Get Your Freak On With Author M.E. Franco

Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid
M.E. Franco

Here it is, whether you like it, or not. It's my blog and I like it, so there! It's my annual Halloween chat with author and fellow horror fan M.E. Franco. Who penned the popular supernatural Dion trilogy. Grab a butcher knife, it's going to be a bloody ride!!!

MS: Hello Ms. Franco we convene again. What would you give me as a gift of worship on my altar?


ME: Vampire Gerard Butler. You're welcome

Suck Me!
Gerard Butler

MS: Who carries the corpses in your house?


ME: What corpses? looks around nervously

MS: Name the most decadent trick you have ever played on an unwitting individual for Halloween?

ME: I hate when teenagers go around trick or treating with no costume at all. I don't mind older kids going out, but at least make an attempt to dress up as something besides "irritating teenager trying to get free candy." So, now I buy a bag of Dum Dum suckers that I hand out to them. I still give the good candy to anyone in a costume.

MS: You wrote a quite popular supernatural trilogy, the Dion series. Any chance we are going to get another one?

ME: Thank you! I have done a little work on a fourth book, but I don't know what the future holds for that one.

MS: Why are there so many songs about rainbows, but none about the transgender witch community?


ME: It would have to be an amazing song. No one wants to piss off a witch.

MS: Are you donning a costume this year? If so spill, what is it?

ME: I'm going to be Sally from Nightmare Before Christmas. I love that movie!

Heeeere's Sally!!!

MS: Is there a favorite Halloween jingle you like?

ME: This is Halloween from Nightmare Before Christmas.

MS: Did you see The Banana Splits movie that aired on the SyFy Network? They made it into a horror affair.


ME: I had heard about it, but I haven't seen it yet. Just checked out the trailer. I love the Banana Splits, so I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about the show being made into a horror movie, but it looks like it might be actually be fun.

MS: If you saw Michael Myers and Jamie Lee Curtis hitchhiking on the same deserted road, who would you pick up?

ME: Jamie Lee. Love how her character has developed in the movies! I share her paranoia. Well, paranoia is an irrational fear, so maybe she's just prepared. Yeah...that's it...prepared.

MS: OK, how excited are you for next Halloween when "Halloween Kills" hits theaters?

ME: I can't wait!! I thought they were going to end it with the last one, so I was stoked to find out it's going to be a trilogy!

MS: Say you are a horror movie villain, what is your weapon of choice?


ME: Classic butcher knife. Very scary!

MS: What do you wish for people this Season of the Witch?


ME: May all your nightmares come true cue evil laugh

Laugh evil or go home with M.E. @ -
https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Author/M-E-Franco-238711609482912/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5144071.M_E_Franco
http://mefrancoauthor.blogspot.com/
https://twitter.com/MEFranco1

Michael's Musings

I Wanna Be A Vampire...
Michael Shinafelt

"The bats have left the bell tower, The victims have been bled, Red velvet lines the black box, Bela Lugosi's dead" - Bela Lugosi's Dead, Bauhaus

I suck, you suck, we all suck...take this however you choose, literally, figuratively or horizontally. The choice is yours to make, are you up for it?

This week I am letting loose my inner Vampire. Hey, it's the season to be, scary and sexy. Did you know one of the things Angelina Jolie and I had in common when we were children? We both wanted to be Vampires when we grew up, suck on that, go ahead don't be afraid...

I have a research file, I have questions

The truth is somewhere in the heat of the day, the cold of the night, the gray in your brain

Redrum by numbers 1,2,3... (Police fans will get this one)

I'm elegantly Satan

By the pricking of my thumb, look, there's an evil f#cking Nun

Me and Linus still believe in the Great Pumpkin. Eff you Charlie Brown

And then there's Cardi B and her AIDS comment, out damned c#nt (apologies to William Shakespeare)

Truth or Dare? Really which one do you choose? Call me.

Did you know there is a horror movie based on The Banana Splits on the SyFy Network this Saturday? "Yes" it's totally legit, DVR set.

Woman Crush of the Week - Catherine Deneuve in "The Hunger" forever, and ever...

These bats were made for flying, and that's just what they'll do

Number please, Transylvania 6500! 

Soap drop & bend over, is the new bend & snap

When you feel dirty, roll in it, just add mud

This is not a drill, it's my life with the Thrill Kill Kult at: 
https://www.instagram.com/michaelshinafelt/?hl=en
https://twitter.com/MShinafelt  

It's Chumming! Sharknado 3!

You know the old saying "When pigs fly out my ass?" Well F#@k those trough eaters, the likelihood of sharks flying out your ass is inevitable, bitches!

That's correct flying out of our collective asses in 2015, Sharknado 3 is coming, or is that chumming?

Whatever! This I know Tara Reid and Ian Ziering are returning. Yippee ki yay shark bait!

Sharknado 2: The Second One was Syfy's most-watched original movie with 3.9 million viewers.

When viewers last saw Ziering's Fin and Reid's April, they were battling sharks in New York. Reid's character got a saw hand. Is that the opposite of a not seen hand, just asking?

Location, location, location.. Ian Ziering had different ideas on that topic. "I think it should be a European city. We have so many foreign fans, I think we should take the movie to them," Ziering stated "I thought wouldn't it be great instead of demolishing a city, if we, through a Sharknado, could rebuild it? Wouldn't it be fantastic if we went to Italy and Sharknado straightened the Leaning Tower of Pisa."

Food for thought.

Get caught in the Sharknado at: 

http://www.syfy.com/

Franken//Fake v Face/Off

In the history of film making there has always been the movie where some monster, superhero or horror character versus another.

King Kong v Godzilla, Freddy v Jason and the upcoming Batman v Superman. Thus it is only fitting that the make-up competition geared towards the abovementioned genres Face/Off on the Syfy Network has it's own versus, Franken//Fake!

Franken // Fake focuses on Joe Castro, a special effects artist who saw what was taking place during filming and came to the conclusion that he “was not part of a true competition.” The incident occurred on May 5, 2012, but it is being told for the first time by Steven Escobar, a veteran editor for reality television and documentary filmmaker.

“I work in reality television and in my opinion, I have never seen such twisted and grotesque behavior from the show’s producers on any show I’ve worked on,” Escobar said in the press release.

Through interviews, real footage, and reenactments, the documentary will show what lead to Castro leaving the series and how the executive producers have tried to keep him quiet about the whole thing.

Franken//Fake is an interesting and entertaining documentary that I recommend, there was never a dull moment.

Something I personally liked in particular was when reality TV veteran Escobar broke down the editing of a scene in very specific detail.

No, it's not that I didn't know producers and studios do that, it was how Mr. Escobar could pinpoint it so vividly since he has the expertise behind him.

Frankenfake is now available on Vimeo On Demand. 

Rent and watch this controversial documentary that SyFy and Face Off do not want to you see at:

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/21192

Tara Reid Jumps The "Sharknado"

Hi I'm Tara Reid and I Can Smell Your Shark

When I saw this item this morning while surfing the Internet I could not believe my eyes at first, but then the coffee kicked in and I realized my glasses are working just fine...

"Yes" Tara Reid is taking the "Sharknado" experience one step further by introducing a fragrance inspired by the natural disaster Syfy Network movie and it's sequel called Shark by Tara.

What do you have to say for yourself Tara? 


"It’s a light and refreshing perfume perfect for day-to-day wear. It also incorporates a plethora of ‘lavender’ colored flowers, which is my favorite color"

So if you want to give off a scent like Tara Reid's take on what an actual "Sharknado" might smell like, then this is for you all of you shark fans...

Jump the shark with Tara:

http://tarareid.com/products/shark-by-tara

Ho Ho Ho, Joe Castro's Scary Christmas

Joe's Christmas 2013 Creation

Tis' the season to be scary... it's to be jolly I know, but I wanted to add a little twist to this Holiday season and  ask someone who you wouldn't traditionally associate with this time of giving what he wanted for Christmas.

For horror fan and filmmaker Joe Castro Halloween is all year round. He writes, directs and does visual effects on all of his horror projects. Yes Joe loves horror and so do I!

Hot off the heels of the big success of his last horror opus the award winning festival favorite "The Summer of Massacre" Joe is doing post on "Terror Toons 3" the sequel to his popular "Terror Toons" series of horror films about homicidal cartoons.

Recently he made a return to short film making with "Attack of the Killer Bees," so what does the King of Gore want for Christmas this year?

3 machetes slaying? 8 corpses rotting? 12 Boogeymen Boogieing? Let's find out, if you dare...

Oh The Weather Outside is Frightful

5) a studio funded film I get to direct

4) death to all employees and ppl who produce shows for the SyFy network

3 ) world peace

2) a cure for HIV/ AIDS

1) my very own twin

My very own twin, well I guess you could not count on number one being traditional considering, but this completely was a fun break from usual Holiday traditions, Thanks Joe!

Find out more about the "King of Gore" on IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0145581/?ref_=fn_nm_nm_1

Follow him on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joe.castro?fref=ts

When Sharks Fly, "Sharknado"!

You know the old saying "When Pigs Fly"? Well I thought that would actually happen before the sharks did it, I thought wrong.

The Asylum and Syfy have brought us yet another ridiculous, low budget thriller with sharks, tornadoes, "Sharknado" need they say more? Uh not really, the trailer and tag line are genius, and so is the cheesy title, which when I commented on my Facebook page that I was finally catching the wave and seeing the movie last night an industry friend responded stating that they registered the title then wrote the script, and it shows.

"Sharknado" is more about concept than content. The IMDB synopsis doesn't even list anything about characters it reads like this: "When a freak hurricane swamps Los Angeles, nature's deadliest killer rules sea, land, and air as thousands of sharks terrorize the waterlogged populace".

This sums of the film completely, there is something also going on about some friends from a bar and a husband and wife who are separated and their kids I think too. 

Mainly it's all about the silliest concept in the world being a fun B Movie ride. Some of my favorite slices of cheese from "Sharknado"?

1) Where the sky is dark and stormy and in the next shot is sunny and clear.

2) The actors get soaking wet and dirty and are picture perfect the next second.

3) Our intrepid gang of actors are driving, or doing battle with sharks in a flooded area that is mysteriously not flooded in the same area, when we get a second glance.

                                                           "Sharknado" Trailer

4) A natural disaster of epic proportions is happening in Los Angeles and most of the time our rag tag gang are the only ones on the road, and when there are other people seen escaping from LA, they seem to disappear when they are not needed for dramatic effect.

5) Oh and let's not forget the sharks, how could we they are hilariously phony, except for the occasional stock footage of actual sharks spliced in from time to time.

Need I go on? I thought not...if you love this type of movie, like I do, you will have a blast!

Kudos to the actors they all gave committed convincing performances. Ian Ziering makes a great hero, and I suspect will be getting more offers to play one (aside from "Sharknado 2") in the future.

Jaason Simmons & Ian Ziering Battle Jabber Jaws

My favorite goofy scene: Ian Ziering, Jaason Simmons fighting off what looks like a a rubber shark in Tara Reid's flooded living room, and when they walk out the front door the streets that are/were flooded when they walked in are unbelievably dry. Uh, you just walked out of a flooded living room - caused by flood waters rising from the street outside - LOL!

"Sharknado" gets a Fins Up from me!

Thanks to The Asylum and The Syfy Network for a great piece of B Movie Entertainment.

Note: Hey Guys I have a great idea for a flying pig movie, get in contact with me!

Jump the"Shark" at:

http://www.theasylum.cc/

http://www.syfy.com/

Checking In With: Filmmaker, Liz Adams

Director-Writer Liz Adams made a diabolical little horror short titled: “Side Effect.” It made a killing (pun intended) on the festival circuit picking up many awards. “Side Effect” was in fact the opening scene for her full length, equally diabolical feature script “Blood Level.”

Ms. Adams recently wrapped production on her first feature as a Director-Writer on “Air Collision” for The Asylum…Congratulations Liz!

MS: Hey Liz congrats on recently wrapping and being in post-production on your feature debut “Air Collision.”

LA: Well I am making it for The Asylum, are you familiar with them?

MS: Yes, a friend of mine just starred in a film for them called “Celebrity Sex Tape.”

LA: Oh yeah, I knew about that, that’s right. So you know all about them they make like, 12-15 movies a year. They are basically genre films, they do action, horror and of course sex comedies. Their biggest hit is “Mega Shark Vs. Giant Octopus.”

MS: That’s the one with Deborah Gibson and Lorenzo Llamas!

LA: Yeah, they are really great people! It’s a lot of fun working there.

MS: Sounds fun!

LA: It is, the initial cut ended up being 82 minutes, but it seems the SyFy Network is interested in it. They need a 90 minute cut, I was working on that this morning before your call, I am writing up another 10 to 12 pages for the Producers and it looks like we are doing some re-shoots too.

MS: Can you tell everyone the storyline?

Liz & "Air Collision" star, Jordan Ladd

LA: There is a solar flare that screws up some computers and Air Force One and a civilian plane get locked onto each other in a collision course.

MS: That sounds better than the actual “Air Force One” movie.

LA: (laughs) It’s pretty wacky, there’s a lot of crazy stuff going on. Plus there is a lot of stuff going on with air traffic control trying to save the day.

MS: Dish on an on set experience.

LA: Well air force one fires this missile at the civilian plane & the missile penetrates the hull, so we got this huge fan, we called it “Katrina” because it blows hurricane force winds (both laugh). We blew it at the extras, it was really good fun!

MS: The Asylum sounds like the new Roger Corman factory.

LA: Yes, and I think one of the partners may be a Roger Corman protogee’ actually. It’s definitely in that tradition.

MS: I love that you don’t take yourself seriously.

LA: Not at all, I do genre movies, they should be fun!

Liz & Crew with "Katrina"

MS: Totally, you directed the horror short “Side Effect” at AFI (American Film Institute).

LA: I was the first horror movie to come out of the DWW (Directing Workshop for Women)  program there. It’s a 34 year old program so it was an accomplishment.

MS: That is an accomplishment. So how’s your feature script for “Blood Level” coming along?

LA: Still working on it, I am working with a producer right now, she’s looking for money, and we are trying to get a cast attached. It’s a tricky process.

MS: Keep me posted on “Blood Level” now that I’ve got some horror cred with my role in “The Summer Of Massacre” I would love to play a faculty member in it.

LA: Oh, that would be so fun! It's out there, and I definitely have a lot of interest in it.

Have a "collision" with Liz at:  www.sideeffectthemovie.net

Check into The Asylum at: http://www.theasylum.cc/