Indie
“World of Death”: Gulp Down This Four-Pack of Terror for St. Patrick’s Day! [Video]
Hola Amigos and welcome back to the World of Death!
St Patrick’s Day festivities may be canceled this year but this series certainly ain’t! In an ever-changing world filled with growing uncertainty, it’s nice to know there are institutions like the World of Death that are still with us (for 226 episodes!). In a testament to the seemingly never-ending supply of films at our disposal, this month we have four shorts to share with you guys!
First up we have Dawn of Man, written and directed by Victor Ridaura. I really can’t say much about Dawn of Man because the first three minutes are some of the tautest, surprising, masterworks of short storytelling I think I’ve ever seen on display in the WOD. That’s not hyperbole. What I can say is that Dawn of Man stars indie horror veteran A.J. Bowen and starts off with a hostage scenario that takes a decidedly Richard Matheson-esque turn. The first three minutes though… really f*&king clever.
Doorways, written and directed by Danny Takacs, needs little explanation if you’re someone that A) Watches Dr. Who B) Reads Stephen King C) Habitually smokes marijuana cigarettes. This short tells more story in three minutes than most full length films do in two hours. I dug it. Nerdy yet haunting. It’s like reading The Dark Tower while listening to RUSH and then orcs materialize in your laundry room.
Third this month (but not last!) is Blood Will Have Blood, co-directed by Meg Swertlow and Miles Szanto and a great original score by Jacques Brautbar. Blood Will Have Blood proudly declares that it was “Filmed entirely in quarantine under the Los Angeles County ‘Safer at Home’ order” and is all about having a beard and stabbing your girlfriend. Yikes! Moving right along…
You know, when everything is said and done a lot of creative people are going to have “quarantine projects”, and Peril is definitely John Denton‘s. Shot on location in San Francisco in his apartment during the 2020 pandemic (with Denton doing everything himself), Peril tells the tale of what happens when Amazon delivers the Hand of Glory to your door. Kinda makes you wonder what all your neighbors were doing in all the apartments you lived next door to over the years? Probably freaking the f*&k out and stabbing boxes and sh*t. Craziness. This movie reminded me of going to film school in the ’90s. It plays like Eraserhead without the dude with the Kid ‘n Play haircut. Seriously though, this movie is bananas. I will never grow tired of people fully committing to making weird, ultra-personal sh*t like this. Rock on John Denton, rock on.
Well, that’s it for March’s WOD. Let’s not make a big deal out of this.
Good Journey,
Pat O’Sullivan
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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