HAUNTING OF WHALEY HOUSE Details, Courtesy of Fangoria

The next Asylum ghostly-feature, The Haunting of Whaley House, has been shrouded in mystery until now, thanks to the most venerable of horror publications, the mighty Fangoria. In this recent post, they spill all the juicy exclusive details.
 

And while I'll let Fangoria break most of it to you, I do want to give mention of the film's writer/director Jose Prendes. Whaley House will mark Mr. Prendes' fourth script for The Asylum, and the second with "Haunting of" in the title: Haunting of Winchester House, The Terminators, Countdown: Jerusalem, and now The Haunting of Whaley House. Mr. Prendes also wrote and directed the films The Monster Man with Tom Savini and Linnea Quigley, and Corpses Are Forever with Richard Lynch, Debbie Rochon and Ms. Quigley. 

Bottom line, this one is in good, skilled hands. No release date as yet on this one, but I'm thinking somewhere closer to Halloween...

My Sonic Prayers Answered! Chris Ridenhour to Score A Haunting in Salem!

I've spoken a little bit about Asylum composer Chris Ridenhour of late, the man responsible for an astonishing 28 scores for our favorite independent studio. Well, that number gets slightly more impressive rolling over to 29, as Ridenhour has officially been given the go ahead to score A Haunting in Salem, The Asylum's next horror flick, out this August 23rd from director Shane Van Dyke and a script by me.

It should be no secret by now that I'm totally stoked by this news. Ridenhour's scores are the icing on every Asylum film he's touched, a sweet, thrilling rush that amplifies every emotion. I thought he might get the job - he is their number one guy, after all - so I revisited the work he did for Mark Atkins' Haunting of Winchester House, and loved how it worked with the story. This is awesome news and sure to result in some creeping orchestration I'll be playing every Halloween for the rest of my life.

Music's a pretty important part of the writing process to me, and when I heard Ridenhour got the gig, it got me thinking about the music I listened to while composing the script. I make a point of lining up music whose mood I think fits the tone that I'm writing for, but I don't want that music to be distracting, rather an intense background, a sonic catalyst that enables me to tune out everything else. Therefore, when writing, I only listen to instrumental music. For Salem, that music - of course - had to be kinda dark. So if anyone's interested, below's a list of albums I had on repeat while writing and editing A Haunting in Salem:

• This Will Destroy You - Young Mountain
• Nine Inch Nails - Ghosts I-IV
• Trent Reznor/Atticus Finch - Original Score to The Social Network
• Nick Cave/Warren Ellis - Original Score to The Road
• Saxon Shore - Four Months of Darkness
• Sigur Ros - Agaetis Byrjun and  ( )  
• God Is An Astronaut - All is Violent, All is Bright
• Caspian - The Four Trees
• Miles Davis - In a Silent Way

So there you have it, a little sonic snapshot into my creative process. As though any of you were wondering.

observation notes: Princess of Mars

The Asylum's tie-in to the biggest money-maker of all time, Avatar, is based on the same root source, John Carter of Mars, by Tarzan-creator Edgar Rice Burroughs. The story here concerns an American soldier (Antonio Sabato Jr., "Earth 2," "The Bold and the Beautiful") who finds himself transported via ground-breaking technology to the Red Planet (Mars, j.i.c.), where he lands right smack in the middle of a skirmish between clashing alien races, including the still-hot Traci Lords (Cry Baby, Dragstrip Girl) as the titular princess.

As John Carter, Sabato plays the role with his usual approachable man-beauty and affable charm. One might think given the chain of events he witnesses, he'd be a little more freaked, but the consummate-soldier, he rolls with the punches with easy believability. 

Traci Lords is fierce and cold - appropriately Martian - but with an emotional core that, like everything else alive in the universe, is only longing for love. The is the best I've seen Ms. Lords in a long time, if ever. She's perfect for the role of a intimidatingly-beautiful and equally-powerful regent, a kind of Gwyneth Paltrow with balls and actual sex appeal (no offense, Coldplay). Rounding out the cast is Chacko Vadaketh as the baller and viciously ruthless nemesis of John Carter, and Matt Lasky, who although he never see his face for makeup, is the most human character in the film. Worth noting that John Carter of Mars is itself being made into a movie for release next year; Lasky will also appear in that film. No doubt his work here gave him a leg up in the audition. Tomas Boykin of Winchester House also makes a brief appearance as the officer who introduces ASj to the Avatar-esque program.


After watching this, Battle of Los Angeles, Winchester House and Evil Eyes all in the span of a month or so, I'm pretty high on writer/director/editor/cinematographer Mark Atkins right now. For my money, there isn't a better military-action direction at The Asylum, and as far as cinematography goes, this guy makes everything beautiful, even - especially - that which inherently is not. And this, Princess of Mars, is one of the best-looking Asylum films I've ever seen. A good eye is everything in filmmaking, and Mark Atkins has two. 


The FX are amazing by Asylum standards. The spacecraft, the creatures, aliens and interstellar skyscapes are all standouts, but the real technical winner for me is the slightly-sepia filter through which Atkins shot the Mars scenes; against the craggy desert landscape it creates the perfect foreign-yet-familiar environment. Kudos to the art direction, production design, costume and make-up departments as well, all of whom contribute to making this a visually arresting production and, in my estimation, one of the most - if not the most - lavish and impressive Asylum productions to date. This is not at all your average DtV sci-fi flick; it's an intelligent and inventive thriller, and mark Atkins best script to date (keeping in mind I've yet to work through his dragon epics).


And it's the god's honest truth that I enjoyed it more than Avatar, though that comes with the caveat that I never liked James Cameron after T2. Take from it what you will, but see this movie.

Awesome Merch News!!! Asylum MUSIC!!!

Caught wind of this on Twitter and just had to share it: so, when it comes to the scores Asylum sets their films too, there's basically one name that stands high above the others - Chris Ridenhour. Dude has done 26 - 26 - Asylum films to date, starting with The Hitchhiker, moving through the mockbuster era with films like both Transmorphers, dominating the mega-era with scores to Mega Piranha, Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus, Mega Shark vs Crocosaurus and Mega Python vs Gatoroid, and a little of everything in-between. Check out his ridiculously impressive filmography as composer right here.

Anyway, the news here is that for the first time ever there's a compilation of the scores Mr. Ridenhour has produced for The Asylum, available on CD and as a digital download over at MovieScore Media.

Tracks include suites from MSvGO, The Haunting of Winchester House, Sherlock Holmes and Mega Piranha, as well as the overture from MPvG and a bonus, unreleased piece from 2012 Moby Dick.

This is some lovely music - finally able to be fully-appreciated on its own - at a great price and an absolute must-have for every Asylum fan. Skip over to the link about and get yours today!

observation notes: Evil Eyes

This film marks a pair of big debuts: not only is it the first film directed by Mark Atkins (Battle of Los Angeles, Haunting of Winchester House, Halloween Night, etc.), it is also the first film written by Naomi Selfman (Mega Python vs. Gatoroid, #1 Cheerleader Camp, upcoming Barely Legal). And as debut go, on both accounts, Evil Eyes is a good showcase of two burgeoning talents destined for B-movie greatness.

When a screenwriter (Adam Baldwin, "Firefly") is hired by an ominous producer (Udo Kier, Andy Warhol's Dracula and Frankenstein, Suspiria, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective) to write a film about a real-life slaughtered family, things get fer-reaky when the grisly murders he scripts begin to happen in the real world. 

I was surprised to find this film much more cerebral than I expected. That's not a slam or anything, I just expected a high-octane relentless assault of gore and violence, and what I got was a suspensefully-paced intellectual thriller with supernatural undertones.

Adam Baldwin as the screenwriter was his usual gruff, gritty, and unapologetically-independent self. And just as this attitude made him a formidable space mercenary, it is also an appropriate balance of brashness and swagger for a big-time Hollywood screenwriter (I don't actually know any to verify this, but I trust what the movies tell me about the people who make them.).

As for Udo Kier, what can I say about this true cinematic treasure that hasn't been said a million times before? I don't know what it is - his creepiness, his charm, his thick accent, the copious amounts of turtlenecks he wears - but there's something about this guy that  have always liked; he's like a European Steve Buscemi. Here he inhabits the role of producer as militantly fragile, commanding but not in command, if that makes any sense whatsoever. He might be a little stiff in scenes, but his mere presence makes a scene foreboding, so, mission accomplished.

Rounding out the cast is a Ms. Jennifer Gates as AB's long-time GF. This was Ms. Gates first film as well (and in fact one of only two features she's been in), but she never came across as a rookie to me, holding her own in scenes with the more accomplished actors. She played the part as diligently doting but never docile; she was sweet, demure, dangerously devoted and overall endearing.

In a nutshell, then, I found this one to be an great concept - a kind of In The Mouth of Madness Asylum-style - that builds its suspense well, is always thrilling while not resorting to the cheap and easy scares, and is definitely a smarter-than-average-axe-murderer-movie. The film is subtle, restrained and savvy, in script and direction. Add some truly inventive kills and well-developed characters and the result is an above-average thriller. If it was my studio, I would have given Atkins and Selfman copious work as well; these two are true All-Stars.

What else can I say? Let's see...there are shades, in my opinion, of Lost Highway, to the point the word "Lynchian" is even in the script, and it totally works in this surreal, cerebral, non-linear-yet-frightening-cohesive film. 

There are hidden gems in the Asylum's catalog, and I fell as though I may have just discovered the brightest one.

observation notes: Haunting of Winchester House

A frightening ghost story, this one's about a family who come to take care of the famed Winchester House in California, built at the turn of the last century by Sarah Winchester, heiress to the Winchester Rifle fortune. Besides being rich and idle, Ms. Winchester was also an avowed spiritualist and probably a touch crazy, so she built her house, the Winchester House, as this architecturally-insane haven for the restless souls of anyone ever killed by a Winchester rifle. This is all true, mind you, and while it's a polite-enough notion, you have to think about the sort of characters who would have met their demise at the business end of a Winchester, and then you start to get an idea of the sorts of spirits hanging around this place. When a series of supernatural experiences befalls the family, they call in a paranormal investigator to help them vanquish the evil spirits.

I'll admit I've been long-fascinated with the Winchester House and its history, and thought it well-about time someone fashioned its creepy origins into a horror film. And in the script from Mark Atkins (Battle of Los Angeles, duh), I found no reason to be disappointed. The story was tense, suspenseful, rife with intelligent scares, bold jolts and was solid down to its historical foundation. What could have easily lapsed into a rogue's gallery of goofy villains - and there is a wide variety of ghosts/zombies, but they are not at all goofy - actually moves like an old-school chiller along the lines of The Innocents or Thirteen Ghosts, so winds up a deft balance of modern shocks and classic pacing.

Mark Atkins other gig on the film - directing it - also scores: he matches the pacing of his script with slowly-built suspense that breaks at the perfect point then doesn't relent. His use of shadows and framing to elicit a tense, mounting fear in the viewer is especially on point. 

From a directorial standpoint, this is a very excellent horror film that gets all the elements just right. The FX on the ghosts at the end are a little hokey, and the house itself is quite obvious CG when seen from the outside, but again, you know what you're in for. If you want visceral effects that are seamless from reality, go watch Avatar; but if you want to be a movie fan, in it for the escapism and not the parallels to your own, strange life, you should be just fine for 85 minutes with this one. 

Regarding performances, Lira Kellerman plays the wife, and while visually it was difficult to conceive of her as the mother of an adolescent girl, personality-wise she pulls it off well-enough and is effectively-believable as a nagging wife and mother. She weeps well, skulks better, and exudes an odd sort of sexiness, kind of like Thelma from Scooby-Doo, but less-tangible, and kinda nerdier.


Michael Holmes as the husband is a little stiff in the beginning - which is somewhat excusable as this is his first film - but opens up quite a bit as his role requires more emotion. Most of note, the guy gives a good over-the-shoulder wary glance.

But the standout here, for me at least, was Patty Roberts, who played the couple's adolescent daughter. I found her to be the most natural of the actors, sort of like a younger Thora Birch. As the most-plagued of the family by the spirits of Winchester House, she simultaneously exudes a childish fearfulness and a mature responsiveness. 


Other cast members of note include Tomas Boykin as the paranormal investigator and tiny Jennifer Smart as ghost-girl Annie Winchester, Sarah's daughter. She gave me the willies every single time she was onscreen. One helluva debut for her.

So then overall, as I mentioned, this is a ghost film, of the old-school, its story reliant at least equally, if not more so, on twists and turns of plot for progression rather than an endless string of quick-cut shocks. Think Amityville meets The Uninvited with a healthy dose of The Shining in the premise. And, as I mentioned, the FX on the house were at times ghastly, but the ghosts/zombies/bad guys were horrifying, inventive and gruesome, truly the things of nightmares, especially a certain...thing whose head can be seen on the poster and who made a certain Trainspotting scene feel like a sequence from Bedknobs & Broomsticks. 

A good scare, this one, and more importantly, a good film, too.

COMMITTED EXCLUSIVE: An Interview with Battle of LA Writer/Director Mark Atkins!

Mark Atkins has worked on more Asylum films than anyone I've come across, and in a wide variety of positions. But most recently, he's the writer and director of Battle of Los Angeles, a sci-fi spectacle that debuted on SyFy last Saturday night and hits DVD a week from this Tuesday. Mr. Atkins was kind enough to take time out of his very hectic schedule to answer some questions for COMMITTED. 

977: What started your love of film? How old were you when you decided you wanted to make them for a living?

MARK ATKINS: I grew up in a family that appreciated films and filmmaking, my parents put out a magazine when I was a kid a called THE FILM JOURNAL. It had critical reviews/interviews and great full page color photos, storyboards etc. So I grew up in a family that was into films. My uncle also became a recognized natural history filmmaker, now he is shooting features…I always wanted to kind of follow in his footsteps. I made the decision to really focus on film when I was accepted at the University of Central Florida's Film Program. 

977: Give us a sampling of the films you've found inspiring over the course of your career.

MA: Bladerunner,  The  Thing, Wages of Fear, Vertigo, Brain Dead, The Fifth Element, Hellboy 2, 

977: What was your first job in Hollywood?

MA: I don't know about Hollywood exactly but I began my career working as an assistant cameraman for Paul Atkins my uncle. I worked on his nature films, GREAT WHITE SHARK, and SECRET KILLERS OF MONTEREY BAY, BBC and National Geographic Specials. I learned a ton working with Paul and my aunt Gracie who was the Producer of those.   

977: How did you get involved with The Asylum? 

MA: My first feature film, NIGHT ORCHID was playing in LA at the Methodfest film festival and they asked to see a screener. Eventually I met them and we struck up a distribution deal. I kept in touch and when they started doing in-house movies they hired me to direct EVIL EYES. 

977: When you chose to write and/or direct, what kind of project are you drawn to? What are you looking for in a concept?   

MA: I am drawn to projects where I get a opportunity to bring to life a world that does not exist in reality. Hense, I love monster films, fantasy, action and adventure, etc. Not that I wouldn't do a more realistic type of story…I am working on a period war movie script right now but ..I am drawn to making the unreal real. 

977: You've worked as a cinematographer, a director, writer, editor and more; which part of the process, which job, do you enjoy the most?  

MA: Directing is the most rewarding because most of the other jobs work in service of the director's vision.  Or at least that's the way I like to do them if I am hired as a cinematographer or editor.  On my own films, I like to work as my own cinematographer mainly because I enjoy it but also it save a lot of time I on set. 

977: When taking on a project like Battle of Los Angeles - a tie-in - how do you approach the script in terms of distinguishing it? How much awareness of the Hollywood production do you allow yourself? And how much did you rely on the facts of the original incident?

MA: One of the things that few people are aware of on this project is that I actually pitched a film based on the 1942 Battle of Los Angeles incident back in 2008. I made a pitch video, sort of teaser with some photos I doctored up from the original incident and I pitched that to the Asylum. Shortly afterwards I learned that the studios had bought a pitch based on the Battle of Los Angeles. I still wanted to get my project going even though it is kind of disheartening when you hear someone else is doing the same thing. The Asylum folks liked my pitch, I think they even showed the video to Syfy back then and it was put on a some kind of side burner. Of course in 2010 when the studio movie goes into production, the producers at the Asylum decide to greenlight our Battle of Los Angeles. But the reality is, it has origins much earlier. 

I didn't really concern myself with the particulars of any other movie made with a similar concept. The only people I need to answer to are my producers so I have to model the script based on their input. Originally I wanted to set Battle of Los Angeles in the 1940's but it wasn't deemed commercial enough. Everyone liked the idea of having a super secret paramilitary group called MJ-12 who had knowledge of aliens so that was woven into the story. Also thankfully they supported the idea of having Nia wielding a Katana. I doubt that any other alien invasion movie would have that angle….

977: From a directing standpoint, did the production of B.o.L.A. present any unique challenges?

MA: We had a ton of pryotechnical FX, explosions and the like, those were very challenging. They take a lot of time to set up. Art department had a huge challenge in creating the Mothership set and MJ-12 bunkers. Aaron Martin, Production Designer did a ton with little resources. All the interior sets were done at the Asylum studios. Plus the fact that we only had 12 days to shoot the movie. That's standard for an Asylum budget but this movie had many complicated battle scenes and we didn't want to compromise the action. 

977: What's your favorite of the Asylum films you've been involved with?

MA: I have many favorites….Battle of Los Angeles has to be one of the tops especially for the cast we were able to work with…this was one of those times were the synergy amongst the cast members helps to elevate the script and you end up filming relationships on screen that surpass what you've written on the page.   I also really enjoyed Merlin and the War of the Dragons and Allan Quatemain and the Temple of Skulls and Haunting of Winchester House

977: What would you consider your dream project(s)?

MA: I have many many dream projects. As I mentioned I am currently working on a period war script. I have a werewolf movie called Bad Dogs I want to make called that would be way over the top like Peter Jackson's Brain Dead.  I am working on a stream punk fantasy that concerns an alchemist apprentice from 1860's San Francisco who awakens in modern times.  And finally I would love to do an animated feature film. I studied cell animation in college and have a few concepts I think people would love. 

977: Any new projects on the horizon?

MA: I am posting a feature called Sand Sharks which stars Brooke Hogan, Corin Nemec, Vanessa Evigan, Eric Scott Woods, Robert Pike Daniel (from Battle of LA), Delpaneaux Wills and Gina Holden. If you're a fan of horror, and over the top action I think you'll love it. The script by Cameron Larson was outrageous. So expect that out before the end of the year. I have another Sci fi horror adventure coming up and with luck a medieval action movie for Asylum….

inmate RE-profile: Mark Atkins

In honor of the impending SyFy Premiere of the latest Asylum production, Battle of Los Angeles, Saturday, March 12th at 9pm, I thought I'd update and re-post the inmate profile I did on the versatile Mark Atkins, BoLA's writer/director/cinematographer.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a harder working dude in The Asylum's stable than Mark Atkins. Director, editor, writer and cinematographer, Atkins has had a hand in a plethora of Asylum productions. Check out these stats:

• cinematographer of 23 films (too numerous to list here, but check out his IMDB for deets)
• director of 8 (Halloween Night, Allan Quatermain..., Merlin and the War of Dragons, Dragonquest, Haunting of Winchester House, Princess of Mars and BoLA)
• editor of 7
• writer of 3 (Haunting of Winchester House, Princess of Mars, BoLA)
• visual effects for 3
• second unit director for 2

A graduate of the University of Central Florida, Atkins' first film, Night Orchid, won the Best First Feature Film award at the New Orleans Film Festival in 1997. Since then he has worked - as far as films are concerned - almost exclusively with The Asylum, which makes him not only an Original Inmate, but a true American hero. However, recently he has plied his many talents away from Asylum walls, though not devoid of Asylum faces: he worked as a cinematographer on Anthony Fankhauser's upcoming Shadow People and he's directed a film I'm stoked to see just based on the title, Sand Sharks, let alone the talent he's amassed for the film: Corin Nemic, Vanessa Lee Evigan (Journey to the Center of the Earth), and Brooke Hogan, among others. 

Seems you just can't keep Mark Atkins still.

If you still remember how to use MySpace, check him out here. Or if that's too antiquated for you, hit up his production website for more info on this champion behind the scenes.

And don't forget to check out his latest effort, Battle of Los Angeles, starring Kel Mitchell and Nia Peeples, Saturday, March 12th at 9pm.

Mark Atkins, consider yourself saluted. Again.