News

Rob Grant and Mike Kovac Take Us Inside ‘Fake Blood’

Published

6 years ago

February 24, 2018

Fake Blood is a horror documentary unlike anything we’ve seen with a hook that is downright unsettling, and it all began when the filmmakers, Rob Grant and Mike Kovac, received a video from an ardent fan re-enacting a scene from their film Mon Ami in a seemingly real-life situation.

They were unnerved by the disturbing tone of the video and questions began to form in their minds.

Were they hypocrites for creating violent content for film when they had both led relatively safe lives? Is film violence anything at all like real violence, and if so, does film violence cause or exacerbate real violence?

“I remember asking my mom who was an emergency room nurse for 20 years and whose favorite film is Pulp Fiction–she thinks it’s hilarious–if she thought that film violence and real violence were related in any way,” Mike said. “She actually laughed and said ‘Oh, there’s no connection at all!'”

They decided the questions needed answering, but it would still take time before their project would come to fruition as Rob and Mike told iHorror in a recent interview.

“It was almost two years ago but it would always be in the back of my mind bugging me,” Rob explained, “and then a little while ago our producer, Mike Peterson, said he could probably get some cash together for us to go and explore this.”

So, with the monetary backing and a basic outline instead of a script, the two set out to create what would become Fake Blood.

“I can honestly say that there was no pretense when we were filming as far as what was expected,” Mike said. “We were trying to go off of honesty.”

Honesty led the two to interesting places during the film, especially when Rob decided they needed to experience some real violence, even if it was in a controlled environment. Together, they headed off to a dojo to meet with a friend who is trained in martial arts and was willing to give Rob a touch of pain.

“My intention was 100 percent to get in there and make it a wake-up call for me,” Rob laughed. “I already have concussion issues from playing hockey when I was younger so when he gave me that upper-cut you see in the film it rang my bell for real!”

As the project progressed, they began to bring together different elements to create this unusual film including some rather unsettling re-enactments of a supposed real life crime, but it was a point made by one of the re-enactment actors in an interview that caught both men off guard when he alluded to the fact that romantic comedies had messed him up far more than any horror movie ever had.

“I don’t think I could have written that as well as that came out,” Mike said.

“Those interviews kind of became the crux in the editing room because of that kind of insight,” Rob explained. “It became a big theme so that we could cut in and out of the re-enactments because I felt like it starts to get difficult to remember what’s real and what isn’t and I think that beyond the actual storyline itself, it was kind of important to make the audience feel the same way that we do ourselves sometimes when someone has committed one of these terrible crimes based on inspiration from other movies. That ambiguity is fun.”

The editing room for a film without a script was its own mountain to climb, as the filmmakers would soon find out with a whole new question looming: Is the film even done?

“I’ve never edited something like this before,” Rob explained. “That’s why both Mikes get a writing credit too because there’s so much stuff you kind of have to shape otherwise there’s no specific direction, and that was very helpful having their input after the fact. Especially having to do a narration that was self-critical.”

“I think there was some solace in knowing that we weren’t going to get a definitive answer,” Mike conceded. “It’s an ongoing conversation that we jumped into; the question is very old.”

Unfortunately, Mike is right. As we’ve seen in only the last few days from the White House, there will always be people who point fingers at violence on film and in video games in the wake of real violence, and many are waiting to jump on board that bandwagon.

In the face of such challenges, it could be that films like Fake Blood will become even more important, even if traditional horror audiences and festivals haven’t been as open to the experience.

“The debate we’ve seen and heard over whether the film is real or not is kind of funny to me,” Rob laughed. “It kind of means that to an extent people want the violence to be real and what does that say about us? Some people seem to have gotten offended by the grey area of it.”

“I think it’s important to get eyes on it and to self-evaluate,” Mike agreed. “We didn’t invent violent stories; they’ve been there forever and they will continue long after us.”

Fake Blood is available on Amazon and other VOD services.

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Editorial

Yay or Nay: What’s Good and Bad in Horror This Week

Published

2 days ago

May 4, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Welcome to Yay or Nay a weekly mini post about what I think is good and bad news in the horror community written in bite-sized chunks.

Yay:

Mike Flanagan talking about directing the next chapter in the Exorcist trilogy. That might mean he saw the last one and realized there were two left and if he does anything well it’s draw out a story.

Yay:

To the announcement of a new IP-based film Mickey Vs Winnie. It’s fun to read comical hot takes from people who haven’t even seen the movie yet.

Nay:

The new Faces of Death reboot gets an R rating. It’s not really fair — Gen-Z should get an unrated version like past generations so they can question their mortality the same as the rest of us did.

Yay:

Russell Crowe is doing another possession movie. He’s quickly becoming another Nic Cage by saying yes to every script, bringing the magic back to B-movies, and more money into VOD.

Nay:

Putting The Crow back in theaters for its 30th anniversary. Re-releasing classic movies at the cinema to celebrate a milestone is perfectly fine, but doing so when the lead actor in that film was killed on set due to neglect is a cash grab of the worst kind.

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Lists

The Top-Searched Free Horror/Action Movies on Tubi This Week

Published

2 days ago

May 3, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The free streaming service Tubi is a great place to scroll when you’re unsure what to watch. They are not sponsored or affiliated with iHorror. Still, we really appreciate their library because it’s so robust and has many obscure horror movies so rare you can’t find them anywhere in the wild except, if you’re lucky, in a moist cardboard box at a yard sale. Other than Tubi, where else are you going to find Nightwish (1990), Spookies (1986), or The Power (1984)?

We take a look at the most searched horror titles on the platform this week, hopefully, to save you some time in your endeavor to find something free to watch on Tubi.

Interestingly at the top of the list is one of the most polarizing sequels ever made, the female-led Ghostbusters reboot from 2016. Perhaps viewers have seen the latest sequel Frozen Empire and are curious about this franchise anomaly. They will be happy to know it’s not as bad as some think and is genuinely funny in spots.

So take a look at the list below and tell us if you are interested in any of them this weekend.

1. Ghostbusters (2016)

Ghostbusters (2016)

An otherworldly invasion of New York City assembles a pair of proton-packed paranormal enthusiasts, a nuclear engineer and a subway worker for battle.An otherworldly invasion of New York City assembles a pair of proton-packed paranormal enthusiasts, a nuclear engineer and a subway worker for battle.

2. Rampage

When a group of animals becomes vicious after a genetic experiment goes awry, a primatologist must find an antidote to avert a global catastrophe.

3. The Conjuring The Devil Made Me Do It

Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren uncover an occult conspiracy as they help a defendant argue that a demon forced him to commit murder.

4. Terrifier 2

After being resurrected by a sinister entity, Art the Clown returns to Miles County, where his next victims, a teenage girl and her brother, await.

5. Don’t Breathe

A group of teens breaks into a blind man’s home, thinking they’ll get away with the perfect crime but get more than they bargained for once inside.

6. The Conjuring 2

In one of their most terrifying paranormal investigations, Lorraine and Ed Warren help a single mother of four in a house plagued by sinister spirits.

7. Child’s Play (1988)

A dying serial killer uses voodoo to transfer his soul into a Chucky doll which winds up in the hands of a boy who may be the doll’s next victim.

8. Jeepers Creepers 2

When their bus breaks down on a deserted road, a team of high school athletes discovers an opponent they cannot defeat and may not survive.

9. Jeepers Creepers

After making a horrific discovery in the basement of an old church, a pair of siblings find themselves the chosen prey of an indestructible force.

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News

Morticia & Wednesday Addams Join Monster High Skullector Series

Published

2 days ago

May 3, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Believe it or not, Mattel’s Monster High doll brand has an immense following with both young and not-so-young collectors.

In that same vein, the fan base for The Addams Family is also very large. Now, the two are collaborating to create a line of collectible dolls that celebrate both worlds and what they have created is a combination of fashion dolls and goth fantasy. Forget Barbie, these ladies know who they are.

The dolls are based on Morticia and Wednesday Addams from the 2019 Addams Family animated movie.

As with any niche collectibles these aren’t cheap they bring with them a $90 price tag, but it’s an investment as a lot of these toys become more valuable over time.

“There goes the neighborhood. Meet the Addams Family’s ghoulishly glamorous mother-daughter duo with a Monster High twist. Inspired by the animated movie and clad in spiderweb lace and skull prints, the Morticia and Wednesday Addams Skullector doll two-pack makes for a gift that’s so macabre, it’s downright pathological.”

If you want to pre-purchase this set check out The Monster High website.