While driving through my old stomping grounds in Springfield Township, Ohio today to meet my father for our usual mid-week lunch at our favorite Chinese place, I was aghast to see that the last of my old Ohio offices had finally been torn down.
This wasn’t just any old office — it was the one where most of the production of my first feature film, THE DEAD NEXT DOOR, was staged, circa 1986-1987. I couldn’t resist stopping to grab a quick photo of the now-empty lot on my iPhone today, similar to an old shot of the back entrance to the building from that era, which you can see side by side above — and that got some old memories coming back.
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I’ve had a number of folks randomly drop me a line wondering what became of the last work-for-hire feature that I directed, DEADLY STINGERS (which I not-so-affectionately refer to as DEADLY STINKERS). Much to my surprise, in recent weeks I’ve gotten word that the movie is actually playing on television in the United Kingdom after sitting on a shelf for nearly 7 years (?!).
As a result of it finally getting airplay, it’s all over the torrent sites now, just waiting for anyone who really wants to see it to download it. (Or, if you just want a guilt-free taste of the movie, you can check out the original promo trailer.) But remember, if you’re not in the U.K., Google is your friend.
P.S.: I have no idea who did the artwork above but I thought it was kind of cool for something thrown together for a torrent site. Kudos!
Update 12/30/09: Turns out I have to eat a little crow on part of this post: Only hours after writing this, Netflix coughed up a purchase order for TAINTLIGHT at long last, so thanks to everyone who put it in their queue it should be available to rent there shortly after the New Year. Still no word one way or another re: COCKHAMMER, though… 
Hard to believe, but in just a couple of days, 2009 will be a distant memory. Seems like only yesterday that I was writing a blog about how much 2008 sucked and how I was looking forward to what 2009 would bring. And bring it did!
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Update 12/30/09: Thanks to everyone who added TAINTLIGHT to your queues, we finally received a buy on the title from Netflix yesterday so the title should be available from them shortly after the first of the year. You guys are my heroes!
So tomorrow (Tuesday, Nov. 17) is the street date for Tempe’s Splatter Rampage release TAINTLIGHT. It’s the latest horror parody from MULVA: ZOMBIE ASS KICKER! creator Chris Seaver, and as you can tell from the artwork above, it’s a parody of the book/film TWILIGHT
. If you buy your DVDs, it’s available now at Tempevideo.com, Amazon.com
, DeepDiscount.com and all the usual suspects.
If you choose to rent, then unfortunately your options are now quite limited. Here’s why.
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It goes without saying that consumers are in love with Redbox, the Coinstar-owned company who in just a few short years has built up a formidable rental kiosk business against the likes of mail-order favorite Netflix. I mean, DVD rentals for a buck a night? What’s not to like? (Unless you like indie fare like Tempe… Redbox is for the big boys only.)
Somebody explain that to the bigwigs in Hollywood. First they succeeded in mostly squashing the 99¢ iTunes new release (that’ll be $1.29 now, thankyouverymuch), and now they’re trying to put the squeeze on the $1 DVD rental.
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OK, not really… but thanks to the musical stylings of one of the cast members, you can sit back and imagine what it might be like!
This audio track comes courtesy of Michael Render, who played “Willard” in SKINNED ALIVE. Mike is a talented musician first & foremost, having been a founding member of Joy Circuit, the popular Akron-area band back in the ’80s who also contributed an end title track, “The Answer”, to THE DEAD NEXT DOOR. Mike’s other contributions to the Tempe Universe include a cameo in ROBOT NINJA and guitar tracks on the original (VHS-era) version of “Into The Black” (the end title track from OZONE).
And now comes this, a musical version of the scene in SKINNED ALIVE where the Willard character meets his untimely fate at the hands of Phink, Violet and Crawldaddy. It’s a hoot!
SKINNED ALIVE: The Musical (Demo) by Michael Render
In case you haven’t heard, the classic, underrated 1986 horror comedy NIGHT OF THE CREEPS
is finally coming to DVD in October. Until July 12, Amazon.com is having a neat little thing where customers can vote for which cover art the DVD will have (and entice you to pre-order at the same time, of course).
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If you follow this blog at all, you’ve probably read some of my exploits in trying to find a perfect home theatre solution that blends discless DVD playback with the latest streaming video trends. Last year I jacked a D-Link DNS-323
NAS into my home office network with 2 TB of storage for ripped DVDs, and have been alternating between the Apple TV
and an HP Windows Vista box to watch them.
Unfortunately, this isn’t quite as seamless as I had first hoped.
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As I mentioned in a post back on March 23, my second “epic of the imagination” ROBOT NINJA got a screening in Kiel, Germany on April 14, and here’s the proof. I’m told a good time was had by all, and that the attendance was better than similar screenings for I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE
(so take that, Camille Keaton!).
More photos after the break. Check it!
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According to a bit posted today on Electronista.com, Blockbuster may be wailing its final death throes at long last. Apparently, Big Blue has told the Securities and Exchange Commission that it “doesn’t believe it can continue business” and that it doesn’t believe it can remain a “going concern”.
I doubt anyone will be surprised by this… personally, I’ve had it out for Blockbuster for nearly two decades after watching their uncompetitive practices, particularly with their bullying abuse of independent studios. So, crash & burn, guys… Hell has a special place set aside for you.
P.S.: I should clarify that my hostility is aimed at Blockbuster Corporate and not at the former Movielink staff (disclaimer: Tempe deals with them), or the occasional cool franchise store who’s given indie flicks a chance to shine on their shelves.
