Martinsville 39 Ghosts Premiere

Well over a hundred people attended tonight's Martinsville, VA, premiere of local moviemaker Myron Smith's funny new chiller, 39 Ghosts, at the Spencer-Penn Center. Many of those present were among the movie's cast and crew — including me, as I play the ghost of Dr. Abroz, based on the character Doctor Zorba from William Castle's original 13 Ghosts (1960). Three years in the making this movie was, due to various complications in Myron's personal and professional schedules. I had shot my scenes as Dr. Abroz back in March of 2019, before the script was even complete (see 39 Ghosts, March 10, 2019). Only a portion of the work I did appears in the finished movie, but what's there is pretty slick.

Typical of Myron's movies, humor abounds, with the cast hamming it up from start to finish. The movie opens as a relatively straight parody of Castle's 13 Ghosts, with several gags that fans of the film will easily recognize. However, the next thing you know, Myron's version of the Scooby-Doo gang makes an appearance. Then, on its heels, here come the Ghostbusters! The ghosts and special effects work are fun, and the dialogue, which ranges from subtle and witty to deliciously outrageous, provides plenty of good laughs.

Moviemaker Myron Smith addresses the
audience prior to the showing

Most of the cast is from Martinsville and surrounding areas, and fans of Myron's movies will see many familiar faces. The protagonist family is played by a real family — Mal Rorrer as David Kretzner; his wife, Melanie, as Martha Kretzner; daughter, Katherine, as Darla Kretzner; and son, Mason, as Sonny Kretzner. A longtime veteran of Myron's movies, Aleta Whitten gives Margaret Hamilton a run for her money as the housekeeper of the haunted mansion the Kretzner family inherits. Wes Frank Norman composed the movie's impressive score.

I hope that Myron will get 39 Ghosts out to a larger audience in the coming days. Many of his previous efforts, such as Young Blood: Evil Intentions, Invasion of the Killer Cicadas, and his numerous "Sweded" movies, have been released on DVD but, unfortunately, have not been made widely available. In Young Blood, I played a concerned citizen (VERY concerned, I'll have you know), and I also wrote the novelization based on the screenplay. In Invasion of the Killer Cicadas, I played the mad scientist, Klaus von Tottenreich, and Brugger even has a small but memorable part as Klaus's randy girlfriend.

39 Ghosts is Myron's most ambitious project to date, and I do hope we'll see much more from him and his talented associates. You can visit Myron's YouTube channel here.

The beleaguered-by-ghosts Kretzer family — David (Mal Rorrer), Martha (Melanie Rorrer), Sonny (Mason Rorrer),
and Darla (Katherine Rorrer) — and the spooky housekeeper (Aleta Whitten)

39 Ghosts!

Tomorrow night (Saturday, October 1) is the Martinsville, VA, premiere of local moviemaker Myron Smith's latest spookfest, titled 39 Ghosts, loosely based on William Castle's original 13 Ghosts (1960). Like most of Smith's movies, this one promises lots of chuckles as well as a few chills. In it, I play the ghost of Dr. Abroz (based on—guess who—Dr. Zorba from the original film.

The movie plays at the Spencer-Penn Center in Spencer, VA, just west of Martinsville, at 7:00 p.m. EDT. Tickets will be available at the door.

When I was a wee lad, 13 Ghosts scared the devil out of me, resulting in more than one sleepless night. And shortly afterward, one or more of those ghosts apparently migrated to our house because the number 13 mysteriously appeared on the living room wall behind the television, scrawled in pencil. My brother was way to young to do any such thing, and I would never, ever have dreamed of writing anything on the wall. Not me, no. So, it had to be ghosts. Probably Dr. Abroz.

Seeing the old dude as a ghost on the screen is bound to be a hoot. Perhaps I'll see you there.

39 Ghosts

Moviemaker Myron Smith, of Martinsville, VA—co-director/producer of Young Blood (the novelization of which was penned by yours truly), Invasion of the Killer Cicadas, and a host of "Sweded" films, including The Wizard of Oz, Willy Wonka & Chocolate Factory, Alice in Wonderland, Night of the Living Dead, and others—has turned his efforts to a new, full-length movie called 39 Ghosts. This one is a parody of the original William Castle classic, 13 Ghosts, with nods to the 2001 remake as well. In this one, I play Dr. Abroz, the movie's counterpart of William Castle's Dr. Zorba. The filming was done yesterday in Martinsville, and you can bet I got all kinds of creepy. The script is full of chills, thrills, and a few good belly laughs. Filming will continue for the next few months, and the movie will likely see release later this year or early next.

Visit Myron's Facebook page here. There may still be parts available for those in the area who would like to participate. Contact Myron via Facebook, and stay tuned for updates here at the Blog Where Horror Dwells.

Still Believing, Young Blood, and More

Scary author with the novel Young Blood

Ms. B. and I have returned home from a whirlwind weekend in Martinsville, which started Friday evening at The Daily Grind with the Writers' Round Featuring Tokyo Rosenthal and me, turned into a spend-the-night party at Mum's with our good friends Terry & Beth, continued on Saturday with some hiking in the woods (including a bunch of geocache maintenance for me), and more-or-less climaxed at The Hollywood Cinema last night for the fifth anniversary celebration of The Smith Brothers' first movie, Young Blood: Evil Intentions, the novel of which I wrote with Mat & Myron. I had a small small part in the movie as a concerned citizen (see Young Blood: The Movie, March 9, 2012), and you can bet your ass I appeared concerned as hell on the big screen.

Late this past week, I became really concerned that the onset of some fairly severe fall allergy symptoms would do a number on my ability to sing (which many might question at the best of times), but with the benefit of a couple of throat lozenges before the show on Friday, I managed to belt out a dozen songs without completely choking. To say it was fun is a gross understatement—at least for me; I can't speak for anyone else. There's a video down below of my song "Still Believing," which Ms. B. was kind enough to record. Mr. Rosenthal proved himself a consummate professional—one of the most adept acoustic guitar players I've ever met, and a fine singer and lyricist. It was a pleasure to have shared the stage with him.

A couple of my trail caches in Martinsville needed fixing up, so Ms. B. and I undertook a couple of medium-size hikes to repair/replace them, one along the Dick & Willie trail, where I discovered an entire boulder, which housed my cache ("The Boxcar," GC263XX), had somehow gone missing. Odd, the things that can vanish without a trace. The other, on a bike trail out in Chatmoss ("Sticks," GC1WNG9), required the construction of some new Blair Witch–style stick figures, a trail of which will lead an intrepid adventurer to the actual cache container. Yeah, it got kind of hot, muggy, and buggy out there.

The Young Blood anniversary celebration brought many of the movie's actors and fans together again, and the theater lobby was decorated with a couple of tons of memorabilia and merchandise, including posters, DVDs, original artwork, and promos for Myron Smith's Sweded films (not to mention some scary clown props, as the theater was also showing It).

When I was writing the novel, I watched the movie many times over and had it virtually memorized, but it had been long enough that, watching it again, I had a whole different view of it—the humor was funnier, and the more disturbing parts were really disturbing. A neat little movie it is, and I'm quite proud to have had as much a part in it as I have.

Check out the Young Blood Facebook page here.

The celebration resulted in a fashionably late dinner at Yamato Japanese Restaurant, which Kimberly and I enjoyed no end (suffering from the Great Starvation will do that to one—just ask my cats). We had thought we might join Mat, Myron, and other folks in the Young Blood crowd at Mtn' Jax in uptown Martinsville, but by the time we got there, they had already left. So Kimberly and I returned to Mum's and sat out on the back porch until the wee hours of the morning sipping a fine Pinot Noir. At midnight, we were treated to the thunderous sounds of fireworks from the Martinsville Speedway, which—as the crow flies—is only a couple of miles or so from our house, where they'd had their first nighttime NASCAR race. Unfortunately, we couldn't actually see the fireworks, but when they first went off, we thought the bomb had dropped. Big noise! But we actually enjoyed the celebratory racket, and I hope the race brought lots of business into town. In all my years, I've never been to a NASCAR race, nor had any real interest in going, but the Speedway is a real draw in Martinsville, and more power to the fans.

This morning, it was back home for the both of us to deal with our respective cats, who all were suffering from The Great Starvation. Poor little guys! (Note: They're not that poor. Nor little.)

See you at the curtain call.

Original Young Blood artwork on display in the Hollywood Cinema lobby

Posters for Myron Smith's Sweded movies. I have a wee part in Alice in Wonderland.

Young Blood Five-Year Anniversary Event

What: Five-Year Anniversary Celebration of Young Blood: Evil Intentions
 
When: Saturday, September 23, 2017, 7:00 PM

Where: Hollywood Cinema, 606 Commonwealth Blvd, Martinsville, VA (across from Walmart)

Who Will Be There: Moviemakers Mat & Myron Smith; yours truly, Stephen Mark Rainey, author of the Young Blood novel; numerous members of the cast.

Autographed copies of the Young Blood novel, DVDs, shirts, posters, and other memorabilia will be available for purchase at the theater. In addition, there will be a Young Blood Exhibit, door prizes, & raffle. Beer and wine is available at the concession stand, along with the usual popcorn, Pepsi products, assorted candies, and other snacks.

Doors open at 6:00 PM for a meet and greet. Tickets are $7—Call (276) 224-8707 to reserve yours. Order now, as seating is limited!

Some links of interest:

• Young Blood Facebook Page
• The Blog Where Horror Dwells: "Young Blood: The Movie" (March 9, 2012)
• The Blog Where Horror Dwells: Young Blood: The Novel" (May 24, 2014)

JOIN US!

Go Ask Alice

Moviemaker Myron Smith, who with his brother, Mat, co-produced and directed the indie films Young Blood and Invasion of the Killer Cicadas (both of which I took part in), has in recent days gone out on his own to make "Sweded" versions of well-known movies, such as Night of the Living Dead, Return to Oz, and Nightmare on Elm Street. Sweded films are the ultimate in amateur moviemaking, generally very short, oftentimes hilarious, and always made on a less-than-shoestring budget. Myron has now turned his directorial efforts to his own version of Alice in Wonderland, and yesterday I had a blast taking part as one of the playing card soldiers in several scenes, including Alice's outrageous trial, which was filmed at the old courthouse in my old hometown of Martinsville, VA. Due to schedule conflicts, I'd had to turn down the more substantial role of the King of Hearts, but I did enjoy being able to slap around a few peasants and lead them off to have their heads removed by an irate Queen of Hearts.

Director Myron Smith goes over the script, the
the White Rabbit takes a smoke break, and the
rest of the cast prepares for the day's shoot.

Alas, yesterday proved to be a regular pain—literally—before things settled onto something resembling an even keel. First thing in the morning, I woke up to a call from Wells Fargo and discovered that my bank card had been compromised for the second time in just a few months. Fortunately, the bank caught what was going on and all the bogus charges were declined, but still, having to deal with the aftermath of this kind of thing is a bitch in heat. Would that such thieves—not to mention the endless stream of scam artists who have devoted themselves to defrauding my less-than-healthy mother—could be transported to a real-world counterpart of yesterday's movie set, so that I might joyously lead them to their royally deserved headless futures.

Okay, so at last I'm on set and outfitted in my costume, but before shooting can begin, one of my glasses lenses makes a distinctive popping sound and, zoom, there it goes, flying through the air like a Frisbee. Yes, the screw holding the frames together had pulled loose, but again happily, the lens wasn't damaged, and I was able to put things back to right once I got home. Lord, but I do hope these glasses will hold together for the foreseeable future, as they're not that old, and I sure don't need to be replacing them just about the time their warranty expires.

Then comes Strike Three for the day: late in the afternoon, near the end of the shoot, that accursed prismatic pattern appears in my field of vision, the undeniable proof of a migraine setting in. Damnation, I had only just suffered a migraine two days earlier, though fortunately a very mild one. The light show for this one was particularly spectacular, but once again—I say with a big sigh of relief—the accompanying headache was relatively mild and proved to be more an inconvenience than a debilitating condition, which is too often not the case. Still, it was most frustrating, as I had committed to going with Ms. Brugger to a friend's birthday bash last night, and I can assure you, handling a sizable, noisy party with a migraine, however mild, is not a welcome prospect. However, around 9:30 PM, after resting a bit, particularly my eyes, I had begun to feel more or less human again, and, serendipitously, Ms. B. texted me to see if I might feel up to joining the group for a while. So I did, and though a bit weak and washed out, I managed to hold up without causing myself—and hopefully anyone else—any undue agony.

So I guess one could say that, despite being a somewhat dicier Saturday than I would generally wish on anyone—except perhaps scammers—it proved far better than a total bust. At least I didn't lose my head.

When her wicket collapses during the croquet game, Alice becomes irate, though perhaps a bit less so
than the Queen of Hearts, who orders the wicket's head removed.

In the courtroom, the White Rabbit reads charges against Alice, while director/cameraman
Myron Smith films the scene.

Pick a card. Any card.

The jury is in. Or out. Or something.

Catching some shade and refreshment between takes. The sun about blistered my poor bald head.

Young Blood Novel Release Party

Regular followers of my shenanigans may recall that, a while back, I wrote the novel Young Blood, based on the 2012 indie movie Young Blood: Evil Intentions, made by brothers Mat and Myron Smith. The official novel release party is coming up on Thursday, July 21, at Mtn' Jax Restaurant, 45 E. Church St., Martinsville, VA 24112 at 6:00 PM. Both the Smith Brothers and I will be on hand, possibly along with members of the film cast, and there will be plenty of copies of the novel available (paperback, $14.99), which we will happily devalue with our autographs. The book also features illustrations by Myron Smith. Make plans to come around for a shocking, horrific, bloody awful time of it. We'd be happy to have you.

I also plan to have copies of the novel available at ConGregate in High Point, NC, on the weekend of July 15–17.

 

Young Blood: Evil Intentions — "Snack Attack!"

The Kickstarter campaign for the Young Blood: The Novel I wrote a while back has just over a week to go. Our illustrious producers, Mat and Myron Smith, have posted a sample chapter as a teaser, which gives you a fair taste of our lovely little tale. Myron Smith has done a series of wonderful illustrations to accompany the text, a few of which you see here. The perks for supporting the project include an autographed copy of the printed novel, a DVD of the movie, autographed pages of the actual novel manuscript, a signed copy of my novel, The Monarchs, and much more.

Here's a link to the sample chapter: "Snack Attack"

Please give it a look and feel free to comment. Hope you enjoy it — and, if you haven't already, do consider supporting the the project through one of the various pre-order options.

And here is the Kickstarter link itself: Project Young Blood: The Novel. Give 'er a go, friends.

Lloyd Kaufman as newscaster Lloyd Kaufman, enthusiastically reporting the latest startling news on the
hordes of vampire children that are taking over the town of Martindale. Illustration by Myron Smith

The infamous Count Smokula performing his original tune "Young Blood," as seen in the movie.
Illustration by Myron Smith

Kickstarting Young Blood

Some of you Blue Blaze Irregulars may recall that, last year, I wrote the novelization of The Smith Brothers movie Young Blood: Evil Intentions (see "Young Blood: Evil Intentions — The Novel," May 24, 2014). Our inestimable producer-director team, Mat & Myron Smith, have begun a Kickstarter campaign to help finance its publication as well as a number of attendant perks. Depending on the rate pledged, you can get everything from just the e-book of the novel to two DVD movies (Young Blood: Evil Intentions and the Smith Brothers' second movie, Invasion of the Killer Cicadas, in which I play the part of the mad professor), a copy of the printed book, an autographed page from the original novel manuscript, and an autographed copy of my most recent novel, The Monarchs.

Here's the story: "Raised in a torn home, young Anavey discovers she has the ability to make big changes, with even bigger consequences. She, with the loyal help of her little sister Anastasia, form an army of young, blood-thirsty vampires to kill all the adults. No one is safe, especially the girls' mother, Olivia (Rebecca Kidd), and their abusive, overbearing stepfather, Dale Buckmeyer (Myron Smith). Will Anavey’s dreams become a reality? Will Anastasia escape the cult before it’s too late? Will the angry mob put an end to the insanity?"

The novel, which I wrote in close collaboration with the Smith Brothers, takes the events from the movie and delves deeper into the storyline and characters, all while retaining the crucial element of fun that makes Young Blood such a gem. Visit the Kickstarter site and please do consider offering your support.

For a bit more info from ye old author, here are links to a few blog entries I wrote for the original release of Young Blood: Evil Intentions back in 2012:

• "Young Blood: The Movie" (March 9, 2012)
• "Young Blood Premieres September 21 (September 12, 2012)
• "Fun Blood" (September 22, 2012)
• "Old Dude Speaks to YES Weekly" (November 7, 2012)

Many thanks for your support!

The Killer Cicadas Bash

The ultimate showdown between humans and giant, man-eating, killer cicadas took place last night at the Rives Theater in Martinsville, VA. The house was packed with folks eager to catch the latest from the delinquent Smith Brothers, Mat and Myron, whose previous effort, Young Blood: Evil Intentions, has just been novelized courtesy of ye old author dude. Earlier in the day, a strange-looking, upright cicada-type entity was reportedly seen around town advertising the movie. Ms. Kimberly, who has a small part as a mad professor's mistress, and I, who play the mad professor, arrived in town a couple of hours prior to showtime and had a very fine dinner at Rania's Restaurant in uptown Martinsville. When we got to the theater — which is where I saw the majority of my most beloved monster movies as a young'un — it was already just about filled up. Shortly, Mat and Myron were giving the audience a little introduction on what we were about to see, and then we were treated to a classic Betty Boop cartoon — which was, appropriately, all about a bunch of ornery bugs.

Invasion of the Killer Cicadas then rolled. It's a very short film — just under an hour long — and is all about the cheese. It's a genuinely funny comedy, with blatantly hokey special effects, lots of great quips from the characters, a wee bit of graphic gore, and some killer original music by The Directive, Smokey Miles, J.D. Hades and the Exterminators, Hyberborean Slumber, and others. The fun was infectious, and everyone in the audience looked to be having two and a half hoots. Ms. Kimberly and I certainly were.

After the show, most of the cast devalued lots of movie posters with our autographs, and then we headed over to Hugo's Bar & Grill for a few drinks and fun company. Quite the red carpet affair, this premiere!

Like Young Blood before it, Invasion of the Killer Cicadas will no doubt be making the rounds at other venues and eventually see release on DVD. Me, I can't wait. If your community is fortunate enough to be attacked by killer cicadas, I strongly recommend you don't miss them. Shoot first, question later.

Click here to watch the Jamie Walker Show about the movie from WYAT TV, which I participated in last week.

Meww Gomez and John Robert Price, stars of Invasion of the Killer Cicadas (photo by Rita Smith)

Writers, producers, directors, and Do-It-All Boys, Mat and Myron Smith (photo by Rita Smith)

After-party at Hugo's, featuring cast members Sarah Smith and Jenny Holmes

No mad scientist is complete without a beautiful mistress — even if she's looking a little blurry on camera.

The Directive: Invasion of the Killer Cicadas!

Hey, hey... The Killer Cicadas song by The Directive features Professor Doctor Werner Von Schwartztotten's maniacal monologue at the beginning. How awesome is that?

The Cicadas Invade... This Weekend!

Here they come! This Saturday night, August 9, at 7:00 PM, at the Rives Theater in Uptown Martinsville, VA. Invasion of the Killer Cicadas, made by brothers Mat & Myron Smith, and featuring ye old dude playing wacky mad scientist Professor Doctor Werner Von Schwartztotten. If you've not gotten tickets yet, they may be available at the door, but the show is likely to sell out. Guaranteed to be great fun....

In the same but different department, I've completed the novelization of the Smith Brothers' first movie, Young Blood: Evil Intentions and turned it in for approval. There will likely be some revisions before it's all said and done, but it's been a dynamite, mighty fun project.

And the show goes on.

Killer Cicadas Take the Airwaves

Thursday, July 31, at 5:30 PM, Mat and Myron Smith, along with special guests — including ye old man — from their movie, Invasion of the Killer Cicadas, will be airing on The Jamie Walker Show on Martinsville, VA's WYAT TV-40. People outside of the Martinsville area can now watch the show on YouTube.

The show will feature interviews, photos, video clips, and more from Invasion of the Killer Cicadas. The movie premieres at the Rives Theater in Martinsville on August 9 at 7:00 PM. Note: in southwestern VA, you can watch WYAT TV-40 on Channel 99 on Comcast Cable.

The Killer Cicadas Premiere — August 9, 2014

Invasion of the Killer Cicadas, the latest bit of indie movie mayhem from the evil Smith brothers, Mat & Myron, is coming to the Rives Theater in Martinsville, VA, on Saturday, August 9, at 7:00 PM. Ye old man has a small part as mad professor Dr. Werner von Schwartztotten, the evil genius behind the killer cicadas, and Kimberly "Ms. B." Brugger gets to show just what she's made of in a killer hot tub scene. If you're anywhere in the area, by all means, come round and get in on the monster action. Tickets cost $7.50 and must be purchased in advance — and they're going faster than fast. They're still available from several businesses in Martinsville, including What's Your Sign and Stafford's Music, and online from cbaity.wix.com. Or contact Mat Smith or Myron Smith directly (via Facebook) for fast personal service.

Trailer 1 for Invasion of the Killer Cicadas.

I have just finished the novelization of Mat & Myron's first movie, Young Blood: Evil Intentions, which was released just over a year ago. Recently, the gentlemen producers decided the real events behind the movie needed to told, and I was the nearest person who might be able to actually make that happen. So, yeah... done and done. The book will be coming out soon enough, so mind your necks, good people.

Bloody well right.

Young Blood: Evil Intentions — The Novel

Zoe Cox and Autumn Ward in Young Blood: Evil Intentions (2012)

In 2012, brothers Mat and Myron Smith made a fun little indie movie called Young Blood: Evil Intentions, in which I had a bit part as a Highly Concerned Citizen of a little town that gets overrun by a veritable horde of juvenile vampires. Alternately grim and hysterically funny, Young Blood has played in numerous theaters around the region, appeared at film festivals, and been released on DVD. With cameos by The Munsters star Butch Patrick (Eddie Munster), Troma Entertainment founder/actor Lloyd Kaufman, and horror host/musician Robert "Count Smokula" Miles, the movie has gained a sizable cult following.

And it's about to become a book.

I have been contracted to write a novelization of the movie, and this fun endeavor is currently well in progress. A teaser chapter will soon be foisted upon the public at large, and you will be encouraged to run screaming... for a whole lot more. Be afeared. Be very afeared.

The Smith brothers are currently wrapping up their latest movie, Invasion of the Killer Cicadas, in which I play mad scientist Dr. Werner von Schwartztotten. Look for it this summer, and you can become even more afeared.

For now, be sweet.