Big Stink—The locally made zombie flick The Stink of Flesh, written and directed by Scott Phillips, has finally been picked up for nationwide distribution. The film will be released by Tempe Entertainment on a special edition DVD, set to hit store shelves May 24. U.K. distribution will follow shortly thereafter, meaning Scott's Stink will now be seen (smelled?) around the world. If you caught the film last year at one of its sold-out screenings at the Guild Cinema, there are plenty of reasons to pick up this new version. The special edition DVD will feature tons of groovy extras, including the “making of” documentary, outtakes, a 5.1 SurroundSound mix, a bunch of cool shorts and two feature-length cast and crew commentaries (including yours truly, who appears in the film as the unseemly soldier Lt. Vega). For updates on this and other trashy horror flicks, log on to www.tempevideo.com.
Reel World
Jason Lives—Speaking of the suddenly prolific Mr. Phillips, he recently completed work on his first novel for Black Flame Publishing. Black Flame has signed an agreement with New Line Cinema to produce paperback novels based on their assorted movie series (Blade, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Nightmare on Elm Street). Phillips' Friday the 13th adaptation, Church of the Divine Psychopath is the newest of these original novelizations out of the gate. The book tracks the growth of a mass-murderer-worshipping cult that springs up around the ruins of Camp Crystal Lake. Soon, the cultists, a heavily armed SWAT team and the always cheerful Mr. Jason Voorhees are locked in a nasty three-way conflict. Knowing Scott as I do, I can guarantee this one will deliver on the bloody goodness Friday the 13th fans have come to expect. Although the novel will not be released until August 1, 2005, eager fans can pre-order the book at amazon.com. Log on to www.blackflame.com or www.amazon.com for more info.
Reel World
Desolation Angels—As we speak, local filmmaker Chris Dillon–who wrote and directed the supernatural hit man movie Cross–is hard at work on his second feature, a self-described “vampire apocalypse” film called Desolation. Dillon's first film was an ambitious action flick shot on the fly for last October's Tromadance New Mexico Film Festival (where it took home the weekend's grand prize). If you're interested, you can check out a daily production blog from Chris and the other folks involved in Desolation at www.blankstarepictures.net. Cross, meanwhile, is now available on a “Super Deluxe Laser Edition” DVD which you can pick up at Burning Paradise Video (800 Central SW) or on the Blank Stare Pictures website. Support your local filmmakers, people, they're cool.
