ONE FOR THE ROAD Short Film – Indiegogo Campaign!

Hello fellow horror fans!

In just two weeks, I will be embarking on a wild journey: adapting Stephen King’s story “One for the Road” into a short film for NYU film school. We are in the midst of casting, location scouting, and makeup testing now – but we need your help to raise the funds to finish the film!

CLICK HERE to donate NOW!

“One for the Road” tells the chilling of two men who must venture out into a dark, cold night to help a stranger find his wife and child in an abandoned town – a town that harbors a deadly secret.

Based on a Stephen King story, this short film is a labor of (slightly deranged) love. I (being the director!) have dreamed about this project for a long time, and thanks to NYU film school, it is finally being realized! The film already has a fantastic crew of other passionate kids, but we’re missing two things – real vampires, and MONEY. You guys can help with one of those things.

Watch the campaign video BELOW:

Among other prizes, donations will reward you with color instructions on how to make yourself a vampire, and will put your name in the credits. Who doesn’t want to be in the credits of a scary King movie?

Any amount of money will help. Click HERE to support a young filmmaker in realizing a vision of terror!

Black Sabbath (1963): Review

Director: Mario Bava
Starring: Boris Karloff, Mark Damon, Michele Mercier

Mario Bava is not a small name in the horror community, often spoken alongside Dario Argento as a master of Italian horror. I, unfortunately, had not accessed his works until recently – and I now realize how much I’ve been missing out on. “Black Sabbath,” an early effort following the success of the great and similarly-titled “Black Sunday,” is a grand example of his work – atmospheric, beautiful, colorful, and frightening.

Also called “I tre volti della paura” (The Three Faces of Fear), this film weaves three separate stories into one work through the expert narration of Boris Karloff. The segments each stand on their own: “The Drop of Water,” based on a Chekov story, tells the tale of a nurse who steals from a deceased client and is haunted (by her guilt… or something worse?); “The Telephone” is an early version of Scream, watching as a woman is stalked by a mysterious caller who can see her every move; and “The Wurdalak,” a classic vampire fable about an outsider who is caught up in a cursed family (featuring Karloff himself as a particularly vicious vampire).

Each story contains its own rich atmosphere and unique horrors, which is remarkable for any anthology. Bava is the master of Grand Guignol horror – technicolor lighting, fog-filled sets, and outlandishly grotesque phantoms abound in “Black Sabbath.” The stories are certainly not even in terms of quality, but they fit together seamlessly, matching in visual style more than anything else. And, in my opinion, each contains its own level of dread and fear – another remarkable achievement.

My personal favorite was “The Wurdalak,” due to the classical Gothic imagery and the intense darkness of the story – there are some disturbing moments that go beyond fun, spooky horror. And who doesn’t want to see Boris Karloff playing a dreadful vampire? But, I enjoyed all of the stories separately, and was impressed by how chilling they each managed to be.

I highly recommend “Black Sabbath” for any fan of classic horror, or anyone looking for a fun and creepy movie to fill the chilly October nights. Bava does not disappoint – this film is, for all its embellishments, quite scary.