I'm hooked!

I've watched every episode of the new HBO series True Blood that has aired so far, and I have to say I am hooked. It is a really clever series that stars Anna Paquin as Sookie Stackhouse, a waitress who gets caught up in a love affair with a vampire named Bill Compton, played by Stephen Moyer. The series is based on a series of books called The Southern Vampire Mysteries, by Charlaine Harris .

It is a fresh take on the vampire mythos, and has featured several twists and turns I didn't see coming. I love the flashbacks to the past history of vampire Bill, especially the Civil War flashbacks. This series is spearheaded by Alan Ball, the guy who brought us Six Feet Under. It feels kind of like a cross between that show and Carnivale, with a hint of cajun Louisiana undead spice thrown in for good measure.


My only regret - we're already on episode 9 of the first season of 12. It'll be over soon and we'll have to wait till next year for more new episodes!!

The Dead Matter: Cemetery Gates CD

Got the post-Halloween blues?

Then Midnight Syndicate's newest release, The Dead Matter: Cemetery Gates, is just the thing to help you keep it Halloween all year long!


The folks at Midnight Syndicate have been quite busy - in addition to their haunted soundtrack work, they have also been involved creating a motion picture, The Dead Matter. Co-written and directed by Edward Douglas of Midnight Syndicate, the film is scheduled for a 2009 release.

The Dead Matter: Cemetery Gates CD includes several tracks from the upcoming soundtrack and is some of the best work Midnight Syndicate has done to date. It is done in the dark orchestral style Midnight Syndicate has become known for and is highly recommended - this is one CD Halloween lovers must have!

Here's the track listing:

1. Cathedral Ruins
2. Shadowed Grove
3. Meeting of the Acolytes
4. The Revenants
5. Called From Beyond
6. Nightfall
7. The Hunt
8. Across the Chasm
9. Cemetery Gates
10. Entering the Crypt
11. Alchemists's Chamber
12. Tear of Osiris
13. Forging the Scarab
14. Shadows Descend 1
5. Inside the Scarab
16. Exodus
17. Dark Legacy
18. Lullaby
BONUS TRACKS
19. Lost
20. Not Your Saviour
21. Theme to "The Dead Matter" (A.B.T. Remix)

To find out more about this film and listen to some of these tracks, go to:
The Dead Matter website - www.TheDeadMatter.com

Here is the teaser trailer for the film:

Happy Post Halloween

Hope you all had a fun and fright filled Halloween - I know I did! I made many appearances and hosted several live events - among these was a radio appearance I did at Jack FM 96.3 - They asked me to come in and be their ORDINARY LISTENER OF THE WEEK, where I basically read all the events for the week of Halloween. The station put together a little tape of the bloopers from that day. Here it is below - enjoy my screwups!

Treat yourself this Halloween!

Every Halloween I take some time to enjoy reading a good book to enjoy the season. Last year I read the Marvel Comics Essentials Dracula series - these collect the DRACULA comics from the 1970s by Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan, which is one of my favorite comic book series of all time. I have vol. 1-3 of the essentials, which complete the entire run of the initial series.


The year before last I re-read Death Makes a Holiday by David J. Skal, who is one of my favorite writers. This book is a fantastic history of Halloween, and traces it's roots back centuries. This is a really interesting and fun read, and I may have to pull it out again soon to reread again.


THIS year I am continuing the vampire motif from last year, and reading DRACULA by Bram Stoker. Not many books are better Halloween reading material to get you in the spirit of the holiday than Dracula. Makes you realize why so many different version of this story have been filmed, as the original is so powerful and entertaining, even 110 years after it was written!


So treat YOURSELF this Halloween season by picking up some spooky reading material. Doctor's orders!!

Trailer Park of Terror!

Yee Haw! Trailer Park of Terror is coming out on DVD!


I had the pleasure of catching this gem at the Nashville Film Festival this past summer. It is a southern-fried feast of horror, gore, and undead trailer trash!! The film has a true rock and roll sensibility about it, which makes sense as it's directed by Steven Goldmann, who made his mark in music videos, having directed over 200 of them for well known artists such as Bruce Springsteen and Faith Hill.


Speaking of well known musicians, country singer Trace Adkins has a role in this movie, too, and really does a fine job as the devil himself.

Trailer Park comes out on DVD October 21st. It's based on a comic book series from Imperium Comics. There are two different versions of the movie on the DVD, an "R" rated as well as an uncut version. There are also cast interviews and a "Life at the Trailer Park of Terror" featurette.

Highly recommended and three thumbs up from Doc Gangrene!!

Tim Lucas birthday poem

I recently had a birthday, and my good buddy Tim Lucas, editor of Video Watchdog magazine posted a pretty cool little poem over on the Classic Horror Film Board:

There once was a doc named Gangrene
Who brought horror to the Nashville scene
He'd give lectures about why
The brain wouldn't die
And why zombies find flesh fine cuisine.

One man crazy, many many satisfied spectators!

Happy Birthday, Larry!


Many thanks, Tim! Really neat poem !!

ps - I want to encourage everyone to check out Tim's Videowatchblog - very entertaining and well written blog updated much more regularly than mine!!

Dr Gangrene's Creature Feature back on the air

Dr Gangrene's Creature Feature is back on the scarewaves! Here's the update I mailed out to folks today...

Join the mad medico and his lovely assistant Nurse Moan-eek as they present a new fright flick every Saturday afternoon at 1pm during September and October.

The doctor is celebrating his 10th season as Nashville's horror host, and this season has added a new feature to the films - FACT-O-RAMA! So be sure to tune in every week - the first film in the new season is the schlocky grade z-movie THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN'T DIE, which features a living decapitated head, mad scientist, mutated monster in a closet, strippers and more!!


Other movies in the lineup include THE LAST MAN ON EARTH (the first filmed version of I am Legend starring Vincent Price), WHITE ZOMBIE starring Bela Lugosi, Hammer films' THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD starring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, and the horror classic NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD.

Monster Kid Cartoon

My pal Scott Essman from Universal has spearheaded a pilot of a new animated series that should be near and dear to my viewers. It is a monster kid cartoon, with youngster versions of the classic monsters - the writer on this is Joseph Fotinos, aka horror host Professor Griffin from Texas. We wish them the best of luck with this, and hopefully we'll see it on the scarewaves soon. Check it out below:

Congratulations from Nashville Mayor

Nashville Mayor Karl Dean sent a letter of congratulations on the "Go Green with Dr. Gangrene" campaign. The New Valient production crew did a terror-ific job on these PSAs, and I have included the Mayor's letter below.

I also wanted to announce the official page for the Go Green Campaign is up and running now. You can find it at: http://www.gogreencrusade.com/

Excelsior!!

Lon Chaney

Universal is releasing the dvd Lon Chaney, Man of a Thousand faces later this month. It stars James Cagney playing the horror master. About time this one got a proper release.

Next 2 PSAs

Here are the next 2 PSAs that we put together - they are slated to start airing this following Monday, the 16th!

PSA press release

Here's the press release New Valiant sent out about the PSAs:


New Valiant Goes Green With Dr. Gangrene

For immediate release:

Nashville Filmmakers Fight Littering With Mad Science

Nashville, TN (06.06.08) New Valiant Production's Filmmakers Michael Creason and Cameron McCasland have teamed up with Dr. Gangrene and Nurse Moan-Eek from WNAB Nashville's CW 58 Creature Feature to produce several Earth friendly Public Service Announcements that will begin airing later this month under the campaign "Go Green With Dr. Gangrene".

Larry Underwood who portrays the Mad Scientist Dr Gangrene stated, "It's important that we take care of our city and our environment. Even little things can add up to a big difference if we all take part. The "Go Green with Dr. Gangrene" Campaign is our effort to help promote environmental and safety tips. If everyone works together we can have a safer, cleaner city for everyone to enjoy."

New Valiant Productions plan to premiere the series of newly completed shorts (produced by Michael Creason and directed by Cameron McCasland) on Creature Feature's home station WNAB Nashville CW 58 as well as on the web through their official web page www.newvaliant.com on the New Valiant Myspace page, www.myspace.com/newvaliant and Youtube channel www.youtubecom/newvaliantprod .

When asked about what brought this project together director Cameron McCasland stated, "This is our attempt to think globally and act locally. I think most people know they should be doing something to help make a cleaner planet, but have no clue where to start. As filmmakers, we wanted to provide information to viewers, while being entertaining. We tried to blend both the horror and comedy themes that Dr. Gangrene and Nurse Moan-Eek are known for while educating people on simple tasks that are good for the planet as a whole. The Creature Feature crew was responsive to our ideas for Going Green With Dr. Gangrene and it was a lot of fun using a zombie apocalypse as a metaphor for saving the planet."

The initial rollout includes three shorts titled "Bonehead" which tells the importance of safety belts. "Two Lane Trash Stop" that explains the dangers of highway litter. And "Trash Day Of The Dead" a tongue in cheek commentary on the evils of litter, set in downtown Nashville, TN. All three were produced locally in Nashville by Michael Creason, and directed by Cameron McCasland. They follow Dr. Gangrene (Larry Underwood) and Nurse Moan-Eek (portrayed by Linda Wylie) as they remind us to pick up our litter, as well as buckling up for safety. Later this month a new website www.gogreencrusade.com will launch with tips from the good doctor on how to stay safe and help protect the planet. And more short subjects will follow in coming months.

Producer Michael Creason had this to say about the classic cinema perspective spun with the new shorts. "With the ever growing emphasis on a global movement, we at New Valiant hope to do our part by capturing the attention of the people and families of middle Tennessee with a classic theme on a very contemporary concept. I think our Public Service Announcements relay the messages of safety and "Going Green" to a broad spectrum with some comedic relief. If people get the message and it sticks with them, then we have done our job. Everyone who worked on this project has a great sense of accomplishment and I am proud to be a part of it."

In a world where even Mad Scientist do their part to save the planet, we may have finally turned the corner for a better tomorrow for everyone. New Valiant Productions and Dr. Gangrene invites you to "Go Green With Dr. Gangrene" visit them on the web at: www.newvaliant.com www.drgangrene.com and the newly launched www.gogreencrusade.com

About Dr. Gangrene, Nurse Moan-Eek, and Creature Feature
Dr Gangrene, Physician of Fright, has haunted the scarewaves since 1999. Together with his faithful assistant Nurse Moan-Eek he continues to provide chills throughout Middle Tennessee. Creature Feature is set to broadcast new episodes in September of 2008 on WNAB CW 58 Nashville, TN. For more information visit www.drgangrene.com

About Cameron McCasland, and Michael Creason
McCasland and Creason are Nashville based filmmakers who work under the banner of New Valiant Productions. Their last collaboration "Fashionable: A Music Video For Quiet Company" won the "Best Music Video" category at both this years Crossroads Film Festival in Jackson, MS and Fearless Film Festival in Ft. Worth TX, as well as the "Silver Remi Award" at the Worldfest International Film Festival in Houston, TX.

New Valiant Productions is based in Nashville, TN and is owned and operated by Michael Creason & Cameron McCasland. For more information go to www.newvaliant.com

PSAs online now

We shot a series of PSAs a while back, and the folks at New Valiant have done a fine job putting these together. Here's the first of the psas now for your enjoyment: