Season of the Witch - Penny Dreadful's 'Shilling Shockers' Season 9

SEASON OF THE WITCH – SHILLING SHOCKERS IS BACK FOR HALLOWEEN

Local TV Show Returns With Its Final Season

October 14, 2015 – The final season of award-winning cult TV show Penny Dreadful’s Shilling Shockers promises to thrill and chill viewers this Halloween. Hosted by Penny Dreadful the witch, Shilling Shockers ends its 10-year run with seven classic films and a wraparound storyline that is sure to surprise enthusiasts of the “horror host” format.

Penny Dreadful’s alter ego and show co-producer Danielle Gelehrter elaborates, “Back in season 7, we decided to try serialized storylines. This style better reflects the “penny dreadfuls” and “shilling shockers” which inspired the name of the show and of the hostess. In this season, we find out how Penny Dreadful became a witch and we discover the repercussions of the pact she signed centuries earlier. In folklore and horror stories, witches have connections to dark forces. Because we showcase vintage horror films, we wanted to explore this aspect of Penny’s history and what it means for her from a moral standpoint. This may sound odd for a horror host show, but we decided to push the boundaries a little bit. Once the storyline wraps up, we get to the fun, traditional horror host style episodes in the latter portion of the season.”

Series director and co-producer Rebecca Paiva adds, “The show has grown from its start as a simple, traditional hosted movie show to one with complicated narratives about the life and experiences of its hosts. Writer and creator Danielle Gelehrter has elevated the horror-host genre from mere late-night schtick to an art form. It’s a joy to work with her, as well as the rest of the cast.”

Gelehrter echoes Paiva’s sentiments, “Rebecca is a prodigiously talented individual. From directing, to editing, to lighting, to acting, she puts an immense amount of work into everything she does. Her efforts are awe-inspiring. It has truly been an honor working alongside her, Magoo, Ivan, and Eric.”

This season also stands as tribute to Gelehrter’s real-life husband Magoo Gelehrter, who portrayed Garou the werewolf in the show. He passed away last year after a brave battle with cancer. Gelehrter says, “We shot all of Garou’s scenes early on because he felt he’d be too sick to do it later on, so he asked us to shoot all of his scenes first. Magoo is utterly wonderful in these episodes. He brought such joy to everything he did. I miss him more than words can express.”

While this is the end of Shilling Shockers as an ongoing series, it is not the end of Penny Dreadful. Gelehrter mysteriously whispers, “Witches…Somebody always finds an incantation to bring ‘em back.”



Penny Dreadful won the 2007 Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award for Favorite Active Horror Host. She won the award again in 2010, becoming the first horror host to win the award twice. She was inducted into the Horror Host Hall of Fame in 2014, joining the likes of Elvira, Vampira, Zacherley, and Ghoulardi.

Garou received a special “Pure In Heart” Rondo Award last year for his bravery in the face of adversity. Series director Rebecca Paiva also received a special Rondo in 2010 for her accomplishments in producing, directing, and editing the series.

Shilling Shockers has sponsored fundraisers for the “Make a Wish” Foundation and the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. In addition, the Shilling Shockers “scream team” continues to make local convention appearances at events such as the Rhode Island Comic Con and Necronomi-Con.

For more information, please visit the Shilling Shockers website.

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Tailypo - Short Film Review - Red Headed Revolution

Red Headed Revolution unleashes a tale of a tail in creepy Tailypo short.

Before I give my review, here is some background information on the short film.

The Appalachian cryptozoology folk tale of “The Tailypo” has been brought to life, in a terrifying live action film from director Cameron McCasland.

McCasland had been carrying the Tailypo story around for years stating, “The first time I heard this legend I was in elementary school, and my teacher told it to us around Halloween. It always stuck with me, and creeped me out. I wanted to tell it again, in a way that was frightening, but still accessible in the same way it was to me as a kid.”

Tailypo re-teams McCasland with actor David Chattam who had previously appeared as Carl Degas in his 2014 released slasher film, "The Lashman" (reviewed here). McCasland said of working with Chattam, “Dave wasn’t what I had in mind originally when I was casting The Lashman, but his audition blew me away. He was on set for a day and was just a joy to work with. I started writing Tailypo with him in mind, but I never told him until the script was ready. I honestly don’t know if I would have made this movie if he had turned me down. I told him i have a whole short where you basically are monologuing to a dog the entire time. Luckily for me, he jumped at the chance.”

The Tailypo is voiced by Danielle Geleherter more commonly known as TV horror host Penny Dreadful in the new England area. McCasland had previously worked with her on the Emmy nominated 2010 made for television movie The Dreadful Hallowgreen Special. The short film also gave him the opportunity to re-team with Lashman director of photography Josh Ickes and composer Thomas Berdinski who performed a hauntingly original score for the film.

The movie was shot on location at the Copper Canyon Guntown Ranch in Hopkinsville, KY. McCasland had previously used the venue for The Lashman, A music video for country act Florida Georgia Line, and two feature films he co-produced with director Lee Vervoort, The Truck, and Guntown.

The Tailypo is the first in a series of shorts McCasland plans to collect for an anthology series hosted by his longtime collaborator Larry Underwood as seminal horror host Dr. Gangrene.

The Tailypo is currently free to view online at redheadedrevolution.com and will be screening at film festivals around the globe this year.

REVIEW:

I really enjoyed "Tailypo." I purposely didn't read the plot for the film so I had no idea what to expect. If you've read above then you have an idea about the story. Let me say that by the end, I felt like I was back in the 80's watching something that could have been an episode of "Tales From the Darkside" or "Monsters." I loved the look and voice (Danielle Gelehrter) of the creature. I thought David Chattam did a good job in his role, as the only actual person in the film. 

Definitely give this short film a look. If you're familiar with either of the TV shows I mentioned, see if it doesn't make you feel like your back in the 80's. A nice job by Cameron McCasland and I look forward to his future film projects.

RATING: [ 4 / 5 ]

About the Director:
Cameron McCasland is an Emmy nominated writer and film producer. Recently he was awarded “Best Indie Director” at the 2015 Indieville TV awards, as well as both an Omni, and a Communicator Award for his documentary series “I Heard The Devil Say My Name Out Loud” about the making of Austin Rockers Quiet Company new album “Transgressor”. His newly produced film “Paternity Leave” is currently touring the film festival circuit. The Texas born film maker lives in Nashville, TN with his wife Jamie, and two daughters. For more info please visit cameronmccasland.com

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