Saturday 29 December 2018

Flavours of the Month: December 2018...

Horror docs, festivities, and a sitcoms of various shades have been setting the tone of my December 2018...

Click "READ MORE" below to see this month's looks, sounds, vibes & flavours...

Tuesday 11 December 2018

The Best of 80s Scream Queens (David DeCoteau, 1987-1989) Blu-Ray Review

Find more exploitation reviews here.


“Hell Just Got a Lot Hotter!” Three low budget genre movies on two discs: Nightmare Sisters, Murder Weapon, and Deadly Embrace; with three legendary scream queens popping up (and popping out) across them all: Brinke Stevens, Linnea Quigley, and Michelle Bauer. Fans of 1980s VHS flicks, roll on up for 247 minutes worth of low budget run-and-gun exploitation as sorority nerds are possessed by a succubus, two psychotic mob daughters throw a house party, and a desperate housewife entertains the pool boy...

Click “READ MORE” below to continue the review and see more screenshots…

Thursday 29 November 2018

Flavours of the Month: November 2018...

Carpenter classics, ascending zombies, and the biggest videogame release of the year are just some of what's been setting the tone of my November 2018...

Click "READ MORE" below to see this month's looks, sounds, vibes & flavours...

Sunday 25 November 2018

FWOAN at Top Indie Film Awards...

For Want of a Nail has done rather well at the Top Indie Film Awards for October 2018.


In addition to a win for Best Director, FWOAN also received seven nominations including Best Short, Best Original Idea, and Best Writing!


Check out their website HERE for the full list of nominations and wins in all categories.

Our other nominations came in the Cinematography, Editing, Music, and Sound categories.

Click "READ MORE" below for the rest of the laurels...

Wednesday 14 November 2018

Nail Gun Massacre (Terry Lofton & Bill Leslie, 1985) Blu-Ray Review

Find more exploitation reviews here.


“Now, now. You shouldn't really fall to pieces over me.” Cheaper than a chainsaw, pointier than a pointy thing, this low budget revenge-fuelled slasher brings bargain basement gore to the woods of rural Texas where a maniac with an aversion to amorous couples and construction workers is on the rampage. Cobbled together by determined first-time film makers and exploited by unscrupulous distributors for decades, the journey towards wider recognition has been an arduous one for Nail Gun Massacre, a gritty DIY horror from the heyday of the video cassette that is adored just as much for its unintentional goofs as it is for its scripted sarcasm...


Click “READ MORE” below to continue the review and see more screenshots…

Saturday 10 November 2018

That's TV Surrey - Report on FWOAN

"For Want Of A Nail" has just been covered in a video report by That's TV Surrey, featuring interviews with Producer Ali Causon and Director Lucy Joan Barnes. You can check it out via YouTube or on their Facebook page.


You can also view That's TV Surrey in the local area on Freeview channels 7 and 8.

Click "READ MORE" below for the Facebook embed...

Tuesday 6 November 2018

FWOAN Moves into Annual Nominations...

"For Want of a Nail" won Best Short Drama at the Changing Face International Film Festival back in September for the monthly event, and now we have progressed into the nominations for the annual event!

The full nomination list is:
BEST SHORT DRAMA | ANNUAL NOMINATIONS 2018
Are your Volleyball?! | Mohammad Bakhshi (IRAN)
Avery Road | Dustin Curtis Murphy (USA)
Casting of an Innocent Women | Jacob Thomas Pilgaard (DENMARK)
Excursion to the Mountains | Dermot Daly and Ivan Mack (UK)
For Want Of A Nail | Lucy Joan Barnes (UK)
GAB | (La Vie Parigo) Gazanfer Biricik (FRANCE)
I'm Sorry (Fyrirgefðu - útskriftarmynd Ingunnar Míu) | Lovisa Lara (ICELAND)
Mother's Day | GP2 Entertainment - Peter Koevari & Greg Powell (AUSTRALIA)
Tag, You're It Film | Corey Donaldson(AUSTRALIA)
The Morning After | Leanne Mangan (AUSTRALIA)
The Nixie (Świtezianka) | Julia Bui Ngoc (POLAND)
This is Home | Jason P. Schumacher GreyDuck Productions (USA)
Torment | Luciana Caplan (USA)
We've also been nominated in the Editing and Set Design categories:
BEST EDITING | ANNUAL NOMINATIONS 2018
Bryngeir Wattnes (I'm Sorry Fyrirgefðu - útskriftarmynd Ingunnar Míu | Iceland)
Gregg Houston (Somewhere in their Heads Curse Of Lono | UK)
Harry Assouline (New York 2150 | USA)
Nick Sutton (Mumpsimus and Halcyon Discord | UK)
Paul Anthony Nelson (After Nightfall | Australia)
Ryan Tyan (For Want Of A Nail | UK)
BEST SET DESIGN | ANNUAL NOMINATIONS 2018
Kate Ingram (Wheels of Fortune | Australia)
Nicole Zimmer (Okay | Canada)
Olivia Venables (For Want Of A Nail | UK)
Tony Gary (Dandelion | USA)

Saturday 3 November 2018

FWOAN Wins at Mindfield...

Some more great news from the festival circuit - For Want Of A Nail has received a Platinum Award for Best Short Film at the Mindfield Film Festival in Albuquerque, New Mexico.


There are five categories of award for Best Short - Diamond, Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze.

Find the full list of winners HERE.

Thursday 1 November 2018

FWOAN Wins at DMOFF...

Groovy news from the Direct Monthly Online Film Festival - I won the award for Best Screenwriter!


You can check out the full list of winners HERE.

Tuesday 30 October 2018

Flavours of the Month: October 2018...

Bold-faced comedy, a return to the grind, and intellectual horrors are just some of what's been setting the tone of my October 2018...

Click "READ MORE" below to see this month's looks, sounds, vibes & flavours...

Friday 26 October 2018

FWOAN at Eurasia IMFF...

Been a short spell since the last bit of festival news, but here's a new update - For Want of a Nail has been selected as a semi-finalist at the Eurasia International Monthly Film Festival.

Eurasia International Monthly Film Festival is an independent festival for independent filmmakers. Our festival has emerged as the online festival and monthly film club. Currently it is an online festival with the annual gala screenings of the winning films. The mission of our festival is to introduce audience with the filmmakers from over the world and to open the new names.
Find out more by visiting their website HERE.

Tuesday 23 October 2018

Daddy Grimes Edition: The Walking Dead 9x03 Meme...

Find more Walking Dead memes here.

So far so good for the ninth season of TWD. Under the leadership of Angela Kang (the new showrunner), the show has rediscovered not only its proper sense of pacing but the central thing that draws you in: interesting characters involved in complex conflicts. Many of the tweaks are subtle, but amount to a large and welcome rejuvenation which has gifted TWD a breath of fresh-but-familiar air. Here's hoping that Kang & Co can keep it up after the well-advertised and imminent departure of Rick Grimes...

Click image for FULL SIZE.

Click to Enlarge: Rick needs to catch Michonne up on the first two seasons...

Friday 19 October 2018

Monday 15 October 2018

FWOAN at Feel The Reel IFF...

"For Want Of A Nail" has been officially selected by the Feel The Reel International Film Festival.

Feel The Reel is a monthly international film festival founded in Glasgow, United Kingdom. FTR is not only an online film festival, but also a festival with live screenings, our friends from Bucharest ShortCut Cinefest making this possible. Therefore, screenings will take place once a month and our winner will have the chance to be screened in the very heart of the dynamic and ever growing Bucharest, in Romania.
We are in the fiction category - and you can vote for us - just go to the website HERE and scroll down to the Audience Award / "Vote Fiction" section. Voting ends October 23rd.

UPDATE - we won the Best Editing award - congratulations to our editor Ryan Tian! See the full list of results HERE.

Friday 12 October 2018

The Mutilator (Buddy Cooper, 1984) Blu-Ray Review...

Find more exploitation reviews here.


“By sword, by pick, by axe, bye bye!” In the wake of Sean S. Cunningham's 1980 slasher flick Friday the 13th (perhaps the ultimate in killer franchises) there came a glut of gore-soaked low budget maniac movies in which a slew of tender teens came face-to-face with meat cleavers, chainsaws, fishermen's hooks and all varieties of sharp objects. When Victor Miller wrote Friday the 13th, he studied prior films in the genre – most notably John Carpenter's seminal Halloween (1978) – finding the beats and working with them closely and, in the case of Buddy Cooper's The Mutilator (aka Fall Break), a similar path was taken, but with some playful tweaks thrown into the mix...


Click “READ MORE” below to continue the review and see more screenshots…

Thursday 11 October 2018

FWOAN Awarded...

The Berlin Flash Film Festival has awarded "For Want Of A Nail" for Outstanding Achievement.
"You, as filmmakers, demonstrated incredible potential. We felt it only suitable to award you Outstanding Achievement."
In other related news, we also got a Special Mention from the English Riviera Film Festival.


Wednesday 10 October 2018

REEL Recovery Film Festival - FWOAN Hits Santa Monica Blvd...

The REEL Recovery Film Festival will be taking place in Los Angeles between the 24th and 30th of October and "For Want Of A Nail" will be screening there at the Laemmle Royal Theater (11523 Santa Monica Blvd).

SCREENING INFO FOR OUR L.A. PREMIERE:
Thursday October 25th at 2pm
FREE ADMISSION
The Laemmle Royal Theater. Schedule info HERE.

Writers In Treatment is proud to present The REEL Recovery Film Festival. This multi-day event is  a celebration of film, the arts, writing and creativity. We showcase filmmakers who make honest films about addiction, alcoholism, behavioral disorders, treatment and recovery. Slated for screening is an eclectic lineup of contemporary and classic films, documentaries and shorts from American and international, first-time filmmakers and industry veterans.
This will be the 10th year anniversary for the festival.

FWOAN at Ficsam 2018...

"For Want Of A Nail" has been officially selected to appear at the Ficsam Festival in Portugal.
Organized by the Association Collective Unconscious the 5th edition of the International Festival of Cinema and Mental Health | FICSAM will be held at the Faro Municipal Museum. This event aims, through the arts, including film, contribute to sensitize the general public on issues related to mental health of individuals, fight stigma and discrimination associated with this type of problem and help to promote human rights people with mental illness. The FICSAM takes place annually in parallel with the celebrations of the World Mental Health Day, 10 October.   Among the display of short and feature films of fiction, documentary, animation and video clips and films produced in national and international schools.
You can see the list of selected films HERE, and find out more about Ficsam at their website HERE.

Tuesday 9 October 2018

FWOAN Nominated at Dublin IFF...

Super snazzy news from the Dublin International Film Festival (where we've been officially selected), as our Director - Lucy Joan Barnes - has been nominated for Best Director!


Check out the Dublin IFF website HERE.

Monday 8 October 2018

Pookie Zone Edition: The Walking Dead 9x01 Memes...

For more Walking Dead memes click here.

It's good to have TWD back, and the season 9 premiere was a good one. So much going on, lots of exciting new groundwork being laid as tensions simmer between post-war communities, and a shocking/satisfying climax that brings one of my favourite bits from the comics to the screen.

Click each image for FULL SIZE.

Click to Enlarge: Thank God for Corn Fuel!

Click "READ MORE" below for the rest of this week's memes...

Sunday 7 October 2018

Feedback for FWOAN...

"For Want Of A Nail" has been doing very well on the festival circuit and with that comes some feedback, so here's a selection of the kind words we've been receiving.
Loved it! Wonderful! I don’t have OCD, but I’m always trying to look for context and examples, to help me understand how my daughter is processing things and how OCD might be disrupting/interfering in her brain. The various visual treatments of Marty’s thoughts, in the multitude of ways that you showed them, did a fabulous job to help me. Thank you for that! It’s really hard, perhaps impossible, for those with OCD to shut off the thoughts. That’s so clear in the film. Well done.
Chris Baler, Producer of 2017 Documentary Short "Unstuck: An OCD Kids Movie"

For Want of a Nail is a great short film. The Writing is awesome and the directing brought it together quite nicely. The Acting was very natural and I could feel the emotions in the characters. The Cinematography was very well done. The Editing was smooth and true to the genre. The Sound Design / Score was perfect for the genre as well. The Visual FX were very well done throughout. I loved it!
Mindfield Film Festival, Alburquerque

WOWOWOW!  I am so impressed with the final product! It's excellent in every way! Bravo and THANK YOU for making it!
OCD Help For All

Absolutely spot on. Well done for this , very informative.
Ash Curry, Advocate for OCD Action and NHS Speaker

I have a friend who has bad OCD. Now I have a better understanding of how his obsessions affect him. Really good informative film. Very informative.
Keith, Mental Health News Hub

We loved your film and are extremely honoured to have such high quality work as part of our festival.
Changing Face International Film Festival

You can also read a review of the film by The Independent Critic HERE.

Saturday 6 October 2018

FWOAN Wins at Changing Face IFF...

More decidedly groovy film fest news just in from Sydney, Austrailia - "For Want Of A Nail" has won Best Short Drama at the Changing Face International Film Festival in the monthly competition for September 2018!


Check out the full list of Changing Face winners for September 2018 at the fest's website HERE.

Friday 5 October 2018

FWOAN at Berlin Flash FF...

So not one, but two festival announcements today! "For Want Of A Nail" has been selected to appear at the October 2018 monthly screenings for the Berlin Flash Film Festival!
Berlin Flash Film Festival's monthly screenings are held at the Apollo Theater in the SI Centrum.  On the last day of each month, a select group of guest judges and industry professionals gather for a late night screening to view our monthly category winners. Each monthly category winner is judged based on several factors spanning from story to sound. Surrounded with endless amounts of flavored popcorn, beanbags, blankets, chairs, pillows, score cards, and miniature pencils, our monthly screenings create three elements: a welcoming environment, a sense of community, and a cheeky indie flavor. These three elements best reflect our mission and annual festival.  Our monthly screening events mark an important step for our winners to progress as semi-finalists to our annual festival, Berlin Flash Film Festival.
Check out the website HERE.

FWOAN Selected for Lift-Off...

"For Want Of A Nail" has been officially selected for the Lift-Off Sessions October 2018.

The Lift-Off Sessions is a monthly online showcase, dedicated to screening the best and latest indie shorts to as wide an audience as possible. Lift-Off Global Network are committed to introducing new audiences to the indie film market.
Their official website is HERE.

Wednesday 3 October 2018

FWOAN Selected for Overcome FF...

The film festival announcements just keep on coming for "For Want Of A Nail", our short film about OCD. Today's news is that we've been officially selected for the Overcome Film Festival 2018.

The Overcome Film Festival especially encourages and welcomes the entries of filmmakers all over the world who wants to share their experiences in overcoming adversity or any other factor that has contributed to their growth as a person and motivated them to celebrate their existence. It is the focus of the film festival to give survivors a voice and a venue to share their life experiences and provide hope to others regardless of where they come from in the world.
Prior to this whole #FWOAN project I had not spoken at all about my experiences with OCD. Oakhill Productions' call for short scripts coincided with a time when I was recognising that my compulsive routines (which I'd also kept hidden away) were gaining more power as well as complexity. To claw some of that power back from my OCD I wrote "For Want Of A Nail" (our official website is HERE). That act was something in itself, but having my script chosen, and then to be very involved in the whole production, provided certain challenges that are hard to explain, but which I had to tackle. Dealing with your OCD isn't a simple thing, of course, and there's plenty more to wrap my head around, but FWOAN has provided challenges and opportunities that have all been for the better and I'm very proud of the final product.

Check out their Facebook page HERE and their official website HERE.

Monday 1 October 2018

FWOAN Selected for DMOFF...

More FWOAN news - we've been selected for the Direct Monthly Online Film Festival.
DMOFF is an International, Independent online event for Independent filmmakers, all Short, Documentary, Feature, Music Video and Web Series. The goal of DMOFF is to Provide homes to the group of young and vibrant film enthusiasts who are committed to creating spaces for independent cinema and devoted to spreading the knowledge of the modern visual art form to all interested. We at DMOFF aim at bringing out the best Short, Documentary, Feature, Music video and web series from around the globe and to present it all on one single platform which is our website.
Find out more info about the fest by visiting their website HERE.

Sunday 30 September 2018

Flavours of the Month: September 2018...

Sixties intrigue, searing telly drama, and a Blu-Ray bonanza are just some of what's been setting the tone of my September 2018...

Click "READ MORE" below to see this month's looks, sounds, vibes & flavours...

Thursday 27 September 2018

FWOAN Selected for Mindfield FF...

More festival news relating to "For Want Of A Nail" - we've been selected to be a part of the Mindfield Film Festival in Albuquerque!


Check out their Facebook page HERE, or their official website HERE.

Monday 24 September 2018

Snuffles Script Selected for Boobs & Blood IFF 2018...

Groovy news, folks! My darkly comedic horror screenplay "How Mr Snuffles III and Others Met Their Maker" has been officially selected to be a part of the 2018 Boobs & Blood International Film Festival, which takes place October 5th - 6th in Los Angeles.

Sponsored by Final Draft and Wild Eye Releasing, the festival supports a range of breast cancer charities, with all online profits being donated to the Breast Cancer charity 'Feel Your Boobies', the festival also boasts an all-female judging panel this year.


It's not just the ladies who should feel their boobies, though, the guys too - yep, although it's much less common, chaps can get breast cancer as well (we've all got breast tissue) ... so next time you're having a check downstairs, mosey on upstairs and have a quick check there as well.

You can follow the B&B Facebook page HERE, and see the schedule of festival events HERE. The first issue of Boobs & Blood Magazine will also be released in October.

Thursday 20 September 2018

FWOAN - Interview with actor Clark Alexander...

Following on from interviews with Thomasin Lockwood (Mindi) and Lisa Opara (Sally), we've now got an interview with our lead actor Clark Alexander, who plays Marty in For Want Of A Nail.
What appeals to you about the character of Marty?
I really like the challenge of being able to play a character with OCD. I like how much Marty jokes and makes light of his OCD, yet the film has some dark and heavy themes so it's nice to find the light within that.

What has your most challenging role been so far?
Marty looks to be my most challenging role thus far, which is really exciting. But before this, it would have to be Trigorin in The Seagull by Anton Chekhov.
Skip on over to the official FWOAN website to read the full interview by clicking HERE.

Wednesday 19 September 2018

FWOAN - Interview with actress Lisa Opara...

Following on from yesterday's interview with Thomasin Lockwood (Mindi), you can now check out an interview with Lisa Opara - who plays Marty's girlfriend Sally in For Want Of A Nail.
What appeals to you about the character of Sally?
I felt a lot of empathy for Sally. She clearly has a huge heart and genuinely loves Marty but she's just had enough. She seems like a very strong character so I'm excited to explore her strength, but even more excited to explore her vulnerability. The internal war between holding on for the sake of love, and letting go for the sake of, well almost for the sake of her sanity is something that drew me to her.
Read the full interview at the official FWOAN website HERE.

Tuesday 18 September 2018

FWOAN - Interview with actress Thomasin Lockwood...

A new interview with Thomasin Lockwood - who plays Marty's twin sister Mindi in the film - has just gone live.
What appeals to you about the character of Mindy?
I like that she's tough on the outside, but inside is hurting deeply. She's someone who has endured a lot in life and has always had to be the 'strong' one. I like that I get to portray someone so complex.
Check out the full interview over at the official For Want Of A Nail website HERE.

Sunday 16 September 2018

FWOAN Festivals Update...

Just a quick bit of festival-related news for our short film "For Want Of A Nail" while our producer Ali has been busy working on a feature film.

Mental Health Arts and Film Festival (Semi-Finalist, 2018)


Los Angeles FEEDBACK Female Film Festival (2018)

LAFFFF brings up the issue of women in film, and in the case of FWOAN in addition to Ali, our producer who captained the ship from the get-go, we had women - chosen on merit or previous working relationships - filling the roles of: Director, Actors (both supporting roles were female), Director of Photography, Art Director, Assistant to the Art Director, 2nd Assistant Director, Costume Supervisor, Catering (two), Make-Up Artist, as well as our contacts at the charities OCD Action and Mind, and last but not least our Runner/Art Dept Assistant who was one of three young adults who were on-set gaining valuable work experience.

Friday 7 September 2018

Syndicate Sadists (Umberto Lenzi, 1975) DVD Review

Find more exploitation reviews here.


“I'm not scared now that you're here.” All the boys admire Rambo (Thomas Milian, The Cynic, The Rat, and The Fist), the rogue with a scuffed heart of gold, as director Umberto Lenzi (Nightmare Beach) mashes Sergio Leone's Dollars trilogy with The Godfather for this well-crafted poliziotteschi where a drifter rides in on a (steel) horse and gets entangled with two criminal gangs. Italy in the 1970s was a hotbed of headline-grabbing violence from high profile kidnappings to home-grown terrorism, and it was against this backdrop that 'Eurocrime' films dashed onto silver screens in a cacophony of squealing tires and blazing guns...


Click “READ MORE” below to continue the review and see more screenshots…

Thursday 30 August 2018

Flavours of the Month: August 2018...

Complicated comics, all-out action in middle America, and an elf named Elfo are just a few examples of what's been setting the tone of my August 2018...

Click "READ MORE" below to see this month's looks, sounds, vibes & flavours...

Wednesday 8 August 2018

Delirium (Lamberto Bava, 1987) Blu-Ray Review

Find more giallo reviews here.


“Sounds like you enjoy playing the victim.” The 1970s saw an explosion of 'giallo' films produced by Italian filmmakers after the success of Dario Argento's début film The Bird With The Crystal Plumage, a murder mystery that twisted sex and violence together in a bravura package of style and warped psychology. As the decade wore on the flood turned into a trickle, but the American slasher movie craze that came in the wake of John Carpenter's Halloween (1978) and Sean S. Cunningham's Friday the 13th (1980) saw somewhat of a revival of blood-soaked mysteries in Italy with the likes of Tenebrae (1982) and A Blade In The Dark (1983). However, once again, the craze waned, but spurts of brilliance still emerged with Argento's Terror at the Opera (1987) – in which a bullet penetrates a peep hole to brain-splattering effect – or, in this case, Lamberto Bava's psycho-sexual mystery slasher Delirium (aka La Foto Di Gioia) – in which a woman with a big, veiny eyeball for a face gets skewered with a pitchfork … now that got you intrigued, didn't it?


Click “READ MORE” below to continue the review and see more screenshots…

Tuesday 31 July 2018

Flavours of the Month: July 2018...

Crash by way of Ballard and Cronenberg, the 1970s and 1980s through Netflix's eyes, and trashy horror flicks are just some of what's been setting the tone of my July 2018...

Click "READ MORE" below to see this month's looks, sounds, vibes & flavours...

Monday 23 July 2018

Screenplay Sample Pages - How Mr Snuffles III and Others Met Their Maker...

How Mr Snuffles III and Others Met Their Maker is a dark comedy novella I wrote concerning the twisted exploits of Elnora, a pet therapist with a sideline in post-mortem pet portraiture, and Parker, a gifted taxidermist, who join forces to explore the limits of love, death, and psychopathy in the warped world of celebrityville. You can find out more info about it HERE.

I have since adapted it into a screenplay, which allowed me to expand on the characters and story first established in the novella - and now you can read some sample pages from the script.

These twenty-five pages are all taken from various points in the first half of the screenplay, giving you just enough of a taste without revealing too much. READ THEM HERE.

Thursday 19 July 2018

FWOAN - the V.R. Experience...

Following on from our charity screening in May - during which we raised £350 for OCD Action - we have now released a Virtual Reality experience which takes place inside the world of Marty, the protagonist in the film. A representative from OCD Action came along on the day and has done a write-up of the event, as well as the V.R. experience, with a selection of pictures.

Check out the article HERE.

The V.R. experience can be viewed on YouTube and gives you a glimpse inside Marty's world, featuring clips from the film as well as some facts about OCD to help give a clearer picture about the condition. The V.R. experience also features a version of a pivotal scene in the film featuring Lisa Opara as Sally, which we get to see from Marty's POV.

Check out the V.R. experience HERE.

For more things FWOAN, follow us on Facebook or visit our website.

Monday 9 July 2018

Blastfighter (Lamberto Bava, 1984) DVD Review

Find more exploitation reviews here.


“You only get peace when you can impose it.” Lamberto Bava, son of the iconic Italian filmmaker Mario Bava, never quite achieved the creative heights of his father's catalogue of cinematic treats (Mario kick started the entire giallo movement with The Girl Who Knew Too Much in 1963), but he has nonetheless carved out a recognised and beloved niche in Italian genre cinema. Macabre, Body Puzzle, A Blade in the Dark, Delirium, and particularly Demons, will all be familiar to aficionados of European exploitation movies, but whereas Demons dispensed with characterisation and any shred of plot logic in favour of scatter gun gore, Lamberto's 1984 action thriller Blastfighter crafts a character-rich story which dispenses frequent action while still keeping the viewer emotionally invested...


Click “READ MORE” below to continue the review and see more screenshots…

Saturday 30 June 2018

Flavours of the Month: June 2018...

Grotty grindhouse flicks, 90s rave tracks, and Palahniuk's most daring novel in years is just some of what's been setting the tone of my June 2018...

Click "READ MORE" below to see this month's looks, sounds, vibes & flavours...

Thursday 21 June 2018

Sleaze Fiend Magazine - Issue #3 Preview


It has taken a little while, but Sleaze Fiend Magazine is back for a hell-blazing return in this 76 page extravaganza of scintillating filth! This issue is dedicated to the down 'n' dirty biker movies of the 1970s in 'Death on Wheels: A Bikesploitation Retrospective', detailing more than twenty different entries in the genre including "The Glory Stompers", "The Savage Seven", "Naked Angels", and "Sleazy Rider".

Our other main feature in this sizzling outing is 'Hot Flesh & Cold Steel: Decades of Depravity - The Women In Prison Genre', which examines some key entries in the sub-genre including: "Bare Behind Bars" (the movie that clothing forgot), "Sadomania" (Jess Franco's muckiest directorial effort), and "Caged Women" (learn more about squeaky bums and a novel way of staying hydrated) among other sinful sights.

We've also got Streeborama slingin' some much needed revolutionary fervour about as he details "Easy Rider" and "Sweet Sweetback's Badasssss Song", wrapping it all together as he rails against 'the New Millennium of Mediocrity'. Furthermore, there's another entry in 'The Manson Files' and a few more tidbits besides (such as a review of "The Humans" comic book series). Elsewhere in the issue we have a few career retrospectives: two for a pair of icons of horror cinema who sadly passed away since our last issue - Wes Craven and George A. Romero - and another for the late Rene Bond, star of various adult films from back in the heyday of mucky movies.

Independently produced - by fans, for fans - and featuring some tasty artwork, this glossy cover mag with a hard spine is sure to rev your hog's engine and send your wildest daydreams hurtling back to a simpler, sleazier time when exploitation cinema ruled the dusty back roads of America!

Order yourself a copy of SFM#3 by visiting our store HERE.

Follow us on Facebook to stay up-to-date and chat with fellow sleaze fiends.

Sunday 10 June 2018

Man From Deep River (Umberto Lenzi, 1972) DVD Review

Find more exploitation reviews here.


“He dared the forbidden river where adventure ends and hell begins!” This former 'video nasty' is regarded as the first film in the cycle of Italian cannibal movies that reared their bloody heads throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. Yet Umberto Lenzi's Man From Deep River – otherwise known as Deep River Savages, Sacrifice!, or Mondo Cannibale – ironically features very little flesh eating. Instead, the film focuses more on the culture clash that comes about when a photojournalist from the western world is captured by a remote tribe somewhere in the wilds between Thailand and Burma - as 88 Films' DVD presentation inspires heated debate...


Click “READ MORE” below to continue the review and see more screenshots…

Sunday 3 June 2018

FWOAN at the UK Monthly Film Fest...

Following on from our Surrey screening last month, which raised a nice bit of money for the charity OCD Action, we've been officially selected for the UK Monthly Film Festival at the Norwich Puppet Theatre. In this latest round of selections we join other films not only from the UK, but from Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Mongolia, Peru, Turkey, and the United States of America.


More info HERE. Follow FWOAN on Facebook HERE.

Thursday 31 May 2018

Flavours of the Month: May 2018...

Bundles of Blu-Rays, aerial dog fights from a century ago, and FWOAN's first big screening have been setting the tone of my May 2018...

Click "READ MORE" below to see this month's looks, sounds, vibes & flavours...

Monday 21 May 2018

FWOAN Surrey Screening...

This past weekend - on Sunday the 20th of May - we had our first big screening of For Want Of A Nail, which was followed up with a Q&A featuring Ali Causon (Producer), Lucy Joan Barnes (Director), Clark Alexander (Lead Actor), Kasha Khan (On-Set Advisor), and me (Writer). The screening and Q&A went really well, and there was a lot of audience engagement afterwards - during which a silent auction was held to raise money for OCD Action (the charity which endorsed our film).

We received lots of positive feedback, with many members of the audience remarking that they'd learnt a lot about OCD that they had no idea about prior to the screening - and that's the main drive behind FWOAN, to spread the word about what OCD actually is, rather than the stereotypical representations that we've seen for so many years and, unfortunately, continue to see. With FWOAN we're seeking to break down all those stereotypes, to crack through the barrier of fear surrounding mental health, and to inform as well as entertain.

Taken as the audience were entering the theatre.

The screening followed an article in the Epsom Guardian about the film - you can read it HERE - as well as another article on the OCD Action website in which Lucy, Clark, and myself were asked about the making of the film - you can read that one HERE.

You can view more information and pictures from the screening at our Facebook page. Don't forget to like and follow us to keep up-to-date with the film's progress!

Wednesday 16 May 2018

Thriller: A Cruel Picture (Bo A. Vibenius, 1973) DVD Review

Find more exploitation reviews here.


“You better start praying, One Eye.” Perhaps better known under the title They Call Her One Eye, Bo A. Vibenius' stripped-back revenge thriller is an unusual sight to see come from Sweden, where serious art house cinema is more the norm. Mixing overt stylistic flourishes with hardcore sleaze, the tale of Frigga – a mute young woman recovering from a horrific ordeal in childhood – proves to be a tough but rewarding viewing experience, wrought from highly charged emotion and brutality...


Click “READ MORE” below to continue the review and see more screenshots…

Thursday 10 May 2018

Sleaze Fiend Magazine - Issue 3 is here...

It's been a bit of a while since our bumper size Issue #2, but finally - after finding a new print company - we're ready to put the new issue out there!

The long awaited Issue #3 has finally arrived! This issue is filled with BIKES, HIPPIES, LSD, SAVAGERY BEYOND YOUR WILDEST IMAGINATION & MUCH MUCH MORE!

You can pre-order it HERE.

Friday 4 May 2018

The Last American Virgin (Boaz Davidson, 1982) – a quick review...



What's it about?
Raunchy comedy/drama about a group of L.A. teens trying to pop their cherry, but embarrassing misfortunes and harsh realities get in their way.

Who would I recognise in it?
Lawrence Monoson, Diane Franklin, Steve Antin, Kimmy Robertson.


Great/Good/Alright/Shite?
The summer of 1982 saw a glut of saucy teen comedies – chief among them being Bob Clark's Porky's and Amy Heckerling's Fast Times At Ridgemont High – but another, The Last American Virgin, stood out by daring to go different. Produced by the infamous Canon Film Group as their first entry into American filmmaking (check out the documentary Electric Boogaloo), TLAV was a remake of Davidson's hugely successful Israeli film Lemon Popsicle (like a proto American Pie franchise of the 70s and 80s), but it found itself somewhat swept aside in movie theatres by its populist competition. But while Porky's and Fast Times At Ridgemont High had memorable encounters (the shower scene, Phoebe Cates in the red bikini) mixed with sprinklings of seriousness (anti-Semitism, abortion), TLAV's similar mix of light and dark found a larger audience on home video and cable TV in the years that followed...

Click "READ MORE" below to continue the review...

Wednesday 2 May 2018

FWOAN's first award...

For Want Of A Nail has picked up its first award - Editor of the Month - from The Monthly Film Festival (April 2018). Congratulations to our editor Ryan Tian, and hopefully this will be the first of many awards!


FWOAN was also nominated for Film of the Month, Original Score of the Month (Alex Williamson), and Cinematogragher of the Month (Yana Ritz-Cairns).

You can see the results and nominations HERE. Our film's page on TMFF is here.

Monday 30 April 2018

Flavours of the Month: April 2018...

Bittersweet Deadites, Killer Klowns, Controversial Jedi, and kablowie explosions - some of what's been the vibe of my April 2018...

Click "READ MORE" below to see this month's looks, sounds, vibes & flavours...

Tuesday 17 April 2018

Jerrrrry Edition: The Walking Dead 8x16 Memes...

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Click to Enlarge: Jerrrrrrry!

So Season 8 and All Out War draws to a close. Over all the episode was satisfying, although it definitely felt too short - it needed to be one of those extended '90 minute' (63 minutes without adverts) long episodes - but considering the 'crossover' event with Fear The Walking Dead, they had to get it all bashed-out inside an hour slot. The climactic battle was surprisingly short-lived, and even though we've been at All Out War throughout the entirety of Season 8, you still needed a bit more just to finish it off in this finale.

However, it was good to see enough time being spent on the initial post-war days, which helped set up a few intriguing bits for later - conflict among allies and a gigantic mega herd of walkers in particular. There have been problems with the show in the last couple of years, but hopefully come Season 9 (with new showrunner Angela Kang) things will tighten up and feel refreshed. You can see more of my thoughts on TWD in recent times here.

Tuesday 10 April 2018

Massacre In Dinosaur Valley (Michele Massimo Tarantini, 1985) DVD Review

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“It's the land of the Aquata, they're also head hunters, still practising. What's more, some of them are cannibals besides, but I hear the God they venerate is some kind of animal.” The Italian cannibal movie cycle seemingly died a spectacular death in 1981 with Umberto Lenzi's savage Cannibal Ferox, which was otherwise known in American under the particularly memorable title 'Make Them Die Slowly' when it was released stateside in 1983 to thunderous success (1980's Cannibal Holocaust didn't hit America until 1985). The noise of the box office kerchings rang all the way back to Italy and so, further bolstered by the warm reception afforded to jungle adventure romp Romancing The Stone, the Italians returned to the green inferno to deliver Massacre In Dinosaur Valley to the masses...


Click “READ MORE” below to continue the review and see more screenshots…

Saturday 7 April 2018

FWOAN at TMFF 2018...

"For Want of a Nail" screened just the other day at Swinge 2018, and now more festival news - FWOAN will be headed to The Monthly Film Festival for April 2018.


The festival has been running every month since February 2015 and is sponsored by the likes of Final Draft and InkTip.

More info HERE - where you can also vote for us by clicking on the five stars (the same kind of way you'd rate a film on IMDb).