Nice Review of A Haunting of Salem

I understood going into this that typical reviews of Asylum films can be a little...vicious. Hell, that's part of the reason I started this blog: to give Asylum films a place where their virtues could be extolled. 

Since the release last Tuesday of A Haunting in Salem, a film I wrote for The Asylum, already on Twitter I've been told to "fuck off," "fuck off and die," and "never pick up another fucking pen ever," all of which I expected, and all of which I wear like a badge of vitriolic honor. 

What does come as a surprise, and a pleasant one at that, is when folks have nice things to say about the film. Hence I give you this, a very nice review written by Trevor Anderson over at Movie Mavericks, in which not only does Mr. Anderson refrain from wishing a foul demise upon me and my story, he actually sees the good in this beautiful, atmospheric, classical film Shane Van Dyke and crew brought to life. Apparently Mr. Anderson is one of the good guys. 

Enjoy the incredibly erudite and on-target review, and then, if you haven't seen the film yet, get to your local video store, Netflix queue, Barnes & Noble, or Amazon to procure your copy. Available on DVD and Blu-Ray, in 3D if you got the hardware.

EXCLUSIVE Photos from the set of A Haunting in Salem!!!

This is not an exclusive picture; this is stock footage.

Courtesy of the very kind and amiable Kala Guess, Distribution Coordinator of The Asylum, I have for you this evening some EXCLUSIVE, behind-the-scenes photos from the set of A Haunting in Salem, the latest Asylum horror film, shooting now in sunny Southern California. Ms. Guess took these photos herself this last weekend.

Before the photos - just a reminder A Haunting in Salem stars Bill Oberst Jr, Courtney Abbiati, Jenna Stone, Nicholas Harsin, Carey Van Dyke and Gerald Webb, and is directed by Shane Van Dyke (Titanic II, 6 Guns) from a script I wrote.

First up, we have actress Courtney Abbiati (right), who plays "Carrie" in the film, looking a lot like another cinematic Carrie, being covered in stage blood by Key Makeup Artist Valerie K. Garcia, (left) who also worked as a makeup artist on Shane Van Dyke's last film, Titanic II, as well as 2012 Supernova. She also has a pretty awesome acting resume, character-wise, including playing a "Slave Girl" in Mark Atkins' Princess of Mars, a "Goth Dancer" in Twilight Vamps (non-Asylum) and the guitarist in Mickey Dolenz's Mega Python vs Gatoroid band. All of those sound pretty rad. And as if this wasn't enough, she's also been a costume designer, a unit production manager, a line producer on Almighty Thor and the second second assistant director of 6 Guns. Jeez. By the time you finish reading this sentence, Valerie K. Garcia's probably done, like, a dozen productive things.

A close-up of Ms. Garcia's work on a very focused and frightening Ms. Abbitati, who I think resembles a more-badass Minnie Driver, with a little Famke Janssen around the eyes.

And yet another actor covered in stage blood - I wrote in a lot of blood, if you couldn't tell by now - this time Jenna Stone, who plays "Ali," the family's teenage daughter. We've already seen one picture of Miss Stone in even more stage blood,so I bet by comparison this wasn't so bad.

 
And finally there's this one, which is my absolute favorite, an nice in-production shot featuring, if I'm right, director Shane Van Dyke on the far right, facing the camera, actress Courtney Abbiati under the light and to the left of her, first assistant director Christopher Ray, who the night before celebrated the SyFy premiere of his directorial effort Almighty Thor, which was rad (on DVD today; get it!!!). I don't know who the gentleman to Ray's left is, but I like his beard. Kudos, sir!

And there you have it, a few snippets behind the scenes of an Asylum production, the thrilling and chilling (I'm working on my William Castle) A Haunting in Salem, set to premiere on DVD August 23rd of this year, only three months and thirteen days from now. And oh yeah - in 3D!!!

A Haunting In Salem (3D) Enters Production

Yesterday in lovely and creepy Pasadena, California, The Asylum entered production on their latest film, A Haunting in Salem, a ghost story set in the titular Massachusetts town renowned for its witchy ways.

Salem stars Bill Oberst Jr. (Princess and the Pony) as a new Salem sheriff who inherits a very old curse. Courtney Abbiati, Jenna Stone and Nicholas Hardsin play his beleaguered family, and Gerald Webb (Titanic II, Battle of Los Angeles) also appears as Mayor Collins.

The film is being directed (in 3D) by Shane Van Dyke (Titanic II, 6 Guns) from a script written by H. Perry Horton, your truly.

Salem is scheduled for a two week shoot, meaning hopefully we'll get stills from the set by the end of this week or the beginning of next week. The DVD comes out August 23rd.


Anything else I could tell you about this one? Besides tell everyone you know to watch it? Twice? Oh yeah:

It's in 3D.

A Haunting in Salem Will Be...Wait For It...3D!!!

So, The Asylum has posted the webpage for A Haunting in Salem, the ghost story directed by Shane Van Dyke and written by yours truly, H. Perry Horton, and in addition to revealing the rest of the principle cast and the release date, there's another bit of interesting news I gave away in the headline: they're gonna make it available in 3D!!!

If I'm right, this will be the third 3D production by The Asylum, behind Haunting of Winchester House and Sex Pot.

Furthermore, the rest of the principle cast has been revealed: Courtney Abbiati ("How I Met Your Mother," "Girlfriends") will play the wife to Bill Oberst Jr.'s sheriff, and Jenna Stone "Miss Behave" joins Nicholas Harsin as the other child. Gerald Webb is also in the cat as Mayor Collins. Also revealed, the film will be shot - in 3D!!! - by cinematographer Alex Yellin.

The official synopsis: "When the new sheriff of Salem, Massachusetts discovers that he is the victim of a centuries-old curse, he must protect his family from the vengeful ghosts that torment his home."

The DVD streets on August 23rd of this year, four days before Committed's one-year anniversary.


3D!!!