A new Indiegogo campaign has been launched for the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark documentary. Also in this round-up: a Judas Ghost DVD giveaway, Like Me production details, the trailer for Everlasting, the short film Hidden, and a look at The Final Project.

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark: Press Release: "Chicago, IL - January 20, 2016 - Hot off the heels of news that Guillermo Del Toro is producing a film based on the nostalgic children's books Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, a documentary about the books is in the works. It has been in production for two years, is armed with an official trailer, and is now trying to finish in 2016.

The upcoming documentary is backed by the family of the late author, the trailer featuring both his wife and grandson. The doc will explore subjects such as the banning of children’s books in America, the history of gothic children’s literature, and the large following these books have amassed over the years. Crowdfunded via IndieGoGo, it arrives just after news that CBS Films has hired Del Toro to develop a feature film based on a script by John August.

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, authored by Alvin Schwartz and originally illustrated by Stephen Gammell, is a three-book anthology of folk tales and urban legends that are particularly notable as being among the most frequently banned in all of children’s literature.

“The first recorded challenge we have of it is in 1988,” said Kristin Pekoll, Assistant Director for American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom. “And it has been challenged almost every year since then.” Pekoll’s Office for Intellectual Freedom has been compiling and publishing data on banned and challenged books for over two decades. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark was the #1 most challenged book of the 1990s and remained in the top ten in the following decade.

The documentary, which will provide rich and informative interviews with Pekoll, Schwartz family members, and prominent folklorists and children's book scholars, will argue that the books are an important cultural touchstone, providing far more than pure scares for children.

And the documentary will get an inside look at the creators of the books. "[Alvin] was the number one banned book author," says Barbara Schwartz, wife of the late author, "and he just loved that."

The Indiegogo campaign can be found at https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/scary-stories with a goal of $39,000. The official trailer was released three months ago and has since accumulated over 135,000 views.

To peruse the campaign page and the pages of the website, it is easy to see how one could fill a documentary with such a topic."

---------

Judas Ghost: "“One of those rare horror offerings that is as interested in telling a clever, refreshing ghost story as it is offering the best film possible” (Fangoria). Judas Ghost brings to the screen author Simon R. Green’s acclaimed ‘Ghost Finders’ series. In it, a team of professional ghost finders finds themselves trapped in an old village hall. The haunting they set out to investigate turns out to be far worse than they anticipated. Who will survive and what will be left of their souls?

Adapted for the screen by Green, Martin Delaney (Zero Dark Thirty), Lucy Cudden (Wounded) and Simon Merrells (The Wolfman) star in what critics say is “chilling” and “entertaining” (Starburst Magazine).

Judas Ghost is out now from Uncork’d Entertainment."

------------

Prize Details: (3) Winners will receive (1) DVD copy of Judas Ghost.

How to Enter: For a chance to win, email contest@dailydead.com with the subject "Judas Ghost Contest”. Be sure to include your name and mailing address.

Entry Details: The contest will end at 12:01 am EST on January 28th. This contest is only open to those who are eighteen years of age or older that live in the United States. Only one entry per household will be accepted.

---------

Like Me: Press Release: "(NEW YORK, NY - January 21, 2016) - Glass Eye Pix, the maverick production company responsible for a vast slate of captivating independent genre movies including THE LAST WINTER, THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL, STAKE LAND, WENDY & LUCY, and THE COMEDY, and Dogfish Pictures, the Brooklyn-based film finance and production company behind COMPLIANCE, PRINCE AVALANCHE, and LIKE CRAZY, have wrapped principal photography of their collaboration LIKE ME, a genre- and mind-bending neo-noir starring Addison Timlin.

Timlin (FALLEN, 2014’s THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN) plays the lead role of Kiya, a discontented loner who documents her own crime spree through social media, which provokes a disturbing Internet following. Larry Fessenden (IN A VALLEY OF VIOLENCE, YOU’RE NEXT) plays Marshall, a paint-huffing motel owner who crosses her path. Ian Nelson (THE HUNGER GAMES, TEEN WOLF), Jeremy Gardner (THE BATTERY, SPRING), and Stuart Rudin (THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, STAKE LAND) round out the cast.

LIKE ME is the directorial feature debut of Rob Mockler, who also penned the script. The project was selected to participate in James Belfer’s Dogfish Accelerator program, which provided financing and business development for a slate of films, series, digital content, and animation. The film was also selected as an Indiewire Project of the Month.

Filming commenced on December 1, 2015, in Brooklyn before moving to Rockaway Beach, Queens, and Woodstock, NY.

James Siewert, whose credits include this year’s Slamdance entry THE PAST INSIDE THE PRESENT, provided cinematography, with casting by Sig De Miguel and Stephen Vincent (THE INVITATION, ENTERTAINMENT). The film was produced by Jenn Wexler, Jessalyn Abbott, and Belfer, with Fessenden and Peter Phok executive producing for Glass Eye Pix, and financed by executive producers Leo Joseph, John Gentile, and Anthony Gentile.

“Rob originally pitched the project to me via a Tweet,” says Belfer. “I found that really fitting considering the subject matter and the way Rob is presenting the dark obsessions with social media. He’s really got his head wrapped around this subculture, and I can’t wait for audiences to witness the monster he’s created.”

Mockler says, “It was a truly magical experience working with such a dedicated and collaborative cast and crew. Addison crafted an incredibly nuanced performance and brought Kiya to live with an unnerving realism. She never failed to surprise me.”

Fessenden adds, “There is a real off-kilter genius to the footage. We’re excited to bring it into post-production to compose something truly special and genre-defying.”

About Glass Eye Pix

Glass Eye Pix (“one of the indie scene’s most productive and longest-running companies” – Filmmaker Magazine) is the fierce independent NYC-based production outfit headed by art-horror auteur Larry Fessenden (BENEATH, THE LAST WINTER, WENDIGO, HABIT, NBC’S FEAR ITSELF). The company has produced numerous critically acclaimed films in and out of the horror genre, including Mickey Keating’s upcoming DARLING, Adrian Garcia Bogliano’s LATE PHASES, Rob Kuhns’s BIRTH OF THE LIVING DEAD, Rick Alverson’s THE COMEDY, Ti West’s THE INNKEEPERS and THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL, Jim Mickle’s STAKE LAND, Glenn McQuaid’s I SELL THE DEAD, and Kelly Reichardt’s WENDY AND LUCY. Fessenden has operated the company since 1985 with the mission of supporting individual voices in the arts.

About Dogfish Pictures

Dogfish Pictures is a film production, finance, and strategy company founded by James Belfer. Dogfish was formed in 2009 and specializes in independent film. The company has produced numerous critically acclaimed films including David Gordon Green’s PRINCE AVALANCHE (2012 Berlinale Silver Bear Winner), Craig Zobel’s COMPLIANCE, and Drake Doremus’ LIKE CRAZY (2011 Sundance Grand Jury Prize Winner)."

---------

Everlasting: "Everlasting is about both the Beauty and the Darkness that are part of our daily existence. And though it is often true that the darker side of life can be quite enticing, it is the beauty of unconditional love that carries on forever."

*Upcoming screenings:

Panic Fest - Feb. 5th

Nevermore Film Festival - Feb. 13th."

---------

Hidden: "A young woman makes the fateful decision to accept a ride from a stranger. The consequences from doing so have a major impact on her life. The film’s tagline poses the simple question: ‘Would you accept a ride from a stranger?’

Directed and Written by: Zena S. Dixon

Starring: Diana Riley and Marvin Laviolette."

---------

The Final Project: Press Release: "From CAVU Pictures, THE FINAL PROJECT is the debut film from indie filmmaker Taylor Ri’chard and hits theaters beginning Feb 12th in Atlanta and Houston, March 4th in New York and Los Angeles, and then expands nationwide.

SYNOPSIS: Six college students have organized the ultimate graduation project… a documentary film about one of the most notorious haunted houses in America, the Lafitte Plantation in Vacherie, Louisiana. A Civil War landmark with a dark past, complete with stories of mutilated soldiers, murdered families and restless shadows roaming its abandoned corridors… no one has entered Lafitte in years- until now. Outfitted with high-tech recording equipment in order to capture every moment of their great adventure, these intrepid young filmmakers bravely venture deep into the misty backwoods of Louisiana. But on this plantation that time has forgotten, something evil still waits and watches. When darkness falls, their deepest fears come to life, as one by one they’ll learn the horrifying truth that awaits all who dare seek the secrets of the Lafitte Plantation. The dead are awake, and there are some places the living should never go.

ABOUT THE PLANTATION: Utilizing real locations in and around Georgia, THE FINAL PROJECT features a crew and ensemble of dedicated locals well acquainted with the haunted history of the South. Combining the “found footage” genre with authentic local folklore, it updates the classic American ghost story by tapping into a history too chillingly real to deny. The backstory of THE FINAL PROJECT combines an Old Hollywood touch with a real-life twist. Chretien Point Plantation in Sunset, Louisiana, the real-life model for the film’s Lafitte Plantation, was also the inspiration for the interior of the legendary “Tara” from Gone with the Wind. Its true claim to fame, however, lies closer to home. The site of a pitched and bloody battle between Union and Confederate soldiers at the height of the Civil War, with a bullet hole still embedded in one of its front doors, Chretien Point has long been rumored to be one of the biggest supernatural “hotspots” in North America. Ghostly sightings have been reported for decades, with stories of buried treasure, a vengeful “house mistress”, and even a nearby haunted bridge.

WRITERS: Taylor Ri’chard and Zachary Davis

CAST: Amber Erwin, Teal Haddock, Arin Jones, Evan McLean, Leonardo Santaiti, and Sergio Suave

RT: 80 minutes

RATING: Not Rated."