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Stewart Sparke is no newbie when it comes to giant rubber monsters and bucketfuls of goo. With two big silly indie creature features already under his belt in past FrightFest favourites The Creature Below and Book of Monsters, you’d think he’d be tiring of this sort of thing by now. Ready to shift gears into a much cleaner romantic comedy, or something that doesn’t involve having to scoop coagulated brain juice out of your work shoes every evening. But with this third effort, he confirms what we probably already knew; not only is Sparke the king of this very specific brand of lovingly batshit micro budget crowd-pleasers, neither he nor his team are going anywhere either. They’re simply having too much fun.

A sort of spiritual sequel to 2018’s Book of Monsters, How To Kill Monsters is another naturally funny, adoringly made stab at the old-school genre nuts-and-bolts.

With its world premiere at Frightfest only a couple of weeks away, the first teaser trailer for How to Kill Monsters is now available for everyone to watch. For full transparency, I supported the film's Kickstarter campaign because I was so impressed with their campaign trailer, but I haven't see the film yet and I'm as excited as everyone else to check out all of the practical effects and gallons of fake blood!

"The sole survivor of a blood-drenched massacre must team up with a rag-tag bunch of rookie cops and lawbreakers to fight off an invasion of monsters from another dimension.

With a menagerie of monsters realised entirely with practical effects and buckets of fake blood and guts thrown in for good measure, How To Kill Monsters will scratch the itch of horror fans craving a throwback popcorn horror movie that delivers thrills, kills and laughs in equal measure.

The sole survivor of a blood-drenched massacre must team up with a rag-tag bunch to defend a police station from an invasion of Lovecraftian monsters in How to Kill Monsters, the latest splatter comedy from the filmmakers that brought you Book of Monsters.

Ahead of the film’s World Premiere at Frightfest in London on August 25, the official teaser trailer for How to Kill Monsters has been unleashed today. You can check it out below.

Director Stewart Sparke (Book of Monsters) declares How to Kill Monsters a “love letter to the 80s and 90s horror movies that I grew up watching on VHS.”

Stewart promises that the movie will inject “a dash of British humour in the vein of Hot Fuzz and the self-aware twists and turns of Scream to deliver genre fans a blood-soaked popcorn horror movie that feels both nostalgic and fresh.”

Here’s the official synopsis…

The...

The team that created Book of Monsters and The Creature Below are back with a new project that is sure to pique the interest of Daily Dead readers! Inspired by 80s classics and with the promise of being practical FX-driven, How to Kill Monsters is now on Kickstarter and we have all the details:

"The sole survivor of a blood-drenched massacre must team up with a rag-tag bunch of rookie cops and lawbreakers to defend a police station from an invasion of Lovecraftian monsters in How to Kill Monsters.

Dark Rift Horror is thrilled to release the Kickstarter Trailer and Poster for How to Kill Monsters, an entirely practical FX driven horror comedy movie from the people that brought you Book of Monsters and The Creature Below.

Inspired by genre classics like Evil Dead 2, Gremlins and Hellraiser; How to Kill Monsters is a feature length movie made for fans of 80s horror.

The latest release from Dread is Book of Monsters, a film that mixes the angst of a teen slasher with more fantastic elements found in creature features. It’s the sophomore film from director Stewart Sparke, whose first film was the monster flick The Creature Below. If you’re detecting a thematic crossover between the two movies, […] The post Top 5 Reasons to Watch Book Of Monsters This Weekend appeared first on Dread Central.

Dread and Epic Pictures presents Stewart Sparke's Book of Monsters. Fresh off a multi-festival run, Book of Monsters was written by Paul Butler and stars Nicholas Vince (Hellraiser), Lyndsey Craine, Anna Dawson, and Michaela Longden. When her 18th birthday party is crashed by terrifying creatures, Sophie and her friends must find a way to survive and send these monsters back. For more details on this film, check out the poster, trailer, and release date below.

"Epic Pictures and Dread are excited to release the key art, the trailer, and the pre-order link for the monster-driven, audience-chosen, horror film, Book Of Monsters, releasing on March 19, 2019!

Book Of Monsters began life as a Kickstarter campaign back in 2017 with a unique twist - backers could vote on six key elements of the movie including what form the monsters would take and how they killed their victims! The result is a fun horror...

Dread's latest upcoming release is Dark Rift Films' Book of Monsters. This film is a mashup of '80s creature features. And, the film's Kickstarter campaign was unusual, in that it allowed backers to choose plot points in the film. Like a Choose-your-own-adventure novel, Book of Monsters was developed by director Stewart Sparke (The Creature Below) and writer Paul Butler. To release in mid-March, this title stars: Michaela Longden, Anna Dawson (1921), Lizzie Stanton and Lyndsey Craine. Many of these filmmakers have collaborated on the horror film The Creature Below (2016). A preview for Book of Monsters' upcoming Digital release is available here. Director Sparke has talked about Book of Monsters at recent film festivals. He says of the film's main story idea: "Book of Monsters started life as a short film idea with a young girl having to fight off a monster at her eighteenth birthday party, it was just...

Stars: Lyndsey Craine, Michaela Longden, Lizzie Stanton, Rose Muirhead, Nicholas Vince, Daniel Thrace, Anna Dawson, Julia Munder | Written by Paul Butler | Directed by Stewart Sparke

Director Stewart Sparke and writer Paul Butler follow up their low-budget debut The Creature Below with the Kickstarter-funded monster movie Book of Monsters. Combining a witty script and practical special effects, it works as an affectionate homage to ’80s creature features while retaining a refreshingly modern-day approach to its gender politics.

Northern teenager Sophie (Lyndsey Craine) is about to turn eighteen, so her best friends Mona (Michaela Longden) and Beth (Lizzie Stanton) persuade her to have a wild and crazy house party while her widowed, well-meaning dad (Nicholas Vince) is out of town. However, things quickly spiral out of control when a suspiciously slinky gate-crasher (Steph Mossman) sneaks upstairs with an unsuspecting virgin (Arron Dennis) and performs a blood ritual that releases a host of monsters,...

Stars: Lyndsey Craine, Michaela Longden, Lizzie Stanton, Rose Muirhead, Nicholas Vince, Daniel Thrace, Anna Dawson, Julia Munder | Written by Paul Butler | Directed by Stewart Sparke

Director Stewart Sparke and writer Paul Butler follow up their low-budget debut The Creature Below with the Kickstarter-funded monster movie Book of Monsters. Combining a witty script and practical special effects, it works as an affectionate homage to ’80s creature features while retaining a refreshingly modern-day approach to its gender politics.

Northern teenager Sophie (Lyndsey Craine) is about to turn eighteen, so her best friends Mona (Michaela Longden) and Beth (Lizzie Stanton) persuade her to have a wild and crazy house party while her widowed, well-meaning dad (Nicholas Vince) is out of town. However, things quickly spiral out of control when a suspiciously slinky gate-crasher (Steph Mossman) sneaks upstairs with an unsuspecting virgin (Arron Dennis) and performs a blood ritual that releases a host of monsters,...

Lyndsey Craine

"After we made The Creature Below we wanted to make something different - bigger, more badass exciting entertainment," says director Stewart Sparke, explaining why he and collaborator Paul Butler have chosen Book Of Monsters for their new project. It's the story of an 18th birthday party beset by the worst kind of gatecrashers. As six different monsters try to break into the home of Sophie (Lyndsey Craine) to devour the guests, she and five other young women who have no interest in being victims prepare for the fight of their lives. But what really makes the film stands out - at least at this stage - is the way it's being made.

Stewart and Paul have taken their Kickstarter beyond the usual invest-and-get-some-merchandise model. Big horror fans themselves, they wanted to give others the chance to be part of the action. By investing as little as £10,...

First contact

It's a creature feature with a penchant for existential terror, a tale of hidden horrors that shifts the action from remote, unexplored realms to an ordinary suburban basement. Stewart Sparke and Paul Butler's affectionate yet deliciously dark slice of Lovecraftian horror The Creature Below is set to make a big impression at this year's Friightfest, so we wanted to know where it all began.

Paul and Stewart discuss a scene on set.

"The idea of there being something bigger than what we are currently aware of is fascinating to me," says writer and co-producer Paul. "With our advances in technology, exploration, and the availability of all kinds of information we kind of believe we know everything there is to know and we find solace in that. Turning that notion on its head and presenting people with the alternative view that, as a species, we are small, naive...

London-based genre festival to feature 19 world premieres and 35 UK & European premieres.

Horror Channel FrightFest has unveiled the line-up for its upcoming 17th edition, taking place at its new home of the Vue Shepherd’s Bush from Aug 25-29.

Sean Brosnan’s revenge thriller My Father Die [pictured] receives its European premiere as the opening film, while the UK premiere of Sang-ho Yeon’s Cannes title Train To Busan closes this year’s festival.

In total, the 62-strong feature line-up includes 19 world premieres and 35 UK & European premieres. Ivan Silvestrini’s Monolith, Tricia Lee’s creepy chiller Blood Hunters and Nick Jongerius’ gory The Windmill Massacre are among the world premieres.

Meanwhile, Adam Wingard’s eagerly anticipated The Woods will receive its European premiere in the Main Screen strand, playing alongside the likes of Stephen King adaptation Cell, Italian box office hit They Call Me Jeeg Robot and Cody Calahan’s Let Her Out.

Other Main Screen...

A new indie horror film is set to release in 2016. From director Stewart Sparke, The Dark Below involves a marine biologist and a unGodly creature. Somewhat claustrophobic, the first trailer shows the character Olive (Anna Dawson), struggling with visions, or her own unhinging. The film stars Anna Dawson, Michaela Longden and Daniel Thrace. The film's first trailer is hosted here. For more on the story, Olive returns from a deep sea dive. A strange creature has attached itself to her and their is no way to remove it. As the parasite grows, Olive begins to lose her grip on sanity, leading to violent events. The Dark Below was shot in the United Kingdom. From Yorkshire, the film's first teaser shows lots of interior shots, with the director focusing on one character - Olive. Fans of indie horror titles will want to keep this one on there radar. More details on...