READY FOR A GOOD SCARE?

SEALED FATES Premiere and Party!

Date: April 3rd, 2010

Time: 7:00PM to 11:00PM

Location: 91 West Main Street, Westminster, MD

Tickets: $10

Concessions and Cash Bar Available - no one under 17 permitted without adult supervision.

Produced and directed by Joe Ripple of Timewarp Films. Starring Phil Amico, Les Bradley, Mia Chiarella, Frederick Cowie, Karin Crighton, Helenmary Ball, Brian Dragonuck, Leanna Chamish, David Deal, Andrew C. Ely, Nina Ely, Danielle Fluker, Daisy Gibbs, Brian Greenwell, Alfred Guy, Tom Kolberg, Chris LaMartina, Erin Riley, Joe Ripple, Tom Tansey, Ryan Thomas, and Aylor Wells.

A great anthology of claustrophobic horror that will keep you on the edge of your seat! Produced by Timewarp Films, “Brick By Brick,” “Collections,” and “Man’s Best Friend” will leave you gasping for breath! Come out that evening and help support East Coast independent films. Guaranteed a good time! Click on the poster above to watch the cool teaser trailer.

Today marks the 2nd anniversary of Smash or Trash! It has been a fun run so far.  Some changes are in the works - all of them positive! I’m very pleased with the traffic the site is getting. Special thanks go to my good friends and collaborators Mitch Klein and Leanna Chamish. Also I could not have done this without those who have contributed their reviews, interviews, and how-tos. I hope you like what you have seen so far, there is much more to come. Take a moment to look over what has been accomplished in the last 24 months!

Robert Long II

Founder of Smash or Trash Independent Film-making

From the creator of Mystery Science Theater 3000 (Joel Hodgson) and the original cast of the show comes Cinematic Titanic’s take on Don Dohler’s THE ALIEN FACTOR. My thanks to Greg Dohler, John Kinhart, David Ellis and George Stover for bringing this to my attention. Click on the image above to watch the 1st five minutes. To get on the mailing list drop them an email at emailcub@cinematictitanic.com. This DVD will be released soon so get ready to order yours!

Director Erik Kristopher Myers brings you another great installment of Ethan Meyer’s LUCK OF THE DRAW. This series is an incredibly in-depth look into the triumphs and heartaches of producing the independent movie ROULETTE. The latest installment can be found HERE, and the newly remastered trailer can be found HERE. Plus, the re-shoots for the movie are winding down. Do you have the desire to be an extra for their March 3rd evening shoot? It will be held in Columbia, MD. For more information on how you can appear in the movie, go to their facebook page HERE. Personally folks - I think this trailer kicks major butt’ if the movie can live up to the glimpse we see here, these people have one HELL of a movie on their hands!

Coming April 20th, 2010 from Brink DVD is EVERY OTHER DAY IS HALLOWEEN, the documentary on the career of Dick Dyszel (Count Gore De Vol, Bozo the Clown, Captain 20). This award-winning feature is jam-packed with incredible extras. Pre order yours today HERE.

So when is the next giveaway? Right now dang it! Donald F. Glüt of Frontline Entertainment has donated these two sexy and sizzlin’ monster movies for your viewing pleasure!  Don is a tremendous guy and an independent filmmaking legend. If you like your creature features to be fun, hot, and campy then look no further! Both come loaded with DVD extras! You know the drill by now folks; email me your name and address and I will put you in for the drawing on March 7th.  One winner per title. Yes, those that win the prizes will need to pay $2.00 S&H (US) or $6.00 S&H (Foreign). Due to the nature of these productions you must be 18 or over to enter the drawing!

So, have I ever known the joy and pain of directing a film? Yes I have! In the early to mid 1980s I directed a couple of slasher flicks.  With the help of Erik Kristopher Myers and Brian Andress, a newly minted trailer for my 1984 film AS DARKNESS SETS IN is now up on youtube. This labor of love starred Tami S Marshall, Anthony Chilla, Ann Ehlers, Michael Gerischer, Tim Reed, Kelly Clark, David Bretag, Cliff McFerren, Scott Naumann, and myself.  Thanks to Erik and Brian, the trailer turned out incredible (Erik did the VO for the trailer - he’s awesome - hire this guy for your movies!) and there is now talk between myself and these gentlemen about refurbishing the film and eventually getting it released to DVD. Want to see the trailer on the big screen? It will be one of many played at the Creative Alliance in Baltimore on March 1st! Leave a comment on Youtube - always welcoming feedback!

Finally, today all principle photography was wrapped on the 2nd episode of the ADVENTURES OF LOUANNA LEE. I have seen the rough cut and it is fantastic! There is also a music video we shot with the talented Louanna Lee that had a whole team of professional dancers working with her! For more information on this indie adventure show, you can go HERE.

Remember that independent filmmakers are working hard to bring you unique, quality entertainment that isn’t the same old stuff seen at your local cinema megaplex. Support these creative people - we all really appreciate it.

Blood on the Campaign Trail:

The Making of PRESIDENT’S DAY on YouTube!

Filmmakers Chris LaMartinia and Jimmy George give you a glimpse behind their latest horror movie shot in Maryland.  Take a behind-the-scenes look at the gory slasher-comedy, “President’s Day” in this 3 part making-of featurette. See the world premiere Monday Feb 15th at the Charles Theatre in Baltimore. For more information check it out HERE.
Blood on the Campaign Trail - Part One:

Independent filmmaker Wayne Shipley (One-Eyed Horse) talks to the guys over at Film Snobbery.com about the challenges he faced doing a Western drama on a modest budget. It makes for a great listen and has a lot of good advice for those that make indie movies. Tune it in HERE.

Independent Filmmaker Kevin Kangas (Hunting Humans, Fear of Clowns, Bounty) goes on record on his site as to just how important it is to have the proper one sheet poster art and publicity stills in order to successfully sell your movies to distributors. Valuable nuggests of wisdom in his article so don’t miss it! You can find it HERE.

February 6th marks a birthday for indie filmmaker Ted A. Bohus. Ted is a prolific filmmaker and editor and is probably best known for his cult classic THE DEADLY SPAWN. He also gave Smash or Trash some great insights into the hells of movie distribution. Make sure you read it!
      Smash or Trash now has a fan page on facebook!  Click HERE to become a fan and to check out what is new! Remember when I said I have some new articles going up soon? Well, I am right in the middle of doing them. Here is a sneak peek at the two soon to go up! The first is an article on blue screening and green screening:

Next is a two part article on how to safely light a Scream Queen on fire!  Joseph McClurkin was the special effects artist on the movie DEAD HUNT, and he and I will be showing the readers step-by-step how one of the most horrendous death scenes was done for the movie. Both of these articles will be posted in the very near future!

It’s giveaway time again! Hollywood producer Edward L. Plumb of Irena Belle Films has donated a Dexter Bobble-Head, based on the lead character of the popular television series.  The rules for entering are simple: Send us an email with your name and address and it will be printed out and put into the big giveaway jar for the drawing. The actual drawing will take place on February 13th for this item. And yes, just like the last giveaway I will have to charge the minimum for shipping this item: $3.00 for US, and $7.00 for anywhere else in the world. This will be through my paypal account. It’s unfortunate that I cannot do the postage but times are really lean right now. Make sure you check out our great sponsor’s movies by clicking on the banner below!

Are you on Facebook? Well, Smash or Trash WILL be getting a page up there soon. In the meantime, Four-Fingered Films LLC wants to hear from you! They have their general information page HERE, Their movie Roulette HERE, and their other production The Devil’s Playthings HERE. Check them out and give them a holler!

The anniversary of the site is just around the corner and we are closing in on 8,000 hits! Not bad for having been up just short of two years. I’ve tried to keep this as a non-profit site but may have to go to using banner ads to keep it up and running, if you like the site and want to donate a dollar or two to keep it going strong, please press the Paypal donation button on the left - it will be appreciated! Thanks for all your support.

The About This Site section has been filled in more detail, and you can check that out by  clicking HERE. Coming up in February I have an article on affordable green-screening coming up, as well as some new interviews. Stay tuned…

I’m currently talking to filmmaker Erik Kristopher Myers of Four-Fingered Films, LLC recently about  cutting a retro 80s trailer for my cult slasher movie AS DARKNESS SETS IN. It is a typical whodunit slasher from that era that starred Tami S. Marshall, Anthony Chilla, Ann Ehlers, David Bretag, Kelly Clark, Tim Reed, Michael Gerischer, and Cliff McFerren. It was seen by 1,000s of people at various conventions, and I have hopes of eventually releasing it on DVD.

This Wednesday we wish a very happy 64th birthday to our friend and mentor filmmaker Don Dohler. There are a couple of great fan pages dedicated to him on Facebook. Don, thanks for being a fantastic inspiration. We love and miss you.

Next, principle photography on ADVENTURES OF LOUANNA LEE episode 2 has wrapped and is now in post production. Special guest stars of this episode include comedic actor Will Haza and horror host Count Gore De Vol. To order Louanna’s mystery DVDs and her upcoming Rock CD, click HERE.

Correspondent Leanna Chamish informs me that a brand new review of EVERY OTHER DAY IS HALLOWEEN (the life and career documentary of horror host celebrity Dick Dyszel) is up over at Horrortalk.com. The review is by Steve Pattee and includes screencaps. Find out more HERE.

Speaking of reviews I have a NEW review for the site. This month I take a look at filmmaker Pat Taggart’s indie romantic comedy 99 PERCENT SURE. To get the lowdown on this film and my thoughts on it click HERE.

And to top things off, producer/director Kevin Kangas’ sequel  to his smash hit FEAR OF CLOWNS is now available for download or streaming through Amazon.com. This action-packed gore-fest stars Jacky Reres, Frank Lama, Johnny Alonso, and Mark Lassise as Shivers the Clown. Click HERE to get it!

Jimmy George and Chris Lamartina of Midnight Crew Studios have done it again! The world premiere of their new horror thriller PRESIDENT’S DAY is February 15th, 2010! It is a throwback to the 80’s holiday themed slashers. With a solid track record of quality independent films, you won’t want to miss their latest creation!

Produced by Jimmy George & Chris LaMartina Directed by Chris LaMartina
Starring Carley Cooper, Lizzie Denning, Nicolette le Faye, Ruby LaRocca, Sheldon Lawrence, Will Lurie, Bennie McCoy, Shawn C Phillips, Laura J. Scott, George Stover, Ryan Thomas, Carolyn Wasilewski
President’s Day will premiere on February 15th, 2010 at The Charles Theatre, 1711 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD
Tickets are $10, Shows starts at 7:30PM
Watch the trailer HERE. Got to the facebook page HERE.

DEAD HUNT gets a double review! Bill Hollister and Anthony Hartman of The Bodycount Continues forum guest review this 2007 slasher thriller by Don Dohler and Joe Ripple. Check it out the results HERE.

ADVENTURES OF LOUANNA LEE: the pilot episode of this independently produced television show gets guest reviewed by Peter Bradshaw. To check out the results for CALL ME LITTLE MISS TNT click HERE.

Two years up and running strong are just around the corner for Smash or Trash! If you like the content you see and read on the site, why not make a token donation to help keep it running? Even a couple of dollars from our readers can go a long way towards defraying the cost of the website. You can help by clicking on PAYPAL DONATION and giving what you can. Thanks in advance; we appreciate it!

A happy birthday (1/9/10) to special effects artist Joseph McClurkin! We will be featuring an article by Joe on how he does some of his prosthetic magic for the movies. Stay tuned!

Mitch Klein of Tales From The Cellar.com clued me in that Art Beats - the home of stock footage - is daily putting up a new HD clip of footage that you can download for FREE. And this is the GOOD stuff too. What are you waiting for? Get it while it’s HOT! Click HERE to go to the site.

It’s going to be a busy year here at Smash or Trash, so come back often to check it out!

Hello dear readers! Well, here it is a year and a half into the site and we’re doing great! Lots of interviews and reviews up, but I still need to get a lot more how-to’s up. But I do have a really good one in the works!

I didn’t get a new giveaway up in December. Sorry - just way too busy! However come January 2010 there will be some fantastic movies and other items up for grabs!

Four-Fingered Films, in association with J65 Productions and Meridian Media, proudly presents the first trailer for ROULETTE, a film by Erik Kristopher Myers. Starring Mike Baldwin, Will Haza, Ali Lukowski, Michelle Allegra Murad, Taylor Lee Hitaffer, Jan-David Souter, Troy Russell, Frank Moorman, Dave Kalman, Leanna Chamish, Mark Kilbane, George Stover, Amy Freedman and Frank Lama. Watch the high-quality trailer HERE. Also, check out LUCK OF THE DRAW: THE MAKING OF ROULETTE, a multi-part web series from award-winning film maker Ethan Meyer. This fly-on-the-wall series documents the entire process of putting together a no-budget production in the face of obstacles of all shape and size. Check out the latest installment HERE.

We’ve got a new/retro review up too! Filmmaker Joe Sherlock of F & C Productions has been making movies since the mid 1990s, and give us some insights into the ups and downs he has encountered as a micro-budget movie maverick. This interview was originally from 2004, but Mr. Sherlock helpfully updated it for us. You can find the interview HERE.

December 12th S or T correspondents Dr. Les Bradley and Leanna Chamish attended the exclusive cast and crew screening of “99% SURE,” a romantic comedy directed by Patrick Taggart. The screening was held at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, and it was standing room only. According to Bradley and Chamish, the movie held the audiences attention and went over well. We hope to review the movie here soon, and possibly interview the director.

There are so many people to thank for making this site possible, but I do need to single out the two that have always been there for me; Mitch Klein and Leanna Chamish. I am blessed with these two very talented people, and glad to have them as close friends. They have been there to kick me in the ass when I needed that - to remind me to keep at my true passion - making movies. Also, a big thank you to you - the readers, and the kind comments you have sent me. We’ll do our best to make the site better than ever!

Don Dohler’s DEAD HUNT - I can’t review it, as I worked on it. I don’t think I could be unbiased. However, I was fortunate in that two slasher film experts will be guest reviewing it for the site, and it will go up the first of the new year. Make sure to come back and check it out!

Finally, tis the season for giving, so how about sending a couple of bucks my way to help keep the site running strong? Just click HERE to go to the DONATION link, and we appreciate your support.

 Have a Great 2010!!! 

This December we lost another creative soul. Hilber (David) Graf passed on at the age of 54 due to cancer of the pancreas. He had been diagnosed with the cancer earlier this year. He is survived by his wife Rhea Leigh Graf.

     I had known Hilber since 1998, and he became a dear friend, sharing many of the same interests. I think it is important to remember those that have made a positive impact on people’s lives. Hilber was a jack of all trades in the Hollywood scene. He started doing acting on the stage in the 1970s. Early in his career he got into animation, and rendered many of the Saturday morning cartoons that children watched during the 70s and 80s.

     His artistic creativity soon led him to building special physical effects and miniatures for Hollywood, including such movies as James Cameron’s ABYSS. His work was so highly regarded that he had a regular article column in the hobbyist magazine MODELER’S RESOURCE. Here he passed on his knowledge to others on how to create more interesting, intricate models.

     He had an intense interest in literature, and wrote several manuscripts on ghost-hunting. I was honored that he asked me to help him design the covers for his books.  His creative bent also took him into the realm of screenwriting, of which he was well-versed.

     Hilber had a love of the tropics, and the condo he and his wife shared reflected that. Ancient masks, bamboo, and other island brick a brac made any visitor to his home feel as if they had been transported to the South Seas.

     He was a go-getter and a kind-hearted person disguised in a somewhat gruff exterior. Every Halloween - for years - he would convert his garage into an extensive haunted attraction for the locals to check out. Any proceeds he made were donated to charity, for the benefit of others.

     He was a cat lover, a player of video games, a fan of the Phantasm movie series, and an admirer of the original 1966 Batmobile. The parties the Graf’s threw were legendary. My prayers go out to his friends and family. He was a good man, and will be remembered by those who knew and loved him. His work will live on forever in the television shows and movies that he was part of. Rest in peace, Hilber. You are missed.

Robert Long II - 2009