Indie
All Your Fears Belong to ‘The Midnight Man’ [Trailer]
The next film from Cabin Fever remake director Travis Nicholas Zariwny (Travis Z) is the intriguing indie The Midnight Man, which reunites him with Cabin Fever producers Cassian Elwes and Frankie Lindquist.
Horror icons Robert Englund (A Nightmare On Elm Street) and Lin Shaye (Insidious) star in the indie film that follows a girl and her friends who play a game that summons a creature known as The Midnight Man (Kyle Strauts) who uses their worst fears against them.
The trailer looks like a melting pot of horror ideas, although extraordinarily intriguing. I enjoy the concept of a self-aware slasher of sorts that’s playing an actual game with his victims. There’s a ton of rules, plenty of gore, and it looks potentially scary too. Sign me up for this game…
The Midnight Man is based on the old Pagan ritual “The Midnight Game,” though it doubles as an American remake of Rob Kennedy’s low-budget 2013 feature that was made in Ireland.
“Alex (Gabrielle Haugh) is a typical teenage girl who lives with her sick grandmother, Anna (Lin Shaye). While searching through the attic, Alex finds directions to a game, which played properly, will awaken “The Midnight Man” (Kyle Strauts), an evil being who will make your worst nightmare come true. At first, Alex and her friends think the game is harmless fun. It is—until The Midnight Man comes to play…for real. When Dr. Goodberry (horror legend Robert Englund) comes to the house to check on Anna, he can sense The Midnight Man’s presence, and warns the kids that when The Midnight Man comes to play, he plays to win.”
The film’s cast includes Gabrielle Haugh, Grayson Gabriel, Summer Howell, Keenan Lehmann, Meredith Rose, Michael Sirow and Kyle Strauts, the latter of whom plays the title character.
Her House of Horrors, the horror division of Independent Production House WOMXNOGRAPHY, has launched its Bite Size Short Grant Program, ahead of its film festival Dollhouse of Horror, which will take place in March 2025 in Los Angeles, CA.
The Bite Size Short Grant Program awards $2,000 film grants to female-identifying and queer horror filmmakers. Shorts must be able to be made for $2,000, with a minimum runtime of 8 minutes. Submissions are now open on Filmfreeway, and are being judged by a panel of horror lovers and content creators.
The 2024 Bite Size Short Grant Program judge lineup is as follows:
“James H. Carter II- A documentary director, film producer, podcaster, marketing specialist, and writer. James is the founder and co-owner of Creepy Kingdom. Creepy Kingdom was founded in 2011 and is a multimedia website, and production studio specializing in creepy content. Their primary focus lies at the intersection of childlike fantasy and the macabre, covering horror films, theme parks, haunts, and much more. Beyond their extensive media coverage, Creepy Kingdom hosts events, offers original merchandise, and engages in film production under the Creepy Kingdom Studios brand producing original films like “Foolish Mortals”, exploring Disney’s “Haunted Mansion” fan culture, and “Georgie”, featuring Tony Dakota from the original “It” miniseries.
“In addition to founding Creepy Kingdom, James has won awards for his documentary work, including the award-winning “Foolish Mortals,” which has earned him recognition. He has been featured on Freeform’s 31 Nights of Halloween special.
“Ashleeta Beauchamp is the editor-in-chief of Peek-A-Boo! Magazine, a cheeky horror magazine created to uplift marginalized writers, artists, models and other creators within the horror community. She also runs The Halloween Coalition, a community group to provide support and marketing for horror and Halloween events around the Southern California area.
“Titeanya Rodríguez is a multi-hyphenate creative, and the founder and owner of HER HOUSE OF HORRORS, home of DOLLHOUSE OF HORROR and the horror division of WOMXNOGRAPHY. As a fellow storyteller and a self-proclaimed artivist, Titeanya’s mission is to create opportunities for women of color and queer women, across film, tv, sports, music, and beyond. She is also the creator of the BITE SIZE SHORT grant program.”
Winners will have a one-night theatrical screening at Regal Cinemas. Submissions Close April 8 at Midnight. Winners will be announced on May 27, 2024. Shorts must be shot and through post-production by June 30, 2024. The screening will take place on July 8, 2024, in Los Angeles, CA.
WOMXNOGRAPHY, HER HOUSE OF HORRORS, and Rodriguez are represented by Azhar PR, Granderson Des Rochers, and Kinsella Holley Iser Kump Steinsapir.
To submit your short to the Bite Size Short Grant Program, go to the FilmFreeway link here.
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