London Horror Society Launches New Member Service

London Horror Society

The London Horror Society has launched a new membership service dedicated to helping up-and-coming horror writers, filmmakers and other creatives in the UK. 

The society helps to spread the word about exciting new horror projects, and is dedicated to supporting low budget, independent filmmaking. Their new membership service, LHS Pro, will provide a network of creative professionals to help aspiring filmmakers and authors realise their visions for new entries in the horror genre.

It will also provide members with insight from established filmmakers, and a private Discord server where members can exchange ideas and offer support. More broadly, it is hoped that the service will answer many of the questions that the most promising new horror filmmakers have about production and reaching out to wider audiences.

The London Horror Society Founder, Chris Nials said “we’ve loved every minute we’ve spent trying to help new indie horror projects come to life over the past few years, and I’ve been personally humbled by the sheer array of talent we’ve had the pleasure of working with. We’ve designed LHS Pro specifically to try and help even more people bring their work to life, and share it with new audiences.”

LHS Pro will also offer a news digest and a Q&A covering different aspects of making and promoting horror movies. Topics covered in these Q&As will include marketing, crowdfunding and PR to name but a few.

London Horror Society members already have access to a number of ticketed screenings that showcase some of the best new horror movies being made from across the country. The society is currently preparing for their latest short film showcase, which will take place tomorrow exclusively on LHS TV. It starts tomorrow (10th April) at 19:00.

Basic membership of the society is free for all. More information is available on their website.

Cyberpunk Comic KILLTOPIA to Become a Series

cyberpunk killtopia

In the first production from Voltaku Studios, cyberpunk action comic Killtopia is to be adapted into an animated series powered by the Unreal Engine. It will be scripted by Phil Gelatt, who wrote most of the excellent anthology sci-fi series Love, Death & Robots, and will run to eight 20-minute episodes.

Set in a futuristic Japan after a cataclysmic event, an infestation of mechs spreading a techno-organic virus has lead to the rise of gloryseeking bounty hunters and an annual bloodsport contest between them. Novice hunter Shinji just wants to be able to collect enough leftover scraps to pay for his sister’s medication, but after encountering Crash, the first ever sentient mech who may also be the key to curing the disease, he is thrust to the forefront of a dangerous hunt that has far greater ramifications than anyone at first realises.

We’ve reviewed the first and second issues of the comic (with a third due for imminent publication), and were more than a little impressed by what we saw. Although the story begins as seeming like the focus will be on high tech street fights battled out by various forms of lowlifes, a massive midway revelation thrusts the scope so wide it might question whether eight episodes will be enough to contain it.

Of the series’ potential, Killtopia’s creator and writer Dave Cook said “When Killtopia launches, it’s going to look like nothing that’s been seen on TV before. Our world is garish and vibrant, where hype, fandom and pop culture rule the day, which is the perfect launching pad for big stories. I’ve always wanted to see something so colourful and abstract depicted in a 3D world. With Voltaku’s help, I think we’re going to blow people away.”

Sha Nazir, operator of Killtopia’s publisher BHP Publisher said “We’re very excited to see where the project goes, we love Voltaku’s approach and ethos and think they’re the perfect fit to deliver some great entertainment.”

Voltaku CEO Charles Borland said “Game engines are giving studios a flexibility we’ve never seen before. When we option a project, it doesn’t have to stop with a movie or a TV series anymore. We can take our 3D production assets and build a game, VR/AR experiences, marketing materials, digital goods, basically anything we want, at Lion King or Avatar-like production levels. And that’s exactly what ‘otaku’ are looking for – more ways to engage with the worlds they love.”

We’ll bring you more news on the project as it develops, and in the meantime, if you’re curious about what cyberpunk imagery rendered in the Unreal Engine might look like, check out the short film below, which Voltaku has cited as an influence on the series’ overall style.

 

DALEK TERROR Hits Vinyl on Record Store Day 2021

dalek record store day

Record Store Day 2021 is coming – Saturday June 12th, to be exact – and Demon Records has announced another fantastic Doctor Who related vinyl release for this year. Dalek Terror is a compilation of four stories that originally appeared in the Dalek Annuals of the 1970s.

Created by Terry Nation, the Daleks have been one the most popular elements of Doctor Who over the years and this collection brings together a trio of actors synonymous with the show and a well-known fan to read the stories for the record. Nicholas Briggs (Dalek voices), Louise Jameson (Leela), Matthew Waterhouse (Adric), and impressionist Jon Culshaw provide the narration on the double LP.

Pressed on ‘Extermination Splatter’ vinyl with a gatefold sleeve and stunning retro artwork, the stories are:

 Side A

Terror Task Force

Side B

Exterminate! Exterminate! Exterminate!

 

Side C

Blockade

Side D

Nightmare

The vinyl includes bonus briefings on Dalek Genius, Mark 7 Humanoid Robot, Anatomy of a Dalek and Earth-Skaro Timescale.

The record will go on sale on Record Store Day, June 12th, in participating record shops. Usual RSD rules apply: first come, first served and one per customer. Any stock leftover will be available online the week after. Head over to https://recordstoreday.co.uk/ to find your nearest participating store.

Period Horror Film EVACUEES in Development

evacuees development

Kato Pictures has a new horror film, Evacuees, in development with writer/director Cat Davies (Blood Shed) and producer Lauren Parker.

Davies’ originally pitch was selected as a finalist at Arrow Video FrightFest’s New Blood contest in 2018. She received mentoring from producer Jack Tarling (Await Further Instructions), Barbara Crampton (From Beyond), producer/director Jenn Wexler (The Ranger), and Giles Edwards from Queensbury Pictures. The script has been developed since and has done well in further script contests.

Synopsis:

Set in 1943, it tells the story of a Yorkshire town that plays host to a group of child evacuees from war-torn London. Childless outcast Elizabeth grows close to them, but faces a dilemma when she discovers the truth of their sinister intentions.

Of the film, Cat said: “As a filmmaker, this story allows me to explore themes of motherhood and fertility, femininity, gender and identity during a period of enormous change for women and through complex characters that are rarely portrayed on screen. It is atmospheric and gothic, as well as brutal, with echoes of The Innocents, Village of the Damned, Lady Macbeth, The Others and The Orphanage all in the mix. I’m so happy to join forces with Lauren on Evacuees. Her passion and enthusiasm for the script has been palpable, even through lockdown, and I look forward to channelling our energies into raising this project from toddler through to adulthood.”

Producer Lauren Parker added: “We’re so excited to be joining Cat on the journey to bringing Evacuees to the big screen. It’s so refreshing to have a horror project that is female-led in front and behind the camera and we can’t wait to tell this bloody tale.”

We’ve been fans of Cat Davies’ shorts, so we’re particularly looking forward to her feature debut.

You can check out Cat’s short Blood Shed on Prime Video, and Wash Club, a short produced by Lauren can be seen here.

Expect more news when we have it.

Lauren Parker                                                                                                             Cat Davies

Edgar Ramirez Joins Eli Roth’s BORDERLANDS

Edgar Ramirez Borderlands

With Eli Roth’s upcoming Borderlands movie adaptation having already amassed quite the impressive cast, the picture has now added Edgar Ramirez to its ranks.

Via Deadline, The Undoing star has signed on to play Atlas in Roth’s film. Seemingly playing the man behind the Atlas organisation of the Borderlands video game franchise, this character is pegged as a business titan, arms manufacturer and the most powerful person in the entire world.

On this news, Roth enthused, “We want to create something wild, fun and very different from anything they’ve seen from Edgar before. I am so, so excited to work with him.”

Edgar Ramirez joins a cast that currently features Cate Blanchett as Lilith, Jamie Lee Curtis as Dr Patricia Tannis, Kevin Hart as Roland, Jack Black as Claptrap, Ariana Greenblatt as Tiny Tina, Florian Munteanu as Krieg and an unknown role for Haley Bennett.

The official synopsis for this Borderlands effort reads:

In the movie, Lilith, an infamous outlaw with a mysterious past, reluctantly returns to her home planet of Pandora to find the missing daughter of the universe’s most powerful S.O.B., Atlas. Lilith forms an alliance with an unexpected team – Roland, a former elite mercenary, now desperate for redemption; Tiny Tina, a feral pre-teen demolitionist; Krieg, Tina’s musclebound, rhetorically challenged protector; Tannis, the scientist with a tenuous grip on sanity; and Claptrap, a persistently wiseass robot.

These unlikely heroes must battle alien monsters and dangerous bandits to find and protect the missing girl, who may hold the key to unimaginable power. The fate of the universe could be in their hands – but they’ll be fighting for something more: each other.

At this stage, Borderlands has yet to have a release date announced.

STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS Renewed For Third Season

Star Trek: Lower Decks

Having impressed with its debut season, Paramount has moved announce that a third season of Star Trek: Lower Decks has now been greenlit.

Via Deadline, this news was revealed at today’s First Contact Day. And not just that, but this event was also seen as the perfect opportunity to confirm an August 12 premiere date on Paramount+ for the animated show’s second season.

Back when Lower Decks first aired, Paramount+ was still known as CBS All Access. For fans in the UK and certain other regions, the series can be found on Prime Video.

Plot details for these next two seasons aren’t currently known, although one has to imagine that a large majority of Season Two’s narrative will centre on Brad Doimler coming to grips with his new role under William T. Riker on the USS Titan.

Expect more on these upcoming new seasons of Star Trek: Lower Decks as we get it.

2020 BSFA Award Winners Announced

The Winners of British Science Fiction Association Award have been announced. The winners were announced as part of the annual Eastercon event.

The winners are:

Infinite Tea in the Demara Cafe by Ida Keogh for Best Short Fiction.

It’s the End of the World: But What Are We Really Afraid Of? by Adam Roberts for Best Non-Fiction.

Shipbuilding Over the Clyde by Iain Clark for Best Artwork.

The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin for Best Novel.

In addition the Doc Weir Award went to Alison Scott. The Doc Weir is awarded to fans by fans and is specifically intended to honour hard-working volunteers.

Eastercon is the UK’s oldest science-fiction event and is held over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend. This year’s event was held exclusively online.

Eastercon 2022 launched

Eastercon

Eastercon, the UK’s longest running science fiction convention will run in 2022. The event will be called Reclamation and the intention is to return Eastercon back to an in person event if possible. It will run Friday 15th to Monday 18th April 2022.

The Guests of Honour are Hugo Award Winning author Mary Robinette Kowal, Sorceror To The Crown writer Zen Cho and Mortal Engines creator Philip Reeve. The fan guest of honour is  Nicholas Whyte.

Memberships are available now, from the website at reclamation2022.co.uk. The venue is currently not confirmed due to complications caused by the global pandemic, but the plans for the event are very much underway. The event will likely be held in the south of England. The event was confirmed during a special meeting at the current Eastercon, Confusion 2021.  This year’s Eastercon was presented entirely online and has been fraught with some technical issues.

Eastercon is entirely ran by fans for fans. They are non-commercial events.  Different teams tend to organise the event from year to year and events can be planned up to two years in advance, though this is not always the case.

The organisers behind this year’s Eastercon have proposed an event for 2023, however this was challenged by attendees.  The details of who will organise the 2023 event has been deferred until a future Eastercon. A proposal for an Eastercon 2024 is currently underway and a presentation was made during the same meeting.

Those intending to attend next year’s Eastercon should purchase tickets here. 

 

 

THUNDERCATS Are on the Move… to Hollywood!

tundercats

Perhaps even more surprising than the news a ThunderCats movie is officially on the way, is the fact that it’s 2021 and we haven’t got a ThunderCats movie yet!

Since its introduction as an animated series in 1985, the property has managed to cement itself in the lexicon of geek culture, despite lacking the aggressiveness of some of its ‘80s peers. (Even G.I. Joe has spawned two live action movies, with a third – Snake Eyes – due later this year.) The ThunderCats franchise has sporadically produced comic books and action figures, and has been relaunched – to differing acclaim – just twice; most recently in the more comedic ThunderCats Roar. Yet just about everybody can sing that theme tune and wield their own imaginary Sword of Omens whilst uttering the iconic “thunder… thunder… ThunderCats HOOO!”. Perhaps if Hollywood had asked their own Sword of Omens to give them “Sight Beyond Sight”, they’d have seen what potential cash cows these Cats are and greenlit this project thirty years ago.

But better late than later, and today comes news that writer/director Adam Wingard will follow up Godzilla vs Kong with a live-action take on ThunderCats for Warner Bros. Wingard will once again be working with screenwriter Simon Barrett on the film, continuing their successful collaboration that began with A Horrible Way to Die in 2010, and continued on through the next decade with genre classics such as You’re Next and The Guest.

Don’t expect to be visting Thundera or Third Earth until 2023 at the very earliest, but at least we can all start having fun assembling our dream cast lists! Dave Bautista for Panthro, anybody? Kristen Wiig as Cheetara? Nah, scratch that last one, that’ll never work.

Source: Deadline

London Independent Film Festival 2021 Reveals Line-Up

independent film festival

The London Independent Film Festival has announced the line-up for their 18th edition. This year, like so many festivals, the content will be online so will open up the accessibility to thousands more people. A record number of films will be screened this year when the festival takes place between April 9th and 18th.

Among the genre movies in the line-up are: Under the Radar: The Mike Edmonds Story, a documentary by Simon J. Frith about the actor best known for his roles in several Star Wars films, Time Bandits, and Flash Gordon amongst many others. The Horror Crowd, in which actor Ruben Pla discusses what makes the horror community so special with plenty of well-known names and faces. Stephanie Trainer’s The Clearing, in which a journalist wakes in her car and unable to find her way home. The programme will also include a host of short films.

There will be Q&As with many of the filmmakers and the festival will have writer/director Howard J. Ford as a special guest, who will be hosting a masterclass on his work, which includes The Dead, The Dead 2: India, Never Let Go, and The Lockdown Hauntings.

For more information and to book tickets, head over to www.liff.org.