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Wes Craven's Swamp Thing oozes its way onto Blu-ray and DVD in the UK! If you live in the UK, you can see the swamp-dwelling creature for yourself on March 25th from 88 Films. Also: Lords of Chaos shirt details and Indiegogo campaign details for the Survival of the Film Freaks documentary on Blu-ray and DVD.

Swamp Thing Blu-ray Release Details: "Long before superhero movies were packing out multiplex cinemas, Freddy Krueger creator Wes Craven followed-up the success of Richard Donner's Superman with this fondly remembered DC adaptation that brings a comic book favourite to life!

Following the success of The Hills Have Eyes, Swamp Thing shows Craven adapting his style from less rough 'n' ready thrills and spills - and the result is an adventure thriller featuring a mutant-monster with good intentions, and a supporting cast of fan-favourites including Adrienne Barbeau, Ray Wise and David Hess (The Last House On The Left...

We return with another edition of the Indie Spotlight, highlighting the recent independent horror news sent our way. Today’s feature includes a trailer for ZombieWorld, casting updates on The Private Eye and Desolation, DVD release details announced for Fantasm, a teaser poster from One Night of Fear, a Q&A with writer, Duncan Ralston, and much more:

ZombieWorld Trailer and DVD Release Details: “ZombieWorld is a horror anthology focusing on survivors across the world as they struggle to overcome horrifying circumstances when a pandemic brings forth a zombie apocalypse. The collection of blood, guts and mayhem will be brought to life by a group of new and up-and-coming directors from around the world that Ruthless Pictures and Dread Central will handpick from short film entries received between April 21, 2014 and May 30, 2014 on Dread Central.com. The work of each chosen director will be featured in the film and will bring...

Other websites choose not to post about certain genre Kickstarter projects because of the accessibility it gives to aspiring and even established directors. Some view it as a “handout”, I don’t feel that way. Horror has always felt very communal to me. Fans of the genre stick together through thick or thin. There are success stories and there are also horror stories of the platform and rarely do genre sites post follow up posts about the Kickstarter projects they post after the deadline passes. In this post, I revisit all of the projects we posted on the site (some of them, I personally backed).

This list is organized in the order of when we posted about the projects:

Harvest Original Post on Dtb Status: Funded on July 11, 2010.

While this project was successful, the last update I could find was from Harvest’s Facebook page on January 18, 2012:

Harvest was...

One of the most integral parts of the experience of being a horror fan is the convention - gatherings where fans get together and spend the weekend celebrating the movies they love.  But why?  Why are we so dedicated to horror movies?  And what is it about the horror genre that brings all of us fans together?

These are the questions superfan Kyle Kuchta recently set out to answer.  Kyle attended his first horror convention at the age of 15 and has been hooked ever since.  Wanting to dig deeper into convention culture, he took matters into his own hands and made a Kickstarter-funded documentary called Fantasm - interviewing fans, celebrities and convention coordinators in an attempt to shed some light on horror fan devotion, and the events that keep us all so devoted.

Check out the first clip from the documentary below, which is packed with stars including Tom Atkins and Joe Lynch.

The Horror genre is a very tight knit community when it comes down to it. We all are fans, even the minds that take part in creating what we love. Horror conventions happen all over the place throughout the year and they offer a chance for creators, actors, and fans to come together as a unit and celebrate the Horror lifestyle. This is all brought to light by Filmmaker Kyle Kuchta with his new documentary Fantasm, which explores the Horror conven…...

The first official clip for Indie filmmaker Kyle Kuchta's documentary on horror fandom, Fantasm, is here and we have every fan-centric second of it right here for your perusal. Dig it!

Fantasm will have its world premiere at Rock and Shock in Worcester, Ma this Saturday, October 19. It will also be screened at Philip H. Anselmo's Housecore Horror Film Festival in Austin, TX on October 25 and at Rhode Island Comic Con in Providence, Ri on November 3.

Fantasm explores the bonds formed by the close-knit community of fans who attend horror conventions, with insight from such actors and filmmakers as Tom Atkins (Escape from New York), Heather Langenkamp (A Nightmare on Elm Street), Lloyd Kaufman (The Toxic Avenger), Joe Lynch (Wrong Turn 2), Richard Johnson (Zombie) and more.

In addition to being one of the six conventions at which Fantasm was filmed, Rock and Shock had a profound influence on the documentary.

Director Kyle Kuchta is excited to reveal the official theatrical poster for his forthcoming horror convention documentary, Fantasm. The film explores the bonds formed by the close-knit community of fans who attend horror conventions.

In addition to a variety of devoted genre fans, Fantasm features insight from several popular horror actors and filmmakers, including Tom Atkins (Escape from New York), Heather Langenkamp (A Nightmare on Elm Street), Amanda Wyss (A Nightmare on Elm … Continue reading →...

Indie filmmaker Kyle Kuchta just sent over the first official one-sheet for his documentary on horror fandom, Fantasm, and we have every pixel of it right here for your perusal and much more. Check it out!

"For years, I've been a horror fan," says Kuchta. "I'm a VHS collector, a convention goer, and generally obsessive about horror films. The only thing I was missing as a young horror lover were people to share my love with. That's why I'm setting out to talk to some other die hard horror fans, collectors, convention coordinators, business owners, and actors/directors about 'Why?' Why does the horror genre consume us the way it does? Why do we succumb and devote ourselves to such a thing? And why is it that when we meet other horror fans, we have a connection far beyond what people realize?"

Sounds like a worthwhile project to us!

Director Kyle Kuchta is excited to reveal the official theatrical poster for his forthcoming horror convention documentary, Fantasm. The film explores the bonds formed by the close-knit community of fans who attend horror conventions.

In addition to a variety of devoted genre fans, Fantasm features insight from several popular horror actors and filmmakers, including Tom Atkins, Heather Langenkamp, Amanda Wyss, Lloyd Kaufman, Joe Lynch and more.

Read more...

Filmmaker Kyle Kuchta has released the official trailer for his forthcoming horror convention documentary Fantasm.

Fantasm analyzes the tight-knit community that attends horror conventions in an exploration of how the genre brings fans together. “Fantasm was filmed over six conventions, and I felt myself growing closer and closer to the genre that we all love so much,” says Kuchta. “It means a lot to be able to share that love with people, and that’s what Fantasm is all about.”

In addition to a variety of devoted fans, Fantasm features insight from popular horror actors and filmmakers, including Heather Langenkamp (A Nightmare on Elm Street), Tom Atkins (Escape from New York), Joe Lynch (Wrong Turn 2), Amanda Wyss (A Nightmare on Elm Street), Lloyd Kaufman (The Toxic Avenger) and more.

With production complete, Kuchta is currently focused on editing Fantasm. The documentary will be submitted to film festivals in the fall,...

When I opened my inbox today I was treated to nice surprise, the trailer for Kyle Kuchta’s Fantasm a behind the scenes look at horror conventions and why we love them so.

From the press release:

Fantasm analyzes the tight-knit community that attends horror conventions in an exploration of how the genre brings fans together. “Fantasm was filmed over six conventions, and I felt myself growing closer and closer to the genre that we all … Continue reading →...

Any horror fan out there who's worth his or her salt has one thing in common ... they've either attended a horror convention or plan to attend a horror convention. Indie filmmaker Kyle Kuchta recently documented said experience for his new flick Fantasm, and we have the trailer!

"For years, I've been a horror fan," says Kuchta. "I'm a VHS collector, a convention goer, and generally obsessive about horror films. The only thing I was missing as a young horror lover were people to share my love with. That's why I'm setting out to talk to some other die hard horror fans, collectors, convention coordinators, business owners, and actors/directors about 'Why?' Why does the horror genre consume us the way it does? Why do we succumb and devote ourselves to such a thing? And why is it that when we meet other horror fans, we have a connection far beyond what people realize?...

Filmmaker Kyle Kuchta has recently posted a trailer for Fantasm, his documentary feature on horror fans and conventions. Filmed at six different cons, the film is an in-depth exploration of fans like us, why we love horror, and the ways we gather together to share our passion. “I felt myself growing closer and closer to the genre that we all love so much," says Kuchta of the project. "It means a lot to be able to share that love with people, and that's what Fantasm is all about." Several noteworthy names participated in the film: Heather Langenkamp and Amanda Wyss of A Nightmare on Elm Street, Tom Atkins (pictured above) of Escape from New York and Night of the Creeps, director Joe Lynch (Wrong Turn 2) and Troma's Lloyd Kaufman (The Toxic Avenger) are among the interviews featured. Fantasm is currently in post-production and will make the festival rounds this fall,...

Filmmaker Kyle Kuchta has revealed the official trailer for his horror convention documentary Fantasm.

The doc analyzes the tight-knit community that attends horror conventions in an exploration of how the genre brings fans together. "Fantasm was filmed over six conventions, and I felt myself growing closer and closer to the genre that we all love so much," says Kuchta. "It means a lot to be able to share that love with people, and that's what Fantasm is all about."

In addition to a variety of devoted fans, Fantasm features insight from popular horror actors and filmmakers, including Heather Langenkamp (A Nightmare on Elm Street), Tom Atkins (Escape from New York), Joe Lynch (Wrong Turn 2), Amanda Wyss (A Nightmare on Elm Street), Lloyd Kaufman (The Toxic Avenger) and more.

Read more...

Fantasm, a new documentary about horror conventions and the tight-knit community of fans who attend them, is currently in production under the direction of Kyle Kuchta.

Kyle Kuchta has a self-proclaimed obsession with horror films. Upon discovering the phenomenon of horror conventions, the young genre fanatic finally felt like a part of a community. He connected with like-minded individuals with whom he shares his love for the genre. Now he’s traveling to conventions … Continue reading →...

When horror fan and filmmaker Kyle Kuchta discovered the phenomena of the horror convention, he felt like he had finally found a home. So, he made a movie about it. Though his documentary about horror fans probably doesn’t feature a large amount of eye candy, it highlight a very important aspect of fandom.

"I wanted to do a documentary on horror conventions," he explains, "because I didn't feel as if a lot of people knew about them or the loving community that they are a part of."

While making Fantasm, Kuchta’s been travelling the country to various conventions to find out why horror brings people together.

Not only has he been talking to the fans, but he’s tapped the people behind the films that bring these horror hounds together, including scream queen Heather Langenkamp (A Nightmare on Elm Street, New Nightmare), Tom Atkins (Halloween III, Escape from New York), Joe Lynch (Chillerama,...

Fantasm, a new documentary about horror conventions and the tight-knit community of fans who attend them, is currently in production under the direction of Kyle Kuchta.

Kyle Kuchta has a self-proclaimed obsession with horror films. Upon discovering the phenomenon of horror conventions, the young genre fanatic finally felt like a part of a community. He connected with like-minded individuals with whom he shares his love for the genre. Now he’s traveling to conventions all across America to find out why horror brings people together.

In addition to legions of devoted fans, the documentary will feature insight from iconic actors and filmmakers. Interview subjects who have already participated in Fantasm include Heather Langenkamp (A Nightmare on Elm Street, New Nightmare), Tom Atkins (Halloween III, Escape from New York), Joe Lynch (Chillerama, Wrong Turn 2), Amanda Wyss (A Nightmare on Elm Street) and more.

Fantasm began as aspiring filmmaker Kyle Kuchta’s...

Not too long ago on the podcast, Michael Haffner and I talked about show someone should do a true documentary on horror fans and the conventions they attend. It looks like Kyle Kuchta is doing just that. What I think could be a very interesting topic will be explored in the documentary Fantasm. While it looks like Kyle will be hitting all the major conventions in the States, it would be interesting to have him cover Cinema Wasteland – one of my favorite conventions (if you want to call it that) – due to the close-knit family that Wasteland attracts. Read the press release below for all the information and if you happen to see Kyle filing at one of the below conventions, tell him you heard about it here on Destroy the Brain!

From the Press Release

Fantasm, a new documentary about horror conventions and the tight-knit community of fans who attend them,...

We’ve had numerous documentaries about the horror genre, specific horror franchises, the people that make the movies, and even those that go all-out celebrating the Halloween holiday.

I’d say we’re overdue for a documentary like Fantasm that specifically focuses on horror fandom and the conventions that bring us all together.

As the tagline reads, Fantasm is “a documentary about horror fan devotion, and the events that keep them devoted.” Horror fan turned documentary filmmaker Kyle Kuchta is behind this project that talks to both the fans and the genre icons that attend these conventions for their take on what keeps the blood pumping in this particular genre of fandom.

I’ll let the press release tell you the rest.

Fantasm, a new documentary about horror conventions and the tight-knit community of fans who attend them, is currently in production under the direction of Kyle Kuchta.

Kyle Kuchta...

Fantasm, a new documentary about horror conventions and the tight-knit community of fans who attend them, is currently in production under the direction of Kyle Kuchta.

Kyle Kuchta has a self-proclaimed obsession with horror films. Upon discovering the phenomenon of horror conventions, the young genre fanatic finally felt like a part of a community. He connected with like-minded individuals with whom he shares his love for the genre. Now, he's traveling to conventions all across America to find out why horror brings people together.

In addition to legions of devoted fans, the documentary will feature insight from iconic actors and filmmakers. 

Read more...