News: ‘The Woods’ Trailer Boasts One of the Scariest Movies EVER!

"I can finally share our first shit your pants horror film" - Adam Wingard via Facebook 

As reported by Bloody Disgusting...

“A new beginning for horror films.”

Every few years a genre movie comes along that changes everything. Only, we’ve been waiting for that game-changer since the 2009 release of Paranormal Activity.

This all changes on September 16th, 2016 when Lionsgate leaves audiences lost in The Woods.
Bloody Disgusting readers already know director Adam Wingard, who helmed V/H/S and V/H/S/2 for Bloody Disgusting, not to mention the awesome The Guest and You’re Next. But when The Woods releases this fall, he will become a household name.

The Woods is written by his longtime collaborator Simon Barrett, and while many of the details are being kept submerged, it does “involve a group of college students on a camping trip who discover they are not alone.”

James Allen McCune, Callie Hernandez, Brandon Scott, Valorie Curry, Corbin Reid, and Wes Robinson star.

Lionsgate is starting the hype early, having just released the first teaser and poster for what will be known as “one of the scariest movies ever made.”

Yes, I’m putting my full weight behind The Woods in a way that I haven’t done since Paranormal Activity. It’s terrifying. It’s rattling. It’s next level.

That’s all you get for now, but to you should really click here for updates.
If you need an extra push, check this: Roy Lee (The Ring, The Grudge, The Strangers, It), Steven Schneider (Paranormal Activity, Insidious), Keith Calder and Jessica Wu (You’re Next, The Guest) are the producers.

NEWS: David Lynch inspired horror short "Lucid" is online

Danish produced David Lynch inspired horror shortfilm "Lucid" about taking control of your dreams is now online courtesy of the Danish short film streaming site Ekko Shortlist. The film stars Kim Sønderholm, directed by Henrik Bjerregaard Clausen and written by Mads Zaar Riisberg.

Films duration is about 5 minutes and spoken language is English. 

Ekko Shortlist is based on votes, the more votes a film gets the longer it stays on the site. Voting can be done using the 6 star system below the picture frame. 

http://www.ekkofilm.dk/shortlist/film/lucid/

The film is still going around on festivals after it world premiered at Night Terrors Film Festival in Denmark and has since then won several prices, both for best film, best director and best actor.

NEWS: Blood-Painting Surrealist Artist VINCENT CASTIGLIA Nominated for Darkadya Black Stars Awards

Vote Here for "Fan's Choice Award" - Voting Closes Today! May 22!

DARKADYA, a new, multi-volume illustrated book featuring dark, esoteric, occult artists worldwide, is coming out soon! The organizers of the book are hosting an award series dubbed the "Black Stars Awards", honoring the artists featured in the book. Groundbreaking blood-painting surrealist VINCENT CASTIGLIA is already featured as the official Spotlight Artist in tome 1, and fans can vote for Vincent now in the "Fan's Choice" category via this link. This is the only award that can be voted upon by the fans, so hurry, voting closes on May 22 at 11:58pm Eastern!

VINCENT CASTIGLIA is also in the running for the "Master Artist" award. The category winner will be chosen tomorrow by the "Black Stars Awards" judges panel, including representatives from Metal Blade Records, Decibel Magazine, Bloodstock Festival and RAM Museum, as well as Steve Wang and Mike Hill, Hollywood Special Effects artists. Criteria of judgment includes concept, creativity, originality, precision, arrangement and overall impression.

For more information on the "Black Stars Awards", please visit www.darkadya.com/black-stars-awards, and make sure to vote now!

To contact the team behind DARKADYAdarkadyabooks@gmail.com

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Although he recently skyrocketed into the forefront of art/music crossover fame with his painting of Slayer/Exodus guitarist Gary Holt's signature ESP guitar - celebrated surrealist painter and tattoo artist VINCENT CASTIGLIA has been turning heads for years with his awe-inspiring work. VINCENT CASTIGLIA is the first American artist to receive a solo exhibition invitation from Oscar Award-winning artist H.R. Giger in the history of the H. R. Giger Museum Gallery. Vincent's art has been praised by fellow artists, musicians, and other notables throughout his career.

"With such precise technique, his depiction of human musculature is nothing short of outstanding."  

- Paul Booth / World-renowned Tattooist, Artist, Gallery Owner, Fanatical Nihilist

"If the body is the temple, then the heart is the altar and the blood is the sacred flame that enlightens the shrine. Vincent is painting with holy light." - Martin Eric Ain / Musician, Celtic Frost

"The ominous truth that his art confronts, along with the exquisiteness in which it is portrayed, provides a timeless revelation into human existence." - Joe Sopkowics, Forensic Photographer

In the privacy of his studio, VINCENT CASTIGLIA practices a kind of modern-day phlebotomy, siphoning the life force which contains his own psychic energy, while giving it an outlet and form. In doing so, he dissolves the barrier between artist and art in a most literal and immediate sense. Vincent's figures, their musculature and skin, are painted with what could be thought of as "liquid flesh". Its tendency to quicken the subjects is likely inapproachable by any other medium---as it is actual tissue with which it is being rendered. In this way the subject's realism is not merely an optical illusion due to its level of detail, but rather is an actual transference of flesh and blood to each work.

VINCENT CASTIGLIA's impressive work has seen many sides of the entertainment world, as well. MTV New Media's Horror-Slasher Film, Savage County, featured his art as its official movie poster, depicting the three murderers in the film. Prior to the film, Vincent painted album art for heavy metal band Triptykon's 2010 debut release, Eparistera Daimones.Triptykon is founded by former Hellhammer / Celtic Frostsinger and guitarist Tom Gabriel Fischer. Vincent also painted the DVD cover for Fangoria Presents film, Corpsing.

His work has been featured on The National Geographic Channel (NatGeo). Castiglia was also recently a guest on the Jay Thomas Show on Sirius XM Radio. His work has been explored by countless art and culture publications, in the US and internationally, including the New York Post, New York Daily News, The Huffington Post, Art Business News, International Business Times, Bizarre Magazine, as well as Lexikon Der Phantastischen Künstler "The international encyclopedia of fantastic, surrealistic, symbolist, & visionary artists". He was also recently awarded "Tattoo Artist of the Year"ThisisHorror.uk

's "This Is Horror Awards 2012".

His work hangs in many distinguished collections internationally, among them, the collection of Rock legend Gregg Allman. Vincent recently illustrated a highly-publicized self-portrait of renowned comedian Margaret Cho, created with her own blood. His paintings have been exhibited at museums and galleries in the US, and internationally, including CoproGallery, (Santa Monica, California), Last Rites Gallery (New York) The Museum of Sex (New York), The Museum Of Porn In Art, (Switzerland), The HR Giger Museum Gallery, (Switzerland), , The Mall Gallery (London, England) Canvas Los Angeles (Los Angeles California), Fuse Gallery (New York), Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center (Ft. Myers, Florida), Art @ Large Gallery (New York) Gallery Lombardi (Austin Texas), L'imagerie Gallery (Hollywood, California), Museo De La Cuidad De Mexico, (Mexico), C-Pop Gallery (Detroit, Michigan), Shooting Gallery (San Francisco, CA), Seed Gallery (Newark, New Jersey), The 7th Annual Dirty Show (Detroit, Michigan),  as well as The Congregation Gallery (Hollywood, California).

For more information on VINCENT CASTIGLIA, please visit www.vincentcastigliaart.com.

my thoughts on.... '7th Day' (an original Creepercast site review)

As with all of my reviews of the independent films that we get sent here at The Creepercast, I fully recommend that you check each and every one of them out. I am one man and this is my opinion. I've seen plenty of movies that received reviews that were the complete opposite of how I saw the film. These writers, directors, producers and actors all put a lot of time and love into these projects. They deserve to be seen and appreciate for what they are. Everyone has a dream and I fully support the people that take the time to make theirs a reality. With that being said....
Serial killers have fascinated people, for as long as the term 'serial killer' has existed. Even more than the horrific acts they commit on other human beings, people have wanted to know the how and why of what drove them to do such monsterous things. Were they born that way? Was it a learned behavior? Nature vs nurture? Some killers have opened up and revealed their inner most secrets, others have been laid bare on the silver screen by writers willing to enter the mouth of maddness. However, no matter how many books are written or films produced, the public never loses it's bloodlust for serial killers. I, myself, even went through an extended serial killer phase. I read multiple books, online articles and watched a ton of documentaries and film adaptations. It was so incredibly fascinating to delve into such a twisted and dark side of the world. To enter into a place that I could never imagine going and that I wondered how anyone else could live there on a daily basis? Eventually, my curisoity passed and I turned my desire to study maddness, into a passing interest in the macbre reality of insanity. I still enjoy the occasional study of serial killers and watching a movie about real or imagined monsters that live next door. The ones hiding in plain sight, but I tend to mix it up a bit more than I used to.

In the movie, '7th Day', it takes the mold of the modern day killer and gives a it slight twist. Just enough to make it feel fresh, but not quite far enough to make it a classic. There were many moments were I could see beyond it's smaller budget, by the use of interesting dialogue or well laid out shots. It was the kind of movie, where as I was watching it, I could have imagined myself creating the same movie. It made me long for the days of film school, where every one of my peers wanted to make the next big thing. Wanted to re-invent the wheel or to say something that people would latch on too. The reality is, that it's a one in a million opportunity that many of us will strive for in this life, but only a small handful will achieve. I do think that Jason M. Koch has some things about his film making style that show he has those skills. Perhaps his 'Citizen Kane' hasn't come along just yet, but he has an eye for setting up a shot and gets the best out of what he has available. When your audience can sit and watch what you've created and lose themselves in the story and completely over look the problem areas, then you've succeeded at what you've set out to do. I found myself doing that on several occasions. Wanting to learn more about Allen and what was motivating him to do what he does. That's a credit to Mark Leake, who wrote the script and Mark S. Sanders, who played the main character of Allen. They worked well together to bring a fully formed character to life.
The basic premise of '7th Day' is a simple one. Allen is a man who doesn't see himself as having a problem. He can stop any time he wants, but yet he has the compulsion to kill and do horrific things with his victims. He's a dishwasher by trade, but a "hunter" by birth. An avid watcher of the news, he generally stays to himself, but when he opens up to those around him, it's obvious that he's socially unstable. The only thing that seems to interest him, outside of killing, is his co-worker Denise. He feels that they have a connection that will someday bring them together. However, she barely knows he exists and would prefer to keep it that way. Allen lives next door to Bill, a suspected pedophile and all around waste of space. The two hang out on occasion and Allen refers to him as his friend, but it seems that he's more of an illusion of a friend. Someone to keep up appearances and to help keep his secret life safe. Allen murders at will and completely at random. Whatever he see's that he thinks will give him the feeling of being alive, is what he kidnaps, tortures and kills. There is no escape. Meanwhile, he's never truly alone as Allen has a phantom interviewer, who is allowing him to tell the story of his life. It's clear that only Allen can see the creature, but he's there with him at all times. To capture every waking moment of his twisted day, as we count down to the inevitable '7th Day'.

All in all, this is a huge step up from my first review for The Creepercast of'The Lashman'. Granted, the sound is a bit spotty, like in 'The Lashman', but much more consistent overall. There's some real moments of genius in this and there's other times where I feel like there was things that were there, just for shock value. One of my favorite parts of this movie was during the flashback's about Allen's family growing up. Particularly about his father's suicide. This was the best shot in the whole movie. It felt like it could have been taken straight out of Vincent Gallo's 'Buffalo '66'. It was a master stroke and executed flawlessly. In this movie, Allen's character has a constant monoluge going on. Several times, we see the phantom interviewer to make sure and establish what Allen is seeing in his mind. However, there are times where a little more interaction with others, could have proved more insightful. There were also some things that felt uncessary or unexplained. Like when Allen shoots the husband of a potential victim in the head and ran away. It had seemed like there was a plan there, but that it backfired and we never found out why? It was like, suddenly the monologue stopped. There were also several over the top gore sequences, which I think were meant to be there to spotlight how mundane his regular life is and to make the shocking parts stand out even more? But more often than not, they felt gratuitous and unecessessary. I wanted more of Allen falling further from reality and maybe a slower build to the over the top gross out could have proven more effective. Some of the more positive things about '7th Day' were in the victim that, although dead, lived on through his television. She spoke to him periodically and it was obvious that she was the voice of reason and his inner monolouge keeping him on the fringe of santiy. It was a nice touch that really felt quite original to me. I also liked that he didn't live in a clean world. Allen's world was disgusting, dirty and down right foul. No one would ever notice all the horrible things he was doing with the complete decay all around him. Everything was dirty and falling apart. I also appreciated his different ways of coping with being who he was. The way even he was intimidated by his drug dealer, showed that he was human at his core, but still a monster within.
The last thoughts I have on '7th Day' are this: 1) Did we really need the last kill to have the little bit of extra gross out? I won't give away what exactly happened, but it was one of those moments that felt ham fisted and forced. 2) What was with the ending? We get one giant question mark as to what was really going to happen on the '7th Day'? It was incredibly unsatisfying. I left the whole experience feeling a bit let down and hungry for more than I was given. 3) What actually happened to Bill? Did I miss the part where we find out his fate? At the end of the day, I enjoyed '7th Day'. It was a breath of fresh air, in a garbage dump of a place. The character of Allen was well thought out and played superbly and sublimely by Mark S. Sanders. The story was simple, but effective and I think with some minor adjustments, this could really be something special. I'm giving it 3 1/2 stars out of 5 and recommending that if you're looking for something a little different than you've seen before, then you should give this little independent nasty a try. Just take my word for this and don't eat a meal while it's on.... trust me on this one.

If you'd like to see a few other movies, that I think helped inspire '7th Day', check out: 'Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer', the 'August Underground' trilogy or 'C'est arrivé près de chez vous' aka 'Man Bites Dog'

The Bloody Jug Band Get's Evil with Rope Burn (Comment and Win!)

It isn't every day I come across a new and original band that makes me want to rave, but The Bloody Jug Band not only managed to just appear out of nowhere with haunting, horror soundtrack quality rockabilly folk to better your swamp killer personality. Their newest CD Rope Burn has been on constant play in my car (the only place I have a CD player) since I got it a few days ago. I like to listen in the car for several reasons like roll up the window and you can hear the brilliance of every instrument assaulting your ears, roll the window down and the rest of the world is forced to listen in, the latter is the best way to make those who haven't heard of The Bloody Jug Band ask “who is that!” Well let me tell you...

The Bloody Jug Band is made up of Florida swamp-noir rockers Cragmire Peace (Vocals/Washboard – or as I like to think of him, the deep gravel devilish voice, and washboard is so fitting), Stormy Jean (Vocals/Percussion – with a voice somewhere between tortured angel and siren), Big Daddy Jerm (Jug/Percussion – the jug, my friends, is an eerie percussive instrument), Brian ‘Shredder’ Blodgett (Acoustic Guitar/Mandolin – the nickname Shredder comes honestly, although I'm not sure if it's because he can seriously shred on a mandolin or something more sinister. We'll go with both), Seth ‘Funky’ Ambler (Bass/Washtub – when it comes to keeping the low end plaintive in hell, there's no more impressive bottom than that of a washtub), Bloody Rick Lane (Harmonica – tortured souls wail to this harmonica), Steven ‘Steevil’ Marshall (Electric Guitar/Banjo – a shredder in his own right with banjo licks like the fire of hell), Baby Dingo (Cajon/Spoons – I want a cajon, its like a whole drum kit in a box!), and of course every band needs a Franklin Glory for inspiration and good times (we had a guy named Loyal who became our Unkle Chuck mascot at bar gigs).

The hardest part about reviewing an album is I want to go down the playlist and talk about all 13 songs equally. But honestly I can't say enough about each one. So I'll just limit this review to my favorites (which is likely harder than just picking a couple songs) and leave it up to you to tell me how the others stack up (believe me they do)... 

I'll start with 13 Steps which features the chain gang cadence “When the hammer comes down” (when the time comes), “Pour me one more round,” “When the Hammer comes down,” and Stormy Jean wails about the reason for her 13 step walk to the gallows. The haunting vocals and lyrics resonate with loss and vindication a midst a flurry of country western banjos and slamming percussion. It makes me envision a dark themed western in which the condemned will eventually return to wreak havoc on those that have wronged her.

Next up is Beautiful Corpse with Cragmire Peace's broken glass graveled voice whispering a necrophiliacs love story shrouded in spoons, cajon, Stromy's backup vocals, and wicked banjo licks. If any film makers are out there writing a serial killer movie where the lead is getting his death fantasy's out on women who have spurned him this would be the perfect song for that first meet scene that takes place in a bar and involves her throwing a drink at him. I also listened to this song while editing Joel Kenyon's story for our Horror Fiction section and I suggest you do so while reading it.

Dance with the Devil is “Footloose” in hell. No, seriously, it has that creepy foreboding feel that just needs that one demon to inspire the rest of the demons to dance even though there are laws in hell against having any fun. The only song on the disc that features a duet between Craigmire and Stormy about a cheating bastard and her revenge. It's a pretty jamming dance tune with shouts of “dance” and rhythm that reminds one of the finale to a fore mentioned film right down to the last line that really wants you cut loose.

Grab a Jug is a mellow life sucks so lets have a drink and dance song. “Grab a jug and let the moon shine down on me” is only one of the clever lines Craigmire and Stormy harmonize with banjo, tambourine, and harmonica. Easily one of the songs you'd expect a group gathered around a bonfire kicking into. Not horror related but a fun and catchy song. Unfortunately I keep expecting a reprise of the chorus after “C'mon lets dance!” I believe this song can last forever!

You can't help but love a song that's not only called Forest of Blood Thirsty Unicorns but includes clever rhymes and rhythms that regurgitate dark renditions of happy fantasies. The Jack and Jill bit that tells us Jill never came back down the hill is my favorite. Reminiscent of the song “Hey There Little Red Riding Hood” by Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs. Craigmire sounds like Wolfman Jack and Stormy tears into the song like Grace Slick. Oh, and there really is blood thirsty unicorns. As a literature freak I love the “grim” retelling of those popular tales. Listen for this one in this years Halloween Music for Your Ghoulish Night in October!

As an honorable mention I have to add the clever and angsty version of the traditional old song Gal of Sorrow (entitled Man of Constant Sorrow as made popular by the Soggy Bottom Boys in the Coen Brothers odyssey film “Oh Brother, Where Art Thou”). Stormy's siren adaptation of the song is leaden with pain while Craigmire's haunting echoes reverberate her story. I'm pretty sure I want this song to close our “No Trespassing” film.

The Bloody Jug Band's news CD Rope Burn is available for purchase from their website as well as digital download on all major sites. Definitely check out their Website where they have tons have swag for sale (I'm personally wanting a T-shirt and a few pins) and a taste of the album ready to be heard, like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, check out their Reverb Nation page and of course, see them back up Ke$ha on their YouTube page!

As luck would have it the folks of The Bloody Jug Band have sent me an extra copy of the Rope Burn CD and I would love to be able to give it away! I will give it to the creepiest comment we receive below in the comments section between now and June 30th. The winner will be judged and announced here on the website on July 4th. So start commenting, 1 per person please, we are looking forward to your creepy comments!

WANTED: Horror Social Media Junkie

The Creepercast is seeking a horror lover that loves to talk about it on social media! Their focus will be on keeping our social media outlets interactive and updated all while helping to firmly plant the Creepercast in the world of horror media. You will be asked to keep track of all our social media outlets as well as help to create new ones by posting links to Creepercast blog articles, other like postings from our fellow horror providers (i.e. Dread Central, iHorror, etc), and interacting with fans. If you have a passion for the genre and know how to use usual social media than you are the right person and need to email us at creepercasthub@gmail.com.

Compensation will be bragging rights and you get to talk about the things you love. Also we tend to get freebies from time to time that we will gladly share!

Check out our social media pages to find out why we need you!

Creepercast Twitter

Creepercast Google+

Creepercast Tumblr

Creepercast YouTube channel

Creepercast Facebook

MUSIC NEWS: Scythia Charges Into Battle with New Album "Lineage" - Streaming in Full Now via YouTube

Out Today - Listen to "Lineage" Now

Featuring Power, Progressive and Folk Influences - Production Credits Include:

Nino Laurenne (Firewind, Finntroll, Wintersun, Ensiferum)

Lasse Lammert (Alestorm, Gloryhammer, Powerwolf)

Svante Forsback (Rammstein, Volbeat, Firewind, Apocalyptica)

Touring in Canada this Spring

Canadian progressive/power folklore metallers SCYTHIA are pleased to unleash their fourth independent full-length album, Lineage, today! You can order your digital or physical copy ofLineage now via the band's Bandcamp page. In celebration of today's release, the band is independently streaming their entire album as a gift to their loyal fanbase. Listen to Lineageit its entirety here: https://youtu.be/M8shZ2wikNQ

SCYTHIA guitarist and vocalist Dave Khan states, "Oh boy, SCYTHIA is incredibly excited to release our fastest, meanest and most well-executed release yet. Lineage is the culmination of two years of blood, sweat and ale and showcases a loose-concept album about the victims of war set in the medieval world. We are excited about sharing this new piece with our fans and look forward to hit the ground with shows in new places!"

Although the band primarily self-produced the album, Lineage features engineering from Nino Laurenne (Firewind, Finntroll, Wintersun, Ensiferum) and Lasse Lammert (Alestorm, Gloryhammer, Powerwolf), and mastering from Svante Forsback (Rammstein, Volbeat, Firewind, Apocalyptica). Nino Laurenne is also responsible for mixing duties on the album. Lineage was recorded at LSD Studios in Lubeck, Germany and Sonic Pump Studios in Helsinki, Finland.

2016 sees SCYTHIA getting ready for more touring. As of now, the band has five events booked in north-western Canada, including their official album release party tonight in Calgary. See below for all currently confirmed performance dates:

SCYTHIA Canadian Tour Dates:
May 4 - Calgary, AB @ Dicken's Pub - Official Album Release Party w/ Thunderstone and Viathyn

May 6 - Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theater w/ Thunderstone, Titans Eve, Terrifier and Mournir

May 7 - Edmonton, AB @ Starlite Room - Shredmonton Festival w/ Dying Fetus, Goatwhore, Acacia Strain, Black Crown Initiate and Thunderstone

Aug 19 - Edmonton, AB @ DV8
Aug 25-28 - Valemount, BC - Metalocalypstick Festival

About SCYTHIA:

SCYTHIA have been playing progressive power metal with a twist of folklore since 2008.  The band has coined their own sound while drawing influences from different genres such as celtic/gypsy folk music, power metal, death metal and progressive rock. SCYTHIA's albums and performances feature rich, poetic storytelling and grand tales that vividly captures the imagination of their listeners. Because of this, they have taken the independent scene by storm as they gather more and more fans both domestically and internationally.  Scythia acquired its name from vocalist/guitarist Dave Khan's infatuation with ancient Slavic imagery and melodies inspired from Balkan music. The name is fitting for a grandiose sound asSCYTHIA is also an ancient empire spanning from the Caucasus through Russia, and even into eastern Scandinavia.

SCYTHIA delivered their first album Of War in 2010, which was quickly followed by their next release Of Exile in 2011. The latter scored SCYTHIA a nomination at Canada's Sirius XM Indies Independent Music Awards in the Best Metal Group/Duo category, amongst the likes of Bison B.C., Derelict, Devin Townsend Project and Mares Of Thrace. In February 2014, the band released their most recognized release to date, ...Of Conquest. The Canadian quartet's lead single and music video, entitled"Bear Claw Tavern", was first featured viaGuitarWorld.com and instantly hit the web like wildfire. The video - described as a truly uproarious three-minute scorcher featuring SCYTHIA rocking out in a medieval tavern filled with hooligans and mysterious characters - garnered over 50,000 views in less than a few days, inciting io9 to dub it "20 times better than The Hobbit".

...Of Conquest positioned the band with an opportunity to co-headline a major festival in Brazil and other festivals in the southeast US the following year. With the same production team behind their new offering Lineage, SCYTHIA is poised to make 2016 their breakout year.

Follow SCYTHIA:

www.scythia.ca

www.facebook.com/scythiametal

www.youtube.com/user/ScythiaBand

https://scythia.bandcamp.com/

SCYTHIA is:

Dave Khan - Guitars, Vocals

Terry Savage - Bass Guitar, Growls

AJ Bergin - Guitars, Growls/Vocals

Celine Derval - Drums, Vocals