Monthly Archives: May 2012

LA Horror Presents: Will Penny

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Cookies and milk.  Cream and sugar.  Jason and a machete.  Some things are just meant to go together, and Will Penny shows us exactly that in his ridiculous and hilarious comic strips titled “Sex and Monsters.”  We must warn you, fair reader, “Sex and Monsters” is by far the least frightening but potentially deadliest thing ever featured on this website.   Be careful to not die laughing…

Penny’s comic strips are full of, well, sex and monsters, two of every true horror fans favorite things.  He was the campus newspaper cartoonist in his college days, and though he works as a professional in law now, he uses his extra time to continue his passion for art and horror through his comic strips.

“I’m a big horror nerd.  I’m a comic book nerd, but actually I was a horror nerd first.  And I think that comes out of growing up on the old classic black and white Universal horror films,” Penny told LAHorror.com.  Yet, movies alone didn’t do it.  Penny was an avid horror comic book fan growing up and draws much of his inspiration from the comics that used to spook him.  “And of course anytime you mention comic books and horror you always have to drop in the EC comics, you know, the first and last name in horror comics.  So, of course, I was heavily influenced by ‘The Crypt Keeper,’ ‘The Vault Keeper’ and ‘The Old Witch.”

Other notable influences Penny taps into are “Cracked,” one of his favorite horror magazines as well as several writers/illustrators from Playboy.  Together, these pieces are put together in Penny’s “R” rated comics in a ghastly fashion.  (Speaking of which, “Sex and Monsters” was recently nominated for a Ghastly Award, which celebrates excellent up-and-coming horror comics).

Penny is not simply the writer of these strips, but also illustrates and colors each one in a process that can take over a week to complete.  But that is only the tip of the iceberg for “Sex and Monsters.”  Penny also creates hilarious “Crack-Ups,” montages of images from the very same horror movies he grew up watching with hilarious and unexpected punch lines.  Penny has successfully transformed so many once-horrifying characters into the butt-end of some zany humor.  Check out a couple of our favorites.

“Sex and Monsters” is without a doubt one of the silliest things we’ve had the pleasure of reviewing, but the true punch line of all of this is in how Penny came up with the idea for this strip.  You see, “Sex and Monsters” was created by accident in a strange way only just over a year ago.  Penny was trying to get tickets to last year’s San Diego Comic-Con, but they were all sold out.  Determined to attend, Penny got creative.

“I looked online [and thought], ‘What are other ways to get tickets,’ and one of the ways they said you could get into the show, the convention, is if you were an actual professional.  And you applied for a professional pass, but to do that you had to have an actual comic strip up on the web or a book published in your name.  I was like ‘crap, I only have a few months to get something started so I could get tickets to this show.’  That’s basically the genesis of ‘Sex and Monsters,’” Penny told us laughing.  For the record, it totally worked.

Check out Will Penny’s full collection of “Sex and Monsters” at www.SexandMonsters.com.

Why Do You Love Horror?

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Why do you love horror?

Is it for the blood?  The gore?  The violence?  The fear?  The terror?  The creatures?  The monsters?  The killers?  The rapists?  The victims?  The crying children?  The screaming mothers?  The missing little girl?  The broken lock?  The eye behind the door?  The mystery?  The carnage?  The discovery of the mass grave?  The hatred?  The psychopaths?  The grisly works of skeleton art?  The murder weapons?  The axe?  The machete?  The glove with knives?  The disgusting surgery?  The awkward laughs?  The sex?  The lust?  The naïve teenagers?  The chase?  The hunt?  The guts?  The mistaken identity?  The sinister music?  The sinister laughs?  The cheerleaders?  The slumber partiers?  The underage drinkers?  The happy campers?  The disease?  The infection?  The sickness?  The loose dirt over the shaking coffins?  The sound of dripping?  The sound of chomping?  The sound of death?  The urge to vomit?  The urge to cover your eyes?  The urge to keep watching?  The urge to want more?  The explosions?  The invasions?  The missions gone bad?  The betrayals?  How nothing is how it seems?  How there is nobody to trust? The look in her eye when she knows she’s going to die?  The sound in his voice when he shrieks?  How evil knows is found in every age, gender, species, time, object and world?  How no matter what, nobody is safe?  The beautiful death over and over again?

Why do you love horror?  Well, probably the same reasons that I do.

We can be sick together.

Thanks for visiting LAHorror.com!

Children of Sorrow – Test Screening TOMORROW (5-24)

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Director Jourdan McClure is seeking horror fans in the Los Angeles area to attend a test screening of his new film “Children of Sorrow” tomorrow night on a studio lot.  The film stars Bill Oberst Jr. and has the tagline “Unsettling is the new gore.”  Sound interested??  E-mail ChildrenOfSorrowFilm@gmail.com to RSVP and get the location of the screening.  Spots are limited, so shoot them a message now!!

LA Horror Presents: Alexander K. Harris

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Alexander K. Harris

Alexander K. Harris is a man of many talents and utilizes a multitude of avenues to spread his love for horror.  His photography, graphic design, filmmaking and music composition all have a dark and often gory side to them and certainly are a throwback to the 80s horror mold and style.  And as a new resident of Los Angeles, he is eager to show the horror world exactly what he can do.

“I want to make horror movie posters for a living; that’s why I moved out here,” Harris told LAHorror.com.  “One of my big influences is, like, 80s “B” films…I like the way that movie posters for those films look…I like to recreate different types of movie poster type images.”

And he fooled us!  Prior to speaking with Harris, we were certain his images were actually movies he was commissioned to design for, but they are, in fact, his own creations.  But that’s the reason his work is so fascinating.  His process is simple, yet effective. He layers images he takes of models with often hand drawn art and designs to create a collage of the macabre. His portfolio was even large enough to create his own clothing line, “Chainsaw Mouth,” where you can purchase these images on T-Shirts as well as a multitude of accessories with a morbid edge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Chainsaw Mouth is a company that me and my wife started a little over a year ago…I was going to a lot of conventions and stuff like that and I noticed that there was never anything for guys…it was pretty much band shirts or movie shirts and that’s it.  And people don’t seem to buy art a whole lot with the way the economy is right now, so I decided to start putting my stuff on T-shirts….a “B” horror movie type brand,” Harris said.

And aside from his successful indie-line, he is always seeking to expand his portfolio with new images, often covering his models with blood and putting them in horrific scenarios—not literally, of course.  “[The models are] just excited to do something that’s going to look extremely different…If you’re looking for something that’s gonna really pop out in a portfolio, this is gonna be it, because there’s not a lot of people doing this stuff.  The normal girls love to be covered in blood,” Harris said.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And while his design and photography are extremely unique and horrific, Harris also writes and records his own music through the name “Prehumanity.”  Described as industrial, his tracks certainly have a horror vibe, which Harris strives for.   His music could easily be a catchy theme for any genre of horror movie and Harris welcomes the idea of contributing to the soundtracks of horror films.  “So far I have not scored any films, but that’s what I’m hoping to get into in the very near future,” Harris said.  And after listening to his sample soundtracks, you can’t help but imagine a blood soaked girl running from a monster in the woods.  Harris also notably directs his own music videos aside from creating each recording.


To view Alexander K. Harris’ full portfolio as well as samples of his horror soundtracks, please visit his official website.  You can also check out more “Prehumanity” tracks on iTunes.  Also check out his clothing and accessories line, “Chainsaw Mouth.”

LA Horror Review: “Bloody Wedding”

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Kate Murdoch and Brad Coffey fight for their lives in “Bloody Wedding”

Who doesn’t like a good wedding?  There’s the dinner, the free booze, delicious cake and memories that will last a lifetime. But in the case of “Bloody Wedding,” the new over-the-top slasher flick from Sharkey Films, that lifetime may be a lot shorter than you might expect…

The set up is simple.  Cindy (Kate Murdoch) is about to marry Pierce (Ryan Sulak), the handsome man of her dreams.  She goes through the typical problems that all brides face – getting the flowers ready, an occasionally grumpy fiancé, bitchy, nasty relatives and unwanted wedding guests.  Yet, all of those things seem trivial when the wedding party begins to get horrifically murdered.  The suspects are everywhere with a slew of potential motives, and as the body count rises, Cindy realizes that nobody can be trusted…not even the ones she loves dearest.

“Bloody Wedding” lives up to its name – there is a wedding, and it is bloody.  But that’s not the only reason that it’s a terrific success.   The art of creating an enjoyable low budget horror film can be tricky, but “Bloody Wedding” kills it (pun intended).  This movie has everything horror enthusiasts could hope for – loads of blood, genuine laughs and, of course, plenty of beautiful women (and men) being killed in some brilliant ways.  While we don’t want to give away too much, one thing must be said:  “Bloody Wedding” has one of the most terrific sex-to-kill scenes since the original “Friday the 13th.”  Note from this reviewer:  LOOK UNDER THE BED BEFORE YOU HAVE SEX.

Tawny Amber Young finds herself in a rough spot.

Now, “Bloody Wedding” isn’t necessarily the scariest horror film ever made and that’s just fine.  It does utilize a number of slasher clichés, but they are easily forgivable due to the tongue-and-cheek nature of this movie.  It knows exactly what it is and doesn’t have to apologize for it.  “Bloody Wedding” is the sickest, sexiest and goriest wedding you’ll ever attend. Just one look at the remarkably attractive wedding party, and you’ll send in your RSVP faster than you can say, “I do.”

But while the actors are undoubtedly good-looking, don’t write them off as your typical “all beauty, no brains” horror cast. Each character is developed and interesting, and there really aren’t any sore thumb performances whatsoever.

Marguerite Insolia and Mike Pfaff put up with the crude antics of Jordan Bates

Most notably, Jordan Bates as the hilarious and crude best-buddy Jim Swim is the glue that holds this cast together.  His ridiculous (and often improvised) one-liners are seriously hysterical and over-the-top.  “I’d go to war for those rocket tits!” was our personal favorite.   Mike Pfaff plays Jackson, the groom’s brother, in a genuine and believable way, and the chemistry he shares with Ryan Sulak certainly has an insidious nature at times.  Bombshells Pason and Tawney Amber Young are terrific bitches and it’s truly a pleasure to root against them.  Lastly, Kate Murdoch and Brad Coffey (the brother of the bride) are the heart of this story, and they do an amazing job getting you invested in these characters and showing their humanity in an otherwise inhumane setting.  Along with a stellar supporting cast, these performers clearly had their hearts in this project and made it a most memorable experience – we wouldn’t be surprised to see any one of these actors blow up in a major way given the right opportunity.  After all, don’t all the greats start in horror?

Writer/producers Patty Sharkey and Mike Merickel and director Robert Hoover have a lot to be proud of with this piece.  They set out to make an enjoyable horror film and they did just that.  While “Bloody Wedding” may not get a massive theatrical release, it certainly has the potential to be a cult favorite in no time at all.  Do yourself a favor and send your RSVP to “Bloody Wedding.”  This is one wedding that people are dying to attend, so don’t miss it!

Please visit “Bloody Wedding” on Facebook.  Also take a peek at Sharkey Films first feature “Homeless Joe.”  Music for “Bloody Wedding” was provided by Old Man Markley.

LA Horror Presents: “The Funny Man”

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Anybody want to hear a joke?  What did the deranged, psychopathic masked murderer say to his helpless victim?

“Say something funny…”

Okay, that wasn’t a very funny joke, but it really isn’t intended to be because those are the last words that countless victims heard in writer/director Jake Barsha’s “The Funny Man,” a ten-episode horror web series produced by Daily Motion and Right Hook Films.

Originally, “The Funny Man” began as a feature length screenplay of the same title. “I had this idea for this story about a serial killer, kind of a comedian who is also a killer.  And that eventually became ‘The Funny Man,’” Barsha told LAHorror.com.  And though the title suggests it’s humorous, don’t be fooled.  This is a super gory horror show that isn’t afraid to pull any punches.  You’d be surprised how many people you can kill in just ten short episodes.

This was not Barsha’s first plunge into the macabre.  After directing his first feature film,“Eugene,” he went on to create a web-series entitled “Leidy’s New Boyfriend,” another creepy show about a psychopathic woman who meets the boy of her dreams. Naturally, she locks him up in her basement and keeps him as her captive.

It was then that the door opened for Barsha to make “The Funny Man.”  “Around 2010, I made a video content, like a web series, called “Leidy’s New Boyfriend,” and it was about a guy who gets kidnapped by a woman and held in the basement, and she basically captures him as her new boyfriend.  And this company called Daily Motion found “Leidy’s Boyfriend” on Youtube and asked if I would upload it on to Daily Motion…I did, and somehow, I think I put out a newsletter or something describing “The Funny Man” or what I was up to and somehow they got wind of it, and they contacted me and asked me if I wanted to make it into a web series…they were basically offering to finance it.”

After some creative re-writes and adaptation, Barsha took his feature film script and made it into an episodic format.  And with the help of Daily Motion, production for “The Funny Man” began.  In just three short weeks, Barsha and his crew shot and edited the entire series.  It premiered on line last fall during Halloween, and since then has garnished over 250,000 hits.  The series has also recently won five awards at the Los Angeles Web Festival, including Best Director and Best Horror Series.

“I’m super excited that it was received well, that people seem to like it a lot, and that’s really motivating because I really want to do some more stuff…I think that there’s a lot of horror material out there and there’s a lot of people making horror and doing stuff, but it’s such a dynamic genre to think creatively, you know, to really think about different ways to do something or different ways to make something scary…It’s a really exciting platform to lend your energy to,” Barsha said.

The energy that “The Funny Man” delivers is intense; it’s raw and its, well, not very funny.

Watch “The Funny Man.”  For more information on Jake Barsha and Right Hook Films, please visit their official website.  You can also connect with “The Funny Man” on Facebook as well as “The Funny Man” blog.  Please read LAHorror.com’s full review of “The Funny Man” here.

LA Horror Review: “The Funny Man” (web series)

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Lee (Ryan Reyes) is your average struggling comic.  He’s socially awkward and a recluse.  He has a hard time making relationships work.  He shows up to open mics and tells his best jokes— jokes that he may or may not have borrowed from other people…from recently murdered people, to be precise.

You see, Lee has a deep dark secret.  His twin brother is a murderous psychopath hell bent on hearing a good joke, and he isn’t afraid to kill to find it.  And that naturally causes a lot of problems for Lee, especially after he meets the beautiful and kind Rachel (Abby Wathen), who actually takes a liking to him.  Lee now must struggle to prevent her untimely demise at the hands of this masked killer, The Funny Man.

“The Funny Man” is a 10 episode horror web series written and directed by Jake Barsha and produced by Daily Motion, and it delivers.  Each episode ratchets up the body count and drives the story closer to its shocking conclusion.  It’s slick, gory and ultra creepy.  “The Funny Man” is no joke.

The series is led by actor Ryan Reyes who gives a subtle yet haunting performance as our disturbed comedian, Lee.  You’re not really sure what to make of him.  You like him, but you don’t want to.  You hate him, but you sympathize.  You want him to succeed, but fear what he’s going to do next.  It’s dynamite that will divide horror audiences into two factions: those who root for the victim and those who root for the killer.  And should it really be any other way?

Lee’s performance is complimented by a stellar ensemble cast of both up-and-coming actors as well as veterans of the genre alike.  Leslie Easterbrook (“The Devil’s Rejects,” “Halloween”) and David Fine add a wild card element to the series as the nosy neighbors, and, in near the end of the series, you can see exactly why these two have had such terrific careers so far in Hollywood. They really light it up when the time comes.  And while many of the other characters only survive for one or two episodes, you really get a feel for who each one is as a person.  “The Funny Man” looks like a web series, but plays like a feature film, creating characters you sincerely care about that all help drive the full story forward.  The body count in this show is high, but it never feels gratuitous.

Other notable successes of “The Funny Man” go to the stellar cinematography by Yuki Noguchi and the editing and directing by Jake Barsha.  It is masterfully lit and each frame carries a certain weight to it.  The editing is crisp and often adds to the scares, from quick flashes of horrific moments to long, dreadful sequences.  The overall pace of this show is quick, but thorough, enabling the viewer to see all of the bloody details.

At the end of the day, this is simply a terrific piece overall.  If you’re a fan of gory horror, watch this show.  If you’re a fan of psychological horror, watch this show.  If you’re a fan of horror in general, watch this show.  Who knows, you may even relate to “The Funny Man.”  After all, don’t we all like telling jokes?

Watch “The Funny Man”