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If you have a news item you would like to see posted please e-mail it directly to me at almaric@usa.net/.

Well guys, it's taken me a while, but I've finally got the message boards up and running. Do me a favor, check them out and let me know what you think.

New at B-Independent.com

Articles: New columns from Tim Ritter and Jeff Dylan Graham! Teletubbies Twist Tots!
Reviews: Hey guys, to help promote more traffic to the review page, I'm going back to post 2 or 3 reviews per week.
B-Independent.com Underground Film of the Year Announced!
Chapter Excerpt

January, 29, 2002

After a year and a half of late nights and long weekends, S.K.F. and producer Rob Robinson are pleased to announce the completion of their new film by director Debora Roventini, "The Golem", starring Victoria Reid Taylor, Ken McFarlane, Steve Rozic, Pat Connelly and Derik Van Derbeken with Chappie Hunter and Philip Faiss.

"I didn't think we'd ever finish, but after seeing the final film, I think it was well worth the wait. The cast and crew -- everyone did just terrific!" -- Rob.

The haunting story of one grief-stricken family coming home after their father dies to discover a monster living in the garage; "The Golem" is a classic b-monster movie suitable for viewing by the whole family.

You can view a trailer for "The Golem" at S.K.F.'s web site at StuntKittyFilms.com. This is a new domain name so be sure to update your bookmarks. And after watching the trailer, be sure to sign our new guestbook and let us know what your think.

*****

THE WIND Accepted to Valleyfest Independent Film Festival One of Chris Gore's (Host of the FX Network's "The New Movie Show," Author of "Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide," and Founder of "Film Threat") Top 10 New Festivals

THE WIND will be screening in Valleyfest's Competition Category, as well as the festival's Film is a Four Letter Word Category, which highlights "controversial" films.

WHERE:
Regal Cinema, Downtown West Boulevard, Knoxville, Tennessee

WHEN:
Friday, March 15th, 10:00 PM

Vallyfest Independent Film Festival
The Wind
Mean Time Productions

*****

This is Dean St. John, director/producer of the film CRUISING PURGATORY, and I wanted to annouce the completion of our latest film at The Sprocket Factory, THIS WAY OUT OF BROOKLYN. The new comedy/drama stars Josef Pilato (from DAY OF THE DEAD), LoriDawn Messuri (of PYTHON, I'M WATCHING YOU, and CRUISING PURGATORY) and Ken Arquelio (also from CRUISING PURGATORY). We'll begin screening at festivals soon, but all rights are available. Any one interested should contact us at The Sprocket Factory (626)836-0422 or visit the website: SprocketFactory.com

January 28, 2002

From Max Cerchi and Rounds Entertainment:

1) Carnage Road and Demon Lover will be available soon in all over England (PAL)

2) We are VERY happy to receive such an overwhelming reply for the screenwriter contes, right now we are reading the script submitted for "Where Evil Dwells". Soon we are planning to shoot "Carnage Road II" and we are looking foir a screenwriter as well !

3) The DVD of Oranges : The Movie will be available soon ! Pre-order it now for only $19.99, after the pre-order date the price will be $29.99

4) HELLINGER sold around 2500 copies all over the mom & pop video stores and it keep selling ! Rentrak bought around 700 untis and wherehouse video bough around 4 copies per video stores. If anyone spot Hellinger in your near video store, please let us know !

5) SALES EXECUTIVE wanted ! Work with Rounds Entertainment from the confort of your home ! Nothing to buy ! We are giving 50% for each sale! If you are REALLY interested, send us an e-mail and we will send you a promo package ! Willing to give EXCLUSIVE on selected cities. E-mail for more info.

Rounds Entertainment

January 27, 2002

From DUDEZ Productions:

A script has been finished for our upcoming horror feature THE FERAL MAN, casting will begin soon. the movie is a werewolf-movie with a twist. It will be shot on digital and be DUDEZ most polished work to date. The music for FERAL MAN is being contributed by some talented folks. Johnny Ballistic is writing some original music and Skindealer, the Loving Dead and Atomic Brats are contributing songs. Auditions are set for the 27th of June at the University of Ottawa (e-mail for details).

It's official, Spacemen, and Night Songs are being distributed by Draculina Direct at draculina.com.

Brett Kelly has been cast in Batturtle Productions new film "12:35". Jodi is working on it as camera operator.

DUDEZ Productions

*****

The Masucci Brothers' fanfiction movie, The X-Files: Graceland will be shown several times during Sci-Fi London: The Science Fiction and Fantasy Film Festival as well as a screening during a VIP party whose special guests are rumored to include Ridley Scott and Terry Gilliam. For all three days of the festival there will be a free mini-cinema in the Curzon bar at which Joe and Dan's movie will be played.

The festival is to take place February 1-3. The main venues for the festival are: Curzon Soho Shaftesbury Avenue London WC2 020 7734 2255, Metro Cinema Rupert Street London WC2 020 7734 1506, The ICA The Mall London SW1. 020 7930 3647.

Fountainhead Pictures

*****

Eric Spudic says he "just signed on with producer David Sterling to write several screenplays for him. Two of them are already finished, gearing up for a whole slew more. There's a script involving college kids fighting vampires, then there's Forrest Gump on acid psycho killer script, and who knows what the future holds in screenwriting. But it sure is exciting to finally be hired to write something after 9 years of writing scripts and nearly 800 rejection letters! Also, hoping to hop back into the director's chair(after a 4-year hiatus) with my script KILLERS BY NATURE, sort of a slasher movie from the killers' pov's. I was tired of having the victims as the main characters and decided to do a twist. Should be a real hoot."

Eric Spudic

*****

Want a sneak peak at Lurid Entertainment's ABERRATION BOULEVARD? Just click here.

January 24, 2002

Hey guys, there's been a real lack of news coming our way, but the newspage is getting some of it's best traffic ever, around 4000 visitors per day. That's not bad for a site that does mostly b-movie stuff. Please e-mail all your items directly to me at almaric@usa.net with NEWS as the subject. Thanks and take care!

January 20, 2002

Hailed the Universe wide as one of the most disgusting movies ever made, THE NECRO FILES finally hit DVD this month with a limited print run of 500 region zero copies from Astaroth Entertainment.

Astaroth Entertainment

*****

HAPPY MART we will be auditioning through Feb for this highly acclaimed comedy. It will be shot this summer in the Shenandoah Valley of VA. Auditions will close, the last day of Feb. with call backs the second week in March. we will be in the studio from noon until 6:00 pm every Sat. and Sun. We will stay later if the numbers dictate. All auditions will be on a first come basis, in Feb. Alpha Impressions-2155 "Actors studio" 6024 Main St. PO Box363 Mt.Jackson, VA. 22842 540-477-4227 or 540-477-4170

Happy Mart

January 19, 2002

That lack of updates isn't my fault this time, you cats just aren't sending it to me! Finally, I have a few tidbits for you.

To make up for the lack of updates, how about a contest. Head to the AMERICAN NIGHTMARE website and find my press blurb in the review section. When you've done that, copy and send it to me in an e-mail with the word CONTEST in the subject. Be sure to include all your contact info in case you win. Winners will be picked at random from the correct entries.

AMERICAN NIGHTMARE

Also, for those interested, there's a chat set for tonight starting around 10 p.m.. Even those that are part of the message boards are encouraged to stop by and talk it up.

*****

Chris Seaver here from low Budget Pictures.

Well looks like things are going pretty good for us and after 10 years its about time!

We will be attending the Frightvision Con in April in Ohio and will be selling our new releases "Scrotal Vengeance" "The Anal Paprika Trilogy" "Filthy Mcnasty" and for the first time MULVA:ZOMBIE ASS KICKER will be on double feature DVD with Full Moons Hell Asylum!! ANd Filthy Mcnasty will be on double feature dvd with full moons Dead and Rotting. They will also be screening Mulva:Zombie Ass Kicker at the convention at 11 pm right after Dead and Rotting. Also we are in deep pre-production for our 16th film "Quest for teh egg salad: Fellowship of the egg salad" which is our biggest film to date and is a parody of fantasy films such as Legend, Labyrinth, and Lord of the Rings. The film will have FX from DEMONIPUMPKIN FX, and of course will feature Debbie Rochon in her 5th LBP film and Tina Krause will be the Elf Princess in the film. The flick will begin shooting in June-Aug. ALSO on tap LBP will be working on their first Online Comic book called CYN, about a vulgar, sexy, geeky, girl who fights demons on earth and it will be turned into a film in September 2002 from the team.

Low Budget Pictures

*****

DUDEZ Productions is in pre-production on a pyschological horror film called THE FERAL MAN. Shooting begins in the spring and auditions are happening soon.

e-mail DUDEZ for details.

DUDEZ Productions

*****

Foxpack Productions has a number of projects in the works.

2002

TALES FROM THE FOXPACK is a 13 episode series, that will debut in April 2002. Each episode will contain 2 half hour stories.

Based on classic tv shows like The Twighlight Zone, Tales From The Crypt and Tales From The Darkside, Tales From The FOXPACK will give us the chance to explore our imaginations and share great new short stories with our fans.

DEATHLIST 2: REAPER is the second movie in The DEATHLIST Trilogy. It will continue the storyline that began in DEATHLIST and will also have new characters, settings and surprises.

2003

SUPERHERO, the highly anticipated project of 2003 has been announced. SUPERHERO will be FOXPACK'S first high budget picture and will tell the story of a young man who has been given incredible powers and he has no idea what he should do with them.

Foxpack Productions

*****

January 14, 2002

VAMPIRE OF NOTRE DAME is being released by Seduction Cinema in April 2002 as AN EROTIC VAMPIRE IN PARIS.

The deluxe DVD will feature a behind-the-scenes doc, interview with Misty Mundae and outtakes.

Seducion Cinema

*****

In 2002 Tempe Video will be releasing a steady wave of independent genre films as special edition DVDs. VENGEANCE OF THE DEAD and WITCHOUSE 3 are now available with HELL ASYLUM in February, DEAD & ROTTING in March and their 1989 production SKINNED ALIVE will kick off our remastered special editions in May. In the works for the second half of the year are digital versions of OZONE and BLOODLETTING as well as the comedy-drama EDDIE PRESLEY, directed by Jeff Burr (LEATHERFACE, THE OFFSPRING). And yes, there is a huge special edition planned for THE DEAD NEXT DOOR sometime in the future!

Tempe Video

*****

WAVE Productions is having a wet t-shirt contest and the winner gets $50. Head over to the WAVE website and cast your vote.

WAVE Productions

January 11, 2002

No real news today, but if you want to join some of the site regulars in the chatroom or on the message boards, then tonight would be a prime opportunity.

January 10, 2002

Tunnel Vision Entertainment and Alpha Dog Productions have recently teamed up to begin working on the short film, "Steve Martin: A Comedy"...which has very little to do with both Steve Martin and comedy. This short dramatic thriller, based on the screenplay by Dominic P. Guerieri and Ronald Damien Malfi, is currently in pre-production and will be shot just outside Baltimore, Maryland. It will be co-produced by Dan Poole, of THE GREEN GOBLIN's LAST STAND fame.

Tunnel Vision Entertainment
AlphaDog Productions

*****

Rounds Entertainment is looking for NEW screenwriters! If you are interested to write for us the screenplay of "Where Evil Dwells" just contact us at roundsmail@prodigy.net. Your name will appear on the credits and you will receive a copy of the finished film PLUS a (small) deffered payment for your job !

Rounds Entertainment

January 8, 2002

TromaDance 2002 Official Screening Schedule, Jan 16
Salt Lake City, Utah
Brewvies (801) 322 - 3891
677 South 200 West - SLC Utah 84101

Day 1

6:00pm- 7:00pm

7:00pm- 8:00pm

8:00pm-9:30pm

9:30pm- 10:00pm

10:00-11:00pm-

11:00pm-12:00am

TromaDance 2002 Official Screening Schedule, Jan 17
Park City, Utah
The Phat Tire (435) 658-2699
438 So. Main Street
Park City, UT 84060

Day 2

9:00am-10:00am

10:00am- 11:30am

11:30- 12:30pm

12:30pm- 1:30pm

1:30pm-2:30pm

2:30pm- 3:30pm

3:30pm- 4:30pm

4:30pm- 5:30pm

5:30pm- 6:30pm

6:30pm- 7:00pm

January 7, 2002

All the following info comes from the 4th Floor Productions website.

I know its been awhile dead heads but, things have been buzy since J.R. got loose. So, whats going on you ask... Well, alot of things... 4th Floor Pictures has shot a new short titled "The Dead Forest". It will be part of a complation movie titled "HORRORVISION.666" by Phil Herman and those loveable guys at Falcon Video. Check it out when it comes out. I will also keep you posted on things with it.

BIG GOAT BALLS NEWS: This is the biggest news DEAD HEADS... 4th Floor Pictures is in pre-production on our latest flick titled "SERIAL KILLER" (title could change) This is the mother of all serial killer movies. The script is actually based on real events. Casting for this movie has already started with such wonderful talents as Pamela Sutch and Rebecca Anderson. This is most sickest damn thing we've ever put together... You'll love it. I'll keep you posted.

The 4th Floor will also be taking part in another flick titled "MEAT HOOK" this January. A few of the members of the 4th Floor will be acting... Thats right Dead Heads... I said acting. This short flick is being directed/produced by Eddie Benevich. I'll keep you posted on this one.

4th Floor Pictures

*****

From Mark Pirro:

I'm pleased to announce that the new version of Color-Blinded is complete. It only took me about two months. I guarantee you, it's light years ahead of the black and white version we released four years ago and a cut above the earlier color version we released last year. I'm also delighted to say that All the materials for the Polish Vampire and Queerwolf DVDs are finished . MTI Home video and I are just ironing out the final details of the contract and then we should be announcing an official release date early 2002. For legal reasons, we won't be taking pre-orders of the DVDs through our website, but we can still sell VHS copies here without any problem.

Pirromount

*****

Pipedreams Entertainment is putting the final touches on DREAMWALKERS from director John Bowker.A scheduled release date is set for mid June 2002. The box cover art is below. Bowker's THE SEEKERS will go into the editing room next.

Pipedreams Entertainment

*****

Playground Films, the folks that brought you THE DIVIDING HOUR, has two new projects in the works, ADVERSE EFFECTS and TIDE POOL.

ADVERSE EFFECTS.

Dr. Carl Palmer is on the verge… the verge of a mental breakdown. Returning to his psychiatry practice after a period of recovery from his wife's death and subsequent steady diet of alcohol, Carl prescribes an untested DNA-based medication created by his old friend Mike Cohen in the institute's biochemistry lab. The drug has been successful at reverting defective brain patterns in its primate test subjects thus far and is ready for a trial run in the real world…

Carl learns what happens when ambition gets the better of his best judgment and results in his three human test subjects acquiring "Adverse Effects" from the seemingly miraculous medication.

To tell you any more would ruin the surprise.

This film is currently in preproduction at Playground Films. Writer/Director Mike Prosser is working in conjunction with Captive Audience, the make-up wizards behind the gruesome HANNIBAL effects, to ensure that this film will be the most outrageous monster movie since John Carpenter's THE THING.

TIDE POOL

Shelly Carver is unhappy with the lack of romance in her marriage to ex-con John who is sick and tired of his dead-end convenience store job… constantly trying to make ends meet.

Tracy is fed up with her erratic live-in girlfriend Karin and convinces her best friend Justin to help her move into a new apartment… right next to the Carver's.

Rick is on the prowl for the big score with his half-wit compadre Clinton, an ex-roadie for the Grateful Dead. All they need is a third man desperate enough to join in on their crimes… John Carver.

Marital malaise, an opening door of sexual exploration, and the grand schemes of small time crooks are tossed together in this metaphoric Tide-Pool… but the tide is about to roll in and change all that they know and feel.

This feature film is currently in preproduction with Playground Films. Written by Mike Prosser & Greg James and presenting James' debut as a feature director, TIDE-POOL is Playground Films' first foray away from horror and monsters, to the real world of monstrous behavior and dealing with life's horrors with a little humor thrown in for good measure.

Playground Films

January 5, 2002

Sorry about the delay in getting the newspage up and running for the new year, but coming straight off vacation only to go back to work took a great deal out of me.

To everyone who visits this page on a daily basis, all 3000 of you, HAPPY NEW YEAR! Look for a number of changes in the next few months, including a new layout!

*****

Earlier this year we told you about a PAL special edition DVD release of THE DEAD NEXT DOOR in Germany. Now we've just inked a new deal which will see the release of two Tempe faves on VHS & DVD in shiny new remastered editions there.

SKINNED ALIVE will make its debut in March, complete with a new transfer from the 16mm negative and a 5.1 remix dubbed in the German language! There will also be loads of extras, including a featurette with new interviews from writer/director Jon Killough, producer J.R. Bookwalter, actors Scott Spiegel, Susan Rothacker, Barbara Katz-Norrod, Mike Render and others. A U.S. mass-market version of the disc will bow in May from our friends at Retromedia/Ventura.

But the real excitement is that extensive remastering is now underway on J.R. Bookwalter's cult hit OZONE, which debuts in Germany in April and will follow in the U.S. this summer. This $3,500 wonder is being completely restored from the S-VHS-C camera masters and the computer FX are being retooled from the ground up. Of course, the sound mix is being rebuilt and remixed in 5.1 surround also! A featurette with interviews & behind-the-scenes footage plus a commentary track are planned, and the U.S. edition will also include the original stereo mix.

As always, we'll be importing a limited number of these German editions and we'll keep you up-to-date on the pending U.S. releases!

Tempe Video

*****

Press Release

Join the us for our Friday night screenings of Stanley Kubrick¹s "A Clockwork Orange".

Starting January 11th we will be showing back to back screenings of "A Clockwork Orange" through the month of January. The NYFA will be hosting this event at it¹s theater located at Union Square in downtown Manhattan and will screening a 16mm film print.

Admission will be $5.00 and includes a free drink* at the famous Korova Milk Bar (modeled after the bar of the same name in "A Clockwork Orange") during the month of January.

You can¹t miss this rare opportunity to see Stanley Kubrick¹s classic story of "Ultra Violence" on the big screen.

Show dates are: January 11th, 18th, & 25th
Screenings will be at 7:00 PM & 9:30 PM
$5.00 admission

NYFA Theatre
100 East 17th Street (Union Square)
New York, NY 10003
212-674-4300

Korova Milk Bar
200 Avenue A (btwn 12th & 13th Street)
New York, NY 10009
212-254-8838

Geoff Ryan
Independent Film & Video Forum
www.tvfilmforum.com

*Bring in your ticket to Korova Milk Bar after the show and when you buy one drink, your second drink is free. Offer only valid for persons 21 years old and up. Valid ID will be required.

*****

December wasn't kind to b-stardom. As always, thanks to www.Bmonster.com for our monthly obituaries.

DANCING FREAK-TO-FREAK

Attention aspiring B-movie impresarios: If you've recently produced a short film having anything to do with zombies, ghosts, ghouls, goblins -- pretty much anything that creeps, skulks, shambles or crawls -- entries are now being accepted for the Fourth Annual ZombieDance (formerly ZXZW) Film Festival to be held this March 9, 2002, in Austin, Texas. (The location has yet to be announced.) "We established the festival because we felt that zombie films weren't shown enough respect," says festival honcho Nathan McGinty. "But, over the past few years, we've always shown films that - though not necessarily featuring a zombie or member of the undead - were just too good to pass up. This year we decided to go ahead and make it official." Meaning that this year the criteria will encompass all films of a "psychotronic" nature. "If you don't know what psychotronic means," McGinty stresses, "don't waste your money on postage sending us a tape. That means YOU, art school goth kids." Deadline for entries is Feb. 1, 2002. All the info you need can be found at: www.ZombieDance.org

OBITUARIES

Paul Landres

B-movie director Paul Landres died of cancer at his Los Angeles home. He was 89. Landres began his film career as an editor, working on films of all genres including the Basil Rathbone-Sherlock Holmes entry, "The Scarlet Claw," "She-Wolf of London," "The Crimson Canary" and director Sam Fuller's "I Shot Jesse James." Beginning in the late 1940s, Landres graduated to directing and is perhaps best known to cult-film fans for "The Vampire" aka "Mark of the Vampire," which starred John Beal, Kenneth Tobey and Coleen Gray, and "The Return of Dracula," an efficient, atmospheric shocker featuring Francis Lederer as one of the big screen's most convincing vampires. Landres also directed "The Flame Barrier," starring Arthur Franz and Kathleen Crowley, and the rock 'n roll showcase, "Go, Johnny, Go!" which featured Chuck Berry, Eddie Cochran and Richie Valens.

Landres turned to TV in the 1950s, directed over 350 episodes of such programs as "The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp," "Bonanza," "Death Valley Days," "The Lone Ranger," "Maverick," "The Rifleman," "77 Sunset Strip," "Hawaiian Eye," "Sky King" and "Surfside 6."

Budd Boetticher

Director Budd Boetticher died of multiple organ failure at his home near Ramona, Calif. He was 85. Often cited as a "maverick" filmmaker, Boetticher is perhaps best known for a series of modestly budgeted westerns he made in collaboration with Randolph Scott in the 1950s. "Seven Men From Now," "The Tall T," "Decision at Sundown," "Buchanon Rides Alone," "Ride Lonesome" and "Comanche Station" are considered some of the very best westerns ever produced. Boetticher once called them "morality plays," wherein Scott's near-mythic integrity was tested in simple stories that nonetheless had great impact.

Prior to his film career, Boetticher was trained by two of Mexico's best-known matadors and became a professional bullfighter. He came to Hollywood as a technical adviser on director Rouben Mamoulian's 1941 version of "Blood and Sand," which starred Tyrone Power. He gradually rose through the B-movie ranks directing such potboilers as "Black Midnight," "Assigned to Danger" and "Behind Locked Doors."

Following his films with Scott, Boetticher devoted seven years to filming a documentary about bullfighter Carlos Arruza. During this time, his marriage to actress Debra Paget ended in divorce, he went bankrupt, spent a week in a mental institution after a drinking binge, served a week in jail and nearly died of pneumonia. Later, Arruza and some of Boetticher's film crew were killed in an automobile accident. Returning to Hollywood, Boetticher scripted the Clint Eastwood western "Two Mules for Sister Sara." His final directing credit was 1971's "A Time for Dying," which he co-produced with Audie Murphy.

Pauline Moore

Actress Pauline Moore, who appeared in two dozen B-pictures in the 1930s and '40s, is dead at 87. She had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Moore's career began with an uncredited part as one of Mae Clarke's bridesmaids in the 1931 "Frankenstein." She appeared in several westerns including "The Carson City Kid," "Young Buffalo Bill" and "King of the Texas Rangers" and portrayed Anne Rutledge opposite Henry Fonda in John Ford's "Young Mr. Lincoln." She also appeared in three Charlie Chan films: "Charlie Chan at the Olympics," "Charlie Chan in Reno" and "Charlie Chan at Treasure Island," which many regard as among the best in the series. She was later an inspirational speaker and a writer of poetry, short stories and religious plays.

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