Hat tip to Icons of Fright for pointing out that Voltage Pictures have released a teaser/trailer for the new George A Romero zombie movie.

The film is still untitled and known as Blank of the Dead (my money’s on “Isle of the Dead”). Although it’s still in production you can now watch a trailer online at the official site (the link’s at the bottom right of that page).

I have to say it looks pretty good, hopefully a return to form after the disappointing Diary of the Dead. The plot appears to be summed up in one dialogue exchange from the trailer:

We set out trying to keep these deadheads alive and lately you’re just shooting them down like they’s mad dogs

We’ve got to get these things to learn to eat something other than us

I suppose 13 - Fear Is Real should be welcomed as evidence of the revival in the horror genre. Somehow I can’t feel that way.

13 Fear Is Real is - of all things - a horror reality show. As such it’s an unholy alliance between one of my favourite genres and one I loathe. I had hoped that the reality TV craze was dying out, however it seems that it’s still staggering on as an undead zombie.

The new show, which debuts tomorrow night on The CW in the US, sounds like a pretty standard reality elimination show. The twist is that instead of eating bugs or pretending to be cats the players have to “face their deepest fears” and “stay alive”. To attract the attention of cynical horror fans like myself the famed Sam Raimi is involved as an executive producer.

The show’s official site lists the contestants as “cast”. I’d like to think this means that the whole “reality TV” thing is a smokescreen for what will turn out to be a proper scripted drama. Unfortunately I suspect it’s more likely to be some union rule or simple network conceit.

Being in the UK I won’t get to watch 13 Fear Is Real tomorrow. I can’t say I’m upset.

Work is underway on the eagerly awaited Rob Zombie movie H2 (Halloween 2), a sequel to his 2007 reimagining of the John Carpenter classic.

Over at the official H2 blog Zombie has uploaded a picture of the Michael Myers mask to be used in the new film. Well, more accurately it’s a picture of the model from which the mask will be cast.

The mask has been created by effects wiz Wayne Toth who, according to the blog, “is back on the case working the greatest Michael ever”. Myers will again be played by Tyler Mane from the 2007 movie.

It certainly looks as if Myers has been through hell. Note the hole on the head’s right hand side which was, presumably, made by a bullet.

Shooting for H2 begins in March with a US release date of late August 2009.

I’ve added a review of Flight of the Living Dead (2007). I gave it two stars and concluded that it “provides neither tension nor much humour as it grinds tediously to its inevitable conclusion”.

What do you think?

As movie titles go, Lesbian Vampire Killers is pure genius.

The film is, of course, a spoof. It’s a British horror comedy written by Paul Hupfield and Stewart Williams and is due in cinemas from March 20th 2009.

Don’t expect too much in the way of complex plot. The official website summarises the story in a six page mini-comic. To summarise the summary of the summary:

Two no hopers… one cursed village… a bus full of foreign students… and an army of solacious lesbian vampires… can the boys put their fear aside to become… Lesbian Vampire Killers?

The film stars Mathew Horne and James Corden as the no-hopers with Paul McGann as the vicar.