HorrorBid Calls to Future Masters of Horror with Contest

Posted on February 27, 2011 by Brian Bohnert

HorrorBid, which appears to be my new favorite website, launched a major contest on Feb. 15 and I am looking to join in on the fun.

With what HorrorBid is calling its “MEGA Horror ‘Slasher’ Video Contest,” the site is working with a horror director to give fans a chance to give life to their evil mascot.

According to HorrorBid, when the site was established four years ago, its creators wanted to create a mascot of their own in the form of a completely original “horror slasher” as opposed to using images of current movie monsters. So, out of that idea came the HorrorBid Slasher.

Until now, the Slasher served no purpose other than as the main focus of the site’s header, as seen above. But when mass production of the Slasher’s signature mask begun, HorrorBid seemed to have the perfect idea. That idea was to give horror fans the ultimate opportunity: To create their own original movie monster in the form of a short movie for the whole world to see.

The rules for the contest are simple:

– Order the mask off of HorrorBid’s shop site called The Prop Shop for $39.99 plus S&H.

– Film a short horror flick using the Slasher’s trademark mask. The video must be between 30 seconds and 5 minutes long and MUST be able to be placed on YouTube.

– Post the video on the specified YouTube page and wait for the contest winners to be decided.

The website makes it clear that all videos must be submitted to YouTube by April 1st. The top three videos will be selected by Brett Simmons, director of Husk, the new feature from After Dark Films that is set for its DVD release on March 29th.

To me, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. It is not just a contest, but a chance at making a completely original horror film (which many famous filmmakers aren’t even doing). I mean, how many horror fans or movie fans in general dream of having a movie of their own being featured for the world to see?

That is what HorrorBid is giving people the chance to do. Fans like myself are getting an opportunity that is eerily similar to the one John Carpenter got when approached with the idea for Halloween in 1977.

We are all being given this blank slate in the form of a mask and it is up to us to take this canvas and plaster our unique vision and style all over it. Personally, I don’t even care about the $250 grand prize. I’d just assume give the money away if I would win. What is making me all excited is the thought of stepping into the role of the director of a new slasher film. Even though this is a contest for fans, I think of it as an opportunity to change the landscape of the horror genre. And that is how I think each and every one of you that is interested should look at the situation as well.

Maybe, just maybe, if enough fans enter into this contest and do something unique and awesome with their films, actual filmmakers will get the hint that horror fans deserve something new and exciting instead of all of the remakes floating around.

It’s a new and fun way to put yourself out there and let your creative ideas be seen, nomatter how terrifying or gory they are.

Who knows when something like this will come along again. There will be many filmmaking contests, but there may never be any more offering this much creative freedom.

So, I urge everyone that is interested to take advantage. I am.

To see for yourself, click this link to go to the HorrorBid article about the contest.

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The Dead will walk again on March 8

Posted on February 25, 2011 by Brian Bohnert

The Dawn of the Dead is almost upon us!

*Pun intended*

On Tuesday, March 8, AMC will be releasing the first season of its new series The Walking Dead on DVD.

The show is based off of a comic/graphic novel of the same name that follows a group of people, led by police officer Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), on a journey through a world that has been infested with the living dead.

Three-time Oscar nominee Frank Darabont created the series. Darabont is known for writing and directing some of the most notable films of this generation. Films like: The Green Mile, The Shawshank Redemption and the 1988 version of The Blob (just to name a few).

This is a very unique show for many reasons. Not only does it provide the necessary blood and gore that goes hand in hand with zombie films, but this is the first of its kind.

There have been vampires and werewolves on  cable network TV before, but never the undead. There was, however, a series on E4 TV called “Dead Set” that was a “Big Brother” themed zombie mini-series; but this is the first full-length television series based on the undead. With that being said, the show is already working on pre-production for season number two and there couldn’t be any better news.

However, before I even think about seeing a second season, I have to see the first.

Personally, I am beyond excited for the DVD release of The Walking Dead because I have always had a soft spot for zombie movies and I am thankful that our generation is finally seeing the true genius that goes along with the genre.

It is because of recent movies like Zombieland and Planet Terror, and video games like Left 4 Dead and Resident Evil (which has also spawned a series of films) that people are becoming more and more obsessed with brain-craving, flesh-eating zombies. And while many can argue that mainstream popularity can kill a genre (like Twilightdid to vampires), it is a necessary evil for success if it is done right.

Without the mainstream exposure to the masses, fans of zombie flicks might never have seen The Walking Dead on their TV screens and the undead would have just remained in the “cult classic” category. And, knowing how popular the show is, we couldn’t have that happening, could we? 

Cult classics are fine, but this is a whole genre we’re talking about. Everything gets its spotlight sometime. It’s inevitable. I for one am glad that the living dead are finally getting the exposure they deserve.

Don’t forget, zombies need love too…

If you haven’t had the pleasure of seeing the show, check out the four and a half minute trailer below to see for yourself.

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New Nightmare, denied?

Posted on February 22, 2011 by Brian Bohnert

One, two, Freddy’s coming for you…

…Well, maybe not.

All the way back on January 29, Horrorbid did a column that discussed the future of two popular franchises in horror: Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street.

Columnist Patrick Farmer only offers mere speculation as far as whether or not the sequel to the 2010 Nightmare remake will ever hit the big screen, but that speculation does come from a Twitter post that Brad Fuller, a producer at Platinum Dunes, wrote about the future of Freddy.

Fuller’s tweet hinted at a bleak future, saying that the studio hasn’t even given a go-ahead to write a script yet; which generally means that it could be a while before Jackie Early Haley dons the colorful, yet crispy sweater again.

And, it has been almost a month since that column was written and I have neither heard nor seen any story regarding an update.

Could this actually be the end of Freddy Krueger?

Not likely.

Just because Platinum Dunes hasn’t started any pre-production procedures doesn’t mean that Uncle Freddy is gone just yet. I mean, the remake just came out in 2010 and it usually takes a couple years to get the ball rolling on something like this. I’m sure that Hollywood would have no problem pushing out a sequel almost right after the reboot, but it wouldn’t be good.

And if the hot shots in “Tinsel Town” have learned anything about the horror remake business, it is that it is not wise to rush a sequel to production just to make a few bucks from a dying franchise (i.e. – Rob Zombie).

*cough* Halloween 2 *Cough*

The point is, it should not be counted out that another film will be in the works soon. In fact, it’s only a matter of time. The franchise is too popular and too marketable to just sit in movie purgatory for years. I think the studio is just waiting for the right time and the right market to bring films like A Nightmare on Elm Street back into theaters.

Like Fuller said later in the column, studios quite possibly do not want “rated r” horror right now. And that’s fine. They’d much rather have more mainstream, “pg-13” thrillers like Red Riding Hood or The Rite. Those films are marketable now. The audience is obviously (but suprisingly) craving that type of horror.

But trust me, the market always changes what’s popular; and sooner rather than later, Freddy Krueger will be up to his dream-raping ways once again.

It is mostly just unfortunate that we have to sit through another Friday the 13th sequel before it can happen.

To read Patrick Farmer’s original column for Horrorbid, click here.

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New “Scream 4” trailer re-invents rules, promotes nostalgia

Posted on February 21, 2011 by Brian Bohnert

Image courtesy of Screenhead

On April 15, legendary horror director Wes Craven will bring us the latest chapter in his popular horror franchise Scream with the new installment creatively titled, Scream 4.

This film is the fourth in the series and once again reunites franchise veterans David Arquette, Courteney Cox Arquette and Neve Campbell. The three are joined by a big name cast of young, up-and-coming talent in Hollywood like Hayden Panettiere, Adam Brody, Emma Roberts and Rory Culkin.

The story for Scream 4 follows original heroine/victim Sydney Prescott (Campbell) as she returns to her hometown of Woodsboro on the anniversary of the first murders to once again come face to face with the nightmares of her past.

While there still are a couple of months or so until the film actually hits theaters, fans like myself have again been treated to yet another trailer that re-invents the rules of horror while taking us all back to where the series started for a little dose of nostalgia.

What makes this trailer better than the first one is the way it ties in to how the series started. Beginning with, “one call started it all,” the vid tells a story of its own; showing how what happened in the first three movies is the reason for what is going to happen in the new one; which, if you paid attention to the original trilogy, is a running theme. The past is never at rest in these films and I’m after seeing the trailer, I know it is not going to change for the new film.

While watching the video, I have keyed in to some possible plot points that could have some serious implications on the film as a whole. After watching it, I began to think about some embedded details and I have come to form a few “educated” thoughts based on what I have learned.

Here is what I got from it:

-It is the anniversary of the first murders in Woodsboro and Sydney Prescott has returned to her hometown (Obvious)

-A new, younger group is being introduced and their own knowledge of the genre is re-establishing the rules for what can happen in a horror movie. Wes Craven is known for this. That is exactly what he did to make the first film so successful: Take a fresh group of young actors, put them in this situation and make stars out of them.

-The new “Randy-like” characters I noted gave me a clue that things are drastically changing and the rules that saved the original three characters could no longer apply (anyone can die at any time)

So, with Scream 5 and Scream 6 already in talks to be made, it seems like the original three could be on their way to the morgue to make room for a new trilogy with new characters and new rules. But that’s just what I’ve put together from the two and a half minutes of footage from the trailer.

What do you think? Who will make it to Scream 5 and who will end up on the cutting room floor?

It may be too early to tell but watch it for yourself and come up with your own conspiracies.

Scream 4 hits theaters nationwide on April 15, 2011.


To visit the movie’s official site, click here

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