In the grand tradition of EC Comic's Tales From The Crypt comes a new short horror film from Chicago based filmmaker, Erik L. Wilson.
Steve moves in with his girlfriend Janice after her jack ass husband dies in a "freak accident". Things are all nice and cozy for a bit, but we all know that things won't stay that way for long as they happy couple are besieged by strange activity. I don't want to ruin the film for anyone who may catch it in the festival circuit, so I will not divulge the exact nature of the paranormal assault.
What I WILL tell you is that this is a very well made film. The lighting is a tad dark, but I don't count that as a negative. To me, this film has a great 80's vibe to it, while infusing it with the essence of more modern horror fare. The music by a band called Our Flaw Remains, while perhaps not my exact cup of tea, fit the film quite well, I thought. You can listen to three tracks by the band on the films Facebook Page.
I enjoyed the film quite a bit and I would like to see what Mr. Wilson could do if someone gave him a budget to work with!
Check out the film's trailer here:
I got a chance to ask a few questions of Erik concerning him, his film and what's next....read on!
Is this your first film?
Nope. Counting student films it’s my seventh narrative short.
How did you get into film-making?
Went to film school at Columbia College Chicago from 2002 to 2005.
What were your inspirations in making this film?
To sell a feature horror script I wrote in 2007 called "Unresolved" and to show I can shoot horror. Plus always wanted to shoot a horror film. I made one in film school on black & white reversal, silent film for production class. HOUSE CALL is inspired by that student film, technically, my first horror film. HOUSE CALL is my first professionally made horror film.
Are you a horror fan?
Definitely.
Are you interested in making films specifically in the horror genre, or have you made/are you planning to make films in other genres?
Definitely want to make more horror films. Also other genres as well. I’ve done drama and comedy before. Right now I am starting post production on a dark comedy short I shot in 2009.
How long did film take to complete?
A little over two years of post production. Shot HOUSE CALL in June 2009. I am sole financier. Everything came out of pocket thus the long amount of time. It's cool though because I must have everything done professionally no matter the cost. I'm not a lazy filmmaker.
How much did the film cost you to complete?
Still spending but production alone was around $6,500.
What's next for you?
Promote “House Call” online and through the film festival circuit. Also, finish my other short film. Most importantly, get representation and/or get my horror feature “Unresolved” optioned or bought.
There you have it kiddies. Find your way to film-fests and check out House Call. Support indie films and support outstanding film makers like Erik.
The rumors started quite some time ago that Ridley Scott was planning a prequel to his gothic sci-fi opus, Alien. Since then there have been many rumors and such stating that the prequel had become something different all together.
Well, the teaser dropped just before Christmas and it looks absolutely amazing. It has the same distinct look inspired by H.R. Giger that Scott used in the original 1979 film. There are some definite direct connections that I spotted as well, such as the seat/telescope thing-a-majig doo-dad that the Space Jockey was seated in the horse shoe shaped space ship that the crew of the Nostromo explored in the original film.
Speaking of the Horse Shoe Ship (We'll call it the HSS from now on), that mammoth seems to figure rather promenantly into the new film. In one spectacular shot, we see the HSS crashing onto a planets surface and various people scrambling to get the hell out of dodge.
During the span of the one minute teaser, the films title slowly appears on the screen a few pieces at a time, the same as the alien films, which got me pretty damn excited.
From what I understand, the film is about a group of explorers searching for Mankind's origin's in the cold reaches of space.....perhaps we are connected with the Space Jockey's? This might make sense because in the teaser if you look carfully, when you see the seat/telescope thing-a-majig doo-dad, it looks like there is a humanoid (looks pretty close to human to me) standing bye, waiting to sit down. If you remember the size and scope of the thing from the first film, then looks like the Space Jockey's may be 13 foot tall people. Guess we'll have to wait and see!
So hopefully you're pretty psyched up to watch the trailer (either for the first time or for the 50th). Enjoy!
Looks pretty bad ass, don't it? Yep. Yep it does!
Prometheus is slated for a June 8th, 2012 release.
While we're in a festive Giger mood, why don't we take a look at the trailers for the first four films!
Alien (1979) The movie that started it all! I wanted to see this movie in the worst way when I was a kid. I had an Alien video game for the Commodore 64 and I wanted to be able to see how the movie compared. It would be quite a few years before I was able to see it, but when I finally did.....I understood why my parents refused to let me watch it when I was 8.
Aliens (1986) I actually saw this film before the original. I was about 13 and I rented this bad monkey one Friday with my best friend. He had already seen an edited for TV version of it and kept telling me how awesome it was. I will never forget the feeling that night. I can remember it like it was yesterday. It was spring, and it was raining like a mofo out, with intermittent thunder and lightening. My mother and sisters went out shopping that night. My bud and I stayed home and popped in Aliens. I was completely blown away. Never before had I seen such insane violence. Never had I seen such a horrible creature in all my short life. I watched that tape (yes tape....this was in the days of VHS) about 3 more times before I had to bring it back to the video shop.
Alien 3 (1992) Not long after veiwing Aliens, I stumbled across my first issue of Fangoria (#113), which featured Alien 3 on it's cover. While in the same bookshop, I also came across the novelization of Alien 3. That was a pretty fantastic find to me that day. I wanted to see Alien 3 in the theater badly. Unfortunately, neither of my parents were very interested in seeing the movie and I was only 13.....so that didn't happen. I finally rented it when it released on video and was extremely disappointed with it. It was long and plodding and you saw the alien even less than in the first movie. A total snooze-fest. About 13 years later, I found out about the directors cut special edition. I was hesitant, but heard that the directors cut was a totally different film. It is. Do yourself a favor and watch the masterpiece of gothic horror that is Alien 3.
Alien: Ressurection (1997) Fresh out of high school, I caught wind of a 4th Alien film. At least my dreams of watching an Alien film in a theater would be realized. It was with great antici...................pation, that I wated for the film to be released. I read all the coverage in Fangoria and anything I could find on the internet. Finally I went to go see it opening weekend in November. What I got was the weakest entry in the original Alien franchise. I warmed up to the film more after it's release on video, but I am really hoping that Prometheus will be the epic big screen Alien film that I've been yearning for!
Being the completist that I am, we'll sling in the two Alien vs Predator films as well:
Alien vs Predator aka AvP (2004) The long awaited mash-up with two of the most fearsome creatures in the science fiction filmi universe. This movie could have been SO much more than it was, but despite what a lot of people say about it, I still like the film quite a bit. It's quirky and it's got a certain B-Movie charm to it. Where else are you gonna see a Predator and a Human fight a giant Alien Queen in the Arctic????
AVPR: Aliens vs Predator - Reqium (2007) I can't really comment too much on this film because I've only seen it once. It did have two things that really stood out to me though: First off, we got a glimpse of the Predator's home planet, which is almost worth the price of admission alone. Second, we get the Preylien. As you most likely know if you are reading this, when the Xenomorphs are incubating inside their host they take on some of thier characteristics. Well if you remember at the end of AVP, a Xenomorph bursts from the last fallen Predator aboard thier ship. Said Xenomorph grows into a hybrid Alien/Predator.....hence the Preylien. It is pretty badass. Other than that, I don't remember too much about the film.....perhaps I should go back and watch it again.
Well, that's it kids! Let's hope that Prometheus delivers on the goods. If it is even half as good as the teaser is, then I think we're in for a pretty fantastic ride.
Remember...........In Space No One Can Hear You Scream!
Tired of the same old boring Christmas gifts? Looking for something different for the horror fanatic in your life? Or maybe your looking to treat yourself to a little holiday goodness? Well look no further!
The lovely Debbie Rochon is offering up some gifts that are sure to get your Yule Log nice 'n' hot!
Debbie's Xmas Combo Pack includes:
A very rare copy of Scream Queens Illustrated, autographed by Debbie
An OOP copy of Cracked Magazine, featuring The Toxic Avenger! Also autographed!
A set of Debbie trading cards from the movie Santa Claws!!! I have no images of these cards but you can see a preview (sorta) of them in the link to order at the end of the post.
And finally you'll get a Santa's Cap signed by Debbie!
I know, I've abandoned you all for quite some time........again. I don't mean to....really I don't!
Sometimes it just gets a wee bit busy and some of my extra curricular activities end up falling to the wayside for a bit!
Not to worry though! I've got lots of stuff that I'm working on to bring you all kinda goodness. Just gonna take me a wee bit!
I've got stuff getting ready for transport to my Space Dungeon of Vestron, which is currently orbiting high above the volcanic Jovian moon of Io.
All of this coming soon from your bud the Wizard! Stay tuned!
For now enjoy this photo of a giant bronze frog on a giant spool of thread.
So just in case anyone was wondering....the ol' Wizard is still alive here.....just very limited on the amount of time he has to dedicate to the ol' blogarooney here. There is some good stuff coming down the pike though, fear not!
A while back, I wrote a review for Guy N. Smith's The Slime Beast. It was just a modest little review, but I sent a link to Mr. Smith for kicks and giggles. He actually contacted me afterwards and asked if he could use my review in an upcoming edition of Graveyard Rendezvous.....the UK fanzine dedicated to Guy.
This is my first time being published in print so I'm pretty excited about that!
You can purchase Graveyard Rendezvous on Guy's website. It's a great 'zine, so check it out! M'kay?
In the grand tradition of EC Comic's Tales From The Crypt comes a new short horror film from Chicago based filmmaker, Erik L. Wilson.
