New: Infectus

Only a zombie film if you're willing to loosen the definition of "zombies" from "dead people walking" to include those who have been infected and driven mad and homicidal by it, Infectus under whatever guise looks and sounds both ominous and creepy.

And I should perhaps mention that an unknown sea-creature -- a cryptid -- gets the whole show on the road.

Infectus (US-2011; dir. Shane Cole)

Synopsis:

Paul and Jennifer come to Rockport, Maine to shoot a movie about a cryptid convention where enthusiasts trade stories of their encounters. Their project turns nightmarish when a real cryptid infects a local and sends him spiraling into a rabies-like rampage.

The film is currently in pre-production. It will be shot along the central Maine coast near Camden, Rockland, and the lobster-fishing community of Port Clyde, an area made famous in paintings by N.C., Andrew, and Jamie Wyeth.

Director Shane Cole, who has a reputation for "economical filmmaking", commented that for Infectus his Masked Films production company will team up with various partners so that he can spend more on visual and makeup effects and on a larger cast, as well as being able to shoot on location outside LA.

Previous Cole collaborators will be back, including cinematographer AJ Rickert-Eptstein (Across the Line: Exodus of Charlie Wright, The Lost Skeleton Returns, Everyday Joe) , composer Anton Riehl (Crank 2 High Voltage, Hell Ride and Everyday Joe), and make-up artist Emma Julia Jacobs, who has recently been on the make-up teams for Black Swan, The Collector and Jennifer's Body.

Cole, whose previous films include M, Visions of Horror, and Everyday Joe, is seen below on location during the teaser shoot:

Maine Dock at night:

More pictures here.

• Sources: Shane Cole; MaskedFilms website; via Avery Guerra.

New: The Niles Monster

OK, folks, this is definitely a tease -- we don't even have a plot summary for this one. But you know, there's definitely something effectively creepy going on here:

What do we know? Not much. The film's called The Niles Monster, produced and directed by Steven LaFontaine.  It's coming soon. From all appearances it has a cryptozoological bent, featuring a monstrous beastie that's haunting the city of Niles, California (which happens to be most famous for being "the original Hollywood").

La Fontaine sees The Niles Monster as sitting in the tradition of the 1950s B-horror genre. He has  more to say about it in this clip from a local creepshow horror program, Creepy Kofy. Notably he says that as Milpitas has a monster (see Undead Backbrain), he thinks it isn't right that Niles, "the original Hollywood", doesn't have one, too -- and he plans to right that wrong:

For your information, the following gives you some idea of Niles' claim to being "the original Hollywood":

But it was the arrival of Essanay Studios in 1912 that truly put Niles on the map and in the history books as being the "first" Hollywood. Broncho Billy, owner of Essanay Studios, started making films in and around Niles. He shot over 300 films during the studios four-year run in Niles. Broncho Billy shot many train robbery and chase scenes in Niles Canyon and around the town of Niles. Actors Ben and Carrie Turpin, Wallace Berry and Chester Conklin were seen around and about Niles as they worked on Broncho Billy's films, but the most famous actor to grace its streets and history was Charlie Chaplin. The highly acclaimed "The Tramp" was filmed right in downtown Niles on Niles Boulevard. (from Travel Destinations tourism website)

Anyway, The Niles Monster is still in production, with some interesting developments occurring on a daily basis. LaFontaine revealed this bit of gossip:

We're close to getting a free special effect shot courtesy of a gentleman who let us film on the property where you see the armed search party. Can't give away too much info on that. However, I can say that it involves the demolition of two large brick towers. Should be fun to film. We may have to sacrifice a camera for the impact shot.

And he said this about the titular monster:

I've been advised that I should never actually show the monster. But I want the beast in the film. All of my favorite B horror films show the monster and the more jacked-up the better, although of course I believe in building suspense. I'm leaning towards puppetry and some CGI, depending on the scene. What it's like? Well, it's a quadruped (think An American Werewolf in London), and as to size I haven't figured that one out yet. But as you can see from the poster, it's a giant angry mutant opossum!

The website can be found here. And, yes, there's t-shirts for sale.

• Source: Steven LaFontaine via Avery Guerra. Written by Robert Hood.

Exclusive: The Night of the Chupacabras

The chupacabra is a cryptid with a territory that centers on Latin American countries, particularly Puerto Rica and Mexico, though it has been sighted in the US as well. The name is Spanish and derives from two words meaning "goat sucker". Yes, it has a habit of drinking the blood of livestock, especially goats.

The chupacabra featured in the X-Files episode, "El Mundo Gira" and came up against the Scooby Gang in the film Scooby-Doo and the Monster of Mexico. There have been several independent films featuring the legendary critter -- such as El Chupacabra (UK/US-2003; dir. Brennon Jones, Paul Wynne); Chupacabra Terror (US-2005; dir. John Shepphird); the Troma flick Legend of the Chupacabra (US-2000; dir. Joe Castro); Guns of El Chupacabra (US-1997; dir. Donald G. Jackson); Night of the Chupacabra (US-2005; dir. Ted Rivera), a sci-fi parody that interprets the chupacabra as an alien; and assorted other low-budget efforts. Coming up in 2011 is, apparently, a studio-based US horror thriller titled Chupacabra, starring Billy Zane, Daniel Stern and Daryl Hannah.

Cryptid Hunter Avery has located an interesting-looking Brazilian film featuring the Chupacabra, titled A Noite do Chupacabras (trans. Night of the Chupacabras). Directed by Rodrigo Aragão, it tells the story of a family feud sparked by something monstrous lurking in the jungle.

Synopsis (roughly translated):

A young couple returns to their land of origin in the interior of Espírito Santo in Brazil, a journey through forests and mountains full of mysteries, legends and natural beauty. Douglas Silva (Joel Caetano) finds his family upset over the mysterious death of their farm animals and old conflicts that have long plagued the area's rival families resurface. The Silva brothers are increasingly certain that the deaths were orchestrated by the neighbouring Carvalho family. However, Douglas' father knows that something more sinister lurks in the woods. With the families at war, they are faced with an evil greater than they can imagine. Between fights, chases, hunts and lots of shooting, the mythical creature, the Chupacabra, reveals itself for the first time. (Source)

Here is the teaser trailer:

Aragão's previous film was Mangue Negro, or Mud Zombies (2008), in which pollution of the local mangrove swamp causes zombie-like creatures to rise from the waters and do that thing that zombies do. (Source)

The Night of the Chupacabras, produced by Fábulas Negras Produções, is currently filming, and aims for a release date of July 2011. It is expected that it will have Spanish and English subtitles like the previous film.

Crew:

• Executive Producer: Hermann Pidner
• Director: Rodrigo Aragão
• Production: Kika Oliveira, Mayra Alarcón
• Production set: Ana Carolina Braga, Kika Oliveira and Mayra Alarcón
• Director of Photography: Secundo Rezende
• Camera: Secundo Rezende and Dani Marchesi
• Special Effects and Visual Effects: Rodrigo Aragão, Douglas Belasco, Murillo Ribeiro, Reginaldo Dallmaschio, and Alexandre Mello.
• Set Designer: Giovanni Coio, Ulisses Debian and Walderrama dos Santos
• Costumes: Mayra Alarcón
• Continuity: Giovanni Coio
• Editing Musical, Sound Design and Mixing: Hermano Pidner
• Pyrotechnics and Electronics: Rodrigo Aragão, Alzir Vaillant and Jorgemar de Oliveira.

Cast:

• Chupacabras: Walderrama dos Santos
• Kika Silva: Kika Oliveira
• Maria Alicia: Mayra Alarcón
• Mr. Pedro Silva: Markus Konka
• Mrs. Clara Silva: Margot Benatti
• Alzir Silva: Alzir Vaillant
• Douglas Silva: Joel Caetano
• Ricardo Silva: Ricardo Araújo
• Jorge Silva: Jorgemar de Oliveira
• Antonio Carvalho: Fonzo Squizzo
• Ivan Carvalho: Petter Baiestorf
• Agnaldo Carvalho: Foca Magalhães
• Reginaldo Carvalho: Reginaldo Secundo
• Raul Carvalho: Raul Lorza
• Raul Child: Hector
• Old Chico: Cristian Verardi
• Mrs. Italia Carvalho: Margaret Galvão
• Matilde Carvalho: Milena Zacchè
• Mr. Tadeu Carvalho: Secundo Rezende
• Mr. Otto: Afonso Abreu
• Alvaro: Eduardo Moraes
• Drunk: Hermann Pidner
• Movie Extras: Giovanni Coio, Ulisses Debian.

Below is a gallery of images from The Night of the Chupacabras, showing the location, the cast and some nudity and gore, but not the monster. Producer Mayra Alarcón told the Backbrain that "the appearance of the Chupacabras is being kept a secret until the debut of the film. It will be our surprise for the public." Director Aragão, who wrote the film, also designed the creature.

Note that, according to Alarcón, "the image that looks like a zombie is our Man with a Sack [that is, O Homem do Saco -- a version of the Bogeyman], a Latin myth about an old man who kidnaps children".


Gallery:

Sources: Producer Mayra Alarcón; Cine-Monstro; Recursozero. Research: Avery Guerra. Written (with additional research) by Robert Hood.