Archive for Author ThePit

We recently connected with genre actor/producer Jeff Kirkendall on Twitter and were lucky to be able to chat with him about Return to Splatter Farm, an indie horror flick that he wrote and co-directed.

Who?
Return to Splatter Farm is a sequel to the 1987 movie Splatter Farm. That original film was produced by brothers John and Mark Polonia, along with their friend Todd Smith. I wrote the first draft of Return to Splatter Farm, and Mark Polonia added additional material which was included in the final shooting script. The two of us co-directed, while Mark handled the bulk of the camera work, as well as the editing chores. Prior to this production, I had appeared in numerous feature films Mark had directed for his company Polonia Brothers Entertainment (PBE).

The Return to Splatter Farm main cast was made up of many PBE regulars, including Danielle Donahue, Marie DeLorenzo, Nico Bryant, Tim Hatch, James Kelly, James Carolus, Ken Van Sant, Jennie Russo, Jamie Morgan, Drew Patrick, and popular model/scream queen Mel Heflin. I starred as (an older version of) the character Jeremy, who was the killer in the original 1987 film. The DVD and streaming distribution was handled by Wild Eye Releasing, a company that has released many past PBE movies.

What?
The original 1987 film was about twin brothers who spend a summer with their eccentric aunt on a rural Pennsylvania farm, unaware that her handyman Jeremy is a serial killer who stores the body parts of his victims in the barn. In Return to Splatter Farm a distant relative named Bobbi inherits the farm and travels there with some friends to determine what to do with the place. On the way they stop at a general store where some locals discourage them from visiting the place, calling it the “Death Farm”, referring to the unsolved murders which occurred there over 30 years ago. But the group doesn’t heed the warnings and continue on their way. Little do they know that a now grown-up Jeremy still resides at the old farmhouse, and that he has dispatched countless unlucky folks over the years. And keeping with his murderous tendencies, he now hunts down Bobbi and her friends one by one. Can the local sheriff save them? And will anyone survive?

Where?
As mentioned, the story takes place at a rural Pennsylvania farmhouse. Our goal was to find a place that resembled the location used in the original film as closely as possible. And fortunately, Mark was able to locate such a farm not too far from where he lives in Wellsboro, PA. The outside of the building was very similar looking to the one in the original movie, and also the owner hadn’t lived there in awhile, which suited our needs perfectly. And we had many other buildings (barns, storage sheds, etc.) and open fields to work with as well. For all but one afternoon (when we filmed the store scene) the cast and crew were at that farm location.

When?
Return to Splatter Farm takes place approximately 33 years after the events of the first movie. We filmed the sequel over a week during Summer 2019, and it was released in the United States on DVD and various pay streaming platforms in November 2020. Following this, it went on to play on the free streaming channel Tubi. There is even a VHS version available for collectors of that format.

Why?
I had previously directed several of my own short films and features, and as mentioned acted in many PBE movies. Mark Polonia and I were on a break during the filming of his feature Amityville Exorcism, and I asked him if he would ever consider producing a sequel to Splatter Farm. He said he would and shared some ideas. It turned out his ideas were similar to my own, so when I returned home from Pennsylvania I began working on a script. I surprised him with the finished draft a few months later and he really liked it. And a couple of years later we went into production together on it.

I was motivated to write Return to Splatter Farm because of my admiration for the first film. It has become an indie horror cult classic over the years, and I thought it was amazing that three teenagers with minimal resources could not only produce a feature back in the 1980’s, but also get it distributed nationally on VHS as well. Splatter Farm is a quintessential home-made, shot-on-video (SOV) example of what can be done with sheer determination and lots of imagination. And as for story, it is a compelling tale mixed with potent shock value that keeps one watching from beginning to end.

I wanted this sequel to be an entertaining standalone slasher movie, as well as a plausible continuation of the story. This was achieved by bringing a fun group of characters to the old farmhouse for a legitimate reason, where Jeremy is alive and well. For viewers new to the franchise it will be something of a mystery who the killer is, whereas fans will know his identity and have an idea what he’s up to. And speaking of kill scenes, I intentionally wrote each one to be as unique and different as I could in order to make the movie fresh and memorable. My personal favorite moments include one where Jeremy makes use of a flare gun, and a scene involving an 80’s boombox. And I would also mention there are several nods to famous 1980’s slasher films sprinkled throughout the movie. This was done because I’m a big fan of the genre and the films of that decade in particular, and I’m hoping other fans will enjoy these moments as well.

How?
Our film Return to Splatter Farm can be seen on the streaming platforms Tubi TV, Amazon Prime, Vimeo and Google Play, among other places. It is also available on DVD and VHS from various major retailers.

Watch Online for free:

Purchase/Rent Online:

Purchase Physical Media:

Montes-Vamvas Productions shared with us the trailer for their debut independent feature film, Scarpedicemente.
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Scarpedicemente is a dark comedy directed by Victoria Sanchez and John Vamvas about a “delusional gangster, Luigi, celebrating his one year wedding anniversary with his ditzy wife, Holly.” The movie stars Olga Montes and John Vamvas, a husband and wife team that also wrote the screenplay for the movie.

You can find out more about Scarpedicemente at its official website, no release date has been announced yet for the independent movie.

Posted on February 18th, 2022 by ThePit | Leave a Comment (2)
Filed Under Entertainment

What is Quántóu Rising about? 
Quántóu Rising is the sequel in my dystopian trilogy. The SEPA Project follows five characters from different walks of life as they try to unravel the secrets of their utopian society. New technology allows for those in power to steal memories, so it becomes a race to remember the truth. The novel looks at xenophobia, freewill, family bonds, and greed. Quántóu Rising digs deeper into the world as the characters spread out and try to fight against the wrongs committed in the first book. No spoilers! It shifts the focus to propaganda, colonization, sisterhood, and a touch of queer romance.

What inspired this story?
The characters and world came from one of my many dystopian dreams. As I was writing the first few chapters, the US was dealing with the horrors of the Build the Wall campaign, the “alternative facts” shift, and the Me Too movement. The world was weighing heavily on me, and those struggles made their way into my story. I’ve continued to be inspired by the dystopian reality around us as I write the rest of the series. 

Tell us a little about you, who is J Moody?
I work with teens all day, talking about books, poetry, and justice. It’s a good time! I facillitate a Queer Straight Alliance and an Equity Club as well. When I’m not working or writing, I’m generally reading, doing a little pyrography and painting, or adventuring out in nature. I won’t say no to a cup of coffee or a Bessie Smith album. 

How can we read Quántóu Rising?
Here’s the link to the series. You don’t want to read the sequel first! You can also check out my Moody Reads Book Reviews!

Purchase Links:

Other Links:

Posted on February 17th, 2022 by ThePit | Leave a Comment (4)
Filed Under Entertainment, Featured

YouTube has increasingly become an awesome go to spot to watch independent films for free (AVOD, so the filmmakers get paid!). There are a lot of different channels to choose from that offer a variety of content. One channel is from Indie Rights movies, a film distributor and production company that has a vast library of films of all genres. Today we are going to focus on three indie dramas that they have on YouTube to watch tonight!

First Love
Director: Michael Masarof
Starring: Annie Heise, Aaron Costa Ganis, Arye Gross, Adam Huber, Mia Barron, Amin El Gamal and Malin Barr.
Description: When a notorious Hollywood actress suffers a nervous breakdown and hides in a seaside hotel, her slacker twin brother must make a choice: save his troubled sister from herself, or sell his explosive tell-all book and sacrifice their twin bond for good. (Source: YouTube Page)
Click here to watch on YouTube

Four Walls
Director: Darcy Touhey
Starring: Maddie Phillips, Debs Howard, Reece Thompson, Ryan Beil, Glynis Davies, Brenda Matthews, Caitlin Howden, Doralynn Mui, and Naika Toussaint.
Description: A glimpse into various people’s ever-changing relationships over the course of a day. (Source: YouTube)
Click here to watch on YouTube

3:13
Director: David Jaure Rosenbaum
Starring: Paul Alexandro, Marina Vidal, Julio Lourido, Giselle Torres, Bob Cady, Sheryl Carbonell, and Tatum Freeman.
Description: From living a normal life to surviving homelessness in the city of Miami, Peter is a victim of the turbulent US recession during late 2000’s. (Source: YouTube)
Click here to watch on YouTube

We would love to hear what you are watching online! Leave a comment on this post or send us a DM on Twitter @MyHWoodDream!

In part 1 we started putting together our new DCEU Justice League team. We included in the mix The Flash (Ezra Miller), Supergirl (Sasha Calle), Green Lantern John Stewart (John Boyega), and Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell). In part 2 we’re going to round out our eight member Justice League team. I got an assist on this from our contributor and friend Kris Greet.

Hawkman (Aldis Hodge)

Aldis Hodge was cast as Hawkman in the upcoming Dwayne Johnson led Black Adam movie and talk about fantastic casting! I seriously can not wait to see him and the rest of the JSA fight (or team up?) with Black Adam. I hope that Hawkman survives the movie, and if he does he’d be a perfect fit for the new Justice League.

John Constantine (Matt Ryan)

While talking about being perfectly cast I need to mention Matt Ryan as John Constantine. He looks and sounds exactly how I always expected John Constantine would. He is ripped directly from the page. He was great in his own short lived show, and I was glad to see him return for the the CW and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. With the character gone from the series, he should be the magical anchor for the Justice League (or the go between for the League and for the Justice League Dark!). He can be the version we already met, or he could be an all new version of the character (thank you multiverse!). Just like JK Simmons as J Jonah Jameson in the Spider-Man movies, if you have the perfect person in the role, just keep using them!

The Atom Ryan Choi (Zheng Kai)

Okay, so this pick might cause a little controversy. Zheng Kai was cast and filmed scenes as Ryan Choi (pre becoming The Atom) for the 2017 Justice League, but was cut from the final movie. Then in ZSJL cut, his scenes were restored. I love the character of the Atom. Brandon Routh made a great Ray Palmer Atom (in DC’s Legends of Tomorrow), and Kai has the potential to excel as Ryan Choi. With the multiverse, it does not matter what cut he appeared or didn’t appear in. I think we can use this casting and look forward instead of looking back.

Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot)

I can not imagine a Justice League team without at least one of the big three. Gadot is returning for Wonder Woman 3, so why not also another JL movie? She is perfect in the role and would be the proper choice to lead the new team into battle.

Presenting our new imagined Justice League Unlimited:

In part 3 we will talk about potential villains for our new Justice League to face off against. What do you think about our overall team?

Happy to be back with a new Indie Flick that you can Watch Online for Free! Today we have a movie that its director calls “Clerks meets Dazed and Confused” and that is enough to automatically peak my interest.

Northwood Pie is a coming of age stoner “rom-com”. Here is some more information on the movie and then how to watch…

Official Description: Community college burn out in the making, Crispin, lands his first job at the local, rundown Northwood Pizza. And through his experiences with friends, coworkers, and a kindling relationship, Crispin learns to embrace his higher ambitions. (Source: IMDB)

The movie was directed by Jay Salahi, and stars Todd Knack, Annika Foster, Paul LeSchofs, Kristina Cohen, Mendel Fogelman, Aj Hamilton, Amir Malaklou, and Destiny Mounce. You can watch Northwood Pie for free on Tubi TV and IMDbTV. Check out the trailer here.

For the past year or so there have been rumors that the upcoming DCEU movie The Flash was going to reboot the movie universe (or multiverse) for future DC Comics movies. This seemed even more likely after both Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton were cast as Batman (both reprising their past takes on the character). Now the rumors have fired up again, and this time with the added unconfirmed (no spoilers here) rumor that the rebooted universe may get its own Justice League.

Lets take a moment to look at who could be in this… Justice League Unlimited.

The Flash (Ezra Miller)

If The Flash will reshape the universe, they are putting a lot on Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen/Flash and he will need to be the glue to keep the new Justice League together. I can not imagine them moving forward in that way without him being a part of the new team.

Supergirl (Sasha Calle)

We have only seen her briefly in the trailer for The Flash, but can tell that she will be a key part of the movie (and future movies?). We have an excellent Superman on TV with Superman & Lois, so maybe having a different member of the Superman family as part of the DCEU’s Justice League makes sense. And there is where Sasha Calle’s version of Supergirl comes into play. From the suit design we can already tell that she is a version of the character we have not seen in live-action (a very different version than the Arrow-verse one). Someone on the team needs to have the “S”, so why not Supergirl?

Green Lantern John Stewart (John Boyega)

No, before you start any rumors, John Boyega has not been cast as John Stewart for the upcoming HBO Max series Green Lanterns Corps! But they should! We are now getting into the area of fan casting. Boyega is a fantastic actor and has the perfect balance of toughness and smarts that makes up John Stewart. I know that somewhere in the DC multiverse is Ryan Reynolds’ Hal Jordan waiting to light up his CGI suit, but if there is a Green Lantern as part of this new DCEU, I really hope that John Stewart is a part of it.

Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell)

There is no reason for the new DCEU not to pick and choose characters from past DC movies that deserve to be seen again. Jurnee Smollett-Bell’s Black Canary was a new take on a classic character that worked really well in the Birds of Prey movie and she’d be a welcome addition to a new Justice League. Like the Avengers, you need to balance the team with not only god-like powerful characters, but grounded heroes as well. With Smollett-Bell reprising the role in an upcoming HBO Max movie, it would make sense for her to crossover into the wider new DCEU.

In part 2 of “Who Should Be in a DCEU JLUnlimited?” we will explore more fan casting of characters we haven’t seen yet along with a few familiar faces (maybe even a TV character that should make the jump). Who do you want to see in a new Justice League?