New podcast appearances – Evolution of Horror & Franchise Players – out now!

I LOVE a good podcast, especially podcasts about films, so I was chuffed to chat about two great stonkers in two recent podcasts, both of which are now available for your aural pleasure.

First, I chatted to Mike Muncer on the hugely popular Evolution of Horror podcast about Ti West’s 2009 retro occult horror, The House of The Devil. A stunning example of beautiful low-budget independent filmmaking, which wears its influences on its sleeve, Mike and I delved deep into the plot, aesthetic, its legacy and superstar Greta Gerwig’s supporting role, as well as its film nerd status as a fine example of ‘mumblegore.’ This episode is twinned with Mike’s chat with Robb Watts about another witchy release from the same year, the equally brilliant Drag Me To Hell by Sam Raimi. Have a listen here or via Apple Podcasts and other services. It’s recently been Apple Podcast’s number one film history podcast!

Then I had a good old natter with Mark Goddard and Chloe Davies for the Franchise Players podcast about one of the best thrillers that has ever been made – yes, I said thriller rather than horror – Richard Donner’s 1976 classic, The Omen. This is another movie I have such respect for, and Mark, Chloe and I discussed the film in great detail – scene by scene where we could, evaluating the story, performance, score, its set pieces, where its genre lines blur and the influence it’s had on modern horror classics. We spoke for several hours and I could have praised it for another six hours. You can listen here.

If you love a bit of film history, critique and trivia, or just want to get your geek on during your commute, when cooking, in the bath or when trying to sleep, or you’re searching for creative inspiration, both are a good, fun and worthy listen. Enjoy!

And there’s more of me chatting on podcasts to come over the coming months… To be announced soon!

New article in Film Stories magazine, Issue 10, Oct 2019 – on sale now!

A brand spanking new article written by me is featured in the latest issue of the wonderful Film Stories magazine! It’s my third piece for the mag.

A five-page spread all about Rachel Tunnard’s brilliant 2016 film, Adult Life Skills starring Jodie Whittaker, it was a delight to write and reflect on. I spoke to Rachel about how she made her debut feature and there’s so much to learn from her experiences.

Massive thanks to Rachel for chatting with me so openly and sincerely about the production.

The article’s called Patching Up and starts on page 74 in issue 10 – the October edition of the magazine.

 

Out now in print and digital format, Film Stories is available online and in independent stores, including the BFI Southbank shop, with super cheap subscription options, too.

Thanks to Simon Brew for commissioning me to write this article about a film I love, again. I’m always really proud to be part of this very special movie mag.

Cat included in Evolution of Horror podcast FrightFest review episode

Another year, another Arrow Video FrightFest film festival done and dusted. As well as opening the 20th anniversary of the festival with #FFIDENT20 just before the premiere of Come to Daddy, I’m also really chuffed to be included in the Evolution of Horror special reviewing the festival. It’s a fantastic podcast and includes contributions from special guests, filmmakers, podcast listeners and FrightFest fans.

You can catch me at around 1 hour 13 minutes discussing my favourite film of the festival – the one that stole my heart and ate it. No hints!

Listen here!

 

 

New article published in Film Stories Magazine, Issue 5, Out now!

An extended article I wrote for the spectacular new print magazine Film Stories has now been published. The feature is about the too often overlooked 90s rom com Jack & Sarah, starring Richard E. Grant, Samantha Mathis, Sir Ian McKellen, Dame Judi Dench and Dame Eileen Atkins. Spread across five pages, I argue that the film is well worth a revisit and discuss its many merits. It includes extracts from an exclusive interview I did with the writer/director, Tim Sullivan, who was very generous with his time and shared so many interesting stories about the making of his ‘baby.’

Film Stories, Issue 5, is available now from the BFI Shop, WHSmiths and via mail order. It’s a snip at just £5.99, or it’s even cheaper if you opt for a subscription deal! This issue also includes:

• The stars of Rocketman on bringing the Elton John biopic to the screen
• Richard O’Brien on the lost Rocky Horror Picture Show sequels
• The movie apocalypse films that have flown under the radar: Reign Of Fire, anyone?
• True confessions of a movie PR rep
• The woman who transformed Warner Bros’s movie marketing
• Jack & Sarah: revisiting an overlooked 90s British movie.
• The evolution of movie special effects, and the return of practical
• Three films and he’s out: the movie career of Yahoo Serious
• Celebrating the musical films of John Carney
• The trick to making a horror movie remake

So don’t miss out! And I hope you enjoy reading my lovingly crafted article!

Podcast appearance: Evolution of Horror – Zombies, episode 10 – available now!

Ta dah! My latest podcast appearance has been unleashed on the world via Apple Podcasts and other great platforms! I had a blast chatting to Mike Muncer, with James Moran, about George A Romero’s classic flick Day of the Dead for the Evolution of Horror podcast. It’s episode 10 of the season on zombie flicks. The episode was recorded shortly before the sad passing of one of the stars – Joseph Pilato – RIP.

 

We’re paired with fellow filmmaker Sam Ashurt who discusses the other zombie game-changer of 1985 – Return of the Living Dead. It’s a really cool episode and well worth a listen! You can listen at the Evolution of Horror website, and find out more about Mike’s Patreon campaign for the series here. Go support!

 

 

New article featured in Film Stories magazine

I’m really proud to say that an article James Moran and I wrote about our hit short, Blood Shed, is featured in issue one of the brand spanking new movie buff magazine, Film Stories!

The magazine is the brainchild of Den of Geek founder, Simon Brew, and accompanies his popular new podcast  – also entitled Film Stories. The magazine was recently funded by a massively successful Kickstarter campaign, smashing the initial target – almost doubling it. It champions new releases and new writing, celebrates all the geeky film stuff that you want to read about, and features regular columns by stand-up Romesh Ranganathan, BAFTA-winning creator of Wolfblood, Debbie Moon, and writer/director of The Levelling, Hope Dickson Leach. So we’re in great company!

Our article addresses how to get your film noticed and more bang for your buck when submitting to film festivals, with our hints and tips for playing the odds and creating a successful strategy. There are also some of our lovely behind the scenes photos taken by the brilliant Mike Shawcross.

You can get your hands on a copy of issue one now, or subscribe so you don’t miss out on the next magnificent issue!

 

 

 

Blood Shed’s meteoric rise! World Premiere, festivals, award nominations & reviews!

It’s been six months since we shot Blood Shed, and the shed has had something of a meteoric rise since its World Premiere at Horror Channel FrightFest in London just over a month ago! As co-writer, producer and production designer of this tale of 80s shed gore, I couldn’t be more proud.

Blood Shed cast and crew ahead of the World Premiere! Pic: Moranic Productions 2017

We just yesterday found out that we’ve been selected by our SIXTEENTH festival! AND we’ve been nominated for an award at Sick Chick Flicks Film Festival in North Carolina!

To have sixteen festivals booked in little over a month since our World Premiere is really quite a feat, and we’re overjoyed that so many festival programmers love a story about a killer shed as much as we do! It’s all come as rather a surprise to James and I. We’ve never had a film gather such momentum so fast and only hope that the little shed that could continues to find its tribe on the festival scene and beyond! My fingers and toes are crossed daily.

Last week we announced four festivals – Knoxville Horror Film Fest in Tennessee, Unrestricted View Horror Film Festival in London, Ax Wound Film Festival in Vermont, and Underwire Festival 2017 in London, where we’re up for another award – the Producing Award. Underwire is also a BAFTA qualifier festival – our first to date. I’m more than a little bit overwhelmed by that as it’s a personal award, and Blood Shed was by no means an easy film to make.

Blood Shed has two festival outings this week in case you’re able to catch it on the big screen. First, the film will be screening in Pennsylvania, USA on Friday 6th October at the Indie Horror Drive-In Film Festival. 

Then on Saturday 7th October, the shed is back in London to rock Wimbledon International Short Film Festival from 7.30pm, where we’re nominated for the Best London Filmmaker award, and eligible for two further awards to be decided on the night!

More details on the festivals that we’ve been able to announce so far can be found on the Screenings page of the official Blood Shed website, which is crammed with stuff!

We’ve also had a flurry of exceptional reviews following our premiere. Here are just a few highlights with some linky links for clicky clicks if you want to feast your eyes on the full reviews. They’re rather lovely and have certainly left us all warm and fuzzy inside.

​“…indebted to the CGI-free horror of the Eighties, and in particular to George A. Romero’s Creepshow (1982)… as though this were a lost British segment of Romero’s anthology film.” SciFiNow
​
“A thirteen-minute slice of genius… enough gags and gore to put a smile on anyone’s face… Davies and her partner-in-cinematic-crime James Moran have a perfect handle on what makes an entertaining and memorable short.” Starburst

“Loaded with laughs and gore to satisfy in this very niche sub-genre you never knew you needed.” HorrorTalk

We’ve had such tremendous support from our Kickstarter backers and new fans who’ve discovered the film since we ran our crowdfunding campaign back in February. All digital rewards, and most of the physical perks, have been sent out for the gang to enjoy. Those waiting on swag packs that include a poster, badges and magnet – never fear – they’ll be on your doorstep in no time. They’ll be worth the wait!

Merch! Merch! Merch!

We may offer some of the remaining limited edition merchandise as competition prizes at festivals or on social media, so keep your eyes peeled on the Twitter feed.

We’re deep in pre-production on our next short film, Hank: Portrait of a Serial Killer, which is due to be shot in November (depending on when my baby decides she’s ready to come out) and completed in early 2018. This one is written and directed by me, and produced by James and I. There’s no shed this time, but still lots of gore, blood and jokes. We hope to share this with the festival scene next year.