John Landis started principal photography on Burke & Hare and the cast is looking pretty fantastic. He’s been describing the film as a “black romantic comedy”–based on the true story of the 1828 body-snatcher duo, Burke and Hare. When the needs of Dr. Knox (Tom Wilkinson) and Dr. Monroe (Tim Curry) exceed the local supply, Burke and Hare come up with nefarious ways to deliver the dead as demanded.

Simon Pegg and Andy Serkis star as graverobbers William Burke and William Hare, respectively. The film also stars Isla Fisher (Confessions of a Shopaholic), Jessica Hynes (Spaced), Ronnie Corbett, Reece Shearsmith (The Cottage), David Schofield, Allan Corduner, Bill Bailey, Hugh Bonneville, Michael Smiley and Christopher Lee. Madness!

So, there you have it. An American Werewolf in London director and a great cast. Please let this be a winner.

Image: Public Domain

More Decker please!!!

And in other holy sh!t news, an uncut version of Clive Barker’s Nightbreed will be screened at HorrorHound Weekend in Indianapolis, which runs March 26-28! Please, please, please let this mean that a DVD and Blu-ray are in the works!

For those of you unfamiliar with Nightbreed’s back story, let me explain. Basically, the studio screwed Barker by forcing him to release an edited version of his original cut. Poor marketing and a cruddy video release made the film fade away. Thankfully, fans supported it and it was elevated to something of a cult flick. Hardcore Barker fans wondered for years if the lost footage from the film actually existed, until recently when Mark Miller, a friend of Barker, learned that it was indeed alive and well. In fact, it was sitting in a film vault. When Miller spoke to a studio exec about the discovery, he was told that the film didn’t warrant the money needed to produce an extended cut. Barker fans took to the web and pleaded in defense of the film. Hopefully this will be convincing enough for execs to get on board with that DVD! Here is how you can help.

For years, people talked about 25 minutes worth of scenes excised from the final version, but it turns out that a 145 minute version of the film’s mid-1989 workprint exists. From Barker’s website:

“We just finished watching a 145 minute version of the film’s mid-1989 workprint! That’s 44 minutes longer than the theatrical release!! And it’s even more significant than that since there are none of the later re-shoots of Decker’s murders, so the actual deleted footage is far more than 44 minutes!

Yes, there’s (lots) more violence as the Sons of the Free invade Midian, yes there’s some deleted stop motion footage, yes, Narcisse gets decapitated, yes Lori stabs herself on a hilltop and Boone bites her… Yes, yes, yes!

Now, this is just a VHS copy so it’s not of releasable quality, so… thank you for your continuing messages of support – let’s keep working to get a proper DVD release for an extended Nightbreed… ”

Fingers crossed and I am truly jealous of those of you who will be able to attend this screening. Indianapolis never really seemed appealing to me until now.

Nightbreed is based on Barker’s novella, Cabal and tells the story of Aaron aka Boone, who dreams of a city called Midian, populated by hoards of creatures and creeps known as the ‘Nightbreed’. Boone is framed for murder by his crazy therapist, Decker (David Cronenberg–droool!), killed and then resurrected by the magic of Midian. He takes up arms with Midian’s creatures to fight the real evil–humanity.

Image: Bauer-Griffin

IFC Films is offering David Morlet’s French thriller, Mutants, on VOD February 10.

Sonia (Hélène de Fougerolles) and Marco (Francis Renaud) are a couple who find themselves caught in the middle of a viral pandemic that turns humans into creatures. When they seek shelter from the “mutants” Marco becomes contaminated and is eventually transformed into a monster. Sonia has to fight not only for her own life, but the life of their unborn child and protect herself from the man she once knew and loved.

I’m curious to find out what these creatures actually are. As much as I love zombies, I’m really hoping this is not the usual undead fare complete with predictable pandemic plot device. Mutants is such a great title and I’d love to see some tasty creature effects to go along with it. What do you make of this trailer?

Someone at Image Entertainment has a great sense of humor, or my inner perv is working overtime. Either way, the company is releasing The Daisy Chain on DVD, April 13.

Martha (Samantha Morton, Minority Report) and Tomas (Steven Mackintosh, the Underworld series) are a grieving couple who move to a remote Irish village after their daughter’s death. They become charmed by a traumatized, autistic girl named Daisy, whose entire family has perished in tragic accidents. Come on Martha and Tomas, you know how this is going to go down! Strange things start to happen after Martha opens her home to Daisy and you can figure out the plot from here. Oh, and I really hate that DVD cover art.

P.S. I’d totally be a daisy chain slut for Satan to the tune of Thrill Kill Kult’s Daisy Chain 4 Satan. And the film’s title gives me an excuse to share this song with you. Dig these groovy dance moves!

Image: Amazon

The last new major role for the upcoming third season of HBO’s True Blood has been filled by actress Brit Morgan of The Middleman. She will be playing part of Debbie Pelt on Alan Ball’s vampire series.

Morgan’s character Debbie is Alcide’s (Joe Mangiello) ex-girlfriend, who isn’t fond of Sookie (Anna Paquin). Hey, at least I have something in common with this new character! Morgan’s character on The Middleman is Lacey Thornfield, a hipster art nerd. I’ve never seen the show before, but the YouTube clips I found about it feature dancing bears. Hmmm…

Morgan joins a slew of new cast additions, including Denis O’Hare, Marshall Allman, Theo Alexander, Grant Bowler, Joe Manganiello, Kevin Alejandro, Lindsay Pulsipher, Cooper Huckabee, James Frain, J. Smith-Cameron, Shannon Wells, C.C. Sheffield, Gregg Daniel and Natasha Alam.

True Blood Season 3 will premiere June 2010.

Image: HBO

There’s only one place you really need to be this Spring–Austin’s SXSW (South by Southwest) film festival from March 12-20. The festival features 119 films total, 55 of which are making their world premieres. Pay attention to the Midnighters section, which has your horror fix.

Everything seems worth a look but I’m particularly excited about Amer. So far, the bank is telling me a trip to SXSW may not be in the cards this year, but I’ll be doing my damnedest to attend this event. Check out the line-up below and let me know what you’re interested in.

The South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival is thrilled to announce the complete features lineup for this year’s Festival, March 12 – 20, 2010 in Austin, Texas. Over the course of nine days, 119 features will screen at the festival, with 55 of those having their world premieres at SXSW 2010. These films were selected from a record 1,572 feature-length film submissions composed of 1,206 U.S. and 366 international feature-length films.

MIDNIGHTERS series: Scary, funny, sexy, controversial – provocative after-dark features for night owls and the terminally curious.

Amer (Belgium)
“Ana is confronted to Body and Desire at three key moments of her life.”
Directors: Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani. Screenwriter: Bruno Forzani
Cast: Bianca Maria D’Amato, Cassandra Forêt, Charlotte Eugène-Guibbaud, Marie Bos, Harry Cleven (U.S. Premiere)

Cannibal Girls (Canada)
“They do EXACTLY what you think they do! Second City TV regulars Eugene Levy and Andrea Martin star in Ivan Reitman’s Canuxploitation classic as a couple on a romantic holiday who settle into a quaint little bed-and-breakfast run by a trio of flesh-eating ladies who fancy them for tomorrow’s menu.”
Director: Ivan Reitman. Screenwriter: Robert Sandler
Cast: Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Ronald Ulrich, Randall Carpenter, Bonnie Neilson

Cotton (United States)
“After a career spent helping the devout through prayer and trickery, Rev. Cotton Marcus invites a film crew to document his final fraudulent days as an exorcist. Soon his faith is truly tested when a desperate plea from the father of a possessed girl brings him face to face with the devil himself.”
Director: Daniel Stamm. Screenwriters: Andrew Gurland and Huck Botko
Cast: Patrick Fabian, Ashley Bell, Iris Bahr, Louis Herthum, Caleb Landry Jones (World Premiere)

Jimmy Tupper VS. The Goatman of Bowie (United States)
“Jimmy Tupper is no one, he’s nothing, until one night he sees something in the woods that can’t be real. It becomes his mission to prove its existence and find his purpose.”
Director and Screenwriter: Andrew Bowser
Cast: Andrew Bowser, Pedro Gonzalez, Chris Jones, Michael Eller, Tim Kuczka (World Premiere)

The Loved Ones (Australia)
“Brent, a 17-year-old student grieving after the recent loss of his father, politely declines an invitation to the school formal from Lola, the quietest girl in school. Devastated by the rejection, Lola and her overly protective father kidnap Brent and force him to endure a macabre Formal of their own creation…“
Director and Screenwriter: Sean Byrne
Cast: Xavier Samuel, Robin McLeavy, Victoria Thaine, Jessica McNamee, Richard Wilson

Tucker & Dale vs. Evil (Canada)
“Two West Virginian hillbillies go on vacation at their dilapidated mountain cabin, but their peaceful trip goes horribly awry.“
Director: Eli Craig. Screenwriters: Eli Craig and Morgan Jurgenson
Cast: Tyler Labine, Alan Tudyk, Katrina Bowden, Jesse Moss

Higanjima (Japan/Korea)
“Two years after losing contact, Akira discovers that his long-lost brother may be found on Higanjima Island. He may also find on Higanjima an army of blood-sucking vampires.“
Director: Tae-Kyun Kim. Screenwriter: Tetsuya Ôishi
Cast: Koji Yamamoto, Hideo Ishiguro, Dai Watanabe, Asami Mizukawa (North American Premiere)

Outcast (Ireland)
“Mary and Fergal live their lives on the run, using an ancient form of magic to hide from a terrifying hunter.“
Director Colm McCarthy. Screenwriters: Colm McCarthy and Tom McCarthy
Cast: James Nesbitt, Kate Dickie, Niall Bruton, Hannah Stanbridge (World Premiere)

Monsters (United Kingdom)
“Six years after a NASA probe crashes, bringing alien life forms to Earth, a journalist agrees to escort a shaken tourist through an infected zone in Mexico to the safety of the US border.“
Director and Screenwriter: Gareth Edwards
Cast: Scoot McNairym, Whitney Able (World Premiere)

EMERGING VISIONS series: Innovation and creativity from new and emerging feature filmmakers, showcasing raw talent in documentary and narratives of varying premiere status.

Red White & Blue (United Kingdom)
“In Austin Texas, the lives of three young people “Erica, Franki and Nate” intertwine in a fateful, tragic way and head down a rocky and violent road to heart-rending oblivion.“
Director and Screenwriter: Simon Rumley
Cast: Noah Taylor, Amanda Fuller, Marc Senter (North American Premiere)

LONE STAR STATES series: Texas proud! Documentaries and Narratives with a special connection to the Lone Star State.

Wake (United States)
“Driving to a wedding in Los Angeles through the Mojave Desert, Paul and Adrienne pull off the highway and into Roy’s Motel and Café. This roadside artifact proves to be a strange and surreal place with an unsettling mix of travelers, who force our couple to discover the secret hidden between them and ultimately, the horrifying reality of their current situation.“
Many Lane Producer Director and Screenwriter: Chad Feehan
Cast: Josh Stewart, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Chris Browning, Angela Featherstone, Afemo Omilami, Trevor Morgan (World Premiere)

Image: SXSW

Would you attend a film festival organized by a guy who made movies like Killer Biker Chicks, Silent Night Zombie Night, and Super Undead Doctor Roach? Most of us probably have our hands raised right now. Filmmaker and promoter Chad Clinton Freeman has announced The Polly Staffle Grindhouse Film Festival to be held at the Sci-Fi Center in “Givin’ You More Grind” Las Vegas this coming May.

The festival takes place May 13-16 and will consist of four glorious days of programming in the tradition of grindhouse theaters with double features each day, bookended by trailers and music videos. PollyGrind is currently calling for entries for the festival, which you can submit until March 13. Submit your work online or via Withoutabox.com.

“The PollyGrind is all about the darker side of cinema,” said Freeman, a fan of Herschell Gordon Lewis and Doris Wishman. “We want edgy. We want sexy. We bloody. We want cool. So any and all genres are welcome as long as they’ll fit into the festival’s programming.” And judging from the submission categories, he’s a man of his word:

Blood-o-Rama (Horror/Gore Feature Competition), Frontiers Anew (Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Adventure Feature Competition), Area-X (Exploitation/Underground Feature Competition), Weirdville (Arthouse/Cult Feature Competition), Crime Time (Thrillers/Action/Film Noir Feature Competition), Short Film Competition, Music Video Competition and Trailer/Ad Spot Competition.

Word on the strip says that there will be burlesque dancers, a Q&A with all the filmmakers in attendance and a meet and greet with the audience for photos, autographs, selling of wares and casual chatting. Stay tuned to The Polly Staffle website for further details, stay updated on Facebook or plan your trip by checking out the Sci-Fi Center website.

Image: PollyGrind

The people of Edmonton have something to do now other than look at snow! Edmonton turns into DEDmonton, Hellberta once a month when the lunatics at DEDfest/DEDsploitation gather the masses for an evening of film and fright. They recently had a sold-out screening of The Thing in January and Silent Night Deadly Night was screened for the first time ever in Alberta in December. Just days before they showed the film, the DEDfest gang found out that the movie was the last film ever banned in Alberta. O Canada.

On February 19, there will be a screening of Romero’s The Crazies. Aptly timed with the release of Breck Eisner’s remake coming February 26. Coming up March 26 DEDsploitation Cinema presents a screening of Near Dark starring one of my favorites, Lance Henriksen. DEDfest will be hosting their first double feature in April: Switchblade Sisters and Chained Heat–yowzers! Rumor has it that the lovely ladies of Edmonton’s Roller Derby team and the local Burlesque troupe will be making an appearance.

These screenings come complete with the opportunity to win prizes, including DVD’s, premiere passes and more. There’s a lot for horror and exploitation lovers to look forward to in Edmonton, so stay tuned to the DEDfest website for further details. You can also follow them on Twitter because Canadians need love too.

Image: DEDfest

Director, Anders Jacobsson (Evil Ed), just delivered to yours truly the latest one sheet and a still for his slasher film, Insane. The film was co-written by Jacobsson with Mikael Fuchs, Nathan Berry, Henrik Koelman and Tomas Sandquist, who also co-directed. The film will be screened at the European Film Market in Berlin on February 11 and was selected to be part of the Fantasy Horror Awards in Italy March 19-21.

Insane follows the story of a woman, Sarah (Johanna Leamo), who checks into a hotel while looking for her missing sister, not realizing that it may be the same place that leads to her own demise. The film also stars Lars Bethke, Alida Morberg and David Lenneman.

The official synopsis:

“Nighttime. A car travelling through the desolate landscape. Behind the wheel sits Sarah, a young woman that is looking for her sister that has been missing for two weeks. After another restless day she decides to stop for the night at the first hotel she can find. A large sign by the road says, ‘The Bridgeburn Hotel’. The hotel lies in the middle of absolute nowhere, but Sarah is tired and decides to take a closer look. The hotel is dark and seems abandoned. Suddenly the door opens and a dark shadow appears…”

The film was shot in Sweden and after struggling to find the right location, Jacobsson finally found the right hotel for the backdrop to what he has describes as a “an homage to the slasher films of the 80’s.”

“It was perfect except for the fact that there was no central heating and no hot water and we should shoot the film in the middle of the Swedish winter,” Jacobsson explains. “The hotel was in a total mess and we also had to build and paint many of the sceneries [sic]  for the movie.” After gathering the right team of people, Jacobsson started production just two months after he and Anders fleshed out their script.

Check out the trailer below and let me know what you think. Jacobsson cites slashers by John Carpenter and Dario Argento as his influence. Aside from the (gas) masked killer, do you make that connection?

Visit Insane’s official website, or become a fan of the movie and stay up to date on all the latest news on Facebook.

Image: Action Film