Scream Team Releasing had a good year in 2018. Distrubition of a bunch of Indie horror films that could be lost in time or just hard to find. I wanted to buy a copy of the Sleeper, but Amazon had it listed for over 40 bucks and that is a big jump for a film I had never seen. Luckily, I got a message from Justin M. Seaman, director of the Barn. He told me, well I had to also keep it secret, but his company would be releasing the Sleeper on Blu Ray. This was wonderful, a decent price point and frankly a great release overall. That is possibly the best part of Scream Team Releasing. Not only are we getting to see these Indie films that are filmed at conventions and film fests, we are getting a bunch of features. We get to get a glimpse in the world of Indie film making. Justin and Scream Team have taken the next step and we can compare these releases to Scream Factory and Arrow Video. Reversible art work, tons of features and new docs. It really feels like a good time to, 1, be a horror fan and 2, be an Indie film maker.
Of course, you can find all of these titles on Screamteamreleasing.com
I would like to note before I start the list, even the bottom of the list, doesn’t mean it is a bad movie. Justin takes the time to look over all submissions and honestly is a little picky, that is a good thing. Scream Team wants to distro the best the Indie world has to offer. So, if it is number 9, doesn’t mean it is terrible.
So, on with the list.
9. Bong of the Living Dead
There was a lot of buzz at Days of the Dead Indy in 2018. I literally saw many people wearing Bong shirts and I was not surprised STR picked this one up. For me, it was a little allover the place, but none the less a fun movie with some crazy characters.
Synopsis:
“Its the story of five friends who share both a love of pot and a lifelong dream to see the zombie apocalypse become reality. But when the undead actually rise to gruesomely (and hilariously) eat the living, the group discovers it’s not all corpse-killing montages and mall raids … and that their relationships will be pushed to the limit if they’re going to survive.”
8. Volumes of Blood
Volumes of Blood is one of the first series we had the chance to review. This is the first film, with some fun segments and the stand-out segment, Encyclopedia Satanica, directed by Nathan Thomas Milliner.
Synopsis:
“Four college friends meet on Halloween night to create their own terrifying urban legend. Before the night is over the terror may become all too real.
7. The Dark Military
Directed by friend of the Horror Syndicate, Loren Lepre. The Dark Military is rough, hard core and gritty.
Synopsis:
Halloween gets an modern technological upgrade. As a group calling themselves THE DARK MILITARY lure unsuspecting young people into a game of life or death! The world watches on helplessly as the hunt is telecast over the internet while police and the FBI clash in their race against time! As dozens of prey are massacred those left standing fight for their lives to survive the deadly game!
6. Dude Bro Party Massacre
One of the most off the wall movies, actually…the most off the wall movie in the STR library. Lots of fun, that just keeps giving.
Synopsis:
A satirical twist on the gory and sexually charged 1980’s slasher genre, Dude Bro Party Massacre III is presented as the only surviving VHS copy of the reviled horror franchise’s third, and final, installment.
In the wake of two back-to-back mass murders on Chico’s frat row, loner Brent Chirino must infiltrate the ranks of a popular fraternity to investigate his twin brother’s murder at the hands of the serial killer known as Motherface.
As they are picked off one by one, Brent and his fellow Dude Bros must face the terrifying reality that their deadly foe, believed to have been killed (twice!), has returned from the grave (again!), and is hell-bent on the destruction of the Delta Bis.
5. 10/31
I am a sucker for a good Halloween themed anthology. 10/31 has a little bit of everything, for anyone.
Synopsis:
Join Malvolia: The Queen of Screams as she takes you on a journey through the chilling depths of her Halloween Monster Marathon. Featuring five indie directors with unique Halloween stories including a stay at a haunted bed & breakfast in “The Old Hag” (Justin M. Seaman of ‘The Barn’), a first date gone deadly in “Trespassers” (Zane Hershberger of ‘Cryptids’), a murderous roller rink party in “Killing the Dance” (John William Holt of ‘The Dooms Chapel Horror), a freak October winter storm sends tricksters and even Santa to your door in “The Halloween Blizzard of ‘91” (Brett DeJager of ‘Bonejangles’), and an escaped madman continues his seasonal killing spree in “The Samhain Slasher” (Rocky Gray’s directorial debut).
4. The Witching Season
The closest thing STR has to a television series. There are couple of segments that could stand on their own as features.
Synopsis:
“Reminiscent of television shows like ‘Tales from the Darkside’ and ‘Tales from the Crypt’, The Witching Season is a five episode spine-tingling anthology of horror and suspense packed into one disc that delivers original tales of terror that capture the spirit of the Halloween season.”
3. The Barn
Really, if you’re going to enter in to the world of Scream Team Releasing, this is where to begin. Justin wrote the Barn as a kid and the Sleeper influenced him to make the movie. It is also the very first release from STR. So if you’re starting your collection, start with the first.
Synopsis:
It’s Halloween 1989 and best friends Sam and Josh are just trying to enjoy their last “Devil’s Night” before graduating high school. Trouble soon arises when the two pals and a group of friends take a detour on their way to a rock concert, finding an old abandoned barn and awakening the evil inside. Now it’s up to Sam and Josh to find a way to protect their friends and defeat the creatures that lurk within The Barn… The film stars Mitchell Musolino, Will Stout, Lexi Dripps, Cortland Woodard, Nikki Darling, Nickolaus Joshua with Linnea Quigley (Night of the Demons and Return of the Living Dead) and Ari Lehman (the first Jason Voorhees from ‘Friday the 13th’). Featuring an original score by Rocky Gray the former member of Grammy award-winning goth/rock group ‘Evanescence’.
2. I’m Dreaming of a White Doomsday
Without being bias, the director is on our podcast panel. I’m Dreaming of a White Doomsday is a grim look at the end of the world, around the holidays. Not only that, it is probably the most theartical looking film in the bunch. Loaded with features, Mike Lombardo shows the horror collector in him with putting the blu ray together. Be prepared for this one, it is good.
Synopsis:
From Writer/Director Mike Lombardo (The Stall, Long Pig) and Executive Producer Brian Keene (award winning author of The Rising, Ghoul) comes what East Coast Horror Group called “The gut punch holiday film of the year.” White Doomsday is the story of Kelly Enck and her son Riley, weathering the end times in a bomb shelter amongst the ruin that was once the world. With Christmas eve approaching, and supplies and hope steadily declining, Kelly must make a horrifying decision that will cause her to find out just how far she would go for her child. Starring Hope Bikle, Damian Maffei (The Strangers: Prey at Night, Haunt), and introducing Reeve Blazi as Riley, I’m Dreaming of a White Doomsday is “a bleak, thoughtful, character driven piece with an ending that will have you staggering out of the theater.” -Jeff Strand (author of SICK HOUSE and PRESSURE)
1.The Sleeper
While I am a sucker for a good slasher, the Sleeper is a throwback to the early 80s slashers. Set in ’81 when the slasher sub-genre took off, it feels as if it came out along with films like, The Prowler, My Bloody Valentine, Final Exam and Friday the 13th part II. I think it can stand next to any of these.
Synopsis:
It’s 1981 and the girls of Alpha Gamma Theta sorority are having a party. Amy, sick of living in the dorms, invites her roommate Ava to attend the party with her in hopes that they’ll both become Thetas. As the girls arrive, so does an uninvited guest watching them in the shadows. Amy’s choice quickly becomes a nightmare as the Theta girls begin to disappear one by one. Announcing his victims, the killer calls the house whispering the next to die. The police hunt for the missing girls and the killer, but will they find him in time? Or will all the girls sleep for good?
Any of these movies are worthy of a good scare. But, the most important thing to remember is, support Indie horror. There is so many filmmakers trying to make their mark, purely for the passion of the genre. They need support as much as anyone else. Buying a copy of any of these shows your support. The library continues to grow and there is something for everyone.
Thanks for reading and head over to Poolpartymassacre.com to grab your “I Love Indie Horror” Hat, oh and the movie!
