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Wanna See a Zombie Kangaroo?
Australian zombie kangaroo short, “Waterborne,”,has been awarded Best Australian Short at the Monster Films’ ‘Monster Fest’ in Melbourne.
While Monster Fest was Waterborne’s first home-town screening, the short has received rave reviews and enthusiastic audiences at numerous international genre festivals including Fantasia International Film Festival (Montreal), Fantastic Fest (Austin) and Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia.
The film has also recently won several international awards including Best Short at the Abertoir Horror Festival in Wales, Best Microshort Zombie Film at Fear Fete in Missouri, and Best International Horror Short at Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Fest.
“It has been amazing to see the reaction of international audiences to the film over the last few months,” said director Ryan Coonan, “but it was an even greater honour to be recognised with this award in our home town”.
The film, which features a ‘zombie kangaroo’ that attacks a ranger on a deserted bush road, was produced by Melbourne producer Marisa Brown, and was written by Ryan Coonan and Richard Barcaricchio. It had its world premiere at Fantasia Fest in Montreal in July, and has since screened at over 40 festivals internationally.
Whilst “Waterborne” is a stand-alone short, it is being used as a proof-of-concept for a feature length film and has already attracted international production interest.
Count us in!
We have an exclusive first look at A Man in the Woods With an Axe, a blood-soaked, genre-twisting homage to 1980s slasher films.
Spanning four decades, A Man in the Woods With an Axe begins in the summer of 1987 before pushing into the modern era, weaving together timelines and perspectives in a way that builds both dread and intrigue.
Drawing inspiration from genre standouts like Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, Hatchet, and The Cabin in the Woods, the film blends visceral horror with moments of dark humor, creating a uniquely balanced experience that honors tradition while carving its own identity.
Writer-director Dillon Brown (Primal Darkness) aims to deliver everything fans crave from a slasher while boldly subverting expectations with a mid-film twist that redefines the story.
“This is an unapologetic love letter to the films that made me fall in love with horror,” Brown tells Bloody Disgusting. “But I didn’t just want to recreate that feeling; I wanted to challenge it. About halfway through, the film takes a turn that completely changes how you view not only this story, but the genre itself.”
Brown describes the vintage-inspired production as “far and away the bloodiest film I’ve ever made,” with practical effects helmed by Cody Ruch (The Mill, Pig Hill), an instructor at Tom Savini’s Special Make-Up Effects Program.
From Horror Dadz Productions, A Man in the Woods With an Axe is currently in production and targeting an early 2027 release.
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