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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

Production: New column from Tim Ritter and a new article on sound from Jeff Carney.

Chat: The next chat is set for June 2, 2002.


Chapter Excerpt

May 3, 2002

From Max Cerchi of Rounds Entertainment:

* Carnage Road vhs/dvd rights have been sold to the United Kingdom ! Soon I will give you the web address for buy your copy in PAL !

** Carnage Road will be in Hollywood Video in July 2002 ! The title will be changed in : "Carnage : The Legend of QuiltFace". They LOVED the movie so much that they requested us a sequel !

*** Carnage Road 2 : QuiltFace's Return is now in pre-production ! Gary Lumpp is at the moment writing the screenplay. In the cast we will have the pleasure of having ROBERT Z'DAR (Maniac Cop, Tango & Cash) and JOE ESTEVEZ. The mentioned stars are,at the moment, "tentatively" !

**** Rounds Entertainment is looking for co-producers for CR2. If interested, send an e-mail at roundsent@roundsent.com

Rounds Entertainment

*****

TEMPE VIDEO NEW RELEASE INFORMATION

SKINNED ALIV

Remastered Special Edition VHS & DVD Announcement starring MARY JACKSON • SCOTT SPIEGEL • SUSAN ROTHACKER also starring FLOYD EWING JR. • LESTER CLARK and BARBARA KATZ-NORROD as "Whinnie Miles" production design JON KILLOUGH • production coordinator MIKE SHEA special makeup effects consultant DAVID P. BARTON special makeup effects created by DAVID LANGE AND BILL MORRISON edited by MICHAEL TOLOCHKO JR. with JON KILLOUGH • director of photography MICHAEL TOLOCHKO JR. original music composed & performed by J.R. BOOKWALTER associate producer MICHAEL TOLOCHKO JR. • produced by J.R. BOOKWALTER story by JON KILLOUGH AND MIKE SHEA • written and directed by JON KILLOUGH

STREET DATE: May 21st, 2002 (DVD national distribution by Retromedia/Ventura)
PRICING: $19.99 SRP (DVD and VHS)
CATALOG: VHS: 8986 (UPC #8-22928-89863-3); DVD: TD-1106 (UPC #8-22928-11069-8)
RUNNING TIME: 78 mins. (feature only) — DVD contains almost 3 hours of material!
OTHER: Region 1 only, NTSC format
REMASTERED SPECIAL EDITION DVD FEATURES:

(VHS edition has same remastered print with Dolby Surround stereo remix, “Cut to the Bone” makingof featurette and About the Remastering only)

SYNOPSIS:

Crawldaddy and her kids have been traveling cross-country selling fine leather apparel in their van. Unfortunately they break down in the backwoods of Ohio. Seems they were right in the middle of killing this rich businessman when their van up ‘n took a dump on ‘em. Now kindly ol’ Tom and his wife Whinnie decide to put them up for the weekend…until their neighbor Paul, a disturbed ex-cop, discovers what their “fine leather apparel” is really made of! It’s fun for the whole family…the Manson family that is!!

Tempe Video

*****

Danny Draven teams up with Stuart Gordon (Re-Animator, From Beyond) to direct and produce the film "Stuart Gordon Presents DEATHBED" Production has wrapped and the film will be released sometime this Fall 2002. Draven describes it as "THE SHINING" meets "THE OTHERS."

D E A T H B E D

A bizarre antique iron bed is hidden away in a secret room of a warehouse/loft conversion. The iron headboard is absolutely unique; a circle that is almost hypnotic...And definitely evil.

A young woman named KAREN rents the loft and finds the bed. She is a successful illustrator of children's books and the weird design of the bed's headboard excites her artistic sense -- she makes it the shining centerpiece of her new home. Her fiancé, JERRY, a professional photographer, also loves the bed.

It brings something out of them. It intensifies their lovemaking -- making them do things in bed they have never dreamed of. Jerry thinks they have found the ultimate aphrodisiac.

But they have found much more. They have awakened a vengeful spirit trapped in the bed -- an evil entity long denied the pleasures of the flesh. When the phantom sets its sights on Karen nothing stands in its way as it weaves a strangling web of sensuality and dark power around her. She is helpless to resist the embrace of the Deathbed.

The film stars TANYA DEMPSEY, BRAVE MATTHEWS, JOE ESTEVEZ, and DUKEY FLYSWATTER. Check out the website for more art and an upcoming trailer!!

DARKWAVE FILMS presents the urban horror film, "CRYPTZ" which is now available on DVD along with the film "RAGDOLL."

"CRYPTZ": Would-be rappers Tymez Skwair, Fuzzy Down and Likrish are just try to get a little respect for their music when they cross paths with Stesha, a sexy girl who might be just what they need to add that little something extra to their act. Playing hard to get, Stesha lures the guys to Cryptz, a mysterious strip club that's beyond anything they've ever imagined. All hell breaks loose when they find that the sexy ladies are sippin' more than gin and juice. The flowing blood and vicious undead creatures are bad enough, but things get far worse when Kulada, leader of the bloodsuckers, discovers that Tymez holds the key that could lead to vampire domination of the Earth...

CRYPTZ hits Blockbuster Video and other store MAY 22, 2002.

Darkwave Films

*****

After a very positive response to casting calls posted on this website, New England Film.com and The Massachusetts Film Office site, three actors have been chosen to join Tina Krause and Frank Parker in the MINDSCAPE PICTURES romantic short comedy, "More Than Money's Worth." The actors were chosen from dozens of potentials, many of whom crossed state lines to participate in readings for director Jason Santo. This romantic comedy revolves around the misguided efforts of a few college golf members to cure their recently jilted captain of "the shanks" by buying him a date with a beautiful co-ed in need of money.

Playing the role of "Hugh," the bumbling, naive member of the "preppie trio" featured in the movie, will be Neil O'Callaghan, a Somerville, MA native who spends his daytime hours as a journalist for a Framingham newspaper. Neil joins the cast with a wealth of experience behind him, having written, directed and performed in his own public access comedy show "Shortcuts" screened locally in Boston, Cambridge and Somerville.

Zach Lawrence, a relative newcomer to the acting game, will portray "Trevor," the straight-laced, more suave prep. Though he has appeared in two Boston-area independent productions, ("Fish and Chips" and "The Brother,") this will be Zach's first major role in a picture. He hails from Newton, MA.

Finally, assuming the role of the big-headed, overly confident "Bradley" is Christian Cibotti, an experienced actor and model from Stoughton, MA. Christian can frequently be seen in and around the Boston-area doing "Joey and Maria's Comedy Wedding." He has performed in a number of local stage productions and has directed several plays.

O'Callaghan, Lawrence and Cibotti join the rest of the cast and crew who started work on this picture back in September of 2001. Producer Roman Berman has relinquished his original role as "Trevor" to stay more behind-the-scenes on the picture. A casting call for extras needed in Medford, MA. on May 18, 2002 will be released shortly. Production on "More Than Money's Worth" will wrap, weather willing, sometime in mid-May. The finished picture will be included on the MINDSCAPE PICTURES feature-length short film compilation "MINDSCAPE PICTURES Presents" to be released later this fall.

Over the weekend of April 28-29, 2002, the long-in-production short drama "In a Sky With No Angels" wrapped its final bit of principle photography at a local restaurant called Il Faro located in Medford, Massachusetts. Despite the inclement weather, cast and crew were elated to finally see the picture completed. Original photography began on "In a Sky..." back in March of 2001. After reviewing the footage from the original shoots on his first attempts at editing the picture, writer/director Jason Santo decided to head back into production to reshoot some scenes while recasting two very important roles.

"In a Sky With No Angels" stars local actress Kathy Nestor ("Joey and Maria's Comedy Wedding") as Sarah Grey, a woman contacted by a high school acquaintance with a formidable secret many years after their graduation. Wearing yet another hat by playing Sarah's high school acquaintance, Jason Santo called upon still photographer Claire Folger to share videography duties with MINDSCAPE PICTURES co-founder Roman Berman. Berman also plays a small role in the picture, along with Sheri Carter ("Haunted") and REwind award-winning actor Anthony Villa (Jodom Pictures' "Kilroy Was Here.")

Now in post-production, "In a Sky With No Angels" will likely be completed sometime in late May or early June. Currently, the producers are in talks with local musician and sound engineer Phil Hadley about composing a melancholy, yet ethnically-tinged score. It is slated to be released alongside "His Life," "More Than Money's Worth," and "Haunted" on the upcoming "MINDSCAPE PICTURES Presents" short film compilation

Mindescape Pictures

*****
From Mark Pirro:

All the material for Polish Vampire and Queerwolf has been delivered to MTI Home Video, so the progression is now in their hands. It looks like the actual DVD release of these two films with all the supplemental material will be a little later than originally announced. Now it will likely be August, although there’s a chance it may be held until Halloween. As always, I’ll keep you posted.

We had a Queerwolf pre-release DVD premiere party last month, which was a fantastic event. Many stars from this and other Pirromount films were there and got to see each other for the first time in over fifteen years. After running the film, we ran the making of documentary, which will be included on the DVD. Taylor Whitney (the female lead in Queerwolf) wasn’t too thrilled about the way she looked in the documentary, so to keep her happy; I replaced her footage with a voice over and a picture (sorry gang!). I think she looked fine in the documentary, but since she wasn’t happy with it, I didn’t want something out there that she wasn’t proud of. Kent Butler (Richard Cheese in Queerwolf) was thrilled with the way he looked and was quite pleased with the documentary. The lead, Mike Palazzolo didn’t show up. I suppose the main reason could have been that he wasn’t invited. A few other ex-Pirroites were also excluded from the guest list. Those consist of people who, over the years, have made their way to the permanent Pirromount shit list. They know who they are and so do most of you.

Well Rectuma is officially in production! The first weekend in this month we start second unit shooting in New York. The talented make up artist/actor Mike Thomas, fresh from Paul Scrabo's “Dr. Horror’s Erotic House of Idiots,” has agreed to appear in my film in his Bella Lugosi-Ygor guise, so I’ll be going out there for three days to snatch up all the footage of him I can to insert into footage we will shoot later. Wait till you see his impression. It is phenomenal!! In our film, he will portray “Wanger,” the assistant to Dr. Wansamsaki - the butt doctor that sets the whole plot in motion.

Rick Popko from San Francisco tells us that he has two foam rubber Rectumas ready to be shipped to us. I can’t wait for my asses to arrive. Speaking of Rick Popko, it looks like his upcoming epic; “Monsturd” will have its San Francisco premiere in early June. Special Effects Wiz, Glenn Campbell and I did the titles and visual effects for Monsturd and we will be up there for the event.

Mark Pirro

*****

As always, thanks for www.Bmonster.com for the monthly obits.

OBITUARIES

John Agar

Genre-film icon John Agar died of emphysema at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, Calif. He was 81. Agar was born in Chicago, the eldest son of a meatpacker. Following his father's death, the family moved to Los Angeles. In 1945, following service in the second world war, 24-year-old Army Air Corps sergeant Agar married 17-year-old actress Shirley Temple. Temple was a classmate of Agar's sister, and they met at a party at her Beverly Hills home. Producer David O. Selznick, who had Temple under contract, offered her handsome husband a deal -- $150 per week plus acting lessons.

Agar made an auspicious film debut in the 1948 western "Fort Apache," part of director John Ford's classic cavalry trilogy, which starred John Wayne, Henry Fonda and Temple. The following year, he co-starred with Temple in "Adventure in Baltimore." He was also featured that year with Wayne in two more films, "Sands of Iwo Jima" and Ford's "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon." Agar's marriage to Temple ended in divorce in 1949. Agar continued his acting career, appearing in virtually every type of film, from Arabian Nights costumers, such as "The Magic Carpet," opposite Lucille Ball, to low-budget westerns such as "Star in the Dust," with Mamie Van Doren.

As his career gradually declined, Agar accepted more of the types of roles in grade-B pictures for which his fans ultimately came to love him best. He once told film historian Tom Weaver that, fearing unemployment, "I never turned anything down." His credits from the 1950s and '60s reveal the stamina and resiliency of a B-movie actor who became one of sci-fi cinema's best-known heroes: "Revenge of the Creature," "Tarantula," "The Mole People," "The Brain From Planet Arous," "Daughter of Dr. Jekyll," "Attack of the Puppet People," "Invisible Invaders," "Journey to the Seventh Planet," "Hand of Death," "Women of the Prehistoric Planet," "Zontar the Thing from Venus." Western fans likewise hail him for such pictures as "The Lonesome Trail," "Frontier Gun" and "Cavalry Command."

Tiring of typecasting, Agar left his home studio, Universal, in 1956. Still, the only roles he found were in low-budget shockers. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Agar's old friend, John Wayne, found small parts for him in his pictures, including "Big Jake," "Chisum" and "The Undefeated." Agar eventually turned to selling insurance and, for a time, helped promote Brunswick's senior bowling program. All the while, he continued to accept parts in myriad B-pictures and television programs. Beginning with a cameo in the 1976 remake of "King Kong," nostalgic directors began casting Agar in bit parts in such films as "Nightbreed" and "Miracle Mile." Agar, who never expressed regret at having appeared in so many low-budget genre films, became a staple at autograph shows and classic film conventions, tirelessly chatting with fans who remembered his films fondly. "My whole feeling about working as an actor is, if I give anybody any enjoyment, I'm doing my job, and that's what counts." He passed away just one week before a scheduled convention appearance.

Louis M. "Deke" Heyward Prolific writer and producer, Louis M. "Deke" Heyward, died of complications from pneumonia at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He was 81. The New York City native was leaning toward a career as a lawyer when he began moonlighting as a radio scriptwriter. His plans were put on hold when he enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1941. He piloted numerous bombing runs over North Africa and Europe. After the war, Heyward began work at The Associated Press but continued to write scripts as a sideline. Before long, he got a job as a writer on television's "Garry Moore Show" and went on to supply material for the innovative and influential "Ernie Kovacs Show," which was nominated for an Emmy in 1956. Heyward won the Sylvania Award as its top writer the same year. Decades before the Internet, Heyward created the first interactive television program, "Winky Dink," which supplied viewers with "magic screens" -- plastic sheets that covered the TV screen on which children could draw. For Barry & Enright Productions, he developed the game shows "Twenty-One" and "Tic Tac Dough." He also developed "The Dick Clark Show."

Moving to Hollywood, Heyward landed executive positions at MCA, Four Star Films, Hanna-Barbera and 20th Century-Fox. He may be best known to genre-film fans for his long association with American International Pictures. He began as a writer, became their director of motion picture and TV development, and eventually headed the company's London office. During this time, Heyward produced "The Oblong Box," "Murders in the Rue Morgue," "Horror House," "The Conqueror Worm," "Scream and Scream Again" and the "Dr. Phibes" films. He also wrote "Ghost in the invisible Bikini," "Pajama Party," "War Gods of the Deep" and others. In all, he wrote over 3,000 radio programs, TV shows and feature films and several novels. In recent years, he volunteered at a camp teaching writing to underprivileged children. On a personal note, I'm proud to say that Deke responded to every B Monster newsletter with gratitude, suggestions and encouragement. R.I.P., Deke.

Damon Knight

Legendary science fiction writer Damon Knight has died. We asked our friend, film historian David J. Skal, to offer his thoughts on the author's passing:

"In addition to being one of the most significant writer/editors in the history of science fiction, Damon Knight was the single best creative writing teacher of any stripe I have ever had the privilege of knowing or studying under. He transformed my life, literally, and launched my writing career. I'm not the only person who will offer a similar appraisal. Although I only occasionally write science fiction these days, Damon's influence on my nonfiction work was extraordinary. A prodigiously gifted editor (hell, he was absolutely the best, a genius; there was nobody like him anywhere, even in the rarified strata of the New York literary publishing establishment), he also, with extraordinary generosity, taught writers the essential, self-survival skills of self-editing.) It is quite impossible to separate Damon's contributions from those of his wife, Kate Wilhelm, an equally gifted writer and editor. The two of them, especially through their indefatigable work with the Milford and Clarion writing workshops, in which I was an ongoing participant, became archetypal mother and father figures to a generation of diverse creative talents. Few writers have ever given so much to others. Damon's passing marks the end of an age, but he persists, vitally, as an inspiration for the writer's self-direction and self empowerment."

Henry Slesar

Award-winning author/screenwriter Henry Slesar has died of natural causes at 74. Slesar began his career as an advertising copywriter. He was credited with originating the phrase "coffee break," which quickly became a part of the language. As a television writer, he won an Emmy and six Writer's Guild Awards as head writer of the soap opera, "The Edge of Night," a position he held for 15 years. Slesar wrote more than 500 short stories, radio scripts and books, winning two Edgar Awards, bestowed by The Mystery Writers of America. Many of his suspense stories were adapted for episodic television, most notably for "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" and "Tales of the Unexpected." He also wrote episodes of "The Twilight Zone" and "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." His feature film credits include "Two on a Guillotine" and the 1971 version of "Murders in the Rue Morgue." The low-budget sci-fi film, "Terror From the Year 5,000," was based on one of Slesar's stories.

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