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Exclusive: Outfest has launched its annual Outfest Screenwriting Lab and selected eight scripts that advance the visibility of Lgbtqia+ storytelling. This year’s fellows include Johnny Alvarez, Courtney & Hillary Andujar, Carlton Daniel Jr., Gary Jaffe, Raul Martin, Damon Royster, Cody Stickels & Kea Trevett, and Leandro Tadashi.

The Outfest Screenwriting Lab was established as a screenwriting contest in 1997 and has since become the cornerstone of Outfest’s education and mentoring program, Outfest Forward. Because this year’s Lab will take place virtually, it provided Outfest the ability to accept their largest cohort to date and extended the time frame of the Lab to five days. Fellows will meet with top industry showrunners, executives, and writers who will offer professional development and discuss trends within the industry.

The Lab roster of Lgbtqia+ industry leaders include showrunners Latoya Morgan, Derek Simonds (The Sinner), and M Dickson, alongside...

Rlje Films, a business unit of AMC Networks, has picked up select rights to Scare Package, from Shudder, AMC Networks’ streaming service for horror, thriller and the supernatural. Scare Package releases on VOD, Digital HD, DVD and Blu-ray on October 20, 2020. The horror comedy stars Jeremy King (The Pale Door), Noah Segan (Knives Out), Toni Trucks (“Seal Team”), Chase Williamson (The Guest), Baron Vaughn (“Grace and Frankie”) and Joe Bob Briggs (“The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs”). Rlje Films will release Scare Package on DVD for an Srp of $27.97 and on Blu-ray for an Srp of $28.96.

Now you can win the Win the DVD of Scare Package. We Are Movie Geeks has two DVDs to give away. Just leave a comment below telling us what your favorite horror anthology movie. (mine’s Tales From The Crypt. It’s so easy!)

1. You Must Be A US Resident. Prize Will Only Be Shipped To US Addresses.

Following its release on the streaming service Shudder this past summer, the horror comedy anthology Scare Package is coming to Blu-ray, DVD, VOD, and Digital HD on October 20th via Rlje Films.

We have the official press release with full details below, and visit our online hub to catch up on all of our Scare Package coverage.

Press Release: Los Angeles – Rlje Films, a business unit of AMC Networks, has picked up select rights to Scare Package, from Shudder, AMC Networks’ streaming service for horror, thriller and the supernatural. Scare Package releases on VOD, Digital HD, DVD and Blu-ray on October 20, 2020. The horror comedy stars Jeremy King (The Pale Door), Noah Segan (Knives Out), Toni Trucks (“Seal Team”), Chase Williamson (The Guest), Baron Vaughn (“Grace and Frankie”) and Joe Bob Briggs (“The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs”). Rlje Films will release Scare Package on DVD for an Srp of...

In a project led by series producer and editor Ben Fee, 19 filmmakers have turned the old Surrealist “exquisite corpse” creation method into a “collaborative filmmaking game,” Exquisite Shorts, that you can watch above. Previously used throughout the 20th century to create poetry and artwork, the method lends itself beautifully to collaborative filmmaking, particularly when the creators are as inventive as the ones in this group. In the 12-minute piece they mix short visual […]...

In a project led by series producer and editor Ben Fee, 19 filmmakers have turned the old Surrealist “exquisite corpse” creation method into a “collaborative filmmaking game,” Exquisite Shorts, that you can watch above. Previously used throughout the 20th century to create poetry and artwork, the method lends itself beautifully to collaborative filmmaking, particularly when the creators are as inventive as the ones in this group. In the 12-minute piece they mix short visual […]...

One of my favorite horror anthologies to come out in some time is Scare Package, which was conceived by Aaron B. Koontz and Cameron Burns and features an array of filmmaking talent, including Emily Hagins, Chris McInroy, Noah Segan, Baron Vaughn, Anthony Cousins, and Courtney and Hillary Andujar. The film hits Shudder exclusively today, and to mark the occasion, Daily Dead recently spoke with Koontz about the project, and how it was a labor of love created between him and a group of friends.

Koontz also discussed why it was important to him that Scare Package became a showcase for those who had been cutting their teeth in the world of short films, celebrating what fans love about the horror genre, and how Aew wrestler Dustin Rhodes got involved with Scare Package to pull off a very special role in the film.

Congrats to you and everyone involved on Scare Package,...

Tagline: "7 Directors. 7 Tales of Terror. 0 Working Cell Phones." Scare Package is a horror anthology. From the minds of seven different directors, this release is slated for a showing on Shudder, this Summer. Covering several ghoulish tales, the director's consist of: Courtney Andujar (Body at Brighton Rock), Hillary Andujar, Anthony Cousins, Emily Hagins, Aaron B. Koontz, Chris McInroy, Noah Segan and Baron Vaughn. This huge crew of filmmakers is responsible for the terror that cometh this June. The segments have been titled: "Girls' Night Out of Body," "The Night He Came Back Again! Part IV: The Final Kill," "Cold Open," "Rad Chad's Horror Emporium, Horror Hypothesis," "One Time in the Woods," "M.I.S.T.E.R.," and "So Much to Do" A couple of the writers may have gone overboard on the titles. However, Scare Package is a modern look at a few classic tales. One of the filmmakers, Koontz,...

Horror tropes are celebrated and subverted in Scare Package, the new horror anthology created by Aaron B. Koontz and Cameron Burns of Paper Street Pictures. Following its well-received run on the festival circuit (which was cut short due to the Covid-19 pandemic), Scare Package has been acquired by Shudder and will be released on the streaming service in U.S., Canada, and UK beginning June 18th.

Press Release: May 13, 2020 — Shudder, AMC Networks’ premium streaming service for horror, thriller and the supernatural, announced today that it has acquired all rights in its territories to horror comedy Scare Package, from creators Aaron B. Koontz and Cameron Burns. The anthology film, which delighted audiences at numerous festivals including the Sitges Film Festival in Spain, features seven gleefully ghoulish tales from a range of horror subgenres. Scare Package will premiere on Shudder in the U.S., Canada and the UK on June 18.

“We are...

Home improvements may be the death of you in “Girl on the Third Floor,” a likable supernatural thriller with Phil Brooks aka former WWE wrestler C.M. Punk as an expectant first-time father whose haunted fixer-upper serves up temptations he thought he’d left behind. This first directorial feature by prolific indie producer Travis Stevens tips its cap to a number of bigger, sometimes better horror opuses, resourcefully if not quite memorably reducing their tropes to a smaller scale (and budget). Yet if the story isn’t ultimately a knockout, the film’s atmospherics and sense of humor are winning nonetheless. “Girl” should do well at genre fests as well as in streaming.

Unemployed and lucky to be un-incarcerated in the wake of a deal with the Feds (we don’t find out the precise nature of his crime until late in the film), Brooks’ Don Koch is trying to bury...

Back in September, the first wave of programming for the Telluride Horror Show was revealed, including a 30th anniversary screening of Killer Klowns from Outer Space, and if you're still wondering whether or not to purchase tickets and point your car hood in the direction of the Rocky Mountains later this month, the festival's second wave of films should help persuade you, as screenings of Heretiks, Terrified, The Boat, Tigers Are Not Afraid, and many more movies have been announced:

Press Release: Telluride, Co - October 3, 2018: The second wave of films has been announced for Telluride Horror Show 2018.

Second wave highlights include Tigers Are Not Afraid, Terrified, and The Boat, as well as the short film Mad God (Part 3) from legendary filmmaker and visual effects producer Phil Tippett.

Creepy Campfire Tales, the Ice Scream Social and Annual Pig Roast are among events making their return to this year's festival.

There are countless programs that support emerging filmmakers in their development and now up-and-coming horror directors have one of their own. Shudder, a streaming service backed by AMC Networks that specializes in horror content, has just announced the first 11 participants of their inaugural Shudder Labs. Selected from a pool of over 300 applicants, directors are taking part in a week long workshop designed to develop, add and hone their skills as they get ready to take the next step in their careers working in the genre.

“Like a vampire, I feed off of the enthusiasm of young talent; it is invigorating to encounter new voices in the horror genre and to find out what motivates young minds to explore the art of the macabre,” said director and Master-in-Residence Larry Fessenden.

Throughout the course of the program, the fellows will be able to learn from and work with a team of Masters-in-Residence, headed by Shudder curator Sam Zimmerman, Fessenden, writer Clay McLeod Chapman and AMC Networks CEO Josh Sapan. The program’s benefits, however, aren’t contained to the program alone. After the filmmakers have left the lab, they will each receive $5000 in grants and be mentored by a Master-in-Residence for an additional year.

Shudder Labs is currently running from June 13th to June 18th at Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz, New York.

The filmmakers, and their projects, of the first ever Shudder Labs are:

“As the Dust Settles,” Mike Olenick

An asteroid carrying the seeds of alien life crashes down in the neighborhood where a young couple is buying a house from a dishonest realtor. When the couple settles into their new home, they unpack a secret that will change the lives of everyone in the neighborhood: the truth about what happened to the home’s previous owner.”Mike Olenick focuses on forbidden desire, reproduction, transformation, and outer space in his projects. Mike’s films have streamed on Mubi, aired on Dutch television, and won awards at the Slamdance Film Festival, Chicago Underground Film Festival, and the Ann Arbor Film Festival. He studied photography at the Cranbrook Academy of Art and has edited films and videos with Guy Maddin, the Quay Brothers, Kelly Reichardt, Sadie Benning, and Jennifer Reeder.”“Beyond the Darkness,” Shane Wheeler

A modern sorcerer must save his friends from a dark dimension, but to succeed he must overcome his own suicidal depression.

“Trained as a biologist, Shane Wheeler wrote his first screenplay while working on a fishing boat in the Bering Sea. Since then, he’s written, directed, and produced a number of award-winning shorts, as well as features Captive of a Death Mask (2012) & Stabbing with Frank (2016). Wheeler is a filmmaker raised in Brownstown, Michigan.”

“Black Bats,” Rick Spears

Feeling cast out from society, two teens begin a relationship under the belief that they’re transforming into monsters. What begins as a fantasy ends with horrific consequences as they both lose touch with reality.

“Rick Spears is mostly known for his comic book writing, having published eleven graphic novels and numerous comics including Teenager from Mars and Dead West. Rick has also written and directed a handful of award-winning short films. Black Bats will be his first feature.”

“In the Night,” Joshua Erkman

A 24-year-old running from his past starts a new job picking up the dead for a mortuary and begins to suspect powerful sinister forces are closing in on him.

“Joshua Erkman is a Los Angeles based filmmaker, a USC graduate, and drummer for La punk band Lamps.”

“Lovespell,” Courtney and Hillary Andujar

A teenage girl in Hawaii casts a dark spell that unlocks something sinister within herself.

“Courtney and Hillary Andujar are identical twins who grew up at punk shows and in diners in Texas. Courtney is a writer and designer who has collaborated with artists and activists such as Yoko Ono, Paul Chan, and Julian Assange. Hillary is an art director who has worked internationally with Tim Burton, David Lynch, and The Wachowskis.”

“Polybius,” Hunter Stephenson

It’s the summer of 1984 in Fayetteville, North Carolina. The only thing booming louder than the arcades is the aircraft over Fort Bragg. A hip babysitter named Tiffany is determined to show the brothers Carmack the parent-free weekend of their lives. But her reality is bleeped when the younger brother, a vidiot ‘sperger named Palmer, is snatched after encountering a pylon-like arcade cabinet. Joined by a skeleton crüe, it’s up to Tiffany to kick ass, chew bubblegum and fore’s destroy this trippy gamer-gateway to hell.

“Hunter Stephenson is a Scottish punk. He is also a writer/producer based east of the Rockies. His recent Noisey doc-series Hot Sugar’s Cold World received the Honorable Mention at Hot Docs 2015, and was executive produced by David Gordon Green, Jody Hill, and Danny McBride.”

“The Eyes,” Will Forbes

In 1970’s Upstate New York, there is a local legend of The Eyes, a spirit in the woods of the Catskill Mountains that consumes the souls of the lost and weary. When the favorite uncle of three local kids dies suddenly and under mysterious circumstances at the edge of those woods, the kids set out on a mission to discover the horrifying truth.

“Will Forbes has been composing and producing music for visual media for nearly a decade, until he realized the best way to achieve his goal of scoring horror films was to start making them himself. Originally from Upstate New York, he currently lives in Inglewood, CA with a cat and a tortoise.”

“The Sound of Darkness,” Melody Cooper

A blind musician and a deaf sculptor are haunted by a woman only they can see and hear, who leads them to take on an epic battle against terrifying legacy of racial violence and evil.

“Melody Cooper is a screenwriter, director and producer of Horror and Afrofuturism, and Winner of the 2016 Women in Cinema International Screenplay Competition with her horror feature Monstrous, which also won Third Place at Slamdance. She is directing the supernatural thriller The Sound Of Darkness this summer.”

“Un-Seen,” Lucy Cruell

Some things once seen, cannot be unseen.

“Lucy Cruell is a graduate with honors from Duke University and Harvard Law School. Lucy has also been a published short story author, film critic for multiple publications, and entrepreneur. Her screenplays and pilots have won over three dozen awards and festivals including Shriekfest. She is now a full time writer, director, and starving artist.”

“What Happens Next Will Scare You,” Chris Lamartina

On the verge of losing their jobs, a group of click-bait journalists struggle to compile their scariest viral videos for a Halloween listicle, but when a cursed entry brings malevolent forces into their reality, our social media junkies must figure out they’re sharing harmful content before they become victims of their own monsters. “Chris Lamartina is a Baltimore filmmaker and has been delivering high concepts on low budgets, blending horror and comedy with such films as “Call Girl of Cthulhu” and “Wnuf Halloween Special” since 2007. With a curious knack for finding humor in the weird, Lamartina’s films have been critically acclaimed-playing film festivals across the globe, and garnering coverage by NPR, the New York Times, and MTV.” Related stories'31' Trailer: Rob Zombie Returns With Carnies Who Have Twelve Hours To Survive10 Horror Filmmakers Overdue to Make New FeaturesThe 20 Best Horror Films of the Last 20 Years...