Welcome Back

Welcome back

Your dreams were your ticket out

Welcome back

To that same old place that you laughed about

Well, the names have all changed

Since you hung around

But those dreams have remained

And they've turned around

Who'd have thought they'd lead you

(Who'd have thought they'd lead you)

Back here where we need you?

(Back here where we need you?)

-John Sebastian, Welcome Back, 1976

That's right, no more promising, I am back! Be sure to check this page often for updates on projects, random thoughts, complete stories and/or snippets, and so much more!

Let's just say that though the Creepercast may now be defunct I have been writing my own material like a mad man. Well, I already was a mad man, maybe a madder man?

By the way, the Creepercast blog does still exist if you want to travel back in time and read reviews, etc. But going forward I'm likely to slowly phase it out in favor of my pulpit hear. I will repost the best of the best here before then.  Meanwhile, let me remind you of where you can find via the links below. Yes, most of the content therein is pretty old, reinvented, or in much need of editing and re-release. But new stuff is on its way and this is the place to learn about it! For now...

Farewell from the beast and I...

'til next we bleed - JP

About J.P. Hunt

J.P. was born as far north in Michigan as you can get without being Canadian and raised next to the flattest mountain in the state. He received his B.A.A. in English Literature/Creative Writing at Central Michigan University with a heavy focus on medieval history/literature and general film studies. J.P.’s writings focus predominantly in the general fantasy and horror genres with several stories, collections, novels, and scripts in the works. He currently resides in New Mexico with his wife, 3 dogs, 5 cats, and stepson. J.P. is a storyteller with dark corners in his mind that echo the voices of King, Poe, and Lovecraft.

Find more of his work on Amazon and Smashwords or follow his blog Sayviors Sermons. You can also follow him on Facebook, Twitter, and his Wix Author Site.

Creepercast Episode 58: News with comments week of 1/18/2012

News with comments week of 1/18/2012

Click Banner to Hear Full Episode

 

by Jeff

In the News

He won't stop!

One of the noteworthy sci-fi flicks due to hit theaters eventually is M. Night Shyamalan’s After Earth: an original project that actually sounds pretty promising, despite the fact that its director’s name has become synonymous with “hack,” as far as many moviegoers are concerned.

After Earth follows a father and son (played by real-life father-son duo Will and Jaden Smith) on an adventure that unfolds after the two are stranded on a futuristic version of planet Earth, abandoned by humanity some thousand years ago. The supporting cast already includes Oscar-nominee Sophie Okonedo (X-men: First Class) and Zoë Kravitz (Doctor Who). from ScreenRant

By now everyone knows my hatred for Shyamalama-ding-dong-dammit. Yet, I still subject myself to his ridiculous tweeesty creations. The main problem with this one is it “sounds pretty promising.” Isn't that the reason we have fallen for everything the man has done? Does he ever deliver? Will this movie benefit from the Smith's involvement? I have gone on record saying the best M. Night movies had Bruce Willis in them. Could Will be the new Bruce? As always I will hope that “promising” means something and end up seeing this movie despite the realization that that it 'promises' to let me down. Or maybe that's why I do it. Check out my review of 'Devil' or listen to just about any episode of the Creepercast to get an idea of how I really feel about Mr. Shyamalama!~

The Devil Inside... Again

‘The Devil Inside’ director and writer pair, William Brent Bell and Matthew Peterman, are readying yet another installment in the ‘found footage’ genre. Is the untitled film something new or a ‘Devil Inside’ sequel? Nobody knows for sure but it will again found footage style and filmed in Romania. Sounds like sequel to me.

It’s no surprise to hear that the pair is moving fast, especially considering that most box office experts are expecting a major drop-off for The Devil Inside in the coming week – due to negative word of mouth and the unenthusiastic response of the critical community. However, regardless of the film’s reception, it managed to do big bucks on a $1 million budget – making the pair an attractive prospect for Hollywood executives.

The film is set for financing through Sierra/Affinity and the Incentive Filmed Entertainment Fund with Peterman as well as Steven Schneider (Paranormal Activity, Insidious) and Morris Paulson (The Devil Inside) producing – and Bell, Peterman, and Paulson’s company, Prototype, handling production. The film is set to start work in Romania this April – though no storylines or potential cast members have been revealed at this point. from SreenRant

I will reserve most of my comments for the review of  'The Devil Inside' in the next couple days. What I will say is found footage films are in a great abundance right now its starting to get boring. As for this one here's a review teaser...

My Synopsis: Take every exorcism movie you have ever seen and add a documentary crew!~

Dexter Season 9?

Showtime President of Entertainment, David Nevins on Dexter...

“[Season 8] is the likely endpoint, but I’m leaving open the possibility that plans could change [...] I think there’s a very clear trajectory now of where they’re going. I think it’s going to help to write with that endgame in mind. I’ve been pushing to shake up the formula a little bit. I think there should be fundamentally different dynamics now.” from ScreenRant

Season 8 is supposed to be the end of Dexter. But that is not to say they aren't considering a season 9 with all the craziness and added dimensions to Dexter's story currently. But all this really proves is that the powers that be behind Dexter have learned how to mess with our minds like the great people of Supernatural. Damn them!~

The Twilight Games

Summit Entertainment (The Twilight Saga) and Lionsgate (Mad Men, The Hunger Games) have merged. Find out the details of the deal, and what it may mean for the TV/Movie industry.

So what we have is two minor studios that have seen a moderate amount of success in recent years combining forces to bigger and better things. Aside from the aforementioned Hunger Games franchise, Lionsgate has had moderate success in both TV (with shows like Mad Men, Weeds, and Tyler Perry’s House of Payne) and movies (The Lincoln Lawyer, The Expendables, Precious, Kick-Ass and several Tyler Perry films). Aside from Twilight, Summit’s success has been regulated to a few breakout films, including Red, The Hurt Locker, Source Code, and current awards contender, 50/50. Hopefully smaller studios like these will result in some bigger risks that offer us more original TV/Movie ideas- rather than the string of remakes, reboots, and brand-established fare we’ve been getting in the last few years.” from ScreenRant

Over the last few decades Lionsgate have proven to be a powerhouse all by themselves. They've taken chances on many things the major studios wouldn't touch and received much success for doing so, especially when it comes to films from the Horror and SciFi genre. Summit has taken quite a gamble itself in the last decade with films like Red and the multi-billion dollar success of the vampire/werewolf/human triangle Twilight. One can only hope that a merger of this magnitude will incite others to take more chances on new and original film ideas like this article says. Hopefully it doesn't mean Lionsgate/Summit will get sucked into the maelstrom and start cranking out remake/reboots themselves.~

Score!

Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress in a TV Series: Jessica Lange in FX’s American Horror Story from ScreenRant

One of the greatest women in Tv/Film and the only nod this year to the horror genre.~

Box office

6 The Devil Inside (2012) $8.03M weekend $47.4M after 2 weeks

 Look for my review! ~

7 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) $6.66M weekend $89.2M after 4 weeks

This movie is labeled a crime/drama/mystery and yet seems to be getting a lot of nods from Horror reviewers. Which means we may have to give it consideration. Since our definition of horror is often based on any part of the film containing essential elements, who knows for sure. Being a purist, though, I will of course watch the Denmark original first and then likely criticize the American version for messing with the story to much. Look for a review soon! ~

New Releases this week in theater

Underworld: Awakening(2012)

“When human forces discover the existence of the Vampire and Lycan clans, a war to eradicate both species commences. The vampire warrioress Selene leads the battle against humankind.”

So we (normal non-vampire/werewolves) are the bad guys this time. I have no idea who to root for! Is this film going to make me wish I was one or the other? Look for a review soon! ~

Creepercast News

~Jeff and Lovesdragons hang with the cast of the walking dead!

~The Walking Dead Week in Review Fancast returns next week with the season thus far in review and Madison (Sophia) has a message for Jason and maybe a bit of a spoiler for the rest of the season!

Kickstarter pledges andwhat it means to us! Updates posted regularly!

Cafepress merchandise!New logo and sticker designed by nessaboo! 

~Barry Bostwick (Some Guy Who Kills People) contact after jan. 21!

~Gary Streiner (Night of the Living Dead) said yes! Just need to book!

~Zombies 101 next week! Origination of the Zombie Genre – Voodoo and Re-animation!

~A call to writers and reviewers! Submit material!

~Follow us on facebook and twitter to keep updated on stuff!

'Grimm' Series Premiere Review

'Grimm' Series Premiere, October 28^th 2011 (NBC- Fridays 9/8c)

(As always, with windows you need to right click all links and choose open in new window/tab in order to stay on this page! At least until I figure out how to change that! Clicking pictures will take you to Amazon.com!)

My Synopsis: Grimm's scary tales are real! I f'n knew it!

For those that lament the state of the oldest and greatest broadcast network they have a new offering for us! Some would say their jumping on the bandwagon by running a show steeped in monsters, special effects, and mystery. But for a network whose current best programming is limited to syndicated crime dramas, comedies, and reality competition shows, 'Grimm' could be the show that gives them back some legitimacy. Sure it's up against AMC's 'The Walking Dead,' ABC's 'Once Upon a Time,' 'Supernatural,' and countless CW Vampire et al dramas but it is the only one that brings the closest adaptation of the brothers Grimm fables into the modern world, and that is one thing I have to applaud. So how does the premiere to 'Grimm' look and is it worth tuning in to NBC on Friday, October 28^th?

The premier episode pays homage to Little Red Riding Hood. Now The Brothers Grimm's tales are a collection of fables told amongst the villages in which they lived. That is to say they are stories that convey a lesson of the time in which they were created. They are nothing like the Disney bastardizations we have come to love and abhor. So what does Little Red-Cap (aka Little Red Riding Hood) teach? On the surface it's pretty obvious... little girls who walk through the woods are likely to get themselves and their grandmothers eaten by wolves if they don't prove that they and grandmother aren't craftier. There is no Hunstman in this telling and The Big Bad Wolf doesn't get to eat grandma whole and therefore have his stomach ripped open to find a living, breathing grandmother inside. Instead Red and G'ma out smart Big Bad themselves.

In this premiere we have a Red Riding Hood serial killer, no grandma, but a couple of dinner leftovers and an abduction. Our hero Nick would be the Huntsman, out to save the abducted Little Red and rid the world of one Big Bad. It is a well crafted episode that has elements that harken back to Ledger and Damon's 'The Brothers Grimm' (2005). It almost feels like Nick is a present day descendant of the hapless reluctant heroes in that movie without all the frantic slapstick. The humor that does exist is dark and surprising, like we would expected from the producers of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer.'

Now it's not quite explained why it is that all of sudden rookie homicide detective Nick is capable of seeing the Grimm monsters that live among us but his creepy aunt does offer the explanation that everything we thought were fairy tales are real. He is a descendant of the Brothers whose famous stories were actually a chronicle of the monsters and how to beat them. This is pretty close to how the Winchester brothers got started in 'Supernatural' with the exception that Grimm's stories really exist. We also find out via Eddie that many of those creatures are 'reformed,' carrying on normal human lives, and that he is pretty much the narc of the monster world. In the end, with the help of his partner, his aunts info, and the wolf-narc Eddie, this Big Bad might get caught but the episode also leaves us with a chilling realization that there is more than one non-reformed Big Bad in the world looking for Little Reds to eat. The implication being we haven't seen the last of the Red-Cap chronicles.

Based on the pilot I would say this series has great potential. At first I was impressed and pleasantly surprised by the opening ten minutes which pretty much plays out like every crime show beginning- we meet the victim, the perfect song helps to set the scene ('Sweet Dreams' by the Eurythmics) and then a murder happens. Cut to meet the detectives! I want to comment on the use of 'Sweet Dreams,' normally when it comes to Little Red Riding Hood interpretations the most commonly used song is 'Li'l Red Riding Hood' by Sam the Sham & The Pharaohs. It is a pretty creepy song that implies something a lot more illicit than murder and I must admit I expected it to be used to define the setting of this episode and would have been disappointed by the cliché. Fortunately I was pleasantly surprised, the use of both versions of 'Sweet Dreams' to open and close the episode tells so much! This episode is about Nick's transformation from the ignorant happy dreamer in The Eurythmics to the jaded and creeped out nightmares of Marilyn Manson. Kudos music department!

The episode is also visually stunning. The colors are dark and vibrant, like a fairy tale should be (this could be partly due to the Oregon setting, forget 'Twilight' was also shot there, please), and the effects don't feel strained or over done. My greatest concern with the episode is the acting. With the obvious exception of the masterful Silas Weir Mitchell as Eddie, the others seemed wooden and out of place, Especially Nick's aunt who looked and sounded more like she was reciting the Gettysburg Address than giving important background information. Upon reflection I realize I felt the same about 'Buffy,' 'Angel,' and 'Supernatural' so my hope is that, like them, with a few more episodes the actors will fall more casually into their roles and maybe grow on me more. Of course with NBC's record let's hope the show lasts long enough to get comfortable with itself!

Again, though I do see minor failings with this premiere I have great hopes and expectations for the future of the show. The premise is fantastic, anything that has to do with real life Grimm's monsters would be! In time the show could prove to be worthy of joining the ranks of its predecessors and with over 200 tales to choose from the series could easily last 5 seasons without repeating a story. So if you love closer than normal interpreted fairy tales I suggest not missing the premier when it airs on October 28^th and give NBC some love in the hopes they won't shoot themselves in the foot. They have to be running out of feet by now.

As always, check out the links and I welcome comments! I may follow this show for awhile just because I think it would be fun to compare the Grimm's tales to each episode.

'Til next we bleed,

J.P. (Jeff) Hunt

For more interpretations of Little Red Riding Hood...

I Saw the Devil (2010)

http://www.isawthedevilmovie.com/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1588170/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Saw_the_Devil

My synopsis: This is a serial killer movie and a revenge movie. It’s mostly a revenge movie. The serial killer is the bad guy. Or is it the cop? It’s definitely the serial killer or the cop.

Comments:
Yeah, I've really been on this Asian film kick lately and this one comes highly acclaimed from Sundance, Toronto Film Fest and SXSW. It’s been billed as an action, thriller, and horror film. The 'horror' tag is what brought it to The Creepercast and honestly that description is tenuous. But you can hear Jason tirade about that on the podcast (Creepercast Episode 28: I saw the devil and he is Jason!). I am going to discuss all three tags and probably will end up defending it as a horror movie of sorts...

To read more visit www.creepercast.com!

No Trespassing (someday soon I hope!)

'No Trespassing' is a horror/thriller/slasher flick Jason and I have been working on since college. Some of you already know that I am an aspiring screenwriter and with Creepercast and all those horror reviews it's pretty obvious what my chosen genre is. If you look through older posts you'll even find loglines to script ideas currently in progress. Being the oldest of the stories working on, 'No Trespassing' haunts my every day/night since it is still more of a concept then a reality. In a world of remakes it's time for some original horror material so it's time to make it a reality! Check out the info...

Log Lines:
Bickering brothers lead their clueless friends on a camping adventure that finds them in a struggle for survival as they are hunted for trespassing.
OR
It’s more than mere sport when an irate hermit struggles to keep wayward misfits from trespassing on his hunting ground!

'No Trespassing' uses a blend of traditional and original story telling techniques that pay homage to the masters of the genre while seeking its own place amongst them. The story itself is comprised of themes like personal struggle, friendships and family, good times, the hunting culture, and the voyeuristic horrors that grace the pages of every daily newspaper. It is intended as a study of the human condition that uses the tried and true slasher style movie mold. It's not all seriousness of course. The script promises the same thrills, and more, than you expect from the genre! Upon completion of the script it is our goal to go into full production using the Oregon wilderness as our backdrop.

As we work to make this script come to life I will constantly keep all you awesome readers informed. Just keep visiting this page, because believe it or not in the end, it is all of you that can eventually make this film happen!

Some Guy Who Kills People (2011?)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1568341/
http://www.someguywhokillspeople.com


My Synopsis: There’s this guy right, we’ll call him Every-Guy-Who-Has-Survived Childhood-Prosecution But-Not-Without-Several-Years-of-Therapy; or Some Guy works too. More importantly, he kills people. No, really, it’s in the title and this movie title doesn’t lie.

***Getting a hold of this movie was major for us at the Creepercast, written by Ryan Levin, Directed by Jack Perez, starring Kevin Corrigan, Barry Bostwick and Karen Black it is a truly entertaining dark comedic horror. For the full review we ask that you visit www.creepercast.com

Here's what the creators think of the review!
On Jun 13, 2011, at 2:36 PM, Ryan Levin wrote:

Thank you so much for the incredibly generous review. I’m extremely flattered you enjoyed the film as much as you did, and I’m extremely appreciative that you shared that enjoyment with your readers. I’m really just thrilled that someone would want write such an extensive and complimentary review of the film. Thank you both so much. The podcast will be a blast.
Talk soon.
--Ryan

Dear Jeff & Jason,

Just wanted to thank you for your extremely thoughtful and kind review of SOME GUY. Your examination was superb - you clearly "got" the movie in spades. So happy you enjoyed it. I'm really looking forward to the podcast and speaking with you directly.

Many thanks again!

best,
Jack Perez

So if you do a Google search for the as yet unreleased dark horror comedy - Some Guy Who Kills People - you will find my Creepercast review as the 8th result! If you haven't checked it out yet you should, help make it number 1! ;-)

In the meantime i will keep you all posted on the upcoming podcast review, interviews with Jack Perez and Ryan Levin, and anything else 'Some Guy' related! Follow me here, on the Creeepercast site, or the Creepercast facebook fanpage (http://www.facebook.com/creepercast) for more info!