MUSIC NEWS: VOODOO TERROR TRIBE to Release New Album "The Sun Shining Cold" on November 11, 2016

Listen to New Anthem "No Hell Like Home" via Revolver Magazine   Pre-Order The Sun Shining Cold via Bandcamp Here     Over the years, alternative hard rockers VOODOO TERROR TRIBE have made a name for themselves as a mainstay in the New York tri-state area and beyond. Their intense performances and diverse discography, which includes three EP's and two full-lengths released between 2005 and 2014 (including 2009's Symptoms of Sin recorded with Billy Graziadei [Biohazard, Suicide City]), have solidified the band as a premier talent amidst a sea of contemporaries.   On November 11, 2016, VOODOO TERROR TRIBE will release their third full-length offering, entitled The Sun Shining Cold. You can pre-order the album now via Bandcamp. The 10-track album delivers in-your-face hard rock anthems, soaring ballads and alt-metal scorchers - all individually unique and dynamic in their delivery.   Today, you can listen to a new track from The Sun Shining Cold,entitled "No Hell Like Home", exclusively via Revolver Magazine. "No Hell Like Home" immediately hits the ground running with gritty rock riffs and lures you in with soulful vocals and a hook you can't help but sing along to. Listen here: http://www.revolvermag.com/artist-music-song-premieres/voodoo-terror-tribe-premiere-new-song-no-hell-home/22385   Produced by Ill Niño lead vocalist Cristian Machado, The Sun Shining Cold was recorded at Sound Wars Studios in Hoboken, NJ and mixed at Fuel Music Studios in Anaheim, CA.   The Sun Shining Cold promises to be VOODOO TERROR TRIBE's most sonically advanced offering yet. Producer Cristian Machado recognized the raw talent within the band and knew they had something special to offer to the rock scene. "This album is possibly one of the best metal albums I've ever been a part of," states Machado. "You don't always get to work with such talented musicians who just so happen to be mature and dedicated to bringing something fresh to the evolution of the genre. I comfortably refer to them as "haunted metal" but in all honesty they are a new breed of metal yet to be heard under this style and context. In my heart of hearts, I truly believe they are here to contribute an impressive approach and styling to the evolution of metal."   Guitarist Emir Erkal adds, "We know the scene, and the scene knows us, but we're coming at this with full force in a new way with a new sound. This is an album full of surprises, with heavy guitars and crushing drums, yet melodic and catchy tunes with layers of haunting, mysterious, electronic and industrial sounds. The record features mainly dark, twisted themes within a post-apocalyptic concept."   Bassist Primer adds, "It feels like the culmination of what we've been doing for a long time as VOODOO TERROR TRIBE: power grooves, crushing guitars, catchy, but dark melodies - but taken to a new level."   Recently, VOODOO TERROR TRIBE unleashed their first track cut from The Sun Shining Cold, entitled "City of Sixes". You can watch the music video - directed by Scott Hansen (Motionless in White, A Day To Remember, We Came As Romans) and tallying over 130,000 views as of September 2016 - here: https://youtu.be/y3uuMZEHC7w   Stay tuned for more coming soon from VOODOO TERROR TRIBE leading up to the release of The Sun Shining Cold.   VOODOO TERROR TRIBE have performances scheduled on the east coast this fall, including a performance at Hollowfest 2016 in Newark, DE. See below for all currently scheduled performance dates.   9/17 - Clifton, NJ @ Dingbatz 10/21 - Newark, DE @ Halftime Sports and Music Venue - Hollowfest 2016 10/28 - Clifton, NJ @ Dingbatz - w/ Genitorturers   About VOODOO TERROR TRIBE: Formed by Emir Erkal on guitars (an Istanbul, Turkey native who moved to USA in order to take his musical career to the next level) and longtime friend T-Bone on drums, the duo later brought in Primer on bass and topped off their alt-metal sound with the masterfully vocalized emotional poetry by vocalist Gil PZ.   Follow VOODOO TERROR TRIBE: www.voodooterrortribe.com www.facebook.com/vttrocks www.twitter.com/vttrocks www.youtube.com/voodooterrortribe www.instagram.com/voodooterrortribe www.reverbnation.com/voodooterrortribe   www.voodooterrortribe.bandcamp.com

NEWS: Official trailer for "60 Second To Die" now out!

 

 

A year ago a handful of film makers from across the globe were given a challenge: make a short horror film that tells a story in only 60 seconds. The result is now about to be released and here is the trailer.

Much more information can be found here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4942694/

Or here: http://60secondstodie.blogspot.com

Or, ofcourse here: https://www.facebook.com/60secondstodie/

The production company is currently looking for new submissions for a second and third part of the franchise.

NEWS: ITHACA FANTASTIK ANNOUNCES FULL RETROSPECTIVE, FIRST WAVE OF TITLES AND BUMPER CONTEST FOR 2016 EDITION!

The Ithaca Fantastik film festival is only a months away, and the IF team has been hard at work creating an incredible program for the event’s fifth anniversary. The festival will be held Nov. 9–13 in Ithaca, NY.

This year’s retrospective, The Known Unknowns, will dig into viewers’ deepest fears. Sponsored by SHUDDER, the retrospective will include “The Naked Prey” (Bill Wilder, 1960); “Deliverance” (John Boorman, 1972); “The Long Weekend” (Colin Eggleston, 1978); “Altered States” (Ken Russell, 1980); and “Aliens” (James Cameron, 1986). 

But that’s only the appetizer. The IF team has assembled a highly diversified film lineup to respond to their expanding audience’s growing desire for all things Fantastik. 

This year’s new Cinema Pur competition will celebrate challenging, innovative approaches to storytelling. Carefully-curated contenders include the US premier of experimental comedy “She’s Allergic to Cats” (Michael Reich, US); visually captivating “Alipato: The Very Brief Life of Ember” (Khavn, Indonesia); and the NY premiere of minimalist post-apocalyptic film “The Open” (Marc Lahore, France).​

The Festival Favorites mini series will return with a vengeance, screening the highly acclaimed “The Love Witch” (Anna Biller, US); TriBeCa Film Festival Award winner “Here Alone” (Rob Blackhurst, US); and SxSW acclaimed debut feature film “The Master Cleanse” (Bobby Miller, US).​

Festival-goers will wander in India with two of the IF team’s favorite films of the year, action-packed “Psycho Raman” and socially-infused mockumentary “Autohead.” And, not to be missed, Mattie Do’s sophomore picture “Dearest Sister” (Laos) and the adrenaline-pumping “My Father Die” (Sean Brosnan, US) round out the first wave of titles. 

​

Bumper Contest: Nature’s Revenge!

This year’s bumper contest will draw from the theme of retrospective film “The Long Weekend,” which proves nothing is scarier than unpredictable nature. Filmmakers are invited to submit their own original nature revenge short film to IF by Oct. 15th 2016 (Submit by using Wetransfer; email: hbarbier@ithacafilmfestival.com and type NATURE’S REVENGE IF in the subject line). The contest has two rules: 1. The film must be no more than 45 seconds; 2. The twist should involve nature taking revenge on humans for their acts against mother nature.

The IF team can’t wait to see what the beautifully twisted minds of seasoned and aspiring filmmakers will come up with. The top three entries will be screened during the festival, and winners will receive an Ithaca Fantastik festival pass.

 Visit ithacafilmfestival.com for more information and announcements to come.

my top 13 "Final Girls".... #9

What's a 'Final Girl' you might ask? She's the last woman standing at the end of a horror film. Usually the one who defeats the killer. In this list, I'll give you my top 13 'Final Girls' in horror of all time. Without furtur ado....

#9: Jennifer Hills from 'I Spit On Your Grave' played by Camille Keaton and Sarah Butler
She may have been portrayed in the original and remake by two different actresses, but both of them have the same revenge streak inside. She lives through all of her captors torments, only to come back and take each man down.... one by one.

my thoughts on.... Herschell Gordon Lewis

Life is short. In the small amount of time we have on this earth, we should make every effort to leave our mark. No matter how small or insignificant, we should leave behind something that will carry on long after we shuffle off this mortal coil. For one man, he didn't just leave a mark, he left behind something more like a sucking chest wound. That man, was Herschell Gordon Lewis 'The Godfather of Gore'. Sadly, today we lost an unassuming pioneer in the horror genre. A man who not only invented what we know of today as “Gore”, but set the bar for all of the blood, guts and icky stuff that has become all too mainstream in modern film making. He kicked down the door of what was known as horror, at the time, and took it to a whole different level. One that had never been seen before in modern cinema. Maybe he wasn't the greatest film maker to ever grace the genre, but what he lacked in technical skills, he made up for in passion and enthusiasm. If you've never seen a Herschell Gordon Lewis film, I wouldn't recommend them for the casual horror film buff. These are not for the squeamish or faint of heart. These are for the film historians who want to devour anything and everything that lurks in the darkest and most depraved places of our beloved genre. His films were the cornerstone of future film makers such as Eli Roth, Rob Zombie and trash cinema legend Lloyd Kaufman. He built an empire on entrails and eyeballs. But one must wonder how such a man of disgusting and perverse pleasures ever came into being? It wasn't so much a mapped our journey of depravity, but one of necessity. One of tapping into the vein of society and slitting it's underbelly to reveal what so many were lusting for in the dark corners of their minds. He sent his sickness, spilling out into the cinemas around the world and eventually into the privacy of our own homes. This is the story of Herschell Gordon Lewis, 'The Godfather of Gore'.

Believe it or not, Herschell started his career as a teacher. An unassuming path that led him into the eventual decision to change careers and become a movie producer. Originally forming a film company called 'Mid Continent Films', that produced 2 films: 'The Prime Time' and 'Living Venus', which he also directed. Included among his cast, were two up and coming stars, Bill Kerwin and one, Harvey Korman (Yes, THAT Harvey Korman.). During this time, Herschell met a man by the name of David F. Freeman, who would eventually become his partner in crime. Once they had cemented their partnership, they found more success in making short, 1 reel pictures called 'Nudie Cuties', before realizing that more money could be made in full length nudie cutie features. The first of several of these titillating films was one called 'The Adventures of Lucky Pierre'. Somehow 'Lucky Pierre' made its way into a mainstream theater and despite the theater owners hesitation, it ran for 9 weeks. Thus proving that there was money to be made in exploitation films like these. From there, the government of the time, began to crack down on these types of entertainment, but for some reason decided that if the nudity took place in a nudist camp setting and wasn't sexual in any way, then it would still be considered legal. At this point, a light bulb went off in Hershcel and David's heads and they began the next phase of their career, making nudist films. The flood gates were open, however, and soon the market was over saturated with these kinds of pictures. The dynamic duo soon realized that they needed a new gimmick. Something that would be shocking and unlike anything that had been seen before. At this moment in horror history, Herschell coined the word that he wanted to use for his new genre. He called it “Gore”. These films would depict horrific acts of murder in the most gruesome ways possible. Not flinching at showing everything that was never seen before. At that moment, a new kind of sickness was born. He soon came up with his first idea for a film in this new style, but where could he film it? After shooting several previous movies at the Suez Hotel, he had remembered that they had a small replica of the Egyptian Sphinx in front of the building. From there, he came up with the basic plot outline for what would become his most profitable film and possibly his most notorious, 'Blood Feast'. During the audition process, he met Connie Mason. A former Playboy model and quite possibly the worst actress in film history and he immediately cast her in one of the leading roles. She would soon become a staple in Herschell's films, along with Mal Arnold and his right hand man, Bill Kerwin. Once the film was completed, it debuted at a drive in located in Peoria, IL on July 6th, 1963. It immediately made an impression on it's unsuspecting audience and when Bill Kerwin asked his wife on the way home, what she thought. She summed up the entire experience in one word, “Vomitous”. This led to Herschell providing sick bags to all of the theaters, complete with the 'Blood Feast' logo on it and this only grew the legend even more. Soon, other theater owners realized that this was a draw and it began to slowly ooze it's way into other theaters. Word of mouth then carried it's notoriety even further. Not one to rest on his laurels, Herschell began work on his next project, '2000 Maniacs'. The film that he referred to, until his final days, as his personal favorite of all of his movies. The frenzy surrounding this new brand of horror, soon turned into novelizations and legitimate product placement. By the time his next film was in production, 'Color Me Blood Red', there seemed to be no way of stopping him. When it came time to start 'A Taste of Blood', he decided to try a bit more mainstream approach to his film making and agreed to include a rather unlikely celebrity in the film. Being an avid lover of fried chicken, KFC asked if they would shoot part of the film at a franchise location in Wilmette, IL. Upon arriving for the shoot, the cast and crew were greeted by none other than the Colonel himself, Colonel Sanders. He spent the day shooting scenes with the Colonel, but Mr. Sanders became unbearable. Not knowing what the film was about and trying to shift the focus to himself, Herschell shot some rehearsal footage, just so they could get out of there without damaging their partnership with KFC. However, despite this, Herschell was paid in fried chicken and that made the day of shooting a bit easier to swallow. His next masterpiece was 'An Eye For An Eye', which became plagued with problems and never saw the end of production. Some scenes still remain, but it eventually fell to the wayside. In an effort to keep working, he started filming 'The Gruesome Twosome'. After wrapping the production, he realized he was short on a running time and proceeded to shoot 8 minutes of two Styrofoam heads talking. Nobody seemed to notice or mind the bizarre addition. From there he made an all female biker film called 'She Devils On Wheels' and quickly followed it up with 'Just for the Hell of It'. A film about teenagers going wild. Feeling that the genre was beginning to be co-opted by too many other film makers and not wanting to fade into the background, he instead, stepped up his game. His final two feature films, of the time, were 'The Wizard of Gore' and 'The Gore Gore Girls', both of which featured some of the more disgusting and stomach churning gore ever put on screen. 'The Gore Gore Girls' also featured none other than Henny Youngman in a bizarre cameo as the owner of the topless bar featured in the film. At this point in Herschell's career, he felt as though he'd done all he could, in the cinema of perversion that he created. So he hung up his hat and got a real job. He spent his remaining years working in Direct Market Advertising and became quite successful in his field. He continued to tour conventions and film revivals, spreading the gospel of gore. However, the story wasn't quite finished there. Before he took his final curtain call, he threw his hat back into the horror ring and made three final films, 'Blood Feast 2: All U Can Eat', 'The Uh Oh Show' and 'Hershcell Gordon Lewis' BloodMania'. This put a place holder on his career and proved that you're never too old to make people sick. (This is not a full recounting of all the films he has ever made, just the highlights.)

Now, you know you've succeeded in the world of 'trash cinema' when John Waters praises your work and likens it to pornography. Not only in the way that the beats are played out in the scenes, but with how it seems to have a build up to a climax of blood, guts and gore. Not unlike the infamous “money shot”. What Hershcell Gordon Lewis accomplished in his career, was not only creating a legion of fans frothing at the mouth, but he gained the respect of his peers and put a permanent plaque in the hallways of horror history. What is it about his films and the man himself, that made him such an icon? It was primarily due to his passion and drive, that bubbled over onto the screen. He was driven to create films that pushed the envelop of modern cinema and to do it with gusto. You can't manufacture that level of commitment. Not only that, but he was a very charismatic, well spoken and genuinely interesting guy to listen too. His personality jumped off the screen and made you want to hang out with him for a weekend in Peoria, IL. Not unlike John Waters or even Lloyd Kaufman, Herschell Gordon Lewis reveled in the dirty and filthy side of the movie business. They took what ugly and made it into art. Maybe that's a bold statement, considering the quality of film making that Herschell had. He was never a good film maker and I think he knew it, but what he lacked in technical skill, he made up for in showmanship. Almost like a PT Barnum of the macabre and gruesome.

My history with 'The Godfather of Gore' began while I was working at a local video store in Forest Park, IL. I was in the midst of immersing myself in every genre of film I could find. My days were filled with browsing the racks of video cassettes and DVD's, while reading any and every book I could get my hands on about the subject. My goal was to educate myself in film history, not unlike the way I educated myself in music history. Along my journey, I came across the name, Herschell Gordon Lewis. What I read about him, immediately peaked my interest. Here was a man who was making some of the most notorious and disgusting films of his time and possibly even of my lifetime. I couldn't believe what they were saying he was getting away with in the early 60's. I had to see it for my own eyes, to find out if the rumors were true. So I looked in our rental system and saw that we had several of his films on the racks. I then spent the next week, watching everything we had in stock. Half out of a desire to become well versed in his catalog and half out of shear inability to look away. It was like a train wreck of bright red paint and half rotted animal entrails. Everything that people said about his films was true. They were schlocky, poorly acted and not very good, in a technical way. But what they got right, was how important they were to my beloved genre of horror and how they should be required viewing for any hardcore horror hound. Once I'd finished my sickening journey through the mind of a marketing madman, I wasn't sure where to go next? There was nothing else out there that I'd seen that could ever outdo what Herschell Gordon Lewis did, in a time that he shouldn't have been able to do it. My tutoring was complete and anything else after that, would merely be an imitation. Since then, there have been a few remakes, that tried to capitalize on what Herschell made famous. The first that I saw was 'The Wizard of Gore', starring Crispin Glover and Kip Perdue. Honestly, I went into it with no expectations and wound up coming out of it feeling like I'd seen something that did the source material justice. Crispin Glover was brilliant casting, to play the wizard himself. The film got a bit muddled in places, but overall it was very entertaining. There was also the Robert Englund led remake of '2000 Maniacs' which was never truly as satisfying as the original, but somehow it spawned a sequel called '2001 Maniacs'. It was not good in any way, shape or form. It was merely a cash grab to try and squeeze more blood from a stone. Recently, there's rumors of a new version of 'Blood Feast', but only time will tell.

So what else can you say about a man who shaped the entire trajectory of modern horror cinema? Perhaps you think I'm overselling his importance to the genre, but I don't believe I am. Just think about what horror would look like, without the introduction of overly gory scenes of violence? Sure we'd have the Universal Monsters of the world, but when I go to a buffet, I plan to try a little bit of everything and to stuff myself to the point of feeling sick. Herschell Gordon Lewis not only laid out the whole bloody buffet, but he gave us a literal 'Blood Feast' fit for gorging ourselves on, until we burst. His films may not be to everyone's tastes, but you can't deny their place in our lascivious lexicon. I've never considered myself a gore hound. However, I will never shy away from a film that features vomit inducing sequences that make my gag reflex twitch. I want to experience all of what our beloved genre has to offer and Hershcell Gordon Lewis was a one of a kind auteur that we'll probably never see the likes of again. They say that there's nothing new under the sun, but they never said that about the darkness. Herschell Gordon Lewis proved that we hadn't seen anything yet.

Rest in pieces, Mr. Lewis. You'll never be forgotten. I hope that wherever you are now, you're making the afterlife a little more interesting and a lot more gory place.



If you want to witness Herschell Gordon Lewis in all his gory glory, check out his entire catalog:

2016 Herschell Gordon Lewis' BloodMania (post-production)
2009 The Uh-oh Show
2002 Blood Feast 2: All U Can Eat
1972 The Gore Gore Girls
1972 The Year of the Yahoo!
1971 This Stuff'll Kill Ya!
1971 Black Love (as R.L. Smith)
1970 The Wizard of Gore
1970 Miss Nymphet's Zap-In (as Sheldon Seymour)
1969 Linda and Abilene (as Mark Hansen)
1969 The Ecstasies of Women (as Mark Hansen)
1968 How to Make a Doll
1968 Just for the Hell of It
1968 The Alley Tramp (as Armand Parys)
1968 Suburban Roulette
1968 She-Devils on Wheels
1967 The Magic Land of Mother Goose
1967 Blast-Off Girls
1967 The Girl, the Body, and the Pill
1967 The Gruesome Twosome
1967 A Taste of Blood
1967 Something Weird
1966 Jimmy, the Boy Wonder
1965 Sin, Suffer and Repent (Documentary)
1965 Color Me Blood Red (as Herschell G. Lewis)
1965 Monster a-Go Go (uncredited)
1964 Moonshine Mountain
1964 Two Thousand Maniacs!
1963 Scum of the Earth (as Lewis H. Gordon)
1963 Bell, Bare and Beautiful (as Lewis H. Gordon)
1963 Goldilocks and the Three Bares (as Lewis H. Gordon)
1963 Blood Feast
1963 Boin-n-g (as Lewis H. Gordon)
1962 Nature's Playmates (as Lewis H. Gordon)
1962 Daughter of the Sun (as Lewis H. Gordon)
1961 The Adventures of Lucky Pierre (as Lewis H. Gordon)
1961 Living Venus

October Toys of Terror features SLASH CARDS

Slash Cards are finally available after a successful crowd funding campaign!

• 1,375 Questions cover more than 400 horror movies
• 275 Trivia cards, 50 Category Cards, and 5 Slash Cards
• Includes full-color instruction booklet, card divider, and 2-piece game box
• 1-6 Players
• The most comprehensive horror movie trivia game available

Per the Amazon page: Slash Cards is a horror movie trivia game for 1-6 players. It consists of two card decks: The Trivia Deck, and The Categories Deck. The Trivia Deck contains 1,375 questions that span the entire history of horror cinema. The Categories Deck is used to play Slash Cards' two game modes: The Slasher and The Survivor. In The Slasher, players take turns drawing Category Cards and answering questions. The first player to collect a card from each of the game's five categories wins, but watch out! If you draw a Slash Card you forfeit all your cards and start over. In The Survivor, each player begins with a full suite of Category Cards. Each time a player answers a question incorrectly they lose one of their cards. The last player with at least one card in their hand is the winner. The trivia cards cover everything from the silent era all the way up to 2015, including questions about classics like The Exorcist and Halloween, lesser-known movies like Motel Hell and Session 9, and foreign horror films like Eyes Without A Face and REC. Horror fans of all levels will love Slash Cards.

All of us creeps have already ordered ours, don't miss out on the glorious insanity of horror trivia!

5 Serial Killer Movies You May Have Not Yet Seen (and Should) #1 Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006)

There's no secret that some of our favorite horror movies deal with those creepy bastards that stalk us and want to do unspeakably horrible things to us. From 'Psycho' to 'Hannibal' they have endeared us with their quirkiness, style, and finesse. With glorious one liners and clever kills, they are a fascination both in fiction and reality. Hell, how do think the Creepercast got its name? Speaking of how we got our name, two of the films on this list helped make Creepercast great and connected us with amazing film makers and actors we now call friends. So, without further pontificating, here are 5 serial killer films we believe deserve your attention a little more than the rest...

Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006)

Nice, normal-looking Leslie Vernon (Nathan Baesel) has an obsession with movie-style slashers like Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger. Leslie decides to follow in the footsteps of his heroes, and, ever the self-promoter, invites a documentary filmmaker (Angela Goethals) and her crew to follow him around as he constructs his own grisly legacy.

Writer/Director Scott Glosserman presents a behind the scenes look at what it takes to be a successful serial killer. Nathan Baesel has razor sharp creep and comedy timing and we even get to see his humble beginnings as his mentor, played by Scott Wilson of 'Walking Dead' fame, steals the spotlight for a moment. Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon is the perfect storm of suttle and in your face horror homages. We were extremely fortunate in our early days to have Glosserman on the podcast to discuss Behind the Mask. Look for it I'm sure its somewhere on the nets!