Hatchet II Contest!

I haven't done a contest for a while, but when it's for a good cause, I'll get off my butt and put something together. As you should all know by now, Adam Green's Hatchet II will be in theaters this weekend, UNRATED AND UNCUT (!!!), and I want each and every one of you (in North America anyway) to go see it. Why? Well, many reasons: 1. You're supporting indie horror, which should always be a priority. 2. You're getting the first major chain release of an unrated horror film in over 25 years, so that's something right there. A strong showing for Hatchet II this weekend will help future films (perhaps even YOURS) get its own unrated release, preventing you from having to deal with the hateful censors at the MPAA. And 3. You can WIN STUFF!!! Keep reading to find out how!

As I've mentioned on Twitter and the like, I actually had a small (microscopic, really) hand in the film's final form - I did the end credits that scroll up and away as you check your cell phone and exit the theater. It's next to nothing, yes, but I'm proud of it all the same....

...even though I goofed and made a typo, one that was caught too late to fix. And that's where you come in!

All you have to do is buy a ticket to Hatchet II this weekend (HAS TO BE THIS WEEKEND! That's October 1st-3rd), and find my typo in the end credits. To make it easier, I will let you know that it's thankfully NOT someone's name, it's actually a very common word that's missing a key vowel. I will draw a name at random of all the correct answers (shit, I hope there's only one answer! LOL), and that person will win a little prize package I am putting together (DVDs and posters).

To enter, just send an email to HMADContests (at gmail) with your name, the theater you saw the film at, and the misspelled word. I will pick a winner on Monday, October 4th.

Once again, this contest is only eligible THIS WEEKEND (October 1st-3rd). Due to the low number of screens the film is playing on, it's SO IMPORTANT to have a big "per screen average" for the opening weekend. The film can never crack the top 10 even if it sold out every show, but the decision makers look at the averages to gauge demand and decide to open it wider and also allow the next horror film to have an unrated release.

You guys claim you're sick of PG-13 or watered down R rated films; you guys claim you're sick of remakes - let your voice be heard! Go see Hatchet II this weekend and prove that this is the type of stuff you want to see! AND make fun of my sloppiness in the process! You will also make the hundreds of people who worked on the film happy - it was a labor of love from Adam and the producers all the way down to the least important guy on the crew (me), and they'll be happy to know some folks were reading their names and knowing what they did to pull off this crazy, fun, and VERY gory film.

PLEASE, GO ON...

Chillerama (2011)

NOVEMBER 27, 2011

GENRE: ANTHOLOGY
SOURCE: BLU-RAY (OWN COLLECTION)

At long last, Chillerama has hit Blu-ray and DVD (plus VOD), well over a year after the first segment premiered at Frightfest. The anthology film features segments by Adam Green (Hatchet), Joe Lynch (Wrong Turn 2), Adam Rifkin (Look), and Tim Sullivan (2001 Maniacs), bookended by what people are most interested in seeing: the newest credit sequences by Brian W. Collins (Hatchet II, A Horrible Way To Die).

As always, his end titles do not disappoint. As there are four separate films plus generalized “all movie” credits, the end title sequence employs no less than five unique fonts, each carefully chosen to reflect the style of its respective film. So for Lynch’s “Zombies meets Amblin” style segment Zom-B-Movie, the credits are actually in the same font as Gremlins, and for Green’s Universal Monster inspired The Diary Of Anne Frankenstein, the font has a 40s poster feel to it. It is, undoubtedly, the greatest multi-font credits sequence of all time, even with a few typos (“A” camera operator is missing a space, and there’s a weird graphic issue around the Lit Post logo near the end of the 7-8 minute sequence).

Now, your eyes might be drawn to the clips that accompany each short’s credits sequence, which play on the opposite side of the frame as the credits scroll by (at varying speeds, depending on the length of the video I guess), but I urge you to keep a close eye on the several hundred names that race or crawl by. Lots of folks put a lot of hard work into the film, and they deserve recognition – particularly those who worked on multiple segments, such as Josh Ethier, who is credited for nearly every segment in a variety of crew roles. Ditto Robert Pendergraft/Aunt Dolly’s Garage, who contributed FX for all but one segment (Wadzilla, which has Chiodo Bros FX). It will be a real treat for fans to see their names on-screen over and over, but in different fonts every single time!

Collins fans will also be delighted to see the film’s opening animated segment, which he also did himself. While it’s too short, and the stars don’t always match up with the movement of the trees and tombstones, it really sets the tone for the movie that follows (aided considerably by Bear McCreary’s theme music). I also dig how it transitions from the Ariescope logo to the animation – very Spielbergian! Wish he had a few more tombstones in there though – you can see that they’re all recycled as the “camera” makes its way through the rows and up the hill to the final grave site, which transitions to the live-action portion of the film.

Obviously these elements look much better on Blu-ray, where you can also enjoy a full commentary by the four filmmakers, deleted scenes, some making of material, and other goodies, but the DVD looks great as well. I definitely would NOT recommend downloading the movie on the internet, however – the end credits are often clipped or missing entirely! Who the hell wants to watch something like that? Both are available tomorrow (11/29), and I highly recommend you buy one for yourself, as well as for all of the font enthusiasts in your life – don’t forget Christmas is coming!

Also, the movie itself is quite fun. I like that one zombie with the tan coat especially.

What say you?

NOTE – obviously this is a joke review. Image sent it to me to review even though I told them that I worked on it and thus would most certainly NOT be writing up a review. So I figured I’d goof off and present my standard “Hey this movie my friends made is now on DVD” post in a more fun way. Also - my contest is still running! First one to find me OUT OF MAKEUP in the film should send along a screenshot (along with proof that you're watching on a legal format)and you will win a prize! Someone has found me! Grats to Michael Gomez (and Brian Matherly) for having a damn good eye!

PLEASE, GO ON...

Repo Winners Chosen!

I know I was a bit late, but that is due to the fact that I had a lot more entries than expected, and quality entries to boot! Everyone who entered (and followed the rules) did a great job, and I sincerely wish I could give everyone something. I also want to say THANK YOU to everyone who entered for selflessly promoting the film, which is above and beyond what can usually be expected of fans.

And in the end, I had so much trouble choosing between two finalists that I said "fuck it" and arranged to have another CD signed so both of them could win! So everyone give a virtual round of applause to "CodyStacey" and "Annaliab"! Both of them went all out with their entries, and also seemingly got the most "awareness" spread to others (based on number of myspace friends/reader responses). Anna even did a recreation of one of the Repo songs!

So CONGRATS to them and again, a big THANKS to all who entered! And just because the contest is over doesn't mean you have to stop spreading the Repo love... tell your friends about it, sign up for the official message board... all that good stuff. Who knows, maybe we'll have another contest closer to release!

PLEASE, GO ON...

Repo Contest!

NOTE!! CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED!!!

I know I rarely do contests here, because I try to keep HMAD simple. But when it comes to movies I truly believe in that I feel aren’t getting enough love (read: promotion from their own studio), I try to help. Hence the 3rd HMAD contest: Promote Repo And Win! And the prize is way more awesome than a poster or a magnet – this is genuine MEDIA we’re talking about here!

At last weekend’s Comic Con I snagged some super rare promo CDs featuring 6 songs (it says 7 but the first one is like 4 seconds long) from Repo: The Genetic Opera. And it’s a damn good song selection; two of the songs are ones I specifically pointed out in my review as being standouts. And the others are also full fledged songs that are fun to listen to even if you don’t know what the hell they are singing about yet. Trust me, you want to hear this CD! Here is a video of one of those, Zydrate Anatomy:

But as a bonus, check it out: The CD is signed by Darren Lynn Bousman (director) and Terrance Zdunich (the mastermind behind the original stage play, who also appears in the film as Grave Robber)! So not only are the CDs pretty rare to begin with, this is certainly one of probably very few that are signed by the two biggest creative folks on the film. And it’s the ONLY one that will be mailed to the winner by me!

So how do you snag this kickass prize? Simple: promote Repo on your own site/blog. Post the trailer, post the above clip, make a banner, whatever. Want to sing along to the song and film yourself singing like that one guy from the Weezer video? Do it! Get creative!

Repo is currently scheduled for a very small release, but that can change if enough folks want to see it! The winner will be whoever I think made the best and most creative effort to spread the Repo word to others. We’re talking about a movie that is about as far from traditional as you can possibly get, so your posts should reflect that! And quantity is encouraged as well- if you want to make a post every single day of the week, go ahead! To enter, simply leave a comment on this story with a link to your post. Your post MUST include a hyperlink to the official Repo site (www.repo-opera.com) to qualify. The idea here is to get more people on board with the film, and increased traffic on the official site is the best way to do that for now.

I will choose the winner on August 10th! Good luck! And to everyone that enters – THANKS! I may have no connection to the film, but I DO watch a horror movie a day, and after a while, they all start to blend together and bore me. Movies like Repo, which are original and out there, are the types of movies I wish I could see more often. Repo’s success means more original films and less cookie cutter crap, and so I, and every other horror fan, WILL indirectly benefit from it. “Win-win-win”, as Pam Beasley might say. Also, director Bousman mentioned my beloved Armageddon in his panel for the film at Comic Con, so I kind of owe him.

And now we return you to your regularly scheduled Horror Movie A Daying.

PLEASE, GO ON...