Horror movie previews have a tough job to do. They need to capture the essence of a film in 3 minutes or less and give away enough of the film to make you want to see it, but not so much that they spoil the surprises of the film. Audiences don’t want to feel disappointed because all of the scariest stuff was shown in the preview, and since most horror movies will lose a chunk of their potential audience when they get slapped with an R-rating, the pressure is really on for studios to crank out great previews that make even a mediocre movie look like a must-see cinema event. They want to disturb the audience enough to leave them saying, “I have got to see that movie!”

Here are several horror movie previews for some upcoming 2013 films, as well … Read More »

Jeremiah Cress is a name to keep a lookout for in the mix of great horror authors. Cress’ new book “Seven Slightly Sadistic Stories” is a collection of short stories that keeps the hairs on the back of your neck standing at full attention in anticipation of what is next. Each story makes you as a reader realize just how horrific this world can be and the ease at which anyone could turn a great night into your last night.

Being that this is the horror genre, you know that something is going to wrong in every short story, but the way things transpire never seem to be the way that seems obvious when first diving into each story. Each tale brings you into a new setting and new mysterious place where, as the reader, you know the panic and screaming … Read More »

If you spend any amount of time watching scary movies, you know they are packed from beginning to end with stupid people who do stupid things that get themselves killed. You usually can identify these horror movie morons quite easily because they are the ones who make you stand up and start yelling at the screen. Of course, what you should and should not do in a scary, crisis situation always seems so obvious when you’re sitting in the theater and the creepy music starts to play and you suspect something is about to happen. But, without that creepy music to warn you of impending danger, are you still vigilant enough to avoid doing the things that would get you killed if you were in a horror movie?

Here’s a list of 10 stupid things that horror movies teach us we … Read More »

It has been a few years since Dracula has made an appearance. Vampires themselves are still big in movies and shows, but Dracula himself has been rather quite as of lately. This is all about to change thanks to NBC. NBC gave the green light to produce 10 episodes of ‘Dracula’ based on a script written by Cole Haddon and produced by Colin Callender, Tony Krantz, and Gareth Neame who have brought you such shows as “24″, Downtown Abbey” and “The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby”. The role of Dracula is going to be played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers.

According to NBC chairman Bob Greenblatt this is going to be a “cool new version” of Dracula. The show is going to be set in the 1890′s with Dracula being an American entrepreneur in London to try to bring modern science … Read More »

So you’ve made your blood! What to do with it aside from splatter it everywhere, right? That’s fun but gets old pretty quick. If you have been diligent and read the previous tutorial (A Brief Education in Make Up Application) you should have a good grasp on the process.

First, we will start with bruises and you will need this stuff:
2 tones of creme foundation
Creme hi-lite (light concealer)
Bruise colors
Setting powder
Make up sponges
Large make up brush
Palette
Stipple sponge
Thickened blood

Now, if you don’t have a model to torture…um I mean practice on, then find a spot on your own body; make sure it is a place you can easily see. For example, I am using my extremely boney knee because not only have I had numerous bruises there (be nice) but also because I can see the entire area. This is my obnoxiously pointy … Read More »

The creativity and inventiveness of the human mind is not only evident in the centuries of fine art and music collected throughout history. It’s also evident in the devices and vast number of methods that mankind has created to destroy one another throughout the ages. Whether it’s killing one person accused of committing a crime or of being a witch, or slaughtering people en mass as an act of war or terrorism, humanity has turned killing into a sinister and macabre form of art. In this series, we will look at the kinds of devices created when mankind’s creativity and inventiveness are unleashed in combination with their tendency for insatiable bloodlust.

The Brazen Bull was a particularly unique combination of artistry and bloodlust that dates back to Sicily in the 6th century A.D. The bull sculptures were forged out of … Read More »

Smoking pot and getting the munchies always go hand in hand. But what if instead of craving potato chips and candy bars, you start to crave brains and human flesh? Welcome to Justin Powers’ film “Pot Zombies 2: More Pot, Less Plot.”

This film is the sequel to the low-in-budget yet highly successful film “Pot Zombies” (available on Comcast on demand). Justin created his first film with a budget of just over $900. The only money spent was for cheap halloween make up, stuff to make fake blood, gasoline, guts and meat products, food, and weed. When we asked him about the first film he said that he never thought so many people would have an interest in seeing the film, and really only expected his friends and family to watch it. When he finally … Read More »

Close your eyes and imagine… wait. Open them back up or you won’t be able to read this. Ok. Now just imagine you’ve been walking around a horror convention all day in your replica Predator costume with the shoulder laser that turns when you turn your head. You’ve picked up that rare Ash action figure to complete your collection, stood in line for 3 hours for Tony Todd’s autograph, and finally got the soft pretzel and soda for 20 bucks to quell the growl in your tummy. Now your back is hurting and all you want is something to relieve your aches and pains. You look around and spot an oasis where for a mere $10 per 5 minutes you can get a rub down from a zombie.

Zombissage is the combination of … Read More »

Welcome to part two of our “movie make-up” tutorial.

It occurred to me that some of you may not be fluent in aesthetics lingo or may not even know what foundation is. If you do, bare with me for the sake of those who don’t. Feel free to comment with your own information as well! Everyone has a different way of doing things; certain methods work for some people and not others. I will be doing my best to explain the “professional” make up application procedure as I learned it at beauty school and special make-up effects school, as well as my own (sometimes weird) approach.

The easiest way to get started is to visit your local drug store to pick up some crème foundations, concealer, color correction concealer, and setting powder. If you cannot find … Read More »

As a certified SFX artist, the question I’m most asked seems to be “How do I make a good fake blood?” It’s really quite easy but the thing that trips most people up is probably the food coloring. Those little egg shaped gnome things from the grocery store just wont do unless you can afford a lot of them. It’s much less aggravating (and cheaper) to hit your local crafts or kitchen supply store for some gel “icing” color. Although, if you can find powdered food coloring that stuff is crazy pigmented and great to have if you are going to be making several large batches.

While telling you what product to buy is nice, it’s useless if we don’t think about a few things first: Blood takes on various shades and consistencies. Blood oxidizes. It can clot. You don’t want … Read More »

There’s a new novel released in June from Deno Sandz dealing with the horrors of slavery and with how some horrors will come back to haunt you. Here’s the press release on the upcoming novel:

“Blood Plantation” is a historical fiction set at a Bed and Breakfast owned by the great, great, great, granddaughter of Captain Rollins the 3rd, once known as the big house on a plantation in Virginian. The antagonist, the SOTO (The Soul of the Ocean) is a captured slave from the southern tip of Africa, thrown overboard near the shores of Shonwaay, Virginian where the Shonwaayians now call, “The Shores of the Evil Soul” in 1810 after a mutiny he spearheaded leading to the murder of crew members, slaves, and his wife by the evil hands of Captain Rollins the 3rd who owned the plantation. It’s now … Read More »

I was stalking through…I mean, scanning through Facebook as I often do, when I came across a photo of what appeared to be a hand-carved wooden doll bearing a striking resemblance to an infant Captain Spaulding. “Decadence Dolls” was the profile page heading and the photograph indeed carried the title “Captain Spaulding.” After a “like” to the page and a “click” to the photo I had enlarged the pic and was blown away by the detail. Not only did this doll look life-like, but it looked creepy as hell. It was dirty, it was menacing, and it was covered in blood. Not your typical doll, to say the least.

I browsed the page and was greeted with several more photos, each one just as intriguing as the last. Infant monsters and murderers such as “The Bride of Frankenstein” and “The Wolfman,” … Read More »

The horror movie genre has always been a favorite of mine. Starting at the ripe old age of five, I was exposed to a world of darkness, scary ghosts, and killer dolls. Magic, starring Anthony Hopkins, was my first viewing of a whole new world, one that my parents tried to shield me from. But thanks to my persistence, and my dad’s interest in sci-fi/horror films, I was bonded for life with the excitement and the gore.

Growing up in the 80’s and early 90’s, I fell in love with the campy scenarios and the putrid gore of amazing makeup FX artists such as Tom Savini, Stan Winston, Dick Smith, Kevin Yeager, and Screamin Mad George. Like these dedicated artists that helped the movies come to life with their creations, the many actors and actresses who made a career in … Read More »

April 15, 2012 marks the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. It’s a tragic story that has been retold countless times. A well-known tale about the largest passenger steam ship of its time and its many famous and wealthy passengers. One of the most often repeated details of the tragedy is how it inspired changes in maritime laws because the ship didn’t have enough lifeboats for all of its passengers. It’s also common knowledge that the voyage ended in disaster when the Titanic stuck an iceberg and sank in the North Atlantic, killing an estimated 1,500 people.

But one grim detail that is often overlooked in the recounting of the Titanic story is the fate of all those who never made it into a lifeboat. We know that they died. But how? And what happened to their bodies? Of … Read More »

It used to be that vampire fans could only emulate their favorite horror movie blood suckers by dressing black leather catsuits, buying cheesy plastic fangs at the nearest dollar store, and sporting goth hair styles that make them look like they got attacked by Edward Scissorhands at the beauty salon.

But now, with vampire mania spawning a coven of hit movies and TV shows, die-hard fans no longer have to hang out in dark alleys waiting to get bitten by someone to get an authentic vampire look. Manufacturers are eager to capitalize on the newfound vampire popularity by providing die-hard fans with a whole new level of options for turning themselves into a vampire … without the painful blood letting.

Several contact lens providers are now carrying creepy, multi-colored lenses, designed specifically to match the eerie eyes of the vampires in films … Read More »

NOTE: PlayWithDeath.Com is running this article again to celebrate this year’s “Women In Horror Month.” We were proud to be a small part of the first annual WIHM by posting the banner and sharing some links. We are once again proud do do our part to draw attention to the cause.

What would horror movies be without the women that make them great? A bunch of axe wielding psychopaths aimlessly searching for victims, I suppose. Imagine the movies you love without the “scream queens” you adore. Pretty boring, right?

Women are thought to be exploited by the industry, helpless victims unaware of their victimization, yet some of the greatest films have been written and directed by these same “helpless victims”. “American Psycho” has been hailed as one of the greatest horror films of all times, yet many have … Read More »

A decades long tradition has seemingly come to an end when a mysterious man known only as the “Poe Toaster” failed to show up to pay tribute to  Edgar Allen Poe on his birthday. The third year of his absence has come and gone and the hopeful fans have been let down for the last time.  Among them, Poe House and Museum curator Jeff Jerome. The museum, established in 1922, holds the largest collection of books, letters, memorabilia, and personal belongings of the master himself.

“It’s over with,” Jeff said wearily. “It will probably hit me later, but I’m too tired not to feel anything else.” Jerome has kept a vigil for the toaster since 1978 and has since gathered a dedicated crowd of followers. The visits started sometime in the 1940’s by an anonymous man said to wear all black … Read More »

Have you ever wanted to transform yourself? Shed that suit and tie or the soccer mom outfit for something a little more edgy? Change your day-to-day appearance for one that has a bit more style? I’m not talking tattoos or a piercing, either. I’m talking a machete and a hockey mask. I’m talking a shaved head and a face covered in pins. A mouth covered in razor sharp teeth and a handful of claws. Or perhaps you’ve always wanted to see your significant other carved from top to bottom with a very sharp knife by a psychotic madman while tied to a rusty bed frame, but you know you’d miss her after a week or two. Trust me, I can relate.

What if I told you there was a solution? Jesse Adair Photography.

Jesse Adair Photography caters to horror fans, giving them … Read More »

Think you’ve got what it takes to survive a zombie outbreak?  Put your skills to the test on October 22nd in Baltimore, Maryland when 10,000 runners tackle a 5k marathon course packed with 12 obstacles and, yes, you guessed it, zombies.

“Run For Your Lives” is an apocalyptic 5k obstacle race in which runners fight to reach the finish line with their “health” intact.  Each participant has a “health flag” attached to their belt, much like a flag in flag football.  Zombies will go after these health flags while trying to eat your brains, and if you loose all your flags, you are at zero health.  Bonus health flags are scattered around the course for those needing to replenish lost health, and at least one health flag is needed when crossing the finish line in order to be eligible for prizes, … Read More »

Check out these handmade dolls from Jade Perez.  All 100% original, handmade designs, these things are sure to please even the most macabre of you out there.  Look at some of these things!  Really great stuff.  I personally like the keychains, if anyone is looking for a Christmas present for yours truly.  ; )

Fan her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/newagedolls and be sure to pick up a doll for yourself or someone else at http://www.creepyhandmadedolls.com Tis the season to give creepy, disturbing dolls to those you love, after all!

I love horror games. I’ve played them for hours and hours, shutting off the lights and getting lost in the computer simulated environment, blasting my way through mutant hordes or taking on teams of demons with an insane amount of bullets. What fun.  Unless, of course, you cant turn it off.

Azuka Theatre in Philadelphia opens its season with the Philadelphia premier of the 2008 Humana Festival favorite “Neighborhood 3: Requisition of Doom”, in which two neighboring families cope with their offspring’s addiction to an online horror game. The game has the player smashing through an army of zombies in hopes of escaping the invasion (Zombies?  AWESOME!). The play takes on the style of classic Twilight Zone episodes, blurring the lines of the virtual world and reality, and asks “how do you protect your children from the outside world, when the … Read More »

I’m sure most of you are familiar with Stephen King’s “Carrie”, the story about the sheltered and tormented Carrie White who finally has her revenge after being pushed too far on the night of her high school prom? Well BRAT Productions is bringing a new twist to this classic tale, and they are doing it in a way that you might not expect.

They are making it FUNNY.

Playwright Erik Jackson has adapted the novel by Stephen King into a black comedy for the stage. The “Master of Horror” himself gave Jackson the approval on the project and even emailed him regarding the script, saying it was terrific. I myself attended a production of the play last night, and I have to agree with him.

The play takes place beneath the Wolf building at 12th and Callowhill streets in Philadelphia, and immediately upon … Read More »

So as I am moving into my new apartment next week I am reminded of an amazingly funny short film I saw a little while back at the Media Film Festival. “Unit 30” is a clever, campy film by Taryn Hough that centers around two new roommates, Scully (played by Taryn Hough) and Mulder (played by Sandra McCurdy), and the obsession one of them faces with finding the elusive and mysterious Unit 30. Scully is convinced that something sinister is afoot in the seemingly charming development, and all Mulder wants to do is see her get some boxes unpacked and maybe change her shirt some day soon. Mulder is eventually pulled into the intrigue and the two of them are soon asking questions that perhaps should have been left unasked.

The mystery unravels with some unique and quirky characters, which really … Read More »

Two weeks ago playwithdeath.com was lucky to attend the “wrap up” party for the shooting of the soon-to-be-released Potent Pictures film “Booley”, directed by Christian Jude Grillo. We had a great time, getting first look at the trailers for the film as well as the “behind the scenes” DVD, and from what we saw it appears that “Booley” has the makings of an instant cult classic.

The film centers around Angus Booley, played by Tom Deitrick (The Wish). He’s kind of what we’d call a “pussy”; pushed around his entire life. He suspects his wife of adultery, his job is outsourced to India, and his daughter, played by Carmella Haslett (Roxy Tyler’s Carnival of Horrors), is being bullied by the most popular girl in school (adult film star Gina Lynn). Angus Booley seeks salvation from … Read More »

Remember those horror host shows you watched when you were a kid? My personal favorite was “Saturday Night Dead” with Stella, “The Daughter of Desire”. I would stay up late after SNL and watch B horror movies till 3 in the morning. I remember watching some of the worst movies ever made, and having a great time doing it.

Well now you can get your fill of B movies and fun horror hosts with Midnite Mausoleum! Marlena Midnite, your “personal cuddly cadaver”, brings you horror and Sci Fi with the help of her “Midnite Mailgirl” Robyn Graves. The show is great, the humor offbeat and funny, and who doesn’t like watching really bad horror or sci fi movies late at night?

Go to Midnite Mausoleum’s website and check to see if they are on the air near you. They also … Read More »

We Do Monsters (WDM) is a webisode inspired by B-horror films with a twist of David Lynch. Based on the short feature of the same name.

Malcolm Martin, a once humble makeup salesmen, retires his business to become a monster hunter for hire after unleashing a flood of monsters. Now Malcolm must face Zombies, other monster hunters, and Bigfoot himself to save his town from the threat he created.

I caught the pilot episode for this web series on Youtube and loved it!  It started running on January 31st but it will be going on through the summer so there is plenty of time to catch up.  I recommend you check  it out!  Watch the trailer, go to the Youtube channel and subscribe.  If you like what you see, here are links to their social networking sites so you can stay connected … Read More »