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REVILED – The Underground World of Zombie Pit Fighting

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Written by Brian Linsky

From writer and director Jim Stramel (Degenerate’s Ink, Thrillbillies), comes REVILED, a five-part film series which tells the story of a desperate father and his deceased daughter lost in the underground world of zombie vs zombie pit fighting.

Filmed in the backwoods of Powhatan, Virginia, Frank Sonney (Randall Robinson) finds himself in a post apocalyptic world trying to survive, while also trying to protect his daughter Jessie (Gabbi Herzberg / Sara Carpenter) who’s become zombified.

When Frank sees an opportunity to capitalize on the situation by entering Jessie into a zombie pit fighting ring, he turns to an acquaintance named Moonie (J.R. Foster), who points Frank and Jessie in the direction of the pit leader, Bern.

Following Jessie’s brutal first fight, in which she takes on a one-eyed oddity with a beer can embedded in his head, Frank realizes he didn’t make as much money as he had hoped for, and is approached by Moonie with a proposal to take Jessie on the road where there’s larger crowds and more money to be made.

Each new fight pit along the way introduces us to a new cast of deranged and deviant characters, and a different pit leader for each location. In REVILED, the atmosphere is savage, the fights are violent, and the consequences of cheating are severe, as seen at the end of the second episode.

Not sure who he can fully trust, Frank Sonney only has one thought running through his mind… How do you save your daughter when she’s already dead?

Frank and Jessie enter the underground world of zombie pit fighting.

Frank (Randall Robinson) leads Jessie into the underground world of zombie pit fighting in REVILED.

With 3 more episodes of REVILED still to come, I’m excited to see where Frank and Jesse’s journey takes them next, what wacky freaks they’ll encounter along the way, and what new ways the director will think up to rip the zombies apart during their fight scenes.

Wanting to know more, I recently caught up with director Jim Stramel to see if he’d answer some questions for iHorror.

iH: In 2015, REVILED won an award for Best Short Film at Dead Walk Fest, the same year Randall Robinson won for Best Actor. He really did a great job owning that role, how rewarding is it for you as the director to know that you not only made a bad ass film, but also cast the right guy for the role?

JS: It’s incredibly rewarding. You get so close to actors and their characters while making the movie that it’s hard to keep a proper perspective, so it’s great when people with no connection or expectations see the movie and respond to an actor and his or her character. I mean, I know Randall’s a scumbag, but it’s rewarding that others can see it too!

iH: The REVILED series is beautifully shot and avoids the shaky footage usually seen in a lot of zombie films. How long did it take you to film the fight scenes?

JS: Each fight scene was filmed in half a day or less. It’s pretty much all of the time we had because the make-up was a build done that morning and recreating it would be really difficult, plus the budget and schedule didn’t allow for more than that anyway.

We filmed other bits while the zombies were being made up and then shot until we ran out of light. Once the sun went down, that was it. Which is why I feel that I still haven’t been able to get the fight scenes to where I want them yet, but I’ve learned a lot and ironed out some issues so episode 3 is going to make up for it!

iH: Can’t wait to see it. I understand your wife Renee does a lot of the make up and special effects, How long have you worked together on films?

JS: Renee’s been there from the beginning, from the first short film all those years ago, before we were married. She’s the only one who understands what the hell I’m trying to say or do when everything’s going wrong and I’m reduced to pointing, grunting and swearing. She can do and has done about everything, except wise up and kick me out, for which I am eternally grateful.

iH: You’re a lucky man. Congratulations on winning 6 Horror awards to date, and also for getting your films on ibleedindie.com. There’s a lot of great independent horror films out there and its great people now have a place to check ’em out on demand. Do you think the future of films will be through streaming services? Do you like the direction the industry is heading?

JS: Having REVILED streaming on ibleedindie is a huge deal to an independents like myself. Having a platform that’s willing to showcase and support truly independent films is vital for a project like REVILED to reach a broader audience outside of our normal social media, word of mouth sphere. I don’t know if streaming will replace physical media, I’m sure for some viewers it will.

Personally I like having a dvd, blu ray, vhs, etc, but streaming is a great platform to introduce people to movies and projects that they wouldn’t have heard of or had access to otherwise. Like us.

REVILED features the violently savage world of zombie vs zombie pit fighting.

iH: Most of your work involves a profuse amount of blood and guts. In fact you’ve won Best Gore at the Independent Horror Movie Awards, and Best Blood & Gore at Things2Fear Film Fest 2016, but is there ever a time when you’re thinking to yourself, “Wow, this may go a little too far.”?

JS: No. You can’t over do blood in a scene that screams for it, if it’s supposed to be raining blood then you got to make it rain blood, or do the best you can. Which is not to say that every scene needs it either.

Sometimes a few drops are going to punch an audience in the face much harder than a bathtub full of the stuff, it depends on the scene, what you’re trying to do. But when the gore calls, answer the phone. The funny thing I was actually pretty disappointed in the amount of blood in ep. 2, I really envisioned those scenes much redder and wetter and was disappointed in how, for whatever reason, dry they turned out, but then it goes out and gets 2 blood awards, ha ha ha ha. I guess I’m a little jaded.

iH: Do you find it difficult thinking of new ways to end each pit fight? There’s only so many ways you can get ripped apart, right?

JS: Yeah, that’s a challenge, but also the fun of it. Trying to figure out what these things are going to do to each other, something that’s going to be really fun for somebody sitting in the audience. But once again, in my mind they’ve all, so far, been compromised to one extent or another, never reaching what we had written on the page – I’m really looking at episode 3 to get it right!

iH: I love that several of your films feature music from Angry Johnny and the Killbillies, what is it about their music that works so perfectly with your films?

JS: I feel really fortunate to have had, and continue to have, Angry and the Killbillies be a cornerstone of our movie making. You can’t underestimate their contribution. They definitely have the ability to tap into a dark, dirty, bloody, and at the same time lonely, musical current, so as long as I keep shooting stories about degenerates, drunks and broken-hearted down and outers we’re going to be set for soundtracks!

iH: Awesome. What else are you working on?

JS: I have a story about a young woman fighting to save her soul from the devil that I really like.

I’m working on that now, writing it as one segment of a three-story horror omnibus movie. Then there’s another bloody crime story that I’m tinkering with. There’s always bits and pieces of movies floating around, in various stages, ready to take flight.

We also just finished shooting a music video for the band BAT and are editing that now, due out at the end of the year, and we’re in the early planning stages for a larger, multi-song video project for another band. But the main thing, the big one, is to tell the rest of the REVILED story. That’s my prime obsession.

iH: Right on Jim, it’s a great story and thanks for talking to iHorror about it. We’ll do our part to tell the world.

Episodes 1 and 2 are currently streaming right now on ibleedindie.com, and you can get more info on the film’s official website  Reviledzombieseries.com  Check out the trailers below.

 

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Win a Stay at The Lizzie Borden House From Spirit Halloween

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lizzie borden house

Spirit Halloween has declared that this week marks the start of spooky season and to celebrate they are offering fans a chance to stay at the Lizzie Borden House with so many perks Lizzie herself would approve.

The Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, MA is claimed to be one of the most haunted houses in America. Of course one lucky winner and up to 12 of their friends will find out if the rumors are true if they win the grand prize: A private stay in the notorious house.

“We are delighted to work with Spirit Halloween to roll out the red carpet and offer the public a chance to win a one-of-a-kind experience at the infamous Lizzie Borden House, which also includes additional haunted experiences and merchandise,” said Lance Zaal, President & Founder of US Ghost Adventures.

Fans can enter to win by following Spirit Halloween‘s Instagram and leaving a comment on the contest post from now through April 28.

Inside the Lizzie Borden House

The prize also includes:

An exclusive guided house tour, including insider insight around the murder, the trial, and commonly reported hauntings

A late-night ghost tour, complete with professional ghost-hunting gear

A private breakfast in the Borden family dining room

A ghost hunting starter kit with two pieces of Ghost Daddy Ghost Hunting Gear and a lesson for two at US Ghost Adventures Ghost Hunting Course

The ultimate Lizzie Borden gift package, featuring an official hatchet, the Lizzie Borden board game, Lily the Haunted Doll, and America’s Most Haunted Volume II

Winner’s choice of a Ghost Tour experience in Salem or a True Crime experience in Boston for two

“Our Halfway to Halloween celebration provides fans an exhilarating taste of what’s to come this fall and empowers them to start planning for their favorite season as early as they please,” said Steven Silverstein, CEO of Spirit Halloween. “We have cultivated an incredible following of enthusiasts who embody the Halloween lifestyle, and we’re thrilled to bring the fun back to life.”

Spirit Halloween is also preparing for their retail haunted houses. On Thursday, August 1 their flagship store in Egg Harbor Township, NJ. will officially open to start off the season. That event usually draws in hordes of people eager to see what new merch, animatronics, and exclusive IP goods will be trending this year.

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’28 Years Later’ Trilogy Taking Shape With Serious Star Power

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28 years later

Danny Boyle is revisiting his 28 Days Later universe with three new films. He will direct the first, 28 Years Later, with two more to follow. Deadline is reporting that sources say Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes have been cast for the first entry, a sequel to the original. Details are being kept under wraps so we don’t know how or if the first original sequel 28 Weeks Later fits into the project.

Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes

Boyle will direct the first movie but it’s unclear which role he will take on in the subsequent films. What is known is Candyman (2021) director Nia DaCosta is scheduled to direct the second film in this trilogy and that the third will be filmed immediately afterward. Whether DaCosta will direct both is still unclear.

Alex Garland is writing the scripts. Garland is having a successful time at the box office right now. He wrote and directed the current action/thriller Civil War which was just knocked out of the theatrical top spot by Radio Silence’s Abigail.

There is no word yet on when, or where, 28 Years Later will start production.

28 Days Later

The original film followed Jim (Cillian Murphy) who wakes from a coma to find that London is currently dealing with a zombie outbreak.

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Watch ‘The Burning’ At The Location Where It Was Filmed

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Fangoria is reporting that fans of the 1981 slasher The Burning will be able to have a screening of the film at the location where it was filmed. The movie is set at Camp Blackfoot which is actually the Stonehaven Nature Preserve in Ransomville, New York.

This ticketed event will take place on August 3. Guests will be able to take a tour of the grounds as well as enjoy some campfire snacks along with the screening of The Burning.

The Burning

The film came out in the early ’80s when teen slashers were being churned out in magnum force. Thanks to Sean S. Cunningham’s Friday the 13th, filmmakers wanted to get in on the low-budget, high-profit movie market and a casket load of these types of films were produced, some better than others.

The Burning is one of the good ones, mostly because of the special effects from Tom Savini who had just come off of his groundbreaking work on Dawn of the Dead and Friday the 13th. He declined to do the sequel because of its illogical premise and instead signed on to do this movie. Also, a young Jason Alexander who would later go on to play George in Seinfeld is a featured player.

Because of its practical gore, The Burning had to be heavily edited before it received an R-rating. The MPAA was under the thumb of protest groups and political bigwigs to censor violent films at the time because slashers were just so graphic and detailed in their gore.

Tickets are $50, and if you want a special t-shirt, that will cost you another $25, You can get all the information by visiting the On Set Cinema webpage.

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