Enjoyed a fantastic time at the Dark Mills Festival on Saturday, my thanks to the organisers and the many wonderful filmmakers, performers and creatures of the night I had the pleasure of meeting there.

Saw some great bands including a hilarious, irreverent set from Joe Black. Was fun to get a band’s eye view of the crowd, and if you look carefully, you just might spot crazed serial killer Jason Voorhees. He was no doubt waiting for some horny teens to start making out in the portaloos so he could get busy with his machete…

The movie tent had a few technical difficulties (bright sunlight being a particular problem early on) but these were soon worked out and the short film line-up ran on into the night, including the UK Premiere (indeed, the European Premiere!) of Simone, and screenings of On Edge and Red Lines. Great to see them in pride of place among stilt-walking goth chicks and fire-eating acrobats.

A real treat was seeing the exhibition in the crypt (sadly hidden away beneath a sprawling retail park – local councillors, sort some funding out for this historical site already!) including fanboy-shiver-inducing Excalibur armour by Terry English and gorgeous artworks by Chris Achilleos, Graham Humphreys and Bonnie Baker.

The night was topped off by a surprise appearance, and impromptu gig at Electric Dreams, by ADAM ANT. I’ve been an avid Ant fan since the ripe old age of 10, and it was lovely to meet him at long last. His brief set included a fabulous rendition of Car Trouble – and a cool bubblegum popping percussion technique.

So you could say he’s still very much a ‘pop’ star.

I know, I know. I’ll get my coat…

My first ever post on this here blog was to announce horror/thriller feature project PANIC BUTTON – about a group of young social networkers who win the trip of a lifetime aboard a private jet. I was hired to write the screenplay by the producers at Movie Mogul Films, and since then the project has gained momentum with support from Film Agency Wales and a healthy internet buzz/Facebook following (ironic, given the film’s message about the dangers of social networking!) Well, news just in from the Mogul camp that the cast for movie is confirmed! And you can check out the faces and names at the official Panic Button website. Really looking forward to see how they bring their characters to life. To follow the progress of the movie, check out the Panic Button Facebook Group. And remember to keep your seatbelts loosely fastened at all times – it’s sure to be one hell of a ride….

Word just in that SIMONE will be unleashed on DVD from September 1st, 2010.
Orders are being taken at http://386films.com/dvd_simone.html and the DVD contents are as follows:

• Original unrated version of the short film, plus over 70 minutes of bonus features:
• Audio Commentary with Mike Long & Joops Fragale
• Behind the Bitch – Featurette
• Pre-Production Blabbing with Joops Fragale & Mike Long
• On-Set Interview with Mike Long & Joops Fragale
• Seeing the Music: SIMONE Theme
• SIMONE in Pictures
• Poster Art
• The Clapper
• Original Trailer
• 386 Films Trailers

Short horror film SIMONE hits Hollywood at the Carnival of Darkness 2 film festival, October 2010. Congrats to director Joops Fragale, producer Michael Long, stars Jennifer Ward and Erin Cline – and the entire cast & crew. The film was adapted from my original screenplay ‘Hair of the Dog’ and is an atmospheric cautionary tale about the howling horrors of ‘the morning after the night before’…

Other confirmed upcoming screenings include Dark Mills Festival of Gothic Arts and Alternative Culture (September 2010, London UK) and Horrorfind Weekend Film Festival (September 2010, MD USA)

You can check out more from production company 386 Films at their official site, http://www.386films.com, which includes links to their Twitter & Facebook feeds for updates. Cheers!

The Dark Mills Festival of Gothic Arts & Alternative Culture takes place in London, September and features bands, theatre performances, film screenings and seminars/Q&As, exhibitions, merchandise stalls and much more. Movie screenings will include works by yours truly and I’m excited to be part of an event that includes such luminaries as Bob Keen, Michael Armstrong, Terry English, Chris Achilleos, Tony Hickox and the lovely Barbie Wilde, all curated by the inimitable Professor Patricia MacCormack.


Keep an eye on the official website for updates on this fantastic event: http://www.darkmillsfestival.com

Announcing ‘PANIC BUTTON’ – British social networking horror/thriller (feature film).

Tagline: ‘Putting your life on-line can have deadly off-line consequences’.

Chris Crow (‘Devil’s Bridge’) is directing (from my screenplay), John Shackleton is producing for Movie Mogul Films.

Online Press Release:
http://www.pitchengine.com/panicbutton/new-feature-film-“panic-button”-to-be-a-warning-to-all-social-network-users/60070/

Images:
http://www.pitchengine.com/brands/panicbutton/images/60070/PanicButtonpostcard.jpg
http://www.pitchengine.com/brands/panicbutton/images/60070/panicbutton2.jpg

More images/content at Official Website:
http://www.panicbuttonmovie.com

Viral website (spoof social network ‘All2gethr.com’ used in the film):
http://www.all2gethr.com

Facebook Group:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=208800284215&ref=ts