Waaaaay back last July, we here at Backwoods Horror told you about an independent successfully Kickstarter financed film titled HYBRID VIGOR. It seemed like a weird sort of film, original, and new, so we’ve been following little rumblings here and there, though the crumbs have been few and far between. But now, finally, an official trailer has been released for the film. Check it out after the break below!
Voted IndieWire’s PROJECT OF THE WEEK and with a twitter following of over 250,000 followers (good GAWD!), HYBRID VIGOR surpassed its initial kickstarter goal of $50,000. This is all incredible news as it is so incredibly difficult to get an independent film made these days, funding always being such a problem to get things off the ground. Fowler even had to leave the US, going to a country few people other than Latvians ever even think about to get the film made. That’s f-ing dedication if I’ve ever heard it. So what is HYBRID VIGOR?
SYNOPSIS:
HYBRID VIGOR is a feature film about life, death, violence, morality, immortality, love, and loss in the USSR during Soviet times and in present day Latvia. It opens on frozen Lake Baikal in Siberia during Soviet times. Most of the film takes place in present day Latvia. More details about the plot will be revealed in the coming months.
Yet another independent feature has flown, until recently, under our radar that looks as though it may be very interesting. Directed by Ryan Smith, AFTER stars Steven Strait, Karolina Wydra, Sandra Lafferty and Madison Lintz. AFTER is set for a limited theatrical release September 14, 2012.
SYNOPSIS:
When two bus crash survivors (Steven Strait, Karolina Wydra) awake to discover that they are the only people left in their small town, they must form an unlikely alliance in a race to unravel the truth behind their isolation. As strange events begin to unfold, they start to question whether the town they know so well is really what it seems.
Check out the two trailers and poster below and be sure to check back here, the official Facebook Page, and the Official Website for more information as it develops.
Recently I was introduced to an amazing independent horror short film titled NIGHT OF THE PUNKSand I was completely blown away. The punk rock score was incredible, the acting believable (with characters you actually care about), the story and script was well written, and the gore, while over the top at times…in a good way, was FANTASTIC! Shot in the fall of 2010 in Los Angeles, CA, NOTP was self-financed on a shoestring budget of under $10k using a Canon Mark II 5D camera and Final Cut Studio.
Directed by Dan Riesser who co-wrote the script with Mike L. Kinshella, the film starred Luke Edwards (perhaps best known as the child star of films such as THE WIZARD, LITTLE BIG LEAGUE, and NEWSIES), Nick Mundy(a member of Team Tiger Awesome, Cracked.com, Comedy Central, & Atom.com), Aubrey Wood, Mike L. Kinshella, Dominic Deleo, and John Bobek. Makeup FX and Creature Design was created by Bruce Spaulding Fuller (who’s work can be seen in RESIDENT EVIL, UNDERWORLD, ARMY OF DARKNESS, TERMINATOR 2: JUDGEMENT DAY, among others, having worked alongside the Stan Winston Effects Group and KNB).
SYNOPSIS:
At their first big city gig, a small town punk rock band must do battle with a horde of bloodthirsty demon punks hell-bent on turning the band into their sacrificial meal.
The Brain Deads are a suburban punk rock band from Anytown, USA. With their adorable merch girl by their side, they head to their first big city show with visions of circle pits, tattooed groupies and punk rock rebellion in their heads.
Unfortunately, the venue is practically deserted, the promoter is a walking police sketch, and once the music starts, the punks in the audience reveal themselves to be bloodthirsty monsters out for blood. It turns out the venue is built on a portal to hell and our heroes are to be served up in a demonic ritual sacrifice.
What comes next is 19 minutes of outrageously over-the-top 80?s style horror. We?re talking practical gore effects, huge scares, big laughs, gratuitous nudity, chainsaw decapitations, drumstick eye gouges, disembowelments, face-melting guitar solos… sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll. It?s gonna be one helluva show.
NIGHT OF THE PUNKS is a love letter to the bygone era of 1980′s splatterpunk horror. It echoes classics like Return of the Living Dead, Demons and The Evil Dead and will sport a killer 80?s punk rock soundtrack. The film will have the visual style of filmmakers like Walter Hill, Joe Dante, Sam Raimi and John Carpenter
First, CONGRATULATIONS to Brandon Fowler, the writer/director/producer of the upcoming Latvian horror/drama HYBRID VIGOR on successfully achieving, in fact surpassing, his fundraising goal on kickstarter to get this film made, no doubt through a remarkably successful internet crowd sourcing campaign and the hard work of everyone involved in the film! This is always incredibly exciting news for independent filmmakers.
I have been seeing news of the film HYBRID VIGOR for a few weeks now but had yet to post anything about it until I had a clear understanding of everything involved. All I had gathered up until this point was that it was a genre film made in LATVIA of all places, which had me assuming it was a Latvian film. I was dead wrong. So now, boils ‘n ghouls, you’re going to get the full story.
Recently voted IndieWire’s PROJECT OF THE WEEK and with a twitter following of over 250,000 followers (good GAWD!), HYBRID VIGOR has surpassed its initial kickstarter goal of $50,000 and filming has already begun. This is all incredible news as it is so incredibly difficult to get an independent film made these days, funding always being such a problem to get things off the ground. Fowler even had to leave the US, going to a country few people other than Latvians ever even think about to get the film made. That’s f-ing dedication if I’ve ever heard it. So what is HYBRID VIGOR?
Excerpted from the Press Release:
Hybrid Vigor Films, LLC announced that Brandon Fowler, the director of the upcoming Latvian horror/drama HYBRID VIGOR, has just surpassed his fundraising goal on crowd funding platform Kickstarter raising additional funds from a wide Twitter fanbase. The film stars an emerging Latvian cast that includes Velta Buka in her feature film debut and also co-stars Jevgenija Mirosnicenko and Aleksandr Ivanov. All three actors are native to Latvia and no other parts have been officially cast. Fowler (Executive Producer of “Loren Cass”), who wrote the script, is also serving as the film’s producer.
The film, which began principal photography in March, has already shot large portions on Lake Peipus in Estonia, and also in several locations in Latvia. The film is scheduled to complete shooting later this year. Specific release dates and markets will be announced shortly thereafter.
HYBRID VIGOR is a feature film about life, death, violence, morality, immortality, love, and loss in the USSR during Soviet times, and in present day Latvia. It opens on frozen Lake Baikal in Siberia during the Soviet era, but most of the film takes place in present day Latvia. More details about the plot will be revealed in the coming months.
HYBRID VIGOR offers unique perks to its members who sign up to pledge money to the production. Donors will have their photo added to the film’s photomosaic movie poster as well as have their names listed in the end credits. With over 250,000 followers on Twitter, the production raised a majority of the funding directly from their followers.
“We are at the beginning of what will be an independent filmmaking renaissance period. Crowfunding/crowdinvesting coupled with open access social media sites and affordable, professional quality cameras are going to empower a whole new generation of indie filmmakers,” said Fowler.
HYBRID VIGOR is a feature film about life, death, violence, morality, immortality, love, and loss in the USSR during Soviet times and in present day Latvia. It opens on frozen Lake Baikal in Siberia during Soviet times. Most of the film takes place in present day Latvia. More details about the plot will be revealed in the coming months.
Velta Buka, the star of Hybrid Vigor, has something she wants to tell you…
With the premiere of THE PENNY DREADFUL PICTURE SHOW happening at the Fright Night Film Festival, I was provided with information by …Picture Show star Devanny Pinn to share with all of us who are unable to make the screening. And let me just tell, I wish I was in Louisville, Kentucky tonight because this film looks amazing!
Devanny Pinn did not disclose full details on this film, but she gave me enough information to hopefully entice an audience into attending any future screenings. First and foremost, she shared with me the absolutely amazing cast that headline this horror flick. The Penny Dreadful Picture Show will star Sid Haig (Devil’s Rejects), Jeffery Combs (Re-animator), Devanny Pinn (Nude Nuns With Big Guns), Josh Hammond (Jeepers Creepers 2), and Eliza Swenson as the title character Penny Dreadful. Supporting cast members include former WWE Superstar Al Snow, Kristina Hammond (American Girls), Brandon Stacy (Dead Men Walking), Alexis Iacono (The Black Dahlia Haunting), Barry Ratcliffe (Vivid), and Collin Galyean (House of Bones).
Synopsis:
The Penny Dreadful Picture Show is a unique horror film experience. Join the delightfully demented Penny Dreadful as she takes you through the history of horror movies… one scream at a time! The short films featured in …Picture Show include Slash-In-The Box, which is written and directed by Nick Everhart; The Scout, which is also written and directed by Nick Everhart; The Slaughter House, which is written and directed by Leigh Scott; and The Morning After, which is written and directed by Eliza Swenson.
Here’s a teaser the PENNY DREADFUL IMAGINARIUM group put out just in time for Christmas last year. And don’t forget to check out their official Facebook Page for further information…
Scott Goldberg and the rest of the cast and crew (including composer/producer Mark Nadolski, Ed Demko, Hugo Fernandez, and actor Chris Margaritis) need you, the horror film fans of the world, to help make the feature length version of THE THREE a reality.
You Are Invited: “Us and Floyd” Pink Floyd Tribute Band Halloween Show/Halloween Costume Party at the Glen Cove Moose Club at 22 Continental Place in Glen Cove, New York on Saturday, October 20h, 2012. There will be free food, candy, fundraising raffles and more! Invite your friends to this event and help spread the word. Us and Floyd (the band I lead sing and perform in) www.UsAndFloyd.com will be doing three full sets of live Pink Floyd music, jamming out the classic tunes of Pink Floyd.
We are fundraising for our feature length version of THE THREE and hope that you will join us on Saturday October 20th, 2012 in Glen Cove, New York at the Glen Cove Moose Club.
The filmmakers have also started a kickstarter campaign to raise the necessary $250,000 goal by October 31st, 2012.
Your contributions will go towards building the underground bunker set in the Wampum Mine Facility that serves as the centerpiece for the entire film. Your contributions will also go towards necessary production related costs such as camera and equipment rentals and post productions costs. Any level contribution is incredibly appreciated by the filmmakers and, as with other kickstarter campaigns, not only will you help contribute to an independent, high quality, dark, and thought provoking film, but at certain levels, you will also receive benefits such as a copy of the completed film with a collector’s edition 11×17 poster signed by the cast and crew of the film. At higher levels you can get your name in the credits as a special thanks or producer, as well as two tickets to the NYC premiere of the film with access to the V.I.P. section and an invitation to the after party with cast and crew.
Independent horror cannot exist without you, the fans, making it all possible. So head on over to the official THE THREE site for more information and to help contribute to modern, intelligent, independent cinema!
The first art and trailer for writer/director Robert Conway’s violent opus SICKLE has hit the web. Created as a tribute to the grindhouse splatter mayhem of the 70′s and 80′s, SICKLE stars Kane Hodder, Tiffany Shepis, Rena Riffle, Dustin Leighton, Tarin Carter and Owen Conway.
SYNOPSIS:
A group of punks rob a strip club and head for the border but when they enter the town of Red Stone, they find that crime is a dish best served cold.
Check out the official site for more information, and be sure to check back here at Backwoods Horror for future details as they develop.
SCREEN is somewhat a road/horror movie which has the potential to be something really great indeed. Below we have the first teaser trailer for David Paul Baker’s SCREEN which he plans on showcasing at actual drive-ins. The film stars Nicole Alonso & Leslie Andrews.
If you have any drive-ins local to your area, check out the official site and request a drive-in screening. Also be sure to go over to their Facebook page for more information and a chance to help independent horror. Remember, keep America strong…watch horror movies!
About a week ago, we introduced you to a conceptual short horror film written and directed by Scott Goldberg titled THE THREE. Scott Goldberg, for those who haven’t heard of him, has made a name for himself within the indy horror community by writing, producing, and directing many award winning and festival favorite films. Much like what Sam Raimi did when he created WITHIN THE WOODS, Goldberg filmed the short film THE THREE (filmed in the Wampum Mine storage facility where DAY OF THE DEAD was shot, and stars DAY OF THE DEAD Romero alumni Lori Cardille (DAY OF THE DEAD) and John Amplas (MARTIN)) as a concept film to raise the funding necessary for a feature length version of the film.
Now Scott Goldberg and the rest of the cast and crew (including composer/producer Mark Nadolski, Ed Demko, Hugo Fernandez, and actor Chris Margaritis) need you, the horror film fans of the world, to help make the feature length version of THE THREE a reality. The filmmakers have started a kickstarter campaign to raise the necessary $250,000 goal by October 31st, 2012.
For several years, the feature length version of THE THREE has been a dream for the filmmakers involved, and with your help they can make this dream a reality. In the video above, filmmakers Scott Goldberg and Mark Nadolski talk about the lack of originality in many modern horror films, as well as having what it takes (the right mindset and ideas) to make dark, original horror films.
Your contributions will go towards building the underground bunker set in the Wampum Mine Facility that serves as the centerpiece for the entire film. Your contributions will also go towards necessary production related costs such as camera and equipment rentals and post productions costs. Any level contribution is incredibly appreciated by the filmmakers and, as with other kickstarter campaigns, not only will you help contribute to an independent, high quality, dark, and thought provoking film, but at certain levels, you will also receive benefits such as a copy of the completed film with a collector’s edition 11×17 poster signed by the cast and crew of the film. At higher levels you can get your name in the credits as a special thanks or producer, as well as two tickets to the NYC premiere of the film with access to the V.I.P. section and an invitation to the after party with cast and crew.
Independent horror cannot exist without you, the fans, making it all possible. So head on over to the official THE THREE site for more information and to help contribute to modern, intelligent, independent cinema!
FILMMAKER’S DISCLAIMER:
We appreciate Lori Cardille and John Amplas’s involvement in the short concept version of THE THREE. However, due to independently producing the feature length production of the film without studio backing, we unfortunately will not be able to cast them in the final film due to Union restrictions. We will, however, be working with up and coming talent and appreciate your contributions for the feature length production of THE THREE.
Z*Con is the second film being produced by Big Damn Films. Writer/Director Michael C. Dougherty has said that much like their first film, Browncoats: Redemption, 100% of the total Net Proceeds from the film will be donated to a handful of charities. Big Damn Films is donating the proceeds from this film to three different charities. Two of them, The Red Cross and Kids Need to Read, have already been chosen. It’s up to you to help choose the third charity.
While the last time around the focus was a well-established sci-fi setting, Z*Con takes things in a distinctly different direction taking on the horror (and comedy) of a zombie outbreak at a sci-fi convention.
Big Damn Films is currently raising funds via kickstarter. Follow this link to view a promotional video about the film and information on how you can invest to make the film a reality. The film is scheduled for a late 2013 release. For more info, check out the official Z*CON site, “like” Z*Con on Facebook and follow Z*Con on Twitter (@zconmovie).
SYNOPSIS:
Z*Con is about 14 year old Matt Moore, and his three friends, who attend a local comic convention to get interviews for their podcast but end up stuck in the middle of a Zombie Outbreak at the con. Using social media, and their wits, to report on what’s going on inside the four walls of the con while dodging all kinds of cosplay zombies.
