. The ‘what if’ scenario may well have been used purely because it is very difficult to turn a trashy ninety-minute film into a two-hour play; especially when a significant number of the scenes from the film are played off stage, such as the attempted escape to the car. However, the set cleverly plays some of these scenes behind a set screen which worked very well. The murders committed by the infected little girl are handled the same way.

Bizarrely, there were twenty (top priced tickets!) audience seats slap bang in the middle of the stage in four groups of five. These audience members were wearing grey boiler suits to fit into the monochrome style of the set, but also because of the splatter effect. From what we saw few of the audience on stage were covered with anything in the way of gunk and we were sitting in the front row “splatter” seats, just a few feet from the action, and never got a sniff of a drop, so this was a bit off a miss-sell. Near the end of the production a couple of corpses were ripped apart over those on stage, but that was it. Also, having these people sniggering away on stage also reduced any serious atmosphere the play might have. Also, depending on how the stage had revolved they blocked certain views of the main audience which was a bit dumb. The actors were all in monochrome make-up and these audience members really stood out because they were so human pink! It’s not even as if any zombies (sorry ghouls) wandered on stage to give them a fright!

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Onto the ghouls…. Or lack of them. They shuffled around behind the stage, the odd hand came through a fake door, or the occasional well-choreographed fight scene, otherwise they were entirely absent, which was a shame considering this was a play about zombies. I appreciate this was mainly played for slapstick laughs, but it lacked any scares apart from the odd jump with the lights going off and on, or the excellent use of sound. There was potential for decent scares as the eerie monochrome setting of the farmhouse was great.

Unless they know exactly what they are letting themselves in for, diehard fans may well be disappointed in a production which puts comedy above horror, and there were several occasions when I was not sure whether this was intentional. It certainly had some very funny moments, such as the recreation of the scene from the film where they watch television and get an update on what’s going on. This is played completely for laughs and a giant TV is wheeled on and a couple of the actors become the ‘live’ newsreaders. It ended with a song, the sort of the thing you might expect to hear in The Little Shop of Horrors or The Toxic Avenger musical, this was good fun and finished the whole thing on a light high. We could almost forget we had seen the entire cast killed eight times in total (or was it nine?) Who is counting?

The London run has now finished but keep an eye out for the show should it go on tour around the UK or elsewhere. I gave it seven stars, my thirteen-year-old daughter gave it nine stars, so we’ll settle for 8 dead hands.

Tony Jones

8.0 / 10.0

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CHRISTOPHER LEE : A TRIBUTE FROM JOE YOUNG

There are few actors who could be referred to as true icons of the motion picture industry; yet one such actor has achieved the sort of iconic status which eclipses that of his contemporaries. Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee, a Knight Commander of the British Empire had been nominated for 30 awards, of which he won 22, including the BAFTA Fellowship Award in 2011, the British Film Institute’s Fellowship award in 2013 and in 1995 he was awarded the Bram Stoker Lifetime Achievement Award.

His filmography is extraordinary, having earned a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for being in 281 productions during a span of 70 years. He has played such diverse roles as a spear carrier in a production of Hamlet, the painter George Seurat in Moulin Rouge and so many other performances that just to list them would take several pages.

Aside from the role of the evil Saruman in the Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, which has given him global modern-day exposure, he has played villains such as Francisco Scaramanga in the 1974 James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun, he was the villainous Count Dooku in two of the Star Wars prequels and a singing super villain in The Return of Captain Invincible, however, in spite of his major success in the motion picture industry in general it is for many of us of a certain age the field of horror movies for which Christopher Lee is truly notable I do believe it would be difficult to argue a stronger case for a greater movie villain, as Christopher Lee is globally acknowledged as the personification of Count Dracula. (Meaning no disrespect to Bela Lugosi.) It is Christopher Lee’s portrayal of Dracula, which firmly cemented his place in horror history and I believe that role to have been crucial in the re-popularisation of the Horror Movie genre. The Hammer Film company for a while was synonymous with horror, and Sir Christopher Lee was undoubtedly the huge draw for that company and for the movie-goers alike.

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The Curse of Frankenstein was Christopher Lee’s first horror for Hammer film productions bringing together two of the all-time greats as Lee’s co-star was the late Peter Cushing as Baron Frankenstein to Lee’s Monster. It was Hammer’s second horror production, Dracula which broke box office records in the UK and established Christopher Lee as the Zeus in the Hammer Horror Pantheon. It was an astonishing performance which still holds up so well that modern horror junkies still get his snarling visage as tattoos. The film also starred Lee’s Curse of Frankenstein co-star Peter Cushing, only this time in the role of Dracula’s nemesis Van Helsing. This was a match made in heaven and forged in the flames of hell as they appeared in several more offerings from the Hammer franchise until the mid-70s.

Christopher Lee appeared in a total of 8 Dracula movies, epitomising the very essence of elegant and intelligent evil.

The same intelligent evil is clearly apparent in the cult classic film The Wicker Man, in which he played Lord Summerisle, the leader of a very unusual island community.

In recent years, Christopher Lee brought his tall, dark and twisted gravitas to the role of Saruman in The Lord of The Rings Trilogy, his award-winning performance so powerful that no one would suspect that he was an ailing 79-year-old, not that that stopped him, he was still working up until his death. It says a lot for Sir Christopher’s character that at a time when most people are drawing a pension he was still on screen, drawing blood.

Suave and erudite Christopher Lee was, and always will be, a colossus of the silver screen. I would say that I will miss him, but I watch his films so often that he will always be a part of my life.

Rest In Peace, Sir Christopher Lee.

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genoveva rossi’s Screaming corner

Talks about Apocalpyse Kiss with DC Douglas and Christian Jude Grillo Apocalypse Kiss was just re-released and is now available online on Amazon Prime, so I thought it would be a great time to talk about the film and interview the star D.C. Douglas and director Christian Jude Grillo. Apocalypse Kiss is a different kind of film for me; it encompasses the sci-fi, suspense and horror genres. It was not only a chance for me to play a part completely different than anything I had done before, but it was also a chance to be in a film with such talents as Michael Berryman (The Hills Have Eyes), Tom Atkins (Lethal Weapon), and D. C. Douglas (Resident Evil). I play Clara, a very pregnant hippie working at a café the main characters have some important scenes at. It was a challenging role that included me giving birth on film.

I remember walking onto the set and seeing D. C. Douglas for the first time. I have to admit he looked rather striking as his serial killer character, Adrian. For the role, Douglas has his hair dyed a gorgeous shade of blonde and he was bronzed with a luminous fake tan over his whole body. On set, I decided to go over and introduce myself to Douglas. At first, he thought we had already met because I looked so familiar to him. Then it hit him, he had seen me before! He’d seen the footage of my birth scene. He told me that I did a great job and that “no one gives birth like you Genoveva.” I was very flattered that such an accomplished actor was impressed by my work.

It was such a fantastic experience working with the entire cast and crew of this film. Christian Jude Grillo is a great director. His wife Carmela Hayslett Grillo and Tammy Jean were wonderful as the lesbian murderers that add a lot of spice to the film. Their scenes are very edgy, and disturbing.

“It was one of the best experiences I ever had working on a film. Everyone on the cast and crew were so in sync with each other. We all supported each other and helped each other. We were like one, big, creative, happy family,” recalled Carmela Hayslett Grillo.

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“Well, it was cold! lol I swear it was colder inside than outside. But those are the sacrifices you make on a small budget film. We had heaters but they made so much noise you couldn’t use them when you were filming. I remember the coldest night was the sex scene with Plex and it was daylight savings time so by the time we left that night it was like 4am. And everyone kept asking me between takes if I was ok, and I just kept saying, I’m fine, just keep shooting. But you couldn’t have picked a better set to fit the movie. That old mill was perfect and they completely transformed parts of the inside at times for different scenes. I was flattered Christian took a chance on me because it was my first major speaking role. It definitely will always be remembered as the kick off acting wise for any roles to come for me in the future,” remembers Tammy Jean.

An Interview with D.C. Douglas Genoveva: How did you come to get involved in the film Apocalypse Kiss?

D.C.: I got an offer to be in it via my agent. Out of the blue! Turned out it was due to Carmela Hayslett who was a fan of my work as a voice over actor in the “Resident Evil” franchise. I voice the villain Albert Wesker. They offered me the choice of two roles and I opted for the delicious role of Adrian.

Genoveva: This was a really unique role for you and you give a powerful performance. A serial killer with OCD and you do have a sexy scene or two in the film. You looked fabulous as Adrian. Tell us a bit about how you prepared for the role?

D.C.: Well shucks! Thank you. Well, knowing my butt would be seen on camera I immediatly set up a training schedule in the gym and got my middle-aged body into something film-able over the 6 months prior. Closer to the production dates I mentioned to the director that since the film is futuristic and the only reason I’m in it is because they loved me as Albert Wesker - why not have me blonde like him? They were stoked so I went VERY blonde and tanned up, as well. I was going to change my eye color but one of the contacts didn’t fit right so I said, “cool! He’s like David Bowie, but he hates his ugly brown eye!”

The director, Christian Grillo, was very cool to work with and gave me freedom with my dialogue (I had a lot of long lines, etc) so I was able to explore Adrian’s quirks and desires even deeper. And having the couple months with the final script helped out a lot. Very different than my TV gigs and especially voice overs.

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Genoveva: What were some highlights of working on the film?

D.C.: Having the costumer from the film “Tommy” dress me?! That was cool. To be honest, I loved every bit of it. The whole crew and cast were great to hang with, and Christian’s ingenuity with camera and sets is astounding. And so damn smart. They rented an abandoned mill and converted it into a multi-level film studio!

Genoveva: I was recently on a date with a Resident Evil fan and he was a big fan of yours. Can you tell us a bit about your amazing career? Perhaps some of the things you are most proud of.

D.C.: You’re very kind, but I think of my career as your average unknown actor career in LA! Aside from AK, I really am excited to see “Isle of the Dead” on SyFy later this year. I play the main antagonist in this and had a blast being rather neurotic and dangerous. I also am very proud of my film short, “The Crooked Eye,” which is narrated by Academy Award winner Linda Hunt. You can find it on iTunes. TV wise there’s “Boston Common” - a sitcom in the 90’s where I played “DC” in 11 episodes. In voice over, I always have to tip my hat to “Resident Evil” and “Mass Effect” since they brought me so many fans. And, of course, my first and only series regular role as Chase on “Transformers: Rescue Bots!”

Genoveva: Also let us know what to look for you in and how to follow you. What are some of your current projects and where are you appearing?

D.C.: I mentioned “Isle of the Dead” with Joey Lawrence, Maryse MIzanin and myself. I have a small disturbing cameo in “Smartass” with Joey King. I can also be seen in the recently released “KILD TV” as Milton/Dr Preseco. That’s a fun one for horror fans. You find out more about upcoming projects at www.dcdouglas.com, on twitter @DC_Douglas and on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/mrdcdouglas

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An Interview With Director Christian Jude Grillo Genoveva: What is your background in filmmaking? How did you get started?

Christian: I started with a background in music. When not in a band, the music that I composed in the earliest days of computer recording sounded most like soundtracks to a film. I always loved the way that music played an integral part of telling a story. Wanting to do a film score wasn’t enough. I needed a film to score. So I wrote and produced my first feature film “Belial”. This was the beginning of my film career.

Genoveva: Can you tell us about about how the original idea for the script was born? What was your creative process?

Christian: We had finished “Deer Crossing”, our film with Doug Bradley and Ernie Hudson. As happy as I was with this movie, I felt that I hadn’t reached for the stars yet (mind the pun) and I felt that as a director/writer I was ready to go big or stop trying. My favorite genre has always been Sci-Fi, but “dark” Sci-Fi. I have always been utterly impressed by Richard Stanley’s film “Hardware”. This was a low budget concept that honestly is amazing visually and creates a distopian world with small sets and a perfect soundtrack. It’s a metal head’s sci-fi. But doing another “Hardware” kind of film would not be enough at this point in time, I wanted the BIG PICTURE feel. I wanted “Blade Runner”. So I began to write a pre-apocalypse film with the heart of “Hardware” and the look of a “poor man’s” “Blade Runner”. The only problem was, there isn’t as much of an outlet for free press for indie Sci-Fi as there is for horror, so... I had to write in a horror element, that’s where the battling serial killers came into play. I have an odd way of writing... I come up with a name first and build the story from it. With a name like Apocalypse Kiss, the story had to be “end of world”, “sexy” and stylish.

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Genoveva: One of the most striking things about this film is how visually stunning it is. Tell us a bit about the construction of sets, art direction, and wardrobe design.

Christian: Well, if I was gonna go big... I had to really give it everything I had. This means that using the world around me would not be enough. There had to be completely fabricated locations in this movie that set it apart from the normal everyday. The sets in Apocalypse Kiss are characters in themselves. In the entire film we constructed nine sets, two of these sets were over 40 feet long. Here’s the problem, we only had about three thousand dollars to build all of these sets.

The majority of the sets were built out of cheap construction materials. I scheduled the shooting days so that we could tear down a set and use it’s pieces to construct new ones during production.

The art design was that of an aged world that lost it’s infrastructure. I wanted the sets of Apocalypse Kiss to feel used, rusted and held together like a flea market vending area. This look and design also works well when you have no money.

As far as the wardrobe goes, I felt that I can’t build a new world without creating the look and fashion of it’s people. I hired a local well known wardrobe designer Leonard Pollack to handle the fabrication of some of the special pieces like “The Wizard’s Robe”. Leonard was also responsible for wardrobe management on each shooting date based off of a wardrobe chart that I put together for him. One of the other notable things about Apocalypse Kiss is that every person in the movie was in a wardrobe that either I or Leonard put together. There were 35 extras and over 20 cast members in Apocalypse Kiss so that was no small task.

Genoveva: You assembled a truly amazing cast including: Michael Berryman, Tom Atkins and D. C. Douglas. What was the casting process like? Any fun stories you’d like to share from set?

Christian: Well as you can imagine we didn’t have a lot of budget for big names, but I wanted some recognizable faces in the film to help it sell. We decided in true Apocalypse Kiss fashion to go for many small genre names instead of a couple bigger names. The Name Genre cast was made up of D.C. Douglas (a video game voice over legend), Lloyd Kaufman (The godfather of indie film making and my personal hero), Michael Berryman (Horror Icon/Sci-Fi legend), Tom Atkins (Hollywood Cop), and Steven Blum (another great cartoon and video game name). I figured with this ensemble of genre players I had a better chance of spreading the word at conventions than any other in my league. As far as funny stories...

Lloyd Kaufman came onto set shooting his own behind the scenes short film for Troma about the level of our low budget set building. You can see this at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAzCqAwCEg4

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Genoveva: What do you think makes Apocalypse Kiss unique in the world of indie film?

Christian: I like to believe that the story is unique, most people get distracted trying to judge the film against the likes of multi-million dollar films like Blade Runner, Equilibrium, Star wars, and so on. I heard comparisons of all kinds. But the fact is, the world that we created in AK is the backdrop. The characters of Apocalypse Kiss and the story they tell are what I think are unique. Future killers with different agendas fighting for their own piece of a dying world and a broken cop caught in the middle. Tie in the fact that the entire budget of Apocalypse Kiss was $35,000 and that makes it the most unique movie on the planet. Show me a film made for that budget that’s as ambitious.

Genoveva: Where can film fans see Apocalypse Kiss?

Christian: Well with our New Distributor, SGL Entertainment, Apocalypse Kiss is now available on AMAZON Prime. It will also be available for purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD this January.

Genoveva: Tell us a bit about your creative collaborations with your wife Carmela Hayslett-Grillo and the future of Potent Media.

Christian: Carmela and I have always taken on many different roles on each others projects. Sometimes we co-write, sometimes we co-direct. She plays different roles in my films that I direct and I shoot her short films and web series.

As far as what is coming in the future, I am beginning production of my first TV Series, LAW OF PERDITION that will be going direct to Amazon Prime through our distributor SGL Entertainment. Carmela is beginning production simultaneously on ROXSY’s HOUSE OF HORRORS, her new web series that is a docu-comedy in the style of Modern Family and The Office with the Horror/Comedy antics of the Roxsy Tyler team.

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Fancy having a zombie portrait done and be published in the magazine.

Well contact Jason Wright Photography and become a zombie tomorrow.

Email: jason@silent-studios.co.uk

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Katrina Grey: SCREAM QUEEN INTERVIEW

Interview By SJ Lykana

Hi Katrina, and welcome to The Digital Dead Magazine.

1. I have read that you began studying performing arts from an early age in various locations around the world. Could you tell us a little about that?

I started with theatre when I was 5 years old, I did my first theatre play as a ladybug. In elementary school I went to a local school in Ilava, School of performing arts where I took singing, dancing and acting classes, and learnt how to play the accordion. In high school, Gymnazium Ludovita Stura, in Trencin I got a scholarship to study in Mexico where I continued doing high school musicals at Colegio De Chihuahua in Chihuahua. All my life I pursued acting as a hobby alongside my studies. I also got a bachelor degree in International Development Studies and I am currently finishing a master degree in the same field in Mendel University Brno, Czech Republic. When I started to study at University, I got another scholarship to live, study and work around the world. I went to Hawaii as well, where I started with modelling, later on to Thailand where I started my full time acting career while doing modelling.

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2. What inspired you to become an actor?

I always wanted to do different things in life; be a lawyer, astronaut, soldier, police officer, travel the world and be an actress and play different characters. So, basically everything else I did in life led to it and it came naturally to me in the form of acting. It found its way. Since I was little I was obsessed with horrors - Tales from the Crypt, Alfred Hitchock, Alien, Predator, reading Agatha Christie books and also growing up watching Star Wars and Star Gate and others, Hercules and Xena. So, I would say what I watched shaped my mind and inspired me to do similar things in life. I have always liked to perform in front of people, I had no fear to do so anywhere, anytime, so I guess this lifestyle and choice was the only way.

3. You have a movie in post-production, Daytime Nightmare, in which not only do you star, you are also director and writer! Can you tell us a little about the plot of the movie?

So, basically Daytime Nightmare is the concept I had in mind for about two years, I had to get it out of my system! I started as an actress, so it was not easy to get funding for my first feature film. I had to take the destiny into my own hands and do it all myself. It again happened naturally, right time, right place. I wrote the film, teamed up with an awesome professional team of crew who believed in the project, including Yan Frame, cinematographer, who was was the first person I teamed up with, then put an amazing team of great actors together, did all pre-production and then the camera was rolling. I wanted to tell the story of Daytime Nightmare, as being an actress I knew the whole script by memory and therefore I was director’s only choice for this project, haha. I have other scripts in development but this one was possible for me to do at the time and its my pilot project, directorial and also as a writer. Now a little bit later down the road, finishing the post production, currently working on sound, done by sound engineer and composer Randy Kalsi, who is also executive producer. Daytime Nightmare is going to be ready for festivals from autumn 2019.

Logline is: Lucy’s life changes when her own mind turns against her and her nightmares become her daymares. Its written as psychological drama/thriller and explores my own real nightmares that I wanted to recreate into form of a film that are set in fictional story. Kind of a twisted autobiography in a creative way. Through this story I want to speak to people who have experienced it by themselves and I am sure people will find similarities and can relate to it.

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4. Can you tell us about the character you play in Daytime Nightmare?

Lucy is the main character. I don’t want to give out much before the movie is out, but the trailer will be coming soon so people can get a feeling of it. Lucy is surely lovable, one of us and you can experience the story through her eyes.

5. Being an actor along with writer and director, what was the biggest challenge you faced while working on this movie?

I enjoyed every bit of it, the whole production went well because I did lot of preparation in pre-production. I would say a challenge for this picture was lack of a crew because we were working on limited budget, which I am hoping to change in my next project. So, definitely if I had lot more crew everything would be even better. Otherwise it was an amazing experience, as long as you have it planned perfectly nothing can go wrong or you are prepared for any kind of challenge during shooting which happens all the time.

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6. Did you do any special preparation for your role in the movie?

Well, I think special preparation was already in writing the script myself, so I had a character in mind and in my head already. Otherwise I learnt everything in advance and also before shooting we had table reading with actors and I did script breakdown separately together and with each other to make sure everyone was ready for the shoot because we had to be ready during shooting.

7. Where was Daytime Nightmare filmed?

It was filmed in studio and also in Thailand and post production is being done in UK. 8. What inspired you to write Daytime Nightmare?

My own nightmares that I wanted to recreate in real life. I have very vivid dreams every night and I remember them in detail. There is this disorder called Nightmare disorder which is referred to by doctors as a parasomnia - a type of sleep disorder that involves undesirable experiences that occur while you’re falling asleep, during sleep or when you’re waking up. I wanted to connect the movie with this Nightmare Disorder, it has never been done and I wanted to speak to audiences that can relate to it after watching.

9. Do you have a release date for Daytime Nightmare?

I don’t have a release date yet but its autumn 2019, currently working on the trailer, finished colour and VFX and now doing last sound with Randy Kalsi from London, UK, who is sound engineer, music producer and composer/songwriter. He does the whole sound post-production himself, including sound FX, folie, sound editing and sound mixing and original theme music and songs for Daytime Nightmare, he is incredibly talented and professional.

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10. You have been very successful in modelling and acting, what made you want to try writing?

I travelled in many countries, also lived abroad since I was 16 years old, I have many stories either from my own life or that inspire me and I wanna tell these stories. One of the main reasons for writing is to create roles for myself as well, but mostly tell the stories, either fictional or inspired by real life. I like modelling, it has been my living for the past, almost, 6 years and thanks to it I could fund Daytime Nightmare, and I met lot of people from industry thanks to it. To be honest, I never knew I could write, I tried it and did it, I haven’t studied script writing nor did any prior research how to do so, I just knew how the script works from reading them as an actress and I had a story to tell, so writing a movie is all about structure and imagination and storytelling.

11. How do you get started in writing a movie? Were you approached to write it or did you approach somebody with your idea?

I haven’t approached anyone. I had a topic and inspiration that I wanted to write about and include, and the story came to me naturally. I wrote the whole script in 7 days and then did changes. With my other scripts, its a bit similar, I come up with a story, then characters, then write synopsis, plus logline, then I come up with proper beats and scenes, and then I go back and redo synopsis and then write script and logline again. Lots of back and forth. After I shot Daytime Nightmare, I attended courses on Raindance film school about scriptwriting and producing but also I read Save the Cat book which helped me give it a structure in my head. So after I did the movie I actually did some studies about scriptwriting so I can improve in writing for my next projects that I am developing.

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12. You starred in Rich Ragsdale’s 2017 horror thriller, Ghost House. What is the movie about?

Ghost house; it was an amazing experience to be in that movie, its currently on Netflix. Same year I starred in Hard Target 2 alongside Scott Adkins. Ghost House was filmed in Thailand and the Ragsdales brothers are a great team that produced this movie. Its about little ghost houses that people in Thailand have in front of their houses or near trees to protect from bad ghosts and respect them. So, its real thing in Thailand, people believe in ghosts who are basically lost souls and some of them are bad and some good. Don’t disrespect them otherwise they harm you and haunt you! :) Check the movie out its awesome and also received very good feedback all around the world playing in theatres. Including Malaysia, it was huge success; I got contacted by Malaysian director, Ray Lee, who casted me in his zombie action/horror movie called, Belaban Hidup, which was shot in June 2019 coming to theatres in Asia very soon.

13. Who do you play in this movie?

I play the girlfriend of one of the main characters, Robert, played by Russell Geoffrey Banks. Check it out its currently on Netflix if you like ghost movies, this one you will enjoy.

14. Ghost House had quite a famous line up. Along with yourself the cast included; Scout Taylor Compton, James Landry Herbert and Mark Boone Junior. How did it feel starring alongside them?

They were very lovely from the first moment we met on set. Whole team was amazing and the shooting was extremely professional and enjoyable, that’s what happens when you work with the best ones and good people.

15. The movie was set in Thailand, did you get to spend much time on location?

I have been living between London and Thailand for past 5 years so its my second home. I know people, the locations, I’ve shot hundreds of TV commercials in Thailand.

16. Over the last few years exploring the legend of ghost houses has become quite a popular topic for movies and books.

Do you believe in the supernatural and, if so, have you ever had a supernatural experience?

I, for sure, believe in the supernatural but I did not have any experience myself. I did have a fortune teller reading my future and everything she told me happened, so I guess this is closest I got to supernatural. But I do believe that some souls stay on earth wandering if they have unfinished business, or just because they want to, in energy around us. There is so much we don’t know about the universe, anything is possible. We can ask extra-terrestrials one day.

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17. I’ve been working in the horror industry as a journalist, writer and artist for six years now. I have found the community and fans to be very supportive. Have you experienced it the same way?

Yes, I feel that too. Horror community is relatively new to me as I got into it recently, but they are extremely supportive and its really amazing how fans of horror can get together in full power. Some of my next horror projects are Hostel Paradise , Zombocalypse and Death Realm that I am developing now, so I will do my best not to disappoint horror fans.

18. You are highly educated, talented and beautiful. Between acting, writing and directing you are an inspiration as a woman in horror. How do you feel about that?

I am not sure how I feel to be honest, I just hope I am inspiring others to do things they love and that makes them happy.

That is what I do, what is my passion and what makes me happy. And I will do my best to give life to all of my projects in development and turn them into movies, lets see what the future brings.

19. As a successful woman in horror, what advice would you give a woman just starting out in their career?

Success is relative term, it means different things to different people. For sure Daytime Nightmare makes me happy because the project got made and will soon to be out, but that’s not where I am gonna stop, I will keep going, so I guess for me success would be to make it for the rest of my life to do this.

As for advice I could give is; to just find out what is it that you exactly wanna do in life, and do everything that will lead to it and that is related to it and never give up, you will fall many times, make mistakes, that’s what is gonna shape you as a person. And never compare yourself to others, they are on another stage of their path as you are, so try to set your own path and goals, and follow them.

20. You starred in Takashi Hirose’s 2018 Japanese Horror, Brutal. Would you tell us a little about the plot?

Takashi has strong fantasy as director in horor, its definitely something dfferent from any typical horror. Its available on Amazon so check it out if you are ready to see some crazy, bloody, serial killer drama and how his mind works. Its very graphic!

21.

Who do you play in this movie?

I play a tourist in Japan, a victim. It was awesome shooting in Tokyo, I loved it. Also the team and the other actors amazing experience.

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22. I’ve read in some of your previous interviews about you being a method actor, did you have to do any special preparation for this role?

I did method acting training, for Brutal I did not do special preparation but I did as an actor for Daytime Nightmare.

23. Do you find Japanese horror more extreme than stereotypical American horror? Do you find it more violent or frightening?

Definitely. Japanese horror is extreme, brutal and graphic, completely different from American movies. For sure, more violent and frightening because they often go deep into the killers mind and his reasons for his actions, and they show a lot of details.

24. Where can our readers watch Brutal?

Currently available on Amazon.

25. Also, in 2018, you starred in Yeng Tha Her’s, Vampire Reborn. Can you tell us a bit about the plot?

Yeng Tha is known for making movies in hmong language for hmong people worldwide. This is also one of the traditional tales from their culture about vampires.

26. What can you tell us about the character you play in this movie?

Police officer that kicks asses, hehe.

27. Did your role require any special preparation or training?

Well, I have fight scenes in the movie so yes I had to train and prepare for them. I trained with Ron Smoorenburg who is also in the movie.

28. Where was Vampire Reborn filmed?

It was filmed in the jungle of Thailand.

29. Were you a fan of vampire movies before making Vampire Reborn?

I love vampire movies! I would love to do more action movies and sci-fi and fantasy for sure.

30. You have starred in a variety of genres. What is your favourite type of movie to work on?

My favourite are thrillers, action, sci-fi and fantasy. So, definitely would like to do more of these, travel through the universe, fight with aliens or elves, or be one of them. Including historical movies.

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31. Have you ever been required to do any stunts in movies?

Yes, well, in the recent movie Malaysian Zombie Infeksi - Belaban Hidup directed by Ray Lee, I did on screen fighting scenes, also as in two previous movies directed by Yeng Tha because my character was a figher but I do like to fight on screen. I love it.

32. What has been your most challenging role?

So far I would say would be Daytime Nightmare as Lucy. Since I did many roles in the same time, it was challenging for me, for sure. But I loved the role.

33. Katrina, we are major zombie fans here at The Digital Dead. Personally, I love to ask people I meet some fun zombie questions.

Sure! I am a big fan of zombie movies too, I love Shawn of the dead, World War Z, big time fan, and also Dawn of the Dead. I’ve seen almost all zombie movies, even my life motto is: Zombies were people too.

34. Imagine the scene…You awaken one morning to discover a chemical spill near the water supply has caused an outbreak. As a result, people have turned into crazed zombie’s hell bent on one thing… Eating what’s left of the human race.

This sounds like my regular dreaming night! I often dream about the zombie apocalypse and what do I do next. Usually the story goes differently and changes depending on where it is happening and who is in the dream. But for sure this is the concept I am developing myself in my next movie.

35. You need a weapon. But you only have items from your home. What do you use?

I need something long! Knife wont do. Firstly I would cover my arms and body to prevent bites! Most likely would be either long cutting scissors or how you call it for gardening, or gardening object long and hard something that does not break easily, it wont kill them but enough to push away or hit head - aiming for head and throat!

36. Now you need a survival buddy. If you could choose any character from any TV show or movie to help you, who would you choose?

Hmm... if from TV show then someone who can survive all that - Will Smith, or Brad Pitt, they seem to know what to do haha. Plus they are two of my favourite actors.

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37. Imagine the outbreak got out of hand. Society eventually breaks down. What would you miss most about civilisation?

I guess I would eventually get my own water, would produce my own alcohol and grow my food. Make most of the stuff at home. Not sure what would happen with electricity and how much would be available. I would miss cinema and TV, chocolate products, electricity - technology and probably telephones will not work, so that one too.

38. Horror fans are amazing. Do you get much interaction from your fans?

I do with some, I haven’t worked on enough horror movies, but I am hoping to connect with more fans, maybe after my newest projects will come out produced this year 2019, including Daytime Nightmare.

39. Are you planning on appearing at any conventions?

As for now I don’t have a plan, but once I know what is happening with Daytime Nightmare I will know more. All the info about me and my movie will be surely posted on Daytime Nightmare fan page and also my own fan page Katrina Grey on facebook, I post there all my recent work, projects etc.

40. Katrina, you have achieved so much at a young age. What is next for you?

For me, next is to release Daytime Nightmare, afterwards produce and direct my other projects written by me, such as thrillers; Hostel Paradise, Zombocalypse, Death Realm, Ulterior Order, Gap Year, Stranded. Also period movies; Unforgotten Legend and Pipina and also documentary Lost Underwater, and also have few more projects in development.

Hopefully produce them one by one. Feel free to check out www.greyfilms.co.uk about upcoming projects, also we have fanpage on facebook.

Katrina Grey, it has been a pleasure to interview you. Thank you for taking time out for The Digital Dead Magazine.

Thank you very much as well. Attaching below links to my social media if you could include please. Thank you so much

Katrina Grey Official Website: http://katrinagrey.com Grey Films: www.greyfilms.co.uk Katrina Grey Acting Showreel: https://youtu.be/DKcwy6osxkE Katrina Grey IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6593421/ Katrina Grey FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/katrinagreyofficial/ Katrina Grey Twitter: https://twitter.com/katrina_grey Katrina Grey Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katrina_grey/ Katrina Grey Spotlight resume: https://www.spotlight.com/interactive/cv/2854-3427-1167

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alternative photo shoot gallery Our NEW feature Horror Art will showcase some galleries from artists within the Silent Studios Productions group and others that show a flare for horror. This gallery is dedicated to Jade, Hannah and PiggyMouth as they show off their alternative photo shoot.

These photos were shot and edited by photographer and artist Jason Wright.

Silent Studios Productions has a small team of people always doing more and more horror work so if you have any suggestions for future shoots or wish to get involved please email jason@silent-studios.co.uk.

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MORE HORROR ART COMING IN THE NEXT ISSUE Page 79

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10 Questions With Aussie Filmmaker David Black

Review By: Jim Morazzini

Recently I had the chance to run a few questions past him on his seemingly endless slate of projects. I’m not sure how he finds the time for all of them, let alone to answer my questions.

1) Give us a little background on yourself and how you got into the entertainment industry.

I was into art, craft, music, and theatre way back in my school days. So much so that the teachers accused me of doing those subjects to get out of doing the “real ones”. I was banned from doing art, craft, joining in with the choir and being in the stage plays when I was 15. I then started doing my own projects outside of school. I drew my first underground comics by the time I was 16, photocopied and stapled around 100 and distributed them to local shops. By age 17, I was also playing in a Punk band called Thrush and we were gigging around town by the time I was 18.

2) You were in the band Darkness Visible and did some videos for them before cancer sidelined you for a few years.

Was that where your interest in short films, as opposed to features, came from?

Producing music videos for Darkness Visible was the same process for producing short films. I didn’t realize that though until I was invited to be an extra in an indie feature movie called Cult Girls. That invite itself came about because the filmmaker, Mark Bakaitis, was also a musician and I’d met him through Darkness Visible. In that way, the music videos did lead to doing short films. There is a new Darkness Visible video being planned now, by one of the filmmakers that I’ve met in my shoots. Vixey The will be taking the 1996 recording of Forbidden Knowledge and making a brand new music video, so it all comes full circle too!

3) You got two of your shorts, “Cannibal Barbecue” and “Dark Night of the Zomboogies” onto the Grindsploitation 666 anthology. That ended up being released by Troma. Was that what led to you getting your chance to have more of your films shown in the US? Definitely. Every goal scored like that increased my chances of getting people to take my approaches seriously. Every outlet for films, whether it be a VOD site, a TV show or a releasing house, is barraged by enthusiastic filmmakers wanting to get their product out there. Articles like this one also help filmmakers get taken seriously too. Having my films released on these DVD anthologies gave me enough of a profile to start getting my short films shown before the features at cinemas in the USA and England.

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4) Your films are currently running on Sinema Obscura and Dr San Guinary’s Creature Feature. Can you tell us what films are showing on which?

Sinema Obscura are running the trailer for my horror feature “Badass Bunyip” with this series and in the next, they will be showing “Sex Doll”, “Life, Love and Death” and showing the Darkness Visible music video “Inquisition.” Sinema Obscura also shows movies at the Logan Theatre and it was through them showing my shorts that led to them including me on their cable TV show.

Dr. San Guinary’s Creature Feature shows on broadcast TV on Fox KPTM 42.2 in Omaha. They’ll be showing “Malevolent Pursuit.” This one was directed by Glen Cook, who has worked with me on many of my films as a gaffer and sometimes as an actor. It’s a Noir thriller that seeks to get into the mind of a psycho killer.

5) Are your films showing in your native Australia? And what about the Horror House project? Did it ever evolve beyond the pilot episode?

My films are showing at the odd short film night here, but I haven’t managed to get them into cinemas or on TV like I have in the USA and England. The indie industry in Melbourne seems to me to be a bit of an old boys club where the same people show up in everything. It’s pretty stagnant and going nowhere fast. A lot of those people see me as another upstart newcomer and think that I’m no more than a blip that will crash and burn.

With Horror House, we wrapped filming Horror House a while back and it’s still in editing. The senior editor on Horror House, Brendan Laurie, informs me “The series is still coming together with several episodes nearing completion, and a couple still in the midst of editing.”

6) Your short Cannibal Barbecue set off a chain of comments on YouTube that are quite funny in their own right. Tell us a little about the short, and the reactions it got.

In a way, Cannibal Barbecue is the film that set everything off for me. I got the idea to shoot it after a filmmaker contacted me on Facebook and asked if I would do a short role in one of his films. He mentioned a friend, Anastasia C Kouloukas to me, so I said yes immediately before he could even finish telling me about himself. A few hours later, he rocked up, shot the scene in 30 mins and it was being edited in the car by his DOP as they drove off. This duo didn’t bother about formatting scripts, making call sheets, having desk reads and rehearsals… they just did it and uploaded it within 6 hours. And it had 18,000 views in its first hour!

If I’d let him finish when he asked me if I wanted to be in his film, he would have told me that he had over 500,000 YouTube subscribers. His Facebook, Twitter and Instagram followers are all over a million each on each platform. His secret was that he was getting out content at the pace of one film per week, which helped him build such a massive following over the space of a few years.

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Seeing the way this team worked showed me that you can get a short film done quickly if you just strip things back to only what you need. Cannibal Barbecue was my first attempt at a fast shoot and quick edit. It wasn’t done quite as speedily as their team did, but we are getting one film shot per month, which is quite a pace.

As for the YouTube reaction to it, that is quite bizarre. It’s on my channel so people should realize that I’m a filmmaker. It has an IMDB and gotten laurels from the Rebel Minded Film Festival, so it’s not like it is being presented dishonestly, yet people are still debating whether it is real or not. I have no idea where the traffic is coming from but it’s not from my own subscriber base. These viewers don’t seem to have ever seen anything like it before and it’s just sending them nuts.

7) The shows that have picked your stuff up are a mix of broadcast and cable. I’m assuming they air uncut on cable, but did they need trimming for the broadcast market?

At this stage, most of my films are too adult in their actual premise, so only “Malevolent Pursuit” was picked up for broadcast. They are able to bleep out the one or two swear words in it without affecting the story. I’m just now getting a few films edited, short films that will be fine for them.

8) And will this have an effect on what you shoot going forward?

Definitely. Future shorts will be scripted so that we can have two cuts, without harming the films. I won’t just write them so that a chunk is cut out. There will be a different approach taken so that both versions can stand on their own merit.

9) What films and filmmakers have been an influence on you?

I’ve been influenced a lot by Italian filmmakers. I only realized this a few years back because I didn’t know when I first watched the old westerns that these were spaghetti westerns. Later on, when I got into horror, I didn’t take notice of the names on the credits to realize that they were directed by guys like Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci. Even later than that, many of the post-apocalyptic gang films I loved were also made in Italy. This is the sort of influence you absorb while growing up, without necessarily being aware of the names that are influencing you.

10) And what is the status of your feature Badass Bunyip?

Badass Bunyip is still in editing. Part of the delay there is my fault because I keep getting Gerardo Cherchia to help me out in filming and editing short films, which is really just piling the work onto him. I’ve seen bits and pieces of the film and it is looking good. We might be able to release something ahead of the main film to give people a sneak peek.

I will be easing back on filming soon to get the backlog of filmed projects edited and out.

You can check out more of David’s work on his YouTube channel and MyIndie page

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Zombie Chunks is an amazing series of short stories, where no two story lines are alike. With each author having such different ideas on what makes for an interesting horror story there is something for everyone within this book. Some would say a must read for any zombie fanatic.

With 13 stories inside for you to ‘feast’ your eyes on you will be hard pushed to put this down until you have managed to read every one.

We start with a trip to Atlantis…yes I said Atlantis, but there is a reason it disappeared all those years ago.

You will just have to read this one to find out for yourself. With such an interesting start to these zombie shorts what could be next! Each author not only has his or her own ideas on storylines, but they also use differing writing styles. This is just one of the many reasons to get yourself a copy of this book.

Not all of our stories will send you hiding under the covers behind the sofa, some in fact will have you laughing aloud! With such varied stories, this truly is a book that will sit well on anyone’s bookshelf.

Happy reading!

Score: 9.0/10.0

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Quick Review by Jenna Storrar

CONTACT jimkrut@helizombie.com

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Zombie Rising Magazine is a US based, digital only, monthly magazine for zombie lovers everywhere. We have your latest updates and interviews on movies, books and zombie events around the world. We will have free poster downloads, zombie swag giveaways, zombie fashion and make-up tutorials, Fan Fiction and much, much more.

A truly global magazine and each issue is only $3.99 Get your copy today by following the link: https://www.facebook.com/ZombieRisingMagazine https://www.twitter.com/ZombieRisingMag

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https://www.fanfestevents.com/

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FIVE MINUTES WITH JESSICA CHAVEZ

Jessica Chavez is a grizzled veteran of the video game industry who has worked on over 40 titles for PC, Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft consoles. Former editor and then localization manager of XSEED Games, she now lives in England where she moonlights as a localization gun for hire and writes books.

Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself?

I’m a bit of a wanderer and I can’t seem to stay put in one country, even after marrying and starting a family. I worked in Japan for a few years where I met my husband, travelled extensively before settling in the US to work on video games, then moved to Australia when we got married. After that we moved to England, and I expect we’ll be off on another adventure soon. My children are Australian and English, while I’m American, and my husband has dual citizenship. Between the four of us we have eight passports, and I expect that number to increase. I drink a lot of coffee.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

I love to draw and cook. I enjoy doing portraits for random people on the internet (especially for other authors for their bios), and nothing aids the creative process more than a contemplative few hours spent crafting something amazing in the kitchen.

Other than the horror genre, what else has been a major influence on your writing?

Aside from horror, fantasy and science fiction are my biggest time sinks, though occasionally I’ll dip my toes into headier stuff like Eleanor Catton’s, The Luminaries. I just love the feeling of camaraderie you often get from fantasy book ensembles and the action/suspense of sci-fi thrillers and mysteries. I try to mesh those together in my own writing.

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A lot of good horror movements have arisen as a direct result of the socio/political climate, considering the current state of the world where do you see horror going in the next few years?

It feels like the political climate right now is going to spawn more dystopian-esque or alternate reality horror, similar to what Black Mirror is doing. Films or books where we question where we might be going with technology and society. I think we’ll definitely see more spins like The Purge.

How would you describe your writing style?

It’s still evolving, but at the moment it’s pretty straightforward with some flourishes and a touch of humor here and there. Thanks to my editor it’s gotten a lot tighter.

Are there any reviews of your work, positive or negative that have stayed with you?

Yes! I got the most amazing 2-star review from a reader who won my book in a Goodreads Giveaway. The reader was a religious and very prodigious reviewer who noted particularly that she wasn’t a fan of horror or the paranormal, and especially hated drinking, mentions of alcohol, and swearing. Basically... my book. She said it was almost impossible to get through because of all the “nasty words”.

But then she went on to give the rest a positively glowing endorsement. She liked the story, the characters, and the writing. It kept her reading till the end. For her to feel so negatively about some of the core components of the book and yet still finish it and like the characters and mystery really made me feel like I must have done something right. It was honestly the most flattering and encouraging review I’ve ever been given. I really appreciated getting such an unexpected perspective, and her criticism will absolutely be taken on board.

What aspects of writing to do you find the most difficult?

That moment that comes right after sitting down and putting your fingers on the keyboard. When I write, I have a shape in my mind of what I’m going to do. I can see it and where I want to go with it. I’m excited to put it to paper because it’s basically done. And then I sit down to do it and immediately get distracted. Procrastination, that old enemy of writers everywhere.

Is there one subject you would never write about as an author?

I don’t think so. There are plenty of subjects I’d struggle to do justice, but I’m willing to try anything. I think challenging yourself by writing things that you’re not necessarily comfortable with (or that disturb you) is how you grow as a writer.

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How important are names to you in your books? Do you choose the names based on liking the way it sounds or the meaning?

I don’t overly dwell on the names of my characters when I start, but I do like to choose things that feel like they’ll stick in the ear. Sometimes they’ll give nods to a character’s background or some personal detail or just roll off the tongue. I’m not wedded to them, though. If, as the story is being written, something doesn’t jive right, I don’t have a problem changing them.

Writing, is not a static process, how have you developed as a writer over the years?

I didn’t start writing with any intention of putting out a book, so initially I was all over the place. I dabbled in everything from fantasy to poetry to comics. When I did finally decide to sit down and write a proper book I was well into my thirties and had a clear idea of what I wanted to achieve. It was crap. I tried again and it was slightly better. Since then I’ve had the good fortune to work with some really amazing editors, and I’d like to think I’m improving every day.

What tools do you feel are must-haves for writers?

Coffee machine, wine opener, and a shower with excellent water pressure.

What is the best piece of advice you ever received with regards to your writing?

Less is more.

Getting your work noticed is one of the hardest things for a writer to achieve, how have you tried to approach this subject?

I’ve campaigned a lot on my own social media channels, gotten involved in some writing communities, and generally made a goose out of myself online. It’s embarrassing sometimes, especially when it’s your first book, but if you don’t put yourself out there, you won’t get eyes.

To many writers, the characters they write become like children, who is your favorite child, and who is your least favorite to write for and why?

My main character, Cailen, is the easiest to write, but Everett is my favorite because he’s nothing like me. It’s fun to see the world through the eyes of such a sunny, earnest person. My least favorite would have to be Gabriella, then, but not because I don’t enjoy writing her. I just find there’s less ‘play’ with her because of her confidence. She knows where she wants to go and there aren’t as many funny detours as there are with the other characters.

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What piece of your own work are you most proud of?

I’m pretty happy with some of the little comedic shifts in the book. People don’t really expect comedy when it comes to horror, but such a grim backdrop really makes the small moments of absurdity or humor sparkle.

And are there any that you would like to forget about?

I think lessons learned by the end of writing the book would have really helped some earlier parts, but it was serialized in chapters, so I’ll just have to hope that the whole of the story resonates more with readers than a stumbling sentence or two in the beginning.

For those who haven’t read any of your books, which of your books do you think best represents your work and why?

I’ve only finished the one (though the second will be completed by the end of this year!), but I think the core theme of practicality in the face of the fantastical with a dash of humor is pretty much what I do and plan on exploring for my next few books.

Do you have a favorite line or passage from your work, and would you like to share it with us?

She started in after him, not sure if she was scared for him, or scared of being alone. As she turned to enter the kitchen area, she caught a hint of something to her back-left side, where she presumed the bedroom to be.

She stopped short and peered down the darkened hallway to the back rooms.

There was a hand by the light panel.

“Crap,” she breathed.

The hand retreated. Her stomach dropped miles below her feet. Everett’s voice called from the kitchen, high and slightly cracked. “Get in here! It’s stronger over here! Shit... Am I standing in a dead guy? Tell me if I’m standing in a dead guy!”

Can you tell us about your last book, and can you tell us about what you are working on next?

Dead Endings is my first book, and it’s a supernatural thriller about a woman named Cailen who can see ghosts that gets dragged into investigating a strange series of murders by Everett Jung, another person who can sense spirits. Set in New York, it’s a kind of practical approach to the paranormal with some real world horror thrown in. I wanted to show a realistic (and somewhat cynical) take on the genre, and their ghost hunting adventures continue in my current project, Dead Leads, the sequel to Dead Endings.

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If you could erase one horror cliché what would be your choice?

The one where when confronted with the unexpected, everyone loses their minds and stops thinking rationally.

I’ve always hated that characters in horror aren’t allowed to talk to each other and relay relevant information, or react in practical ways when met with a threat. It’s a cheap device used to build conflict and kill people off.

What’s the one question you wish you would get asked but never do? And what would be the answer?

Question: “Did you actually research all the alcohol in this book?”

Answer: “Why, yes. Yes, I did.”

Find out more about Jessica Chavez and work by following these links and social media accounts Social media: Twitter - @Hprotagonista Goodreads Amazon Author Page Dead Endings Publisher’s book page on their magazine site (there are character bios/art here): DEAD ENDINGS

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Zombie Tramp #55

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Written By Gary Andrew Hindley and S. J. Carter

Among Friends (2012) Director: Danielle Harris Writer: Alyssa Lobit (Screenplay) Stars: Alyssa Lobit, Jennifer Blanc-Biehn, Kamala Jones, AJ Bowen, Brianne Davis, Christopher Backus, Dana Dauray, Chris Meyer, Kane Hodder, Michael Biehn This is a film with a cast that is full of horror pedigree. Between them, they have starred in such feature films and TV shows as ‘Havenhurst’, ‘The House of The Devil’, ‘Friday The 13th Parts 7 and 8’, ‘Jason Goes To Hell’, ‘Jason X’, ‘Death House’, ‘Hatchet’, ‘Hatchet 2 and 3’, ‘Victor Crowley’, ‘You’re Next’, ‘The Sacrament’, ‘Prom Night’, ‘Terminator’, ‘Aliens’, ‘True Blood’ and ‘Dark Angel’.

And just when you thought this thick slice of horror experience pie couldn’t get any better, Danielle Harris, the ‘Queen of The Scream Queens’, for the first time, takes on a role behind the camera to direct her first feature film. From a young age, she featured as Jamie Lloyd in ‘Halloween 4’ and ‘Halloween 5’.

She would then go on to star in such films as ‘Hatchet 2, 3 and 4’, and even starred in the Rob Zombie directed re-imaginings of ‘Halloween 1 and 2’… and that’s just to name a few.

Among Friends, is a film revolving around three factors. These being truth, conscience, and paying for your sins, in the most brutal way. You would be forgiven for thinking that this premise sounds like something which gave the Saw franchise such a success.

What begins as a group of spoiled friends with an entitlement complex gathering for a murder mystery party, takes a dark and unexpected turn for the worse when the host takes it upon herself to change the theme of the night completely… into a night that the group will never forget.

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The hue of the film is nice and bright, and the clothes worn by the cast are all very colourful, which is something you wouldn’t usually expect from a horror film of this type, and gives you a false sense of security.

To add to that, the female actresses that feature are beautiful women, which is purposely brought to your attention from the very beginning.

The mood upon arrival is jovial with the guests looking forward to a night of fun, but when the host makes her entrance and looks to get the party underway, the mood in the room immediately changes. What was once bright and colourful in mood, has now become dark and fearful. It does a great job of keeping you enticed and full of wonder as to what’s going to happen next.

What comes next is a series of depraved actions, that are acted out in an attempt to make these people pay the price for their self-centered, self-serving actions and for having no conscience or sense of morality.

The punishments dished out and endured range from scalping, dismemberment, genital mutilation and everything in between. Nothing is left to the imagination. The film is pretty bloodthirsty, and you’ll seriously find yourself behind a cushion at times.

As the film heads to its tense finale, the protagonists forget the one rule of horror films… in that the baddy always comes back for one last bite of the cherry.

And therein lies the problem with this film.

Up to this point, the film has been fantastic, with a film that I would describe as a mix between ‘Saw’ and ‘Would You Rather’... but then the ending is a huge anti-climax and leaves you feeling very underwhelmed and let down.

The ending, it has to be said, is the only down point of what is a well constructed film, with a solid story, and brilliant use of practical effects throughout, and if you haven’t seen this film, it’s one that I would highly recommend you see.

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House of Ghosts (Ghosts of Darkness) (2017) Written & Directed By: David Ryan Keith Starring: Michael Koltes, Paul Flannery, Steve Weston, Lisa Livingstone, Liam Matheson, Morgan Faith Keith, Cameron Mowat, Lindsay Cromar.

‘House of Ghosts’ is the third feature film, to come from Scottish Writer/Director, David Ryan Keith, and was part of the official selection of films at the ‘Bram Stoker International Film Festival 2016.

Filmed in Scotland, it is the first feature film that the talented Scottish director has made in the paranormal genre. The film secured worldwide distribution, before a scene had even been filmed, with American distribution company Uncork’d Entertainment in August of 2015.

On the strength of their reputations, Jack Donovan (Koltes), a paranormal investigator, and Jonathan Blazer (Flannery), a powerful psychic, are paired together in a large manor house with a very dark and shady past, in the hope of solving a mystery, that has had people guessing since the 1800’s.

Creating a film about two men, running round a house chasing ghosts, is by no means an easy thing to do. It could have been so easy for things to have gone stale and fallen flat, but the dialogue is slick, witty and funny.

There are moments of major intrigue that build suspense, and when things get going, the non-stop action does not let the film fall into the trap of becoming a sleeping aid.

The pacing of the film is great. It’s not a film you have to be patient with, and then only delivers the frights at the end. It’s gripping the whole way through, particularly the relationship between Blazer and Donovan, and the development of their characters.

The pair, seemed so at ease, not only with each other, but in the roles they were portraying. Its obvious there was a good camaraderie between Koltes and Flannery, because although their characters are very chalk and cheese, they worked so well together. You are taken on a wonderful journey with the pair, from them butting heads, to forming a mutual respect, and most important of all, a real friendship.

Upon the two protagonists being introduced to us, they both start to go about their work, and have a very different approach towards getting started. Blazer is looking for something to drink, and Donovan gets out all of his fancy gadgets, and goes about setting them up. Little do they know at this point, that within the walls of Richmond Manor, there really are things that go bump in the night.To begin with, the two are dealing with ghosts that merely tease them with noises, apparitions, and actions akin to poltergeist activity. But when demons enter the fray, things go from bad to worse, as they start to prey on their innermost feelings and fears.

Things then turn to acts of physical harm, use of sharp weapons, extreme violence, and much worse.

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The special effects and makeup team that worked on this film, need to take a bow. The ghosts and demons look genuinely threatening and scary. The eyes are the window to the soul, and firstly with the ghosts, the big black eyes show us an element of pure evil and bad intentions. The blackness in the eyes, reminded somewhat, of a film called ‘Grave Encounters’, which was terrifying, so this really worked well. The skin, as you would expect for a ghost is very pale, almost grey, and is made up to look dead and scarred. It’s been done very effectively and the demons look incredible.

They really are the epitome of evil. If you had one of these walking towards you in a dark house in the middle of the night, you’d have a heart attack. It’s hard to imagine that there is actually a person under that make up and that its not something straight from the necronomicon. The time and detail that has gone into that has gone into creating the gaping wounds and decomposing flesh is astonishing.

Written by Gary Andrew Hindley

Terrified (2018) Director: Demian Rugna Writer: Demian Rugna (Screenplay) Cast: Maxi Ghione, Norberto Gonzalo, Elvira Onetto, George Lewis, Julieta Vallina, Natalia Señorales, Agustin Rittano, Demian Salomón, Hugo Halbrich, Ariel Chavarria Buckle up cream puffs, cause this ain’t your Granny’s ghost flick.

Written and directed by Demian Rugna, Terrified (Aterrados) centers on a group of strangers brought together by a series of frightening, otherworldly events plaguing a small Buenos Aires neighborhood.

When Police Commissary Funes (Maxi Ghione) responds to a ‘domestic disturbance’ that goes well beyond his pay grade, he enlists the aid of Jano Mario (Norberto Gonzalo) a forensic analyst who seems oddly familiar with what he sees before him.

While attempting to navigate the sensitive situation, they cross paths with Dr. Mora Albreck (Elvira Onetto).

Albreck is a paranormal investigator looking into her own set of creepy phenomenon in the house across the street. Joined by Albrek’s colleague Rosenstock (George Lewis), the four team up in an attempt to find the source of these eerie occurrences.

While Terrified by no means ventures into uncharted territory, the journey and the destination set the film apart.

Slow burn, dilapidated mansions, ancient village with a deadly secret . . . you’ll get none of that.

There are no children or teens spending half the movie trying in vain to convince the grownups of ghostly goings on.

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Instead, Rugna opts for a more mature, experienced cast and an overarching acceptance of the paranormal to quicken the pace and keep the focus on how each character copes with the situation. He combines a bleak and grimy color scheme with claustrophobia inducing camera work to strip away the warmth and false security of suburban Buenos Aires.

The film cuts right to the proverbial chase, planting the audience in front of an ordinary kitchen sink, and then yanking them straight into hell at a mere seven minutes in. While the entire cast make impressive turns in their respective roles, it’s Onetto who steals the show with her portrayal of the wisened, unphased Dr. Albreck. The morbid humor cleverly woven into the film is elevated by her spot on delivery.

Rather than detracting from the film, the lack of solid plot and slew of unanswered questions actually intensify the sense of foreboding and hopelessness. There is only so much information given and it’s incredibly vague.

Albreck and Rosenstock have seen this before in another town but what was the end result? What is their ultimate goal? Who do they work for? How does their strange equipment work?

There are subtle clues to the background of Funes and Jano that are never fleshed out, but it keeps all attention on the present. The end result of all of this is deliberate denial.

Rugna essentially cuffs the audience to the bed, works them up, and saunters away with a shrug, without any assurance of a return.

Ultimately, Terrified is not just a film, but a jarring experience of cinematic blue-balling, deserving of much more attention.

Written by S. J. Carter

Part 3 of Underated Horror Movies you need to see coming in the next issue.

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To find out more about the Fantastic Horror Film Festival please visit their website http://fhffsd.com or visit their facebook page https://www.facebook.com/FHFFSD SUPPORTED BY

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