Independent Filmmakers

All posts tagged Independent Filmmakers

Help The Ball!

Published July 21, 2017 by biggayhorrorfan

The Ball

Courtney Love meets Vincent Price? Count me in!

Indeed, The Ball, the upcoming project from the truly colorful and always inventive Count the Clock Productions, promises an aesthetic meeting of these two very creative, yet seeming dissimilar minds (among others). Renowned for such shorts as Pep, I Love Lucy and The Cheerleader Trials, this also promises to be CTCP’s most ambitious project to date.

Thus, if you have a pretty penny or two jangling around in those ragged cut-offs, be sure to throw them some help at https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-ball-horror#/. There, you can also explore the majestic originality of some of their previous work, as well.

Now, with my Good Samaritan cap firmly askew… I wish you SWEET love and pink GRUE, and a wonderful weekend!

www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan

Movie Review: Murder for Pleasure

Published November 15, 2016 by biggayhorrorfan

murder-2

The only time I care about cereal killing is on those mornings when I wake to find that my box of generic Frosted Flakes is empty. Writer-director Derek Braasch’s early hours, however, find him more interested in the mind of a surprisingly vicious serial killer named Victor in his latest feature film, Murder for Pleasure.

What is, perhaps, most gratifying about this bloody dive into the mind of a sadist is how Braasch, and his co writers Anthony Pellizzeri and Mike Miller, capture, whether intentionally or unintentionally, the mindset of an unbending patriarchic male with their lead character.  Victor, quietly and thoroughly played by Nick Bender, attacks his victims for their supposed sins – promiscuity, homosexuality, lack of romantic interest in him, abortion – with the fervor of the religious right. It is a portrait of unchecked masculinity that is surprisingly representative of our current and often violent, misogynistic culture.

Beneath the copious amounts of gore and symbolic torture porn, Braasch also supplies some truly striking visual moments – a scene of watery child abuse is potent and a dream sequence that spells the end of Victor’s latest, unrealistic coupling is full of languid purpose, as well. In fact, Braasch works with a nightmarish quality throughout the film’s running time, creating an almost unreal universe where Victor’s crimes are never punished.

A bit too meandering at times, with major characters and motivations sometimes revealed far too late in the proceedings, Murder for Pleasure is still an ambitious project that lovers of cinema about unrepentant murderers will probably find very enjoyable.

https://www.facebook.com/Murder-for-Pleasure-535499069797697

Until the next time – SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan!

www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan

Chloe Finch’s The Diary of Jane Doe

Published July 17, 2015 by biggayhorrorfan

jane doe
Forgetting who you are sounds like a good idea when its time to pay that latest cable bill or when your sister catches you sleeping with her favorite Vampirella Doll.

But losing yourself can have dangerously delightful implications. Director Chloe Finch seems poised to take on all of those with her upcoming film The Diary of Jane Doe. Featuring a talented and attractive cast, this is one independent horror feature that you’ll definitely want to keep your eye on.

Be sure to follow Finch’s production adventures at https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Diary-of-Jane-Doe.

Until the next time – SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan!

http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan

Final Girls Unleash Official Trailer!

Published January 21, 2015 by biggayhorrorfan

final girls
2015 is already shaping into a bloody fantastic year. I’ve totally found a way to cover up my balding spots…and Final Girls, director-writer Matt Storc’s femme based horror opus, is finally going to see the late of day! After a series of post-production set-backs, an official trailer has finally been released.

Final Girls will, also, receive its first screening at Panic Fest in Kansas City, Missouri over the weekend of January 30 – February 1st, 2015. There will be a Q and A with Storc and cast members after the screening, as well. Congrats, all!

https://www.facebook.com/panicfilmfest

Until the next time – SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan!

http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan

The Bloody Wonderful Fies Sisters!

Published March 22, 2014 by biggayhorrorfan

fies
Oh, I have tried to be cool. A lot. Sometimes, I succeed. Other times…

But some folks are just naturally cool. Take the amazing Fies sister, for example. The primary forces behind the (unfortunately) short lived BleedFest, a monthly West Coast event honoring femme based contributions to exploitation filmmaking, these two are truly exciting creative voices.

communeBrenda has produced many a vibrant short while Elisabeth wrote and directed 2009’s award winning The Commune, a mysterious shocker with 70s undertones.

Now, you can keep up with everything these two are doing by following their adventures, here:

https://www.facebook.com/FiesSisters

Feels good to be cool, huh?

Until the next time…SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan!

http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan

Join the Pity Party!

Published January 10, 2014 by biggayhorrorfan

pity
I’m not asking for understanding for myself – although the big toe on my left foot is acting slightly possessed, as of late. But you will never figure yourself for not following the adventures of filmmaker John Pata (Dead Weight) and his latest horror based project, Pity.

Pity, based on a short story called Prowler in the Yard by J.R. Hayes, is described as a portrait of a man at the bottom. Hmm…sounds like me in the backroom at Touche’ Leather Bar last March. Anyhow…this incisive exploration will be unleashed on the public in spring 2014.

Be sure to keep up with it’s terror drenched progression at:

https://www.facebook.com/PityFilm.

Until the next time – SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan

http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan

Book Review: Out in the Dark

Published December 14, 2013 by biggayhorrorfan

out
The lesbian prostitute nuns who raised me were far more concerned about my love of all things gory as opposed to my sexuality. Well, they were lesbian prostitute nuns. Thankfully, writer-director-sassy bon vivant Sean Abley handles the whole queer horror loving vibe much better with his essential new book Out in the Dark: Interviews with Gay Horror Filmmakers, Actors and Authors.

As the force behind Fangoria’s late, lamented Gay of the Dead, Abley got to pepper us with stories from the most important bent figures in the terror scene. Here, he compiles (and updates) those pieces while adding some new ones into the mix, as well.

Importantly, while Abley interviews the actors involved with gay familiar fare like The Lair, he also spends plenty of time diving, deeply, into the works of such important independent filmmaking voices as Alan Rowe Kelly (The Blood Shed), Bart Mastronardi (Vindication), Jason Paul Collum (October Moon, Screaming in High Heels), JT Seaton (George: A Zombie Intervention) and Armando Nunez (They Have No Shame). Big timers like Dan Mancini (Child’s Play) and Jeffrey Reddick (Final Destination) stop by, as well.

Ryan Metzger in Eulogy for a Vampire.

Ryan Metzger in Eulogy for a Vampire.

Interesting factoids abound everywhere. Former TV heartthrob Wesley Eure (Land of the Lost, The Toolbox Murders) talks about how Hollywood homophobia and the AIDS crisis made significant impacts on his career. VHS enthusiasts may be surprised to discover that Tim Kincaid, the director of Mutant Hunt and other low budget goodies, is actually famed porn maker Joe Gage. Actors like Ryan Metzger and David Moretti, also, reveal that it is not only writers and directors who love terror (on a personal level) – Moretti talks of sneaking looks at Fangoria as a kid while Metzger maintains that a good death scene can seal the deal on a proposed project for him.

Above all, the passion and strength of all these creative individuals shines through, a testament to their own inner drive and Abley’s fun, incisive questions.

Out in the Dark is published by Lethe Press. It can be purchased from their site at http://www.lethepressbooks.com or from Amazon at http://tinyurl.com/mch3dsl.

Until the next time – SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan!

Follow me at http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan, as well!

M is for Mime Time!

Published October 30, 2013 by biggayhorrorfan

beka
If Whitney Houston had really known what she was doing she would have sung “One Moment in Mime” all those years ago. (Oh, well! Blame it on Bobby Brown!)

Prolific filmmaker John Borowski (Albert Fish, Carl Panzram, H.H. Holmes), gets where it’s at, though, because his very fun entry in the ABC’s of Death 2 competition is M is for Mime Time.

You can check out his entry and vote for it until November 14th, 2013, below.

http://26th.abcsofdeathpart2.com/entry/m-is-for-mime-time/

Big Gay Horror Fan, meanwhile, is always worshipping kick-ass actresses named Beka at http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan!

Until the next time – SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan!

Review: Crinoline Head & Generation Ax

Published September 24, 2013 by biggayhorrorfan

crinolinehead2
If John Waters was born a couple decades later and got his start in independent horror, the result might have been something like Tommy Faircloth’s 1995 low budget feature, Crinoline Head.
crinoline head
Featuring a killer who slices his way through the cast with a skirt on his head, a demented transsexual as the roadside portent of doom, plenty of sexual ambiguity among the victims and (an eventual)death by celery, Crinoline Head is a fun homage to the slashers of the ‘80s.

Recently released for the first time on DVD, this critic’s darling is highlighted by a brilliantly bonkers performance from Tracy Powlas (pictured above) as sorority happy Jenny. Powlas recites her lines in an exaggerated sing-song all while continually squirming, skipping and bouncing her way through the film! And that is no simple “Whatever,” my fiends! For while the other cast members (including Billie Fontanez as the ‘athletic’ Cathy and Brian Kelly as the intellectual outcast) offer up some finely understated moments, this is truly Powlas’ ecstatic, elastic show!

generation axSix years later, the determined Faircloth returned to the terror playground with the enjoyable Generation Ax (2001). Here, he merges the Tarantino-esque antics of such popular 90’s adventures as Kalifornia, Natural Born Killers and True Romance into the horror mix by concentrating on a high school couple (nicely played by Brian Kelly and Marina Morgan) whom forge a bond over episodes of murderous bloodlust. As they off everyone from cruel cheerleaders to obnoxious theater employees, the film significantly connects due to the fact that every (formerly) awkward viewer can put themselves in the main couple’s shoes. Who hasn’t imagined causing harm to those that have bullied them?

Just as in Crinoline Head, even the most inexperienced performers have a certain charm here and it is a blast to watch future fitness guru Jennifer Peluso (memorable for her super fun turn in the Debbie Rochon starring anthology flick Hellblock 13) prance through the flick as awkward cheerleading wannabe Leslie.

Despite an ending that, while tying into the excellent opening scene, feels a bit abrupt, Generation Ax, like Crinoline Head before it, can count itself among the better low budget indie horror flicks.

To find more about Crinoline Head and Generation Ax, please visit http://www.horsecreekproductions.com and http://www.facebook.com/horsecreekproductions.

Big Gay Horror Fan, meanwhile, is always throwing damp dishcloths on his head at http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan.

Until the next time – SWEET love and pink GRUE!

Feeling Dark ‘n’ Sexy? Then – Welcome to Matthew’s Doyle’s Hot Hook-Up!

Published August 2, 2013 by biggayhorrorfan

hook-up
My old friend Matthew Doyle used to embarrass me at movie theaters by claiming he was an executive from Pepsi and then proceed to harass the counter people for selling Coke products. He’d also force me to, begrudgingly, role play scenarios from Star Trek episodes with him as we ran down the streets of Boys Town in Chicago. Obviously, before I became Big Gay Horror Fan I was a total stick-in-the-mud! I would find all of that gloriously awesome, now.

Back then Mr. Doyle always claimed he was going to make films of his own, as well – and that he has! His second feature, Phantom Images, is currently streaming on the here! Network and he has just launched the campaign to finance his third feature, Hook-Up, featuring controversial porn actor Antonio Biaggi.

Hook-Up promises to expose the dark side of online dating and while not out and out horror, it is sure to feature the energetic capabilities of such Doyle influences as Rainier Werner Fassbinder and Peter Weir, auteurs beloved by film buffs and fright fiends, alike.

Check out the Indiegogo Hook-Up campaign at:
http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/hook-up

And if you are presently penny pinched, be sure to like the film’s FB page, at the very least!:
https://www.facebook.com/HookUpMovie

Meanwhile, Big Gay Horror Fan is always looking for new playmates at http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan, as well.

Until the next time – SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan!