12/12/12 Out Today

We're in the middle of an Asylum release streak, and today's the day Jared Cohn's supernatural thriller 12/12/12 hits the streets on DVD, Blu-Ray, and VOD. Scroll down only a few inches and you'll stumble across my notes on the film, which I found highly entertaining and scarily enjoyable. So get thee to a video dispensary and procure with your greedy little hands a copy of this end-of-the-world fright-fest; if you don't, The Asylum's gonna send that little guy below after you, and trust me, that's a BAD thing. Go, go!

observation notes: 12/12/12

Out this Tuesday from The Asylum, the supernatural thriller 12/12/12, from writer/director and Committed-fave Jared Cohn (Born Bad, Bikini Spring Break, Hold Your Breath). The film stars Sara Malakul Lane (the lovely lady scientist in Sharktopus), Jesus Guevara (Santiago, upcoming 40 Sundays), Carl Donelson (Born Bad), and Steve Hanks (Hold Your Breath, Super Cyclone), as well as Asylum regulars Jon Kondelik (Amityville Haunting, American Warships, 40 Days and Nights, Haunting of Whaley House, Nazis at the Center of the Earth etc.), Samantha Stewart (Bikini Spring Break), Erin O'Brien (Bikini Spring Break), Samuel Fisher (Nazis at the Center of the Earth), and even Cohn himself (Halloween Night, Legion of the Dead, Way of the Vampire, Alien Abduction) as, appropriately, "Jared."

The film - not a sequel to last year's supernatural thriller 11/11/11 - concerns a not-so-innocent baby boy, Sebastian, who after his birth on the twelfth day of the twelfth month of the twelfth year of the twenty-first century, begins affecting those around him in a pretty lethal way. Soon enough, mom Veronica (Lane) comes to the only conclusion she can: lil Sebastian is a bona fide hellspawn, and the shit hasn't even begun to hit the fan.

In the interest of keeping this spoiler-free - the point's to get you to see it, after all - I'll spare you the various twists and turns of this fast-paced, thrill-a-minute fright-fest, but to say that this one holds nothing back, starting from frame one: there's gore, nudity, enough swearing to make a sailor blush, and rampant violence to keep you watching through your fingers.

Ms. Lane was my favorite part of Sharktopus - which overall I thought was weighed down by too much scientific mumbo jumbo - and the love affair continues. Girl's got mad scream-queen potential, as her work here affirms. It was my first time seeing Mr. Donelson as husband Carlos, and he brought the requisite macho concern as a father WAY out of his league.

Cohn has once again delivered a taut, twisting, barrage of thrills sure to hack at Asylum fans' horror bones. His direction adds darkness to an already pitch-black story, and his intimacy with the acts of violence throughout submerge viewers into the Hell he is unleashing on-screen. The film has a very urban-gothic feel, a sinister, ironic claustrophobia that really elevates the tension and suspense.

A little bit Omen, a little bit Rosemary's Baby, a tad of The Beast Within, and a whole lot of nail-biting originality makes 12/12/12 a post-Halloween horror treat genre fans should enjoy. It's out this Tuesday, December 4th, on DVD, Blu-Ray, and VOD.

40 Days and Nights out today!

Even though we're on the cusp of December, there are still three Asylum releases slated for 2012, which means that beginning today, we get three straight weeks of brand spankin' new movies from our favorite independent studio.

The streak starts today with global-flood pic 40 Days and Nights, starring Monica Keena and Alex Carter, written by H. Perry Horton (that's me) and directed by Peter Geiger.

The next week we get 12/12/12, an apocalyptic horror/thriller from writer/directer Jared Cohn, the mastermind behind Born Bad and Bikini Spring Break, and also the director of The Asylum's first theatrical release, #HoldYourBreath.

And then the Tuesday after that, December 11th, there's the highly-anticipated Age of The Hobbits, from director Joseph Lawson (Nazis at the Center of the Earth) and writer Eric Forsberg (Mega Piranha, Almighty Thor), and starring Christopher Judge and Bai Ling.

So, as you can see, there's still a lot of awesome stuff to come this year from The Asylum. Start things off right with 40 Days and Nights, available now on DVD, Blu-Ray and VOD.

4 New Asylum Trailers on YouTube!

Head over to The Asylum's YouTube channel now for a peek at FOUR upcoming Asylum projects,including Jared Cohn's hella-creepy-looking 12/12/12, Director Joseph Lawson and writer Eric Forsberg's beautiful and epic Age of the Hobbits, writer Jose Prendes' Hansel and Gretel, and the trailer for my - H. Perry Horton - next Asylum script 40 Days and Nights. 

All four of the films will be out by the end of the year, and from the looks of them, it's going to be an awesome end to 2012. Viva Asylum!!!

Exclusive Interview with #HoldYourBreath Director Jared Cohn!

Tomorrow, October 5th, The Asylum ventures into brand new territory: the land of theatrical distribution. And leading the charge is the horror film #HoldYourBreath, starring 30 Rock's Katrina Bowden and The Lying Game's Randy Wayne. The story comes from uber-talented Asylum regular Geoff Meed (6 Guns, I Am Omega, Amittyville Haunting) and is directed by none other than Jared Cohn, a man who needs no introduction to Committed readers or Asylum fans at large, as Mr. Cohn has directed not one, not two, not even three but four films for The Asylum in the last 18 months - thriller Born Bad, comedy Bikini Spring Break, upcoming apocalyptic thriller 12/12/12 and now #HoldYourBreath. Cohn wrote the script for the first three projects, and rounds out his impressive resume by being a certifiably stellar actor, not to mention a stand-up dude and, in my meager experience, one of the most enthusiastic and devoted filmmakers at The Asylum right now. Mr. Cohn was kind enough to sit down for his second interview with Committed to give us all the 411 on #HoldYourBreath.

COMMITTED: What can you tell us about #holdyourbreath?

JARED COHN: Breath is cool, serial killer, evil spirit, body jumping movie! Lots of suspense, excitement, and you never know who is the killer. In a similar vein as Fallen, starring Denzel W. It's the first movie with a # in the title, and I thought that was very innovative and zeitgeist. I am happy because the feedback from the trailer and from some of those who have actually seen the entire, completed movie has been very positive!  I can say it is a badass movie that people should definitely check out. http://holdyourbreathmovie.com Also, enter the Midnight Madness contest where the winner gets killed in a movie!

Katrina Bowden stars

C: When did you realize it was going to get a theatrical debut, and how was that decided? Did that effect the filmmaking process at all?

JC: I made sure to get some big theatrical, epic shots in the movie. There are certainly some wide, beautiful shots we had. It has a nice look to it, the lighting looks very cool for some of the shots. My Director of Photography, Stuart Breton did a good job. Plus, they got 2 big stars in the show, Katrina Bowden and Randy Wayne. We also had some awesome sets and production design.

C: What kind of theatrical distribution is the film getting? How many theaters, where, et cetera?

JC: Nationwide, major cities! The list and all the information and the contest is on the site: http://holdyourbreathmovie.com EVERYONE NEEDS TO SEE IT!!!! or I will come and kill you ;)

C: This is your third directoral effort for The Asylum. How was directing horror different from a thriller, or comedy?

JC: I like making horror movies, killing people on screen is great for me because I am sick in the head. I would either be a filmmaker or a serial killer, or perhaps an assassin or ninja.. or a Marine. I have a lot of respect for the Marines and those who serve. Doing Bikini Spring Break was cool though, it was very successful. Born Bad was cool too, that was my spec, so that was my break!  I love movie making and acting and writing, so as long as I am working I am a happy camper. It's my passion my hobby my career... just fortunate. Hard work helps too! So does a good night of sleep. 

C: This was also your first direction for The Asylum not based on a script you wrote. Any challenges there?

JC: First of all, props to The Asylum, those guys are awesome. Latt, Rimawi and Bales. Mad genius, cool dudes. Yes, there are challenges when you direct a movie that was not written by the director. You must familiarize yourself with the story like crazy. On set there is no script supervisor, so my challenge was reading the script over and over and over and over. I knew that story inside and out. If you attempt to direct without knowing the story, then you will probably be in some trouble! 

C: What was it like working with Katrina Bowden and Randy Wayne? Any other standouts in the cast we should be looking for?

JC: Katrina was great, very cool, very professional, smoking hot, she had a lil cute dog with her. Was extremely talented and she is a fellow east coaster. Randy Wayne is a really cool guy, turns out we had some mutual friends... He is a talented guy, has a bright future. Be on the lookout for Stevie Hanks. He plays in #HOLDYOURBREATH, a large role and he kicks some serious ass. So interesting to watch. Erin Marie Hogan and Brad Slaughter and Jordan Pratt and Seth Cassell, those guys all got chops. We had a solid cast with us. It's a good movie.

C: What can you tell us about your upcoming projects, including, of course, 12/12/12, out from The Asylum in December?

Director/Dodger fan on set of 12/12/12

JC: 12/12/12 is a masterpiece. I love that movie. So cool, original, disturbing, killer baby, psychological... it's fucked up. But great. I really think and hope the fans will like it. The movie stars the beautiful and talented Sara Malakul Lane and Steve Hanks and they are both great in it. Sara is a big star in Thailand and it will be soon when she is big star here! The Asylum has been putting out some really cool flicks lately, including some written by Mr. Perry Horton himself, so with the talent pool filled with high quality creative juices, the caliber of cinema creation has been incredible as of lately. 

It's good to be apart of an industry filled with talented  folks!  The Asylum rocks! www.JaredCohn.com www.TrapLightMedia.com

Tons of Info on Upcoming Asylum Films!

It's going to be a busy end of the year for The Asylum, and things kick into high gear in only ten days, with the release of the studio's first ever theatrical effort, #HoldYourBreath, written by Geoff Meed (I Am Omega, 6 Guns), directed by Jared Cohn (Born Bad, Bikini Spring Break) and starring Katrina Bowden (30 Rock, Tucker and Dale vs. Evil). In another studio first, the movie has its very own website, complete with pretty much everything you'd want to know about the film.

After #HoldYourBreath, the next studio picture seems to be something called Layover, premiering on the Lifetime Network October 11th at 8 p.m. Though The Asylum doesn't have a page up on their site, according to IMDB, the film stars Lauren Holly (Picket Fences, Dumb & Dumber), Joe Lando (Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, Meteor Apocalypse), Kaylee DeFer (Gossip Girl) and Gerald Webb (pretty much every Asylum movie of the last two years). No plot details available at present.

After that, there's another TV premiere, on SyFy this time, where the studio's latest undead drama, Rise of the Zombies, bows October 27th at 9 p.m. This one comes courtesy of Zombie Apocalypse director Nick Lyon and 11/11/11 writer Keith Allan. Levar Burton (Star Trek Next Generation, Reading Rainbow) and Mariel Hemingway (Manhattan, Star 81) star.

Then, there's The Asylum's next DVD release, 40 Days and Nights, which is going to be AWESOME, not just because I wrote the screenplay, but because really, how can a global flood movie not be awesome? Anyway, we're finally seeing a poster for this one, and it's pretty badass. Check it:

The film stars Monica Keena (Freddy vs Jason) and Alex Carter (CSI), is directed by Peter Geiger, and streets on November 27th, just in time for the holiday season.

And we're still not done. Next on DVD there's Jared Cohn's hellspawn drama 12/12/12, which itself got a pretty awesome poster:

 

That shit right there is just wicked. That baby looks like it wants to eat my soul, slowly, with its eyes. Get ready for this one to make you abstinent starting December 4th.

Two more to go, hang on...one week after 12/12/12, we get Age of the Hobbits, for my buck the studio's most ambitious and ingenious mockbuster yet, written by the great Eric Forsberg (Mega Piranha, Almighty Thor) and directed by Joseph Lawson, who after Nazis at the Center of the Earth is The Asylum's director to watch. No poster on this one, but we did get the first stills from production today. Check them out right here. Bai Ling (Crank 2) and Christopher Judge (Stargate) star.

And last but not least, we finally have some news on Hansel and Gretel. Dig the plot: "In this modern retelling of the classic horror tale, teen siblings are enslaved by a psychotic recluse within her gruesome house of horrors in the woods."

Sounds good to me. The film comes from writer Jose Prendes, who wrote and directed the excellently creepy Haunting of Whaley House, and director Anthony Ferrante (Boo, Headless Horseman). This will be The Asylum's first film of 2013 - assuming we get to 2013 - and is slated to come out January 8th. Dee Wallace (Eliott's mom in E.T.) and Stephanie Greco (Whaley House) star.

And that's it. For now.   

 

Details on 4 New Asylum Projects

Lots of new over at The Asylum page today, where we get cast, crew and plot details on 4 upcoming productions; let's just get into it, shall we?

#holdyourbreath: This is The Asylum's theatrical debut, written by Geoff Meed and directed by Jared Cohn. 

The plot: "A group of friends on a roadtrip explore a cemetery where the ghost of a notorious serial killer jumps from body to body, killing his victims one by one."  

The stars: Katrina Bowden, Randy Wayne, Lisa Younger, Seth Cassell, Erin Marie Hogan.  

The release date: October 5th, in theaters!

40 Days and 40 Nights: an upcoming disaster flick, written by me, H. Perry Horton, and directed by Peter Geiger. 

The plot: "When a colossal tectonic shift causes the sea level to start rising, a microbiologist gathers the DNA of as many species as she can, while the military creates an "ark" in a desperate attempt to preserve life on Earth." 

The stars: Monica Keena, Alex Carter, Christianna Carmine, Emily Sandifer, Mitch Lerner.  

The release date: November 27th.

12/12/12: thriller written & directed by the ever-busy Jared Cohn. 

The plot: "When baby Sebastien is born on 12/12/12 everyone around him starts to die. Soon, his mother realizes that her son is the spawn of Hell."  

The stars: Sara Malakul Lane, Jesus Guevera, Carl Doleson, Steve Hanks 

The release date: 12/4/12


Age of the Hobbits: written by Eric Forsberg for Joseph Lawson to direct.

The plot: "In an age long ago, the last village of clever, peace-loving Hobbits is attacked and enslaved by the Java Men, komodo-worshiping, dragon-riding cannibals. Now the young Hobbit Goben, along with his father and sister, must seek help from the "giants" (human hunters) to find the Javas' lair and rescue the last surviving Hobbits, Goben's mother among them. In their quest to destroy the Javas, the heroic partnership of humans and Hobbits will transform both species forever." 

The stars: Christopher Judge, Bai Ling, Sun Korng

The release date: December 11