Corn Zombies, Candy Bowls, and More [New Blood News]
Good morrow, Blood Babes! Welcome to the first edition New Blood News. This is Giallo Julian, reporting on all things new and exciting happening across the indie-horror landscape. Before, I’d talk about these things in my last series, Giallo Julian’s Indie Shoutout. However, I felt a change was needed, so I decided to revamp the series and focus primarily on news! With that out of the way, let’s check out the forecast — huh, 80% chance of raining blood. Again? Well, no sense complaining about lovely weather.
1. Help a Horror Creator in Need (GoFundMe)
Sadly, I think we’re going to start with some bad news, Blood Babes. My friend, SFX artist Robert Rippeth Jr., had to move from Pennsylvania to West Virginia due to a familial situation, leaving all his tools of the trade behind. That’s right, all of them. His materials, molds, masks, and everything else he needs for his art, and, more pressingly, his employment. To help lessen the blow, he’s created a GoFundMe to raise funds to replace his equipment, with hopes of getting back to work soon so he can provide for his family. If you’re able, please consider donating through the page right here.
2. Candy Bowl 2023: Evocation (Indie Short Film Competition)
I can’t even begin to tell you how much I LOVE what Nick Nocturne’s Night Mind is all about! Can’t put my finger on why that is. I wonder what it could be.
Wait, hang on, think I’ve figured it out—it’s gotta be that voice. Just listen to it, that’s a perfect horror host voice. Oh, and for the past few years now, he’s been holding competitions for indie horror filmmakers in the form of the Candy Bowl!
The gist is simple: said creators submit short films, and winners will be posted on Night Mind’s channel on Halloween for all to witness. For details (including theme and rules), check the video out below!
October 19th, 2023 is the deadline! October 22nd, 2023 is REALLY lucky! This is a fantastic way to get eyes on your work, Blood Babes, so don’t hesitate. Do it now! Be sure to watch the announcement video as well, because there’s IMPORTANT stuff in there. Trust me. Listen close.
Special thanks to Nick Nocturne for keeping me up to date about this event! For those of you who’d like to know more about the Night Mind channel, don’t worry… you’ll hear more about it real soon. Until then, you can visit its page and check out some content right here, including last year’s Candy Bowl!
3. Scareplex (Streaming Service)
Ash Hamilton—director of the FANTASTIC alien abduction mockumentary Holes in the Sky: The Sean Miller Story—is at it again! This time, joined by numerous other indie horror creators, he spearheaded the creation of Scareplex, a streaming service dedicated entirely to indie horror films. How rad is that? A place for all you indie creators to showcase your work for all to see!
Hamilton said about the service:
“Looking at the current model for streaming, we (and the rest of the world) realize that model is broken. With filmmakers and talent rarely getting paid (especially so with indie) even a fraction of what the services make, we have decided to do something about it. We created Scareplex. A horror, scifi, true crime, and paranormal streaming platform that follows an unprecedented payment model that focuses on paying the talent. Since we ourselves are filmmakers, we figured it would be a great idea if we also ran it. Complete transparency in our reporting is key, and we have expanded our programming to include podcasts, short films, and all other sorts of entertainment.”
Check out their catalog of indie entertainment right here, and help support those fantastic creators that keep the new blood flowing! Also, if you’re one of said creators, be sure to reach out to Hamilton (ash@scareplex.com) about the possibility of getting your projects put on the site!
4. Body Count (Feature Film)
If you remember back to my very first Indie Spotlight, I talked about Jennifer Nangle’s upcoming horror anthology, Body Count. Well, I’m happy to say it’s one step closer to fruition, because it just recently finished principal photography!
“A killer is on the loose! Or should we say KILLERS! And there is no stopping this mayhem any time soon! After 342 days of strategizing, crowdfunding, planning, and sharpening many killing instruments… Malvolia: the Queen of Screams is at it again, finishing up principal photography for FIVE brand new female killer-driven segments that are surrounded by a KILL FEST wrap-around story in the new horror anthology Body Count.”
Nangle returns to the role of Malvoila, the YouTube horror hostess she personifies, and will be joined by a “cast of characters totaling in forty (YES, 40)”. Hunter Johnson, Richard Trejo, and Alex T. Hwang joined Nangle in directing the segments, with Charles Chudabala, Eric Lawson, Ron Purtee, and Christine Twyman serving as the film’s writers (again, along with Nangle). An Indiegogo campaign for finishing funds is currently running, which you can visit right here.
5. Attack of the Corn Zombies (Feature Film)
If this sounds familiar, it’s because I talked about Attack of the Corn Zombies just a few months ago. That said, a lot has happened since then, including the Acrostar team wrapping up the shoot!
“It’s 1969 and infected corn leads to an outbreak of the walking dead in a small Midwest town. With no way to escape and cut off from the outside world, a group of friends and family must fight their way through hordes of the dead to survive.”
The film’s now in post-production, but the crew still needs a little help to shamble across the finish line. So, they launched an Indiegogo to help acquire finishing funds, which you can donate to right here if you so choose! Let’s help raise the horde of cornfed dead!
6. The Dead Place (Feature Film)
This whole news article has been nothing but throwbacks, hasn’t it? Well, we’re keeping that momentum going, because I have not only an update on Michael Pickle’s The Dead Place, but a trailer as well! Check it out!
“Troubled High School Senior Isaac Stecker (Idris Veliu) suffers from visions of malevolent spirits whose hauntings intensify amidst an escalating onslaught of bullying and familial tragedy, pushing him into dangerous territory as he discovers a capacity for violence that he never knew he possessed.”
Starring David Howard Thornton (aka Art the Clown of Terrifier fame) and Bill Oberst Jr, (Circus of the Dead), these two indie-horror icons are joined by Idris Veliu (Happy Hours), Beatrice Boepple (A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child), Lexi Graves (The Sawyer Massacre), and the ever-present Angel Bradford (Desperate Souls).
The film is currently in its post-production stages, with Pickle planning for a theatrical release sometime this fall. He’ll also be representing the film (along with Lexi Graves) at the Day of the Dead convention in Los Angeles, CA on August 25th – 27th, in case you happen to be in SoCal!
7. Wendigo On Tubi (Feature Film)
Is your stomach making the rumblies that only human flesh can satisfy? Well, there’s a reason for that — Jake Robinson’s Wendigo is now streaming on Tubi!
“After a social media star disappears in the woods of North Carolina, his friends are set to figure out what happened to him. Ignoring the legend of the cursed land was only their first mistake.”
For those not in the know, I reviewed this film last year, saying:
“Overall, this is a solid found-footage creature feature, especially for a first-time director. It’s appropriately scary when it needs to be—with some genuinely chilling imagery—and while a lot of the Wendigo’s background isn’t explored, what is explained is faithful to the lore.”
Let the cannibalistic spirit into your own soul by watching Wendigo right here!
8. Technicolor Hellscape (Art Exhibition)
Now, this is a first to happen in any of my series, Blood Babes: an art exhibition! I’ve talked about artists plenty of times before, but I’ve never had the chance to bring one of their showcases to your attention, so I’m incredibly excited about this. The showcase in question is Technicolor Hellscape! An art exhibition by Travis Trium Perfectum!
Now, I’d love to give you a nice, quick rundown about Perfectum’s work, but here’s the thing. There’s so much to get into that any amount of running is gonna be more “cross-country” than “sprint.” It’s visual, it’s auditory, there’s physical art, songs, videos, writing, poetry, charcoal, pastel, photography, spoken-word musical compositions, all of this combined in some instances; there’s A LOT!
That’s why—and you’re hearing it here first, Gorehounds—Perfectum’s going to be the subject of an upcoming edition of “New Blood Drops” very soon! I’ll get into everything he’s about there! But until then, let’s talk about his showcase, so y’all can check out his work for yourselves.
From the event page:
“Technicolor Hellscape is a new exhibition and will shine a spotlight on many new dark surrealism color pieces from the near exclusively black and white artist. This ‘Hellscape’ will feature new pieces depicting otherworldly unrighteousness juxtaposed with vibrant and alluring colors. See beautiful pastel side by side with smeared charcoal making up these intoxicatingly provocative works. Landscapes and skylines pull the viewer inside these hellish nightmares as entities go about their perpetual eternities. Along with all the new works, a new video installation will debut as well, notching the fourth immersive art experience by Perfectum. Mixing spoken word poetry, sound, and video; this will certainly aim to bring alive a new dimension of hellish wonder.”
You know how much we all love dark surrealism here! As I alluded to before, this sounds like it’d be a unique experience, juxtaposing many forms of artistic expression, and I’m jealous of everyone who’ll be able to attend. That may include you if you choose to go, which I highly encourage you to do!
Perfectum said of his event:
“You’ll see a bit of a shift in my direction and how you view my work. The worlds are much more complete. I wanted to play with the environment more and allow them to dictate their own moods to the subjects within. There’s always some deep dichotomy to everything I do and using vibrant colors on my often dreary works seemed to appeal to me. I always want to push myself as a creator and this time I chose what has become the Technicolor Hellscape to do that within.”
The exhibition will take place at the Ketchup City Creative in Pittsburgh, PA from September 15th – 17th, 2023. The best part? It’s FREE! Not only that, but artwork will be available to purchase, so bring some spending cash with you! For more info, check out its event page right here, and be sure to check out Perfectum’s website right here to see more of his work.
As we all know, this is just the edge of the storm system that is the indie-horror community, with so many more projects blowing in every night. I’ll be back next month to let you know more of those happenings! Hopefully this is enough for you to chew on until then.
Until next time…
Ciao, friends!
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Categorized:News
