Stella Buio finished and already garnering some reviews!

It's been a crazy time since coming back from Comic Con, but I finished the new short last week and have started sending it out to festivals and for review (see the trailer above.) Now it's the waiting game as more festivals announce calls for entry (I missed a few really big festival deadlines that I wanted to hit, but I'll send them the flick next year) and wait for the ones I have submitted to to get back to me.

The film has already garnered two reviews, one review ("Lori Bowen's Stella Buio Pays Homage to the Good Ol' Days") came from Justin Hamelin of Mangled Matters and the newly-renamed women in horror blog Cup of Stars. The other comes from the tall and goddessly Heidi Honeycutt of Planet Etheria (Stella Buio (2012)). It has to be noted that Heidi is a friend of mine and I hearts her dearly. Yes, her cheque is in the mail.

(edited at 7:13 pm EST to add a new review by Char Hardin at Char Hardin Horror Reviews  -- Unfortunately, it looks like a staple of Italian horror cinema, the Strangely Passive Victim, is going to be a sticking point for people...)

In the meanwhile, I can (and will!) share the preliminary artwork for the poster! Bonni Reid has painted (PAINTED) an astounding piece for us. She's currently working on one more element of the image so this isn't complete, plus the typeface will change and the credits will need to be added, but holy crapamoly!! It's GORGEOUS!

My plan with this short is much like the plan I had for JustUs except I don't have to contend with the (very reasonable) constraints of any union when it comes to putting the short on DVD. I won't be putting it on the internet publicly for a year to give the festivals a chance of running it without worrying about it being freely available.

Speaking of JustUs, I recently released that short film to the public, for free, via Vimeo! Click here to go watch it!

That's all the news that's currently fit-to-print! Be safe and be good to each other!

the STELLA BUIO trailer!

I finished cutting the trailer for Stella Buio the day before yesterday and posted it to YouTube, then decided to take yesterday, today, and probably tomorrow off from the post process. I wrote the film, I produced the film, I cast it, directed it, shot it, am doing any computer based visual effects I need to, I'm editing it, and I'm promoting it. It's a lot and I'm feeling a bit toasty, but that's what you do on no-to-low budget movies - length doesn't matter.

So, here it is! The trailer for Stella Buio! The film stars Chris Cline, Lance Flint, Laura D'Anieri, Shawn McBee, Melanie Robel, and Linnea Quigley.

A little bit about my new short film, Stella Buio.

I've started an IndieGoGo campaign for my new short film Stella Buio. It's a 70s Italian horror throwback about a medium who reconnects a family to their loved one quite literally as she brings him back from the dead to wreak havoc on them.

I didn't want to say too much about my cast just because I am superstitious about revealing names before I have their scenes in the can, but I feel like I can (and should) go ahead and post: I've cast my good friend Chris Cline as Philip, the deceased loved one. He played the Priest in my films A Hammer Fell in Jerusalem: Anathema and A Hammer Fell in Jerusalem: and be at rest. Shawn McBee, whom I've known since high school, will be one of Philip's family members. I've also cast Melanie Robel as the lead protagonist, Julie. She's an up and coming actress and came to me highly recommended; I'm so glad she agreed and I can't wait to work with her! Finally, the big news: legendary Scream Queen Linnea Quigley will be the title character, Stella Buio!

*Kermit flail*

Also joining me on this epic quest are Bonni Reid, who will be doing my poster art, Wheat, as my gaffer, and my brother Shawn Bowen will be handling the Fabio Frizzi-inspired score!