Midnight Movies

Paranoia Horror and Sci-Fi Convention & Film Festival
March 12, 2010 to March 14, 2010

OPEN CALL FOR ENTRIES

SCREENPLAYS
SCREENPLAY SUBMISSIONS MUST BE A MINIMUM OF 75 PAGES.

TRAILERS
RUN TIME 10 SEC-3 MIN

SHORT FILM
Run time of between 1 and 59 minutes

FEATURE FILM
Run time of 60 minutes or longer

DOCUMENTARY - Run time of 60 minutes or longer

MUSIC VIDEO - Run time of between 1 and 59 minutes

MISSION & OBJECTIVE - We are looking for the next best thing in Horror.

“Paranoia” will soon be recognized as the world’s largest Horror Convention & Film Festival held aboard the World Famous Queen Mary in Long Beach, California. As a recognizable force in the genre of Horror, Paranoia’s goal is to find the next great thing in horror each and every year. We will be accepting submissions for full-length features, shorts films, screenplays, and trailers.

The Queen Mary Ship, one of the great Atlantic Liners, made her first voyage in 1936. Since that time she has completed 1,001 trips across the Atlantic, acted as a troop ship in World War II, and has been host to hundreds of thousands of passengers. Having experienced such a rich history, it seems only natural that the ship would be haunted.

Having experience and been related hundreds of deaths both on and off board while at sea in her active years, The Queen has become a hotbed of Paranormal activity becoming what experts say is now one of the top five most haunted places in the world! As a result, the location has become a destination place for more than 3 million people per year as they wander the ship in awe.

Throughout the vast ship (which is larger than the Titanic), passengers and visitors alike have seen and experienced strange things that they simply cannot explain. So rich in history and unexplained experiences, we ask where better for Paranoia to host its Horror festival than this unique, yet beautiful facility?

ORGANIZERS
James LaVitola (OTHER) ; Lisa Palley ; Matthew Gavin ; Shane Russeck

For more information - www.paranoiafest.com

Monster Bash 2010 - The International Classic Monster Movie Conference and Film Festival
JUNE 25 - 27, 2010
Days Inn Conference Center
Butler, Pennsylvania (north of Pittsburgh)

The International Classic Monster Movie Conference and Film Festival - Celebrating the films of the silent era through the 1950s.

Presented by Scary Monsters Magazine and Creepy Classics Video & DVD!

What is the Monster Bash?

For more information - www.monsterbashnews.com

LIVING DEAD FESTIVAL
OCTOBER 30 - 31, 2009
Evans City, Pennsylvania

The “Living Dead Festival” celebrates Night of the Living Dead with screening, guests rom the film and gala. Organized by crew member Gary Streiner, it takes place in Evans City, Butler County, where the bulk of the original film was shot. It will be held Oct. 30 and 31, and features screenings of “Living Dead” and other films, memorabilia, and as many as 13 original members of the cast — zombies and otherwise.

“Night of the Living Dead” was a landmark of independent cinema, and was a major inspiration for many independent filmmakers that came after. Do-it-yourself filmmaking far outside the Hollywood system was not at all common at the time.

The low-budget, locally made nature of the film actually made it scarier — a slick Hollywood product would have looked completely different.

Teaser Video from Terry Gindele, cast member of Night Of The Living Dead

For more information - http://www.thelivingdeadfest.com

Filmmaker Herschell Gordon Lewis will help introduce the film as well as provide a lively Q&A session following the screening (perhaps even leading a sing-along of his infamous opening titles song), at the American Film Institute’s AFI Silver Theatre in Silver Spring, MD, on Wednesday, October 21 at 9:00 p.m.

“We are looking forward to our upcoming collaboration with the Spooky Movie festival,” said Todd Hitchcock, programmer for the AFI Silver Theatre. “And very excited about hosting the Opening Night screening of the cult classic TWO THOUSAND MANIACS! with Herschell Gordon Lewis attending!”

Former literature professor, Herschell Gordon Lewis, took inspiration from the 1947 Lerner and Loewe musical BRIGADOON when he set out to shoot (in less than 15 days on Florida locations that are now part of Disney World) the second installment of what would be known as “The Blood Trilogy.” Mayhem is
just below the surface at all times, as the twisted realities of violent and grisly revenge play out in what many consider to be one of the most significant independent horror films of the modern era, and one that still manages to shock and disturb audiences today.

“The reason I am delighted to appear at Spooky Movie,” said filmmaker Herschell Gordon Lewis “is that the event is a gathering of sophisticated moviegoers who don’t hesitate to provide candid opinions!”

Preceding TWO THOUSAND MANIACS! will be a preview for the 2009 festival, as well as the outstanding short film PSYCHO HILLBILLY CABIN MASSACRE!, which shows Mr. Lewis’ influence 45 years later with a new generation of independent filmmakers. Admission for Opening Night is $12.00 for the general public, or $9.00 for AFI members; tickets are now available at the AFI Silver box office, or through the website – www.afi.com/silver.

SPOOKY MOVIE: 2009 OPENING NIGHT begins a total of five days and nights showcasing some of the very best in the exciting and diverse culture of new independent horror cinema.

Killer Film Fest 2009
Orpheum Theater
1 School Street, Foxboro, MA

Friday Nov 6th @6:00pm
Saturday Nov 7th @5:30pm
Sunday Nov 8th @6:00pm

Killer Film Fest is New England’s newest horror/thriller film festival. 2009 kicks off Killer Film Fest’s first year in action with a 3 night fest featuring 5 feature films including the world premiere of “Kill Everyone”, a lineup of short films, film trailers and a live performance by Kreagen.

For more information - www.killerfilmfest.com

Starting at 7pm and going until 7am the following morning!

Somerville Theatre
55 Davis Sq.
Somerville MA

Hosted by Boston’s “King of Horror”
J. CANNIBAL

** Featuring six vampire film classics! **
** Plus prizes, costume contests and more! **
Tickets: $25 in advance or $30 at the door

LET THE RIGHT ONE IN
Twelve-year-old Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant), the constant target of bullies, spends his time plotting revenge and collecting news items about the grisly murders plaguing his town. But things change when he meets a new girl named Eli (Lina Leandersson), a misfit vampire who steals his heart.

NEAR DARK
In the dusty heart of the American southwest, innocent country boy Caleb (Adrian Pasdar) is seduced by a beautiful girl (Jenny Wright) into joining a pack of vicious drifters. But this is no ordinary band of outlaws, and Caleb is soon trapped in a nightmarish world of soulless evil and hellish mayhem that thrives on blood and absolute horror. This extraordinary shocker is one of the most ferociously original vampire movies of our generation.

THE VAMPIRE LOVERS
1970 British Hammer Horror film directed by Roy Ward Baker and starring Peter Cushing, Polish actress Ingrid Pitt, Madeline Smith and Kate O’Mara. It is based on the J. Sheridan Le Fanu novella Carmilla and is part of the so-called Karnstein Trilogy of films.

THE LOST BOYS
Shortly after moving to a California coastal town, Mike (Jason Patric) gets mixed up with a rough biker crowd. There have been some strange deaths and rumors of vampires in the town, and Mike’s younger brother Sam (Corey Haim) fears his sibling might be in more trouble than anyone realizes. In an effort to save Mike, Sam teams up with two vampire-hunter friends and tries to rid the town of evil in this 1987 thriller.

THE HUNGER
Fetching Miriam (Catherine Deneuve) — a 2,000-year-old vampire — gave John (David Bowie) the gift of eternal life hundreds of years ago, choosing him as her lover and companion. Now, just as John begins to age rapidly, Miriam wants to put the bite on Dr. Sarah Roberts (Susan Sarandon), a specialist in premature aging. Sarah soon becomes Miriam’s new lover and finds herself having to make the choice of a lifetime in this erotic cult classic.

THIRST
When the smoke clears from a failed experiment to find a cure for a fatal disease, a devout priest finds himself forever changed. Specifically, he’s a vampire — but that isn’t the only thing that’s different. Now he’s also willing to commit adultery with the wife of his childhood friend, a sin he never would have considered before. Kang-ho Song, Ha-kyun Shin and Ok-bin Kim co-star in this horror offering from Korean director Chan-Wook Park.

For more information - www.jcannibal.com

From the folks who run the MorristownGreen.com Film Festival…

We are delighted to announce some terrific prizes for next month’s MorristownGreen.com Film Festival. Top prize is a director’s dream: Two passes to the fall season of the NY Film Critics Series in Morristown. This is like a semester course in film-making–without the final exam! For eight nights you will attend advance screenings of provocative films–and grill the actors, directors and film critics!

Festival runners-up will win gift certificates to fine local restaurants and shops, courtesy of the Morristown Partnership. Our thanks to both of these sponsors, for what is shaping up as a fun-filled night. Mark the date: Aug. 11, under the stars on the lawn of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Morristown.

The Morristown Partnership is donating gift certificates as prizes for the second annual MG Film Fest on Aug. 11.”Making movies gives young artists a positive outlet to express themselves, in a collaborative effort,” said Mark Ehrenkranz, who runs the NY Film Critics Series with his father, Ira. “It’s like being on a sports team. It’s very powerful to work in a group to create something.”

Ira and Mark love movies the way some fathers and sons love baseball. They are involved with the MG Film Festival for the second straight year, Mark said, because it “nurtures young film-makers, and that’s what it’s all about.”

Do-it-yourself digital technology enables anyone to make movies. This has spawned a personal style of film-making that Mark compares to punk rock: “It’s like, we can learn a few chords and go in the basement and do it ourselves.”

The key for aspiring auteurs, he said, is passion. Don’t set your sights on riches.

Jamie Duffy
Ira Ehrenkranz of the NY Film Critics Series in Morristown.
“In this day and age, you can’t hang your hat on a movie career. It’s more competitive than getting into Harvard, Yale or Princeton. Four thousand films are submitted to Sundance, 10 make it, and two or three are purchased, for next to nothing,” Mark said.

“The goal is to hone your craft, tell stories, and enjoy doing it. If, along the way, you can make a career, and make money telling stories, that’s cool, too. Just do it, and enjoy it, like painting or taking pictures. From my perspective, it’s not about the success. It’s about having your dream and passion, and enjoying it.”

——————————————————————————–
ENTER YOUR VIDEO IN THIS YEAR’S MG FILM FEST!
DEADLINE: July 10, 2009.

WHAT TO SUBMIT: A disc with your video of 5 minutes or less. Include complete contact info (name, address, phone, e-mail, website), a short bio, and a brief description of how your film addresses the theme of HOPE. Any genre is okay, and strong viewpoints are fine–if they are expressed in a manner suitable for family viewing. Keep ‘em clean!

WHERE TO SEND THEM: MG Film Fest, c/o The Star-Ledger, 10 Wilmot St., Morristown, NJ 07960. We CANNOT return your discs.

THE FILM FEST: MorristownGreen.com and a panel of film buffs will select videos for the show based on originality, style, message, quality and variety. Preference will go to local artists–if you shoot in or around Morristown, live within a day’s march, have ever visited or lived or worked here, dated someone here, etc., those are pluses. Afterward, we will post as many videos as possible on MorristownGreen.com. So your video has a shot at finding an audience even if we can’t show it outdoors.

DATE OF THE FESTIVAL: Tuesday, Aug. 11 at 7 p.m., on the lawn of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Morristown.

PRIZES: Top prize: Two passes to the fall season of the NY Film Critics Series in Morristown, where you see cutting-edge films before anyone else does, and meet leading actors, directors and movie critics. Runners-up: Gift certificates to great local restaurants and shops from the Morristown Partnership.

Source - www.nj.com

John Landis, Stuart Gordon and Brian Yuzna are now confirmed to attend the conference and SCI-FI-LONDON film festival.

To celebrate the launch of the world’s first MA programme in Cult Film and TV, the Cult Film Archive at Brunel University and SCI-FI-LONDON will be hosting an international conference dissecting and re-evaluating some of the biggest trends, icons, auteurs and periods of global cult film production. Presented across a number of key strands, the conference will supplement discussion papers and plenary sessions with screenings and talks by leading cult filmmakers.

Over the last decade there has been an explosion of critical interest around the global traditions, traits and themes of cult film. Whether defined by horror, kung-fu, sci-fi, sexploitation, blaxploitation, kitsch musical or ‘weird world cinema’, cult film has moved from the margins to the mainstream of critical respectability.

‘Cult’ is a contemporary media buzz-word and cult status has become something that many filmmakers aspire to. Cine-Excess aims to bring together the people with the power to elevate a film to cultdom. Filmmakers, distributors and exhibitors will confront critics and fans at this unique event, which will feature both academic papers and roundtable discussions by key film industry figures. Delegates will also get the chance to watch the UK premieres of some exciting new cult films.

Confirmed Keynote Speakers include Professor Martin Barker from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, an expert on cult audiences; Dr Matt Hills from the University of Cardiff, who is currently writing books on BLADE RUNNER and DOCTOR WHO and Professor Mark Jancovich from the University of East Anglia, a specialist on the American horror film and editor of the book Defining Cult Movies. Other speakers at Cine-Excess include: Mark Bould, Brigid Cherry, Mark Goodall, Robin Griffiths, I.Q. Hunter, Leon Hunt, Peter Hutchings, Geoff King, David Lavery, Ernest Mathijs, Tamao Nakahara, Julian Petley and Andy Willis.

With global filmmakers JOHN LANDIS and STUART GORDON scheduled to appear at the event, Cine-Excess will appeal to the film researcher and film fan alike. Whatever aspect of cult interests you; whether you make cult films, study them or just love them, Cine-Excess will inspire and inform.

Cine-Excess presents over forty-five talks and panel discussions on a wide range of global cult topics including:

• The films of Roger Corman
• Female fans of the EVIL DEAD
• Mondo movies
• The films of Dario Argento
• The reception of BATTLE ROYALE
• The cult of DONNIE DARKO
• Turkish trash cinema
• 70s British exploitation
• Latin American cult movies
• The films of John Holmes
• Nigerian horror films
• Audiences for Tarantino’s cinema
• Japanese sex flicks
• The cult persona of Peter Lorre
• THE LEAGUE OF GENTLEMEN
• New Brit horror cinema
• Medieval sex movies
• The British censorship of violent cult material

To find out more and book your place visit www.cine-excess.com

Fantastic Fest is the largest genre film festival in the U.S., specializing in horror, fantasy, sci-fi, action and just plain fantastic movies from all around the world. In years past they have presented the world premieres of THERE WILL BE BLOOD, APOCALYPTO and EAGLE EYE, while our guest roster has included such talent as Mel Gibson, Bill Murray, Paul Rudd, Bill Pullman, Paul Thomas Anderson, Kevin Smith, Jon Favreau, George Romero, Darren Aronofsky and Mike Judge. They also feature world, national and regional premieres of new, up-and-coming genre films.

Fantastic Fest is held each year, primarily at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema on South Lamar in Austin, Texas. The Alamo Drafthouse was named the best cinema in America by Entertainment Weekly and features food and drink served to your seat without any disruption of the movie experience.

During his Keynote Address at the International film Festival Summit in Las Vegas, Variety president and publisher Charlie Koones listed Fantastic Fest in a list of “10 Film Festivals we Love,” a list which included industry heavy-hitters such as Cannes, Toronto and Telluride.

“The geek Telluride… Fantastic Fest lives up to its name” – Variety

“If there’s a heaven, I want it to be just like the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar during the week of Fantastic Fest.” – Devin Faraci, CHUD.com

For more information: www.fantasticfest.com

June:

Fangoria’s Weekend of Horrors New York
June 5-7, 2009
Jacob K. Javits Center
655 West 34th Street
New York, NY

Monster-Mania Con
June 12-14, 2009
Crowne Plaza Hotel
HARTFORD - SOUTH CROMWEL
100 BERLIN RD.
CROMWELL, CT

International Classic Monster Movie Conference and Film Festival
June 26-28, 2009
Days Inn Conference Center
Butler, PA (north of Pittsburgh)