New Zombie Flick: Wataha

Those damn zombies are everywhere. Here's a new one from Poland. It's only short, but from the images and the trailer it looks like it might have potential.

Wataha [trans. pack] (Poland-2011; short [35 min.]; dir. Victor Kiełczykowskiego)

Synopsis:

Near future. The world as we know it is on the decline, dominated by the so-called "transformed". Four survivors of an army squadron under the leadership of the "Colonel" (Jacek Dewódzki) cross Europe from West to East in search of a place safe from the plague. In the middle of a big forest that stretches for miles, their transport breaks down. To wait out the night, they take refuge in an old abandoned hotel where a family is hiding. Unbeknown to the Colonel, his men have a plan, which they intend to implement that very night.

Cast:

• Jacek Dewódzki as the Colonel
• Robert Wrzosek as Waltz
• Peter Mocarski as Roch
• Anna Jażdżyk as Marina
• Robert Oleszczuk as Henry
• Martha Lacko as Basia
• Agata Nizińska as Alice

Teaser Trailer:

Gallery:

Three Alternate Posters:

Sources: Via Avery Guerra. Facebook; Wikipedia entry.

Comedy on the Set of Return of the Killer Shrews

Anyone who reads either of the Undead Backbrain sites should know by now that a sequel/remake of the 1959 el cheapo horror film The Killer Shrews is currently in production. If not, you can catch up at the links at the end of the article.

It's being directed by Steve Latshaw and stars James Best (reprising his role from the 1959 film):

Also starring is John Schneider (ex-Duke of Hazzard and Clark Kent's father in Smallville), Sean Flynn (grandson of Errol), Jennifer Lyons (Desperate Housewives) and Bruce Davison (X-Men and a million other things), among others. Below James Best talks about the film:

Filming has been going on and though we have no clips for you yet, we do have some on-set comedy and song from Best:

Gallery of production shots:

Links to previous articles:

• Exclusive Details
• Update
• Exclusive: Casting Update

Sources: Website; Facebook page; via Avery Guerra. Written by Robert Hood.

Us vs Them! The Ants Are Coming Back!

Independent filmmaker Joe Gatto is bringing back the giant ants!

The classic giant bug film Them! (US-1954; dir. Gordon Douglas), despite or (in part) perhaps because of its non-CGI, full-size puppetry, remains one of the truly great monster flicks of the 1950s and one of the best giant monster films of all time. The lonely desert landscapes, the rising wind as it carries the clicking shrill of the ants to us long before we see them, the young traumatised girl suddenly sitting up and screaming, "Them! Them!" -- who could not be deeply affected by the atmosphere created by these things. And the final confrontation deep with the city sewers that the ants have made their nest is a beautifully choreographed sequence, rich with tense and excitement.

The poster itself has become iconic!

Gatto's ambitious film, which follows Them! in being about giant ants but not in terms of characters or plot, is currently in script stage. He described it for the Backbrain:

I'm a huge fan of the classic big bug film. Us vs Them is actually a homage to the original Them! [rather than a remake or official sequel] so no rights acquisition was needed. This one will have lots of big bugs, flying ants vs. an Apache helicopter,  and massive hybrid insects that have evolved from genetic mutations. It's a feature script about 100 minutes long.

Below are several posters featuring the various stars of the film.

Plus a conceptual drawing of the Queen:

We'll keep you informed as this enticing project progresses.

Sources: Joe Gatto via Avery; Gatto's YouTube Channel.

Update: New Chompers Website

Chompers 3D, Jesse Blanchard's 3D "critter" horror comedy, currently in development, now has a  official poster and a brand-new website. The latter is in 3D, so whip out those glasses!

Check out this previous Brainspasm article for a teaser trailer and links to more information.

Poster:

The new website can be found here: www.chompers3d.com.

Source: Jesse Blanchard via Avery Guerra.

Update: More on the Bug

The Backbrain has been busy with other things lately... you know, life. Or at least an approximation thereof. So some news items have slipped into the dark. One series I want to drag back into the light is the ongoing Behind the Scenes information being released by producer James Cran in relation to the giant monster / hillbilly horror epic The Millennium Bug (US-2011; dir. Ken Cran) -- especially in advance of the film's world premiere screening at the 14th annual Dances With Films festival on Friday, June 3 at 11:45 PM at the Laemmle Sunset 5 in Los Angeles. Tickets are available by visiting http://danceswithfilms.com/2011_listings_15.html.

Part 1: The Script looked at the development of the story and original screenplay, Part 2: The Monster revealed how the titular monster was created, and Part 3: The Storyboards showed how director Ken Cran went about creating ultra-detailed storyboards.

Since then the Crans have spilled the beans on a number of other significant aspects of the production:

• Part 4: The Warehouse. Says director Cran: "Preproduction continued, and ramped up considerably when a suitable warehouse was found in North Hollywood. Why a warehouse? Simple: cost. We considered actual soundstages for a day, but once we realized that soundstage space was way outside our budget, we committed to a warehouse."

• Part 5: The Aesthetic: "How would the effects look? The production design? The lighting and cinematography?"

• Part 6: The Miniatures Part 1. "How can you tell a man in a monster suit is supposed to be a giant unless you have something to compare it to? Simple. You build miniatures."

• Part 7: The Miniatures Part 2. "The most challenging of the models to build were the various structures comprising the ghost town of Mason's Grove. I love ghost towns, so I was really looking forward to building Mason's Grove. I had done some research while visiting the ghost town of Rhyolite in Nevada, taking lots of photos and really absorbing the atmosphere."

All fascinating stuff. So head along to the official website to get all the gory details.

Source: James Cran. Research by Avery Guerra. Written by Robert Hood. For more information on the film check out these Undead Backbrain links.