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[World of Death] Celebrate October with ‘The Last Halloween’, ‘Devil’s Night’, and ‘Noche de Brujas’

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Hola, amigos! Welcome back to the World of Death! I know it’s been a while since I rapped at ya, but thankfully my rotation came up just in time for Halloween. This month we have a trio of films for you from filmmakers both domestic and abroad. Lots of accents and subtitles this month, really putting the “World” in World of Death.

First up we have The Last Halloween directed and co-written by Marc Roussel. This is a delightfully Canadian dystopian view of what your typical North American Halloween will look like after the impending climate disaster. The Last Halloween feels like something straight out of “American Horror Story” the way it combines three or four different types of horror movies and throws them all in a big ole cauldron. Part ghost story, part monster movie (with hands down the most interesting “ghost monster” I’ve ever seen), part post-apocalyptic thriller.

In the middle of this horror sandwich is Devil’s Night by Anthony R. Risen. This one starts out with four girls camping in the woods the night before Halloween. Having just gone camping like a week ago I can attest this is probably the best time of year to go camping. A lot of times in movies and shit you see people camping in the summertime, this is a TERRIBLE idea as it gets hot as balls outside and when you camp there’s zero air conditioning. Really camping in the Fall/Winter is the only time worth camping. Plus fewer bugs! Anyway, Devil’s Night gets props right off the bat for employing a 90% juvenile cast. There’s a whole bunch of kids in this one and they turn in pretty solid performances. It also commits to the bit; Devil’s Night is essentially a story within a story and the story being told is being told by kids, so sometimes the narrative slides a little off the rails as one would. All good stuff.

Rounding out this month is Augusto Almoguera‘s Noche de Brujas (roughly translated by my high school Spanish into Night of the Witches) hailing from Spain. Super fucking entertaining. There’s a serial killer on the loose at a Halloween party and what follows shouldn’t work as well as it does, but it does. It’s a very self-aware, Scream-style take on the slasher at a party genre but it 100% lands all the jokes and will leave you with a smile on your face. Muchas gracias to the filmmakers for this one. It’s 13 minutes well spent.

That’s all for this month. Meet us back here in November for another foray into the World of Death. Rock over London, Rock on Chicago!

– Pat O’Sullivan
@Frost2112Jack

World of Death is the web series that fans of independent horror have been waiting for.  Featuring short horror films from all over the globe created by the largest variety of talent that a collection has ever been able to boast, WOD provides plenty of blood, guts, screams and laughs for all fans of the macabre.  WOD is the perfect entertainment for a fan base constantly on the go.  Watch it anywhere, at any time, for FREE! New episodes premiere the first Wednesday of every month at 10am CST.

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Indie

“Bite Size Short: Her House of Horrors” Announce Short Grant Program!

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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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