More casting news has hit the interwebs for Marcus Nispel's latest flick, Backmask, and we have the info for you right here filled with the power color orange and riddled with lens flares from every conceivable angle. Well, not really, but there is news!

According to the Daily Dead, Brittany Curran (pictured; Captured, "Men of a Certain Age", "The Ghost Whisperer") will be playing the lead female role of Reign and will appear with previously reported cast member Gage Golightly ("Teen Wolf", "Heartland").

Kirsten Helms penned the script that follows a group of teenagers who accidentally release an evil spirit that starts to possess them one by one.

Synopsis
During a sex, drugs, and rock-fueled party, six small-town teenagers find an old vintage record and decide to play it backwards in order to listen for any subliminal/satanic messages. Lo and behold, a seemingly malevolent spirit quickly infiltrates the group, wreaking havoc as it moves from one body to another. Eventually, however, it's revealed that the spirit in question is actually trying to convey a message....and that the real source of horror isn't particularly paranormal, but rather something (or someone) much closer to home.

Who wouldn't want to get interactive with Sigourney Weaver? Now's your chance with the latest video in support of Rodrigo Cortes' new flick Red Lights. Keep your eyes peeled and your mouse ready! This is pretty cool!

Sigourney Weaver, Robert De Niro, Cillian Murphy, Toby Jones, Joely Richardson, Leonardo Sbaraglia, and Elizabeth Olsen all star. Cortes produced with Adrian Guerra, while Cindy Cowan exec produced through her Cindy Cowan Entertainment banner. Look for Red Lights to hit theaters on July 13th, 2012.

Synopsis:
Two paranormal fraud investigators, the veteran Dr. Margaret Matheson (Weaver) and her young assistant, Tom Buckley (Murphy), study the diverse phenomena of metaphysics with the intention to demonstrate its fraudulent origin. Simon Silver (De Niro), a legendary psychic, perhaps the most famous gifted of all time, returns after thirty years of mysterious absence to become the world's greatest challenger to orthodox science and professional skeptics. Tom begins to develop a dense obsession to silver, whose magnetism is enhanced dangerously with each new manifestation of inexplicable dark phenomena.

Ever wonder what's involved with making a Wesen come to life on NBC's popular series "Grimm"? Then check out this time-lapse video the network sent over showing how much makeup goes into creating the creatures prior to the special effects being added.

The cast and crew of "Grimm" have already returned to Portland to begin production for Season 2; check out a behind-the-scenes peek below. If you missed out on Season 1, don't forget the "Grimm" Season Pass is on sale on iTunes until June 5th. Click here to check it out in HD ($29.99) or SD ($24.99). Or just pre-order the Blu-ray or DVD from the EvilShop below (it'll be available August 7th).

Inspired by Grimms' fairy tales, "Grimm" follows Portland homicide Detective Nick Burkhardt, played by David Giuntoli, as he battles supernatural forces. Bitsie Tulloch portrays his fiancée, Juliette Silverton, with Russell Hornsby as his partner, Hank Griffin, and Silas Weir Mitchell as his confidant, Monroe. Reggie Lee and Sasha Roiz co-star. It is produced by Universal Television with Hazy Mills Prods. and GK Prods. Sean Hayes, Todd Milliner, David Greenwalt, Jim Kouf, Naren Shankar, and Norberto Barba are executive producers.

For more be sure to check out "Grimm" on Facebook, and follow "Grimm" on Twitter.

Zombie Joe's Underground Theatre Group becomes Soul Less this month as Huston Huddleston’s frightening new comedy will be performed on the troupe's North Hollywood, California, stage from June 9th-30th.

Soul Less opens Saturday, June 9th, at 8:30 pm and runs every Friday and Saturday night through June 30th.

Synopsis: Zombie Joe’s Underground Theatre Group proudly presents Huston Huddleston’s frightening new comedy about a 16-year-old girl genius who conducts violent experiments on unsuspecting men in order to prove to the world that a soul exists. Starring Aimee Lynn Chadwick (A Cinderella Story, Return of the Living Dead 4 & 5) and directed by Jana Wimer.

Where: ZJU Theatre Group, 4850 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood, California

Reservations: (818) 202-4120

Tickets: Just $15 each

For more info visit ZombieJoes.com.

In Sean Byrne's Australian horror import The Loved Ones, Robin McLeavy plays spoiled "daddy's girl" Lola Stone, who isn't used to not getting her way, especially around prom season.

This year she has her eye on Brent (Xavier Samuel), but he already has a girlfriend named Holly (Victoria Thaine) and very little interest in going to the big dance. When Brent rebuffs Lola, she has her father (John Brumpton) kidnap Brent just so "Princess" can have the prom she's always wanted.

Recently Dread Central had the opportunity to chat with McLeavy about her sociopathic character, the power of female protagonists in the horror genre and more. Check out highlights from our chat with the actress below, and look for The Loved Ones in limited theaters this weekend via Tugg and courtesy of Paramount Pictures.

Dread Central: I'd love to hear what you thought of this role and this project as a whole when Sean first approached you; I imagine it had to be quite a shock to read and see what Lola was all about.

Robin McLeavy: At the time I used to do a lot of stage and theater work, so I was playing roles like Catherine the Great or Stella from A Streetcar Named Desire, so yes, this was definitely a very unusual script to get.

But as I read it, I fell in love with it, especially because first and foremost, it was about a female protagonist. Not a victim. That's so rare these days so that really excited me as an actor. I'm not a huge horror fan myself because they scare me, but I realized how refreshing Sean's take on the genre was on The Loved Ones, and I just loved how this role drove all of the action in the film. What a rare treat as an actress.

Dread Central: How was it collaborating with Sean?

Robin McLeavy: Just fantastic! Sean is meticulous, and I think that's what I loved most about working with him. Before we started shooting, he gave me a 'bible' of reference material on people like Jeffrey Dahmer to go through to get inside Lola's head; going through that book was very confronting for me because it was a lot of really terrible things to be reading about. I could barely read it.

So I realized if I was going to 'protect' myself from Lola's mentality, I had to approach her with a different point of view, and I think that helped. What was also helpful is that a few weeks later after Sean gave me the first book, he then gave me another book that was filled with stuff like Barbie, Britney Spears - a lot of 'little girl' fantasy elements - and that's when I really 'found' Lola. It was that dichotomy in her psyche that I used to pull myself out of the character and just went for it.

What's sort of funny is that Sean actually based this role on his five-year-old niece, who is just obsessed with the color pink. That was my real frame of reference- when you're that age, you just think anything you want to happen can happen, and that's Lola.

Dread Central: John, who plays your father, is such a central figure to Lola's life and this movie as well; did you guys work together ahead of time to get the chemistry right between you two?

Robin McLeavy: John's a great actor, and we did work a bit together before shooting, yes. What's interesting about him is that he's got this Aussie quality to him that's very specific. I grew up in Tasmania, and I knew so many men just like him (laughs). It was really uncanny; we joked around a lot while shooting so that helped us bond, too.

Dread Central: You mentioned earlier that the horror genre is pretty terrifying to you; how did you get through shooting the more extreme scenes on The Loved Ones then?

Robin McLeavy: Oh yeah, there were some tough days, but I think because we had so much fun making the movie, it was hard to separate all of that out from 'real life.' Plus, when it came to the violence in the film, I never treated it as Lola getting out her rage; it was more about intimacy for her. I read somewhere that a lot of violent people use those tactics not because of anger or anything but because they want to be close to their victim.

And that was Lola- all she wanted was to be close to Brent, and since he didn't want anything to do with her, she had to force that intimacy on him.

Dread Central: You're pretty much the face of The Loved Ones, which must be great to be enjoying as an actress; did it ever hit you at all that everything about this movie - the story, the marketing - was going to revolve around you and your character as much as it has?

Robin McLeavy: Not really at all. I mean, I knew Lola was the focus of the movie, but I didn't even think about how the marketing and everything would play out. I just saw her as an incredible challenge and a chance to stretch myself creatively. I've been incredibly lucky that the horror fans around the world have embraced both the movie and myself; I wasn't expecting that really.

Dread Central: I noticed you're also in the upcoming Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter; what can you tell us about that project?

Robin McLeavy: Working on Abe Lincoln was amazing; it was my first real Hollywood blockbuster, and I just found the whole experience mind-blowing. Timur [Bekmambetov] is such an incredible director- I was in awe of him. I've never seen a director work so closely with his storyboard artists; they'd actually be working on sketching out scenes on the day we'd be shooting even because the look is everything to Timur. And I get to play Nancy Hanks Lincoln, which was a lot of fun; I really can't wait to see how it turns out.

Click on the cities below for their listings.

Theaters

San Francisco, CA

Austin, TX

Chicago, IL

New York, NY

Houston, TX

Los Angeles, CA

Your city not listed? No problem!

Request a screening here!

We've talked about it before as there have been whispers, but now we can officially confirm that the long lost Eighties classic creature feature The Boogens is officially on its way to Blu-ray and DVD! It's actually happening! Bad movie lovers rejoice!

While there is still no word on the extras, if any at all, The Boogens, yes, The Boogens, will be headed home on August 7, 2012, courtesy of Olive Films.

The flick, directed by James L. Conway (Hanger 18), stars Rebecca Balding, Fred McCarren, Anne-Marie Martin, Jeff Harlan, and John Crawford.

Synopsis
In a small town near Denver, two young men begin to explore a long-abandoned old mine recently re-opened by a group of miners. When one of the men is discovered missing, his friends begin a search that leads them to horrifying consequences. They're all unaware of the evil that's been unleashed, and soon, one by one, a monster that no one has seen snatches up the townspeople. Suddenly, the grisly truth is revealed, and a young couple is forced to confront the unknown in order to save their lives... and the entire town.

It was last September when we got the first word on Jon Keeyes' The Mechanical Grave, and now the project is complete and ready for viewing at film festivals and conventions as well as on DVD. Check out the flick's artwork, a photo gallery, and more info on Highland Myst Entertainment and Wolfclan Productions' steampunk-horror extravaganza.

From the Press Release:
The 15-minute short film The Mechanical Grave is already playing at steampunk and comic conventions around the country, and audiences are heralding it as “the best realization of steampunk yet seen in movie format.” DVDs of The Mechanical Grave are now available exclusively through Highland Myst online.

The year is 1895. Steam-powered ships fly through the air. Clockwork robots have replaced servants. And a grisly murder has taken place in the dark night of New York City. Called to the scene of the ritualistic murder, newly appointed police commissioner Teddy Roosevelt discovers Detective Wayne and his police officers power usurped by two special investigators appointed by the White House: occultist Edgar Allan Poe, a clockwork automaton housing the soul of the literary legend, and Mrs. Emma Entwistle, a dangerous assassin with a unique connection to the Otherworld. When they elicit information from the demon Neshrew, a much darker and more dangerous plot of world domination is uncovered.

Welcome to the world of The Mechanical Grave. Steeped in the popular steampunk and horror genres, the story paints an alternative history of the Victorian Era world. Founded in the science fiction of steampunk grandfathers Jules Verne and H.G. Wells, The Mechanical Grave is an exciting adventure filled with robots, assassins, steam and clockwork powered inventions, magicians, demons, supernatural beings, and a life in which magic is very real, although taboo.

Directed by twelve-year genre veteran Jon Keeyes (American Nightmare, Living & Dying) and written by Charles Burnley (Yankee Rose), The Mechanical Grave was filmed in Dallas, Texas, through the producing collaboration of Wolfclan Productions’ Matthew Tompkins and Highland Myst Entertainment’s Jon Keeyes.

The Mechanical Grave stars Nicole Leigh (Karma Police, Home Run) as Mrs. Emma Louise Entwistle, head of the White House’s supernatural secret service known as The Office of Esoteric Sciences (The OES), along with Jonathan Brooks (Phobia, Spilt Milk) as Edgar Allan Poe, an automaton housing the famous poet’s soul and now working for The OES as an expert occultist. Joining them are two dynamic veteran actors. Matt Stephen Tompkins (Missionary Man, Killing Down) stars as Police Commissioner Theodore Roosevelt, who discovers he holds some magical secret unknown even to himself, and Michael Crabtree (Temple Grandin, Tender Mercies) as the cynical Detective Wayne, who wants nothing more than to find another honest cop in New York City. Last but not least, Charles Baker – a series regular on the popular TV hit "Breaking Bad" – appears as the smarmy demon and deliciously evil Neshrew.

“We rounded out the cast with Erin Marie Garrett as our Sacrificial Girl along with Trey Walpole, Chad Cox, James Cable, and Chuck Huber - all friends of ours and very accomplished actors," says Keeyes. "And by many great fortunes, we had nearly twenty people from Airship Isabella, The Steampunk Illumination Society, The Celestial Rogues, Airship Nocturne, and The Mal De Ojo come out to fight and die as The Minions.”

Burnley gives a bit of background on the project, “Since the majority of steampunk is set in Britain, we wanted to do an American take on it. New York City seemed like an obvious locale. And the year, 1895, was brought about because we felt it would be a great thing to have Theodore Roosevelt as a character. Roosevelt was police commissioner in 1895 so that was why that year was chosen. It just so happens we picked an extraordinary time period. So many events were either happening or fate was moving in the directions to make them happen. That was pure luck that we're happy to exploit.”

For more info visit The Mechanical Grave on Facebook.

The 11th annual New York Asian Film Festival (June 29 through July 15) has announced its full schedule, which will showcase over 50 feature films and three programs of short films from Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, the USA, and Vietnam.

Presented in partnership between Subway Cinema and the Film Society of Lincoln Center with programming support from Japan Society, America’s biggest festival of popular Asian film is opening with VULGARIA: Described as “astonishingly filthy,” “outrageous,” and “displaying a reckless abandon in mentioning genitals” Pang Ho-cheung’s show business satire pushes good taste as far as it can go, and then it keeps on going. What’s most astonishing about this lewd, crude, and hilariously dirty film is that it achieves all its shocking effects with nothing more than dialogue.

In addition, DOOMSDAY BOOK and GUNS AND ROSES make their North American premieres as the Centerpiece Selections.

The Closing Night film is POTECHI (CHIPS) in its North American premiere: Yoshihiro Nakamura's film is about petty thieves, potato chips, and baseball stars. A mere hour and eight minutes long, the reviewer for The Japan Times says that even though it’s “smaller in scope and less showy in effect, its climactic epiphany left me in tears. I won’t spoil it by saying why, just that this crazy world made more sense as the credits rolled.”

Below is the full schedule, including all the special guests lined up thus far. Get more info plus full descriptions of each film by visiting the official New York Asian Film Festival website and the New York Asian Film Festival Facebook page.

In addition, we'll be offering up some passes to one or two of the screenings soon so keep it tuned here!

SCREENINGS AT THE WALTER READE THEATRE

Friday, June 29
6:00PM WAR OF THE ARROWS (121min)
8:30PM VULGARIA (90min) + guest director Pang Ho-cheung
12:00AM BOXER’S OMEN (105min)

Saturday, June 30
1:00PM OLDBOY (120min) + guest actor Choi Min-Sik and actress Yoon Jin-Seo
4:00PM PANG HO-CHEUNG’S FIRST ATTEMPT (50min) + guest director Pang Ho-cheung
5:30PM THE KING BOXER (98min) + guest director Chung Chang-Wha
9:00PM NAMELESS GANGSTER (133min) + guest actor Choi Min-Sik
12:00AM GOKE, BODY SNATCHER FROM HELL (84min)

Sunday, July 1
1:00PM THE SWORD IDENTITY (110min)
3:20PM THE SWIFT KNIGHT (81min) + guest director Chung Chang-Wha
6:00PM YOU ARE THE APPLE OF MY EYE (109min) + guest director Giddens Ko and actress Michelle Chen
8:45PM LOVE IN THE BUFF (106min) + guest director Pang Ho-cheung

Monday, July 2
1:00PM MAKE UP (107min)
3:30PM FAILAN (116min) + guest actor Choi Min-sik
6:30PM YOU ARE THE APPLE OF MY EYE (109MIN) + guest director Giddens Ko and actress Michelle Chen
9:00PM CRYING FIST (134min) + guest actor Choi Min-Sik

Tuesday, July 3
1:00PM NAMELESS GANGSTER (133min)
3:30PM STARRY STARRY NIGHT (99min)
6:00PM COUPLES (109min)
8:30PM SACRIFICE (123min)

Wednesday, The Fourth of July!
1:00PM COUPLES (109min)
3:00PM EAST MEETS WEST 2011 (99min)
6:00PM SEEDIQ BALE I (143 min) + SEEDIQ BALE II (131min) [274min total]

Thursday, July 5
1:30PM HONEY PUPU (102min)
4:00PM DIN TAO: LEADER OF THE PARADE (123min)
6:30PM 10 + 10 (114min)
9:00PM ALL ABOUT MY WIFE (120min)

Friday, July 6
1:30PM ZERO MAN VS THE HALF VIRGIN (105min)
3:30PM SCABBARD SAMURAI (103min)
6:00PM INFERNAL AFFAIRS (101min) + guest actor Will Yun Lee and Sleeping Dogs game creators
8:40PM INFERNAL AFFAIRS 2 (119min)
11:10PM DEAD BITE (94min)

Saturday, July 7
1:30PM ZERO MAN VS THE HALF VIRGIN (105min)
3:45PM THE KING OF PIGS (97min) + guest director Yeun Sang-Ho
6:30PM THE LOST BLADESMAN (108min) + guest star Donnie Yen
9:00PM GUNS AND ROSES (108min)
11:15PM MIAMI CONNECTON (83min)

Sunday, July 8
12:30PM BLOODY FIGHT IN IRON-ROCK VALLEY (89min)
2:30PM ACE ATTORNEY (135min)
5:15PM KILL ZONE (aka SPL: SHA PO LANG) (93min) + guest star Donnie Yen
8:00PM THE KING OF PIGS (97min) + guest director Yeun Sang-Ho
9:30PM HONEY PUPU (102min)

Monday, July 9
12:30PM YOU ARE THE APPLE OF MY EYE (109min)
2:50PM NASI LEMAK 2.0 (108min)
5:00PM A SIMPLE LIFE (119min)
7:45PM DRAGON (aka WU XIA) (110min) + guest star Donnie Yen
10:00PM RED VACANCE, BLACK WEDDING (86min)

Tuesday, July 10
1:30PM GUNS AND ROSES (108min)
4:00PM KOREAN SHORT FILM MADNESS (90min)
6:00PM GOLDEN SLUMBERS (98min) + guest director Davy Chou
9:00PM DIN TAO: LEADER OF THE PARADE (123min)

Tuesday, July 10 @ Tribeca Cinemas
7:00PM SECRET LOVE (111min) + guest actress Yoon Jin-Seo

Wednesday, July 11
1:15PM ALL ABOUT MY WIFE (120min)
3:50PM DEAD BITE (94min)
6:00PM THE SWORD IDENTITY (110min)
8:05PM DOOMSDAY BOOK (115min)
10:00PM MAKE UP (107min)

Thursday, July 12
1:00PM DOOMSDAY BOOK (115min)
3:30PM BLOODY FIGHT IN IRON-ROCK VALLEY (89min)
6:15PM NASI LEMAK 2.0 (108min) + guest producer Fred Chong
9:00PM BLOOD LETTER (90min)

SCREENINGS AT JAPAN SOCIETY

Thursday, July 12
6:30PM ASURA (78min)
8:15PM SMUGGLER (114min)

Friday, July 13
6:30PM HARD ROMANTICKER (108min)
9:00PM The Atrocity Exhibition (3 films back-to-back: LET’S MAKE THE TEACHER HAVE A MISCARRIAGE CLUB + BIG GUN + HENGE) (145min)

Saturday, July 14
1:00PM SCABBARD SAMURAI (103min)
3:15PM TOKYO PLAYBOY CLUB (97min)
5:30PM GYO (70min)
7:15PM LOVE STRIKES! (118min) + guest actress Masami Nagasawa
– plus Striking Love after party

Sunday, July 15
1:30PM ACE ATTORNEY (135min)
4:15PM TORMENTED (83min)
6:00PM MONSTERS CLUB (72min) + guest director Toshiaki Toyoda
8:00PM POTECHI (CHIPS) (68min)

Actor Thomas Jane and artist Tim Bradstreet’s Raw Studios have entered into an exclusive digital distribution agreement with comiXology for all of their comic book and graphic novels. To celebrate, the Dark Country graphic novel is now available as an exclusive digital debut across comiXology’s entire platform (iPhone, iPad, Android, Kindle Fire, the Web).

From the Press Release:
Thomas Jane fans will be familiar with Dark Country, the title of his 2009 directorial debut, a twisted, psycho-noir about a couple forced to deal with a dead body en route from Vegas. Both the film and graphic novel are based on a short story written by Tab Murphy; Jane conceived of the film and graphic novel adaptions as stand-alone endeavors with unique artistic interpretations.

“Dark Country has long been a passion project of mine. In 2009 I was able to make the film a reality. And today, with Thomas Ott’s amazing work, we’re now able to release the Dark Country graphic novel exclusively with comiXology,” said Raw Studios co-founder Thomas Jane, most recently seen in the HBO series "Hung". “Everyone at Raw Studios is excited about this exclusive agreement with comiXology, who have far and above the best shopping and reading experience of any digital comics vendor.”

The Dark Country graphic novel features over 70 pages of world-renowned artist Thomas Ott’s one of a kind scratch-board illustrations. In addition, fans of the cult favorite feature film will enjoy almost 50 pages of behind the scenes material about the Dark Country feature film that also includes the original Tab Murphy short story.

“Thomas and I both knew when we first read Dark Country that it would make a great movie and a great graphic novel, and because we are just that crazy, we wanted both to be completely different experiences,” said Raw Studios co-founder and veteran comic artist Tim Bradstreet. “With this agreement in place, I’m stoked to see Dark Country be available worldwide digitally through comiXology.”

“We’ve been fans of what Tom and Tim have been doing at Raw for years, and I find the decision to make the graphic novel of Dark Country its own artistic creation a fantastic, bold choice,” says comiXology co-founder and CEO David Steinberger. “We’re incredibly humbled they would choose comiXology not only for an exclusive agreement but the place to premiere Dark Country.”

In addition to the Dark Country graphic novel, Raw Studios fans will be able to find full story arcs of Bad Planet and Alien Pig Farm 3000 throughout the comiXology platform, including comiXology’s Digital Storefronts for brick-and-mortar retailers.

Last month we got a teaser of what would be included in the upcoming summer issue of Indie Comics Magazine with the announcement of Joe Sergi's The Zombie War of 1812, and now we know what the other seven stories will be part of the publication as well. Read on for the details!

From the Press Release:
Office sex, presidents battling zombies, and feral, mutant pets join tall ship vampires, military organizations with guns blazing, and a space alien in Indie Comics Magazine's Summer Issue, for pre-order NOW in Diamond's June 2012 Previews under Aazurn Publishing. (Indie Comics Magazine is available ONLY through the Previews catalog in comic shops. No huge print run, no digital version - Previews is the ONLY way comic readers and comic shops can get their hands on Indie Comics Magazine.)

The stories include:

Heresy shall not be tolerated as Australian Paul Bradford presents a new Astral Crusaders story.

64 pages of done-in-one stories wrapped with a beautiful painting of a green-eyed heroine by Image and Disney illustrator Terry Pavlet.

"I continue to be blown away by the talent and storytelling abilities of the creators who contribute to Indie Comics Magazine," said publisher Gary Scott Beatty. "We feature a diverse range of storytelling styles. This is a real cross-section of indie comic book genius!"

Check out the video preview below with music by Four Finger Five, and for more info visit Indie Comics Magazine online.

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Author Gregory Lamberson dropped us a line with updates on two horror projects he has in the works - The Frenzy War, which continues the story of detective Tony Mace, and The Julian Year, the first title written for Medallion Media Group’s groundbreaking e-book format, the TREEbook™.

The Frenzy War, Book Two in Lamberson's series “The Frenzy Cycle” which began with The Frenzy Way, is now available in bookstores and online as a trade paperback and in Kindle, Nook, and other e-book editions from Medallion Press.

In The Frenzy Way Lamberson introduced readers to Tony Mace, an heroic NYPD detective with a bright future until he comes to believe that a serial killer terrorizing Manhattan is a werewolf. Along the way he discovers the existence of a secret species of peaceful, shape-shifting Wolves who live among us. In The Frenzy War Mace is assigned to lead a joint NYPD-FBI task force charged with preventing a war between the Wolves and a unit of werewolf slayers called the Brotherhood of Torquemada from spilling into the streets of New York. At 450 pages, it’s Lamberson’s longest, most action-packed, and goriest book yet.

“The first book used a police procedural format to introduce the mythology I’m creating,” says Lamberson. “With The Frenzy War I’ve ratcheted everything up several notches: werewolf action, werewolf sex, and werewolf mayhem. Most of my books combine heavy action with explicit horror, but the decapitations, mutilations, and bloodletting in this particular novel goes farther than anything I’ve done before. The series is really about terrorism in the modern age and how authorities and private citizens react to widespread violence, but it has a pulpy flavor.”

Lamberson envisions at least four books in the series so he’s halfway to the end.

As for The Julian Year (coming in 2013) , it's the first title written for Medallion Media Group’s TREEbook™ format. Lamberson’s cinematic approach to storytelling and large-scale character orchestration are the perfect complement to the dynamic capabilities of TREEbook™ technology. The TREEbook™ is a Timed Reading Experience Ebook, which seamlessly integrates time triggers with multiple story branches, allowing stories to organically shift and grow. Using this technology, Lamberson plants the seed for The Julian Year, a global crisis that unfolds over time.

In The Julian Year one of the main characters, Julian Weizak, an obituary writer in New York, celebrates his birthday alone in a bar on New Year’s Eve. At the stroke of midnight, scores of homicides break out on the East Coast:

A radio host murders his cohost while on the air.

In all, twenty thousand murders are committed that night in New York alone, with the epidemic spreading across the country and the world, time zone by time zone. Julian makes a startling discovery: The crisis day was every single murderer’s birthday. At midnight each day thereafter, nearly twenty million people around the world become homicidal maniacs, contributing to the biggest killing spree in history. It looks as if the chaos can lead to only one end: the extinction of humankind.

By utilizing the TREEbook™ approach, Lamberson explains, The Julian Year’s plot leads to a nearly endless variety of situational outcomes and alternate storylines, allowing the reader to experience one of many possible consequences of each pivotal action and choice of characters in the story. The book can change every time you read it, and nearly every reader’s experience can be unique.

To learn more, visit the official TREEbook™ website.

And that's not all Lamberson has in the pipeline: His zombie novella Carnage Road was just published by Creeping Hemlock Press’ zombie imprint Print Is Dead, and Tortured Spirits, Book Four of the “Jake Helman Files,” will be published in October. Currently he is line producing Model Hunger, a horror film which marks Debbie Rochon’s directorial debut, in his home town of Buffalo.

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Now a Terrifying Motion Picture! explores the relationship between 25 enduring works of horror literature and the films that have been adapted from them; and knowing how many of our readers are fans of the classics, we thought we'd pass on some info about the recently published book.

Each chapter of author and professor James F. Broderick's work delves into the historical and cultural background of a particular type of horror--hauntings, zombies, aliens, and more--and provides an overview of a specific work's critical and popular reception. The book is published by McFarland, and among the print-to-film titles discussed are:

Altered States
The Amityville Horror
The Birds
Dead Ringers
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
The Exorcist
The Fly
Frankenstein
Freaks
From Hell
Ghost Story
The Hound of the Baskervilles
Jaws
The Masque of the Red Death
The Night Stalker
The Ninth Gate
Nosferatu
The Phantom of the Opera
Psycho
Re-Animator
The Serpent and the Rainbow
The Shining
Sleepy Hollow
The Thing from Another World
Village of the Damned

Warning: If you listen to this B-Sides, it will be stuck in your head for the rest of the day. You will find yourself humming it. You will hear it in your sleep. It will echo around in your brain non-stop. You will experience TerrorVision.

Back in the 1980’s, before 90% of his productions were built specifically around pint-sized puppet killers or killer puppet-sized critters primarily designed to sell models, replicas, and action figures of later on, Charles Band wrote, directed, and executive produced some pretty inventive b-movies that even with their low budgets look like big budget special effects blockbusters compared to most of his modern output.

Such a movie was Ted Nicolau’s TerrorVision. Produced by Band’s Empire Pictures and starring Diane Franklin, Mary Woronov, and Gerrit Graham, the sci-fi horror comedy got in on this burgeoning new technology of the time called satellite television by crafting a wacky story of a dysfunctional family being terrorized by an alien trash monster beaming about outer space that inadvertently gets transmitted into their house via the dad’s swanky new satellite dish. Though the film has earned a following, it has never really reached the heights of true cult status like so many other b-movies of the day.

That said, one thing that does make TerrorVision truly memorable is its distinct theme song heard during both the opening and closing credits. The Fibonaccis were an avant-garde 80’s punk band with their own distinct sound, and that sound is very much on display in their “TerrorVision” title track.

Last warning: This song will be stuck in your head for the rest of the day.

With Season 5 of HBO's "True Blood" set to debut in just about a week, it's time to revisit the disappointing Season 4 of the series via a quick recap video provided by the network to help us catch up on all of the action from last season including commentary from the actors.

The 12-episode fifth season of "True Blood" kicks off on Sunday, June 10th, at 9:00 p.m. (ET/PT).

Episode 5.01, “Turn! Turn! Turn!”
Sookie (Anna Paquin) and Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis) struggle with the aftermath of Tara’s (Rutina Wesley) shooting, while also cleaning up after Debbie Pelt. Meanwhile, Bill (Stephen Moyer) and Eric (Alexander Skarsgård), cleaning up a mess of their own, are visited by the Vampire Authority, one of whom is Nora (Lucy Griffiths), a woman from Eric’s past. In search of the missing Marcus, Alcide’s (Joe Manganiello) werewolf pack comes after Sam (Sam Trammell). With Bill away, Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll) enjoys her new freedom by partying with local college kids; Jason (Ryan Kwanten) is visited by the recently turned Rev. Steve Newlin (Michael McMillian); Terry’s (Todd Lowe) PTSD is reignited by Patrick Devins (Scott Foley), an old Iraq War buddy; and Alcide turns up at Sookie’s to warn her about the recently resurfaced Russell Edgington (Denis O’Hare). Written by Brian Buckner; directed by Daniel Minahan.

For more info visit "True Blood" on HBO.com, "like" "True Blood" on Facebook, and jump in on the Twitter conversations here using the hashtag #trueblood.

The 2012 San Diego Comic-Con is just a little over a month away, which means the toy companies are starting to announce their exclusives for the big show. On tap today we have early looks at three of NECA's SDCC exclusives:

First we have Hero from the Sky Ash from Evil Dead 2.

Hard to believe, but it’s been 25 years since director Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead 2 was released. One of the best cult horror films of all time, it introduced us to the Deadites, the Necronomicon, and most of all, to Bruce Campbell’s character, Ash, the wise-crackin’ S-Mart employee who saws off his own hand and replaces it with a chainsaw. He’s one of our all-time favorite cinematic heroes. How could he not be? Who wouldn’t love that face?

Hero from the Sky Ash captures the young Mr. Campbell as he was at the end of the film. Bloodied, haggard, confused, having killed his girlfriend and a Deadite version of himself, terrified and mysteriously transported through time, Ash emerged in what would become the setting for Army of Darkness (another classic; go watch it!) and was faced with a whole new round of Deadites to re-kill.

We’ve done Ash before in a series of Evil Dead 2 7″ action figures, but Hero from the Sky Ash — aside from being SDCC exclusive — perfectly captures one of the most important moments in Evil Dead 2. A sepia-toned paint job brings out not just nostalgia for the 25th Anniversary of Evil Dead 2 but also the desert Ash found himself (and his car, oddly enough) transported to. Just look at the surprise on that face.

But Ash here is more than just a great chin! Check out our Hero from the Sky’s full articulation below:

Shotgun Stores in Holster on Figure’s Back

But there’s more - Hero from the Sky Ash comes in clamshell packaging with an exclusive unique display base. Let’s get groovy!

Next up is the Cloaked City Hunter Predator.

As seen in 1990′s Predator 2, the City Hunter (aka the Ghost Predator) is a leaner, meaner kind of killer, perfectly suited to the drug-filled streets of fictional 1997 Los Angeles, in which Colombian and Jamaican cartels are at war with the police. Set to a 7″ scale, our Cloaked City Hunter is an answer to the first-ever City Hunter figure, which was included in Predators Series 4 late last year. UNLIKE the regular City Hunter, this Cloaked version is totally exclusive to SDCC and has the sticker to prove it. If you can’t make it to San Diego this year, though, don’t worry; we’ll have some news on special opportunities forthcoming after the Con.

Like it’s much-less-invisible brethren, the Cloaked City Hunter is immaculately detailed and accurate to the look and feel of Predator 2. It features over 25 points of articulation, including ball joints in the hips and double-knee joints — because, let’s face it, when you’re chasing down and beheading deadly drug lords in a bizarre future city while Danny Glover tries to track you down and kill you, you want to be as flexible as possible.

Lastly is the brand-spanking new 2012 Convention Exclusive Marvel HeroClix Giant-Man Super Booster.

Priced at $39.99, Giant-Man also includes a proportionate Ant-Man HeroClix figure that’s invisible! No, really, like he’s not there. Set to the scale of Giant-Man, you can’t see Henry Pym when he shrinks all the way down to Ant-Man size. Also, when Marvel HeroClix first premiered way back in 2002, a similar Ant-Man was offered at conventions that year, so this Ant-Man makes a perfect bonus piece for Pym as Giant-Man. As you can see below, there’s a base with Ant-Man on it, and you’ll just have to take our word for it that he’s there. You can’t possibly imagine how hard it was to sculpt something so small that it’s invisible to the naked eye.

Henry Pym (aka Giant-Man) first appeared in Marvel’s Tales to Astonish #56 in 1964, having already made his debut as Ant-Man in Issue #35 two years earlier. Rumors have been kicking around for a while now about a movie in the works, so we thought no better time to debut this Giant-Man Chaos War HeroClix! Like all of the figures in the Chaos War collection, Giant-Man is gorgeously detailed and accurate to the comics.

I know... Giant-Man isn't really horror, but c'mon - Invisible Ant-Man? How can you resist?

Look for more SDCC announcements from NECA (and everyone else) soon!

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Special Effects Artist Robert Kurtzman recently opened the doors to the Kurtzman Institute of Art, a school where students learn the fine art of F/X. Kurtzman has now announced the list of guest speakers and special in-class guests who will be visiting the school, and it's pretty mpressive.

According to the Kurtzman Institute of Art website, "The facility gives students first-hand access to decades of genuine Hollywood experience. With classes lead by top-notch instructors with proven experience, students can get on the fast track to success in film, television, amusement, and many other creative industries. In addition, students get real world experience, working alongside respected professionals, in a fully functional film and effects studio during the course of their instruction, providing a truly unique educational experience."

Among those whom students can count on learning from this year are: Robert Englund (A Nightmare on Elm Street), Andrew Divoff (Wishmaster), Don Coscarelli (Phantasm, Bubba Ho Tep, John Dies at the End), Lucky McKee (May, The Woman, "Masters of Horror"), Jennifer Lynch (Surveillance, Chained), Eric Red (100 Feet, Near Dark), Gary Jones (Boogeyman 3, Bunyan), Cleve Hall ("Monster Man"), John Esposito ("The Walking Dead" Web Series, Stephen King’s Graveyard Shift, "Masters of Horror"), Mark Kidwell (Graphics 68, Bump), John Bisson (Army of Darkness, Wishmaster), Ed Douglas (Midnight Syndicate, The Dead Matter), Andrew Sagar (Texas Chainsaw 3D, The Expendables), Scott Licina (Comic Book Producer/Editor), and Tim Flattery (Men in Black, Real Steel, Transformers).

Check out the official website for the Kurtzman Institute of Art for more details on the upcoming semester. You can read up on all the special guests here.

Okay, talk about getting a leg up on the game. 20th Century Fox has unveiled the Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, and DVD artwork for Ridley Scott's Prometheus. So what if the flick isn't in theatres yet? Pre-order and see it for free when it is!

If you're quick enough and one of the first 5,000 to pre-order Ridley Scott's Prometheus on Blu-ray or Blu-ray 3D from Amazon (links below), you will receive a certificate valid for one admission up to $10 to see the movie at participating theaters between June 8, 2012 and August 31, 2012.

Prometheus, starring Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, Patrick Wilson, Logan Marshall-Green, and Ben Foster, will be in theaters on June 8th, 2012. The film has been rated R for sci-fi violence including some intense images and brief language.

Synopsis
Ridley Scott, director of 'Alien' and 'Blade Runner,' returns to the genre he helped define. With 'Prometheus' he creates a groundbreaking mythology in which a team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a thrilling journey to the darkest corners of the universe. There they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the human race.

Body count may not be the MOST important thing to horror fans, but many agree it's near the top of the list so when we heard that the results of a 2012 TV Body Count Study included quite a few of our favorite series (and most likely several of our readers' as well), we thought we'd pass them on.

Have you ever wondered how many people die in the TV shows you watch every week? Funeralwise wanted to look at the role of death in popular culture, more specifically in broadcast and cable shows, and the following are some highlights of the reported results after evaluating over 300 episodes that recently aired:

It's not official yet, but thanks to some words from David Morrissey, the actor playing the dreaded Governor in Season 3 of "The Walking Dead", we can be fairly confident the series is heading to this year's SDCC. Now if only the powers-that-be would put them in Hall H!

During a recent chat with TV Guide Magazine, the actor was asked what he's most looking forward to about joining "The Walking Dead" and said, "It's the right show at the right time. My family will be joining me in Atlanta. I've known Andrew Lincoln [Rick] from around London; we have mutual friends. And I get to go to Comic-Con."

Be sure to hit up that link for a bit more from Morrissey on how's he's preparing for the role.

Now, switching gears a bit, here's a Q&A with "The Walking Dead" Season 3 Location Manager Mike Riley about what makes the South well suited for horror and where he'd go if the world ended.

Q: What's been the most challenging location to secure for "The Walking Dead" thus far?

A: The problem we've run into is our writers are in Los Angeles, and they're sitting inside a building somewhere making this stuff up, and a lot of what they write may not be physically possible to do in the area of the state that we're in.

Q: Can you think of a specific example?

A: There was an upcoming script where the writer wanted this river where it was dangerous to ford. Well, that doesn't exist here.

Q: Does the principle work in reverse, where you find unexpected locations near where you're filming?

A: During the first season...when [the cast] found themselves at the quarry, you assume they went out of town. Well, it just so happens that quarry was 15 minutes from our stages where we were based for the first season, which was in Atlanta. It was a place I knew about from when I was a kid.

Q: The water looks pretty picturesque. Did you used to swim there?

A: My father had a business that dealt with industrial equipment, and I used to work for him in the summers delivering mechanical parts to different customers. That's how I remembered the quarry. I didn't go swimming there. We had a swimming hole closer to my house that we used.

Q: You've been the location manager for several films set in the South: O, Brother Where Art Thou, Sweet Home Alabama... What does that part of the country offer that's unique?

A: The South has a mystique about it. It's sort of a foreign country to a lot of people. [Laughs] They've been shooting films here for a long time, going back to Deliverance back in the early '70s. And a result of that is that they built a very extensive crew base, support, vendors, and all sorts of equipment... But it also has to do with the scripts. I can't tell you how often I get a call where someone says, "Can I shoot Atlanta for L.A.?" and I go, "No." [Laughs]

Q: You could maybe shoot the traffic...

A: Yeah, if you need a tight shot of a bunch of people sitting on the freeway.

Q: As someone who finds ideal locations professionally: Where would you go in the event of a zombie apocalypse?

A: I'm kind of with T-Dog and the rest of them when they say let's go to the coast. I'd rather be down at the beach than in the city or maybe up in the mountains where you could build a fortress. But a prison sounds like as good a place as any. It seems like you could be pretty secure there.

To stay up-to-the-minute on all things walker related, follow @WalkingDead_AMC on Twitter and visit "The Walking Dead" on Facebook. For more be sure to hit up the official "The Walking Dead" page on AMCtv.com.

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Just a few days ago we posted the teaser trailer for Robert Michael Ryan's post-apocalyptic web series Revelations and said that the first episode would be available soon. Well, "soon" is now as Episode 1, "In the Beginning", just popped up online and is ready for viewing. Check it out right here!

The story takes place after the Rapture has occurred and follows a particular two survivors -- Dana, played by Marlene Mc'Cohen (Vampire Boys, Alice in Murderland), and Jeremy, played by Cuyle Carvin (Assault of the Sasquatch, Blood Moon) -- and their attempt to get out of town, find other survivors, and seek some kind of safety - which may or may not exist. Also appearing are Ted Ferguson as the Homeless Man and Damion Stephens as a Demon.

For more info visit the official Revelations website.