Seed of Evil: An Ancient Evil Rises (Saga of Evil) - By Robert Friedrich

"THE SAGA OF EVIL BEGINS… 

From a distant galaxy far beyond our time, the most ancient of all EVIL awoke before descending upon our unsuspecting galaxy. The planet it reached never faced such a threat, but didn’t submit to it, either. In a final attempt to survive, a prison between dimensions was built, the last hope to hold the DARK POWER for an eternity. The planet withered and died, and its people found a new refuge among the stars. That planet is now known as: Mars. 

But even eternity doesn’t last forever. Ignorance and an infantile arrogance of a nation leads to its release. And once again, it only leaves death in its wake. 

Read the fast-paced Sci-Fi/Horror, where the elements of OCCULT meet with an advanced MILITARY thriller, wrapped in a colossal battle between good and evil. 

The first part of a new, long-awaited Saga, from the internationally renowned author of “The Darkness Within” will give you a gulp of a SMASH HIT and will leave you wanting more…"

Well, that's the blurb from the Author's Amazon page, the link for which can be found RIGHT HERE - but what did I think of the story? More importantly, does anybody care what I think? Probably not, but at least I can happily convince my self otherwise, because self-delusion is a wonderful thing.

For a novella which consists of just 101 pages, Seed of Evil has a veritable plethora of influences and ideas. There are whisperings of the movie Aliens, smatterings of Warhammer 40K and even a dollop or two of the calamity that was Starship Troopers - but don't let that last reference put you off. My recollections of the military science fiction masterpiece by Robert A. Heinlein have been distinctly tainted by the turkey of the 1997 movie version directed by Paul Verhoeven. I've mentioned before my utter loathing and contempt for that film adaptation - and it's only Denise Richards that has made me watch it possibly half a dozen times or so. Well, she's worth it. 

When I say that this story seems (for me at least) to have a number of influences, I don't wish anyone to misconstrue that as any sort of criticism, because it's not. Any sense of familiarity, and even cliche, is more than off-set by the pacey story, plot structure and the pleasing writing style of Robert Friedrich. However, more of that in a moment or two.

Seed of Evil is set later in the 21st century when both our own Moon and the planet Mars have now been colonised in an effort to extract the wealth of their natural resources. After all, both are devoid of any sort of alien life aren't they, so what could possibly go wrong? Well, in the case of Mars, things have gone a more than a little pear-shaped after contact with the colonists has been lost, shortly after they had discovered a structure on the red planet of unknown origin. 

As a result, a team of elite marines have been dispatched to investigate the loss of contact and confront whoever, or whatever, stands in their way. I won't say any more in an attempt to stay spoiler-free, suffice to say that Corey (the marine from whose point of view the story is told) and his merry band of grunts find a little more than they bargained for.

If you read this story with the expectation of a slow build up of considered character development and a richly layered plot then this may not be the book for you. However, if you are in the mood for a fast paced, sometimes breathless story that within a couple of pages is relentlessly dragging you along by the short and curlies, along with the rest of the marines into the chaotic violence of bloody battle, then this might just be for you. 

I consumed this story in an afternoon, along with a requisite glass of red wine and was enjoyably swept along into an alien world full of excitingly written combat scenes each containing their fair share of bloody horror. And that is the very appeal of this book, for Friedrich has crafted a plot that may well be familiar, but has formed it into an appealing mix that will please both science fiction and horror fans alike. I am in no way saying that that this is a story devoid of intelligence and sub-text, for a start, as in the movie Aliens, we have an allegory of the dangers that military over-confidence and arrogance can tragically lead to. 

The cheese is optional - the rest, essential.

However, this isn't meant to be anything of an overly serious lecturing science fiction novel. This is not Asimov or Phillip.K. Dick - again that is absolutely not criticism of the author here, I for one am just as happy reading Warhammer as I am reading Phillip. K. Dick. Not all science fiction has to be overly Intellectually sermonising, which clearly wasn't the writers intention in Seed of Evil from the start. Believe me, that is no bad thing. The wonderful thing about sci-fi & horror fiction is that there are styles to suit all moods and desires and if you desire a thrilling story, high on delicious blood-soaked action then this is the book for you.

As far as I'm aware, Seed of Evil is designed to be the first in a lengthy saga, and the book has that distinct feel - in fact it could work equally well as a seperate prologue story to a large scale movie screenplay. I'm interested to see where the next instalment takes us and also looking forward to hopefully receiving my very own signed copy from Robert (hint, hint).

Seed of Evil is a highly recommended small slice of high octane sci-fi horror that will carry you along it's roller coaster ride of blood-soaked interplanetary combat! I enjoyed it immensely.

Copies of the book can be found at the Amazon link RIGHT HERE for UK buyers and HERE for those in the States.

For more information on Robert and the rest of his works then click at the link at   http://www.amazon.co.uk/Robert-Friedrich/e/B00F6N9E8A

Interview with actor, Jasper Cole.

When I was growing up I, like many kids of my age I suppose, had dreams of becoming an actor. In fact I pretty much had it all mapped out for myself. In my particular case I had no real desire to be a future James Bond or Count Dracula. No, for some reason I always saw myself as one of those familiar, but not too famous horror movie character actors that seem to pop up in seemingly every other film. You know how it goes -  " oh that's whats-his-name from that thingamajig movie". My idea of an acting career was in part to be more concerned with the craft of acting but just as importantly (well in truth, probably more so), I wanted to spend my days biting the necks of beautiful bossomed Hammer horror actress's rather than simply being famous. It was quite a few years until I realised that this was never going to happen, the fact that I had absolutely no tangible acting bone in my body may have had something to do with that. 

It all came to a depressing head during auditions for the School Nativity play when I was 12 and losing out to Craig Witherspoon for the role of shepherd number 5 - Not only did I lose out to the only other boy left in the class, he also had a bloody speech impediment that made 'Jesus' come out as sounding more like "JESHUSH'. In my nightmares I can still clearly hear "Hail baby Jeshush, the Messhia!".

I knew at that point that my career as any sort of actor was dead right there.....not that the painful memory still lingers, you understand.

Well I'm not going to mess with him - are you?

So It is my absolute pleasure this week to have the chance to speak to an experienced actor (I won't use the word 'veteran' as I always think it makes one sound decrepit and ready for the knackers yard) who has well over a century of television and film credits, not to mention a veritable string of theatre and writing credits to his name.

Jasper Cole definitely has that familiar "I know him from something" look, being a long-time stalwart of TV and film. As recently as 2013  he appeared in the much maligned (well I liked it actually) hit horror film, Hansel & Gretel as "John", the son of the legendary actress, Dee Wallace. His film credits also Include 18 Again, Alien Nation, Get Your Stuff, Friday the 13th Part VIII, and Urban Assault-TKO. Jasper is perhaps most well known for his portrayal of the genuinely creepy Zeke Pleshette in the film MacGruber, alongside a certain Mr Val Kilmer.

As well as film he's also appeared in numerous theatrical and television productions, with his TV work continuing notable appearances on shows such as C.S.I., Married With Children, Saved By The Bell, Touched by An Angel,Party Of Five, La Femme Nakita, Tales From The Crypt,Baywatch,PacificBlue and Clueless. Jasper has been regularly nominated for awards (nominated for best actor in the stage production of A Quiet End in 1996) besides achieving best supporting actor in the Drama-logue Awards for his role in Fool for Love in 1995. As recently as he received critical acclaim for his work on Michael Eisner's Emmy Nominated series, Prom Queen. 

Prom Queen

It's clear that Jasper's career has been somewhat varied, though it would be fair to say that in recent years he has become a firm favourite of the contemporary horror community. In the last few months he has become a Facebook friend of mine (I know, get me) and not only is he talented and successful, he's also a bloody nice guy. As you'll now see for yourself. 

Me) Firstly many thanks for taking time out of your schedule, Jasper. how's life treating you at the moment?

J) "All is good and thank you...just chillin here at my house in Palm Springs. If I'm not working in Hollywood I'm here every chance I get."

Me) For those foolish enough not know much about you, could you tell us a little about yourself - I understand that you are part Native American for example?

J) "Yeah I'm part Cherokee Indian and part Irish so needless to say there was a lot of alcohol involved lol...I grew up in Athens Georgia and moved to LA when I was 23 so I have been here 27 yrs this coming September. It's been an AMAZING journey!"

Jasper & Val Kilmer in the 'who's bum looks best?' competition

Me) I know you're probably sick of being asked what Val Kilmer was like to work in MACGRUBER - BUT,  I'll ask you anyway!!  I think he's often had something of a raw deal over the years in the press. What was the experience like?

J) "Well, I was and am a big fan of Val's so it was an honour to just work with him at all and it was a great time. He's very funny and eccentric in the best way possible. We shot out in New Mexico and Val actually lives there as well and in fact at that time there were rumours he was gonna run for Lt. Governor of that state so we had some "interesting" conversations about politics. Needless to say he was GREAT in the film and a true highlight of my career."

Me) I've often thought that it would be preferable to be a regular working character actor than a more wider known famous figure where the craft of acting might be lost in the publicity machine. Would you exchange being well-known within horror and other genre's but perhaps lesser so in the wider public consciousness as you are now or to be transported into the fame and money stratosphere of a Val Kilmer? 

J) "lol the "grass is always greener" right? Honestly, all I ever really wanted when I started out was to be a working actor who is respected within my industry and it has taken me many years to get here but I wouldn't change a thing...HOWEVER as I get older I would really love a steady television gig....second or third side kick maybe just recurring who shows up periodically and does his thing. Otherwise I'm good to go!"

Frank Giamona (left) & Jasper with 'mum' Dee Wallace

Me) Does it bother you (as it does me) that horror is still regarded as the poor man of movies and something merely to "move on from" for an actor? 

J) "Its a real mystery to me because horror is one of the most profitable at the box office consistently...low budget or studio level and for me I have moved "into horror" rather than "move on" from...I'm truly grateful to be a part of this genre on any level. The fans are the most loyal and diligent in the world."

Me) You have a distinctive look (you know, good looking with more than a hint of menace) :-) . Have you had to fight against being typecast in movies as 'bad guy number 1' ? 

J) "Thanks,,I always laugh and say it took me so many years to be TYPECAST that I hope to stay on this beloved "list" til the very end...Theatre is the place to stretch as an actor and try different parts....TV/film is where you do your consistent thing and I am forever grateful to be typecast."

Me) It seems that you're not that busy at the moment - well that is apart from appearing in THE PURGE ANARCHY opening in July. You apparently also have two horror thrillers coming out soon, CAPTURED and MODEL HOME. In addition to those I hear that you are about to start the horror film SAVAGE SISTAS.   Oh yes, if that wasn't enough you're in the middle of shooting DARK SPIRITS  opposite the gorgeous and talented Lynn Lowry and Mindy Robinson. What can you tell us about some of these productions? 

Jasper and Erica Renee Johnson from the set of Savage Sistas

J) "Wow..when you put it like that I do seem busy..lol...seriously I'm beyond blessed to have worked on these great projects Obviously to work with Michael Bay and Jason Blum in THE PURGE: ANARCHY was a huge  honor and its an amazing script and film. I play a "Homeless Man" who lives in a dipsy dumpster trash can and appears during the purge in a very scary way.......CAPTURED is another great script written and directed by Joe Arias and its stars Brittany Curan and Kristin Prout and a ensemble of amazing young actors...I Play "Shelly" the creepy groundskeeper who holds a lot of family secrets that get revealed throughout the film......MODEL HOME was a thrill to work with Monique Gabrilla Curnen and Emmy winner Kathy Baker. I play "Walker" a desert rat who stumbles into a nightmare and cant get out. Patrick Cunningham was a superb director to work with and his script is one of the best ever and a concept we haven't seen before...... SAVAGE SISTAS is my first lead in a horror film and it's a blessing to actually play a "Cop" for a change although he's not necessarily a good cop after all. Dan Smith has written and directed a true original film and the female leads are unique to the horror genre and KICK BUTT!......DARK SPIRITS was a chance to reunite with one of the CAPTURED producers Ewan Bourne and I play a "Dark Butler" who is up to no good but is enslaved to his "Master" who is played by the stunning  Mindy Robinson."

Me) Would you possibly be ably to tell Lynn Lowry that I've been more than a little smitten with her for quite a while and that I'd love to interview her.......pretty please? 

J) "Lynn is so lovely and kind and I will most definitely tell her and I'm sure you will love her too!"

The lovely Lynn Lowry

Me) Have you ever worked over here in the UK? 

J) "I have not worked there but two of my goals left for my career are to do theatre in both New York and London."

Me) Finally, the most important question (remember, I'm a psychologist) - Alien or Predator? 

J) "Wow that's a tough one but I'm gonna have to go with PREDATOR"

Me) Thanks Jasper, mate for taking the time to answer the questions. Take care!  

J) "Thanks so much and keep up the great work!"

So there you have it. He has a varied & successful career that keeps on going from strength to strength. He lives in Palm Springs, works in Hollywood but has managed to stay a genuinely nice guy with a good line answering my inane interview questions. So I will forgive him for getting the Alien or Predator question wrong - though obviously the man can look after himself so maybe I'll keep that piece of information from him.....

Seriously though, I would like to thank Jasper Cole for the interview. A good guy & a good actor. 

Jasper can be viewed, contacted and researched at the following links;

www.jaspercole.com 

www.onthesetwithjaspercole.com 

 www.imdb.com/name/nm0170594/

 http://activesubmissions.com/jaspercole/

Interview with producer/director & writer, John Portanova

It was a genuine pleasure to receive the amount of positive feedback about last week's blog article for the May DVD release of the rather excellent The Invoking. The fact that the positive vibes weren't just from those involved in the project, but others who had both enjoyed the article and been inspired to possibly go out and buy it when it's released.

John Portanova standing in the 'stalkers' section

 -  nope nothing to infer from that......

If that wasn't enough, just a couple of days later I was more than a little pleased to be contacted by writer/producer/director and member of a mysteriously named group known as The October People, John Portanova.

If truth be told I was pleased on two counts. Firstly, it gave me the chance to pass onto my reader just part of the process behind the production of an indie horror movie. Secondly, it was the opportunity for me to gain answers to a few important burning questions that I had, such as; Was the rather excellent The Invoking really made on a shoestring budget? Just how annoyingly talented is Mr Portanova and his team? And are The October People really some shady group whose true intention to suck out the brains from our still breathing bodies?

As you'll see below, John is a rather deft and excellent interviewee with a good line in intelligence, humour and detailed oration, besides, anybody who uses the word 'cryptozoology' in an interview is fine by me. Not only that, but it seems that he has the need also to get the odd rant off his chest - nothing wrong with that. So I hope that he doesn't mind the odd minor amendment that I've made to his responses to my once again legendary, almost interrogatory in nature, interview questions by my altering his American English spelling (i.e incorrect) to UK English (i.e correct).

Q) Let's start with me asking you just who and what are The October people?

"The October People is a production company started by myself, Jeremy Berg, and Matt Medisch. It is based in Seattle and San Diego and specialises in producing independent films with a strong focus on character. Our first film was The Invoking, which Jeremy directed and co-wrote, I co-wrote and produced, and Matt produced and helped come up with the original story for. On future projects we will have similar positions some of the time, but other times we will switch things up and I could be directing, for example. We want to tell quality, character-driven stories through the prism of our favourite genres."

Q) The Invoking seems a little old-fashioned in terms of character development (and I mean that as a compliment) Was this an intentional approach from the start?

"It was. We are all lifelong horror fans and of course a big part of that is loving the gore effects and monsters. But when you see as many horror films as we have, you start to see those same things over and over. We knew we didn't want our first film to be another micro-budget zombie or slasher movie, so we decided to tell a story that was more about the characters and that took a more psychological approach. But even our upcoming projects, which do focus on different sub-genres of horror including monsters, will still be very much built off of a solid character foundation. Instead of just giving the audience cookie-cutter types that they've seen over and over again, we want to make sure there is interesting drama going on so that they are invested  in the story even before a monster comes rampaging across the screen."

Q) The film looks amazing - where is the location and how did you find it?

"Thanks. We shot the film in Red Bluff, CA. It was actually the home where our producer Matt grew up. Coming into The Invoking, we had a handful of short films and no money. We knew we wanted to make a feature and so we decided to do something in the vein of El Mariachi or the original Paranormal Activity, where the directors used what they had access to (locations and props) and wrote the film around those things to keep the budget low. So we wrote the script based off of this property we had the full run of. If something wasn't there and available to us at the location, we didn't write about it."

Q) Did The invoking only cost $11000 and one week to make? If so, just how was that managed ?

"Yes. The budget for the film was $11,000 and principal photography happened in Red Bluff over the course of one week. Like I was mentioning earlier, the script was written with this budget and shoot schedule in mind. We only had so much money we could charge onto credit cards and so much time we could take over the location. So keeping to this schedule was easy in one sense because we were staying at our location and everything was shot within walking distance from the house. But, on the other hand, it was hard because we had so many shots to get. Some days we did up to 40 set ups and had a maximum of 3 takes for each shot. Having an awesome crew and a great cast of actors really helped us stay on schedule and get good stuff during the few takes we had."

Q) What productions are next in the pipeline?

"We are actually getting ready to shoot the next October People horror feature next week. It's an alien abduction horror tale entitled The Device. Once again it'll be directed by Jeremy Berg from a script the two of us wrote and Matt Medisch will be producing. It'll be another very low budget picture, but this time we will be shooting all around Washington State with an awesome cast and crew made up of local talent including a nice mix of old friends and new collaborators. The film centres on a fractured family coming together after the loss of a loved one and then spirals into a story of alien terror. We're all big fans of alien abduction mythology and films in the sub genre such as Fire in the Sky, so we're excited to film our version of an alien abduction story. The plan is for the film to be out before the end of the year on home video after playing at a couple of film festivals.

Two months after we wrap The Device, we are going to be moving onto Valley of the Sasquatch. This film is based on a script I wrote many years ago and will be my directorial debut. Jeremy will be the cinematographer (a job he has performed on all of our films) and Matt will be producing. I grew up loving Bigfoot as much as alien abduction mythology (I was a big Unsolved Mysteries fan) and so I want this to be a film that treats the creature seriously. It's not a slasher movie where Jason is replaced by a Bigfoot. The story treats them like wild animals and gives a reason for why they have begun to amass a body count. I think cryptozoology fans as well as horror fans will dig it. It takes a serious look at a monster that has been on film a lot, but not always in the best stories. We will be shooting on our biggest budget yet (although still conservative even by indie film standards) and with some awesome actors that fans of the genre will recognise. The plan is for the film to be completed by the end of the year and then go into a film festival run."

Q) If there is anything, and I mean anything that you or the rest of the crew want to add/rant about/get off your chest/shout from the rooftops or just plain big yourselves up about - then here's your chance...fire away!!

"We are very happy with the response the film has got. For a film made for no money in no time, we've gotten many outstanding reviews and won a handful of awards from our film festival run. We even got a distribution deal that put the film out on store shelves and all over the net in a much wider fashion than a film of our size is usually afforded. So we don't have much to complain about. But there are a few misconceptions about the film that people have had since our wide release that I want to clear up. 

Most of the crew of The Invoking

1. We know that the set-up of the film (young people go to a cabin) has been done before. We had a microscopic budget that dictated how many characters and locations we could use. So we went with a classic horror set-up and then moved from there into our brand of psychological horror. 

2. We intended this to be a slow paced, character-driven film. We keep a lot of potential story tangents in the air (Is the house haunted? Will one of the characters snap and turn the film into a slasher? Is everything in the lead character's head?) and slowly reveal the true nature of the plot in order to keep those questions going through the audience's head. If that doesn't sound like your bag (which is fine, different strokes for different folks after all) you might be better off watching something else.

3. We shot the film in January of 2012 under the title Sader Ridge. We had no idea what The Conjuring was at that time as it would not be released for a year and a half. The distributor chose to change the name of the film to The Invoking and designed the key art which sells the movie as a classic ghost story (which it really isn't).

4. The film was shot a year before Texas Chainsaw 3D was released and before we had ever heard of it. The similarity in the plot set-up is a coincidence.

All right, that's all my ranting." (laughs).

Q) Finally, Alien or Predator? (This is important!)
"Alien. I think Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett came up with the perfect horror creature with that film. The life cycle is great and keeps the terror constantly evolving. And the fact that the alien has acid for blood was a stroke of genius because the characters had to outsmart it as opposed to outgun it, which is usually the path the ending of a monster movie goes down."

Q) Finally finally, any chance of me getting hold of one of them there The Invoking signed T-Shirts?

"The shirts were made by a great company who I buy most of my wardrobe from called Fast Custom Shirts. You can get one here: http://www.fastcustomshirts.com/servlet/Detail?no=1619. 

On our Facebook page (facebook.com/theoctoberpeople) we recently ran a contest giving away a signed DVD & a shirt, but unfortunately the contest is already over. But if you buy the shirt and then find yourself in Seattle I'm sure you could find the cast around town and get it signed.

Thanks for the great questions Stu!"

No worries mate, and thanks for the detailed responses and in getting the answer to the Alien/Predator question correct! :-)

I would sincerely like to thank John for taking the time to put up with my vague and shambolic  attempts at cutting edge questioning, hopefully he and the rest of his team haven't been put off too much in letting me see the fruits of their forthcoming productions. However I cannot guarantee that The October People isn't in fact a covert organisation whose ultimate aim is to suck your brains out, luckily I'm safe as I'm often told that I don't have the brains I was born with.......

The Invoking - DVD release from Image Entertainment

Release Date: 12 May 2014

Certificate: 15

Special Features:

* Commentary with Writer/Director Jeremy Berg, Producer Matt Medisch and Writer/Producer John Portanova.

* Commentary with Actors Trin Miller, D'Angelo Midili and Andy Morris.

* The Making Of The Invoking Documentary

RRP: £12.99

I suppose that one of the many reasons why I love the horror movie genre so much is in part due to the plethora of tasty little sub genres within it; Slasher, Religious, Vampire/Zombie/Monster, Gore and Supernatural - to name but just a few. Now while I would normally shy away from categorising and labelling everything and anything within an inch of its life, it's safe to say that horror for me is a genre that, whatever mood I may find myself in, has always had something that managed to well and truly hit the horror spot in my soul. 

Each of these sub genres have their rightful place in my (black) heart and each to a certain extent have been known to divide opinion both within and outside the horror community - for instance, I even know someone who doesn't like The Texas Chainsaw massacre......yes Mikhail Mulvihill, I'm talking about you so hang your head in perpetual shame :-).. 

For some reason, the sub genre of the Psychological horror, where the power of suggestion, character building and a gradual acceleration of atmosphere seems to divide said opinion more than most........and for a few months I've been hearing those same whispers and heated disagreements about a certain new addition to the collection, but I'll talk about some of those conflicting views in a little while.

So it was with gleeful chuckle and skip that I received a preview disc sent to me on behalf of Image Entertainment UK by the lovely people at Aim Publicity. Not only was the theme heavily psychological, so I was going to have to think just a little bit(that will be a first, I hear you say), but also it was also another thing very close to this blogger's heart, a low-budget independent production, being shot in just one week for an amazing $11,000 dollars.

The film concerned is called The Invoking and I'm saying to you know, you should see it, you really should. But before I get well and truly carried away........... a little on the what the film is actually about.....

As usual, I will endeavour to shy away from an in-depth spoiler strewn review as seems the annoying habit of many a blog reviewer - just why anybody would want to regurgitate a scene by scene account of a movie and thus removing any semblance of mystery for the potential viewer is simply beyond me. As for those who think they are being cleverly cryptic by suggesting that the ending is a sting/twist/surprise/open ended/closed/satisfying/ambiguous or serenaded by harp playing angels, you still are giving it away you plonkers. So for those of you in bloggerland and reviewland who feel the need to divulge every nuance of a plot, stop it, stop it now.

'Nothing wrong with this house, nope, no sir."

Anyhoo, I once more digress. In a nutshell, the plot is as follows....

"Raised by foster parents, Sam claims to remember nothing of her childhood...but it remembers her. When she discovers she has inherited a property, she invites three friends to join her on a trip that will change their lives forever.

A young reclusive caretaker (played by the truly excellent D’Angelo Midili), a childhood friend of Sam's is there to greet them, but something else is waiting for her in the house, something dark and deadly. The ghosts of a past she has long forgotten are coming back to haunt her with a pounding, slashing, raging terror."

If you want just a taste of that taster then the trailer for the film can be found RIGHTY HERE MATEY

Originally titled Sader Ridge (taken from the name of the location in the movie), The Invoking has already gained a number of film awards including Best Actor, Best Cinematography, and Best Music Score at the 2013 Dark Carnival Film Festival. The film was named the best horror film of 2013 by Horror-Punks.com. The website also named D'Angelo Midili as the best actor of 2013 for his portrayal of the caretaker, Eric. If that wasn't enough, it also won the Audience Award at the  Seattle True Independent Film Festival last year.

That awkward moment when you run out of milk.....

Now, so far so good? Well yes......and no. Yes, because of the aforementioned critical accolades, but also no, because from what I've seen so far there are some who have rather misread and misjudged this movie on two major counts. Firstly, for some people it seems that this is a plot theme that is all too familiar, namely a group of young college kids taken out of their city comfort zones and who find themselves locating to an isolated, countryside setting only to find out that the locals may not be quite what they seem. And yes, when one first watches The Invoking, I too felt more than a twinge of deja vu at the very beginning as I waited for the family of slashers or Blair Witches to jump out faster than Bruce Campbell himself could hope to cope with. However, I soon realised my mistake, because the filmmakers have added a clever and subtle subtext to plot that many people clearly have missed - but more of that shortly. Instead I've noticed a few somewhat lazy comparisons to other movies.

In fact if I see another comment (and there have been one or two) that it has any sort of resemblance or connection to The Conjuring I may well pick up the nearest chainsaw myself. You see, this superficial assumption would be a mistake, because underneath this veneer of cliched familiarity, there is far more intelligence and textured character building on show here than you could shake at Hitchcock thriller at. If there is any resemblance at all between this and any other production I would wager that it is due far more to the films distributors than to the filmmakers themselves.

The annual Sader Ridge staring contest is in full swing....

This then leads on to what seems to be the second misjudgement that in my opinion, some who have viewed the movie seem to be making, namely the films pacing. Yes, the pace of the film may not quite be at the 'lets slash em up before the words character and development can even be muttered', but this doesn't mean that it is tedious or boring. On the contrary, we are given time to listen in and experience the relationships of the characters as grow (and in some cases, deteriorate) with the story. We may not necessarily like all the characters, but we certainly get to know them and empathise with them when events reach their inevitable climax.

I really don't want to sound like an elitist horror snob - I love mindless onscreen violence as much as the next person.......but just because we are asked to think and consider the actions and behaviours on screen doesn't mean that the tension and chills are any less than a good old gore-fest. There is room for both you know.

But the inverted snobbery from some who regard the slow build up as an exercise in tedium have made a misjudgement of the film of major proportions. Yes the build up may be slow, but as a result of the time spent on developing certain characters, by the time events start to become violent when we the audience have become so emotionally invested the eventual impact is tenfold. For example, we even genuinely sympathise with one particular individual who has to commit the ultimate act of violence. This person clearly wrestles with the act but commits to it without hesitation once the decision is made. It looks at face value like a casual act of violence, but that would be a mistake to assume so - it is a scene of beautifully subtle acting and results in genuine horror.

Hey, I can see my house from here!

In addition we have the rather clever and distinctive subplot that underpins the the whole of the story. For the writer/director (have I told you that I don't like annoyingly talented people?) Jeremy Berg has developed a story of psychological repression and combined it with a distinct supernatural tone - to great effect. The film's pacing helps us to witness Sam slowly coming to the realisation that her lack of childhood memories may possibly be the result of her internal unconscious conflicts as she 'witnesses' the various elements of her personality and memory manifest themselves in her friends. To the films credit,  we the audience have to decide whether it is the house, the land or something/someone else who is invoking the internal conflicts of her unconscious. Is it really happening at all? Clever, very clever.

I mentioned earlier that I understand that the film was filmed within the space of just one week for a measly 11,000 dollars. If that is true (and I have absolutely no reason to doubt otherwise) then that fact is simply incredible.It seems that the annoyingly talented Berg has created a movie that looks as if more, far more money, was spent on it than that. Because at times it looks truly beautiful. It helps that the location is genuinely stunning on occasion, but it still has to be well lit, photographed, filmed and edited to be effective - and the makers of The Invoking do just that in a way that belies the actual amount it cost to produce.  It looks and sounds wonderful.

I can't lie and say that this is a flawless piece of Psychological horror, because it's not, the acting from some of the cast is less than effective. 

On the one hand  the two main players, Miller and Midili are excellent and more than hold the film together, with D'Angelo Midili's performance in particular being something of a revelation and definitely on the 'destined for grand things' list. 

The excellent D'Angelo Midili.

His role as the mysterious caretaker could easily have been 'hammed up' to levels of cliche and caricature, however a performance of measured understatement is instead on show. The problem is that the quality of acting from the rest of the cast at best doesn't quite measure up to the two leads, at  its worst at times it is downright poor. Far be it from me to single out one particular performance as being bad, but one of the actors obvious attempt at being wacky and quirky is simply too over the top and and at times completely distracted my attention from whichever scene they're in. 

The Invoking hasn't completely reinvented the wheel or transformed the genre, I doubt that was ever the intention of Jeremy Berg and his crew. However, what he and the rest of his team have created is a wonderfully subtle, intelligent, beautiful and at times chilling tale that may indeed seem familiar at first glance. It is though, far more than that and it works wonderfully well. It's not just a good film, it is simply excellent.

The Invoking is due for its UK release on DVD on 12th May 2014.

Image Entertainment is a relatively new label from RLJ Entertainment which was launched here in the UK in January 2014, as the UK arm of the thriving Image Entertainment US label, with an exciting new range of sci-fi action, thriller and horror genre films selected from the US schedule.

Buried secrets - a short story by Gary Cecil

It is just a short blog entry this week (whoever cheered there at the back, you're for it!), which in truth is rather apt, because it concerns a short story which was sent to me from author a little while ago for my considered opinion. Now, I've made it no secret in my past musings and scribblings here regarding my lack of enjoyment for the short story format, so I'm not going to recycle all that again. You may ask then 'why bother to spend time reviewing a format that you don't enjoy?' I would reply to that person that's a relevant and valid point - well I would if this was an actual conversation and not in fact a made up one.....

The fact is that the author, Gary Cecil asked me so nicely to read his short story Buried Secrets that I could hardly refuse. There is also a rumour that I also agreed to do it was because the story was only approximately 2800 words (no, I haven't counted them) and therefore meant;

a) It wouldn't take me too long to read.

And b) wouldn't take me too long to write a review.

These are both scurrilous rumours that I wouldn't bother to fight probably because they have more than a semblance of truth in them. I am lazy, that's a fact.

So being the consummate professional I am, I endeavoured to read Gary's story and do you know what? I rather bloody well enjoyed it.

So, just what is this short, short story about? Well if you're sat comfortably, I'll give you a wee glimpse of the books introduction......

"Max and his wife, Megan, just moved into their new home: a charming Victorian that did not come with the typical Victorian price tag. Sure, it needed some paint thrown on here and there, but soon--with a baby on the way--it would be the perfect home for their family.

Things quickly begin to change, though. They hear strange noises at night, and even feel things crawling in their sheets. But that's not the worst of it. There's a foul smell in the air sometimes and something even fouler in the basement.

Something—or someone—smells and licks and lingers in the walls and down in the basement. When the power goes out, Max goes down there to find the breaker, and what he finds, is something much worse. Can the young couple survive this horrible fate? Or... are some secrets just too-damned-evil to be kept buried alive?"

So essentially, there were now two things that by rights should have negatively affected my enjoyment of the story beyond all reasonable hope of a decent review. Firstly, its length and secondly, the main characters and plot premise within it - namely number 7 in the all time list of horror movie cliche's, namely, the young couple (mother expecting) who's move into what they think is their dream home soon thereafter becomes the house from hell. Yes, the particular theme has appeared once or twice down the years.

And yet, and yet. I still liked the story. It is obvious that Cecil has been influenced, either consciously or unconsciously, by a certain Mr S King in terms of some of the phrasing and structuring of his writing. I don't mean that as a criticism at all, after all, if one is going to have inspirations, then one may as well choose the very best. Please don't misunderstand me, I'm not saying he's copied or plagiarised King, in terms of story or plot. Indeed, nor am I likening his writing talent to anywhere near the stratospheric level of King's. The statement is simply meant as a compliment.

As you would imagine, at just 2800 words there is little chance for much detailed characterisation of the couple, or indeed for a slow measured build up of layered plot and atmosphere. However, the finale is still incredibly affective in its chill factor as it sneaks up on you suddenly to hit you in the gut with a surprising intensity that has been perfectly hidden thus far, despite the story's length.

Reading Buried Secrets only slightly leaves one feeling just a little unfulfilled. At times the dialogue between Max and Megan is a little jarring and stilted, but not overly enough to detract from the reading enjoyment. In addition I couldn't help thinking that the story would have been far better used as part of a wider narrative - perhaps as a some flashback to previous owners of the house perhaps? It could be my in-built lack of enthusiasm for the short story format that led to this lack of fulfilment, but I don't think so.

This is a more than reasonable start to a writing career and there is certainly more than enough in Buried Secrets that suggests Gary Cecil has something of a future as a horror novelist. 

So who is this Gary Cecil chap? 

Well according to his bio, Gary writes short stories. mostly in the horror genre--with the support of his loving girlfriend, Sarah, and dog, Millie. Now as yet I'm not quite sure just how his dog helps in his writing but I'll damn well sure find out because that sounds like a bit of a canine gold mine to me.

He is currently in the revision process of his first novel, and is also hard at work on his second. As soon as I can get some word from Gary regarding a synopsis or two then I'll pass the details on.

Again, according to his bio, Gary has worked as a 911 Operator, and has held other various jobs. His greatest memory taking 911 calls was when a man on a back-country road, at one in the morning, called 911 and said, "The baby came out." It was a heart-wrenching experience, which ended in a man becoming a father, and Gary becoming a seasoned 911 Operator.

Hmm, that's nothing mate. A student of mine once went into labour at college during (no, not because of) one of my lectures..... Now THAT'S pressure. Once again, the rumours that I tried to finish my lecture before the baby's head breached are simply scurrilous......

Gary Cecil can be contacted by numerous online methods;

The Amazon links to his books can be found at;

US - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HRIIVI6

UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00HRIIVI6

His blog can be found RIGHT HERE

Gary's Facebook page is JUST A CLICK AWAY HERE

Patrick McPheron's Kickstarter campaign: Invasion! A Scifi photo series that will melt your brain!

People often ask me here at the Fifth Dimension: A sci-fi, fantasy and horror blog, which of the three genres it deals with are my personal favourite - actually, no-one has ever asked me that, but for the sake of leading into this article, let's just for a laugh say that they have. My answer would be that if.........if, I was held at gunpoint and forced to cough up a reply then it would probably be science fiction. A close call certainly, but sci-fi by a nose. However, if I was to be asked for a particular favourite area within the genre well that would be a far more easier decision to make, it wouldn't be even up for debate. Nope, Nada, Nyet, Nein, no sir. 

For those of you who might suggest Star Wars or a certain new Generations universe where no man has gone trekking before, they wouldn't be at the top of my personal science fiction list. I appreciate that this may come a rather upsetting and alienating (see what I did there?) to the fanatics of the Star Wars brigade who, let's face it, can be a tad vociferous and unyielding to those who don't quite share their level of, how can I put it? -  Psychotic obsession, I think might be a reasonable place for a start. Now don't get me wrong, I love Vader, Solo et al. I just don't want spend my life debating with some other guy the sociopathic tendencies of Boba Fett or the various debates about what your choice of colour lightsabre says about you (mines blue, by the way)....... And god help anyone who may inadvertently post a blog entry to one of their Facebook group pages that isn't explicitly related to the bloody force. 

One of the first loves of my life.

Hm mm, sorry about that, I well and truly digressed there for a moment........ And probably insulted a few pseudo Jedi knights in the process.

No, when it comes to Sci-fi, particularly movies and television, then it's the 1950's, 1960's and early 1970's that generally tend to hit this bloggers sweet spot. The day the Earth stood still, When Worlds collide, Quatermass, The forbidden Planet, The Twilight Zone & yes, the original Star Trek series are my particular Sci-fi desert island selections of choice. They were my first loves, along with Asimov, Phillip K. Dick and Arthur C. Clarke - and they'll be my last. 

I've been very lucky to have had a fair number of requests from some good people out there in Internetland to help promote their particular ventures. Believe me, I don't just help publicise any old piece of tosh for my blog, I always have to have at least something from their work that appeals to me. After all, it's my blog so why should I waste my precious time in putting articles together on things that don't interest me in the slightest.

However, occasionally, just occasionally a request that not only spikes my interest, it sets up a veritable cacophony of whoops and alarms of excitement.

Looking smooth, mate

So when I received a message from Los Angeles based artist and photographer, Patrick McPheron, it seemed that something of a kindred spirit had sent me some details of his kickstarter campaign. Why a kindred spirit? I hear you ask. Well read on and find out. 

Patrick’s work has been seen in art shows hosted by various groups and galleries, including World of Wonder Gallery, Cactus Gallery, Bagavagabonds, Spiva Gallery, Heart On, and Magic Garage. His work has appeared in magazines such as ELLE, Sessions & Experience. Recently, his photo “home” was chosen as a finalist for Canon’s “Project Imaginat10n.”

He is currently running a kickstarter project for a photo series called 'Invasion', which Patrick describes as "a vintage photo series inspired by the campy sci-fi shows of the 60's and 70s. It's a little "Twilight Zone" mixed with a little "Star Trek" topped with a little influence from the horror genre." This retro sci-fi photo project, which will eventually result in a book and full scale gallery show in Los Angeles, caught my eye straight away, and for obvious reasons.

I want this and I want this NOW!

It seems that for most of the time Patrick seems to spend most of his existence in some sort of retrofuture universe made up of intriguing architecture, beautiful humans, and exquisite aliens - and quite frankly that sounds like a rather bloody fine place to hang out to me! 

For the previous 3 years he has been spending a huge amount of time ( and no little money) on creating a highly thematic photo series, the aforementioned "Invasion," and he's within sight at long last of the finishing line. The wealth of material he has created so far has been funded with his own resources.  For example as part of the incentives for people to help his campaign, he created a truly stunning lobby card/movie poster (see above) which features the lovely, comedian, performer, and musician - in fact all  around talented lady, Deven Green as "The Queen." Unfortunately there is no movie to accompany this poster - but looking at it, there bloody well should be! I just love it. 

Er, Patrick, I would sincerely love a copy of this lobby card/movie poster - hint hint :-)

Stunning, just stunning.

There are about 10 photos needed to complete the Invasion series - and Patrick wants these final few shots to be well and truly off the scale - and this is where he needs our help.

His Kickstarter campaign has just a few days to go to reach his monetary target that will ensure that he will utilise high quality vintage costumes, props, masks, vintage cars, wigs, makeup, locations, extra lights and fans, makeup artists, models and also help with the cost associated with the gallery show!

Patrick is naturally reticent about divulging too much about what he has planned for the final images. However he has said the they will include for example; 

• Gorgeous women frozen in time as they are enveloped by mysterious lights from above

• A stylish mad scientist and his older female assistant overlooking a wicked creation in his laboratory

• A diner where the patrons have all been poisoned by a green ooze

Patrick's ultimate aim is, once the shoot (that's technical speak for photographers, you know) is complete he will be publishing a book of the photos, offering prints for sale, and having a full scale gallery show in Los Angeles, CA.  It's tentatively slated for summer 2014, and you're all invited! woo-hoo!!!! The only downside to that offer is that seeing as I currently reside in the beautiful North East of Scotland, I might not be able to make it to the gallery show. So if anyone of you do get there then I want full description and stories - plus the odd signed memento too :-). 

Like the nice guy he obviously is, Patrick has gone on record on his Kickstarter page as promising that our help won't go unnoticed as he's devised some rather excellent  incentives. A high quality book of the entire series, magnets, prints of all shapes and sizes, 1-on-1 photo shop time and more! All incentives include free shipping within the US. If you don't believe me then I suggest that you pop over to his Kickstarter page BY CLICKING RIGHT HERE and Check out the pictures below and detailed descriptions of the offers available.

The Lovely Deven Green again - 

and not a bad photo either...

It really is a beautiful and emotive collection of images that perfectly encapsulate the feelings and atmosphere of classic science fiction and horror. 

This is no false claim - I for one will be genuinely taking ownership of a book of the entire series as soon as it is completed.

So what more is there to say? Except for me to leave you with the words of Patrick McPherson himself....."Support the arts and get rad Scifi stuff. Invasion truly is a Scifi photo series that will melt your brain! 

What more could you ask for!?"

Patrick has one more week for the campaign and about $3,000 to make up! It's hefty sum to raise but I think we can do it! 

Full details of Patrick's Kickstarter campaign can be found BY CLICKING RIGHT HERE!!

Patrick's photography Facebook page can also be found AT THIS LINK HERE

Further information can also be found in his Press Release at: http://www.interiorstate.com/Invasion_PressRelease.pdf