Exclusive: Sequel to a Classic Creature Feature Announced

Ever heard of Zaat (aka The Blood Waters of Dr Z, Attack of the Swamp Creatures and Hydra)? Well, it's a creature feature from 1971, directed by Don Barton (with uncredited assistance from Arnold Stevens, according to IMDb)* that is a delicious mix of classic mad scientist and mutant catfish hybrid imbued with a passion to pollute the entire "universe" (Don't blame me, that's what it says!).

The Backbrain has just received news that not only will you be able to buy a 40th Anniversary special edition of the film in mid-December, just in time for Christmas, but also director/producer Barton now feels ready to make the sequel that fans have, he says, been asking him about for years. Barton will make the formal announcement and unveil preliminary plans at the ZAAT 40th Anniversary celebration at the Five Points Theatre in Florida this Sunday, October 23, at 7:30pm. It will follow the showing of the original Zaat movie which was filmed entirely in and around Jacksonville, Florida. Barton is not divulging any details except for the title, Darn Monster. According to Barton, a "short video will show where we're headed with the fun story".

Based in Jacksonville, Barton was recently recognised by the Jacksonville Film Commission for his lifetime contributions to the industry. 

Tickets are available on-line all this week on the Five Points Theater website. Seating is limited and will be on a first come, first served basis.

As for the 40th Anniversary DVD of Zaat, it is being released by Synergy under their Cultra label.  It will be a DVD/Blu-Ray combo pack and among other things will contain a feature-length commentary with several of the cast and crew.

Zaat Theatrical Trailer:

Behind the Scenes:

You can also catch three TV Spots on the film's YouTube Channel.

Source: Don Barton via Avery Guerra. Written by Robert Hood.

Addendum: we have received the following information straight from Don Barton, commenting on the supposed role of "Arnold Stevens" in the making of the original Zaat as well as the alternate titles associated with the film:

Here is some somewhat exclusive information for you since I see that this article perpetuates some misinformation that has surrounded ZAAT for years.  First of all, Arnold Stevens does not now and to the best of my knowledge has never existed -- at least not in connection with this film which was directed entirely be Don Barton. In the 1980s, Barton approached Vestron Video about releasing the film on home video and gave them a screener tape made from a worn print of Blood Waters which had seen better days.  He was turned down but a short time later the film appeared on one of Vestron's subsidiary labels, Lightening Video, in the Elvira movie series with falsified credits and the new title of Attack of the Swamp Creature.  All original cast and crew information had been replaced.  Hydra is another bootleg home video title that replaced the opening title card on a print of Blood Waters but kept the rest of the credits.  By the time these two misappropriations had been discovered, both video companies were long out of business and there was no one left to sue but these unauthorized products are still used to this day to unfairly represent the film ZAAT. The Attack title is particularly annoying because the print is very dark and damaged and the credits are incorrect but often quoted as factual in reviews and articles.  I hope you can make use of this information.

Exclusive: In the Devil's Courthouse

The title In the Devil's Courthouse conjures up lots of things, but that the film might be a classic cryptozoological creature feature wasn't at the forefront of my thoughts on the matter.

Synopsis:

It lives on this mountain. On The Devil’s Courthouse. The Cherokee people knew of the evil that lurks there. They carved the story of the beast into stone for all to see and to serve as a warning throughout the ages. A warning that too many have ignored for too long. Now, the beast has emerged from the darkness... and it’s hungry. Unfortunately for Leah and her newest boyfriend, Josh, they’re about to find out the terrifying truth behind the legend. Soon after their camp site is attacked, Leah makes a desperate phone call to her brother, Steve, while running for her life. Steve rushes to the rescue with his girlfriend, Lauren, and Max, a fellow police officer. After tracking his sister for hours, the group is thrown into a terrifying struggle for survival as the “Devil” judges their souls and decides which of them will live and which of them will die. Can any of them survive the nightmare in the woods at the Devil’s Courthouse?

On the other hand, that it might involve a lot of blood was always on the cards. The devil's just like that, you know. Judgemental in the extreme. And not prone to being just.

Latest Trailer:

Second Poster:

Made for Brain Juice Productions by writer/director/producer Ken Comito, In the Devil's Courthouse is in the final stages of post-production, with Comito shooting some add-on footage and tweaking some technical hitches. He expects the film to be released later in the year.

Although it was conceived and written using the “cabin in the woods” or “come to me” formula for simplicity and with budget in mind, the screenplay and subsequent production of In the Devil’s Courthouse quickly evolved beyond either of these two structural definitions. This was in part due t necessity. The simple, budget-friendly, one location aspect of the “cabin in the woods” formula became more complex as the interior of the primary “cabin” location was too small to accommodate cast and crew. We had to plan for a second “cabin” for all interior shots and some exterior shots. The number of exterior shooting locations also quickly multiplied. We found so many beautiful locations, from the Pisgah Covered Bridge in Asheboro to numerous locations at Hanging Rock State Park and along the Blue Ridge Parkway in the Appalachian Mountains, that we had to incorporate them into the movie. (Press release)

The main cast is:

Ashley Marie Nelson .................................... Leah
Dustin Webb ................................................. Steve
Kristen Snider ............................................... Lauren
Patrick Ferrara .............................................. Max
Duane Trunnell ............................................. Danny

Below is a prop from the film, a map showing "the Courthouse":

 

More information (and lots of production stills) can be found on the film's official website. An interview with the director appears on The Times News.

• Source: Brain Juice Productions via Avery Guerra; Press release; Official website; Facebook page. See also Horror-Movies.ca.
• Written by Robert Hood

Addendum: Old Teaser Trailer:

New: Sand Serpents

This looks rather interesting:

Sand Serpents (US-2009; dir. Jeff Renfroe)

Synopsis:

US soldiers fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan come up against an even deadlier enemy: enormous worms that tunnel under the sand and emerge to consume human prey. (Fangoria Online)

Sand Serpents will be premiering on the newly branded SyFy Channel on July 11 -- in a creature feature summer that includes Kyle Rankin's giant bug flick Infestation, Rick Schroder's mythological Hellhounds, Ace Hannah's Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus and Kristoffer Tabori's High Plains Invader, which stars James Marsters as "an Old West outlaw whose hanging is conveniently interrupted by ... an assault by oversized alien insects, leading him to become a reluctant hero."

Source: Fangoria Online via Kaiju Search-Robot Avery