The screening takes place August 21st at ODEON Covent Garden and is completely sold out. Well not that we’re selling the tickets, you understand, but basically you can’t get hold of them for love nor money.

However you can win a pair of tickets by entering our Twitter competition. Huzzah! We’re giving away 5 pairs of tickets to our lovely Twitter followers. Entering the competition is (un)dead easy.

1. Follow @snotd on Twitter
2. Just tweet the following message “Entered comp to win zombie film premiere tickets. Just follow @snotd and retweet. http://bit.ly/snotd”

Not only do you get tickets to see the film before anyone else in the world but you’ll also get a chance to hang out with the cast and crew at the after party. We might even buy you a lager top to boot.

The competition is open to anyone but you’ll need to sort your own transport to London and also be over 18 to attend the after party. We’ll announce the winners on Twitter Friday 31st July.

What are you waiting for? Get tweeting and good luck!

DATE: Friday 21st August 2009

VENUE: ODEON Covent Garden

ADDRESS: 135 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, WC2H 8AH

TIME: 7pm

TICKET ARRANGEMENTS: The screening is primarily for cast and crew, sponsors and press.

PUBLIC TICKETS: A limited number of public tickets will be made available nearer the time. A further announcement regarding the allocation of public tickets and how you can apply for them will be made in the next few weeks. To ensure you don’t miss out, subscribe to the SNOTD RSS feed or follow us on Twitter.

Thanks to everyone for their patience. We know it’s been a long time since a number of your were caked in fake blood and rabbit shit on a windy field in Suffolk and you’ve been itching to see the finished film. Actually you’ve probably just been itching due to the rabbit shit but there you go..Anyway, we appreciate your patience and look forward to seeing you all at the screening.

Zombie movie Colin has taken this years Cannes Film Festival by storm.

That a British independent zombie movie has got the folks at Cannes buzzing is news in itself but the fact that Marc Price, the director, made the film for only £45 makes it even more remarkable. According to the article on the Daily Mail website, he spent the budget on tea, coffee, DV tapes..and a crowbar.

Price has done a great job in marketing the movie and used the current economic climate to pitch the film based on its credit crunch busting budget and has got write ups in Metro, The Times and The Hollywood Reporter.

From a zombie movie perspective, Colin also takes an unusual route in that it covers the story from a zombies point of view. The lead character gets bitten early in the film, dies and then comes back as a zombie and the rest of the action is focused on his life as a zombie. In his review, Mike Simpson compares the performance of lead actor, Alastair Kirton, to Karloff in Frankenstein. High praise indeed!

Seeing a British independent zombie movie do well at Cannes warms the cockles of our heart (note to self: must find out what a heart cockle actually does) but it’s made even more pleasing because some of our very own SNOTD make up team worked on the project.

Michelle Webb, Lindsey Jones, Gayle Cooper and Jess Heath all contributed their time to the film and, judging by the trailer and the clip from Colin on the production company website, have created some visually stunning zombies and make up effects.

We were lucky to have Michelle and her team work with us on the first round of filming for Stag Night of the Dead. The visual effects make up on our zombies was top notch, combining newly turned zombies with full on decomposing flesh. Each zombie was different, had it’s own unique features and in some cases genuinely stomach turning gore.

Did someone mention Flappy?

If anyone is making a UK based zombie or horror film and you’re looking for visual effects make up, give these guys a call but you’d better do it quickly. With the success of Colin at Cannes and the release of SNOTD on the cards, they’re going to be even more in demand than they already are.

Web links: Michelle Webb - Visual FX Make Up | Lindsey Jones - Model Making & Special FX

The SNOTD shop is open for business. You can now buy your zombie and horror stuff directly from the Stag Night of the Dead website and help us out.

Those lovely chaps at Amazon.co.uk have helped us set up our own wee zombie shop and every time you buy anything from the shop, they send us a couple of pennies in commission. It doesn’t have to be zombie or horror stuff. Basically anything you buy from the shop will count.

Want to buy a 42″ plasma from Amazon? Not a problem. Buy it from the SNOTD shop.

Can’t find what you’re looking for? Use the search box and buy it from the SNOTD shop.

Stag Night of the Dead is a totally independent movie. We had no help from the UK film agencies making the film. It was totally self funded so by using the SNOTD shop to buy your stuff from Amazon you are helping us to continue to make independent films.

All purchases are direct with Amazon and you are covered by all their usual T&C’s. Only purchases made from Amazon.co.uk via the SNOTD shop qualify for commission.

So if you’re a regular Amazon shopper and want to support UK independent filmmaking, ditch your old links and start using the SNOTD shop.

As we shuffle ever closer to the first screening of Stag Night of the Dead, I thought it would be a good time to announce that the SNOTD soundtrack includes a track by Scottish songstress Sandi Thom who had a UK number 1 hit with I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker.

Sadly she hasn’t re-recorded it using the title I came up with which I think is a real shame. I think it’s rather catchy, don’t you? I can imagine kids singing along as they listen to Tony Blackburn on the Hit Parade.

In other news I can confirm that there will be an announcement on this site about a pre-release screening of Stag Night of the Dead in the next week. If you don’t want to miss anything you’d better subscribe to the SNOTD RSS feed by clicking on one of the links under the big orange button.

Finally SNOTD is now on Twitter. We’ll be tweeting bits of movie and zombie news so why don’t you follow us - @snotd - on the fastest growing social site on t’internet? We might not have as many followers as Ashton Kutcher or be as funny as Stephen Fry but there’ll probably be more swearing!

Anyway just before I get my coat, I thought I would remind everyone to subscribe to the SNOTD RSS feed. It’s just over there to your right. Y’know, by the big orange button. Subscribing is free and you can chose to get all of the latest news sent via email or pick it up through your favourite feed reader.

Now why on earth would I suggest subscribing to a website that hasn’t been updated for so blooming long?

Oh..no reason. It’s just..well..y’know..if any news were to be coming out over the next few weeks then you’d read it here first. That’s all.

As you were.

15 November 2008

It’s around 7 o’clock in the evening and I’m pacing around a gloomy garage forecourt somewhere on the A1, watching as the Guv is trying to negotiate a deal on his fuel/oil/coffee combo with the unimpressed attendant.

It’s not the chill in the air, or indeed the fact that I’ve only got 20 cigarettes on me and I haven’t seen the attendant pass any over to the Guv, that’s making me edgy.

Tonight we’re going up to Leeds to attend the 8th Annual NIGHT of the DEAD - part of the 22nd Leeds International Film Festival. The Guv’s put together a new trailer and we’ve trimmed down the Behind the Screams doc so that we can get it into the festival as a short feature.

The first film festival that I attended was the aptly titled Shock Around The Clock 2 at the Scala Cinema in London Kings Cross in 1988. What an amazing day/night! We laughed and cheered our way through European premieres of Bad Taste, The Hidden, a 9 minute preview of Hardware, The Church (they were going to show Dario Argento’s Opera but they only had it in Italian) and winced a little when they screened Necromantic. I think it was 10 films straight through - around 23 hours in total.

On a sad note, the Scala closed a couple of years later. Real shame, it was great venue for independent and international films, stuff you just couldn’t see on the big screen anywhere, let alone at your local goggle-plex.

For those of you that love horror films and have never been to a full on horror festival, I highly recommend searching out Night of the Dead or something similar like Frightfest at the Prince of Wales. There’s no better way to watch horror flicks than among a 400 strong audience of gore hounds!

11.45pm - Hyde Park Picture House

We finally find a good parking spot just around the corner from the cinema. As we stroll up the crowds are starting to gather. We meet up with one of the organisers and are shown to a couple of reserved seats near the front. First there’s going to be a short film and then, after My Name Is Bruce gets it’s UK premiere, we’re up. The Guv is going to do a Q&A after the footage is screened and then I’m going to judge a “best zombie” competition apparently.

00.30am - Night of the Dead

So, the first film up was Eel Girl (a least that’s what I think it was called). An interesting tale in which a lonely lab technician becomes fascinated by a weird green lizard/fish woman who likes to splash around naked in a bath of slime. Unfortunately for him it isn’t his affections that she’s after! At about 10 minutes Eel Girl was well shot and acted with some great practical make-ups. I thought it was a good opener. The crowd agreed and it eased my nerves as I settled back to watch My Name Is Bruce.

Star of such genre defining movies as the Evil Dead trilogy, Bubba Ho-Tep and err…  Maniac Cop, long time Sam Raimi (Evil Dead trilogy, Spider-Man trilogy) cohort Bruce Campbell has entertained a generation of horror fans with his work on both the big and small screens. Directed by Campbell himself, My Name Is Bruce is at the same time a love letter to his many avid fans and a classic slice of b-movie schlock in the same vein as Bubba Ho-Tep.

The story is pretty straight forward – Bruce’s no.1 fan inadvertently re-awakens an ancient Chinese protector of Bean Curd (yes, that’s right, Bean Curd!) who then proceeds to chop the head off of everyone who crosses its path. No.1 fan feels guilty and calls in Bruce to save the day. Playing the ‘classic Campbell’ unwilling hero, Bruce does battle with both the town’s demon and a few of his own.

The best thing about this movie is the way it isn’t afraid to reference its own limitations, whilst maintaining a genuine respect for the genre. There are loads of ‘in jokes’ for the avid horror fan and Campbell pulls it all off with a style akin to Raimi’s early (better) works. Oh, and the sound design is really fantastic!

My Name is Bruce reminded me of the original Evil Dead in the way that Campbell puts himself through the ringer as both a performer and genre icon - he really gets beat up in this movie. I don’t see how they could ever top Campbell’s “Ash” in the long in production hell remake. There’s not really much here for the serious gore-hound, just a few decapitations and the like but it’s all handled well and you should definitely give it a look if you’re into low-budget comedy/ horror. Recommended.

There’s a short break next - we stretch our legs and see how many cigarettes can be smoked in 15 minutes before our bit is screened. First they show the new trailer and then straight into the Behind the Screams footage. There’s a few laughs – thankfully in all the right places - and even though both me and the Guv are not happy with the grading in a couple of the shots, the audience don’t seem to notice. Unfortunately the last couple of seconds is strangely missing and the Behind the Screams finishes abruptly leaving the audience (and us) a bit bewildered. At least it was in the correct ratio!

The Guv is called to the stage and confidently takes questions regarding budgets, distribution, release dates and how to get hold of cast and crew. If people buy two copies of the DVD then the Guv says that they can be in the next film (let’s finish this one first eh?)

Then it’s my turn. The organisers call me up to judge a “best zombie” competition. Three people volunteer and gleefully dash onto the stage. I’m asked what makes for a good zombie and mumble something about ‘maintaining an air of threat’ and ‘the ministry of funny walks’. As I’m finishing my sentence the first zombie lurches towards me and I have to admit that he’s pretty intimidating. The second guy looks like he’s had a couple too many bevvies in the break and he falls face down hard, narrowly missing the lights dotted along the front of the stage. Not a bad attempt but more drunk than dead. The last guy is quite tall and he waves his arms around like Magnus Pike whilst twisting his leg into an awkward position. Looks painful.

Personally I like the last one best but think it prudent to ask the audience which is their favourite. The audience all ‘zombie groan’ for each of the contestants and number 3 is easily the winner (damn - I wish we had taped it as background sound for the film!) All 3 receive some horror related books and leave the stage happy.

So, I leave the stage and our 15 minutes are over. We watch the next short – about some German guy who gets bored watching the same old crap on TV and decides to make his own show in which he cuts great chunks out of his own body with a Stanley knife. Good FX and pretty cringe-worthy. Can’t remember the title - hope someone can tell me?

They’re showing Tokyo Gore Police next (which I really want to see) but we’re both knackered and have a 3 hour drive home – so decide to call it a day. We shake hands with the organiser and he says to keep in touch.

Leeds is empty and we’re soon flying back down the A1. We take a turning near to the Guv’s house and are about 5 minutes from the his when we come across a police car blocking the road. Some poor bugger’s taken a dive into a really deep ditch on the side of the road. Looks messy.

I finally hit the hay at 6am satisfied that we had a positive reaction to all the footage and hopeful that everyone will agree that the film (whenever it’s finished) is worth the wait.

The Wrangler

PS. We hope to get something special for Christmas up on the web site soon…

P.P.S. (by The Mascot) Massive thanks to Scott Smith who pointed me in the direction of the video of Neils Q&A session which has been uploaded to YouTube. Scott - you rock!

P.P.P.S. (by The Mascot) Using the power of t’Internet, I have now managed to find video footage of the zombie contest with The Wrangler on YouTube. Huzzah!

Admit it.

The reason that you watch Big Brother isn’t to try and gain amazing insights into the human condition or even to simply ogle fit young things frolicking in the jacuzzi during the all too brief English summertime.

It’s all about that moment when the doors open and the latest evictee steps out onto the gantry to a chorus of disapproval from the baying crowd, watching the look on the Z-list wannabe’s face as they realise that Joe public actually hates their guts and that their fifteen minutes ended ten minutes ago.

But let’s face it. What chance have they got? If they stay quiet everyone thinks they’re boring, if they’re brash and outgoing people want to see them bashed with the humility stick.

So it was with great interest that I watched the opening episodes of Dead Set on E4 the other night.

Was this going to be the realisation of my long dreamt of version of BB – ‘Big Bastard’ where they seal the doors and slowly pump the air out of their luxury bird cage? Where dwarfs enter the house in the middle of the night and perform strange experiments on the helpless convicts? I’m thinking ‘Hostel’ meets ‘SS Experiments Camp’ - with Davina as the Wicked Warden.

Have Endemol (the shows producers) finally realised that the next logical step for their flagging annual ego mincer is to introduce some of the old ‘ultra violence’?

Well, yes actually.

From what I’ve seen so far we’re being treated to some good old fashioned gut munching, exploding heads and Lucio Fulci style throat ripping!

This is the way Big Brother was meant to be. Forget the fact that these ‘zombies’ move faster than Daphne from the new season of ‘Heroes’, they’re eating brains and ripping through flesh like a terrier on crack.

Give it a look if you get the chance. It’s something to watch while you wait for Stag Night of the Dead to loll across the finishing line…

I’d love to hear your comments.

The Wrangler.

The behind the scenes DVD extra “Behind the Screams” chronically the making of Stag Night of the Dead is finished. After six weeks of sleep deprivation and a majority shareholding in Domino’s Pizza, The Wrangler has done a great job in editing the companion to the movie. Complete with cast interviews and fly on the wall footage, this 25 minute masterpiece is set to premiered at the Leeds International Film Festival all nighter “Night of the Dead”.

I’ll keep you posted with dates etc when we have further confirmation.

In the meantime, the grade on the film is nigh on complete, we have done the first audio scrub and should have some exciting news to report next week on a new addition to the post production team.

In the words of the Romeromeister “Stay Scared”…

The Guvnor

Curse that James Bond and his Quantum of Solace. What right does he think he has to book all the friggin’ cinemas screens in Leicester Square on Halloween? I mean what’s his latest film got to do with zombies?

Ginger tosser.

Anyway, you’ll probably have guessed by the introduction that the Halloween screening of Stag Night of the Dead has been cancelled. Booking anything bigger than an iPod for a screening in Leicester Square for that week is next to impossible so we’re going to look at availability of screens for the following weeks.

Moving the screening date back presents its own problems, though. Once we get into November, we’re starting to hit Christmas party season in central London so finding a suitable screening and after party venue is proving tough so it may well be that we look at a screening in the new year.

We may still look at something later this year but we’re also considering you guys in terms of when we premiere the film. If, for example, we screen SNOTD two weeks before Christmas, how many of you would be able to make it? There’s Christmas parties…the expense of the festering festive season itself…for those travelling down from Suffolk there’s the extra expense of accommodation in London in December.

As I say, nothing is set in stone here so it would be great to have some feedback from SNOTD fans regarding the screening. Please leave comments on the blog or on the Facebook page.

I know it all sounds like bad news so if you want some good news, there’s definitely not going to be any re-shoots

In terms of the movie itself, we’re in the final stages of post production. The edit has been locked off, we’re finishing off sound design, adding the special effects, finalising the soundtrack and musical score. Everything is shaping up brilliantly and we know that you guys are going to love it.

Despite how it may seem, there’s loads going on behind the scenes that I’m dying to tell you but I can’t until contracts have been signed, etc. Basically The Guvnor has threatened to cut my balls off with a spoon if I so much as even breathe a word about any of it but, rest assured, as soon as I’m able to I will spill the beans on this here blog so to make sure you get the gossip first, subscribe to the newsfeed.

Talking of which, I believe there is some confusion as to what subscribing to the feed means. Now rather than me trying to explain it to you, why don’t I let the clever chaps at Common Craft explain it in this video?

I tell you what, whilst you’re about it, you may just love their video Zombies in Plain English

So there you have it, kiddywinks. That’s where we’re at with the funniest zombie comedy movie ever made. By us. Please feel free to leave a comment on the blog to let us know you’re still out there. It gets terribly lonely blogging here. The Guvnor doesn’t let me out very often so my only contact with the outside world is via the blog…