Last February we interviewed producer/actor Jeff Kirkendall about his movie Return to Splatter Farm, an independent horror movie that he made with his long time collaborator Mark Polonia at Polonia Brothers Entertainment. Known as PBE for short, the production company has impressively produced & released dozens of movies, including last year’s viral hit Amityville in Space. We asked Jeff to recommend five movies from Polonia Brothers Entertainment that every indie film fan should check out.
Here are his recommendations (from oldest to newest, with watch links & more details):
Hallucinations (1986) Director: Todd Michael Smith, Mark Polonia, John Polonia Starring: Todd Michael Smith, Mark Polonia, John Polonia Description: When three brothers are home alone one day they encounter a series of violent hallucinations and nightmares with seemingly no escape. (Source: Tubi) Click here to watch on Tubi TV
Feeders (1996) Directors: Jon McBride & John Polonia Starring: Todd Carpenter, Jon McBride, John Polonia, Melissa Torpy Description: A town that’s been taken on as a feeding ground and outpost of death by human-eating aliens gets discovered by two buddies on a road trip. (Source: Tubi) Click here to watch on Tubi TV
HalloweeNight (2009) Director: Mark Polonia Starring: Todd Carpenter, Cindy Wheeler, Danielle Donahue Description: A bullied student exacts his revenge on those who wronged him during a college party on Halloween Night. (Source: Amazon) Available to Rent on Amazon
Jurassic Prey (2015) Director: Mark Polonia Starring: Steve Diasparra, Danielle Donahue, Ken Van Sant, Jeff Kirkendall Description: After a botched bank robbery, a group of thieves and the ensuing police must band together to fight an unearthed T-Rex at a remote lake cabin. (Source: Tubi) Click here to watch on Tubi TV
House Squatch (2022) Director: Anthony Polonia, Mark Polonia Starring: Ken Van Sant, Jeff Kirkendall, Tim Hatch, Titus Himmelberger, Yolie Canales Description: The small town of Shadyville finds itself plagued by a hairy creature and pressures its local sheriff to deal with this sasquatch. (Source: Tubi) Click here to watch on Tubi TV
Are you a fan of Polonia Brothers Entertainment? What are your favorite PBE movies?
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.
Fathom podcast is back with their third season! The podcast is an anthology of short audio dramas that is a cross between The Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Official podcast description: “An anthology series of short adventures that explore the fantastical, the mundane and everything in between. Humans are complicated creatures. In these episodes we explore what makes them tick. Morality tales that become something else. Supernatural thrillers that are more realistic than they first appear. This is a strange time in a strange world. What can you fathom?“
The series is back with a new episode titled “Honesty is the Best Policy”, written and directed by our very own Ritchie Filippi, edited by Adrian Carey, and featuring the voice talents of Kirk Gostkowski, Adam Hamway, Kelly Fitzpatrick, and Aimee Keates.
“Honesty is the Best Policy” Episode Description: A brutal ode to a 90s slasher film, this Fathom tale concerns “Stu Who Knew,” a conflicted husband looking for advice. And maybe a bit more…
The next film from independent producer/director Kipp Tribble (Producer of The Stay, Director of Char Man) has been announced! Evil At The Door will premiere on the all new Terror Films AVOD channel on January 21, 2022 and will expand wide on January 28, 2022. The independent horror film was also produced by Tribble along with Patrick Rivera, and Kenny Yates, with Richard Siegelman as Executive Producer.
Official Description: Evil At The Door centers around a secret guild that has operated for nearly a century, known as The Locusts. Once a year this guild treats its members to a night of curated home invasions (aka, “runs”), known underground as “The Night of The Locusts”. With 180 minutes to do as they please with the occupants of the selected home, four masked men enter the home of Daniel and Jessica and begin to engage in sick, twisted games with them.
Unbeknownst to the intruders, Liz, Jessica’s younger sister, is hiding under the bed. While the run time winds down, Liz plots her escape as The Locusts realize there is a traitor in their group. But will the division amongst the intruders be enough distraction for Liz to survive before The Locusts’ clock runs out? (Source: Kipp Tribble)
The horror flick stars Bruce Davison, Andrea Sweeney Blanco, Robert Allen Mukes, and Sunny Doench, along with Tribble, Yates, and Siegelman. Here are some preview images for Evil At The Door:
You can watch the trailer for Evil At The Doorhere. After the film is released, we will follow up and spotlight it and all of the ways to watch!
The independent horror movie The Eve has released five scenes on YouTube to celebrate 10 years since the movie’s initial production shoot.
Official Description: Four friends head off for a private New Year’s celebration on the deserted tourist island of Martha’s Vineyard during the cold winter off-season. As an unseen evil toys with the couples and leaves them fighting to get off the island alive, will they survive to sunrise? (Source: Website)
The new scenes can be found on the movies YouTube page, they are titled:
“Check The Rooms”
“A Toast”
“Wash Away Our Sins”
“The Balcony Escape”
“Did We Lock The Door?”
The Eve is available to watch for free on Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, and Vudu. The horror movie stars Evan Bass, Al Thompson, María DiDomenico, and Miranda Noelle Wilson.
There are so many horror flicks available on Tubi TV that it can be overwhelming. We’re going to take a look at 3 of the indie horror flicks that are available to watch right now from your computer or living room!
Pungo – A Witch’s Tale Director: Philip J. Cook Starring: Mark Hyde, Matthew Sharpe, Cathryn Benson, Conor Marsh, Morgan Flanagan. Description: A burned-out ex-Navy SEAL and an emotionally damaged firefighter work together as handymen in rural Virginia. Things turn surreal when a renovation job becomes a journey to another world to rescue their client from a witch bent on revenge. (Source: Philip J Cook) Click here to watch on Tubi TV
The Killing Death Director: Ian Russell Starring: Jeremy Dangerfield, Tyhr Trubiak, Neil Reimer, Stephen Washen, Veronica Ternopolski, Darren Felbel, Caley Gibson, David Annandale, Jay Van Deventer, Christine Leong. Description: Chicago Phil travels through his past relations butchering them in horrific ways. Frank, a veteran cop leads Jimmy through his first case trying to piece together the seemingly unrelated crimes. The two paths converge in hilarious fashion through inept bungling on both sides. (Source: Zellco Entertainment) Click here to watch on Tubi TV
They Live Inside Us Director: Michael Ballif Starring: James Morris, Hailey Nebeker, Stevie Dutson, Emily Broschinsky, Jack Beck, Thomas Morris, Shelby Thomas, Emily Ashby, Jake Watters Description: Follows the story of Jake, a man consumed with writer’s block after the recent loss of his wife. In hope of finding inspiration for his next project, he takes his daughter Dani to spend Halloween night in the notoriously haunted Booth House- a legendary place, shrouded in mystery, which has laid vacant for years. Jake soon discovers there is something sinister lurking inside, and that he is now being consumed by his own horror story. (Source: Gravitas Ventures) Click here to watch on Tubi TV
What horror movies have you been watching on Tubi TV?Share your recommendations/links in the comments and with us on Twitter!
Things have been super busy as we enter “spooky season”, but for the next couple months, we are going to try to spotlight at least one indie film every week that you can Watch Online for Free! Today we are taking a look at a horror/sci-fi/comedy.
Mandao Returns is from director/writer Scott Dunn and stars Jenny Lorenzo, Jim O’Doherty, Sean Liang, Alexandre Chen, Gina Gomez Dunn, and Alexandre Chen.
Official Description: Jay Mandao astral projects back in time to save the life of a B-movie star. However, as Jay and his friends mess with time, they fall down a rabbit hole of conspiracies, murder, and an insidious Hollywood cult. (Source: Scott Dunn)
Mandao Returns is available to watch online at no cost on Tubi TV, and you can check out the trailer for the independent film here.
Let us know what indie horror flicks we should spotlight in the comments or message us on Twitter!
