Horror Short: Suburban Zombie or The Decay of the Mind (2012)

Written and directed by Evan Jones
Staring Gareth Rtilary Jones
Director of Photography Evan Jones

In this one minute short film a zombie heedlessly watches the television screen in a storage shed until the pictures becomes static and he's temporarily broken from the trance. As the zombie stumbles outside he sees a glimpse into the real world he leaves in. The film diveles away from the literal horror term and is used as the metophic slang often allocated to avid TV watchers. The brief minute is able to get it's message across but after a second viewing on my part. It portrays a society where the 'zombie' is expected to watch TV and is in a controlled environment. When the control group falters for a moment he gets a brief glance at the real society but being a zombie retreats back into his storage shed with the broken TV and continues to watch. It's a social commentary that should be addressed to us all.

The minimal footage is enough to make you ask questions and create different opinions on what its to say about our current world but is the biggest fault against the film. A minute more would of been enough to give it a bit more build. Your in this zombie created society for one brief minute and in that you don't have enough time to process or grasp the lost mind of the zombie. The direction for the film is fair, it at one point showed that of an independent filmmaker but only for a brief few seconds. The rest was done on a very visually appealing scale, with cool cinematography that serves as the most horror aspect to the film. Almost used on a subliminal note, as it may be. I also really liked the music direction for the film, it was a noticeable addition that did not dominate but progressed the film.  Suburban Zombie or The Decay of the Mind is available for free on youtube. It's a good short watch, one I wish was just a little bit longer.

Blight Night

It's Friday, happy Irrelevant Post/Follow Friday, first off. Second I was on a podcast! I'm excited about it, and a little happy that even though I'm not posting anything people still check out my blog occasionally. The podcast is Blight Night, episode nine, and is hosted by Rigarmorty. You may follow him on twitter or his blog that gives you links and a summery of his podcast. His shows can also be downloaded on Itunes. Last week my blogger/twitter friend Drymonema was on it. So you listen to that one as well.

I'm not directly on the show, as in you cannot hear my voice. But he talks briefly about my blog and a little bit for Truly Disturbing. He does get my sex confused but that's alright most people are still unsure that I am a female. Regardless expect an update in six weeks where he follows up the show with six questions for me. 

Press Release: Horror, Sci-Fi Genre Vets Launch Dark Ride Entertainment with Investment from Struans Media

Creative Team of Emmy-Award Winning Filmmakers To Release Eight Low-Budget Genre Films In Two Years

June 12, 2012 – Los Angeles – Award-winning veterans of the horror/sci-fi genres today announced the launch of Dark Ride Entertainment (http://www.darkrideentertainment.com) and its partnership with Struans Media (www.struansmedia.com). Struans Media’s financial investment in Dark Ride will fully fund its first slate of eight genre films to be completed by 2015.

“Dark Ride was created to fill a void in fun, entertaining horror and sci-fi films with great production values that can be made at an affordable cost,” said William Butler, President, Dark Ride Entertainment. “The team at Dark Ride has all done this successfully before; we’re fortunate to have developed a cost effective system of production, and we’re excited to go on this ride with Struans Media. It's great to embark on this journey at a time when Hollywood is realizing you don’t always need big names and big budgets to create films that are both entertaining and profitable."  

Dark Ride’s creative team includes filmmaker William Butler, who previously directed “Madhouse” for Lionsgate/Lakeshore, “Furnace” for Weinstein Co. and has written for the SyFy Channel. John Vulich, who has won three Emmy Awards for special effects and makeup on “The X-Files” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” television series, is vice president and will lend his producing and extensive special and visual effects resources to the productions. 

“Dark Ride’s creative team’s track record and vision makes them the perfect partners for Struans Media,” said George Malasek, CEO, Struans Media. “Our goal has always been to fully finance projects we are passionate about that will entertain a wide audience of fans and by investing in Dark Ride, we are accomplishing this goal.”

The first film will be “Hell Storm,” a post-apocalyptic sci-fi/horror project written and directed by Butler, filming in Los Angeles in late summer 2012. The films will all be executive produced by Struans Media partners George Malasek and John Cole. Overseeing physical production is Emmy Award-winning writer-producer Peter Garcia. 

ABOUT DARK RIDE ENTERTAINMENT
Established in 2012 by veterans in the horror and sci-fi genres, Dark Ride is a film production company dedicated to high-quality, low-cost genre films that offers a new style of entertainment to fans worldwide. Dark Ride’s creative team includes Emmy Award-winning filmmakers, writers, special effects artists and producers with more than 50 years of combined experience in the entertainment industry. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles.www.darkrideentertainment.com

ABOUT STRUANS MEDIA
Struans Media, Inc. is a global entertainment investment and management company, focused on producing, acquiring, financing and distributing all entertainment content. Designed as a virtual studio; the company’s services include film financing, finishing funds and P&A funding for both traditional and new media. The members of the executive management team are seasoned professionals; with extensive backgrounds in international merchant banking, business and legal support and   entertainment finance and packaging. To further achieve their goals, Struans Media has partnered with some of the most successful studios, production, distribution and sales companies in the industry.   

TDHorror Retro Review

Two days before it'd of been a month from my last Retro Review. My goal is the twenty seventh. And I will do it, because you know I lost a social life. Looking for a bit of nostalgia? Look no further than a Hammer Horror non-classic!

"The fabulous thing about Christopher Lee is I rarely ever see him smile, so when the act does occur it's so unnatural in scope that it adds a layer of creepiness to his performance. Not that it isn't naturally disturbing on it's own, as of course it is being played by Lee, who masters the satanic priest without hesitation. Supporting cast members Honor Blackman and Michael Goodliffe are almost adorable in their side story love that I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed them when they came on screen. The luscious use of blood is stunning and paired with the stain glass windows of the church opt for an impressive use of cinematography. Director Peter Skyes and DP David Watkin also do lovely architectural shots from their set location. However Hammer fans will notice a lack of gothic overtones to the films air"


Read me here.

Press Release: Microcinema to be Streamed Free for Summer Solstice

Happy Summer Solstice from Harvest Tide

Free Streaming of Horror Short Microcinema

For Immediate Release

Massachusetts (June 7, 2012) Harvest Tide Productions is giving indie horror fans a treat today with two weeks of free streaming of it's online cult hit horror short "Microcinema." Log onto www.watchmicrocinema.com and watch this well received short.

“Microcinema” wowed critics and audiences last year at several horror film festivals and screenings within the few short months of its release. Screenings in 2011 included the 1st Annual Danish Horror Film Festival: THE TURBINE at Spinderihallerne, Vejle, Denmark; All Things Horror Shudder Fest at the Somerville Theater in Somerville, MA; Short Horror Films at AS220 in Providence, RI; the Massachusetts Independent Film Festival; and before Canadian horror film fans at Fright Night Theater presents: ABSENTIA & Microcinema at the Staircase Cafe Theater in Hamilton, Ontario and at the 2012 Shock Stock Convention at Centennial Hall in London, Ontario. 

It has also won the 2012 Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Honorable Mention Award for Best Horror Short. 

Written and directed by Skip Shea and starring Alex Lewis and Aurora Grabillis "Microcinema" tells the story of Peter Martell, a highly educated well-to-do young man with a lot of free time on his hands. He spends this time watching snuff films. One day he makes the bold decision to cross the line from observer to participant, aspiring to bring a philosophical element to his own kind of snuff films. Ready to go to work, he tracks his first victim into a haunted New England wood, where the line between participant and observer takes a different turn.

Shea said "We wanted to thank everyone for their continued support and thought this would be the best way to do it. Especially with Summer Solstice approaching, because after that, we slip back towards darkness."

In 2011, “Microcinema” scored on several best-of lists and gained momentum as a cult favorite and a hit with horror reviewers. Chris Conduit of The Conduit Speaks, www.theconduitspeaks.com put "Microcinema" as the best horror short of the year giving it his Conduit Award.

Danielle Holman writing for Truly Disturbing Horror, www.trulydisturbing.com listed "Microcinema" as one of the five best horror films saying, "Skip Shea’s seven-minute short film is deserving in the ranks of the big films as it’s able to accomplish more in less than ten minutes than an hour and a half feature length film." In her Bleeding Dead, http://bleedingdeadfilmreviews.blogspot.com/ she has called “Microcinema” "…one of the most important horror films of our time."

Here is what others are saying:

"In what stands out as a giddy teenager spitting in the face of authority, Harvest Tide Productions and Uxbridge, MA’s own Skip Shea have crafted a short film that solidly runs all the lines of horror while establishing its own "unique and disturbing storyline that scares (pun intended) away from the genre’s usual archaic tropes." - Josh Lyford, Pulse Magazine.

"This is a 6 minute experience genre fans owe themselves. It’s rare these days to find full length Hollywood feature films that feel fresh, let alone 6 minute shorts made on tiny budgets." - Life After Undeath Blog.

"The film is brave and unrelenting. It is a breath of fresh air to a lot of the common horror tricks that are being trotted out time and again." -Alexandra West, Scare Tactics Blog.

"Skip Shea is an adept director with equal ability to write, his short film gets more across than most full length films.  4 out of 5 Stars" - The Bleeding Dead Film Reviews. 

"You will not be expecting to see the events that unfold in this shocking short film." - The Horror Spot

"The script itself deserves kudos for completely drawing your attention to the one aspect we would expect every horror film to contain and then suddenly shocks you with an element you rarely see in this genre." -  The Scariest Movies Online 

"I figured I was in for one of three things:  a really solid work, a bite size film that left me feeling nothing, or one of those that makes me want to substitute rat poison for the salt on my dinner table.  Those are the three categories all art falls into for me, always. Yet, when it was all said and done, Shea's vignette carved a whole new icky slot out just for itself. 9 out of 10 Stars" - The Conduit Speaks

"Brilliant. 8.5 out of 10 Stars" - The Gruesome Hurtzogg Horror Movie Review Podcast.

"4 out of 5 Stars" - Char Hardin 

"What I find particularly interesting about Microcinema is its plot and how it seems to blend together torture, voyeurism, and a lot of other really weird horrific topics like snuff films." - Horror Society 

"Like Cracker Jacks, Microcinema, a short film by Skip Shea, ends with a surprise in the bottom. The good news is that it's better than a plastic ring." - Chris Hallock, All Things Horror

"Microcinema Doesn't Disappoint" - Victor Infante, Worcester Telergram & Gazette

"The new indie horror romp Microcinema and it is a doozy." - Truly Disturbing Horror

"Interesting short that starts as your usual slasher/serial killer fare before taking a wicked little turn."  -Shaun Sjolin Cenobiteme Blog

"Unicornsblud Horror Review Stamp of Majestic Approval"  - Unicronsblud's Horror Reviews

“Twisted and sick but with a new vision.” - The Dr. Chris Radio of Horror

Let's Be Honest

This blog is on hiatus. I'm been trying to hold off and avoid the issue for a really long time but I can't lie to myself or you anymore and yeah I'm temporarily not posting anything. This should be obvious as my last review was almost a month ago. I'll still be doing one TD review a month, hopefully two if I get my shit together. So if you wanna check back for that.

It's just been a really bad past month and this month, being the first of June, started off horribly. I work all the time now and I often don't even have the brain function to write a review. Also my personal life went to shit and it's just hard to deal with right now so I feel its best to take a break from things and get it all back together.

I'm not leaving this blog. Or quitting on it. Hopefully none of you will either. My goal is August. But right now I just need to get myself together. I hope you stay with me and watch lots of scary movies in my absence.

- Bleeding Dead