News

Edward and Melissa Lyons: A Year on the Festival Circuit with “Alfred J. Hemlock”

Published

6 years ago

December 10, 2017

Edward and Melissa Lyons are the best kind of tired right now. They’ve spent most of 2017 traveling the film festival circuit promoting their film, Alfred J. Hemlock. Life on the road isn’t always easy, but the filmmakers will tell you that the benefits far outweigh the price.

I recently spoke with Ed and Melissa about life on the film festival circuit, lessons learned, and the future of Alfred J. Hemlock.

“Making a film is really only about a quarter of the job,” Edward explained as the conversation began. “There are a lot of challenges and overcoming obstacles to get the film made, but the real work is getting the film out there. There are a lot of films being made today because of the democratization of technology. Everyone is making a film. So, you have to do something special to cut through the noise and that’s where the festival circuit comes in.”

The first step, of course, is getting accepted into the festivals. The Lyons have worked hard, learning by trial and error, how to most successfully submit their work to festival runners, and to make sure they’re putting their best foot forward each time.

“When we submitted to the festivals, the job wasn’t done,” Ed pointed out. “Having contacts at the festival is important, but you have to have a good reason to reach out to them. If we won an award at another festival or if we had a really great review from someone, we’d send that information along to our festival contact. They’ve got so many films that are being submitted, and if it comes down to your film and someone else’s letting them know what people are saying about your film can really help them make the decision.”

“We also worked social media really hard,” Melissa added. “We tried to keep up awareness about the film by sharing articles and reviews and tagging film festivals and publications on Twitter and Instagram. It was time-consuming, but it was really worth it. I think it increased our visibility a lot.’

Again, though, just being accepted into the festival wasn’t the final step. For an independent filmmaker, especially, it’s often important to attend those festivals in person. It’s a costly endeavor, and all too often hard decisions have to be made. Decisions that, for Ed and Melissa at least, often came down to the opportunities and amenities the festivals offered filmmakers.

“If a festival seemed very excited about the film and seemed like they really wanted us there, then we were more likely to attend,” Melissa said. “If there was very little communication or they just didn’t seem interested, we were more likely not to go.”

“Yeah, it really came down to the festival with the warmest handshake some days,” Ed continued. “If we had to make the choice between two festivals, we would look at the bigger picture. What kind of venues are they showing your film in? Do they have a filmmakers lounge? Do they have panels? The Women in Horror Film Festival, as an example, had really great panels and we were excited to see them and be a part of them.”

Alfred J. Hemlock star Renaye Loryman (left) with writer/director Edward Lyons (center) and writer/producer Melissa Lyons (right) at the Women in Horror Film Festival.

But the final decision almost always rested on how the independent filmmaking community was received.

“I think the kind of film festivals that you sort of aim for are those where you get the best sense of community,” Edward said. “The environment is right to make those connections. It’s to see other people’s work and make friends. You can compare war stories and talk about the challenges you’ve faced and see that we’re really all in this together. This year has been a lot of work but it’s also be so rewarding. It’s like being at Summer Camp if camp meant spending four months in movie theaters around the world watching films and being inspired by other filmmakers.”

Of course, traveling with their film from festival to festival also means that they’ve seen Alfred J. Hemlock many times over and I wondered if they’d noticed things in the course of a year’s worth of viewings that they wished they’d done differently, or did the film stand up to multiple viewings? Melissa was quick to point out that she doesn’t really watch the film so much as she watches an audience during a viewing, gauging their reactions and how different audiences viewed different scenes.

“Every festival crowd is slightly different,” she said. “For example, at Women in Horror, we had the Soska sisters hooting and hollering in the background which was great! Then, at other festivals you’d have crowds that were more serious and just very intently watching. It’s kind of an adventure to see how it will be received in different venues. It’s also interesting to see what films you’re programmed with. Where do we fit in the eyes of the festival directors?”

The festival circuit has been very kind to Alfred J. Hemlock. The horror short has won around 40 awards this year including numerous awards for Best Short Film and various acting awards for the talented cast. All of that good publicity and the way it’s been received has cleared a path for a full length feature based on the short film and Edward and Melissa couldn’t be more excited about the prospect.

Still, their time on the circuit isn’t quite over and they’re announcing new appearances all the time. You can keep up with all the latest adventures in the life of an indie film by visiting the official Alfred J. Hemlock Facebook page, following them on Twitter @AlfredJHemlock, and on Instagram @alfredjhemlock.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcCQr5PqCZ4

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News

Melissa Barrera Says Her ‘Scream’ Contract Never Included a Third Movie

Published

11 hours ago

April 15, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The Scream franchise has done a major overhaul to its original script for Scream VII after its two main leads departed production. Jenna Ortega who played Tara Carpenter left because she was overly booked and blessed while her co-star Melissa Barrera was fired after making political comments on social media.

But Barrera isn’t regretting any of it. In fact, she is happy where the character arc left off. She played Samantha Carpenter, the latest focus of the Ghostface killer.

Barrera did an exclusive interview with Collider. During their talk, the 33-year-old says she fulfilled her contract and her character Samantha’s arc finished at a good spot, even though it was meant to be a trilogy.

“I feel like the ending of [ Scream VI ] was a very good ending, and so I don’t feel like ‘Ugh, I got left in the middle.’ No, I think people, the fans, were wanting a third movie to continue that arc, and apparently, the plan was a trilogy, even though I was only contracted for two movies.

So, I did my two movies, and I’m fine. I’m good with that. I got two – that’s more than most people get. When you’re on a TV show, and it gets canceled, you can’t harp on things, you gotta move on.

That’s the nature of this industry too, I get excited for the next job, I get excited for the next skin I get to put on. It’s exciting to create a different character. So yeah, I feel good. I did what I set out to do. It was always meant to be two movies for me, ’cause that was my contract, and so everything is perfect.”

The entire production of the original seventh entry has moved on from the Carpenter’s storyline. With a new director and new script, production will resume, including the return of Neve Campbell and Courtney Cox.

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News

Read Reviews For ‘Abigail’ The Latest From Radio Silence

Published

15 hours ago

April 15, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The review embargo has lifted for the vampire horror movie Abigail and the reviews are abundantly positive.

Matt Bettinelli– Olpin and Tyler Gillett of Radio Silence are getting early praise for their latest horror movie which opens on April 19. Unless you’re Barbie or Oppenheimer the name of the game in Hollywood is about what kind of box office numbers you pull on opening weekend and how much they drop thereafter. Abigail could be this year’s sleeper.

Radio Silence is no stranger to opening big, their Scream reboot and sequel packed fans into seats on their respective opening dates. The duo are currently working on another reboot, that of 1981’s Kurt Russel cult favorite Escape From New York.

^Abigail

Now that ticket sales for GodzillaxKong, Dune 2, and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire have gathered patina, Abigail could knock A24’s current powerhouse Civil War from the top spot, especially if ticket buyers base their purchase off reviews. If it is successful, it could be temporary, since Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone’s action comedy The Fall Guy opens on May 3, just two weeks later.

We have gathered pull quotes (good & bad) from some genre critics on Rotten Tomatoes (score for Abigail currently sits at 85%) to give you an indicator of how they are skewing ahead of its release this weekend. First, the good:

“Abigail is a fun, bloody ride. It also has the most lovable ensemble of morally grey characters this year. The film introduces a new favorite monster into the genre and gives her room to take the biggest swings possible. I lived!” — Sharai Bohannon: A Nightmare On Fierce Street Podcast

“The standout is Weir, commanding the screen despite her small stature and effortlessly switching from apparently helpless, terrified child to savage predator with a mordant sense of humor.” — Michael Gingold: Rue Morgue Magazine

“‘Abigail’ sets the bar as the most fun you can have with a horror movie of the year. In other words, “Abigail” is horror on pointe.” — BJ Colangelo: Slashfilm

“In what may become one of the greatest vampire movies of all time, Abigail provides an extremely bloody, fun, humorous & fresh take on the subgenre.” — Jordan Williams: Screen Rant

“Radio Silence have proven themselves as one of the most exciting, and crucially, fun, voices in the horror genre and Abigail takes this to the next level.” — Rosie Fletcher: Den of Geek

Now, the not-so-good:

“It’s not badly made, just uninspired and played out.” — Simon Abrams: RogerEbert.com

A ‘Ready or Not’ redux running on half the steam, this one-location misfire has plenty of parts that work but its namesake isn’t among them.” –Alison Foreman: indieWire

Let us know if you are planning to see Abigail. If or when you do, give us your hot take in the comments.

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Movies

Ernie Hudson To Star In ‘Oswald: Down The Rabbit Hole’

Published

4 days ago

April 12, 2024

Elijah Turner

This is some exciting news! Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters 1984, The Crow 1994) is set to star in the upcoming horror film titled Oswald: Down The Rabbit Hole. Hudson is set to play the character Oswald Jebediah Coleman who is a brilliant animator that is locked away in a terrifying magical prison. No release date has been announced yet. Check out the announcement trailer and more about the film below.

ANNOUNCEMENT TRAILER FOR OSWALD: DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE

The film follows the story of “Art and some of his closest friends as they help track down his long-lost family lineage. When they find and explore his Great-Grandpa Oswald’s abandoned home, they encounter a magical TV that teleports them to a place lost in time, shrouded by dark Hollywood Magic. The group finds that they are not alone when they discover Oswald’s come-to-life cartoon Rabbit, a dark entity that decides their souls are it’s for the taking. Art and his friends must work together to escape their magical prison before the Rabbit gets to them first.”

First Look Image at Oswald: Down the Rabbit Hole

Ernie Hudson stated that “I am excited to work with everyone on this production. It’s an incredibly creative and smart project.”

Director Stewart also added “I had a very specific vision for Oswald’s character and knew I wanted Ernie for this role from the start, as I’ve always admired iconic cinematic legacy. Ernie is going to bring Oswald’s unique and vengeful spirit to life in the best way possible.”

Lilton Stewart III and Lucinda Bruce are teaming up to write and direct the film. It stars actors Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters 1984, The Crow 1994), Topher Hall (Single Drunk Female 2022), and Yasha Rayzberg (A Rainbow in the Dark 2021). Mana Animation Studio is helping produce the animation, Tandem Post House for post-production, and VFX supervisor Bob Homami is also helping. The budget for the film currently sits at $4.5M.

Official Teaser Poster for Oswald: Down the Rabbit Hole

This is one of many classic childhood stories that are being turned into horror films. This list includes Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2, Bambi: The Reckoning, Mickey’s Mouse Trap, The Return of Steamboat Willie, and many more. Are you more interested in the film now that Ernie Hudson is attached to star in it? Let us know in the comments below.

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