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iHorror Spotlight: ‘Volumes of Blood: Horror Stories’ – Segment ‘The Deathday Party’ – Interviews.

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Volumes of Blood: Horror Stories – Segment “The Deathday Party.”

Director – Justin M. Seaman

iHorror: Did you have a master plan of how you wanted everything to play out with this segment or did you just “go for it?”

Justin M. Seaman: It was a very much just “go for it” shoot. I had very little initial control over the segment as I didn’t write it, cast it or choose my locations which was something I had never dealt with before in my filmmaking endeavors. It was a challenging yet welcoming terrifying task. So my master plan was to go into this and try to do the best I could with what I was given and make it feel like my own. Luckily, the casting department did wonderful with their selections, so that made things much easier for me.

iH: Where did filming for your segment The Deathday Party occur?

JMS: In Owensboro, KY. We shot this segment back in May 2016 in the same house as a few of the other segments (Fear for Sinners Here, Bloodbath, Killer House).

iH: How many days did you shoot for? And did you face any challenges while filming?

JMS: It was about 36 hours over 2 days. There are always challenges with indie filmmaking, but one of the biggest challenges for me was that I was the only director that didn’t live within a close driving distance. I live near Pittsburgh, PA which was almost an 8-hour trip. That meant if I didn’t complete my segment by the end of the weekend more than likely someone else would have to step in to finish it. Another challenge was being constrained to just the kitchen and basement because they were both very small areas that made it hard for a lot of people to hide off camera. Another issue was the house set directly beside a really busy road that created plenty of noise pollution throughout the shoot and a neighbor just had to weed whack the yard that day and when I say weed whack the yard I mean just that- he had no lawn mower, so he literally walked across the entire yard with a weed whacker to cut his grass…thanks, guy! On the plus side, the crew members were wonderful, and they made it an enjoyable experience.

iH: The Deathday Party contains a lot of dark humor, I was disgusted yet tickled at the same time, did the cast hit their lines and scenes right on the nail or was their challenges because of the material?

JMS: I am a mega fan of ‘Tales from the Crypt’ which sometimes featured this sort of content. So when I read this particular script, it reminded me of that, and I could relate to it. That’s kind of how the actors and I decided to go with the corny/odd married couple approach because it is a very bizarre tale. I had plenty of discussions before shooting some of the scenes with the cast were I told Jay Woolston and Cindy Maples (John and Almeda) to let loose and give me some variations to pick from for the edit. So YES, they did hit the nail on the head several times and several different ways, and I enjoyed editing the segment even more because of that. The entire cast was awesome, and they gave it their all. I hope to work with some of them again on other projects.

iH: Do you prefer directing an anthology or a full-length film?

JMS: I would say I prefer doing full length features more, just because there’s a longer format to just one story as opposed to several shorter ones. I also enjoy dramas with character development with story arcs and sometimes that’s not possible to do in 10-15 mins stories. But I enjoy both for various reasons.

iH: How did you initially become involved with this project?

JMS: From my gathering, P.J. Starks was trying to assemble a team of up and coming filmmakers for this project who had films that were current. He happened to see a post on Fangoria about my film The Barn, and we got to talking about my potential involvement in the sequel. I was interested because I like to work on projects with people who have comradery towards other filmmakers and PJ seemed like that sort of guy too. Someone who knew the struggles of indie filmmaking and wouldn’t be quick to judge or criticize others work, so that drew me into VOB2. I was able to read over and select from three completed scripts Blood BathFeeding Time and The Deathday Party. I chose ‘Deathday’ because it seemed the most challenging to take on in a two day period plus it had the most action, disturbing gore and also would require a cast of seasoned actors.

iH: What are your top five favorite horror films?

JWS: (1) The Monster Squad, (2) Night of the Demons, (3) The Return of the Living Dead, (4) Fright Night, (5) A Nightmare On Elm Street.

iH: What future projects are in the pipeline for you?

JWS: I am a producer/director alongside The Barn’s Director of Photography Zane Hershberger on a new creature feature horror anthology called Cryptids.  I will also be directing a segment for Rocky Gray’s 10/31/16. Both should be out by the end of 2017.

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Brad Dourif Says He’s Retiring Except For One Important Role

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Brad Dourif has been doing movies for nearly 50 years. Now it seems he is walking away from the industry at 74 to enjoy his golden years. Except, there is a caveat.

Recently, digital entertainment publication JoBlo’s Tyler Nichols talked to some of the Chucky television series cast members. During the interview, Dourif made an announcement.

“Dourif said that he’s retired from acting,” says Nichols. “The only reason he came back for the show was because of his daughter Fiona and he considers Chucky creator Don Mancini to be family. But for non-Chucky stuff, he considers himself retired.”

Dourif has voiced the possessed doll since 1988 (minus the 2019 reboot). The original movie “Child’s Play” has become such a cult classic it’s at the top of some people’s best chillers of all time. Chucky himself is ingrained in pop culture history much like Frankenstein or Jason Voorhees.

While Dourif may be known for his famous voiceover, he is also an Oscar-nominated actor for his part in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Another famous horror role is The Gemini Killer in William Peter Blatty’s Exorcist III. And who can forget Betazoid Lon Suder in Star Trek: Voyager?

The good news is that Don Mancini is already pitching a concept for season four of Chucky which might also include a feature-length movie with a series tie-in. So, Although Dourif says he is retiring from the industry, ironically he is Chucky’s friend till the end.

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Editorial

7 Great ‘Scream’ Fan Films & Shorts Worth a Watch

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The Scream franchise is such an iconic series, that many budding filmmakers take inspiration from it and make their own sequels or, at least, build upon the original universe created by screenwriter Kevin Williamson. YouTube is the perfect medium to showcase these talents (and budgets) with fan-made homages with their own personal twists.

The great thing about Ghostface is that he can appear anywhere, in any town, he just needs the signature mask, knife, and unhinged motive. Thanks to Fair Use laws it’s possible to expand upon Wes Craven’s creation by simply getting a group of young adults together and killing them off one by one. Oh, and don’t forget the twist. You’ll notice that Roger Jackson’s famous Ghostface voice is uncanny valley, but you get the gist.

We have gathered five fan films/shorts related to Scream that we thought were pretty good. Although they can’t possibly match the beats of a $33 million blockbuster, they get by on what they have. But who needs money? If you’re talented and motivated anything is possible as proven by these filmmakers who are well on their way to the big leagues.

Take a look at the below films and let us know what you think. And while you’re at it, leave these young filmmakers a thumbs up, or leave them a comment to encourage them to create more films. Besides, where else are you going to see Ghostface vs. a Katana all set to a hip-hop soundtrack?

Scream Live (2023)

Scream Live

Ghostface (2021)

Ghostface

Ghost Face (2023)

Ghost Face

Don’t Scream (2022)

Don’t Scream

Scream: A Fan Film (2023)

Scream: A Fan Film

The Scream (2023)

The Scream

A Scream Fan Film (2023)

A Scream Fan Film
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Movies

Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

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Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

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