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Sandy Collora Challenges the Hollywood “Recycle Machine” with NEW Creature Movie

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It seems that Hollywood is only interested in producing movies that are guaranteed money makers in today’s world. You may say that this has always been the way, but you can’t deny there are far less chances taken on new ideas. Remakes, reboots, and recycles are the safe way to make big money, bottom line.  Sure, if you’re Tarantino or Wan then there is no end of wallets waiting to open for your new ideas, but when was the last time you’ve seen a potentially iconic villain comparable to Freddy, Jason, or Leatherface? Or even creatures, such as Predator and Alien?

If you have an idea for a new antagonist and you are not already rubbing shoulders with the big guys, your only realistic shot at getting your story out there are crowd funded communities such as Kickstarter and Indiegogo. A fellow indie lover pointed out a project on Kickstarter by a guy with similar views to my own, and I think it will prove there is still room for new ideas. He has the message, “If Hollywood won’t do it, I will!”

Sandy Collora

Sandy Collora
Collora started his journey on the path to making movies at the young age of 17, where he moved to California and managed to get work at Stan Winston Studios. Working as a Sculptor and Creature Creator, his portfolio includes movies such as Total Recall, The Abyss, and Men in Black. He has had success using Kickstarter to produce two volumes of The Art of Creature and Character Design, and he has experience in the director’s chair, having made the very successful feature film Hunter Prey in 2009.  And even if you haven’t come across any of these projects, you may have heard of his short film Batman: Dead End (2003), which was at the time the most downloaded short film in history. The fact that he is a world-class practical effects artist means that he can make exactly what he wants without the obstacle of relaying his vision to someone else first.

His idea comes from his love of the ocean, the environment, and most importantly, the horror genre.  He believes that when the environment is abused, our damaged ecosystem can become host to creatures that we can not even comprehend.

His Kickstarter intro video shows plenty of footage of his monster, and I am told none of it is for the final movie. It has been shot solely for Kickstarter backers as a concept and to give a preview of the rewards for getting involved. These include resin busts, action figures, and full body Marquette’s of the creature.  However, the horror and sci-fi genres don’t generally get the same attention on Kickstarter as do the documentaries and celeb-based dramas and we normally only see success in small projects. This limits the standard of production in order to tackle the mainstream.  Sandy Collora wants to smash through this ceiling with his project and prove that artists don’t always need Hollywood’s pockets if the public is behind you.  Collora is asking for quite a sum of money in comparison to most projects we have seen, but with the project already raising over $90k and almost 30 days left to go, it doesn’t seem unattainable.

By watching his concept intro video it is easy to see that Collora is experienced, enthusiastic, and passionate. I for one will be happy to back his project knowing my money would be put to good use.

Shot of Creature

Shallow Water by Sandy Collora
Shallow Water tells the story of a seemingly innocent adventure. Six fishermen embark on a fishing trip to a remote and mythical fishing hole nestled deep in the Sea of Cortez. They scour the Baja peninsula to find this magical place, but when they do, they encounter unexpected sea life, which puts them at odds, and it becomes every man for himself. Adds Collora: “It’s Mother Nature versus Human Nature.”

This might be a turning point in indie horror where we see better effects, better production, and more elaborate but achievable content from what was once only available to the wealthy filmmakers. If Hollywood wasn’t paying attention before, they will be with this one!

If you would like to read more about Sandy’s project and maybe get involved click here!

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Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

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Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

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Part Concert, Part Horror Movie M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Trap’ Trailer Released

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In true Shyamalan form, he sets his film Trap inside a social situation where we aren’t sure what is going on. Hopefully, there is a twist at the end. Furthermore, we hope it’s better than the one in his divisive 2021 movie Old.

The trailer seemingly gives away a lot, but, as in the past, you can’t rely on his trailers because they are often red herrings and you are being gaslit to think a certain way. For instance, his movie Knock at the Cabin was completely different than what the trailer implied and if you hadn’t read the book on which the film is based it was still like going in blind.

The plot for Trap is being dubbed an “experience” and we aren’t quite sure what that means. If we were to guess based on the trailer, it’s a concert movie wrapped around a horror mystery. There are original songs performed by Saleka, who plays Lady Raven, a kind of Taylor Swift/Lady Gaga hybrid. They have even set up a Lady Raven website to further the illusion.

Here is the fresh trailer:

According to the synopsis, a father takes his daughter to one of Lady Raven’s jam-packed concerts, “where they realize they’re at the center of a dark and sinister event.”

Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, Trap stars Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Hayley Mills and Allison Pill. The film is produced by Ashwin Rajan, Marc Bienstock and M. Night Shyamalan. The executive producer is Steven Schneider.

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Woman Brings Corpse Into Bank To Sign Loan Papers

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Warning: This is a disturbing story.

You have to be pretty desperate for money to do what this Brazilian woman did at the bank to get a loan. She wheeled in a fresh corpse to endorse the contract and she seemingly thought the bank employees wouldn’t notice. They did.

This weird and disturbing story comes via ScreenGeek an entertainment digital publication. They write that a woman identified as Erika de Souza Vieira Nunes pushed a man she identified as her uncle into the bank pleading with him to sign loan papers for $3,400. 

If you’re squeamish or easily triggered, be aware that the video captured of the situation is disturbing. 

Latin America’s largest commercial network, TV Globo, reported on the crime, and according to ScreenGeek this is what Nunes says in Portuguese during the attempted transaction. 

“Uncle, are you paying attention? You must sign [the loan contract]. If you don’t sign, there’s no way, as I cannot sign on your behalf!”

She then adds: “Sign so you can spare me further headaches; I can’t bear it any longer.” 

At first we thought this might be a hoax, but according to Brazilian police, the uncle, 68-year-old Paulo Roberto Braga had passed away earlier that day.

 “She attempted to feign his signature for the loan. He entered the bank already deceased,” Police Chief Fábio Luiz said in an interview with TV Globo. “Our priority is to continue investigating to identify other family members and gather more information regarding this loan.”

If convicted Nunes could be facing jail time on charges of fraud, embezzlement, and desecration of a corpse.

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