Today we take a look at our newest project release: Brain Suckers From Mars the board game! See the components and how it is played in the video below!
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As the age of the internet progresses, we have gotten more and more shows that only air via streaming or YouTube. Although there have been quite a few successful shows, and even a few decent horror themed ones, some artists and directors feel that the horror genre is under represented in the medium of internet television. Lea Lawrynowicz is one filmmaker who wants to try and bring something different to the medium of horror web series. She is currently pitching her new series "Hidden" to the Independent Production Fund. We recently had the privilege of interviewing her about "Hidden," what makes it different, and what she hopes to do with the web series. A.S.OH: First off, tell us a little about your web series concept. What should the audience expect from a horror series like this? LEA: “Hidden” is the story of a young woman named Vanessa , who has serious psychiatric problems, primarily an eating disorder which has resulted in her having to use a feeding tube. She makes a bid for independence by becoming roommates with Tracy, a girl seemingly much more together than she is, and who has a strong interest in New Age, occult practices and philosophies. The two form a strong friendship, which coincides with Vanessa becoming aware of an ominous presence in the house they share that has malevolent intentions towards her. In terms of audience expectations, Iʼd say, expect to be surprised, which is about the absolute best you can ask from an audience when it comes to the internet. Weʼre aiming for a high quality yet experimental feel, so, it wonʼt be like a t.v show-itʼs too low fi for that-but itʼll have great dialogue and character development and be broody and weird and yet scary and a little bit gross, sometimes. A.S.O.H: How did you decide upon this particular idea? What drew you to the concept? LEA: Alex, the director and co-creator, had been toying with the idea for quite a while. Heʼs really interested in New Age, and occult ideas, not at all as a practitioner, he just finds the culture itself fascinating. He really immersed himself in knowing about these worlds and the people that subscribe to them. This really spanned the gamut, from ghost hunters, to people who claim they astral project, to people who claim theyʼve had sex with demonic presences. As his knowledge deepened, a story emerged and took greater shape and context. Itʼs hard to say why writers get drawn to certain ideas. Writers are usually always on the alert for interesting ideas and stories, and when one calls to you, you just go after it, and see where it takes you. Maybe the idea itself has a subconscious emotional resonance, but, following the instinct and letting it grow is the adventure of writing, and, its led us to where we are with “Hidden”. A.S.O.H: What does the title "Hidden" tell us about the series? LEA: It probably doesnʼt tell you much until you know more about the show. Honestly, we needed a title, and that one seemed the best at the time. Now, looking at it, itʼs actually pretty perfect. One of the dictionary definitions of the word “occult” is “something hidden from view”. The show deals not only with occult elements in the more witchy, bizarre sense, but also about the things we hide from ourselves and others. Shame and deception and hiding who and what you really are, either for gain or to spare your own self the humiliation of reveling your deep dark secrets, are a big part of the show. A.S.O.H: You mentioned before that you were trying to bring "dramatic horror" to the medium of internet shows. Why did you choose this? How will it stand out among millions of other videos? LEA: There are tons of internet shows out there that deal in more subculture genres, such as sci fi or gamer culture, but, there are very few horror web series. When you are horror fans, such as us, you usually want as much horror as you can stand, so, the lacking in this medium, and, the lacking of good quality horror web series irked us, so, we decided, lets make our own. Another thing that irked us was that the majority of existing horror web series are usually comedy based. As in, very broad, slapstick-y type comedy. There is absolutely nothing wrong with horror comedy, but, when itʼs the only thing out there, in a very limited medium, it gets tiresome. We want to make a web series that horror fans, real , rabid, I heart horror types could get into, with lots of dramatic tension, suspense and hopefully, real , honest to goodness chills. Basically, we wanna try to scare people, and youʼll achieve that better with a dramatic arc than a comedic one. Hopefully, its scare factor and unusual tone will make it stand out, but, in truth, weʼll have to wait and see if it does. The internet is great because anyone can put their stuff out there, but, itʼs also bad for the same reason. There is so much stuff online, itʼs tough to compete. We know this, but, weʼre foolish gamblers who want to try anyways. We just want to try to make the best quality show we can, and we want to be proud of it, and, with a bit of luck, fellow horror fans will dig it to. If we can achieve that- our own satisfaction and just a little pocket of well wishers- then, weʼre all good. A.S.O.H: Why did you choose the medium of YouTube/Web Series for this story? How will this horror story bring something new to YouTube? LEA: Originally, it was an idea that Alex , the director had for a short film. We (the cocreators) actually met on the set of a web series , so, they had a little experience with the medium. It was through this experience that we discovered the Independent Production Fund (IPF), itʼs a grant specifically for the development of web series. Alexʼs idea was taking on various permutations, and when he heard about IPF submissions coming up, we sat down together and figured out that the story for the short could actually be extended in really cool ways. We also realized that there was a big lack for not only horror web series, but dramatic horror web series. We thought this could be something interesting to apply with, so, we went for it. The first stage of applying involves making and submitting a trailer, known as a “proof of concept” for the show. You have to put the trailer up on YouTube, and try to garner as many views, likes, and shares as possible, to prove to the grant committee your show can get any sort of attention. That is the stage we are at now....(by the way, please check out our link, and like and share if you can!) So, Youtube was a requirement. In terms of online content, it really is the biggest hub right now in terms of videos, so, if you are making a web series that doesnʼt have super naughty content, itʼs one of the main places youʼll end up. As far as bringing something new to Youtube, I donʼt know if we will bring something new so much as just provide something that you donʼt get to see super often. We arenʼt pretending to revolutionize anything, and Youtube is a vast and ever changing place. We aim to make something that grabs peopleʼs attention, not because itʼs got boobs or kitties or celebrities (all those things are great, by the way) but because itʼs scary and interesting. Truly scary videos are tough to find, and scary and interesting are even tougher, so, thatʼs what weʼll hopefully bring to the big, messy, Youtube table. A.S.O.H: What is the main thing you want horror fans to know about your project? LEA: We want them to know that we are fans as well. This isnʼt a phase for us, and we arenʼt trying to make this show because we think horror fans are a neat little demographic we wanna exploit. We wanna contribute to the genre because we love the bloody, dismembered guts out of it. We have really sick imaginations that we are drawing on to make this show so that someday, some night, when you canʼt sleep, and hunger for some horror, “Hidden” can grace your glowing computer screen, and, with a bit of luck, melt your hardened horror heart and scare the ever loving shit out of you....or at least make you feel really uncomfortable. You can watch the trailer for "Hidden" below. If you like this concept and want to see this show made all you have to do is like the video and share it with your friends. In this week's second Terror Video we take a look at the vinyl for the Forbidden World Soundtrack. The newest Box of Dread arrived! See what was inside and what I think of this month's haul! If you like what you see here make sure to subscribe to Box of Dread. A Slice of Horror is excited to announce the release of the very first issue of WitchWorks Pulp Horror Magazine! In this issue you will find 12 original pulp style horror stories from 11 authors. Additionally, 2 talented new artists contributed to this month's issue. Each story has an accompanying work of art or a photograph. This issue can now be purchased:
To learn more about WitchWorks Magazine or to submit your original story or art please visit www.witchworksmagazine.com.
Here at A Slice of Horror we have been really enjoying Sci-Fi Horror Month. It is a favorite genre of ours (right up there next to slashers and haunted houses). Now, we are excited to announce the upcoming film Abduct from Malta Digital Media and Sunset Studios. Over the past ten or more years it seems that horror fans haven't had the opportunity to see any truly good sci-fi horror films. The popularity of the sci-fi/horror genre, which was most prevelant from the 60s through the 80s, seemed to slowly die out in the "horror cinema drought" that began in the mid 90s and ran through the early 2000s. Luckily, it seems more and more that with the rise of independent filmmakers and studios good horror movies are on their way back! Abduct is a sci-fi horror thriller that tries to take elements that we all know and love about science fiction and brings them into the new age of horror movies like Paranormal Activity and Insidious. If we could describe Abduct just from the trailer alone it would be "a truly unsettling psychological thriller with a classical science fiction twist." According to the Abduct website, the story follows a radio host named Ridley Kay. Ridley runs a radio show that talks about the paranormal. But Ridley's world is turned upside down when a young woman named Crystal calls him at the show begging for help. Crystal has strange lights and sounds haunting her, she seems to have gained some sort of supernatural powers, and she keeps losing chunks of her conscious memory. Ridley agrees to help the Crystal but ends up running with her, protecting her, as they try to escape from government agents and a strange, sinister group of people who dress completely in black. The film looks promising, though fairly mysterious at this point. It seems pretty apparent that the filmmakers and publicity team want to keep the movie's plot fairly shrouded for now--protecting whatever mysteries the film may have. We at A Slice of Horror are interested to see what surprises Abduct will have in store when it is released. Abduct stars Mark Aronold, also known for his role as Mick in 1985's Teen Wolf, as Ridley Kay and Mhairi Calvey, who got her acting career started as "Young Murron" in Mel Gibson's Braveheart, as Crystal. To learn more about Abduct you can visit their website. They go into depth on the characters in the film, about filming, and other cool facts. To keep up on new updates and release details be sure to follow the official Abduct Facebook and Twitter pages. You can also watch the trailer below! A Slice of Horror is adding a new review category to the website: Comic Books! While horror fiction (novels, short stories, poems) are, and always have been, the main staple of the horror genre. But as education and literature makes advances, more and more comic books and graphic novels are being included in English classes and literary discussion. There are many well done horror comics and graphic novels and A Slice of Horror is happy to add them to our collection of reviews. Some comic reviews, such as single issue comics, will be done via the Terror Video Series. Other longer stories, anthologies, or books will be reviewed via our normal written review. Take a look at our first comic book review, done via a Terror Video, of Altered States Vampirella below. Here at A Slice of Horror we are dedicated to supporting and promoting independent horror authors, artists, and businesses. In particular we are big advocates for independent book publishers. The horror community is a lucrative and thriving entity and readers are always looking for a good horror novel to dive into. With the dawning age of kindle and electronic books the door for niche small press markets has swung wide open. Our favorite subgenres of horror literature--splatterpunk and bizarro, both of which fall under the wider umbrella of extreme fiction--are making significant headway in the literary market. And thank God for that. We have gathered together a list of significant publishers who are publishing extreme fiction and horror. Each of these publishers specialize in their specified genre--generally not branching too far out into either science fiction or fantasy. So, whether you're an avid reader or an aspiring writer looking for a market, here are our top five favorite publishers of extreme fiction. 5. Rooster Republic PressRooster Republic Press is one very small publisher that specializes in stories that are "far out, fucked up, and funny." Although they focus more on strange fiction than horror they are a great small publisher with some truly strange books in the collection. They started up their business in "rebellion" against the overarching control of big house publishers. 4. Eraserhead PressIn many ways Eraserhead Press is like the king of the bizarro market. Eraserhead is the first publisher listed on Bizzaro Central, a website run by the Eraserhead staff that links to the best bizarro publishers on the market. They publish some truly brilliant, truly, strange, and truly disturbing fiction. If you're looking to get into bizzaro fiction this is the place to start. 3. Deadite PressDeadite Press is an imprint of Eraserhead Press and is dedicated to bringing the best cult horror fiction to their audience, specializing in splatterpunk. If you are in search of the darkest and most horrific fiction on the market then Deadite Press just might be the ticket. They publish such talented authors as Edward Lee, Wrath James White, and Monica J. O'Rourke. 2. Sinister Grin PressSinister Grin Press is another publisher who specializes in splatterpunk literature. They publish some of the same authors as Deadite but take a slightly different approach to the genre. They are a strong influence in the horror community and work to spotlight horror writers and artists. They have some brilliantly dark and disturbing novels in their collection. 1. Strange House BooksStrange House Books, an imprint of Rooster Republic Press, is our favorite publisher of extreme fiction. They combine the perfect mixture of splatterpunk and bizarro to create a delicious cocktail of extreme fiction. Reading their books is like visiting the midnight grindhouse cinema. The elements of the cult style are present in all their stories along with the off-the-wall cartoon style you would expect from a Goosebumps novel--except for adults. So, if you are looking for some extreme dark horror fiction then try the books from these publishers. And if you're a writer go ahead and check out their submission guidelines, but bring only your best, most innovative work. Did we miss any great publishers of extreme fiction that deserve to be mentioned? If so, let us know about them and we will be sure to check them out in the future. It is Saturday Night! What are you and your family, your spouse, your significant other, or your friends doing tonight? How about a night at the Drive-In! A Slice of Horror is excited to announce the launch of Saturday Night Drive-In Movies. Each Saturday we will be posting a b-horror, cult, or grindhouse film from the Public Archives for your viewing pleasure. All of March's movies will all be in collaboration with our Sci-Fi Horror Month. This week's movie is The Eye Creatures (1965). |
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