Most horror fans know the name Eric Red, writer of The Hitcher and Near Dark and writer/director of Bad Moon and 100 Feet. Now he's published his first novel, Don't Stand So Close, due out on July 1st.

From the Press Release:
Every teenage boy’s wildest fantasy becomes his worst nightmare in this provocative erotic thriller debut novel from one of Hollywood’s masters of suspense. SST Publications has announced the worldwide publication in trade hardcover, trade paperback, and eBook of famed motion picture screenwriter and director Eric Red’s first novel, the dark coming-of-age story about teenagers Don’t Stand So Close.

Publisher Paul Fry says: “From the very first time I read Don’t Stand So Close, I was hooked. It’s excellently written, erotic, exciting, and compelling. The book draws you in and doesn’t let you go until the very end. Eric Red’s writing is very descriptive and atmospheric, and once the book has you in its grip, it’s very hard to let go.”

Synopsis:
When handsome 17-year-old Matt Poe moves to a rural town in Iowa, he is the new kid in school. An outsider who can’t fit in, his only friend is his beautiful and sympathetic teacher, Linda Hayden. The older woman is the first to take an interest in him, helping him adjust to the community and keep his grades up. Matt can’t help falling hard for Linda, and what begins with a kiss becomes a torrid, secret affair. But his teacher is a lot more than he bargained for, and the kid’s wildest dream becomes his worst nightmare. The only people who can save Matt are his two classmates Grace McCormack and Rusty Shaw. But the three of them are in way over their heads against an evil adult trying to make sure they stay after class permanently.

Bigpoint's Universal Monsters Online is a fast-paced, MOBA game that will bring all your favorite monsters to life into one competitive experience. Excited yet? You should be! Read on for all the details that are likely to make a lot of monster-kid dreams come true!

In this free-to-play browser based title, players will take on the role as legendary characters like Dracula, Frankenstein, and The Wolf Man to raise hell in the online arena against other monsters of the world!

From the Press Release
Bigpoint today released new information about its anticipated free-to-play (F2P) browser-based title, Universal Monsters Online. The game, which Bigpoint is developing in collaboration with Universal Partnerships & Licensing, will enable players to experience Universal’s iconic cast of classic monsters in a highly-competitive Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) setting.

Taking on the persona of Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, and The Creature from the Black Lagoon – among many other notable monsters from Universal’s rich history – players compete with and against each other in a blend of combat and strategic game play.
Like all Bigpoint titles, Universal Monsters Online will be F2P. In-game currency can be used to purchase items such as new characters (after a free-trial period), unique character skins, and special abilities.

About the Universal Monsters
Starting more than 80 years ago, Universal Pictures created some of the most iconic characters in cinematic history. These monsters introduced visions of terror that created indelible impressions, and their legacy continues to haunt our collective nightmares. Beginning in 1923 with The Hunchback of Notre Dame and continuing with the horror classics The Phantom of The Opera, Dracula, Frankenstein, The Invisible Man, The Mummy, The Bride of Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, The Creature from the Black Lagoon and Van Helsing, the Universal Studios Monsters have stood the test of time, appealing to countless generations and living on in popular culture today.

To learn more visit the official Universal Monsters Online website.

The search for the actress to assume the role of Lily Munster on NBC's upcoming redux of the classic television series "The Munsters", entitled "Mockingbird Lane", has come to an end with a blonde that will no doubt be going dark. Hopefully really dark.

According to Deadline, Portia de Rossi, known for her platinum blonde locks, is taking on one of TV’s best known brunettes — Lily Munster. "The Arrested Development" and "Better Off Ted" alumna is set to play the female lead opposite Jerry O'Connell.

Mariana Klaveno had previously been cast as Lily Munster, but the deal was contingent on her being released from ABC’s pilot "Devious Maids", where she was a regular. However, "Devious Maids" producer ABC Studios did not release Klaveno or agree to make her a recurring on the project, which is in consideration for a series pickup at Lifetime, sending NBC back to the drawing board.

Written by Bryan Fuller and to be directed by Bryan Singer, "Mockingbird Lane" is described as a reinvention of the 1960s sitcom about "The Munsters", a family of “monsters” — vampires, werewolves and Frankenstein — and their “plain” cousin (Charity Wakefield) that will feature striking visuals in the vein of Fuller’s ABC dramedy "Pushing Daisies". Jerry O’Connell plays family patriarch Herman Munster, who is married to Lily (Portia de Rossi), a vampire, with whom he has fathered a 10-year-old boy, Eddie (Mason Cook). Eddie Izzard plays Grandpa in the reboot.

Bonus: Check out Charity Wakefield on set as Marilyn below courtesy of Bryan Fuller on Twitter. More soon.

A hero is only as good as his villain, and hopefully the new RoboCop will be taking on a force so nefarious that he'll have no choice but to paint the screen red. Or then again it'll probably be rated PG-13 in which case we'll be lucky to get one usage of the F word.

Either way THR is reporting that Hugh Laurie is in negotiations to play the villain in RoboCop, MGM and Sony’s remake of the classic 1987 sci-fi action movie. If cast Laurie will play the evil and ultra-rich CEO of Omnicorp, the company that makes RoboCop.

The flick sees sees Joel Kinnaman ("The Killing") as the title hero, a cop named Alex Murphy who is brought back from the brink of death and turned into a cyborg police officer. Gary Oldman has already been cast as his scientist-creator. Samuel L. Jackson will play Pat Novak, a charismatic media mogul and a powerful force in the RoboCop world.

Currently the film has a tentative release date of August 9th, 2013.

The road to get the big screen adaptation of the Max Brooks novel, World War Z, into theatres has been as bumpy as we have ever seen. Prop seizures. Reshoots. Rewrites. You name it, this production has suffered through it. Insiders close to the flick have already started dishing dirt.

The Hollywood Reporter recently ran an article with said insiders in which they fill in some of the blanks of exactly what happened that sent this project flying off of the rails.

As Per THR:

“A nightmare from top to bottom,” describes one source with ties to the production, which appears to have been hampered from the outset by a lack of clear creative direction. Pitt hired the director of his choosing, Marc Forster (The Kite Runner, Finding Neverland), but Forster -- who has limited experience on effects-heavy tentpoles -- was not allowed to bring along his usual team. Instead, several more seasoned players were hired. The result, say multiple sources, is a seemingly headless enterprise driven by conflicts. At this point, the movie, with a price tag now said to be north of $170 million, needs as many as five weeks of complex reshoots, which are not expected to get underway until at least September. Paramount has taken the unusual step of hiring Prometheus scriptwriter Damon Lindelof to rework the film’s third act. The studio announced in March that it was moving the film to June 2013 from December.

Trouble emerged early: Three weeks before shooting was to begin in June 2011, sources say Forster had not made critical decisions about what the zombies would look like and how they would move. “They just couldn’t get it right,” one insider says. “There was a lot of spinning of plates, a lot of talking. [But] they did not have a plan.” Meanwhile, seasoned below-the-line talents were hired, then replaced, including line producer Colin Wilson (Avatar) and Oscar-winning effects man John Nelson (Gladiator). Cinematographer Robert Richardson, who has three Oscars, is said to have asked to leave the production on more than one occasion. (None would comment for this report.)

World War Z is one of several recent projects that underscore the risks associated with big effects films, especially when untested directors are involved. Disney saw first-time live-action director Andrew Stanton’s John Carter bomb in March, and Universal is facing serious problems with the $175 million to $200 million Keanu Reeves samurai film 47 Ronin, which it pushed into 2013 after first-timer Carl Rinsch presided over a chaotic shoot. Industry veterans say World War Z is another example of a film that was greenlighted and sent into production with a concept and script that were not fully baked. And they cite this situation as one of many in which studios set release dates and then push to finish in the timeframe allotted, leaving insufficient prep time.

In Paramount’s case, World War Z is the third film -- along with Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters and G.I. Joe: Retaliation -- to be shoved out of 2012, leaving the studio with just a trickle of movies for this year. Sources involved with the project believe it was assured a greenlight because of the longstanding relationship between Pitt and Paramount chief Brad Grey, who once managed the star and was a partner in Pitt’s Plan B production company. (When Grey took the job at Paramount in 2005, Plan B promptly moved there from Warner Bros.)

Paramount insulated itself on World War Z to some degree by taking on partners, including producer Graham King and Silicon Valley scion David Ellison’s Skydance Productions. Sources say both made efforts, to little effect, to intervene as the movie got into trouble.

Several sources question Pitt’s choice of Forster to direct. The only film on Forster’s résumé in the action vein is the 2008 James Bond movie Quantum of Solace, which disappointed creatively compared to its immediate predecessor, Casino Royale. Sources with ties to World War Z say the hope was that Forster could focus on character and story while a strong crew could guide him on action and effects. Among those brought on was Simon Crane, the second-unit director who helped to salvage Pitt’s 2005 film Mr. & Mrs. Smith. But even Forster’s detractors say the attempt to bolster him created its own problems.

“The director was not empowered,” says one insider. “There was nobody that steered the ship. … When you get [a director] who can’t do it all … you get a struggle as to whose is the singular voice.”

There were other problems. As the movie was being prepped last spring, Pitt and his producing partner, Dede Gardner, were busy with Killing Them Softly, a small film that played Cannes in May. Then Pitt was unavailable because he was spending time with his family. By the time Gardner began to focus on the project a few weeks before shooting, a source says, “the disaster was already well in the making.” (Gardner, Pitt and Forster did not respond to requests for comment.)

It was unclear to several people working on the film whether Paramount was fully aware of the mounting issues, including the insufficient time allotted for the shoot. While Crane is said to have wanted 60 days or more for second-unit work, for example, the schedule called for about a third of that. Some insiders expected that Pitt could use his influence with Grey to get more time and money, but sources say the studio provided neither. Instead, it replaced key crew members such as line producer Wilson. (Ian Bryce, whose credits include Transformers, took his place. Wilson did not respond to a request for comment.)

As the production wended its way through locations in London, Glasgow, Malta and Budapest, there was still more trouble. By several accounts, cinematographer Richardson struggled to impose order, antagonizing other crewmembers in the process. A colleague says Richardson is highly gifted but doesn’t respond well to weakness at the top. “If you waffle at all, you get slammed,” he says.

Then in October, proceedings were disrupted when a Hungarian anti-terrorism unit raided an airport warehouse and confiscated 85 fully functional automatic assault rifles that were to be used on the shoot. (The guns were not supposed to be operational, and it is illegal to transport such weapons into the country.) With the movie already behind schedule and over budget, Pitt was said to be livid at the mistake — and perhaps wearying of a project that was showing no sign of ending.

While such significant problems do not ordinarily augur well, it is possible to pull troubled movies back from the brink. (The Bourne Identity is one vivid example.) “The footage from this film looks fantastic, but we all agreed it can have a better ending,” Paramount film group president Adam Goodman tells The Hollywood Reporter. “Getting the ending correct is essential, and we are in that creative process. World War Z is a giant summer movie and we are confident it will be a global hit when it’s released June 2013.”

Another source associated with World War Z says he believes the movie can be saved. “It’s a great first 45 minutes, maybe even an hour,” he says.

And in that January interview, Pitt seemed sure the movie would find at least some enthusiastic fans. “I know my boys are going to like it,” he said. He seemed less sanguine, however, about the prospects for a trilogy.

Keep it here for more as it comes.

Big Damn Films, Inc. of Baltimore is announcing a new zombie feature film project that is centered around cosplay and conventions…sounds like a hoot. And the coolest part of this project, entitled, Z*Con, is all the net proceeds go to charity. Righteous.

Michael C. Dougherty, writer and director of Z*Con, announced that just like his last film, Browncoats: Redemption, one hundred percent of the net proceeds of Z*Con will go to charity. The charities are Kids Need to Read, the Red Cross, and one charity being picked by the community at the official Z*Con website. The charities receive mentions/promotion for the life of the film and an equal portion of the net proceeds.

The film is scheduled for a late 2013 release. For more visit, "like" Z*Con on Facebook and follow Z*Con on Twitter (@zconmovie).

Synopsis
Z*Con is about 14-year old Matt Moore, and his three friends, who attend a local comic convention to get interviews for their podcast, but end up stuck in the middle of a Zombie Outbreak at the con. One convention, four teens, thousands of zombies...what could go wrong?

Previously, we gave you the first word on a horror/comedy short in production where, in true Michael Douglas Falling Down fashion, a man lashes out at one of the most annoying groups of people on Earth…jaded hipsters. Come in and check out the empowering short Hipster Holocaust!

The film stars Sean Wing as the man who's been pushed too far. Hipster Holocaust was written by Ian Shorr (Splinter) and Jonathan Danforth-Appell (Jon D.A.) who also directed the short.

Check out the film in its entirety below and if you dig it and want to be part of the Hipster Holocaust community, visit the official Hipster Holocaust website, "like" Hipster Holocaust on Facebook and follow Hipster Holocaust on Twitter (@sceneisdead).

Formerly entitled Night Terrors with segments featured right here on Dread Central, the anthology film In the Dark has announced a beautiful addition to the cast of the next installment of their film, Playboy Mansion House Bunny Gwendolyn Sweet. Yowza!

The next installment of In the Dark will be entitled To Be Loved and it was written by Chris St. Croix who will also direct. For more visit the official In the Dark website and like In the Dark on Facebook.

Check out a previous installment of In the Dark, the horrific 25 minute nightmare, Dummy.

From the Press Release
The upcoming horror anthology feature In the Dark is proud to announce the addition of Gwendolyn Sweet to the cast of the film’s next installment To Be Loved. This is a twisted tale of love and sex gone wrong where writer/director Chris St.Croix promises, "Gwen is an incredible combination of sexy and sweet which is perfect for her character and she is fearless on camera. Trust me, if you like her pictures, you’ll get to see a whole lot more of her in the film." In addition to her magazine covers and photo spreads, Gwen has recently been asked by Playboy to act as a House Bunny at the Mansion as well as shoot with the world famous magazine this month. Gwen says, "The character is sweet and innocent. But there is one pretty wild scene where she gets to fantasize about her darker, erotic side and that’s definitely something I can’t wait for everyone to see. Let’s just say I’m not shy."

Rock band, Viza, released their latest album Carnivalia late last year. Now we get a video for the title track of the album featuring legendary horror actor Angus Scrimm. Come on in and get a look at the Phantasm icon in action!

Not only does the Carnivalia video feature Scrimm, it also has Tiny Lister (star of Friday, The Dark Knight, Fifth Element and also known as Zeus: The Human Wrecking Maching!...you old school wrestling fans know what we're talking about) and Sean Rose who starred in the All-American Rejects Kids in the Street video. Shant Hamassian wrote, directed and edited the video. And the best news of all is the song kicks ass.

Do yourself a favor… scroll down and check out this vid. It's got tons of cool practical make-up F/X as well. A good time had by all for sure!

The first official clip from the wonderfully R rated new flick Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is here, and it's pretty damned action packed. Check it out along with the first two installments of a brand new motion comic now!

The Tim Burton-produced, Timur Bekmambetov-directed horror adventure Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter stars Benjamin Walker, Anthony Mackie, Rufus Sewell, Dominic Cooper, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jimmi Simpson, Alan Tudyk, and Robin McLeavy. Look for it in theatres on June 22, 2012.

Head on over to the official Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter website to check out the motion comics.

Synopsis
The film explores the secret life of our greatest president, and the untold history that shaped our nation. As a young boy, Abraham Lincoln witnesses the shocking death of his mother, leading him on a path to an ongoing war - and ultimately to the presidency - he chronicles in a hidden diary. The journal reveals the incredible story of a clandestine warrior who never stopped fighting for the country he led and the people he loved.

Zombies, man. They're everywhere, exterminating the human race bite by bite. It's only a matter of time before the dead outnumber the living, and judging by how badly we've already screwed up this planet, maybe they deserve a shot.

Starring horror icons Bill Moseley (The Devil’s Rejects, House of 1000 Corpses), Dee Wallace (E.T., Cujo), Stephen McHattie (Pontypool, Watchmen, 300), and new horror hero Mark Gibson, John Geddes’ post-apocalyptic Exit Humanity is a zombie saga that tells the tale of the ultimate battle of good vs. evil. Brian Cox provides narration.

Look for The Collective and Bloody Disgusting Selects' latest acquisition, Exit Humanity in stores and on VOD platforms June 19th. Dig it!

Synopsis
How does a man deal with the loss of everything meaningful in his life and the loss of mankind’s humanity amongst chaos and despair? Set in 1870’s Tennessee, Exit Humanity is the legend of Edward Young’s horrific and dramatic journey through an unexplainable outbreak of the walking dead to lay to rest the most important thing in his life, his son’s ashes. The bleak post-Civil War era backdrop highlights the severe divide that the United States was facing and the true loss of hope that so many felt during this period in history.

After recently announcing that Michael Berryman and Jonathan Silverman will be starring in his next film, Self Storage, producer Chad A. Verdi of Woodhaven Productions now adds Academy Award nominated actor Eric Roberts to the project.

Verdi stated, "This film is going to be something very special. It started with a great script, and now, with this cast, the sky is the limit." Filming begins in July in East Greenwich, Rhode Island, for a planned March 2013 release.

For more on Self Storage, plus info on Verdi's previous films, the Robert Englund vehicle Inkubus, and the upcoming zombie film Infected (starring William Forsythe and Michael Madsen, October 2012 release date), visit the official Woodhaven Films website.

From the Press Release
The Woodhaven Production Company is pleased to announce the signing of Oscar nominated actor Eric Roberts (The Dark Night, The Expendables) to the cast of Self Storage. The film tells the story of Jake, the night watchman working at a highly-secured self storage facility. His pals are home from college and looking to party. Jake, being played by Tom DeNucci (Inkubus, Loosies, Infected), decides to invite them to work and throw a fiesta of his own. Innocent mischief turns a naughty night of sex, drugs and rock & roll into an evening of pure terror. Barbed wire fences are meant to keep people OUT. But these fences keep people in.

Eric Roberts is set to play the role of Walter, a former black operative with an evil secret. Walter, along with his faithful brother-at-arms Trevor (Michael Berryman), has some unfinished business with a seedy underworld grifter, Jonah, played by Jonathan Silverman. Black market business mixes with pleasure when Jake and his pals stumble upon this heinous covert operation.

Self Storage is being produced by Verdi, Gino Pereira and Tom DeNucci, with DeNucci directing and Michelle Verdi handling the music supervision. Woodhaven has added ex-producers Danielle Corsa, David and Sherry Lussier, David Gere and Carl Dupre to the project. Verdi stated, "We're excited to be bringing back special effects wiz Rob Fitz, who's worked with us in the past on Inkubus and Infected along with the addition of Nick Delmenico as our line producer.

The Secret World will launch its Beta Weekend starting June 15th to allow you to explore tons of new content. Join the horror today in the MMORPG The Secret World, which is overrun by dark creatures and where nightmares have become reality!

From the Press Release
Funcom is thrilled to invite thousands of gamers from all over the world into the bowels of hell itself, in the third Beta Weekend for the company’s highly anticipated modern-day massively multiplayer online game ‘The Secret World’. Starting on June 15th at 9am PDT and ending on June 17th at 11.59pm PDT, gamers will be able to explore a wealth of new content that was not available in the two previous Beta Weekends, including the Dragon and Illuminati starter experiences.

Whereas players in previous Beta Weekends got to sample only the Templar starter experience and the troubled town of Kingsmouth, this weekend the game will be opened up to include the massive region known as The Savage Coast, as well as two epic dungeons: The Polaris and Hell Rising. This represents only a fraction of the content available at launch, but still spans over dozens upon dozens of hours of pure gameplay. The best way to gain access to the Beta Weekend is to pre-order ‘The Secret World’. This grants access to all Beta Weekends leading up to launch. Funcom is also teaming up with major partners all over the world this week, including world-leading hardware manufacturer NVIDIA, to conduct a massive giveaway of keys that will enable play for this weekend only.

The company can also share today that ‘The Secret World’ has now gone GOLD, and that production of physical units have started and that these will soon be rolled out to retail in preparation of launch on July 3rd for PC and Xbox 360. For those who have pre-ordered, Early Access will commence on June 29th as planned.

For more information visit the official The Secret World website.

Alien Fear will place players in an explosive environment where they will fight off hordes of aliens in true arcade style! Alien Fear will release this fall for Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network.

From the Press Release
Following up on a great E3, City Interactive released the first screenshots of its upcoming XBLA/PSN shooter Alien Fear. These screenshots showcase the beauty and power of the Unreal Engine 3-powered title and reveal some intriguing hints about the arcade action coming soon to Xboxes and PlayStations everywhere.

Alien Fear puts the player in the role of a highly trained elite commando on a mission of sabotage. Featuring non-stop, visceral run-and-gun action in an explosive environment with meaningful co-operative gameplay and using proven Unreal 3 technology, Alien Fear sets a new standard for digitally distributed XBLA and PSN titles.

Scheduled for release Fall 2012, Alien Fear delivers beautiful, arcade-style aggression against relentless alien hordes.

To learn more visit the official Alien Fear website.

It has finally happened: The Sims have gone dark side in this latest expansion! The Sims 3: Supernatural will allow you to recreate your very own season of "True Blood" or "The Walking Dead" with vampires, witches, zombies, and even fairies!

From the Press Release
Embrace a supernatural life in a new world full of magic, mystery, and mischief with The Sims 3: Supernatural! Enter the mysterious town of Moonlight Falls, where strange things happen by the light of the moon. Create supernatural beings from menacing werewolves and cackling witches to mischievous fairies and more intriguing vampires. Then stalk the night, use your wand to cast spells, just stay home and claw the furniture, and more.

You can mix dozens of elixirs with a variety of effects, including turning Sims into zombies or transforming them into gold. Share your enchanted brews with any friends who have The Sims 3. Spooky surprises are in store for you in the world of The Sims 3: Supernatural!

Those who pre-order The Sims 3: Supernatural will receive a special Limited Edition version, which features the exclusive Plants vs. Zombies content pack. Dress your Sim in a classic zombie outfit for a night of mischief and mayhem, or add a unique plant to your garden to keep out unwanted guests.

Key Features

The Sims 3: Supernatural will be available for PC and Mac in September 2012.

You can visit the official Sims 3 website to learn more about the game and expansions.

The official one-sheet for the latest flick that's home to some giant monster goodness, Branded, is here; and it's packing some big-ass creature punch along with a gaggle of QR codes that lead to all sorts of madness. Dig it!

As mentioned, the poster includes 4 unique QR codes with additional codes embedded in the film’s website, social pages, trailer and other materials. QR codes enable consumers with a smart phone and a reader app to scan a code in the Branded trailer or other marketing materials which will reward them by offering a deeper glimpse into the film's alternative universe of out-of-control brands, consumer gluttony and insatiable materialism through exclusive image and video content. Overall the Branded marketing campaign will include 100 QR codes in all. Unlock them all!

Ed Stoppard, Leelee Sobieski, Jeffrey Tambor, Ingeborga Dabkunaite and Max Von Sydow star. Check out the goods, which have a very distinct They Live kind of flavor to them. Look for more on this flick, which was co-written, produced and directed by marketing executives Jamie Bradshaw and Alexander Doulerain, very soon!

Look for Branded in theatres in September of 2012.

Synopsis
BRANDED is a dark and mind-bending journey into a surreal, dystopian society where corporate brands have unleashed a monstrous global conspiracy to get inside our minds and keep the population disillusioned, dependent and passive. One man, Misha's (Ed Stoppard), passion to unlock the truth behind the conspiracy will lead to an epic battle with the hidden forces that really control our world.

In the latest episode of Happywax's Horror Vault, we get an in-depth look into the zombie mode in Call of Duty: Black Ops II. The undead will rise in Call of Duty: Black Ops II when it releases on November 12 for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

From the Press Release
Call of Duty: Black Ops II delivers the most groundbreaking and visceral Call of Duty experience ever. Set in the year 2025, Call of Duty: Black Ops II propels players into global conflict featuring advanced weaponry, robotics, and drone warfare in a new Cold War scenario whose seeds are being sown in today's headlines. New graphics technology drives the stunning cinematic action of the single-player campaign's branching storylines and non-linear missions.

On November 13th award-winning developer Treyarch and Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI), will deploy the sequel to the universally acclaimed Call of Duty: Black Ops, which following its launch in 2010 set the record for the biggest entertainment launch in history.

Visit the official Call of Duty: Black Ops website to learn more.

Since being abandoned on a rooftop in Season 1, Merle Dixon has been the source of fervent fan speculation. (Where is he? Is he alive?) Today AMC confirms that Merle (Michael Rooker) will return in "The Walking Dead" Season 3.

Don't forget about AMC's upcoming marathon and preview. Details follow...

Per the AMC Website
AMC announced "The Walking Dead" Season 3 Preview Weekend on Sat., Jul. 7 and Sun., Jul. 8 beginning at 11:30AM/10:30c each day. Airing just one week before Comic-Con, the two-day programming event will feature a marathon of all 19 episodes from the series' critically acclaimed first two seasons, culminating with a Talking Dead live primetime special on Sun., Jul. 8 at 9/8c. The one-time-only airing of Talking Dead, hosted by Chris Hardwick (Nerdist), will be followed by a never-before-seen black and white version of The Walking Dead pilot episode at 10/9c. The special version of the series' first episode was created specifically for fans of The Walking Dead, as it holds true to the original black and white comic book, written by Robert Kirkman.

Throughout The Walking Dead Marathon, Hardwick will introduce each episode from the set of Season 3 in Atlanta, giving viewers a glimpse of the new sets. Along with several cast members and producers, he will set up the storyline from each episode and discuss the classic moments and unique characters featured. In addition, every episode with be wrapped with exclusive character and scene-specific content from the first two seasons, including behind-the-scenes footage and sit-down interviews with the cast.

In the hour-long Talking Dead event, shot live in Los Angeles, Hardwick will give fans a first look at The Walking Dead Season 3, including a scene from the new season, and brand new video interviews with the cast, a tour of the new set and a sneak peek at the props and wardrobes featured in Season 3. Hardwick will also sit down with in-studio guests including the show's executive producers and other celebrity fans. Viewers will get information on the show's presence at this year's Comic-Con, including a look at the construction of The Walking Dead booth, updates on AMC's The Walking Dead Social Game, and other show-related news and topics.

At one point during the live show, Hardwick will also provide a special code to viewers, which they can use to enter The Walking Dead Watch to Win Sweepstakes. The winner will receive a trip to Atlanta and a "stagger on" role as a zombie on the hit show.

The on-air event will be complemented by activities online at amctv.com, where fans can find more exclusive behind-the-scenes videos and participate in Fan Favorite polls, which cover such topics as Fan Favorite Weapon, Fan Favorite Walker, Fan Favorite Walker Kill and Fan Favorite Survivor. The Poll winners will be announced by Hardwick during the Talking Dead live event Sunday night.

The Walking Dead reigns as the most watched drama series on basic cable for Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54. The series has garnered an Emmy® Award for Outstanding Prosthetic Make-up and a Golden Globe® Award nomination for Best Television Series - Drama, among other accolades. Critics have heralded the series as "the most suspenseful show on any network" (Boston Herald) and "the greatest thriller ever produced for television" (Entertainment Weekly). The series tells the story of the months and years that follow after a zombie apocalypse. It follows a group of survivors, led by police officer Rick Grimes, who travel in search of a safe and secure home.

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If you're both a horror fan and guitar player, take note: Just in time for Halloween, ESP Guitars is coming out with a limited edition LTD "Bela Lugosi's Tales from the Grave" guitar, which comes with a limited edition killer coffin case as well. There will be only 325 of these made worldwide.

The guitar will be featured at the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con this July and will be heavily publicized by ESP in Premier Guitar magazine's October issue.

The Lugosi guitar will be signed by both Bela Lugosi, Jr., and the artwork designer Kerry Gammill, publisher of Monsterverse Entertainment. The release date is set for October, just in time for Lugosi and rock monsters to celebrate Halloween. For more info visit ESP Guitars and the official Monsterverse website.

In addition, Monsterverse will have a table at the SDCC (M-11 Small Press Section) and will present a special Monsterverse panel on Thursday, July 12th, from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm in Room 8. A rare prize will be awarded of a Lugosi comic signed by make-up artist Rick Baker. Monsterverse will also have a presence at the Trickster salon during the convention.

To celebrate the 18th June UK DVD release of The Squad by Momentum Pictures, we are offering one winner the chance to win a limited edition, exclusively designed quad poster and a copy of The Squad on DVD. One runner-up will also win a copy of the DVD.

Bloody horror and nail-biting tension combine in this chillingly atmospheric story of a group of elite soldiers sent to a remote bunker to investigate the circumstances surrounding a mysterious communications breakdown with a fellow unit. With excellent direction from first-time director Jaime Osorio Marquez, The Squad's part psychological thriller and part full-blown horror genre will send faint-hearted viewers running screaming to the hills.

The Squad is available to download and on DVD from 18th June 2012.

To be in with a chance of winning, just send us an E-MAIL HERE including your FULL NAME AND POSTAL ADDRESS. We’ll take care of the rest.

Please note that this competition is open only to UK readers.