The Battery
The personalities of two former baseball players clash as they traverse the rural back roads of a post-plague New England teeming with the undead.
I’d Like To Escape With Monsters’ Ambitious Indie Horror Platformer ‘Hybris’
Monsters is a new game developer based out of Athens, Greece that’s working on finishing up their first game. It just so happens that this game is of the horror persuasion, and it’s one that looks particularly frightening. The game is Hybris, and it follows a boy named Kevin who flees to a forest to escape his parents’ fighting. Monsters promises plenty of danger, puzzles, and platforming, all backed by a score by Journey composer Austin Wintory.
Hybris is the first chapter in a planned trilogy, and it’s slated for a release on the PC and Mac later this year. Check out some screenshots after the break.
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[BD Review] ‘Kiss The Abyss’ is a Solid Undead Indie Effort
It seems to be a rule (and rightfully so) in horror that do-it-yourself resurrections are not something that you should undertake. Victor Frankenstein found out the hard way, as did the protagonists in films like Pet Sematary, Return Of The Living Dead 3, Friday The 13th Part VII, Re-Animator and so on. Yeah, you could say that either people in these films are slow learners, or that the whole resurrection motif in horror films itself has been resurrected itself to be used in stories so many times that it’s lost all originality. Like many directors and writers before him, director Ken Winkler chose to dig the resurrection theme up for his debut feature Kiss The Abyss. Are the results any different from the previous times this has happened? Well, no. The real question is if this is still a worthwhile film.
Kiss The Abyss tells the tale of Mark (Scott Wilson) and Lesley (Nikki Moore), two newlyweds who are madly in love with each other but struggling to make ends meet, as well as dealing with crappy neighbours who fight all the time. Despite these inconveniences, Lesley is happy as an aspiring artist, as is Mark, who works as a mechanic. Unfortunately, things take a turn when Mark and Lesley’s neighbour accidentally kills Lesley in a fit of violence. Wanting to set things right, Mark and Lesley’s estranged father Harold (James Mathers) conspire to bring Lesley back from the dead. The duo take a trip out into the desert to meet up with a mysterious man named Gus (Douglas Bennett), who has a knack for raising the dead. They succeed in bringing Lesley back to life, however Lesley isn’t quite the same.
Rather than take the usual route for revealing the story, Winkler starts the film off with Mark, Harold and Gus in the desert, while using flashbacks to explain the story up to that point. This also allows Winkler the opportunity to develop the characters and their relationships, which goes a long way when you’re dealing with a story that involves the death of a loved one. This of course helps to sell the eventual fallout that happens with Lesley, and Mark’s subsequent attempt to deal with things. In other words, love ruins everything. Of course, story means nothing if your actors don’t buy in and act the part. Fortunately, the performances by everyone involved keep things together. Moore and Wilson have great chemistry together, and special mention goes to Bennett for channeling his loopy side. The guy plays it up and it works, spitting out one-liners that had me grinning at almost everything that came out of his mouth. Nice job!
On the technical side of things, Winkler has a great eye behind the camera, showing off some great cinematography and polished visuals. Choosing to have thing like the desert scenes washed out as if everyone’s baking under the sun was a nice touch, as was filming certain basement scenes with a blue filter. This isn’t a fun romp through the woods, after all. Topping things off are the makeup effects, particularly for Lesley as her condition deteriorates, as well as the effects for the Angel. I’ll leave that for you to find out.
On the negative side of things, despite some twists, the film is still using the same old story of “don’t screw around with bringing back the dead” narrative. It’s presented in a unique way, but you can guess what happens once things get hairy. In addition, the film does lag a bit in the middle, only to pick it back up for the finale, which is also kind of predictable. The real noticeable fault comes in the form of the ADR. It’s a necessary evil, sometimes, but usually can be worked out. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. When the actor’s tone of voice doesn’t match up with the expression on his face, or the words don’t match up with the lips, you have a problem. It’s not everywhere in this film, but when it does occur, it obviously takes the fun out of watching it.
In spite of the glaring issue of dubbing, Kiss The Abyss is a rather well-produced indie film. The talent behind the camera and in front help to sell a story, that while derivative, is still pretty good. Add to that some great atmosphere and surprising makeup effects, Kiss The Abyss deserves a viewing, if only to see Bennett going off the rails.
Video/Audio:
Presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen, the film looks very good for a low budget affair. As mentioned above, Winkler chose a variety of ways to film certain scenes, and the transfer definitely reflects that. The desert scenes, while washed out, maintain good, crisp detail with a hint of film grain. The darker scenes do tend to suffer from being overly noisy and lack detail in spots, but given the low budget nature, it’s still quite good.
As for the Dolby Digital 5.1 track, things fare quite the same, despite the obvious post-production dubbing in places. Dialogue is crisp and clear, ambient effects are appropriately leveled, directional sound effects are used appropriately, and there’s no distortion.
A word of advice guys: don’t put a hard rock song on the Main Menu and in the Setup like this one, especially when it’s loud enough that you have to scramble for the remote every time you go back to turn off the commentary.
Extras:
The sole extra included is an audio commentary with director Ken Winkler and producer Eric Rucker. The duo spend the time talking the usual talk of behind the scenes and makings of the film, dropping trivia here and there, all the while keeping things amiable. It’s an informative track that serves as a great piece for repeat viewings.
[BD Review] ’40 West’ is Slow To Burn, Quick To Creep
Of all the mainstays in Las Vegas, there’s probably none more associated with Sin City than Mr. Las Vegas himself, Wayne Newton. Yeah, I’ve never heard of him, either. Probably because I’ve never been to Vegas, but I digress. Why do I mention a man who has made his career singing in Las Vegas casinos? Well, Mr. Newton has a cameo as a jealous, homicidal husband in Dana Packard’s 40 West, which has garnered several awards and nominations on the independent scene since it’s release in 2011. Aside from showcasing the man whose signature song was used in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, what else does the film offer?
40 West stars Jennifer Nichole Porter as Maeve, a blues singer who’s not having the greatest of days. After having her car break down and her purse stolen, Maeve appears to be saved by Elijah (Scott Winters), a self-confessed fan of her music. Elijah sets Maeve up in a seedy East Texas motel, but it turns out that the whole thing was a setup orchestrated by Maeve’s violent ex-con hubby, Colin (Brian A. White). Colin set up Maeve’s predicament in order to apologize for his past scumbag ways and to give her a gift. Unfortunately, Colin’s jailhouse girlfriend Arlene (Kathleen Kimball) shows up to complicate things. To stir the pot even more, Arlene’s husband Bud (the above-mentioned Wayne Newton) is none too happy about his wife cheating on her with Colin, and decides to track them down, revolver in hand.
Surprisingly, despite sounding like a lame soap opera, 40 West manages to impress with some great acting from almost everyone involved. Between Jennifer Nicole Porter and Brian White’s interactions, you can’t help but feel for Maeve and the crap that she’s had to put up with from Colin. She pretty much takes everything that he dishes out and stands her ground. As for Colin, the dude’s dark and sinister for much of the time he’s with Maeve, and cranks it up when Bud shows up. Speaking of which, Wayne Newton isn’t as bad as you’d think. On the contrary, he’s quite believable as your cocktail-sipping, stogie-smoking husband with a bone to pick. As for Kathleen Kimball, she too was engaging as Arlene. Plus as a stripper, she didn’t look half bad. Going hand in hand with the acting is the story. It’s straightforward but also engaging, given that this is a dialogue-heavy film that almost entirely takes place in one location. Kudos to Jennifer Nicole Porter (who pulled double duty on the script) and director Packard for accomplishing all of that in a low budget film like this.
On the negative side of things, the film’s length threatens to have things drag out at 120 minutes. Compounding things is the fact that this film is slow to reveal everything, which is good (since it is a story-driven film, after all), but at the same time threatens to turn viewers off it they’re not keeping up. As well, Scott Winters’ Elijah was probably one of the weaker performances. It was very one-dimensional, and lacked the emotion when it was really needed. Finally, the twists in the plot aren’t all that surprising once they’re let out to play, but they keep the story going, so it’s not entirely negative.
On a whole, 40 West was an enjoyable thriller that was surprisingly good, given its origins. While some people might be turned off the slow pacing and lack of consistent action, persistence does pay off for those looking for excellent acting and an engrossing story that tends to wander the dark side of things. Not bad for a film that has Wayne Newton relieving himself behind a tree.
Video/Audio: Filmed using the RED One camera, details are captured perfectly in this 1.78:1 transfer. Being mainly shot in one location, we’re treated to visuals that look a polished but with a sleazy side to it (it is a motel, after all). As for the sound, the 5.1 Dolby Digital track is great, focusing on the dialogue and giving attention to the score and ambient effects when needed.
Extras: In lieu of putting the trailer on the disc (why companies decide to leave it out but stick start-up trailers on the disc instead…), we’re treated to a 40-minute making-of featurette that goes pretty in-depth with all aspects of the film’s production. Mixing talking heads with on-set footage, you really do get the sense that these people really enjoyed working on the film, and it shows. Special props for showing the craft service table. I wish I had those desserts.
Indie Game ‘They Breathe’ Brings An Unconventional Take On The Horror Genre
Puzzle platformer They Breathe isn’t your average horror game. Indie dev The Working Parts has taken a unique approach to the horror genre by placing you in the shoes, or… feet, rather, of a lone frog. The game is all about exploration and survival, and the latter revolves around a continuous need for oxygen, which is a treasured resource in this ecosystem. You’ll explore the depths of a flooded forest that hides many dangerous secrets, and there’s a meaning behind it all, though you’ll have to play it to discover what that is. There won’t be anyone to hold your hands here — or the frog equivalent of hands, anyway.
It looks like a strange game, and good thing too, because I like strange. You can grab the demo on Desura, or the full game on XBLA’s Indie store. They’re also working on getting the game released on Steam Greenlight, though for that to happen they’re going to need your vote.
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‘Catequesis’ Makes Me Nastalgic For Old School, 8-Bit Survival Horror
Most survival horror fans looks back at the late 90′s and early 2000′s for their favorite horror games. It’s understandable, since that was when Resident Evil, Silent Hill, and Fatal Frame we’re all at their prime. I want to go back a little further. I didn’t get into real old school horror games (I’m talking about 8 and 16 bit) until a few years back. Strangely enough, these games ended up getting me deeply into indie horror, which eventually went full circle as several indie devs started creating games like Lone Survivor, Home, and Homesick (more on that last one later), which were all heavily inspired by the horror games of the late 80′s and early 90′s. Catequesis is an upcoming indie horror game that borrows from that era, and it looks amazing. More after the break.
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[B-D Review] ‘Sick’ Plods Away Like Its Zombies
When it comes to the horror genre, one thing can be said for certain; zombies will never go out of style. With The Walking Dead’s ever-growing success, the undead’s audience has expanded even further into mainstream appeal. The series’ focus on the human element of an apocalypse has much to do with that. The Walking Dead’s compelling drama only heightens the horror. Co-Writer/Director Ryan M. Andrews’ (Black Eve) Sick follows that direction. It’s as much about the drama as it is about the fright factor. The film takes place two years after the outbreak in which a group of survivors attempt to live on in an unpredictable, dangerous landscape growing shorter and shorter on options.
By the plot description, it sounds like just about every other zombie flick you’ve come across of. Andrews admirably instils elements into Sick in order to make the film standout from the lot. Sadly the execution leaves much to be desired. The story construction is inept at best. The film meanders from one scene to another, devoid of any intention. Basic plot progression doesn’t apply here. The movie consistently feels disjointed. When Sick reaches its somewhat logical conclusion dramatically, the film continues on with its third act (if you want to call it that) without any clue of its destination. I guess the filmmakers were trying to represent the unpredictability of life in a hostile, zombie-packed environment but some semblance of basic narrative has to apply. Now I would forgo this if this character-driven piece had any actual character development. Their motivation and arc unexpectedly and unconvincingly changes on a whim. There’s no one here to get attached to for any reason which is a huge problem with any film. For a drama, Sick rings consistently dull which isn’t helped by the many awkward dialogue exchanges. For the most part, the ensemble cast doesn’t help matters much. READ MORE
[BD Review] ’6 Degrees Of Hell’ Bores and Confuses
I’ll admit that in my miserable life, I haven’t been to many haunted house attractions. Okay, I haven’t been to any. I guess that’s what happens when you grow up in a small Canadian town. It’s an unfortunate thing, but at the moment, I’m not about to lose sleep over it. Director Joe Raffa tries to bring home the experience (and then some) of a haunted house in 6 Degrees Of Hell, but you’ll have a time trying to get to it.
This is one time that I had to go back and actually re-read the premise for the film, as well as go back and re-watch the beginning of the film to see just what the hell is going on. “Uncle Jack’s Hotel of Horror” is an attraction in Northeast Pennsylvania, run by a guy named Uncle Jack, who’s constantly dealing with an asshole cop who thinks that he runs the town. Unfortunately, two of Jack’s friends, Chris and Kellen, unwittingly release an evil energy by transporting a collection of haunted objects owned by a local psychic to be used as props in the attraction. June is a local teen who also possesses the gift of being a psychic. It’s one that she doesn’t like to use, but when she does it seems to draw paranormal energy to her. Her gift also attracts the attention of a local TV ghost hunter, who confrontation with the evil energy years ago resulted in his sister’s death.
Oh, and as for Corey Feldman? He has little or nothing to do with the main plot. He just shows up as a paranormal investigator who listens to the entire story after the fact from another cop who was there to witness the whole thing.
Obviously, if the film involves possession of folks, you’d be in for fun times most of the time. Luckily, that’s the case here. The evil energy released from the props ends up doing a number on the hired actors at the hotel, turning them into real monsters, who in turn begin to kill unwitting guests, and everyone else thinks that it’s all part of the act! The film lets itself go and cranks out some truly creepy characters at this point, which if you’ve stuck around for the first hour, you’ll be glad that you did.
Yeah, that ‘sticking around for the first hour’ part? I’m not joking. 6 Degrees Of Hell‘s biggest problems lie in the fact that the film takes on way too much for an indie film. Instead of keeping things simple, we get a whack of stuff that’s just a chore to sit through. From the beginning of the film, we’re introduced to multiple plotlines that jump back and forth between the past and present time where Feldman’s busy smoking that eCig. For the next hour, this only serves to confuse and leaves a lot for the viewer to decipher in that time. Making things worse is the serious lack of character development during this time (an hour, remember?) that combined with some awkwardly acting by some of the younger cast, has you questioning why you should care about these characters at all. It’s all partially salvaged once we do get into the Hotel of Horror, but by then it’s just been a chore to get there.
Oh, and note to director Joe Raffa: having your asshole cop character making homophobic remarks doesn’t do well to really get the point across that he’s an asshole. It just makes the character offensive and your film look bad for having to resort to doing that in the first place.
Since this is a screener disc, the audio/video and extras aren’t final. Extras on the screener include a Making Of, footage from the film’s world premiere at The Sherman Theatre in Stroudsburg, PA, a blooper reel and an interview involving Corey Feldman, a walkthrough of the Hotel of Horror, a promo for the NEPA Ghost Detectives, a commercial for the Hotel of Horror, a photo gallery and a collection of teasers and trailers for 6 Degrees Of Hell and other Breaking Glass films.
It’s a shame that the Hotel of Horror ends up being the only noteworthy aspect of 6 Degrees Of Hell, since everything else leading up to the moment once we do get into the attraction is so poor. It’s a payoff that needed to happen, and when it did happen, you’re thankful that it did. But when you look back at the rest of the film, you end up wishing that the care and effort put forth in the climax had been carried over into the events leading up to it. Or, you just end up seeing a film that despite an excellent climax, is still lacking and not worth much of your time.
I’m leaning towards the latter.
[BD Review] ‘The Legend Of The 5ive’ is no ‘Blair Witch Project’
It’s hard to believe that it’s been just over ten years since The Blair Witch Project hit theatres and sparked the whole “found footage” thing. It isn’t hard to believe that it didn’t take long for Hollywood to ruin things with a rushed sequel, but that’s another story. Nowadays, we have Paranormal Activity and its sequels picking up the slack left by Blair Witch, as well as the ever-present independent horror scene, which has had its fair share of copycat films as well as a few that try to switch things up. James Weatherall’s The Legend Of The 5ive is one such film that combines the found footage style of Blair Witch and melds it with the reality TV/documentary style of something like Ghosthunters or, in Weatherall’s case, his native UK’s Most Haunted.
The story has documentary filmmaker and skeptic Julia Marsh (Lennah Seelig) teaming up with Greg Connell (Greg Tanner) and his team of ghosthunters called ‘Paranormal Investigations Inc.’ for their live Halloween special. Julia was roped into this event by her friend Joe Weaverly (Emma Kendrick), who is also a member of Greg’s team. This particular special focuses on a remote English farm. Their objective is to uncover the truth behind the legend of the ‘Screaming Spectres of Emerson farm’, known locally as ‘The 5ive’. Apparently, 300 years ago, five strangers were found sliced up on the farmland and their bodies arranged in a pentagram. It’s said that the strangers’ ghosts are sometimes seen on the farmland, screaming and running from whoever/whatever killed them. Needless to say, after setting up shop and conducting a short séance to get things moving, the crew end up over their heads.
I suppose one thing that The Legend Of The 5ive has going for it is the look of the film. Being in the countryside late at night, away from civilization and any way to reach anyone is definite scare material. Even with floodlights keeping their immediate surroundings lit, the darkness beyond still holds that fear of the unknown, which also ups the potential for creepy stuff. Another aspect of the film that’s nice is the camerawork. There’s not the frantic shakycam stuff that has plagued a lot of these types of films, but it’s still realistic enough that, for example, when folks are running, it’s not like everything was filmed with a steadycam. Add to that some interesting shots from cameras monitoring specific points on the property and good editing, you’d think that it was the start of something good. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.
Have you ever watched a film that was a chore to sit trough, regardless of the running time? The Legend Of The 5ive is one of those films. It’s been a while since I’ve been privy to seeing a film that dragged on for what seemed like forever with nothing happening, but that’s what this film is about. Even after 30 minutes into the film, there was barely anything to hold my interest. And when things finally did start to happen (like the spirit of one of the five being on one of the investigators’ backs after being summoned), it was either the acting or the script that killed whatever tension there was, and had me itching to fast forward. Seriously, when confronted by a potential spirit, what do they do to try and communicate with it? Why, try to piss it off! Because that always works in diplomacy, right?
Speaking of the acting, it fell into either being overdramatic to the point of practically being hammy, or to being in amateur hour territory. No matter the situation, Lennah Seelig would always sound like she was acting, taking dramatic pauses or speaking in such a way that came off as anything but natural. Greg Tanner is much the same way, in one instance being as subdued as possible while supposedly trying to act excited about seeing something (in the pitch black woods) making a “peeping motion”. Fortunately, he wasn’t like this throughout the film. Instead, the script took over and made his character into an idiot. Damien Hale’s hysterics had me wanting to backhand the next person with an emo haircut. Unfortunately, he didn’t die in the most horrible way possible.
Also, what does it say when something bad happens to one of the characters, your first reaction is to laugh? Yeah…
As a whole, the film feels less like Blair Witch Project and more like a low budget version of Ghosthunters minus any real tension or excitement. The film took forever to get going, and once it did, there was hardly anything to keep my interest. None of the acting feels genuine, and none of the scares are noteworthy. You’re better off seeing the film that was the source of The Legend Of The 5ive‘s inspiration — The Blair Witch Project — and leave The Legend Of The 5ive in the dark.
[BD Review] ‘Do You Like My Basement?’ Needed A Better Contractor
Ever since Kickstarter, uh, kickstarted the “crowd funding” of various projects, it seemed like a no-brainer that indie filmmakers would be a perfect fit for the service. Rather than running around in the “old-school” way, trying to secure funding from investors, you now just post your project on Kickstarter for would-be investors to send money your way. One such project is Do You Like My Basement?, written and directed by Roger Sewhcomar, whose previous work up to this point includes a couple of shorts and a documentary.
Do You Like My Basement? centers around an aspiring filmmaker named Stanley Farmer, who from a young age has taken a liking to having a camcorder and filming people. Stanley’s goal is to create the ultimate reality horror film. In order to do so, he “rents” out an apartment and hosts interviews for actors in the apartment’s basement, which would double as the film’s set. Needless to say, Stanley has an “unorthodox” way of conducting the interviews, as well as showing a penchant for more than just filmmaking.
Shot almost entirely from the view of either Stanley’s handheld or cameras placed around the apartment, Do You Like My Basement? maintains a documentary-style shooting that gives the film a unique first-person feel. There’s no exaggerated nausea-inducing shakycam moments (which is a relief), and oftentimes the composition of shots through holes in plastic sheets or from the eye level of a cutting board as Stanley stuffs a chicken are pretty fun to see. The handheld shots also lead to some pretty creepy moments, particularly when Stanley is “moving around” or asking some of his unusual interview questions.
Speaking of Stanley, we never entirely see his face (as it’s always behind the camera), and are instead treated to only his voice, which when coupled with his British accent, makes it feel as if we’re being treated to a documentary by the BBC (albeit a sinister one). This again also helps with the creep factor in Stanley’s interviews, whose calm demeanor when asking the increasingly disturbing questions during interviews is unsettling. Great job by Charlie Floyd for that. As for the rest of the actors, they do a fairly good job, though some performances (such as Jessica Green’s unconvincing turn as one of the interviewees) are weaker than others.
Unfortunately, the film suffers in the writing department, which becomes very apparent as the film progresses. Apart from some rather big plotholes (such as what happened to the owners of the apartment?), the film doesn’t give anyone really to root for, since the actors auditioning for the film are for the most part unlikeable or are just plain stupid. Even Stanley isn’t given much of a background or anything really to endear him to the viewer, leaving you feeling lost in that respect. As well, we also get some clichéd movie moments that are seemingly pulled out of nowhere (where’d that red button come from?). The ending of the film feels slapped together and reminiscent of something of a Saw trap that is neither impressive nor executed particularly well, mixed in with a Bond-esque villain laugh from behind the a security camera. The “ha-ha” epilogues of the actors played at the end of the film only seem to make the ending worse, like someone covering up an embarrassing moment with a bad joke.
Do You Like My Basement? started out with promise, but ultimately started tripping itself up before crashing at the end. Some great performances by much of the cast are almost in the film being bogged down by its writing, which unfortunately happens a lot when indie filmmakers take on more than just directing. As it stands, this basement looked nice, but when it came to construction, needed a better contractor.
Nintendo’s Partnership With Unity Could Bring More Horror Games To The Wii U
Unity Technologies recently announced an exciting partnership with Nintendo that could end up bringing more indie horror games to the Wii U. The partnership will provide a version of the Unity game engine as well as the rights for Nintendo to distribute it to in-house, external, and third-party developers. “Nintendo’s unfettered access to Unity will produce a wealth of insanely good games from knowledgeable Nintendo developers and the Wii U deployment add-on will create an amazing opportunity for our massive community of developers to showcase their incredible creativity on one of the most anticipated and innovative gaming platforms to date.” said Unity CEO David Helgason.
For the unfamiliar, Unity is a multi-platform game engine that’s fairly easy to develop for. It’s also more cost effective than most other development tools, hence why so many indie developers use it for their projects. It’s a popular tool for smaller developers, including Mark Hadley’s Parsec Productions, which brought us the deliciously creepy, and soon to be remade Slender: The Eight Pages. The Wii U releases on November 18th, but the Unity platform won’t be available until next year.
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Here’s A Launch Trailer For The Creepy Indie Horror Game ‘Anna’, Available Now
I’ve glimpsed bits and pieces of Anna, and from what I’ve seen it looks like a genuinely eerie game. It starts off outside an abandoned sawmill set in the gorgeous Italian countryside, but you’ll soon find out that inside that sawmill is nothing but pure horror. It’s unique, and it has a very distinct visual style that helps it stand apart from most other horror games. I’m a big fan of the soundtrack, which comes with the game, along with photos of the real-world sawmill that was used as inspiration for the game’s setting. More after the jump, including a haunting launch trailer.
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Slender Is Getting An Official Remake, Dubbed ‘The Arrival’
I’m sure by now a majority of you have heard of the indie horror gem Slender — a one-man project that became insanely popular a few months back. It takes the old Internet-spawned myth of the Slenderman and brought him into the realm of bits and bytes. The results were terrifying, and soon, we’ll be able to relive that spine-chilling horror with an official retail remake, dubbed Slender: The Arrival. It’s being developed by Slender creator Mark Hadley’s Parsec Productions, in conjunction with Blue Isle Studios. The remake will essentially be an entirely new game with enhanced visuals, added gameplay, and a more in-depth story (other than find eight pages without dying horribly). Unlike the original game, this won’t be free. Check out a couple screens after the break.
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Horror Games To Watch On Steam Greenlight, Part 4
A few weeks back Valve launched Steam Greenlight, a new program that gives developers another avenue to get their games out into the world by letting them upload their work and have the community vote on them. This is exciting for indie developers because of the extra exposure and early feedback they receive usually very early on in development, and there’s the added bonus that comes when the community gives enough support, eventually leading to the game getting distributed on Steam. Unsurprisingly, Greenlight has been popular so far. There are hundreds of indie titles being voted on by the Steam community right now, and with all these games to sift through, finding the best of them can prove difficult. This is why I’ve decided to scour the submissions in search of the best horror games submitted so far.
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Indie Horror Games Dominate The First Batch Of Steam Greenlight Winners
The first ten games in Valve’s Steam Greenlight program have been picked, and there’s a surprising number of horror games on the list. Ten titles were chosen to be distributed on Steam, and we can look forward to getting our anxious hands on them in the coming months. “The Steam community rallied around these titles and made them the clear choice for the first set of titles to launch out of Greenlight,” said Valve’s Anna Sweet. “Since launch, hundreds of titles have been submitted, with more coming in every day. We expect to be announcing more titles coming to Steam via Greenlight soon.” Check them out after the break.
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Horror Games To Watch On Steam Greenlight, Part 3
Not too long ago Valve launched Steam Greenlight, a new program that gives developers another way to get their games out there by letting them upload their work and have the community vote on them. This system is exciting for indie developers because of the extra exposure and early feedback they receive usually very early on in development, and if the community gives enough support the game will get distributed on Steam. Unsurprisingly, Greenlight has been popular so far. At the time of this writing, there are 800 games being voted on by the Steam community. This is why I’ve decided to scour the submissions in search of the best horror games submitted so far.
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Horror Games To Watch On Steam Greenlight, Part 2
Not too long ago Valve launched Steam Greenlight, a new program that gives developers another way to get their games out there by letting them upload their work and have the community vote on them. This system is exciting for indie developers because of the extra exposure and early feedback they receive usually very early on in development, and if the community gives enough support the game will get distributed on Steam. Unsurprisingly, Greenlight has been popular so far. At the time of this writing, there are 800 games being voted on by the Steam community. This is why I’ve decided to scour the submissions in search of the best horror games submitted so far. Last night we looked at the first batch of games, head past the break for the second.
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Horror Games To Watch On Steam Greenlight, Part 1
Not too long ago Valve launched Steam Greenlight, a new program that gives developers another way to get their games out there by letting them upload their work and have the community vote on them. This system is exciting for indie developers because of the extra exposure and early feedback they receive usually very early on in development, and if the community gives enough support the game will get distributed on Steam. Unsurprisingly, Greenlight has been popular so far. At the time of this writing, there’s 800 games being voted on by the Steam community. This is why I’ve decided to scour the submissions in search of the best horror games submitted so far. Head past the break for the first batch.
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‘Routine’ Aims To Bring Countless Unspeakable Horrors To The Moon
In Routine, no one can hear you scream. Would you believe I just made that up? Clearly, I have talent, and yes, Lunar Software, you can totally use that as your game’s tagline. Routine is an first-person indie horror title set on a deserted moon base. It’s a non-linear game, so feel free to explore every inch of the facility, just beware of the horrors that lurk within it. It’ll feature “full body awareness,” deadzone aiming, and like some of the best survival horror games of our time, there won’t be a HUD. This game is pretty hardcore, because if you die it’s game over, man, game over. There also won’t be any health packs to help you out, because health packs and multiple lives are for the weak, and this game is for only the most badassest of badassses. Check out the game’s teaser trailer after the break.
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[Exclusive] The Bunny The Bear Behind The Scenes Pictures From The Video “Lonely”
Experimental-metal group The Bunny The Bear released their video “Lonely” this Wednesday which is off their upcoming album “The Stomach For It“. The albums comes out May 22 and will be released through Victory Records. Victory Records was nice enough to give us exclusive behind the scenes pictures from the video set which was filmed in Chicago. The video is definitely a nightmarish take on Alice In Wonderland. Check out the exclusive pictures as well as the video for “Lonely” past the break. Enjoy!
Trailer For ‘Zombie Hamlet’ Proves There’s Life After Kevin Smith For Jason Mewes
The trailer for Zombie Hamlet doesn’t look totally top-shelf, but I suppose it has a kind of fun Free Enterprise quality to it. I especially like the orders to “stop shambling”, and that the extras are tweeting. I was recently on a film set for a movie that takes place pre-2007 and no one could get the extras to put away their iPhones. So dangerous.
Anyway Zombie Hamlet looks fun enough and is directed by John Murlowski from a script by John McKinney. It stars Travis Wester, Shelley Long, June Lockhart, John Amos, and Emmalee Wilson. It also stars Jason Mewes and looks more entertaining for than the last few Kevin Smith films he was in.
In the film, “First-time director Osric Taylor finally manages to get his dream film financed, Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”–set against the epic backdrop of the American Civil War. He heads to a small town in Louisiana to start filming when production funding suddenly dries up. Osric agrees to take up southern matron Hester Beauchamp’s offer to finance his movie as long as he throws some zombies in the film to attract a wider audience. When Hester suddenly dies mid-shoot, and with the local sheriff and ambitious news reporter Shine Reynolds hot on his trail, Osric is thrust into precarious and hilarious situations in a desperate effort to keep ‘Zombie Hamlet’ alive.
Get Your Survival Horror Fix Real Cheap With Lone Survivor
March was a busy month for horror fans. We got Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City, Silent Hill: Downpour and the Silent Hill HD Collection, but there was another survival horror game that was overshadowed by the major releases. This game is Lone Survivor, an arcade title for PC and Mac that blends gorgeous retro-inspired visuals with many of the things we love about the survival horror genre like item conservation, creepy monsters, exploration, and puzzle solving. If Resident Evil and Silent Hill left you a little disappointed this could make your forget all about them. Head past the break for more!
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Finding Feet In The ‘Severed Footage’ Trailer
I’m not sure if Severed Footage is supposed to be a comedy or not, but it at the very least looks entertaining. And, considering the subject matter, you have to give props to them for the title. You might remember that case a few years back where all those severed feet (still in their shoes) kept washing up onshore in the Northeast US and Vancouver, and this little film seems to take that concept and add a little urban myth flavor it it as well.
There’s also a campaign at the film’s Facebook page and official website where you can lobby for more footage to be “revealed”.
In the film, “Between 2007 and 2011, 12 severed feet in running shoes have been found off the coast of Western Canada and Washington State. This is the only place in the world where severed feet are mysteriously washing up on shore. Police are baffled by this phenomenon as no other body parts have been discovered. Major news networks including, CNN, ABC, CBC, MSNBC, BBC, CTV as well as National Geographic have been following this bizarre story looking for answers. In the fall of 2007, a student had been videoing his history project on Kanaka Pete the Axe Murderer. In January 2012 that same video was leaked from the local authorities. You decide if this video finally exposes the Mystery of the Severed Feet.”
Head inside for the trailer. READ MORE
Indie
Dare Sleep In Room 6 Of ‘No Tell Motel’?
From Cinema Management Group comes Brett Donowho’s No Tell Motel, starring Angel McCord, John Hawkes, Chalie Howes, Andrew MacFarlane and Chelsey Reist.
“Secrets we keep from each other can come back to haunt us: NO TELL MOTEL is a compelling story of isolation, desperation, and the darkest kind of redemption. The old Horak place, an abandoned roadside motel tucked away in the woods just off Route H is the stuff of local legend. The place where little Angela Horak got run down in the middle of the road. Of course, that was nothing compared to what happened to her parents afterwards. It’s not exactly the ideal place to get stranded. But that’s exactly what happens to adorable Megan Walsh and her four teenage friends when their RV gives up the ghost. With no other options, the group reluctantly decides to hole up for the night in the crumbling motel’s mysteriously organized Room Six. It isn’t long though, before Megan and her friends discover they’re not alone…”
The thriller is now in post-production. READ MORE
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