Excerpt:
JULIAN GUTHRIE: What did this teach you about filmmaking? It sounds like it was a reaffirming experience.
H.P. MENDOZA: What I've learned from this whole process, from conception to distribution, is no matter how far the technology goes, no matter how inflated and hemorrhaging the budgets have become, in the end, people just want a good story.
Read the whole article, HERE.
H.P.
13 Horror Flicks to Watch on SF Screens /
by Jackson Scarlett
They say you can't judge a book by it's cover. That may be true, but a great horror movie always has to have a great poster. Check out some of these wild posters from our list of 13 horror gems playing around SF this Halloween season:
Oct 22
They Live with Prince of Darkness
Local genre-heavy film bloggers Filmbalaya present Not for the Faint of Heart Movie Night, offering a double feature of horror powerhouse John Carpenter, showing his classic aliens-among-us grime fest,They Live, back to back with an earlier entry, Prince of Darkness...and they've both for free. Earwurm Studios.
Oct 23
Alien - Halloween season official kicks off with the first, and scariest, of the Ridley Scott's Alien series. Horror heads might dispute the continuing fear factor of the series, but this one is the mother of all space-fright flicks. Plays with Halloween director John Carpenter's student film Dark Star, which is too campy to be scary, but definitely worth a viewing. Castro.
Oct 24
Poor Devil - This rare Sammy Davis Jr. pilot also stars horror mainstay Christopher Lee (The Wicker Man) and the original Batman, Adam West. Rumor has it that Davis Jr. buddied up to Anton LaVey for sometime around its creation. It also features some great local color, with outdoor scenes filmed right here in SF during the mid 70s. Vortex Room.
Oct 27
Phantom of Paradise - Brian DePalma's rock sendup of the original musical was made around the same time as his ingenious Blow Up, and shares alot of the same grim and grimy atmosphere, only it's totally hilarous. Catch him if you can! The Tannery, Berkeley.
Oct 29
Anti Christ - Plays in the second edition Not For the Faint of Heart Movie Night hosted by Filmbalaya.Antichrist, for those who haven't seen it, is Lars Von Trier's most painful film, which, I think, says a lot. Peep the poster for a hint of the action. Ew. Earwurm Studios.
I Am A Ghost - Castro - Local director H.P. Mendoza (Colma) dipped a foot into the horror pool last year with this tale of a troubled spirit, haunting the house where she died. More clever and cerebral than your typical ghost story, this one has chills, but may resonate more for fans of "In Treatment" with a taste for the paranormal. Castro.
A Serbian Film - Also part of NFFoHMN, Serbian Film is the n+ ultra of gross-out flicks. Don't take your parents, don't take your date, don't take your friends. Hell, you probably should even go. You have been warned. Earwurm Studios.
Oct 30
An American Werewolf in London w/ The Howling This international werewolf double feature boasts some bold shocks, satisfying gore and some of the best original special effects to ever hit the screen, including a werewolf transformation that still hasn't really been topped. Stay for both! Castro. Oct 31
Halloween III: Season of the Witch
One of the lesser entries into the series, but the lead-in is priceless: "A large Halloween mask-making company has plans to kill millions of American children with something sinister hidden in Halloween masks." Great costume ideas abound. Vortex Room.
Rocky Horror Picture Show - The special all-hallows-eve showing of the cult classic boasts a number of special guests and performances. The Clay.
Nov 1 (It's not over yet!)
The Visitor
This long-forgotten sci-fi/horror hybrid, finally being released in it's original glory by Drafthouse Films, allegedly "fuses elements of The Omen, Close Encounters Of The Third Kind, The Birds, Rosemary's Baby, The Fury and even Star Wars creating the most ambitious of all '70s psychedelic mindwarps." (link) That sounds like an awful lot to handle at once.. but if the awesome poster is to be believed they just might have pulled it off. Roxie.
The Fly/Dead Ringers
There's less gore and more dread in store for viewers of this Cronenberg double bill, but there's plenty of the director's signature body horror and you get to see a young Jeff Goldblum naked, which I've been told is actually a selling point for some people. Castro.
Jackson Scarlett
I Am a Ghost officially OPENS! /
With the film festival run coming to an end, it's time to finally release the film! Before it hits home video in a few months, we're going to be screening in a few cities, including the beautiful Castro Theatre in San Francisco!
UPCOMING SCREENINGS
October 29, 2013 - The Castro Theatre, San Francisco - BUY TICKETS
October 26, 2013 - La Samain Du Cinema Fantastique, France - BUY TICKETS
November TBA, 2013 - Gijon International Film Festival, Spain - BUY TICKETS
REMEMBER! If you saw the film and loved it, be sure to rate it on our page on IMDb!
More about our distribution soon, but please buy tickets now before they sell out!
H.P.
Cinema Chords (another Top 10 List!) /
(excerpted from the full article by Howard Gorman, posted HERE)
As an avid fan of the horror genre rather than feeding you with a list of the typical blockbuster horror fare that you are already aware of I am all for sifting through as many independent pieces of work as possible. As a result I have come up with ten indie/low-budget horror films that you should certainly check out if you haven't already done so. Obviously different films bring different opinions but here follows a list of those I enjoyed and think deserve championing. If you have seen any recent indie horror movies that you think are worthy of a mention please add them in the comments section below so we can all check out your recommendations too.
I AM A GHOST
Winner of Bram Stoker International Film Festival UK 2012 Best Picture, H.P. Mendoza's I Am A Ghost is a joy to watch with an altogether unique premise: a young woman, Emily, finds herself trapped in a repeating cycle in her Victorian home as she performs her daily chores. Granted that might sound extremely humdrum but, as you will have imagined by the title, she has to learn to come to terms with the fact that she is indeed a ghost.
The plot thickens as Emily is contacted by a medium trying to exorcise her from the house. Unfortunately for both parties, the house plays host to a number of dark secrets that could mean the end for both of them.
While the key to the success of the film is the fact it is so heavily driven by its characters performances, particularly that of Anna Ishida playing Emily, the film boasts some of the most terrifying moments put to film, something I in no way expected given the minimalist filmmaking devices at play.
Although I Am A Ghost's experimental, unmethodical approach may disuade many horror fans from giving this the time of day, I recommend riding this out to the very end, particularly if you have a penchant for horror that succeeds in making the viewer feel particularly uneasy.
I Am a Ghost is accompanied on the list by the following:
Splinter
Some Guy Who Kills People
Tucker & Dale vs. Evil
The Tunnel
The Pact
Exit Humanity
Resolution
found.
Thanatomorphose
(re-posted by H.P.)
Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival /
Keywon Chung took a video of the audience at the second screening of I Am a Ghost at PiFan, interviewing the subtitler about the film.
I remember being floored and terrified that I could check to see the audience score for any given film that screens at PiFan. When the first screening happened, there was an audience score of 4 out of 5 stars which made me feel really good. And relieved. By the time the final screening happened, the average score was 4.41 out of 5 and we're really happy with that. Thank you Danny Rhee and Sinae Kim!
We have a few more festivals to go before we enter the distribution phase. I'm getting assets ready (soundtracks, posters, books, special features, etc.) and soon I'll be posting about the release of I Am a Ghost!
H.P.
BEST FILM, Audience Award in Madrid! /
H.P. Mendoza and Anna Ishida receiving the award for BEST FILM, Audience Award at Nocturna: Madrid International Fantastic Film Festival.
Now on the third and final leg of the festival circuit, I Am a Ghost wins another Best Film award! This time at NOCTURNA, the Madrid International Fantastic Film Festival!
I was flying in from the Philippines and Anna was flying in from France, so we were both a bit jet-wacky when we met in Madrid, but the festival staff was amazing and our fellow filmmakers were very warm and supportive. With a glass of wine (or two), Anna and I melted into Madrid pretty easily.
The response in Madrid was astounding, from the audience to the press. Here are some blurbs:
"The most important independent film of the year!"
- Luis M. Rosales, Nocturna: MIFFF
"FABULOUS! One of the best of 2013!"
- Raul Arianes, La Consulta Del Doctor Loomis
"Without a doubt a masterpiece of independent cinema!"
- Nico Afonso, Cine3
"SUBLIME. A film of overwhelming elegance and subtlety."
- Uzumaki, Me Siento Tenebre
"LYNCHIAN! A very stimulating work, which has something that few [films] can boast: personality."
- Manuel Barrero Iglesias, Tierra Filme
"SUPERB. One of the few horror movies that really instills fear."
- La Cara De Milos
And before the screening, we were asked to say a few words. I got nervous and said "Lo siento. Mi espanol es muy malo. Perdon." And I swung Anna around to take a phone selfie with the audience. And lots of people in the audience pulled their phones out to take pictures, too! Here's that pic.
Thank you Luis M. Rosales and everyone at Nocturna: Madrid International Fantastic Film Festival for a wonderful time. Hopefully, we'll see you again when we submit another horror film...that may or may not have been shot in Madrid. :)
Next up, Korea, France and back to Spain, again!
H.P.
Top Ten Lists! /
We are so proud to be able to start the new year with a bunch of BEST OF/TOP FILM lists! With distribution just on the horizon (with a brand spanking new cut with a Dolby Digital soundtrack!), 2013 is looking very bright, indeed! Happy new year, everyone!
TOP 10 FILMS OF 2012 - National Film Society
BEST OF 2012 PERFORMERS - Asia Pacific Arts
BEST FILMS OF 2012 - Asia Pacific Arts
BEST OF 2012 - The Conduit Speaks
BEST DIRECTORS OF 2012 - The Conduit Speaks
BEST OF 2012 - The Dallas Voice
TOP 10 FILMS OF 2012 - All Things Horror
BEST OF 2012 - Film Bizarro
TOP 10 BEST HORROR FILMS 2012 - Planet of Terror
BEST OF 2012 - HORROR DIRECTOR - San Francisco Weekly
BEST OF 2012 - MIX Mexico
BEST ACTRESSES OF 2012 - MIX Mexico
H.P.
Happy Holidays! (updated 12/28/12) /
FIVE ANNOUNCEMENTS AND A VIDEO!
1) BEST OF 2012, Film Bizarro
http://www.filmbizarro.com/bestof2012.php
2) TOP 10 UNRELEASED FILMS OF 2012, All Things Horror
http://www.allthingshorroronline.net/2012/12/the-top-10-festival-and-unreleased.html?spref=fb
3) TOP 10 BEST HORROR FILMS OF 2012, Planet of Terror
http://www.planetofterror.com/2012/12/the-top-10-best-horror-films-of-2012.html
4) TOP 20 FILMS OF 2012, Dallas Voice (added on December 28, 2012)
http://www.dallasvoice.com/year-entertainment-screen-10135286.html
5) BEST OF 2012, The Conduit Speaks (added on December 31, 2012)
http://www.theconduitspeaks.com/2012/12/the-darkest-art-of-2012-feature-films.html
And here is our holiday video for you from me and producer Mark Del Lima. We wanted to perform a holiday song for you, and the only instrument missing is a woodchipper. "There's more to life than a little bit of money. Don't you know that? And here you are. And it's a beautiful day."
Happy holidays!
H.P.