Horror Short: Out of the Night (2013)

Written and directed by Skip Shea
Staring Gwendolyn Callahan
Director of Photography William Smyth

Lost in a sullen neighborhood a wealthy woman is lured out of her car by falling hundred dollar bills, despite the shadows she's seen skulking in the fog. Out of the Night is similar in Shea's previous short film, Microcinema, in that it uses its events as an analogy for a more deeper understandings of the human condition. As voyeurism and obsession was the topic of the former the latter helms topics of greed, desire, and how in light we view strangers. The woman in the film is lost, scared, and likely at the other end of the tracks, however her lust of money leads her out into the night to gain more wealth even with the figures hidden in the fog. Of course for those who don't look so deeply the surface level horror is done well with the fear of being lost at play as well as the sense of dislocation. We never find out where the wealthy woman has wander off too, whether it be an odd neighborhood or some city of the afterlife.

Shea has a way of taking our expectations as an audience as well as the expectations of the character to offer us a different alternative. His films have a knack for unveiling the illusions of reality and exposing the often brutal truth. Not all is so bleak as Shea's dark humor is subtly placed in the film, mostly near the end. Gwendolyn Callahan is great, her role consists of no dialogue but her often lurid expressions fill in that utter terror of being lost in a neighborhood that vastly differs from her own. The score was taunt, lucidly attendant to the chilling atmosphere that's been set. The photography is simply gorgeous, utilizing classic black and white. There's a really exceptional image of Callahan vanishing into the fog; it fluently lacing around her, dissolving her figure into the darkness. I really liked Out of the Night, however it was a film I had to watch a few times to fully grasps the concept. In that I do recommend with a little hesitation as this film will likely go over a few people's head. But if your like me and you love reading into horror with deeper meanings than I'd say don't miss it.

Out of the Night will premiere at the SENE Film, Arts & Music Festival on Sunday April 28th at the Cable Car Theater in Providence, Rhode Island. For more information you can visit - http://www.senefest.com/dramatic-short-films.html

Press Release: New Sci-fi Horror Film 'Science Team'

A bastard child of science-fiction and horror! 

 

Chip returns home to find that his mother has been brutally murdered. A sessile space alien with telepathic powers is now living in her house rent free. Science Team, an anti-alien organization, must now eliminate the extraterrestrial threat. Drama ensues. People die. Inner and extraterrestrial demons are engaged. Men in pink suits use cool-looking technology. Events culminate in a destructive orgy of violence of such an epic intensity that people's minds are literally blown out of their heads.

 

Science Team is currently fundraising for their film through Indiegogo. There you can see a three minute teaser and help them reach their goal by donating.

 

You may follow them on Twitter. Or on their Facebook page.

 

The Most Irrelevant Post Since Irrelevant Post Friday

If the title for this post and the title for the Midnight Son post got in a fight, I think this one would win on sheer stupidity. Though, it's hard to say as "How Do You Like Your Midnight Son Served?" is also fairly awful in the history of posts on this blog.

There's nothing more appropriate that to start an Irrelevant Post, that's on a Saturday mind you, than
an irrelevant comment about the titles of my blog posts going at it in a fight. This being the case as this post is really just random, most of it consisting of nonsense with a little of it actually having a purpose. I'll attend to the most important first and is that my computer went down this week and was just fixed today. I'm a little behind because of this, the two days I had off work I wasn't able to do anything constructive. But that being said it works now and I'll try to catch up as much as possible within the next week.

Next I do have five reviews for you that I plan on posting within this month and next. I also have three Horror Shorts, so check back on Sundays if you would like to read those. I'm basically just saying with this paragraph that I'm not dead, you know my usual excuse for absence. 

I've been debating about whether or not I should share this with you but you are my followers (or random google people who find me because of The Human Centipede) and I believe your opinion is just as important, if not more, as mine. I'm really considering of moving this blog. No actually I am moving this blog. At this point its the self-host vs the second party. Blogger is getting on my nerves. No, actually Google is getting on my nerves. But it's also just a matter, to be quite frank, to shit or get off the pot. Meaning that I'm serious about my writing. Not so much reviews as I do love writing them but I really need to start focusing on what I'd like to do with my writing and my own site might help this. Having a self hosted site would acquire a lot of work but I ultimately feel that I can organize it better with one. There's a lot of other reasons for it that I wont go into but this is something I'd very much appreciate input on.

Finally for some REAL irrelevancy I saw Jurassic Park 3D and you should go see it because it kicks ass. I've actually never seen a real 3D film (excluding those red and blue glasses, and the Terminator Ride at Universal Studios), so I was tripping out a bit because I didn't realize that the intent of it now is to make you feel like your actually in the film less than watching it. There's been a lot talk about this and the direction that cinema is taking, the masses are eager but us nostalgic movie lovers are in denial. I draw from it that I LOVED seeing Jurassic Park in 3D but only because I have seen it before and it was insane to watch it like that, I wouldn't watch a newer film, necessarily, because it distracts. That's just my two cents.

Honestly the intent of this post was that I felt away from this blog because of the computer breaking and just wanted to post something, even if it's just an Irrelevant Post...on a Saturday. Regardless enjoy your day and go see the new Evil Dead or Jurassic Park. Or save your money and see Zombie's Lords of Salem this week. Either or, happy Irrelevant Post Friday. Saturday.

TDHorror Retro Review

"These characters are hoot with their actor counterparts also suitably enjoyable. You'll recognize Robert Englund (!) in a pre-Nightmare and V role, Sid Haig who regally gets killed by his own arm, and veteran actor Ray Walston. I didn't care for Erin Moran or rather 'Joanie loves Chachi' as the psi-sensitive character who in turn renders useless, her ability not being remotely helpful and her character reflecting the same abhorrent tendencies from that of her TV alter ego. But it's Taaffe O'Connel as Dameia who gets the infamous, brutal, and erotic sex scene with the worm, where she dies via orgasm"

Yes I actually used the word hoot. Sue me. As usual you may read the rest here.