Roadkill Zombies?

According to Twitch, director Dave Green is set to make a short film under the auspices of Sam Raimi about roadkill coming back from the dead to get revenge on those that killed them. Given that this is a man whose last film was about food in a refrigerator trying to survive an "ice age" apocalypse, are we surprised?

You can see a scene from the film here.

• Source: Twitch via Avery

Update: Mortis Rex is Set to Go

Looks like Mortis Rex (US-[in production]; dir. Peter Briggs), which we've been following via hints, hopes and conceptual art for some time, is definitely underway.

Director Peter Briggs (who wrote the Hellboy script) will be at this year's San Diego Comic Con promoting the film and its new teaser poster (see below). According to BloodyDisgusting News, the $30m supernatural horror-thriller starts casting next week and

...is being distributed by Intandem Films ("How To Lose Friends And Alienate People"); with FX duties being handled by Pixomondo ("Red Baron"; Emmerich's "2012"; the Wachowskis' "Ninja Assassin"; and the recently announced remake of "The Gate".)

Synopsis:

Mortis Rex tells the story of Cassius Virius, a disgraced Roman soldier, who is sent to Scotland to team up with Syrus Petronius, the washed-up commander of the Roman fort of Briga Magna on Hadrian's Wall. Briga Magna has been suffering a spate of inexplicable deaths, which Cassius suspects is connected to the local hostile Druid populace, who may be readying another rebellion. What he actually uncovers is much more deadly and horrifying.

• Source: BD Horror News via Avery
• Previous Undead Backspasm article
  

News of Host 2

Ever wonder what's come of the proposed sequel to the excellent giant monster flick The Host [aka Gwoemul] (South Korea-2006; dir. Joon-ho Bong)?

Well, SciFiJapan confirms that funding has been obtained and The Host 2 (Gwoemul 2) is officially greenlit.

According to the press release, THE HOST 2 is currently in the development stage with multiple scripts (including a prequel written by comic book creator Kang Full) featuring a variety of concepts. The press release also stated that the South Korean mobile telecommunications provider SK Telecom previously invested to cover expenses for planning and development of THE HOST 2. As of this writing, there is no cast or director announced for the sequel.

Check out the details here.

The Flock

How to put a new spin of the dinosaur movie: concentrate on their descendents.

Transformers producer Don Murphy has optioned a novel, The Flock, by James Robert Smith that features "a group of highly intelligent giant prehistoric birds discovered in the Florida Everglades who are intent on protecting their ancient home when faced with encroachment by theme park developers" (Hollywood Reporter)

I like the story that Hollywood Reporter recounts about how Murphy became interested in Smith's book. Apparently Murphy was on Eddie Campbell's blog talking about Campbell's graphic novel From Hell, the film version of which Murphy had produced.

Smith was posting comments critical of the film, putting Murphy on the defensive. Eager to find out more about the poster, Murphy discovered Smith had written a book. He quickly ordered it, expecting to hate it and ready to trash it. To his surprise, he fell for it.

Anyway, Murphy considers that this will be a "summer tentpole" movie.

Let's hope they don't rename it "Phorusrhacid Park"...

• Source: Hollywood Reporter; Horror-Movies.ca via Kaiju Search-Robot Avery

Update: Sand Serpents

More pics from Sand Serpents (US-2009; dir. Jeff Renfroe). See here for previous article.

Synopsis:

A U.S. infantry squad in the remote deserts of Afghanistan discovers that insurgents aren’t their biggest threat. After a series of explosions shatter the surface, a mass of giant prehistoric worms emerge. Soliciting the help of an Afghani refugee, the squad’s only chance to survive is to descend through the underground tunnels, where a new—and much slimier—war is about to be fought.

• Source: RHI Entertainment via Avery

Get Grossed Out with Tromaggot

As if The Worm wasn't enough, Kaiju Search-Robot Avery has unearthed [pun intended] a German film currently in production that ups the Disgust Factor by featuring not just a giant worm but an oversized, man-eating maggot.

Attack of the Tromaggot (Germany-2009; dir. Leslie Teah)

Featuring Mr Troma himself, Lloyd Kaufman, and Debbie Rochon, whose resumé reads like a compendium of recent C-grade exploitation flicks, the film is firmly aimed at the Troma fanbase.

The director describes the fan project as "a trash film about a monster without a story." Sounds like Troma all right!

The film is currently being Anglicised and Teah hopes that when that's completed he can get the Maggot released into the streets of Tromaville.

Synopsis:

From the outside she looks like an ordinary mutated killer-maggot, but years of unimaginable torture from her tormentor have turned her into a beast thirsty for blood whose disgusting and sick perversions know no frontiers. She'll never feel sympathy for anyone. ... She's a filthy spawn from the darkest corners of hell. She's Tromaggot! Be there when this shameless beast compensates for her dark past with horrible attacks at young bank-employees. Bloodlust! More blood! Oh, no that was vomit!!

Check out the colourful and disgusting imagery that populates the website, including things like an Alienesque "maggot moment" featuring Santa himself.

• Source: via Avery

Update: Planet of the Vampire Women

Though the film is still early in production, and doesn't begin filming until September, producer Christy Savage has offered up a teaser trailer for Planet of the Vampire Women (US-2010; dir. Darin Wood) -- one that highlights the space pirate chicks, big guns and sexy vamps of the low-budget retro scifi exploitation flick.


See further details on Undead Backbrain.

• Source: Monster Island News via Avery

New Rat Scratch Fever Poster

Director Jeff Leroy has offered Brainspasm a new poster for his upcoming giant alien rat movie, Rat Scratch Fever (US-2009; dir. Jeff Leroy), courtesy of Kaiju Search-Robot Avery. It's still not the final one, but it's pretty cool anyway.

• Last Undead Backbrain article