R.I.P. Richard Matheson

Richard Matheson was is my all-time favorite author. His twisted horror short stories and Twilight Zone episodes will have a lasting impact on me forever. Stories like: "Little Girl Lost," "Third From the Sun," "Button, Button," are a few of my favorites. And I'll never forget the first time I read "I Am Legend."

I've never been an avid reader.  I'm a slow reader, and I think that has a lot to do with it.  Another bigger part is that I would rather be writing my own stories than reading someone else's.  But in recent years I have grown to appreciate the work of other writers because they are much more talented than myself.   And Matheson is one author who I connect with very well.  I wish I could have met him.  Not as a fan but as a fellow writer. His stories amaze me.  His words resonate with me. He has a way of telling a story that makes my imagination run overtime.

I've been reading "Hell House" lately, so tonight I'll dedicate a few chapters to you, Mr. Matheson.

The Last Nintendo Power

Issue #285 - Final

To hear a childhood favorite was coming to an end kinda saddened me. The last issue ever of Nintendo Power (the official Nintendo gaming magazine) was released this month. I couldn't help but think back to the many issues I've read. Literally hundreds of hours have been poured into reading this magazine. I would have been 11 years old when Nintendo Power released its first issue. I remember being at a friend's house and her little brother brought it in. That cover, man! That cover had me hooked from day one.

Issue #1

I would buy an issue every time I saw a new one at the grocery store near my house. Shortly after that, my mom let me get my own subscription. It was the first magazine subscription that I ever got. And it was in *my* name. How cool was that to be a kid and getting mail each month?! I remember one subscription bonus they offered was Dragon Warrior (NES) included as a free game. I begged my mom to renew so I could get a new game for free. "See, mom, it's a great deal!" However, it would be many, many years before I learned to appreciate RPGs so Dragon Warrior went unplayed.

I loved that magazine so much. The multi-page strategy guides, the previews, that stupid Nester comic, it was all great. Long before the Internet, Nintendo Power influenced many gaming purchases. Most of them were all positive. It was rare that I ever got a game I truly despised.

When it was first announced that the magazine would be closing shop I, like many others I'm sure, scoured the Interwebs for old covers. It was a nice nostalgic trip down gamer memory lane. Unfortunately, in a world of Xbox and Sony, Nintendo Power just couldn't hang. Not to mention that gaming magazines in general had already started dying off rapidly. It's just so much quicker to get game news online. By the time a printed issue arrived at my door, I had already read all there was to read. That's a shame too. There's still something special about holding an issue in my hands. I somehow feel closer to the subject, like it makes it more real. I still have a couple of horror magazine subscriptions, but I also read several in digital format on my iPad. It's a shame that Nintendo Power didn't have the, uh staying power to go digital. Dear paper friend with the awesome covers, you'll be missed.

"Suffering Fools" wins Unreal Film Fest

Back in July I got notice that "SUFFERING FOOLS" would screen at the inaugural Unreal Film Fest in Memphis. It is a fest that played during the Memphis Comic and Fantasy Convention. Being their first year I knew it would be small and we wanted to come out and support the fest and Jim Weter, the festival director. We are very appreciative for being selected to screen. That is an honor that never gets old no matter how big or small the venue.

As the movies were being introduced, it was stated that there is some language and sexual situations in some of the movies. I think the fest runners did that for the benefit of a family with pre-teens in attendance. Well, they hung around for several short films. And then ours came up. Within the first 3 minutes they were already gathering their belongings to leave. Yes!

Now I'm sure some filmmakers would take offense to that. But not us. We make horror movies after all. It gave us a little validation that we did something right. And I have no problem with parents looking out for what their kids watch. Although I'd be willing to bet it was the parents who were disgusted for their own eyes.

And speaking of audience, we got one more validation. Our little short won the Audience Choice Best Short Award!! Thank you to the festival and Jim and everyone who put their time and effort into making the festival. And a huge thank you to our amazing Cinegore family!!!

"Blood Therapy" on TV!

So, "BLOOD THERAPY" had its television debut. How cool is that?! Well, it's a bittersweet story that I must tell. Back in August, I was approached by the producer of Professor Ghoul's Horror School, a local TV show that airs on WKNO (Memphis' public television station). He was putting together a Halloween episode and wanted to show "BLOOD THERAPY" along with a few other local shorts. Of course my answer was YES! Of course you can play my little short on TV!

Several weeks went by and the producer emailed and asked if I'd be interested in being on camera to do a little skit and introduce my movie. Even though I prefer being behind the camera, I said sure. Why not? These opportunities don't come along very often. So, he wrote a little skit and sent it to me. I'm a big fan of horror hosts (and even made a short called "TERROR TUBE" - our love letter to horror hosts), and the skit had something to do with jokingly comparing Professor Ghoul to the awesome Elvira. It was cute. Well, cue the doom and dread music, because that skit wasn't meant to be.

Four days before we were to record our segment, I got the worst case of laryngitis I've ever had. I literally lost my voice for six straight days. And when it did start coming back it took several more days to get back to normal. See, I had caught a viral infection (ugh). Well, there was no way I was going to miss this opportunity. Feeling awful, be damned! We went to the studio to shoot, and poor Craig, he had to fill in for me. Now, we were planning on both being on screen all along, but now it was up to him to do the talking. And if you think I prefer being behind the camera, I can assure you that Craig does not like being in front of the camera. But he was a champ! Obviously, we changed the skit to be just a simple "which filmmaker has inspired you, blah blah blah," sort of thing. He did great. He talked about how John Carpenter is a great influence to us.

And I'm happy to say the whole Halloween episode turned out great. I told everyone I know to be sure to tune in. "BLOOD THERAPY" has been good for us and I'm forever thankful.

Fair Pics 2012

Had a blast and got some really got shots! Craig wasn't as keen on going as I was. That's too bad, because I was really feeling it. He did get an amazing nighttime shot of the ferris wheel, though. I learned one lesson though the hard way. Always check your gear! We were walking along and I stopped to take a picture of father handing his small son a corn dog. Absolutely touching moment. I snapped several shots, but they were all blurry. I took several more. Same thing. I kept wondering what was wrong. It wasn't until that beautiful, impromptu moment had passed before I realized that my lens was set on manual focus. Doh!

Click each pic to view the larger versions.  These and others can be found on my Flickr page.

Face in the Crowd

Wheel in the Sky

Frozen Bananas

Hidden Face

Fire Ball

Slide on By

Hauntedweb Commercial Shoot 2012

The costumes looked wicked as always! They've got a new character this year and he is badass! Reminds me of a cross between a Big Daddy from Bioshock, Brotherhood of Steel from Fallout 3, and those creepy guys with the birdcage in the Silent Hill movie. We absolutely love working with the Hauntedweb guys and are so appreciative they trust us to bring their vision to life. (Bring to life like Dr. Frankenstein?) It did not air on local TV this year, but it did run on their website. Check out the finished commercial below.

For more information visit Hauntedweb.com.

"Suffering Fools" premiere

"SUFFERING FOOLS" premiered at On Location: Memphis on April 21, 2012. While I'm always eager to get the crew back together again, I wasn't really impressed with this festival. I felt very disconnected from everything. And maybe that's because the block of shorts we were screening with wasn't the fest's idea of "top tier," but I expected a little more attention given to the filmmakers. 

Full disclosure: I can say that because I did not direct "SUFFERING FOOLS," Craig did, and I was hoping he would have a similar awesome experience like I did when "BLOOD THERAPY" premiered. We went to a friend's premiere the night before and they had a full Q&A session after the movie. Again, perhaps that was because it was a feature and ours was a short. Still, it was nice to see so many friends again. And I'm glad the cast and crew met for dinner before hand.