Indie
Texas Chainsaw Star Takes Residence in ‘Cell 213’
We broke the news back in July that Stephen Kay, director of Sony Screen Gems’ 2005 horror film BOOGEYMAN, would return to help another thriller entitled Cell 213. Today we scored the first official casting news for the film, which is currently lensing in Toronto, Canada. Read on to see which CHAINSAW star will head behind bars.
Eric Balfour (Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Hell Ride) has arrived on set from Bucharest to play lead in Stephen T Kay directed CELL 213. Michael Rooker (Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, Slither) and Canadian talent Deborah Valente (Resident Evil: Apocalypse) will play alongside Balfour who is best known for his role in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003). Written by Maninder Chana, principal photography began two weeks ago on the spine-chilling prison horror in Southern Ontario.
Produced by Access Motion Pictures, Cell 213 becomes home to Michael Gray a cocky young attorney after a gruesome twist of circumstance lands him in the South River State Penitentiary, framed for the murder of an incarcerated client. Unnatural forces are causing prisoners to `off’ themselves at abnormal rates and Michael soon discovers that matters of guilt and innocence are not as cut and dry as he would like to believe trapped in this nightmarish cell.
“There’s a certain inherent “horror” in a prison itself. Our goal is to keep the fear and claustrophobia of the real prison life and add to it a deep, psychological terror. The more honest we can keep this world, the more compelling the horror will be. This is a “haunted house” that you really can’t run from,” claims director Stephen Kay. Kay returns to the big screen after his No.1 box office success with Boogeyman starring Barry Watson and Emily Deschanel.
Access Motion Pictures is a Toronto based production company founded in 2007. The company finances and produces pictures that uncover and showcase compelling stories for a worldwide audience. AMP has recently completed Phantom Punch, a biopic teaming Golden Globe
Her House of Horrors, the horror division of Independent Production House WOMXNOGRAPHY, has launched its Bite Size Short Grant Program, ahead of its film festival Dollhouse of Horror, which will take place in March 2025 in Los Angeles, CA.
The Bite Size Short Grant Program awards $2,000 film grants to female-identifying and queer horror filmmakers. Shorts must be able to be made for $2,000, with a minimum runtime of 8 minutes. Submissions are now open on Filmfreeway, and are being judged by a panel of horror lovers and content creators.
The 2024 Bite Size Short Grant Program judge lineup is as follows:
“James H. Carter II- A documentary director, film producer, podcaster, marketing specialist, and writer. James is the founder and co-owner of Creepy Kingdom. Creepy Kingdom was founded in 2011 and is a multimedia website, and production studio specializing in creepy content. Their primary focus lies at the intersection of childlike fantasy and the macabre, covering horror films, theme parks, haunts, and much more. Beyond their extensive media coverage, Creepy Kingdom hosts events, offers original merchandise, and engages in film production under the Creepy Kingdom Studios brand producing original films like “Foolish Mortals”, exploring Disney’s “Haunted Mansion” fan culture, and “Georgie”, featuring Tony Dakota from the original “It” miniseries.
“In addition to founding Creepy Kingdom, James has won awards for his documentary work, including the award-winning “Foolish Mortals,” which has earned him recognition. He has been featured on Freeform’s 31 Nights of Halloween special.
“Ashleeta Beauchamp is the editor-in-chief of Peek-A-Boo! Magazine, a cheeky horror magazine created to uplift marginalized writers, artists, models and other creators within the horror community. She also runs The Halloween Coalition, a community group to provide support and marketing for horror and Halloween events around the Southern California area.
“Titeanya Rodríguez is a multi-hyphenate creative, and the founder and owner of HER HOUSE OF HORRORS, home of DOLLHOUSE OF HORROR and the horror division of WOMXNOGRAPHY. As a fellow storyteller and a self-proclaimed artivist, Titeanya’s mission is to create opportunities for women of color and queer women, across film, tv, sports, music, and beyond. She is also the creator of the BITE SIZE SHORT grant program.”
Winners will have a one-night theatrical screening at Regal Cinemas. Submissions Close April 8 at Midnight. Winners will be announced on May 27, 2024. Shorts must be shot and through post-production by June 30, 2024. The screening will take place on July 8, 2024, in Los Angeles, CA.
WOMXNOGRAPHY, HER HOUSE OF HORRORS, and Rodriguez are represented by Azhar PR, Granderson Des Rochers, and Kinsella Holley Iser Kump Steinsapir.
To submit your short to the Bite Size Short Grant Program, go to the FilmFreeway link here.
The Lovecraftian Behemoth in ‘Underwater’ Remains One of the Coolest Modern Monster Reveals
‘Army of Darkness’ – Life-Size Wearable Prop Replica of Ash’s Chainsaw Releasing Soon!
‘Jason Universe’ – Horror Inc. Begins a New Era of the ‘Friday the 13th’ Franchise; Here’s the Plan
7 New Horror Movies Releasing This Week Including ‘The Strangers’ Reboot
First Official ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ Makeup Line Open for Pre-Orders
