100 DEGREES BELOW ZERO Now on DVD!

The latest disaster epic from the fine folks at The Asylum, 100 Degrees Below Zero, is now available for your ravenous home consumption on DVD, Blu-Ray and VOD. The film stars Jeff Fahey, John Rhys Davies, Sara Malakul Lane, and Mark McKevitt Ewins as a family desperately trying to survive a sudden ice age that has taken over Europe. R.D. Braunstein did the directing, and Richard Schenkman and myself, H. Perry Horton, provide the script.

So get thee to a Netflix, find a Redbox, or even - god forbid - a real brick-and-mortar video store, and treat yourself to ninety of the chilliest minutes the summer's ever seen.

Posters Debut for 100 DEGREES BELOW ZERO and AGE OF DINOSAURS

This week saw 2 new posters pop up for upcoming Asylum productions 100 Degrees Below Zero and Age of Dinosaurs. Dig 'em:

100 Degrees Below Zero was directed by R.D. Braunstein (Layover) and written by myself, H. Perry Horton, and Richard Schenkman (Abraham Lincoln vs Zombies). The film will enjoy a brief theatrical run starting this Friday, April 12th, followed by a DVD/Blu-Ray release on June 11th. Jeff Fahey (Lost), John Rhy-Davies (LOTR, Raiders of the Lost Ark), Sarah Malakul Lane (Sharktopus, 12/12/12) and Mar McKevitt Ewins star.

Age of Dinosaurs was directed by Joseph Lawson (Nazis at the Center of the Earth, Clash of the Empires) and written by Hank Woon Jr. (500 MPH Storm). Treat Williams and Ronny Cox star, and the film streets on May 7th.

3 More Asylum FIlms Go Theatrical!!!

Following in the footsteps of last year's #HoldYourBreath, The Asylum has 3 more films on its docket slated for limited theatrical release: the comedy Cleaver Family Reunion, which hits screens on March 29th; dramatic actioner Barrio Pitfighter, the film I told you about yesterday, which premieres on June 25th; and super-rad disaster flick 100 Degrees Below Zero, which opens on April 12th.

This last one makes me RIDICULOUSLY HAPPY, as I was fortunate enough to get to write the script for it, along with Richard Schenkman (Abraham Lincoln vs Zombies). I was even more stoked to find out that one of the theaters showing 100 is right here in beautiful-ish Portland, Oregon, where I reside. So get ready for some rowdy photos from that showing. 

No complete list is yet available of what theaters where will be hosting these Asylum flicks, but rest assured the second I know it, you'll know it. Viva Asylum!!!

Here They Are...Your 2012 Looney Award Winners!!!

2012 was an amazing year for Asylum movies, a year in which we saw more films than ever, and the level of quality rose to new peaks. As such, this year also saw a record number of Looney votes pour in from all over the world. So, without further adieu, here they are, your 2012 Looney Award Winners for Excellence in Asylum Films:

Best Actor

  Bill Oberst Jr., Abraham Lincoln vs Zombies

Best Actress

Heather Hemmens, Rise of the Zombies

Best Supporting Actor

Christopher Karl Johnson, Nazis at the Center of the Earth

Best Supporting Actress

Monet Mazur, Adopting Terror

Best Performance by a Non-Human

The 2-Headed Shark, 2-Headed Shark Attack

Best Cinematography

Alexander Yellen, Grimm's Snow White

Best Score

Chris Ridenhour, Nazis at the Center of the Earth

Best Visual Effects

Nazis at the Center of the Earth

Best Screenplay

Karl T. Hirsch (story), J. Lauren Proctor (story), 

and Richard Schenkman (screenplay), Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies

Best Asylum Moment of the Year

Zombie Baby Stomp, Rise of the Zombies 

Best Director

Joseph J. Lawson, Nazis at the Center of the Earth

Best Picture

Nazis at the Center of the Earth 

That's a mighty fine crop of winners; interesting that the three films with multiple wins all feature zombies. 

Congratulations to all, thanks to the voters domestic and foreign for making this the biggest Loonies yet, and of course thanks to The Asylum for the fun flicks! Bring on 2013!

A Bunch of Info on a Bunch of New Asylum Projects!

With the New Year now in full swing, there comes info on a handful of The Asylum's 2013 slate, including release dates, new projects, and posters. Let's get into this, shall we?

First up, there's a new poster and a release date for last Halloween's SyFy-Zombie venture, Rise of the Zombies. I don't know what's scarier here, the zombie horde, or huge Trejo-face. 

The film also stars Mariel Hemingway, Ethan Suplee, Heather Hemmens, French Stewart, and LeVar Burton, and comes courtesy of director Nick Lyon, maestro of 2011's Zombie Apocalypse - shout out to the zombie tiger - working off a script from Keith Allen and Delondra Williams. This gore-fest lands on February 12th, Lincoln's Birthday. 

Next up is 500 MPH Storm, whose poster can be found a few inches below this in the previous post. The storm-flick features Casper Van Dien, Michael Beach, and Sarah Lieving, and will street on February 26th, Johnny Cash's birthday.

Then there's plot, cast, and release date info on two new Asylum films, 100 Below Zero and Age of Dinosaurs. 

The former (a.k.a. Dead World and 50 Degrees Below Zero) is a polar disaster flick from director Richard Braunstein (Layover) and screenwriters Richard Schenkman (Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies) & H. Perry Horton (2-Headed Shark Attack, this blog). The plot: 

"When a chain of volcanic eruptions rips through Europe, the enormous ash cloud blocks out the sun, plunging the continent into a new ice age. An American couple must find their college-aged kids and get them out of Paris before it freezes over."

The film stars Jeff Fahey, Johnathan Rhys-Davies, and the lovely Sara Malakul Lane (left), and will be released on July 23rd.

Then there's Age of Dinosaurs, which we already knew was directed by the super-talented - and a Committed fan fave - Joseph Lawson (Nazis at the Center of the Earth, Clash of the Empires), written by Hank Woon Jr. (the above-mentioned 500 MPH Storm), and stars Treat Williams and Ronny Cox, but what we didn't know is just what this yarn's about. Well, now we know:

"Using breakthrough flesh-regeneration technology, a biotech firm creates a set of living dinosaurs. But when the creatures escape their museum exhibit and terrorize Los Angeles, a former firefighter must rescue his teenage daughter from the chaos brought on by the Age of Dinosaurs."

Film streets May 7th.  

Abraham Lincoln vs Zombies on DVD Today!

The film destined to be one of the biggest - if not the biggest - Asylum films of the year, Abraham Lincoln vs Zombies, is at last on DVD, Blu-Ray and VOD as of the instant you read this sentence.

The film - whose plot the title pretty much sums up - comes from writer/director Richard Schenkman and stars the great and talented Bill Oberst Jr. (A Haunting in Salem, Born Bad) as the 16th President of the United States, who slings a wicked scythe.

For a more in-depth analysis of what I thought of the film, just scroll down a couple inches. Otherwise, go now and procure your copy of truly one of the most-unique zombie films to date; you won't be sorry, guaranteed.

observation notes: ABRAHAM LINCOLN vs ZOMBIES

As the title would indicate, the plot of The Asylum's latest offering, Abraham Lincoln vs Zombies, is pretty straightforward:

"While the Civil War rages on, President Abraham Lincoln must undertake an even more daunting task: Destroying the Confederate Undead."


The results? Extraordinary. ABvZ is a nice, thick slice of revisionist history madness, a gore-weltering, zombie-emancipating, president-bolstering piece of cinematic magnificence, and to miss it would be to give up on all fun in your life.


As always, Committed's notes are spoiler-free, but certain aspects of this tour-de-force must be acknowledged, beginning with the performance by Bill Oberst Jr. (A Haunting in Salem, Princess and the Pony) as our 16th President. Holy crap. Oberst is dead-on (pun totally intended) as Lincoln, giving as textured and encompassing a portrayal as Hal Holbrook's Mark Twain, only, you know, with hella more killing. The cadence of the man, his stature, his stern resolve, moral tenderness and his limitless sense of duty; all are layered into Oberst's towering on-screen persona. There is no other actor who could have pulled this off, period. Oberst is the star here in every sense of the word, the film is his, and he carries it proudly, defiantly, and with expertise.


It is a zombie movie, after all, so something must be said of the effects, which I found to be appropriately for the era and its available kill technology. This isn't the messiest zombie flick of the year, but it is perhaps the most nuanced, and certainly the only one featuring two American Presidents (you're gonna love when you find out who the second one is, trust me).

Overall, I found ABvZ to be a glorious mash-up of Night of the Living Dead and Munich, shot kinda like The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, seriously. Writer/Director Richard Schenkman has turned in a well-researched, well-integrated film that achieves perfect pitch as a period horror film, a burgeoning sub-genre sure to flood the market in the next few years.* Schenkman did his homework, and it shows. This is a smart, exciting, thrilling and ultimately righteous film-going experience. And, as a Southerner, it's possibly the best we've ever been represented in a Civil War movie - as brain-hungry, mindlessly-violent zombies. Enjoy!




* a reminder that I have called dibs on Robert E. Lee vs Bigfoot, or really any concept that involves Rebel troops fighting one or more Sasquatch.

ABE LINCOLN VS ZOMBIES Teaser Trailer!!!

Just like the headline says, the teaser trailer for Abraham Lincoln vs Zombies has risen over at You Tube, and this shizzle looks AWESOME. Check it out:

That's Bill Oberst Jr (A Haunting in Salem) playing Honest Abe in a film written and directed by Richard Schenkman. May 29th...that's the day your perspective on American History shifts forever...

First Details on ABRAHAM LINCOLN VS ZOMBIES!!!

Man oh man is The Asylum putting together an awesome 2012 roster. Today we got the first cast, crew and plot details of the forthcoming classic Abraham Lincoln vs Zombies, and the biggest and best news among all this is that our illustrious 16th President will be portrayed - perfectly, if you ask me - by the one and only Bill Oberst Jr., ill-fated hero of A Haunting in Salem.

Joining Bill in unknown roles are my fellow UNC alum Jason Vail (Guiding Light, Celebrity Ghost Stories, Gut), a lady by the name of Baby Norman, and a fellow named Don McGraw.

Dig the plot: "While the Civil War rages on, President Abraham Lincoln must undertake an even more daunting task: Destroying the Confederate Undead."

I like it, it's simple and to the point. The script comes courtesy of Richard Schenkman - who's also directing - from a story by he, Karl Hirsch and Lauren Proctor. Schenkman is a seasoned director best-know for 2007's Man From Earth, a mind-bending sci-fi flick.

That's all there is for now, but as the film's release date creeps closer - May 22nd - rest assured there will be more gory goodness to come...