Three British zombie features at Day of the Undead

Here in Leicester, the horror highlight of the year is always Day of the Undead, a full day of zombie activities at Phoenix Square organised by the tireless Zombie Ed of Terror4Fun. Previous British pictures screened include The Dead, Harold's Going Stiff, Zomblies, Devil's Playground, Zombie Undead and The Zombie Diaries.

This year the Day of the Undead is on Saturday 17th November and features three British films in its line-up: Cockneys vs Zombies, Before Dawn (introduced by director/actor Paddy Brunt) and The Eschatrilogy (with intro and Q&A from the director and producer). Also screening are Zombie Flesh Eaters (the world premiere of the new HB version), Israel's first zombie film Muralim and a special surprise film (which could mean there's actually four British titles...). Plus video games and make-up, oh and Charlie Higson plugging his zombie books.

Day-passes are £25. See you in the bar!

Great new short: Sunday Best

A few years ago I reviewed Emily and the Baba Yaga, a terrific CGI short which marked the directorial debut of Clive Tonge. More recently, Clive has directed a live-action horror short Sunday Best, which looks great.

Synopsis
A woman’s thighbone has been found by police, the latest victim of brutal serial killer ‘The Bone Stripper’. When a stranger, covered in blood, arrives unexpectedly at Gladys and Albert’s house, like good Samaritans they invite him in. But the Lord God works in mysterious ways and, when all three end up wearing their Sunday best, His deadly word is final.

Sunday Best was written by Ian Fenton (Black Dog, The Scuttler), DPed and edited by Ben Race, and stars Bill Fellows (Zombie Women of Satan, Witch House: The Legend of Petronel Haxley, Until Death) with Andrew Squires (Heretic) and Valerie Shields.

Here's the website, and here's the trailer. Review coming soon.

South of Sanity - the Antarctic British horror film!

Here’s a British horror film that’s something different - South of Sanity is the first non-documentary feature ever shot in Antarctica! Kirk Watson is a Scottish cameraman who has been documenting, for the past four years, the construction of the absolutely amazing Halley VI ice station on the Brunt Ice Shelf in the British Antarctic Territory.

Because there’s not much to do during the long Arctic winter, Watson spent July to October 2009 making a feature film, with his colleagues as the cast. It will be released on DVD on both sides of the Atlantic on Halloween, the same day as the big screen premiere in Watson’s home town of Aviemore.

Here’s a BBC website report on the film, and here’s Watson’s own website where you can buy tickets to the premiere and where the DVD will be available in a couple of weeks. And here’s the trailer:

British Horror Film Festival - list of award winners

I had a good time at the British Horror Film Festival on Saturday. Reviews of Art House Massacre and Three's a Shroud will be on my main site soon. In the meantime, here's the full list of award-winners:

• Best Director - The Santoro Brothers for The Other Side
• Best Actor - Thomas Coombes in Love Bug
• Best Actress - Clare Langford in Demon
• Best Music - Gerry Moffett for Art House Massacre
• Best Feature Film - Art House Massacre dir. Steve Laurence
• Best Short Film - Love Bug dir. Benjamin Kent
• Best Cinematography - Mark Duffield for Demon
• Best Student Film - Darkwood Manor dir. Liam Hooper
• Best Screenplay - Blood and Fangs: The Bloodening by Dave McLeod
• Audience Award - The Other Side dir. The Santoro Brothers
• British Horror Award - Three's a Shroud dir. Dan Brownlie, David VG Davies and Andy Edwards

Love Bite in Liverpool next week, wider next month

I was wondering what had happened to Andy De Emmony's teenage werewolf picture Love Bite, which was originally announced for a summer 2012 release. It looks like it's hitting cinemas on 9th November, but there is a one-off screening next Friday (12th October) at the Plaza Cinema in Liverpool.

De Emmony's TV work includes episodes of Red Dwarf and Father Ted as well as the 2010 version of Whistle and I'll Come to You. The film stars Ed Speleers (A Lonely Place to Die), Luke Pasqualino, Kierston Wareing (The Holding), Timothy Spall and Jessica Szohr (Piranha, Gossip Girl) as the token American. Make-up effects by Kristyan Mallett (Kill Keith, Strippers vs Werewolves).

Here's the trailer: