New York, NY (September 23, 2011)—New Yorkers can now celebrate Halloween a few days early. The Museum of Arts and Design hosts the 3rd edition of the short film fest Daggers, featuring 12 exquisitely creepy films that will share the spotlight on October 20, 2011, at 7:00 pm, and on October 22 at 3:00 pm [...]]]>

New York, NY (September 23, 2011)—New Yorkers can now celebrate Halloween a few days early. The Museum of Arts and Design hosts the 3rd edition of the short film fest Daggers, featuring 12 exquisitely creepy films that will share the spotlight on October 20, 2011, at 7:00 pm, and on October 22 at 3:00 pm in the Theater at MAD. Curated by noted critic Peter Gutiérrez, the all-shorts Daggers showcases work by up-and-coming talents, as well as contemporary classics by renowned filmmakers such as Denis Villeneuve and Jason Eisener. This mini-fest sports a macabre mix that is sure to please horror-hounds of all stripes.

“Horror is a much richer and more diverse genre than it is often given credit for,” observes Gutiérrez, who founded Daggers in 2008. “With Daggers we get to show off that range of artistry. In this year’s lineup, for example, we have surrealism, gothic mystery, psychological horror, a silent film, a musical, Cronenberg-style body horror, stop-motion animation, an experimental dance piece, and even gore-comedy. The goal is to represent the unsettling, the poetic, the thought-provoking, and yes, the stomaching-turning.”

Unspooling its dozen films in about two hours, Daggers will screen some of the best short-form horror from around the world, giving local audiences a chance to enjoy titles that are typically accessible only via major film festivals. Shot on the streets of Prague, “Prahands” recalls classic avant-garde cinema while “New Born” is an early effort of Israel’s Navot Papushado, co-writer and co-director of this year’s Tribeca favorite “Rabies” (“Kalevet”). Tasmania is represented by Briony Kidd‘s “The Room at The Top of The Stairs,” which makes its New York premiere. And of course there will be films by American, Canadian, and British filmmakers.

These include the H.P. Lovecraft adaptation “The Other Gods,” Matthew Garrett‘s “Beating Hearts,” Firas Momani‘s Fantasia-winning “The Adder’s Bite,” and the world premiere of “(Baby) It’s You,” a fun twist on the archetypal “mad scientist” film. Also making its New York premiere is Jerome Sable‘s acclaimed Sundance hit, “The Legend of Beaver Dam.” As always, the programming strategy seeks to combine fresh titles, many of which are new to Big Apple audiences, with ones that are well worthy of encores. Faye Jackson‘s “Lump” was shown directly before “Pan’s Labyrinth” at 2006′s New York Film Festival, and Jason (“Hobo with a Shotgun”) Eisener‘s “Treevenge” won the audience award for best short at the 2008 edition of the New York City Horror Film Festival. Moviegoers will know “Next Floor”‘s Denis Villeneuve as the director behind the Oscar-nominated “Incendies,” but may not have been able to catch this short, a prize-winner at TIFF, Sitges, and Cannes, not to mention a recipient of the Genie, Canada’s highest filmmaking award. The lineup also happens to boast another Genie-winner, Pedro Pires‘s unforgettable “Danse Macabre.”

“From last year’s Zombo Italiano and Jodorowsky series to this fall’s Sion Sono retro, MAD is proving itself to be a force in bold yet offbeat genre programming,” explains Gutiérrez. “That’s an approach that appeals to New York’s cinephiles and horror fans alike. It also happens to be very close to Daggers‘ sensibility, so I couldn’t be happier that this unique event has found such a great venue.”

ABOUT THE SERIES

Daggers will screen in the Theater at MAD on October 20, 2011 at 7:00 pm and on October 22, 2011 at 3:00 pm.

Both screenings $10 General
$7 MAD Members and Students.

Daggers is curated by film critic Peter Gutiérrez, frequent contributor to Rue Morgue and TribecaFilm.Com.

For more information, or to order tickets, please visit: http://www.madmuseum.org/series/daggers

THE 2011 DAGGERS LINEUP
All films will be projected digitally.

The Adder’s Bite (2010)
Dir. Firas Momani
9 min

(Baby) It’s You (2011)
Dir. David Cowles, Jeremy Galante, and Brad Pattullo
3 min

Beating Hearts (2010)
Dir. Matthew Garrett
11 min

Danse Macabre (2009)
Dir. Pedro Pires
9 min

The Legend of Beaver Dam (2010)
Dir. Jerome Sable
12 min

Lump (2006)
Dir. Faye Jackson
12 min

New Born (2006)
Dir. Navot Papsushado
14 min

Next Floor (2008)
Dir. Denis Villeneuve
11 min

The Other Gods (2006)
Dir. Mike Boas
6 min

Prahands (2007)
Dir. Charles Pieper
5 min

The Room at the Top of the Stairs (2011)
Dir. Briony Kidd
15 min

Treevenge (2008)
Dir. Jason Eisener
16 min

ABOUT THE MUSEUM OF ARTS AND DESIGN
The Museum of Arts and Design explores the blur zone that characterizes so much of art, design, and craft today. The Museum focuses on contemporary creativity and the ways in which artists and designers from around the world transform materials through processes ranging from the artisanal to digital. The Museum’s exhibition program explores and illuminates issues and ideas, highlights creativity and craftsmanship, and celebrates the limitless potential of materials and techniques when used by gifted and innovative artists. MAD’s permanent collection is global in scope and focuses on art, craft, and design from 1950 to the present day. At the center of the Museum’s mission is education. The Museum’s dynamic new facility features classrooms and studios for master classes, seminars, and workshops for students, families, and adults. Three open artist studios engage visitors in the creative processes of artists at work and enhance the exhibition programs. Lectures, films, performances, and symposia related to the Museum’s collection and topical subjects affecting the world of contemporary art, craft, and design are held in a renovated 144-seat auditorium.

I’m pleased to announce that the animated short H.P. Lovecraft’s The Other Gods will be playing as part of HP Lovecraft: Reanimated in London this Friday, April 15.

The mission of HP Lovecraft: Reanimated is to take everything that’s great about live entertainment and give it a deviant, Lovecraftan twist. [...]]]>

I’m pleased to announce that the animated short H.P. Lovecraft’s The Other Gods will be playing as part of HP Lovecraft: Reanimated in London this Friday, April 15.

The mission of HP Lovecraft: Reanimated is to take everything that’s great about live entertainment and give it a deviant, Lovecraftan twist. The event is presented by Wake Up Productions in association with The HP Lovecraft Literary Podcast – and with support from the publishers of the At The Mountains Of Madness and forthcoming The Lovecraft Anthology: Volume I graphic novels, SelfMadeHero.

Thanks to Chris Lackey for inviting me to submit The Other Gods! I wish I could attend, and I wish them the best of luck with the show.

Ticket information is available here:
http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/user/?region=xxx&query=schedule&promoter=wakeup

So I spent this past Labor [...]]]> When Aaron Vanek asked me for an animated promo for this year’s H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival event in Los Angeles, I knew I couldn’t resist. I also knew I was in the middle of about 12 other projects and I’d have to carve out the time to do it.

So I spent this past Labor Day weekend hip deep in Flash animation. I reused some cartoon heads from an abandoned Lovecraft short (I may get back to it some day), but all other tentacles, rats, and gravestones are new.

If you’ve been watching my social feeds, you’ll know I’m in love with the work of British animator Cyriak. His use of loops and editing was an influence here.

I also took the opportunity to play with textures and color modes in After Effects. That’s something I’ve been doing in my still work lately, and it’s a fun challenge to apply it to the flat images from Flash.

Music is by Alec Jenkyn Williams.

For tickets and info on the HPLFF in LA September 11, 2010, visit http://bit.ly/hplffla

This Saturday, July 10, Tulsa will be home to Oklahoma’s Underground Horror Filmfest. The event will feature music, horror hosts, vendors, and movies movies movies.

One block of films is being programmed by my internet friend, Craig Mullins of Unfilmable.com. The theme? H.P. Lovecraft Cinema, of course.

This means I’m happy to [...]]]>

This Saturday, July 10, Tulsa will be home to Oklahoma’s Underground Horror Filmfest. The event will feature music, horror hosts, vendors, and movies movies movies.

One block of films is being programmed by my internet friend, Craig Mullins of Unfilmable.com. The theme? H.P. Lovecraft Cinema, of course.

This means I’m happy to announce another public screening of Subterranea’s The Other Gods. In addition, here’s what else will be playing:

- The Silver Key a film by Gary Fierro and Conor Timmis (CT)
- H.P. Lovecraft’s The Book a film by James Raynor (United Kingdom)
- At the Reefers of Madness a film by Brian Clement (Toronto, ON)
- From Beyond a film by Michael Granberry (CA)
- Frank DanCoolo: Paranormal Drug Dealer a film by Andrew Jones
- The Crimson Robe a by Russell Welch
- Elder Sign a film by Joseph Nanni
- plus clips (House of Black Wings, Pickman‘s Muse), trailers (Lovecraft Paragraphs, Colour from the Dark, Dirt Dauber, The Terrible Old Tran) and teasers (The Seventh Shadow)…

For more information, visit the Underground Horror Filmfest on Facebook, MySpace and Twitter

Craig’s passion is tracking the cinematic adaptations of the works of H.P. Lovecraft and other weird fiction authors. Anyone making a Lovecraft film crosses paths with Unfilmable at some point. Craig feeds the hungry HPL [...]]]> I heard from Craig Mullins today that his website Unfilmable.com has been relaunched as a blog at http://unfilmable.blogspot.com

Craig’s passion is tracking the cinematic adaptations of the works of H.P. Lovecraft and other weird fiction authors. Anyone making a Lovecraft film crosses paths with Unfilmable at some point. Craig feeds the hungry HPL audience by publishing photos and updates about any production, large or small. Personally, he helped me connect with the person who did French subtitles on “The Other Gods.” He also passed along the short film to artist Tom Sullivan, who reviewed it for the site.

Hopefully there will be some archived content from the old site posted in the future, but for now I’m happy to get a daily dose of strange from http://unfilmable.blogspot.com

One such person is Thomas Brannan, who is co-editing the two volume fiction anthology of Lovecraft inspired work, Cthulhu Unbound.  He asked if I’d be interested in doing some promo [...]]]> Since becoming a “captain of the internet,” I’ve become acquainted with other filmmakers and artists around the world, mostly through sites like MySpace and Indieclub.com.

One such person is Thomas Brannan, who is co-editing the two volume fiction anthology of Lovecraft inspired work, Cthulhu Unbound.  He asked if I’d be interested in doing some promo art (and a Youtube “book trailer” down the road).  I love the idea of mashing up genres, so I said yes.

Here are the first two of four proposed illustrations.  One mixes the world of Lovecraft with detective noir, the next with the gunfighter western.

Look for the paperbacks in the spring of 2009 from permutedpress.com or friend up Thom on MySpace.

Here’s an excellent BBC radio documentary about H.P. Lovecraft I found on Youtube. For anyone wondering about my fascination with the author, this is a great introduction to his life and work.

Weird Tales: The Strange [...]]]> UPDATE: The files are no longer on Youtube, but I found another source.
Click here to download.

Here’s an excellent BBC radio documentary about H.P. Lovecraft I found on Youtube. For anyone wondering about my fascination with the author, this is a great introduction to his life and work.

Weird Tales: The Strange Life of H.P. Lovecraft

The American author of horror, fantasy, and science fiction, known then simply as weird fiction. Lovecraft’s major inspiration and invention was cosmic horror: the idea that life is incomprehensible to human minds and that the universe is fundamentally alien. Originally aired on BBC Radio in 2006 with contributions from Neil Gaiman, S.T. Joshi, Kelly Link, Peter Straub, China Mieville and others. Divided in 5 parts.

H.P. Lovecraft’s The Other Gods, which previously had a home in the “demented” area of the media site, has a new address at http://www.awntv.com/videos/the-other-gods

There’s plenty of other great independent animation at AWNtv.com, so head on over [...]]]> The AWN’s media website has changed its name to Animation World Network Televeision, or AWNtv for short.

H.P. Lovecraft’s The Other Gods, which previously had a home in the “demented” area of the media site, has a new address at http://www.awntv.com/videos/the-other-gods

There’s plenty of other great independent animation at AWNtv.com, so head on over and check it out!

There’s a new feature over at Unfilmable.com (the world’s greatest news site for Lovecraftian films). In the upcoming months, guest writer Tom Sullivan will be sharing his “Reviews of the Infinite Abyss.” I’m proud to say THE OTHER GODS is the subject of his first review.

Here’s a sampling of what [...]]]>

There’s a new feature over at Unfilmable.com (the world’s greatest news site for Lovecraftian films). In the upcoming months, guest writer Tom Sullivan will be sharing his “Reviews of the Infinite Abyss.” I’m proud to say THE OTHER GODS is the subject of his first review.

Here’s a sampling of what Mr. Sullivan had to say:

“The story is an accurate and unsettling warning about tempting the Gods, and although short like the original story, it is just as effective. When Barzai gazes upon the face of Nyarlathotep, Rhodes gives us a psychedelic experience generations ahead of his time.”

For the entire review, click here.

Tom Sullivan is an artist whose otherworldly paintings have been published in a number of H.P. Lovecraft publications. I first came to know him as the designer of “The Book of the Dead” from the Evil Dead series. It’s an honor to be reviewed by Mr. Sullivan, as the Evil Dead movies were my gateway into the world of Lovecraft.

For future reviews, keep an eye on the news section at http://www.unfilmable.com

The morph animation was done pen and ink. The room construction and camera moves were done [...]]]> Here’s a 30 second piece I put together for the 2007 H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival. I won’t be attending this year, but I’ll be represented by this piece, which will most likely play before a screening or two.

The morph animation was done pen and ink. The room construction and camera moves were done in After Effects. Music is by Mars of deadhousemusic.com

H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival Promo 2007 from Mike Boas on Vimeo.

I’m pleased to announce H.P. Lovecraft’s The Other Gods will be screening at the 2007 Eerie Horror Film Festival. Come out to the Erie Playhouse October 11 at 6:30 PM, when The Other Gods will play ahead of the new Lovecraft inspired feature, Cthulhu.

For more a complete list of films playing, [...]]]>

I’m pleased to announce H.P. Lovecraft’s The Other Gods will be screening at the 2007 Eerie Horror Film Festival. Come out to the Erie Playhouse October 11 at 6:30 PM, when The Other Gods will play ahead of the new Lovecraft inspired feature, Cthulhu.

For more a complete list of films playing, visit http://www.eeriehorrorfilmfestival.com

To see a trailer of Cthulhu, visit http://www.cthulhuthemovie.com/

The AWN Media Center is a new, comprehensive online video portal devoted exclusively to animation and showcasing the work [...]]]> “H.P. Lovecraft’s The Other Gods” is now featured on Animation World Network’s “That’s Demented” channel. AWN is a website catering to animation artists and fans worldwide, and I’m happy to be a part of their website.

The AWN Media Center is a new, comprehensive online video portal devoted exclusively to animation and showcasing the work of independent filmmakers from all over the world . When I submitted “The Other Gods,” I wasn’t sure what category it would fall under. “That’s Demented” seems like a good match.

To see mine and other “freaky, fun, and frightening flicks,” visit http://media.awn.com/popup/thats-demented

Along with The Other Gods, the following subjects also played, courtesy of This past weekend in H.P. Lovecraft’s hometown of Providence, Rhode Island, a new festival dedicated to literary and film fandom took place. The Other Gods screened during PULP UNCOVERED‘s “Afternoon of Lovecraft” at the Rhode Island School of Design.

Along with The Other Gods, the following subjects also played, courtesy of Lurker Films

• The Music of Eric Zann by John Strysik (1980, 17 minutes)
• Out of Mind: The Stories of H.P. Lovecraft by Raymond Saint-Jean (1998, 56 min)
• The Call of Cthulhu by Andrew Leman & Sean Branney (2005, 47 min, silent film)

This is one festival I wish I could have attended, but my work schedule made it impossible. Hopefully, I’ll get another opportunity next year!

That’s what the generous Brooke from the Supernatural Things blog had to say about H. P. Lovecraft’s The Other Gods.

As far as compliments go, that’s a pretty nice one. Thanks, Brooke!

—–

In addition, Jason Olshefsky of jayceland.com had this to [...]]]> “Delicious, occult eye-candy for the darker sensibilities of the soul.”

That’s what the generous Brooke from the Supernatural Things blog had to say about H. P. Lovecraft’s The Other Gods.

As far as compliments go, that’s a pretty nice one. Thanks, Brooke!

—–

In addition, Jason Olshefsky of jayceland.com had this to say about the screening at the Little Theatre:

The films were generally very good but I particularly liked H.P. Lovecraft’s The Other Gods by Mike Boas which Mike had “restored” a formerly “lost” shadow-animation… all plausible and rather spooky, actually.

For [...]]]> I want to extend a hearty thanks to everyone who braved the cold weather for Monday night’s Emerging Filmmakers series.  It meant a lot to have family and friends there for The Other Gods’ first local theatrical screening.  I had a great time talking movies and seeing what other indie artists had to show.

For those who missed it, don’t fret!  I now have the entire short online for you to watch and share with your friends.  Visit http://www.maddogmovies.com/theothergods/video.html

-Mike

“H.P. Lovecraft’s The Other Gods” is a five minute short produced by yours truly, Mike Boas. This horror adaptation tells of a prophet [...]]]> Just a reminder for all Rochester film fans to come out this Monday night to the Little Theatre. Two pieces produced at Animatus will screen as part of the Emerging Filmmakers series.

“H.P. Lovecraft’s The Other Gods” is a five minute short produced by yours truly, Mike Boas. This horror adaptation tells of a prophet of the Dreamlands who scales a forbidden mountain to look upon his deities. This silent film is animated in silhouette style, with a score by Rochester musician Keith Handy.

“The South Africa Stand” is an animated short from one of my Animation Workshop students, Adrian Esposito. It tells the story of an American family that moves to South Africa in the 1970s in the midst of apartheid. Appalled, they eventually become involved in the anti-apartheid struggle. I’m especially proud of Adrian, who is expanding beyond animation exercises to produce personal stories with social content.

So come out to the Little on Monday night. Adrian and I will be on hand to take comments and questions.

EMERGING FILMMAKERS SERIES AT THE LITTLE THEATRE
240 East Avenue Rochester, NY
Monday, February 26, 2007, 9:15pm

For the entire line-up of films, visit
http://www.little-theatre.com/moviePage.php?filmID=447

A NIGHT OF HORROR is a new film festival premiering in Sydney, Australia this coming March. In their call for submissions, they specified three entry categories: general horror, animation, and adaptations of H.P. Lovecraft. So I had to enter, didn’t I?

Today I learned that THE OTHER GODS has been chosen to screen [...]]]>

A NIGHT OF HORROR is a new film festival premiering in Sydney, Australia this coming March. In their call for submissions, they specified three entry categories: general horror, animation, and adaptations of H.P. Lovecraft. So I had to enter, didn’t I?

Today I learned that THE OTHER GODS has been chosen to screen at the festival. The organizers received 180 short films from horror filmmakers in 20 different countries, so it’s rewarding to know my film made the cut.

To learn more about A NIGHT OF HORROR, visit http://www.anightofhorror.com or check out the Myspace page at http://www.myspace.com/nightofhorror

For you residents of Rochester, NY, “The Other Gods” will be screening as part of the Little Theatre’s EMERGING FILMMAKERS series.

Come out for a night of short films Monday, February 26 at 9 PM. The Little Theatre is at 240 East Ave, Rochester, NY.

Find out more at http://www.little-theatre.com/emergingFilmmakers.php

The interview is featured in episode nine, now online (in three parts) at http://poc.graveworm.com

To listen, visit the POC site, [...]]]> I recently had the pleasure of speaking with David Powers, who hosts a podcast entitled “Podcast of Circadia.” We had a great time discussing writer H.P. Lovecraft and the challenges of adapting his work.

The interview is featured in episode nine, now online (in three parts) at http://poc.graveworm.com

To listen, visit the POC site, click each link and download the MP3 files to your computer. If you use iTunes, the POC feed is http://poc.graveworm.com/pocrss.xml

H.P. Lovecraft’s The Other Gods has been selected to play at this month’s Tromadance Film Festival, presented by Troma Entertainment.

As someone who has read and re-read Troma president Lloyd Kaufman’s books on filmmaking, it’s a thrill to be part of this festival devoted to the independent spirit.

The 8th Annual TromaDance [...]]]>

H.P. Lovecraft’s The Other Gods has been selected to play at this month’s Tromadance Film Festival, presented by Troma Entertainment.

As someone who has read and re-read Troma president Lloyd Kaufman’s books on filmmaking, it’s a thrill to be part of this festival devoted to the independent spirit.

The 8th Annual TromaDance Film Festival will be held from January 22nd to 27th 2007 in Park City, UT.

http://2007.tromadance.com

If you love Lovecraft and can translate (accurately) into Spanish, French, Italian, or German, we need your help! If you’d like to donate your time and expertise, please write [...]]]> As the Special Edition DVD of The Other Gods takes shape, a vital component is lacking… We’d like to include subtitles for non-English speaking persons.

If you love Lovecraft and can translate (accurately) into Spanish, French, Italian, or German, we need your help! If you’d like to donate your time and expertise, please write to us at info(AT)maddogmovies.com.

Not sure if you can take on the whole project? It’s a short film, so there’s only about 25 lines of text. Check it out here:

The Other Gods – English text
(Right-click and save to your computer.)

During my weekend in Portland for the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival, I spoke to a few people who would be missing Sunday night, the night my short was playing. The last night of any film festival usually has less attendance, since many film-goers cut out for travel reasons or out of sheer exhaustion. I [...]]]>

During my weekend in Portland for the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival, I spoke to a few people who would be missing Sunday night, the night my short was playing. The last night of any film festival usually has less attendance, since many film-goers cut out for travel reasons or out of sheer exhaustion. I steeled myself for a “light” attendance that night.

Instead, the main theatre was mostly full as usual! Not sold out, but a respectable crowd of a few hundred. Now I had a new concern: could I avoid hyperventilating as the film played before so many sets of eyeballs?

Well, I survived. “The Other Gods” was received well. My colleagues all had incredibly supportive things to say.

Thanks to everyone at the festival for a great experience. I loved every minute of it, and I hope to attend next year.

See the Mad Dog Blog for more about the festival.

Visit YouTube to see it yourself.

I received a “telegram” from the festival announcing the utter horror the projectionist suffered at having seen the film, which was a [...]]]> It’s official! After many delays, work on “The Other Gods” is now complete. Not only that, the film will be screening at the 2006 H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival in Portland Oregon.

I received a “telegram” from the festival announcing the utter horror the projectionist suffered at having seen the film, which was a real nice touch. (Click the pic below for a close-up view.)

I’m quite thrilled, and will be attending the festival to represent the animated short and hobnob with other Hobb’s End lurkers.

See you in October!

This sparked a bit of controversy among the fans. See some discussions on the Horror Channel Boards and over at MovieManiacs.net

Another discussion: Call of Cthulhu Forum