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Kirsten Howard Aug 8, 2017

Producer Jonathan Sothcott talks about running an independent film company in the UK, finding the right project and a post-Brexit industry.

Jonathan Sothcott has had a hand in producing a whole lot of independent films here in the UK over the last decade. You may have even seen a fair few of them yourself, especially if you’re a Danny Dyer completest.

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He’s the man behind Hereford Films, the production and financing company he runs with partner Damien Morley. If that name rings a bell, it might well be because Morley owns a modelling agency that takes care of most of the Page 3 girls, and the entrepreneur has even recently launched a bid to buy the Page 3 brand off The Sun himself.

More goodies have come our way just in time for this year's American Film Market, and next on tap is another flick which deals with the dead in all sorts of wonderfully wicked ways. Read on for the skinny on Tower of the Dead.

The Ross Boyask-directed zombie flick stars Craig Fairbrass (Dead Cert), Jason Maza, Craig Conway (Dog Soldiers), and Sean Pertwee (Dog Soldiers).

Synopsis

A highly trained armed response team and the arms dealers they were tasked to bring down must team up to fight their way through an oncoming horde of the undead.

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Craig Fairbrass ('Dead Cert'), Jason Maza ('Demons Never Die'), Craig Conway ('Devil's Playground') and Sean Pertwee ('Dog Soldiers') are the fresh faced foursome to new British zombie horror 'Tower of the Dead'. The quartet, who these days between them seem to be placed in every mediocre British horror offering or gangster based project there is going, will be bought together to play members of an Armed Response Team and/or a group of arms dealers who find theirselves teaming up when some begrudged zombie fellas take over a tower block. Sound familiar, then you're likely thinking this sounds very much like 2009's French horror feature 'The Horde'! Brit director Ross Boyask ('Left for Dead') will helm from a script he co-wrote with Paul Reynolds....

Craig Fairbrass, Jason Maza, Craig Conway and Sean Pertwee are leading the cast of the horror-actioner Tower of the Dead.

In the film, a highly trained Armed Response Team, and the arms dealers they were tasked to bring down must join forces to fight their way through a ferocious army of the undead.

Fairbrass contending with a different brand of the undead in Dead Cert.  Conway and Pertwee, meanwhile, were previously seen tussling with lycanthropes in Dog Soldiers.

Read more...

Stalled is a horror comedy about a janitor that gets trapped in a womens restroom and encounters an allout attack by a hoard of zombies. The film will have a limited theatrical release beginning October 3 2013 and will be available on VOD starting October 3 2012. Stalled is directed by Christian James Produced by Richard James Kerrigan and Written by Dan Palmer. It stars Palmer (Freak Out) Tamaryn Payne (Hollyoaks) Antonia Bernath (Elvis St.Trinians) Mark Holden (Final Destination XFiles) Victoria Broom (Dead Cert) Giles Alderson (Damned Utd Harsh Light Of Day) and Chris R. Wright (Faintheart Small Town Folk). Synopsis Its Christmas Eve and a soon to be shitcanned maintenance gopher (Dan Palmer) is changing...

Word has come via e-mail that a ghostly new flick is now before cameras courtesy of our friends across the pond. Read on for the first word and details surrounding Blood Curse: The Haunting of Alicia Stone.

Rising British horror actress Melissa Hollett (pictured; Dead Walkers: Rise Of The 4th Reich, Dead Cert, Exorcist Chronicles), has landed the lead in the flick, which is being produced for American studio Chemical Burn Entertainment and is due for release in spring 2014. Nathan Head also appears.

Blood Curse: The Haunting of Alicia Stone is currently being shot on the South Coast of England in Brighton. The film tells the story of Alicia (Hollett) and her husband, Jason (played by real-life husband Keiron Hollett), encountering strange phenomena upon receiving a gift from an estranged relative.

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There's no doubt about it... seeing just a regular apparition? Yeah, that can both startle you and change your perception of life and death. Running into an Evil Apparition though? Man, now that really sucks.

From the Press Release

Evil Apparition is a British film currently being shot in Brighton, Cheshire, Doncaster and Manchester. It stars Nathan Head (Exorcist Chronicles, The Psychiatrist), Paul Sutton (Zombie Hood, The Eschatrilogy: Book of the Dead), Dayna Shuffle (Dead Walkers: Rise of the 4th Reich, Sky TV's Marshal's Law), and Keiron Hollett (Dead Cert, Exorcist Chronicles) and is directed by Brel Offkel.

Evil Apparition is a chilling paranormal horror film about a man who moves into a house with a dark past and discovers mysterious objects left behind from the previous owners. Produced for Chemical Burn Entertainment, Evil Apparition is scheduled for international release in 2014 and is already being hailed as “The latest installment...

Fox's Sleepy Hollow has cast its Ichabod Crane. British actor Tom Mison will play the role as a captain in the Revolutionary war who time travels to modern day Sleepy Hollow and works as a detective, solving cases of good and evil. The ghost of the Headless Horseman - a soldier Crane killed during the war - returns to haunt the town. Mison's credits include Salmon Fishing in the Yemen and Parade's End.

 

 

 

ABC's Gothica, a gothic soap that blends the mythologies of Victor Frankenstein, Dracula, Jekyll and Hyde, and Dorian Gray, has cast its female lead. Janet Montgomery will play Grace Van Helsing, Dorian Gray's partner and Victor Frankenstein's ex. Grace comes from a famous publishing company and is an established writer who is looking for the truth behind her parents' death. Janet Montgomery most recently starred in last season's flop Made in Jersey, but will probably...

Based on years of occult research and insider knowledge, Dead Walkers: Rise Of The 4th Reich is packed with spies, soldiers, Nazis and secrets. Written and directed by Philip Gardiner (Dark Watchers, The Stone, Lady Of The Dark) and released by Chemical Burn Entertainment, the film features an impressive cast of familiar faces from other low-budget horrors, including Philip Berzamanis (Exorcist Chronicles), Jane Haslehurst (The Possession Of Sophie Dee), Bob Lee (Exorcist Chronicles), Nathan Head (The Archangel Murders), Rudy Barrow (Dark Watchers), Jack Burrows (The Possession Of Sophie Dee), Nikki Webster (Lucifer’s Child), Rachel Malone (Exorcist Chronicles), Eirian Cohen (The Eschatrilogy), Melissa Hollett (Dead Cert), Kay Vardy (Exorcist Chronicles), Graham Keith Gill, Dayna Shuffle, Craig Canning and Lelani Phoenix-Hulme.

In 1945 the Second World War came to an end and the Nazis fled. Scientists and military elite escaped across borders and found themselves in new worlds. Some fled to Russia,...

Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: Jan. 17, 2012

Price: DVD $24.98, Blu-ray $29.98

Studio: Entertainment One

Sean Bean goes commando in Age of Heroes.

The epic WWII action-thriller film Age of Heroes was inspired by the true story of “James Bond” writer Ian Fleming’s creation of the Britain’s elite military team ’30 Commando Assault Unit.’

An inspiration to Britain’s modern day Special Air Service (Sas), 30 Commando was a new breed of special operations taskforce created by British Naval intelligence officer Fleming to carry out some of the most dangerous missions of the war.

Starring Sean Bean (TV’s Game of Thrones) and Danny Dyer (Dead Cert), the film follows the circumstances behind 30 Commando’s inception and the unit’s first highly classified smash-and-grab mission into occupied Norway to capture vital radar technology that will change the course of the war. Things don’t go all that smoothly in the Norway mission: When their escape route is uncovered,...

How different would Scarface be if Tony Montana had a lust for blood instead of coke? Or, what if a clan of vampires made their own crime family? Wouldn’t that be an awesome movie? Vampires and gangsters seem like a perfect match. They both enjoy secrecy, violence and power. How hard would it be to mix some blood and money into that equation? Maybe a little harder than you might think…

Dead Cert, based off an idea from horror writer, Garry Charles (The Summer Massacre), takes the viewer deep into the underground world of Freddy “Dead Cert” Frankham (Craig Fairbrass Cliffhanger). Frankham, trying to make a name for himself in East London, has just built a nightclub, “Paradise.” He has no idea that the land he acquired for this club belongs to the boss of all vampires, “The Wolf,” who is planning on getting it back. What’s a...

Dead Cert is such a shabby little movie made all the worse because it really didn't have to be. But somewhere along the line, when coming up with the concept "gritty East London gangsters vs. Romanian vampires" someone decided that the concept, thin as it was, was enough--and the results on-screen are such a monumental disappointment (if you have expectations for this sort of thing as I do, that you're tempted to wonder, "why bother?" As to the plot: well, it actually starts off as something approaching a character drama about a bare-knuckle fighter and his brother-in-law the strip club owner, Freddie (Craig Fairbrass) who quickly becomes the focus of the story as the unveiling of his new club runs parallel with the arrival of...

Now that our new house is settling, we wanted to bring back our weekly DVD & Blu-Ray Releases posts. We are calling this weekly post “Home Invasion”. If you plan on purchasing these items via Amazon, all you need to do is click on the buttons provided or on the artwork and not only do you get the same price you normally would with Amazon, but you help us out a little bit as well – which is all we ask because this list does take some time to put together.

All Descriptions are from Amazon.com unless otherwise noted. We have excluded the Netflix code on this particular post. This is due to all of the changes with Netflix and their DVD mailing program. If you want us to include the code in future Home Invasion posts, where you just click a button to add it to your queue, leave us a comment below.

EnMar Productions and Templeheart Films have been collaborating on a new Anglo-Spanish horror flick from 'The Reverend' helmer Neil Jones. The project called 'Deranged' has just finished shooting in Madrid, Spain and looks like it has a lot going for it! Particularly as the awesome foursome of hotties below are the movie's main stars. The quality quad includes (from left to right) Tabby Quitman ('The Reverend'), Marcia Do Vales ('The Reverend'), Natalia Celino ('Umbrage: The First Vampire') and Victoria Broom ('Dead Cert') all tooled up on a bachelorette party that goes awry when they find theirselves having to defend themselves against a mysterious killer. The flick co-stars 'Devil's Playground' and 'White Noise 2: The Light' actor Craig Fairbrass, who are English readers may know better as Dan Sullivan from 'Eastenders'. Check out the hotties below. Four girls go on a...

Vampires vs. gangsters. What could go wrong? Well, you'll get a chance to find out on us as we're giving away five (5) copies of Dead Cert on both Blu-ray and DVD!

Winning is simple! To enter, just send us an E-mail Here including your Full Name And Mailing Address along with whether you want the Blu-ray or the DVD. We’ll take care of the rest.

Good luck!

From the Press Release

This fall get ready for a bloodthirsty mix of From Dusk Till Dawn and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels when Dead Cert debuts for the first time in the U.S and Canada on Blu-ray™ and DVD September 27, 2011, from Shout! Factory, in association with Black and Blue Films. Jam-packed with all the ingredients of both a vampire flick and a gangster film -- creepy monsters, scantily-clad women, tough-talking wise guys, gratuitous bloodshed and a seemingly crazy vampire...

The lovely folks at Shout! Factory have provided us with a couple of cool giveaways for Twitch readers this Labor Day.  First is their upcoming Blu-ray of the gangsters vs. vampires film, Dead Cert:Freddie Frankham (Craig Fairbrass, The Bank Job) is working his way into the East End London big league with the opening of his nightclub, but soon realizes he's made a grave mistake by building it on the sacred land of Dante Livienko (Billy Murray, Rise Of The Footsoldier): otherwise known as the legendary vampire The Wolf. Dante wants the club, but Freddie isn't going to give up his turf without a fight, little realizing that he's taking on a 500-year-old legend of mortal combat in a battle to the death . ....

The third annual Grimm Up North Horror Festival, which takes place in Manchester, England, from October 6th to October 9th, has announced the first film on its 2011 roster, and it's Martin Kemp's directorial debut Stalker, starring Billy Murray, Jane March, and Linda Hayden.

From the Press Release:

On Friday, October 7th, the festival will host a very special premiere screening of Stalker – the directorial feature debut of TV and music icon Martin Kemp – ahead of its national theatrical release. In addition, the former Eastenders star and Spandau Ballet bass hero will be joined by members of the film’s cast and crew, including producer Jonathan Sothcott (Devil's Playground, Dead Cert) and actress Jane March (The Lover, Clash of the Titans) to take part in an exclusive Q&A session after the movie.

Sure to be a controversial festival talking point, Stalker is based on the infamous 1976 sex-and-slash shocker – and...

Dead Cert will be released in the U.S. and Canada for the first time on September 27, 2011. The movie will be available on Blu-ray and DVD. Both the DVD and Blu-ray will have bonus features including Audio commentary, Making of Dead Cert and the theatrical trailer. Dead Cert is directed by Steven Lawson (The Rapture) and stars Jason Flemyng (Snatch), Janet Montgomery (Black Swan) and Dexter Fletcher (Kick-Ass). Dead Cert is about a “gang of tough London gangsters get more than they bargained for when a group of businessmen make an offer to buy their club, the Inferno. They turn out to be nothing less than Vampires wanting their land back and turn viciously on the gangsters when their demands are not met.”...

Dead Cert arrives on Blu-ray and DVD September 27, 2011 from Shout! Factory, in association with Black and Blue Films. The film features a cast familiar British acting talent including Craig Fairbrass, Dexter Fletcher, Billy Murray, Lisa McAllister, Steven Berkoff, Dave Legeno, Jason Flemying and Danny Dyer. Bonus features include an audio commentary, a Making-of Dead Cert featurette and the theatrical trailer. For an exclusive report from the set follow this link .

Shout! Factory has been rocking for the last year or so, with quality genre releases, namely their Roger Corman Collection. Now, they’re releasing something newer in Dead Cert to Blu-ray/DVD on September 27th.

Produced by horror specialists Black and Blue Films and directed by Steve Lawson, Dead Cert marks a welcome return to the fun, almost-traditional British horror filmmaking style that affectionately evokes the spirit of the contemporary-set movies of Amicus and Hammer — particularly the latter’s Dracula A.D. 1972 and The Satanic Rites of Dracula.

When respected but small-time gangster Freddie ‘Dead Cert’ Frankham (Craig Fairbrass) is unexpectedly given the chance to make a tentative leap into the big leagues with the opening of his new nightclub in London’s East End, he doesn’t quite realize what he’s getting into. Unknown to Freddie and his partners, the club stands on the former site of a Black Church,...

One toothy little UK vampire flick we've been keeping our eye on for a while now, Dead Cert, is making its way Stateside courtesy of Shout! Factory; and we've got everything you need to ready yourself ... except sharpened stakes.

From the Press Release

This fall get ready for a bloodthirsty mix of From Dusk Till Dawn and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels when Dead Cert debuts for the first time in the U.S and Canada on Blu-ray™ and DVD September 27, 2011, from Shout! Factory, in association with Black and Blue Films. Jam-packed with all the ingredients of both a vampire flick and a gangster film -- creepy monsters, scantily-clad women, tough-talking wise guys, gratuitous bloodshed and a seemingly crazy vampire hunter -- Dead Cert features a star-studded cast of familiar British acting talent including Craig Fairbrass (The Bank Job), Dexter Fletcher (Kick-Ass), Billy Murray (Rise of the Footsoldier), Lisa McAllister...

This Fall, get ready for a bloodthirsty mix of From Dusk Till Dawn and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels when Dead Cert debuts for the first time in the U.S and Canada on Blu-ray. and DVD September 27, 2011 from Shout! Factory, in association with Black and Blue Films. Jam-packed with all the ingredients of both a vampire flick and a gangster film — creepy monsters, scantily-clad women, tough-talking wise guys, gratuitous bloodshed and a seemingly crazy vampire hunter, Dead Cert features a star-studded cast of familiar British acting talent including Craig Fairbrass (The Bank Job), Dexter Fletcher (Kick-Ass), Billy Murray (Rise Of The Footsoldier), Lisa McAllister (Pumpkinhead: Ashes to Ashes), Steven Berkoff (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo), Dave Legeno (Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince), Jason Flemying (X-Men: First Class) and Danny Dyer (Dead Man Running).

Produced by horror specialists Black and Blue Films and directed by Steve Lawson,...

What happens when a bevy of stripperdom's most beautiful girls take on the meanest pack of werewolves since that famous American one stalked through London? British horror fans will find out first this Fall when Strippers vs. Werewolves opens. Produced by Black and Blue Films, the maverick UK company behind Dead Cert , Stalker and Elfie Hopkins , the comedy horror action romp boasts an impressive cast including British soap opera royalty Adele Silva, Ali Bastian, Billy Murray and Martin Kemp, Hostel lead Barbara Nedeljakova, Scottish heart throb Martin Compston from Wild Country and Red Mist , Superman and Conan the Destroyer star Sarah Douglas, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo remake/ A Clockwork Orange acting legend Steven Berkoff and horror icon Robert Englund....

Shout! Factory will release the 2010 gangsters-strippers-and-vampires-filled horror movie Dead Cert on Blu-Ray and DVDon September 27 for the list prices of $24.99 and $19.97, respectively.

A lap dancer moonlights as a vampire--or vice versa--in Dead Cert.

Craig Fairbrass (TV’s EastEnders) stars as reformed London gangster Freddie Frankham, who tries to go legit with his newly opened lap dancing club while continuing to make illegal bets on his brawling brother-in-law’s (Danny Midwinter) bare-knuckle fighting competitions. Everything changes when a group of Romanian bad guys attempt to take over the club, prompting the brothers-in-law to take some serious action. The problem is that the Romanian goon squad is actually a gaggle of vampires, who are determined to turn Freddie’s club into the city’s most decadent bloodsucking den.

The 2010 British production directed by Steven Lawson also stars Jason Flemyng (Ironclad), Steve Berkoff (The Tourist) and Billy Murray (TV’s EastEnders). It rolled...

4Digital Media has released cover art for the star studded comedy Big Fat Gypsy Gangster (formerly Bulla The Movie) which is due for release on DVD in September.

A fast-moving roller coaster ride of violence, madness and mayhem featuring TV icon Bulla, the all-star cast includes Ricky Grover (Dead Cert, Eastenders), Omid Djalilli (The Infidel, Sex & The City 2) Steven Berkoff (The Tourist, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), Rufus Hound (comedian/winner 2010 Let’s Dance for Comic Relief), Peter Capaldi (Bean, In the Loop), Leo Gregory (Green Street Hooligans) and X Factor sensation Tulisa (N-dubz).

After serving sixteen years at her majesty’s pleasure Bulla is out on the streets again, but things start to go wrong from the moment he steps out when he finds out he’s lost everything on the outside world. Fleeced by the same corrupt copper that put him behind bars, even his favourite aunt...

The new feature from Dominic Burns (Cut) is one part thriller and one part suicide cult, as the film's first poster beckons you to "come die with me." In the trailer for this feature, a plane at 20,000 is ever going down, down, down...And actors Mark Hamill, Craig Conway (Dog Soldiers), Simon Phillips (The Last Seven) and Julian Glover (Mirrors) welcome you aboard one terrifying flight. Have an early look at this United Kingdom shot film, which will have you asking the stewardess for more booze and valium, in just under two minutes (courtesy of Dread Central).

The synopsis for Airborne is here:

"As a snowstorm closes in, one final plane takes off. The plane reports to the ground that both pilots are dead, while the slowly dwindling number of passengers on the plane wish that they'd never left the ground" (Dread).

Release Date: 2012.

Director: Dominic Burns.

Writer: Paul Chronnell.

We've covered the hell out of the new vampire flick out of the UK, Dead Cert, here on Dread Central. If only because it shares our initials. Well, not really; we did so because it has vampires of the badass non-sparkling variety. In any event all that coverage is about to pay off because the flick is now on its way Stateside.

According to Screen Daily, following its UK release via Momentum Pictures, Moviehouse's UK vampire film has been snapped up for Us distribution by Shout! Factory for release later this year. It has also sold in France (Fip), Germany (I-on New Media), and Australia/New Zealand (Visual Entertainment Group) with other deals pending.

Starring Craig Fairbrass and Billy Murray, director Steve Lawson's Dead Cert follows a gang of tough London gangsters who get more than they bargained for when a group of businessmen make an offer to buy their club,...

Shout! Factory - known mostly for its DVD releases of older titles - is getting in on the acquisitions game, snatching up the UK flick Dead Cert for a U.S. release. Directed by Steven Lawson, the film follows tough London gangsters who get more than they bargained for when a group of businessmen make an offer to buy their club, the Inferno. They turn out to be nothing less than Vampires wanting their land back and turn viciously on the gangsters when their demands are not met. You'll find a gallery of images and two trailers in our database . While you wait for a release date, read our exclusive set report .

Top UK glamour model and lad’s mag favourite Lucy Pinder is to make her feature film debut as a sexy vampire bride who terrorises a vampire hunter in Strippers vs Werewolves. She joins a cast that already includes Emmerdale’s Adele Silva, Barbara Nedeljekova (Hostel), Billy Murray and former Superman villain Sarah Douglas and will be directed by Jonathan Glendenning (13Hrs).

Lucy said today:

I’m delighted to be making my feature film debut for Black & Blue Films in Strippers Vs Werewolves – it’s a really funny part and a hilarious script and I can’t wait to start.

Jonathan Sothcott, producer, added:

We are thrilled to have Lucy, undoubtedly the UK’s top glamour model, making her first film with us. Strippers Vs Werewolves is a film that will deliver on its title and we know that with Lucy on board the boys won’t be disappointed!

Strippers...

Top model Lucy Pinder makes her feature film debut in Jonathan Glendenning's (13 Hrs) Brit comedy film Strippers Vs Werewolves, playing a sexy vampire bride who terrorizes a vampire hunter. Set to begin shooting on May 16, the hilariously gory romp, centered around a London strip-club, also stars Emmerdale's Adele Silva, Barbara Nedeljekova (star of Hostel), Billy Murray and Superman villain Sarah Douglas. "When werewolf chief Jack Ferris is accidentally killed in a strip club the girls who work there have until the next full moon before his bloodthirsty wolfpack seek murderous retribution..." The film is being made by top UK Indie film company Black & Blue Films, whose credits include Dead Cert, Devils Playground, Just For The Record and the recently filmed Elfie Hopkins starring Jaime Winstone.

Source: FilmShaft - Top Model Lucy Pinder Joins Cast Of Strippers Vs. Werewolves

Genre mash ups are fun and ages old. Abbott and Costello met an abundance of ghouls, Old Mother Reilly ran into the likes of Count Dracula and once upon a time some chopper chicks rode into Zombietown. Now Jonathan Glendenning's latest film sees Strippers Vs. Werewolves. Sounds like great trashy horror comedy fun!

The British horror film sees top lad's mag model Lucy Pinder take up her debut role. Will she be playing a werewolf or a stripper?

Nope. She's playing a vampire bride, so you can stop those stripper jokes right now! The very lovely and beautiful Miss Pinder is clearly excited by the role, saying:

"I'm delighted to be making my feature film debut for Black & Blue Films in Strippers Vs Werewolves - it's a really funny part and a hilarious script and I can't wait to start.

Source: FilmShaft - Black & Blue Films To Produce Supernatural Flick “Whisper” With Actress Lysette Anthony

Here's some good news on the British horror front with Black & Blue Films teaming up with actress Lysette Anthony's PerfectFeatures to produce a supernatural spinetingler based on the Evp recordings. You don't know what Evp means? Electronic Voice Phenomena!

Whisper, to be directed by Hotel Splendide helmer Terence Gross, centres on a story involving ultra-creepy Evp experiments which attempt to communicate with ghosts through recording their voices from beyond the grave!

Jonathan Sothcott, Black & Blue's MD said today:

"We are delighted to be partnering with Lysette and her business partner Rachel Chatterjee for Whisper. They have identified and secured a genuinely excellent project that we are looking forward to bringing to the screen and we're thrilled that they chose Black and Blue to help them with their feature debut. Lysette has been one of...

Actress Sarah Douglas has joined the cast of Black and Blue Films’ latest production, Strippers Vs Werewolves. Best known for playing the evil Kryptonian Ursa in the first two Superman movies, the actress will play Jeanette, the owner of a strip club in the film which is being helmed by 13Hrs director Jonathan Glendenning.

Douglas joins cast that alreay includes Adele Silva (Emmerdale), Barbara Nedeljekova (Hostel) and Billy Murray (Dead Cert). Says Douglas of the role:

She’s a mother figure to her girls. An ex-stripper made good, she doesn’t have a lot of time for men and has no intention of seeing her girls devoured by werewolves.

Jonathan Sothcott, producer of Strippers Vs Werewolves, added:

There aren’t that many real genre icons, and even fewer who are top quality talents and we are absolutely thrilled that Sarah is on board.

Filming on the Black and Blue Films production starts on April 18th.

Producer Jonathan Sothcott dropped us a line today to let us know that the search is over for a director and leading lady for his next upcoming feature, Strippers vs. Werewolves.

"Over the last 6 months we've been slightly out of the horror game - apart from steering the UK releases of Dead Cert and Devil's Playground - as Billy Murray and I have been working on a romcom with Richard E Grant called How to Stop Being a Loser and a quirky Danny Dyer thriller called 7Lives, but we are very much back in our favourite genre in 2011!"

"We've been busy readying our kick-ass style comedy horror Strippers vsx Werewolves at Black and Blue Towers over Christmas," says Sothcott. "One of the key steps forward was securing the right director, someone film literate enough to make the material work yet with a pedigree that distributors bought into. Step forward Jonathan Glendening,...

Director-writer Martin Kemp's upcoming thriller Stalker , starring Anna Brecon, Jane March and Billy Murray, is screening at the American Film Market this week. The production hails from Black and Blue Films and we've got the synopsis below along with the art you see to the left. Kemp, predominantly an actor, executive produced Dead Cert and is in development on a remake of The Asphyx . Shock's coverage of the American Film Market is well underway - get all of our current headlines Right Here . Paula, a bestselling author retreats to her childhood home, full of secrets and mystery which disturb and distract her. Her agent sends help in the form of the strange, and not who she seems, Linda.....who pushes Paula over the edge.

Blimey, it's a new British zombie movie!

It's been a while since we heard anything about the British zombie movie Devil's Playground, but a new viral site and poster have arrived.  The site is for an experimental chemical, which, if you watch the teaser trailer, is clearly the reason for the zombie virus that spreads through the country. We always thought Devil's Playground had a 28 Days Later-vibe, but seeing how both movies are British, it seems appropriate to do a little borrowing.

Mark McQueen directed the movie, which releases onto DVD in the UK on October 11. No word yet on a U.S. release. The movie stars Craig Fairbrass (Dead Cert), Myanna Burning (The Descent), Janet Montgomery (Wrong Turn 3: Left for Dead), Shane Taylor (Band of Brothers), Jaime Murray (Dexter), and Craig Conway (Doomsday). A new poster for the movie is below.

Source: Styd...

Bob Hoskins (Doomsday), Jason Flemying (The 4th Reich , Dead Cert, Solomon Kane) and Talulah Riley (Inception) are set and Willem Dafoe (Antichrist) is in talks to star in a new alien invasion pic titled Transmission. The film, Moviehole has learned, is being developed by Gold Films (who are Giles Alderson with his writing, producing partner Martin Owen) and is a British sci-fi feature being shot in 3D and centered around an alien invasion during an solar eclipse. The film is described as Pitch Black meets 28 Days Later. Roger Christian, the Oscar Winning art director of Star Wars, is in talks to direct the film.

The teaser art for the next zombie themed epic coming out of the UK, Black and Blue Films' Devil's Playground, has come our way; and it's void of floating heads, pensive looking teens, and all the rest of the cliché horseshit we're spoon-fed here in the States.

Devil's Playground stars Craig Fairbrass as Cole, a hardened killer searching for a cure to the illness causing a zombie apocalypse across the globe that is also slowly turning him into one. Danny Dyer, Colin Salmon, Sean Pertwee, Lisa McAllister, Alistair Petrie, Jaime Murray, Shane Taylor, Craig Conway, MyAnna Buring, and Del Henney, whom you may remember as one of the villains in Straw Dogs, all co-star. Mark McQueen is in the director's chair.

"One of the best things about Devil's Playground is the cast," says producer Jonathan Sothcott. "In Craig Fairbrass I have the best action guy in the country - Craig...

When talking about British Film there are certain, unavoidable, assumptions one automatically makes. Those crisply enunciated words have long conjured pictures of rolling hills, heaving bosoms, mad Kings and foppish fools. An entire industry has been built upon the ever changing hair of Mr Hugh Grant and Jane Austen’s back catalogue has been taken advantage of in the parlour time and time again.

It is a world apart from those reliable old exports that we may find the Britain of gangster flicks. They populate a straight-to-dvd nether world which has scant regard for global recognition. These are not slick Ritchie flicks, attracting Hollywood stars to a middle-class vision of roughing it. These are honest to goodness, behind the scenes at the terraces, unflinching looks at a crude life of crime. A fist-full make it to limited big screen release bolstered by underworld faces, true-crime notoriety and boxing names. Few...

Given the seemingly never ending popularity of the Brit gangster film, it was always inevitable that sooner or later someone would take the next logical step and combine it with the horror genre. “Dead Cert” does just that, following in the footsteps of Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriquez’s classic “Dusk Till Dawn” by throwing vampires into the mix. Directed by Steve Lawson (“Just For The Record”), the film comes with a cast list that reads like a who’s who of Brit genre talent, including Craig Fairbrass (“Rise Of The Footsoldier”), Billy Murray (“Essex Boys”), Dexter Fletcher (“Kick-Ass”), Steven Berkoff (“44 Inch Chest”), Dave Legeno (“Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince”), top character actor Jason Flemying (“Clash Of The Titans”) and even a bonus in the form of a cameo, from the one and only Danny Dyer (“Basement”). The film now arrives on DVD via Momentum Pictures, coming complete with...

London -- Emily Blunt, James McAvoy, Bill Nighy and Ian Holm are just some of the 50-plus actors who have put their names Thursday to a letter calling for the government to save the U.K. Film Council.

The open letter penned to The Daily Telegraph, the national newspaper long regarded as having Conservative views, condemns the Tory-led coalition government's recent decision to axe the government-backed agency.

Signatories also including Timothy Spall, Pete Postlethwaite and Sophie Okonedo added their names to the letter warning that the decision to pull the plug threatens to seriously damage the entire British film industry.

"Everyone, including those in the film industry, knows that times are tough. But the UKFC doesn't waste money, it makes it," the letter reads. "Thanks to its [UKFC] efforts, our film industry -- worth £4.5 billion ($7.16 billion) a year -- has rarely been stronger."

Since Monday's terse statement from the government...

In a statement released today, actor and independent film producer Billy Murray has backed Jeremy Hunt’s decision to axe the UK Film Council.

Murray has been one of the best-loved faces on British screens for over thirty years, including films such as Performance, Essex Boys and cult classic McVicar. More recently he has become known for his TV work, appearing as bent cop Don Beech in top-rated ITV drama The Bill, and later, the iconic TV villain, gangster Johnny Allen in Eastenders. He’s also the voice of Captain Price in the two Call of Duty: Modern Warfare video games.

Since leaving Eastenders, Murray has moved behind the camera and owns the production company Black and Blue Films, whose movies include Rise of the Footsoldier and Doghouse, as well as the forthcoming vampires vs gangsters horror thriller Dead Cert, which premieres at the London Film4 FrightFest on 26th August.

Ex-Emmerdale star Adele Silva has been cast in horror comedy Strippers Vs. Werewolves. The movie, which is being produced by Dead Cert's Jonathan Sothcott, will revolve around the accidental killing of werewolf chief Jack Ferris in a stripclub. The girls who work at the venue then have until the next full moon before his pack seeks them out for revenge. Silva told Digital Spy of her role in the production: "I'm really looking forward to being involved in S vs. W. The script is very funny and all the female roles are very strong. "It's something you can get your teeth into, which is great for an actress. It makes a nice change from all the guy-centric, (more)...

It’s always great when those inside the filmmaking biz get in touch to turn us on to some of the more interesting upcoming releases so we were delighted when prolific producer Jonathan Sothcott (Dead Cert, The Asphyx remake) gave us a heads-up regarding the UK DVD release of Robert Pratten’s indie body-horror Mindflesh.

Sothcott had this to say:

"Robert Pratten's Mindflesh is a film I dearly wish I'd produced - its an exceptionally original, striking movie in the Cronenberg style - gore, girls and endless psychological tricks. I was amazed it hadn't found a home on UK DVD and so introduced Robert to my friends at 4DigitalMedia, who released my first film Wishbaby. They now have it scheduled for an extras-packed DVD release later in the year when hopefully it can find the wide audience it richly deserves."

Adding, "Robert is an exceptionally intelligent, provocative filmmaker and...

Another vampire flick, you ask? Yes, dear readers, another vampire flick. Director Steve Lawson’s upcoming blood-sucking gangster opus “Dead Cert” actually looks pretty snazzy despite the fact that my patience with modern vampire movies is quickly running low. Granted, this one appears to be taking the tired formula in a completely different direction, but it’s hard to get genuinely excited about a project featuring vampires these days. Everyone’s got a vampire movie coming out, and if they don’t, chances are they’re getting ready to start one. “Dead Cert” certainly looks cool, and I’m willing to give it the benefit of the doubt. Good thing I’m open-minded, right? Here’s a synopsis courtesy of Horror-Movies.ca: When respected but small-time gangster Freddie ‘Dead Cert’ Frankham (Craig Fairbrass) is unexpectedly given the chance to make a tentative leap into the big leagues with the opening...

Dead Cert UK DVD ArtDead Cert is a United Kingdom shot film, which will have a World Premiere at London's 2010 Frightfest. Dead Cert translates to practically guaranteed, or dead certain and fans can see this feature on the big screen August 26th (only in UK). This flick will move to DVD also in the UK September 27th through Momentum Pictures. The film itself involves Romanian Vampires who have an eye for business and the London nightlife. Their insatiable hunger leads them to take out local mid-level gangsters and raqueteers with a fatal fanged bite. A trailer is available for those interested in the film along with a UK movie poster seen here.

The synopsis for Dead Cert here:

"A gang of tough London Hoods get more than they bargained for when a Group of Eastern European Businessmen make an offer to buy their Club, the Paradise. Refusing to take no...

Just in time for its debut at the Film4 FrightFest we've gotten our hands on a couple of more stills and even the DVD cover art for Dead Cert!

After premiering at London Film4 FrightFest (August 26-30), Dead Cert will be released on DVD in UK by Momentum Pictures on September 27th. Special Features include an audio commentary, and a making-of featurette.

Producer Jonathan Sothcott says of star Billy Murray (pictured below), "“Billy Murray has the same qualities as an actor that DeNiro and Nicholson do – he can be utterly charming and utterly terrifying – and he can turn either on at will. He’s an actor whose brilliant TV work kept him away from film audiences in the last decade but his performances in recent movies like Rise of the Footsoldier, Freight and now Dead Cert are utterly compelling – an incredibly accomplished, stylish film actor at the top of his game.

Just in time for its big world premiere news comes along the official artwork for Dead Cert , Steven Lawson's genre-bending gangster/vampire hybrid that stars Craig Fairbrass, Janet Montgomery and Jason Flemyng. You can read our exclusive set report here . The world premiere of Dead Cert will take place 11:30pm on Thursday, August 27 at The Empire Cinema in Leicester Square, London, on the opening night of the FrightFest horror film festival. Those attending: Craig Fairbrass, Lisa McAllister, Billy Murray, Dexter Fletcher, Jennifer Matter and screen legend Steven Berkoff along with director Steve Lawson, executive producer Martin Kemp and producer Jonathan Sothcott. The film hits UK DVD on September 27. Check out the video promos we have here .

British actor Danny Dyer, whose genre credits include Severance and this year’s Doghouse, is becoming a regular in the productions of Black and Blue Films, including Devil’S Playground and the upcoming remake of The Asphyx. And he’s also got a small unbilled role in the company’s vampires-vs.-gangsters opus Dead Cert, regarding which we’ve got a few words from a producer and uncovered a couple of pics.

The UK's most amazing horror film festival Film4 FrightFest has released what could very well be another one of the best horror line-ups we've seen ever for its latest show taking place from Thursday the 26th of August to Monday the 30th of August, brimming with films we've been salivating over Stateside!

From the Press Release

This year there are eight British films in the main programme (another record) including Monsters, Gareth Edwards’ sensational post-Apocalyptic debut, The Ford Brothers’ Cannes-hyped African Zombie flick The Dead and Johannes Roberts F – in which a school gets a lesson in horror! Other home-grown titles are Dead Cert (East-End gangsters meet Eastern European vampires), Isle Of Dogs (nasty gangland horror), Paul Andrew Williams’ harrowing Cherry Tree Lane and werewolf thriller 13Hrs. Plus, Jake West will be presenting his in-depth documentary Video Nasties: Moral Panic, Censorship And Videotape, which will be followed by a Q & A panel discussion.