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There are other possible possibilities with TV characters who end up being different from expected, such as the gag where the show jokingly introduces one character before directing focus to a less conventionally appealing one (which might also involve the first character's death). Misleading ad campaigns for movies and TV shows might also (intentionally) confuse the audience about who the main character is supposed to be. Hopefully, the decoy protagonist is a satisfying twist, rather than annoying shock bait.

The trope known as the "decoy protagonist" describes when a piece of media, such as a TV show, introduces a character and tricks the audience into believing they are the story's main character. This may be the case with TV shows that killed main characters early, completely undermining what the audience thought their long-term role would be. The most common scenario with the decoy protagonist is that after a character's introduction,...

Cobweb is a horror thriller film directed by Samuel Bodin (Marianne) from a screenplay by Chris Thomas Devlin (Texas Chainsaw Massacre). The horror film follows the story of a young boy named Peter, who is plagued by a mysterious and constant noise coming from his bedroom wall, but his parents think that the voice is only in his imagination. As time goes Peter starts to think that his parents are hiding a terrible secret from him. Cobweb stars Woody Norman as Peter, Lizzy Caplan as Carol, Antony Starr as Mark, Cleopatra Coleman as Miss Devine, and Ellen Dubin as The Girl. So, if you loved Cobweb here are some similar movies you could watch next.

The Visit (Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Universal Pictures

Synopsis: When Becca and Tyler are sent to their grandparents’ secluded Pennsylvania farm for a weeklong stay, they quickly discover something is not right with the elderly couple.

You may be asking, what is Space Command?

It is a series of epic adventures set in a hopeful vision of the future. Thousands of fans funded our thrilling pilot, seen by fans around the world! Space Command’s cast is a Who’s Who of TV and film genre stars including: Doug Jones, Ethan McDowell, Bryan McClure, Mike Harney, Bruce Boxleitner, Bill Mumy, James Hong, Mira Furlan, Aaron Gaffey (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), Katharine McEwan (Solitary) and John Hennigan. Post sound by David Bartlett (Speed), designs by Iain McCaig, edited by Dave Edison (Remember the Sultana). Music by David Raiklen and created by Star Trek writer Marc Scott Zicree. With special guests Joe Ochman (Star Wars Visions) and Ellen Dubin.

Space Command: Redemption, will have a panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2023 on Saturday July 22 at 11am and a screening at 3pm!

Space Command also set a record on Kickstarter and received worldwide press attention,...

Puppet Arms

We bounced all over the place in May, starting with Fred Dekker’s genre mash-up Night of the Creeps before getting deadly serious with Gus Van Sant’s pseudo-Columbine film Elephant, trippy with Alex Garland’s surreal Annihilation. Now we’re back in ultra campy territory with the silly and heartfelt Tammy and the T-Rex (1994).

In writer/director Stewart Raffill‘s low-budget horror comedy, high schooler Tammy (Denise Richards) is in love with Michael (Paul Walker) but her jealous ex Billy (George Pilgrim) won’t let her go. After a near-deadly prank, Michael’s comatose body is stolen by mad scientists Dr. Wachenstein (Terry Kiser) and his assistant Helga (Ellen Dubin) who want to use the boy’s brain to pilot an animatronic dinosaur.

But true love can’t be denied! Tammy, Michael and her gay best friend, Byron (Theo Forsett) will stop at nothing to find a...

Stars: Kimberly-Sue Murray | Features the voices of: Shaun Benson, Stephen Bogaert, Ellen Dubin, Samora Smallwood, Art Hindle | Written and Directed by Corey Stanton

From the opening shot panning downstairs into a basement apartment, writer/director Corey Stanton establishes the sole location his film occurs within. A phone call is taking place, as a lone woman (Kimberly-Sue Murray) enacts fraud to access a man’s credit card details and prescription information. She uses this to stock up on pills and buy expensive products, selling the latter to fund her passion; stock market trading.

Following his 2018 feature-debut, Robbery, Stanton crafts a chamber piece about one character’s desire to rise above the rock-bottom situation and location she wishes to leave behind. As the story stays in the basement setting, the film must find ways to make the inescapable situation appear cinematic. This is achieved by going inward, terrifically visualising the inner workings...

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Canadian actors say they face temporary or even permanent damage to their vocal cords as video game voiceover work has them performing death screams, zombie wails or battle roars for two to four hours in a voice booth.

And they want Canadian-based game developers and video game directors to help local actors more safely get the same intensity of performance to voice complex, fully drawn characters that still constantly howl and scream as they face enemies wanting to kill them.

“It’s education, training for the actor, training for everybody. It’s a collaborative effort to make sure that the actor doesn’t lose their voice,” Ellen Dubin, a lead voice actor on video games like Fallout 4, Skyrim, Elder Scrolls, World Of Warcraft, Star Trek Online and Agents of Mayhem, told The Hollywood Reporter.

“Sometimes your throat is carrying a heavy load. And...

Sound is one of the most important and misunderstood elements in filmmaking, and sound for sci-fi films adds another degree of difficulty.

“Dune,” directed by Denis Villeneuve, boasts two supervising sound editors, Mark Mangini and Theo Green, who worked on the film for 18 months.

“Science fiction is always complex,” says Mangini. “Theo and I called it ‘universe building.’ It’s a blank slate because nothing — people, machines, technology — exists, so all of it has to be invented. In the ‘Dune’ universe, we have ornithopters, dream sequences, the Voice, this palette of unknown things that make sound, which we had to invent from scratch.

“Denis’s mandate was to ground it in an organic reality. He didn’t want it to feel science-fiction-y. He wanted you to watch film and feel those sounds existed in acoustic reality. Theo and I had a philosophy: Fdr, or Fake Documentary Realism.”

The duo and...

"Everybody walk the dinosaur." Chicago's Music Box Theatre has debuted an official trailer for the special "Gore-Cut" version of the 90s cult classic direct-to-video comedy Tammy & The T-Rex. Made only a year after Jurassic Park broke records in 1993, this film arrived in late 1994 and earned a cult following. It stars Denise Richards as the high school girlfriend of a guy who is murdered and then his brain is implanted into a robotic T-Rex that looks super fake. Oh, it's wacky. "Playing like a '90s Disney Channel movie—until the decapitations and head crushings begin. So put on your best T-Rex costume and join us for an ultra-rare, and possibly first-of-its-kind, public screening of this original, uncut, R-rated, gore-filled 35mm print of Tammy." It also stars a young Paul Walker, plus Theo Forsett, Ellen Dubin, and Terry Kiser. This new "uncut" version of the camp sci-fi comedy is part of a 4K restoration,...

The Us Blu-ray and DVD release of Dead Before Dawn has been officially announced and we have all the details:

“Universal City, CA – Zombie lovers, get ready for a new type of zombie – Zemons! An ancient curse that puts a whole new spin on the horror genre, Dead Before Dawn slashes onto Blu-ray Disc, DVD and Digital Download October 1 from Gaiam Vivendi Entertainment and Wango Films. Shot entirely in live-action stereoscopic 3D, the feature marks director April Mullen as the first and youngest female to direct a film of this kind. “Fresh, funny and a little bit of blood” (Fangoria), Dead Before Dawn stars Emmy Award® winner Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future), Devon Bostick (Diary of a Wimpy Kid Trilogy), Martha MacIsaac (Superbad), Brandon Jay McLaren (The Killing), Brittany Allen (The Rocker), Kevin McDonald (The Kids in the Hall), Kyle Schmid (A History of Violence), Rossif Sutherland (High Life...

Dead Before Dawn 3D was released to VOD earlier this month and is headed to select theaters across the Us on September 6th. If you’re interested in checking out the movie in 3D and on the big screen, we’ve been given the list of screening locations:

“An ancient curse that puts a whole new spin on the horror genre, Dead Before Dawn 3D slashes onto VOD and digital HD August 2 from Gaiam Vivendi Entertainment and Wango Films. Shot entirely in live-action stereoscopic 3D, the feature marks director April Mullen as the first and youngest female to direct a film of this kind.

Dead Before Dawn 3D stars Emmy Award® winner Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future), Devon Bostick (Diary of a Wimpy Kid Trilogy), Martha MacIsaac (Superbad), Brandon Jay McLaren (The Killing), Brittany Allen (The Rocker), Kevin McDonald (The Kids in the Hall), Kyle Schmid (A History of Violence...

April Mullen's Dead Before Dawn 3D will be hitting VOD on August 2nd from Wango Films and Gaiam Vivendi Entertainment and then screen in select theaters in the Us on September 6th. Right now we have an exclusive clip for you!

From the Press Release

An ancient curse that puts a whole new spin on the horror genre, Dead Before Dawn 3D slashes onto VOD and digital HD August 2 from Gaiam Vivendi Entertainment and Wango Films. Shot entirely in live-action stereoscopic 3D, the feature marks director April Mullen as the first and youngest female to direct a film of this kind.

Dead Before Dawn 3D stars Emmy Award® winner Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future), Devon Bostick (Diary of a Wimpy Kid Trilogy), Martha MacIsaac (Superbad), Brandon Jay McLaren (The Killing), Brittany Allen (The Rocker), Kevin McDonald (The Kids in the Hall), Kyle Schmid (A History of Violence), Rossif Sutherland...

April Mullen's horror comedy 'Dead By Dawn 3D' has finally been given a release over in the States thanks to Gaiam Vivendi Entertainment and Wango Films. The movie is set to hit VOD and Digital on 2 August and will get a limited theatrical run from 6 September. Devon Bostick ('Saw VI'), Martha MacIsaac ('The Last House on the Left'), Christopher Lloyd ('Piranha 3Dd'), Brandon Jay McLaren, Brittany Allen, April Mullen, Tim Doiron, Kevin McDonald, Ellen Dubin, Kyle Schmid, Rossif Sutherland and Dru Viergever all star....

April Mullen's Dead Before Dawn 3D will be hitting VOD on August 2nd from Wango Films and Gaiam Vivendi Entertainment, and for you anxious Canucks out there, the film will also be released in 3D in Canadian theaters on the same date and then in select theaters in the Us on September 6th.

The film, directed by April Mullen, stars Devon Bostick, Christopher Lloyd, Martha MacIsaac, Kevin McDonald, and Ellen Dubin.

Synopsis

Casper Galloway's future is one giant question mark. With only two weeks until college graduation, he still lives with his mother, is indecisive to a fault, and is one credit away from failing. But just when Casper thinks things couldn't get any worse, he and his friends accidentally unleash a curse that causes people to kill themselves and turn into Zombie Demons, aka Zemons.

Armed with a slew of homemade weapons and a Winnebago, the team races through the night,...

The horror-comedy Dead Before Dawn 3D is arriving on VOD and digital HD August 2nd from Gaiam Vivendi Entertainment and Wango Films.  Shot entirely in live-action stereoscopic 3D, the feature marks director April Mullen as the first and youngest female to direct a film of this kind.

Dead Before Dawn 3D stars stars Devon Bostick, Christopher Lloyd, Martha MacIsaac, Kevin McDonald, Ellen Dubin, Rossif Sutherland, Brandon Jay McLaren, April Mullen and Tim Doiron.

The film follows Casper Galloway, whose future is one giant question mark. With only two weeks until College graduation he still lives with his mother, is indecisive to a fault and is one credit away from failing. But just when Casper thinks things couldn't get any worse, he and his friends accidentally unleash a curse that causes people to kill themselves and turn into Zombie Demons, aka Zemons. 

The film will also be released in theaters in...

April Mullen's horror-comedy Dead Before Dawn has found a U.S. distributor in Gaiam Vivendi Entertainment, reports Variety.  No release date has been set, however.

Directed by Mullen, this Canadia production stars Devon Bostick, Christopher Lloyd, Martha MacIsaac, Kevin McDonald, Ellen Dubin, Rossif Sutherland, Brandon Jay McLaren, April Mullen and Tim Doiron.

The film follows Casper Galloway, whose future is one giant question mark. With only two weeks until College graduation he still lives with his mother, is indecisive to a fault and is one credit away from failing. But just when Casper thinks things couldn't get any worse, he and his friends accidentally unleash a curse that causes people to kill themselves and turn into Zombie Demons, aka Zemons. 

You'll find a trailer inside...

Read more...

High school stereotypes banding together?  Check.  Goofy mom "drug" joke?  Check.  A town under siege by the undead?  Check (well, in this case zombie demons).  Christopher Lloyd to bark some exposition?  Check.

The goofball trailer for Dead Before Dawn (add "3D" to this as the filmmakers hope it gets some 3D release) is upon us, offering you a look at this "zemon"-filled romp.  Directed by April Mullen, the film stars Devon Bostick, Christopher Lloyd, Martha MacIsaac, Kevin McDonald, Ellen Dubin, Rossif Sutherland, Brandon Jay McLaren, April Mullen and Tim Doiron.

Casper Galloway's future is one giant question mark. With only two weeks until College graduation he still lives with his mother, is indecisive to a fault and is one credit away from failing. But just when Casper thinks things couldn't get any worse, he and his friends accidentally unleash a curse that causes people to kill themselves and turn into Zombie Demons,...

Everyone's geared up for one hell of a weekend, its that Friday feeling and we're going to be here to hopefully bring you the best horror goss from all corners of the globe this fine day. We kick off with a premiere trailer, courtesy of Bloody Disgusting, for April Mullen's new horror comedy 'Dead By Dawn 3D'. Yes, its a zombie/demon hybrid - more succinctly referred to as Zemons - and from the new trailer it looks set to be a lot of fun. Devon Bostick ('Saw VI'), Martha MacIsaac ('The Last House on the Left'), Christopher Lloyd ('Piranha 3Dd'), Brandon Jay McLaren, Brittany Allen, April Mullen, Tim Doiron, Kevin McDonald, Ellen Dubin, Kyle Schmid, Rossif Sutherland and Dru Viergever. Check out the poster and new trailer below....

The official trailer for the latest Zemon flick to come our way, Dead Before Dawn 3D, has arrived online, and we have every pixel of it sitting right here just waiting to melt your peepers. Dig it!

The film, directed by April Mullen, stars Devon Bostick, Christopher Lloyd, Martha MacIsaac, Kevin McDonald, and Ellen Dubin.

Check out the goods below.

Synopsis

Casper Galloway's future is one giant question mark. With only two weeks until college graduation, he still lives with his mother, is indecisive to a fault, and is one credit away from failing. But just when Casper thinks things couldn't get any worse, he and his friends accidentally unleash a curse that causes people to kill themselves and turn into Zombie Demons, aka Zemons.

Armed with a slew of homemade weapons and a Winnebago, the team races through the night, killing Zemons and fighting time, frantically searching for a way to reverse the curse.

Demons. Zombies. Zemons. Finally someone is speaking our language! Sit back, kids, and get ready to dig on some brand spanking new eye candy for the next undead laced filmic experience rockin' Christopher Lloyd!

The film, directed by April Mullen, stars Devon Bostick, Christopher Lloyd, Martha MacIsaac, Kevin McDonald, and Ellen Dubin.

Check out the goods below.

Synopsis

Casper Galloway's future is one giant question mark. With only two weeks until college graduation, he still lives with his mother, is indecisive to a fault, and is one credit away from failing. But just when Casper thinks things couldn't get any worse, he and his friends accidentally unleash a curse that causes people to kill themselves and turn into Zombie Demons, aka Zemons.

Armed with a slew of homemade weapons and a Winnebago, the team races through the night, killing Zemons and fighting time, frantically searching for a way to reverse the curse.

A group of pesky kids unleash a curse that makes people kill theirselves only to turn in Zombie Demons...yes, that's right Zemons! Devon Bostick ('Saw VI'), Martha MacIsaac ('The Last House on the Left') and the legendary Christopher Lloyd ('Piranha 3Dd') all star in new comedy horror 'Dead By Dawn 3D' from director April Mullen and written by Tim Doiron. The first batch of new stills from the movie have arrived which you can check out below. Brandon Jay McLaren, Brittany Allen, April Mullen, Tim Doiron, Kevin McDonald, Ellen Dubin, Kyle Schmid, Rossif Sutherland and Dru Viergever are all on board for the fun. Check the pics and full plot synopsis which descrbies the movie as 'The Goonies' meets 'Shaun of the Dead' below....

Dead Before Dawn 3D bills itself as the first Canadian film shot in stereoscopic 3D. That means the zemons (half demon, half zombie) will be coming out of the screen in a realistic fashion. Currently, this film is at the American Film Market where it has unveiled an early film poster (seen left). This story is a "coming of age" film in which some colleges students unleash a curse and a horde of bloodthirsty monsters . Will all the characters be "Dead Before the Dawn?" or will they find a way to put the supernatural back in its box?

Dead Before the Dawn 3D is currently in the post-production stage so there will not be much of a wait as the film is expected to release in 2012. For now, enjoy the film details on this horror comedy below.

Director: April Mullen.

Writer: Tim Doiron.

Producers: Avi Federgreen and April Mullen.

Cast: Devon Bostick,...

More. And I'm probably missing some, still.

Larysa Kondracki's thriller The Whistleblower is out in theaters in August, as is Miranda July's fantasy The Future, but there are also two different modern female-directed Sleeping Beauty adaptations. Have you heard?

Erotic French Filmmaker Catherine Breillat's deconstruction of the classic fairy tale is out in some Us theaters already, while Julia Leigh's Sleeping Beauty, which is presented by Jane Campion, is coming out later this Fall in Us theaters. Check out the two films:

Briellat's:

Leigh's:

Beth Dewey's noir thriller The Agency and Lola Rocknrolla's exploitation action Nefertitty are making the rounds at film festivals. You can see a teaser for The Agency (aka Pimp Girl) right here, and check out the trailer to Nefertitty:

The L.A. Shorts Fest is happening July 21st through July 29th in Los Angeles, of course, and there are shorts by...

Director April Mullen and screenwriter Tim Doiron’s upcoming horror flick “Dead Before Dawn” contains zemons. That’s right — zemons. Apparently a group of college kids unleash an evil curse upon the world that causes people to kill themselves, an act which turns them zombie demons. Horror-related shenanigans ensue. Below you’ll find a trio of images from this zemonic Canadian outing, which stars Brandon Jay McLaren, Kevin McDonald, Ellen Dubin, Rossif Sutherland, April Mullen, and Tim Doiron. The film is currently in production, so don’t expect this one to drop until sometime next year. In the meantime, I highly recommend checking out the duo’s comedy “Rock, Paper Scissors: The Way of the Tosser”. It’s good stuff. Source: Quiet Earth...

The last time we caught up with GravyTrain team of April Mullen and Tim Doiron, the duo had just released their follow-up to Rock, Paper Scissors: The Way of the Tosser, a buddy cop comedy titled GravyTrain (review) on DVD. They were a little guarded on sharing details on their upcoming projects but no longer.

Shot entirely in Stereoscopic 3D, Dead Before Dawn will not only be Canada's first full-length, live action, 3D feature; it will also introduce a new breed of zombies: zemons! The adventure comedy will unfold as a group of college kids accidentally unleash an evil curse that causes people to kill themselves and turn into Zombie Demons, aka zemons.

With a cast which includes Mullen (who is also directing) and Doiron along with Brandon Jay McLaren ("The Killing"), Kevin McDonald ("Kids in the Hall"), Ellen Dubin ("Napoleon Dynamite") and Rossif Sutherland (High Life (review)), the film...

The web series craze hasn't seemed to catch on with the general public, but as far as the horror genre goes, we have an abundance to choose from. And today we got word of another that looks to be worth at least a few minutes of your time to check out: director and lead actor Russ Cootey's "The Resolve".

The premise is as follows:

"The Resolve" centers around Mike Patterson (Russ Cootey), a beleaguered man, gripped by O.C.D. issues with humanity, unleashed by fiery clashes on others. He explains to his therapist Sean Miller (Alex Ballar - War Wolves) how he has found a way to deal with his compulsion, which is to kill those who he believes are responsible for the misalignment in humanity.

Also starring are Ellen Dubin (The Collector, Lexx, Highlander), Kristina Hughes (Old School, Green River), Anthony Ray Parker (The Matrix, Xena), Holt Boggs (The Prodigy,...