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Stop-motion animation is responsible for some of the most heartwarming moments in the history of film, but even the most ardent fan of Claymation has to admit that there’s something inherently uncanny about puppetry where you can’t see the strings. The very act of bringing an inanimate humanoid figure to life recalls spooky tales of monsters and dark sorcery, so it’s not surprising that stop-motion has also been used as a tool to scare.

And with modern media like The Shivering Truth and Robert Morgan’s Stopmotion reminding us that animation can convey terror just as easily as cartoony laughs, we’ve decided to come up with a list celebrating six of the scariest stop-motion effects in horror.

For the purposes of this list, we’ll be considering any film that utilizes stop-motion to bring a character to life, be it as a brief photo-realistic special effect or traditional animation.

Of all the heady-cool, matrix-of-reality, the-digital-future-is-now movies released in 1999, “Run Lola Run” may have been the 1999iest. Sure, “The Matrix” was the sci-fi landmark that bullet-timed audiences into the 21st century. But science-fiction movies have always looked ahead. That’s their job. (Maybe the first true movie of 1999 was “2001: A Space Odyssey.”) “Run Lola Run” was a candy-colored punk Berlin fantasia set in this world, and that was its glory.

The movie is being rereleased, starting Friday, June 7, in a new 4K version to mark the 25th anniversary of its release in America. (It came out in Germany the year before.) And what a difference a quarter of a century makes! The days of our lives now run on digital kinetic energy. Our stories live in multiverses. Our imaginations hum and click to the mutating magic of technological possibility. When we don’t like reality, we reset it. “Run Lola Run” foresaw all that,...

Concourse Media, the sales and distribution banner led by Matthew Shreder, is teaming with Goldfinch on its already-established genre label The Number 44.

Concourse will come aboard as sales partner for a five-picture slate, which is fully financed with production already completed on two films and three more slated for this year. Concourse is also helping develop and produce.

The auteur-driven genre production label is focused on horror, thriller and sci-fi projects and was co-founded by award-winning producer and director Ben Charles Edwards (“The Wheels of Heaven”) alongside Phil McKenzie (“Quant”) and Kirsty Bell (“A Bird Flew In”).

The first film to be launched for sales in the series, “I’ll Play Mother,” recently finished post-production and stars Susanne Wuest (“Goodnight Mummy”), Jo Martin and Shubham Saraf (“A Suitable Boy”). Brad Watson (“The Siege”) directs from a screenplay by Libby Adam, based on an original story by Charles Edwards.

A...

Exclusive Teaser Trailer Reveal for Technoburger, A Horror Anthology from Andrew Edison, Raising Finishing Funds: "The filmmakers are currently raising funds to finish principal photography. The campaign begins October 13 and runs until November 12.

In the spirit of classic midnight movies, Technoburger serves up a greasy combo meal of cringe comedy and schlock horror in four twisted tales following desperate Americans and their parasitic dependencies on technology. This cyber anthology offers a satirical bite into the near future, where a stoner delivery driver is hacked and stalked by an eccentric billionaire, an erotic Asmr artist transforms into an alien entity, a dogfluencer is haunted by his dearly deceased pet, and a young gamer’s worst fears all come to life. Monsters aren’t hiding under beds anymore, they’re hacking our very existence in this digital dystopian technoburgerfied mashup.

Technoburger is told in five chapters: The Mysterious Stranger, The Alien, The Ghost,...

The Number 44, the production company co-founded by director-producer Ben Charles Edwards (“Quant”) and Goldfinch, has revealed its slate of productions due to be completed by the end of 2023.

The company is an associate producer on Black Sea Film, Nova Film and Goldfinch’s on “The Wheels of Heaven,” starring Mickey Rourke and directed by Edwards.

The new slate of projects includes:

“All Cats are Black at Night,” written by Nat Saunders and James Serafinowicz (Netflix’s “Sick Note”), is a psychological thriller about Candi, an influencer whose perfect life on social media is far from the truth. When a rival influencer is murdered and dismembered, Candi is thrown into a dangerous world of secrets and lies.

“I’ll Play Mother,” directed by Brad Watson (“Miss Willoughby and the Haunted Bookshop”) is a psychological horror about the paranoia of parenthood. Asif and Michelle have spent two years trying to adopt and finally meet their children,...

Production is wrapping up on The Wheels of Heaven, a dramatic thriller starring Oscar nominee Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler), produced by Dessy Tenekedjieva’s Bulgarian-based Black Sea Film and co-produced by UK’s Goldfinch, an independent production house and financier.

Ben Charles Edwards

The film, directed by Ben Charles Edwards (Quant) from a screenplay by Mike Shilliam, also stars Gary Stretch (Dead Man’s Shoes), Dessy Tenekedjieva (The Profession of Arms), Geoff Bell (RocknRolla) as well as Eleonora Ivanova and Dimitar Nikolov, featuring Lee Ryan (The Heavy), Nicky Whelan (Hall Pass) and Sadie Frost (Quant). Shilliam wrote the screenplay from a story by Edwards and Tenekedjieva. Dennis Madden (Home Alone TV series) serves as Dp.

Principal photography took place in Bulgaria this past summer, followed by additional filming in Los Angeles and London. Post-production is currently underway in the UK.

In The Wheels of Heaven, a troubled young girl, Iva (Ivanova...

“American Gods” might be one of the most exciting series launching this spring. Adapted by Bryan Fuller and Michael Green from Neil Gaiman’s novel, the supernatural drama leans way into the weird for a highly imaginative tale about Shadow (Ricky Whittle), a former convict who finds himself drawn into a strange world of old gods and new by Mr. Wednesday (Ian McShane).

Read More: ‘American Gods’ Review: Bryan Fuller Paints a Beautiful, Bloody, and Unblinking Portrait of American Duality

Whittle and McShane are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the cast accumulated for this show, representing some of today’s greatest talents — and Gaiman himself will not hesitate to sing their praises. In fact, when IndieWire got the chance to speak to the lauded author via phone, we took the opportunity to find out exactly what he thinks of his equally lauded cast.

For the record,...

Chaplin writer to adapt novel for Wild Tales and Mad To Be Normal producers.

Bad Penny Productions has picked up rights to Graham Greene’s last published novel The Captain And The Enemy, which is being adapted for the big screen by screenwriter and novelist William Boyd (Chaplin).

The novel tells the story of a young boy named Victor Baxter taken away from his boarding school by a stranger to live in London. The mysterious stranger is simply known as “the Captain”.

In London Victor companions a sweet but withdrawn woman named Liza, serving as her conduit to the outside world. When Victor reaches manhood, he finally learns the secrets of the Captain.

The thriller includes smuggling, jewel theft and international espionage and culminates in a dramatic showdown in Panama.

In addition to Bad Penny’s Phin Glynn (Mad To Be Normal), other producers are Victor Glynn (That Good Night) and Axel Kuschevatzky (Wild Tales).

The film will...

Read More: Watch: Meryl Streep Faces the Music in First 'Ricki and the Flash' Trailer Though he'll certainly get more attention this year for his Meryl Streep-starring tragicomedy "Ricki and the Flash," Jonathan Demme has some other intriguing projects in the pipeline worth checking out. One of those projects is a filmed live performance of "Another Telepathic Thing," the dance-theater performance piece that premiered to great acclaim a little over a decade ago. The production's synopsis reads: "Inspired by Mark Twain's morality tale 'The Mysterious Stranger,' 'Another Telepathic Thing' is a prismatic and complex dance-theater parable. At once cynical and spiritual, the work centers on a charismatic stranger whose visit shatters the peace of a mythic hamlet. The medieval setting is echoed by a contemporary Hollywood reality, with a script that braids Twain’s sublime writing with 'found' text from years of auditions. It culminates in a subtle and.

Point Pleasant

Showcase Inventory

Created by Marti Noxon and John McLaughlin

Produced by 20th Century Fox Television

Aired on Fox for one season (13 episodes, two unaired) from January 19, 2005 – July 3, 2005

Cast

Elisabeth Harnois as Christina Nickson

Grant Show as Lucas Boyd

Samuel Page as Jesse Parker

Aubrey Dollar as Judy Kramer

Dinah Meyer as Amber Hargrove

Cameron Richardson as Paula Hargrove

Show Premise

A mysterious female stranger washes ashore of the New Jersey seaside town named Point Pleasant, where she is rescued ashore. The mysterious stranger is Christina Nickson (Elisabeth Harnois), who it is implied is the daughter of Satan, but who tries to fight her evil inclinations, such as her strong attraction to the romantically unavailable lifeguard, Jesse Parker (Samuel Page). Christina is tempted towards evil by Lucas Boyd (Grant Show), a servant of the Devil that was sent there to ensure she fulfills her destiny. Upon her arrival to...

Do you remember being a child trying to make Transformers out of play-dough? It was fun and messy but insanely hard to do, now imagine making entire sets, characters and films out of it, doesn’t seem as fun anymore does it? However there are wonderful people who persevere and create gorgeous films, music videos and TV shows by moving clay or objects a tiny bit in each shot and we get to enjoy all the pleasures of their painstaking work. Despite being inanimate objects it’s amazing that stop-motion can be scary, make us laugh out loud or cry and even make us dance.

Even brilliant Us comedy series Community recently got in on the act, featuring an entire episode of stop-motion in their second season (out on DVD Monday). So join me in finding out the best examples of this fascinating process and get your play-dough ready as...

As we head into spring, TV shows on the bubble start to cross their fingers and get superstitious in hopes of renewal. One of the shows still yet to hear their verdict is Once Upon a Time. Created by Lost alums, Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz (the writing duo who penned Tron Legacy), the modern-day dark twist on fairy tales started out strong, attracting nearly 13 million total viewers but has slumped to the 8.6-10.7 million range in the last 10 episodes. We shall see if it’s enough to earn a second season, but in the meantime, Kitsis and Horowitz continue to push forward as planned and keep audiences guessing as the show progressively gets darker and darker.

How has Once Upon a Time evolved? Has it gone the way you always envisioned or become something you didn’t originally think it would?

Edward Kitsis: Our dream was to tell certain stories like,...

Note: Do not read on if you have not seen Season 1, Episode 13 of ABC's "Once Upon a Time," entitled "What Happened To Frederick?"

True love seems further out of reach than ever following this week's "Once Upon a Time," at least for for Snow White, Prince Charming and their Storybrooke alter egos. While it's said that "the truth shall set you free," that didn't seem to be the case for David and Mary Margaret in episode 13, mostly because David proved to be too cowardly to tell his wife the whole truth about his affair. In trying to protect Kathryn's feelings, he simply told her that something was missing in their relationship that was preventing him from connecting with her, inevitably leading to Regina betraying David and Mary Margaret's secret when Kathryn appeared, heartbroken, at Regina's door.

Kathryn's subsequent -- and yes, fairly justified -- confrontation with Mary Margaret at...

We have an exclusive clip from the upcoming horror-comedy Chop, which will be released on DVD December 27. Click on the video player below to watch this R-rated clip where Will Keenan tries to work out a deal with a prostitute.

Click to watch Exclusive: Work It Out!

Lance Reed, a seemingly innocent man, is forced by a psychotic stranger to confront his duplicitous past. The mysterious stranger, seeking retribution for a past crime, forces Lance to reveal his inner most secrets by systematically removing his limbs! As time runs out and Lance's limb count dwindles, he must recall what he's done to the stranger before he doesn't have a head to remember with. Jam-packed with laughs, gore and some insane twists, Chop is the directorial debut of Deadgirl screenwriter Trent Haaga.

Chop comes to theaters December 27th, 2011.

From Bloody Disgusting Selects and writer/director Trent Haaga (writer of Deadgirl) comes the hilarious horror comedy Chop, which arrives on DVD, Video on Demand and Digital Download (iTunes/Amazon/Xbox/Playstation) on December 27. In addition to the previously released exclusives, we've now added two more clips from this horror comedy I thought was hysterical (hope you do too). Inside you'll find the official trailer and cover art, with a Amazon pre-order now available. Netfix and iTunes links forthcoming. "Lance Reed, a seemingly innocent man, is forced by a psychotic stranger to confront his duplicitous past. The mysterious stranger, seeking retribution for a past crime, forces Lance to reveal his inner most secrets by systematically removing his limbs! As time runs out and Lances limb count dwindles, he must recall what hes done to the stranger before he doesn't have a head to remember with..."...

The next installment from the Bloody Disgusting Selects series, the horror comedy ­Chop, is heading to DVD, Video on Demand, and Digital Download on December 27th, and to get everyone geared up for it, we have an exclusive clip hot, ready, and served up on a platter!

Trent Haaga directed Chop, which was written by Adam Minarovich and stars Timothy Muskatell, Will Keenan, Ricardo Gray, and Max Haaga.

Synopsis

Lance Reed, a seemingly innocent man, is forced by a psychotic stranger to confront his duplicitous past. The mysterious stranger, seeking retribution for a past crime, forces Lance to reveal his innermost secrets by systematically removing his limbs! As time runs out and Lance’s limb count dwindles, he must recall what he’s done to the stranger before he doesn’t have a head to remember with. Jam-packed with laughs, gore, and some insane twists, 'Chop' is the directorial debut of 'Deadgirl' screenwriter Trent Haaga.

From Bloody Disgusting Selects and writer/director Trent Haaga (writer of Deadgirl) comes the hilarious horror comedy Chop, which arrives on DVD, Video on Demand and Digital Download (iTunes/Amazon/Xbox/Playstation) on December 27. If you click on over to GetGlue you can enter to win a Bloody Disgusting Holiday DVD pack with stickers available here. And in additional bit of fun, you'll find a series of "Tales from the Crypt"-ish Chop holiday E-cards on Facebook. "Happy Holidays, Ho!" Inside you'll find the official trailer and cover art, with a Amazon pre-order now available. Netfix and iTunes links forthcoming. "Lance Reed, a seemingly innocent man, is forced by a psychotic stranger to confront his duplicitous past. The mysterious stranger, seeking retribution for a past crime, forces Lance to reveal his inner most secrets by systematically removing his limbs!..."...

The next installment from the Bloody Disgusting Selects series, the horror comedy ­Chop, is heading to DVD, Video on Demand, and Digital Download on December 27th, and to get everyone geared up for it, we have three stills from the film to share.

Trent Haaga directed Chop, which was written by Adam Minarovich and stars Timothy Muskatell, Will Keenan, Ricardo Gray, and Max Haaga.

Synopsis

Lance Reed, a seemingly innocent man, is forced by a psychotic stranger to confront his duplicitous past. The mysterious stranger, seeking retribution for a past crime, forces Lance to reveal his innermost secrets by systematically removing his limbs! As time runs out and Lance’s limb count dwindles, he must recall what he’s done to the stranger before he doesn’t have a head to remember with. Jam-packed with laughs, gore, and some insane twists, 'Chop' is the directorial debut of 'Deadgirl' screenwriter Trent Haaga.

The first entirely Claymation feature film, The Adventures of Mark Twain is a a rather stunning technical achievement from Will Vinton Productions and one that is unfortunately rather under-seen. Even if this wasn’t such a wonderfully entertaining and rather charming film this situation would be lamentable due to the film’s historical significance as a remarkable achievement in animation.

When Vinton remarks on the commentary on this disc that this was the first 100% Claymation feature film he is not exaggerating either, everything here is made from plasticine, from the characters and objects to the painted backdrops and even the water that seems to flow and ripple in certain scenes. The effect that this achieves is one that feels very much like an elaborate magic trick. With everything in the world modelled in plasticine., what at first seems like a distancing aesthetic begins to seem more and more natural as the film goes on.

The next installment from the Bloody Disgusting Selects series, Chop, is heading to DVD, Video on Demand and Digital Download (iTunes/Amazon/Xbox/Playstation) on December 27th! This horror-comedy has toured the festival circuit where it won the Director's Choice Award at the Boston Underground Film Festival and Now you can bring this fright-fest home to begin the New Year in terror and laughter! Check out the trailer below, as well as three new photos.

Click to watch Chop Trailer!

Lance Reed, a seemingly innocent man, is forced by a psychotic stranger to confront his duplicitous past. The mysterious stranger, seeking retribution for a past crime, forces Lance to reveal his inner most secrets by systematically removing his limbs! As time runs out and Lance's limb count dwindles, he must recall what he's done to the stranger before he doesn't have a head to remember with. Jam-packed with laughs, gore and some insane twists,...

You wouldn't expect the directorial debut from the screenwriter of Deadgirl to be a horror comedy, but here it is. Trent Haaga brings us Chop, in which a psychopath goes to unusual lengths to get Lance Reed to admit to his wrongdoings. Chop will be released by Bloody Disgusting Selects on December 27th via DVD and VOD. Check out the trailer and images below. Official synopsis: Lance Reed, a seemingly innocent man, is forced by a psychotic stranger to confront his duplicitous past. The mysterious stranger, seeking retribution for a past crime, forces Lance to reveal his inner most secrets by systematically removing his limbs!  As time runs out and Lance's limb count dwindles, he must recall what...

I love me a good horror flick with a dab of comedy, and we have a new one coming our way.

Look for Chop on DVD, Video on Demand and Digital Download (iTunes/Amazon/Xbox/Playstation) on December 27, 2011.

Lance Reed, a seemingly innocent man, is forced by a psychotic stranger to confront his duplicitous past. The mysterious stranger, seeking retribution for a past crime, forces Lance to reveal his inner most secrets by systematically removing his limbs! As time runs out and Lance’s limb count dwindles, he must recall what he’s done to the stranger before he doesn’t have a head to remember with. Jam-packed with laughs, gore and some insane twists, ‘Chop’ is the directorial debut of ‘Deadgirl’ screenwriter Trent Haaga.

Source: Bloody Disgusting...

Some fresh art, info, and even a trailer for the next flick in the Bloody Disgusting Selects line has come our way, and we've got all the goodies you need to get yourself geared up for Chop!

Trent Haaga's (writer of Deadgirl) horror comedy Chop will be hitting DVD, Video on Demand, and Digital Download (iTunes/Amazon/Xbox/Playstation) on December 27th!

Synopsis

Lance Reed, a seemingly innocent man, is forced by a psychotic stranger to confront his duplicitous past. The mysterious stranger, seeking retribution for a past crime, forces Lance to reveal his innermost secrets by systematically removing his limbs! As time runs out and Lance’s limb count dwindles, he must recall what he’s done to the stranger before he doesn’t have a head to remember with. Jam-packed with laughs, gore, and some insane twists, 'Chop' is the directorial debut of 'Deadgirl' screenwriter Trent Haaga.

I'm out of my mind excited to announced that Bloody Disgusting Selects is finally gearing up to release Trent Haaga's (writer of Deadgirl) hilarious horror comedy Chop (review) on DVD, Video on Demand and Digital Download (iTunes/Amazon/Xbox/Playstation) on December 27! This is still one of my favorite indie films of the year... "Lance Reed, a seemingly innocent man, is forced by a psychotic stranger to confront his duplicitous past. The mysterious stranger, seeking retribution for a past crime, forces Lance to reveal his inner most secrets by systematically removing his limbs! As time runs out and Lances limb count dwindles, he must recall what hes done to the stranger before he doesnt have a head to remember with. Jam-packed with laughs, gore and some insane twists, 'Chop' is the directorial debut of 'Deadgirl' screenwriter Trent Haaga."...

Deadgirl scribe Trent Haaga gets into the director's chair for Chop . The film is hitting DVD December 27 and we've got the trailer for you. If you know Haaga's warped sensibilities, then get ready for a ride. In the film, Lance Reed, a seemingly innocent man, is forced by a psychotic stranger to confront his duplicitous past. The mysterious stranger, seeking retribution for a past crime, forces Lance to reveal his inner most secrets by systematically removing his limbs! As time runs out and Lance.s limb count dwindles, he must recall what he's done to the stranger before he doesn.t have a head to remember with. Click here for the cover art!

Wall Street, they tell me, is on an upturn, and the economy is well on its way to recovery. Hooray and Huzzah! But, even if all this optimism is justified (which I doubt), the rough times aren't entirely behind us and, however long they linger, certain businesses are going to suffer -- especially certain businesses that may not be fit for survival in the digital world, like publishing for the niche markets of Sf and horror.

And, even if happy days are here again, some 20th Century businesses won't be coming back, ever.

Every year, March is National Reading Month, and every year it passes by with no one noticing, except for a few librarians who have to get up on ladders to post the banners (of course, this year, no budget for banners, so there wasn't even that).

Well, this blog is going to change everything; we're going to...