"My Trip To HOUSE ON HORROR HILL!"

Several people read and saw pictures about my trip to Netherworld this past Halloween and wanted to know what I thought about the "other" haunted house I visited this year which was the House on Horror Hill. Nothing can compare with the vastness and budget of Netherworld but it's always good to keep an eye out for the smaller venues and competition because you never know what you'll get.

Having gone to Netherworld first (three days earlier so it was still frest in my mind) Horror Hill was a bit guvenile as it's primary audience was for eight to sixteen year olds as only they would be scared on the antics of this type of house/attraction. The venue was made up of several rooms depicting scenes from which patrons would be simply squeezed into the room and allowed the scenes to unfold before having all the lights turned out (thus ushering the strobe lights) and the actors in the scenes would thene grab out at the patrons as they were pushed from that room into the next. The whole experience was very "militaristic" as we were marched from one room to the next and I didn't enjoy any of the rooms regardless of some of the rooms and scenes actually being very well made with actors who really put an effort into their work.

There were too many people crammed into each group and the person leading the group from from room to the next was someone whom you think didn't want to be there. This being said, me and my friends did go on the busiest day of the season - HALLOWEEN, so I'm willing to forgive them a little. I do have to say that the people behind the actual production of the venue did care about the quality of what they were putting together as they gave comment cards to every person who went through the house wanting to know which were their favorite and least favorite of the rooms.

Although I now know that this in not the venue for me, it's definitely a place I could take my little nephew who would actually get a kick out of the place.

Filming SHIVER!

Filming on my CenterSeat Production of SHIVER (which I'm making my feature film debute) is going very well as I'm loving everything that I'm getting from my cast (so far Sherrie Peterson, Alicia Schulz, Dixie Light, and Cesar Aguirre) and crew (so far Asa Rose, Vernon Mui, and Laura Scigliano). It has been a joy to be working with such creative talents who have made this film experience better then I could have possibly imagined.

The only problem that the production has faced is the extreme cold hitting Georgia earlier then it has in a long time. This and the wind have played havok on several of my exterior shoots which leaves me dreading the "dailies" because I might have to re-shoot one or more of these scenes (thankfully, we still have lots of time in the productions schedule). I've alotted 15 days of principal photography which as of today we are still on track so I'm very happy with that. This weekend is light in that we only have six scenes to film and only two actors needed (I decided to go light this weekend in order to allow everyone to enjoy this Thanksgiving weekend). I'm just glad my actors were in such good spirits to be so accomodating to the production.

Going into the third week of production (and you're hearing it here first), I've decided to change the name of the film from SHIVER to something more appropriate. After all the re-writes and changes the film no longer feels like a "shiver" type of movie but instead feels like a female drama with suspenseful undertones so over the last few days I've been coming up with many names to choose from in order to change the title of the film. I've not decided on a title yet but I may let the cast & crew have a stab at naming this film since without them, this film would have never been possible.

Originally, SHIVER was just meant to be a screenplay that I wanted to sale but circumstances were placed before me and I couldn't say "no" so I decided to make this film my directing debute. I only hope that I can do everyone justice and come out with an entertaining and thought provoking film. Having filmed seven other features (as various other positions) I know how much it can take out of a person to do their first film so I'm trying to be as prepared as possible and be ahead of the game. As long as I can continue to give the illusion that I know what I'm doing then everything will come out as planned.

I just hope I can continue up the illusion.

"Joss Whedon as King"

Just finished getting caught up with issues of the Joss Whedon approved BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER: SEASON EIGHT and ANGEL: AFTER THE FALL (or better known as Season six) comic books which continue what would have happened in the television series' should they have continued. Although Whedon is the driving force behind both series providing the "direction" behind which both series follow, he has taken the chief reigns behind the current story in BUFFY Season Eight with the story "Time of Your Life" which sees Buffy thrust into the future where she meets future vampire slayer Fray (who had her own series also written by Whedon). This was the cross-over than fans have been asking for for years (since I've yet to read the FRAY mini-series I am sad to say I am not one of this group).

In the story "Time of Your Life" the biggest moments come from the fact that Buffy realizes that the future has no slayers to battle the forces of darkness and that everything she sacreficed to bring upon the slayers and the Potentials (possible future slayers who were called early - SEE SEASON SEVEN of the TV show) was all for nothing. This cross-over will have a profound effect of Buffy and the series as a whole as she must now find a direction that will help her prevent the future events that she has seen.

One of the great things about the this story and the series as a whole is how many other sub-plots are wrangled into each issue and the series in general. Willow has a new girlfrend and there are hints in "Time of Your Life" that she may be responsible for world changing events as she has survived into Fray's future. Also, Dawn is experiencing life changing events as well seeing as that her former demon-boyfriend's curse first changed her into a giant-Dawn through most of the first half of the series; the curse takes a new turn as Dawn finds herself a Centaur, part woman and part horse, which makes for very funny moments between her and Xander. Xander has had it bad, as usually, seeing as her just got through both being Dracula's minion, again, and his new girlfriend getting killed in the last story - "The Wolves At the Gates." Both Faith and Giles have gone missing for a while in the series as they are both staying clear of Buffy & gang for their own reasons (I'm sure will have profound effects on the series in the long run). This "season" of Buffy just keeps getting better and better.

Over in ANGEL: AFTER THE FALL, Los Angelas and most of California is stuck in hell, but it is finally revealed that the hell that Angel & Company find themselves in is a mirror-realm in which the "real" world cannot see. It is revealed, finally, that after the events of the Series Finale, Angel has been turned human and battling the deminions of Hell regardless of his limitations. Gunn is becoming a formidable villain with a link to the Powers That Be (or so he thinks) and like most of the Angel televion series good characters become bad and bad become alliesor dead (again). If there is one thing bad with AFTER THE FALL and Angel (both comic & TV series) it's that there are way too many characters for its own good and new readers will find it hard jumping into the story. Jumping into the series without already knowing the TV show is problem enough, but regardless, Angel comes off as this epic hero that's suppose to be both bad and good which is one of the reasons why it is so obsessive.

Although Whedon does less with this series then the BUFFY series both feel very much like the televion shows and are great extensions of the mythos.