Adam Wingard’s visionary psychedelic-horror film POP SKULL and Matt Pizzolo’s street-philosophy-infused ultraviolent polemic THREAT hit massmarket VOD and Cable On Demand this month, just as Wingard’s new mumblecore-horror A HORRIBLE WAY TO DIE premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival and Pizzolo’s new transgressive-animation GODKILLER breaks sales records for its distributor. The films will be available starting September 1 (except as noted) on numerous carriers including AT&T U-Verse, Verizon Fios (starting Sept 11), Rogers (Canada), Mediacom, Suddenlink, Bresnan, DISH VOD, Blue Ridge, Wave, Click, Atlantic Broadband, Cincinnati Bell, Hargray, RCN, NTELOS, Frontier, HTC, and more.
POP SKULL depicts the lonely and disjointed life of Daniel, a young Alabama pill addict, as his efforts to cope with the trials of his day-to-day life collide with the increasing influence of murderous and displaced spirits that inhabit his home. Plagued by ghosts, Daniel discovers his home holds a secret to a grisly crime… a crime he’s doomed to repeat if he can’t prevail against the forces that haunt him. “Unlike any horror film you’ve ever seen — and ever WILL see — POP SKULL is a must-see.” “The film is well paced, leaving us on the edge of our seat until the climactic end.” (–Brad Miska, Bloody-Disgusting) “Equal parts Aronofsky and Tsukamoto, Wingard straddles the line between experimentation and linear narrative.” POP SKULL high-res stills available here
THREAT is an award-winning, controversial urban thriller that earned its maverick filmmakers both accolades and condemnations for its heady brew of street philosophy and ultraviolence. White straightedge punk-rocker Jim and black hip-hop radical Fred become friends working dead-end jobs in NYC’s Lower East Side, both of them with the hope that their newfound brotherhood will bring solidarity to their disparate communities. Instead, the alliance triggers a violent race riot that spills into the city streets with devastatingly tragic consequences. |
The upcoming Godkiller Blu-ray has been postponed with no new street date yet announced, so company President Matt Pizzolo (who also wrote and directed the film) has announced that purchasers of the standard-def DVD will be entitled to a free Godkiller Blu-ray when it is released. “We’re not trying to double-dip on the DVD and Blu-ray. The hi-def version is being delayed due to unforeseen circumstances, but we want Godkiller fans to feel confident getting the film now and knowing we’ll take care of them when the Blu-ray comes out,” explained Pizzolo. “Godkiller really beat all our expectations, and that’s been a good thing as well as a bad thing for the audience because it keeps maxing out our infrastructure which results in delays,” said Pizzolo. “Producing and distributing Godkiller through our existing system has been a bit like the overloaded containment system from Ghostbusters, the overwhelming response to Godkiller is busting our system at the seams. The good news is we’re fixing that for the next slate of projects coming down the pike, but it’s been a tough road so far with Godkiller. But I can’t complain, it’s a good problem to have.” Halo-8 asks that purchasers of the Godkiller DVD hold onto their receipts. The system for requesting the free Blu-ray will most likely involve mailing in the receipt and UPC code from the standard-def DVD. The Godkiller full-length DVD debuted last month at the San Diego Comic Con, where the initial pressing sold out at Halo-8′s booth. After a serialized release of short-form DVDs, the complete film premiered at Chicago’s C2E2 Comic Convention before playing theatrically in 11 cities and being distributed via cable-on-demand to 75 million homes. The twisted, sci-fi/horror adventure about a teenage boy’s odyssey to find a new heart for his dying sister in a post-nuke wasteland of fallen gods, organ-stealing hookers, and sex-addicted technowizards, Godkiller was directed by award-winning filmmaker Matt Pizzolo (Threat) with music by Alec Empire, Nic Endo and Atari Teenage Riot, starring voice performances by genre-heroes Lance Henriksen (Aliens), Danielle Harris (Halloween 4, 5, I, II), Bill Moseley (The Devil’s Rejects), Nicki Clyne (Battlestar Galactica), Tiffany Shepis (Night of the Demons), punk icon Lydia Lunch (Hardcore), and rockstars Justin Pierre (singer Motion City Soundtrack) and Davey Havok (singer AFI). The dark, unrated film pioneers a new style of animation called ‘illustrated-films,’ developed by Pizzolo with his producing partner, Emmy-winner Brian Giberson. Utilizing sequential art by illustrator Anna Muckcracker, the illustrated-film adds 3D CGI, motion graphics, elaborate sound design, and dramatic voice performances for an edgy, sophisticated, intricately detailed new form of animation. Danielle Harris told iF Magazine “it’s more like moving art than animation, with very good writing.” Upcoming illustrated-films from Halo-8 include Tim Seeley’s Loaded Bible, Ben Templesmith’s Black Sky, and Pizzolo’s giallo-style The Long Knives. Early coverage of Godkiller: “Pizzolo sprinkles a little of everything naughty and twisted into this story and the result is an unpredictable adventure/horror/sci-fi/porno mash-up that is definitely not for kids, but it’s damn cool… The terrors and debauchery in GODKILLER have to be seen to be believed… Looked at from a distance, this is a fairy tale about a boy on a quest to save someone he cares about, but as one becomes invested in this film, it drags you through the gutter that is Outer City and relishes in the filth that goes on in its winding streets and wretched alleyways. Pizzolo’s story really pulls the reader through the shit and on the side of Tommy so we care about this adventure and root for the innocent kid to make it out of this hell alive…. Muckcracker shows a talent for both design and dramatic angles resulting in a film that sucks you in and makes you feel filthy for being there. GODKILLER is one of those stories which sticks with you long after seeing it. It’s filled with sordid fun and cracked horror. Pizzolo has a talent for both quick and heady dialogue as well as creative and fresh concepts that make this devious world of GODKILLER a place you’d want to dive into despite how dark it is.” (–Ambush Bug, Aint It Cool News) “There are certain stories that come along every few years that challenge viewers, readers, and the world in ways almost so shockingly in your face that it is hard to process upon the first viewing. A perfect example of this would be Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of A CLOCKWORK ORANGE which was a sweeping narrative that encompassed many of the social issues that were plaguing the country at the time… So when I sat down to watch GODKILLER I could imagine myself being one of those critics who watched A CLOCKWORK ORANGE for the first time… GODKILLER dares to get in your face and test your best inhibitions while at the same time doing its best to make you THINK. Pizzolo is giving you a healthy dose of social commentary to go along with your bloody genre offering… a flawless piece of genre fare… a treat for fans of horror, sci-fi, comics, and animated films that is not to be missed.” (–Theo Scheresky, Bloody Disgusting) “A horrific yarn of apocalypse, quantum physics, culture jamming & conspiracy theory.” (–Scott Thill, Wired) “Intriguing… mixes dark visuals, graphic violence, profanity and a speed metal soundtrack into an oddly alluring post-nuclear holocaust.” (–John DeNardo, SF Signal) “An adventure through a frightening, violent post-apocalyptic landscape.” (–Michael Gingold, Fangoria) [From preview part 1 review] “Matt Pizzolo’s tale of love, death, and organ harvesting; all set in a disgusting post apocalyptic wasteland. Looks as fantastic as you can expect… it’s hard not to give this a 9/10!” (–Chip Parton, Sins of Cinema) [From preview part 1 review] “I can’t stand motion comics… however, I was somehow drawn to Godkiller’s comic aspect. The only word I can use to describe Godkiller’s tone is grimdark. The episode’s grim-darkness is clear, but not over applied, with all kinds of crazy organ-stealing, brutality and cannibalism, murder, and prostitution. I cannot wait for more of this.” (–Ryan Miller, EuroCultAV) [From preview part 2 review] “Halo-8 scores again with the second addition to the Godkiller series by giving us more of everything we wanted. They’re clearly improving with every stroke of this magnificent series. Another cliffhanger has brought me to my knees with anticipation and I again cannot wait for the next volume to come out. This DVD earns every bit of the 4.5 grade I’m giving it. And you owe it to yourselves to watch it. 4.5/5″ (–Ryan Miller, EuroCultAV) |
HALO-8 PICKS UP GRANT MORRISON: TALKING WITH GODS
- Indie distrib acquires docu on mysterious, iconic comic book writer -
Los Angeles, CA, July 7, 2010 – Halo-8 Entertainment has secured worldwide rights to “GRANT MORRISON: TALKING WITH GODS,” 
the first ever feature-length documentary on the mysterious and iconic Grant Morrison, one of the most critically-acclaimed and best-selling writers in the history of comics, known for the groundbreaking, counter-cultural “THE INVISIBLES” and for bold reinventions of super-heroes “ANIMAL MAN,” “DOOM PATROL,” “JLA” and “ALL STAR SUPERMAN.” Directed by Patrick Meaney, produced by Amber Yoder, and shot by Jordan Rennert, the film was previewed at Chicago’s C2E2 Comic Con where Halo-8 president Matt Pizzolo first viewed it. Halo-8, which has a track record for distributing alternative-culture documentaries as well as publishing comic books, is slating the film for a limited theatrical run following a kickoff at the New York Comic Con in Fall 2010.
“Grant Morrison is a transcendent, transgressive artist, he changed the way a lot of us read comics while also blowing the minds of people who don’t read comics at all. On a personal level, he’s a hero of mine, so I’m particularly excited about championing this film,” said Pizzolo. “Patrick, Amber, and Jordan have put together a smart, slick, and insightful film that offers a deeper look at the writer without demystifying him… that’s no simple feat. I knew the moment I saw the preview clips at C2E2 that this was something special.”
“It’s extremely exciting to partner with Halo-8 to release this film. They have extensive experience releasing films that are challenging and transgressive, just like Grant’s work, so it seems like the perfect match. I’ve been nothing but impressed by their plans for getting the film out there,” said Meaney. “Talking With Gods is a unique film that needs a unique distributor and Halo-8 is the perfect match.”
“We’re encouraged by the enthusiasm and experience that Halo-8 is bringing to the project,” said Yoder. “They know our audience and the marketplace, and we’re excited to be working with them.”
GRANT MORRISON: TALKING WITH GODS examines Morrison’s 30-year career and the real-life events that inspired his stories. Featuring extensive interviews with Morrison himself, the film delves into his early days growing up in Scotland, the start of his career in comics, the crazy years of the ’90s as his life and his comics became enmeshed, and his recent attempts to turn personal troubles and social darkness into compelling comics. The film also gives insight into his creative process, including a look into his vaunted idea notebooks. Complementing Morrison’s own words are interviews with many of his most important collaborators, including Warren Ellis, Geoff Johns, Douglas Rushkoff, Frank Quitely, Dan DiDio, Frazer Irving, Phil Jimenez, Cameron Stewart, Jill Thompson, Mark Waid, and others.
“The film is designed to be accessible both to long time fans of Morrison and to people who don’t know who he is but are interested in the story of a modern philosopher and magician with radical ideas about the universe and our place in it,” said Meaney.
About Halo-8 Entertainment
Halo-8 Entertainment (www.halo8.tv) is a Hollywood-2.0 movie studio using bleeding-edge strategies to create and distribute daring new films. Recent releases include the megapopular animated series Xombie: Dead On Arrival (which Bloody Disgusting called “one of the best online animated series to date”), the legendary NY hardcore documentary N.Y.H.C. (which Cinematical called “smashing… a terrific, well-told, engaging story”), the award-winning hardcore-punk thriller Threat (which Urb Magazine said “makes ‘Kids’ look like an after-school special”), and the critically-acclaimed animal rights documentary Your Mommy Kills Animals (which earned a 91% rating on Rotten Tomatoes). Upcoming releases include the erotic-art documentary The New Erotic (featuring XXX-auteurs Eon McKai, Kimberly Kane, Dave Naz, Jack The Zipper, Alejandra Guerrero), the animated war-against-squid movie Black Sky by Ben Templesmith (“30 Days of Night”), the Jesus vs vampires adventure Loaded Bible by Tim Seeley (“Hack/Slash”), and the iconoclastic hero’s journey Godkiller (which Wired called “a horrific yarn of apocalypse, quantum physics, culture jamming & conspiracy theory”).
Godkiller stars Danielle Harris and Bill Moseley will join writer-director Matt Pizzolo and producer-animator Brian Giberson at this weekend’s Creation Weekend of Horrors to discuss their experimental, animated indie-horror film that has beaten all expectations. The panel discussion comes just days before Godkiller is launched on a cross-country theatrical release and piped on VOD into over 75 million homes. The twisted, sci-fi/horror adventure about a teenage boy’s odyssey to find a new heart for his dying sister in a post-nuke wasteland of fallen gods, The upcoming leg of Godkiller’s You-Demand-It Theatrical Tour includes: Godkiller will also be available on VOD starting May 25th via Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox, Charter, Verizon, Cablevision, DirecTV, Dish, RCN, Insight, Mediacom, Bresnan, Suddenlink, Rogers, Videotron, Sasktel, Cogeco, Shaw, Telus, and more; as well as digital carriers Amazon, Apple iTunes, Playstation Network, and Xbox Live. The DVD/Blu-ray release is currently scheduled for July 20.
“An instant hit.” (–Theo Scheresky, Bloody Disgusting) “A horrific yarn of apocalypse, quantum physics, culture jamming & conspiracy theory.” (–Scott Thill, Wired) “Intriguing… mixes dark visuals, graphic violence, profanity and a speed metal soundtrack into an oddly alluring post-nuclear holocaust.” (–John DeNardo, SF Signal) “An adventure through a frightening, violent post-apocalyptic landscape.” (–Michael Gingold, Fangoria) [From Episode 1 review] “Matt Pizzolo’s tale of love, death, and organ harvesting; all set in a disgusting post apocalyptic wasteland. Looks as fantastic as you can expect… it’s hard not to give this a 9/10!” (–Chip Parton, Sins of Cinema) [From Episode 1 review] “I can’t stand motion comics… however, I was somehow drawn to Godkiller’s comic aspect. The only word I can use to describe Godkiller’s tone is grimdark. The episode’s grim-darkness is clear, but not over applied, with all kinds of crazy organ-stealing, brutality and cannibalism, murder, and prostitution. I cannot wait for more of this.” (–Ryan Miller, EuroCultAV) [From Episode 2 review] “Halo-8 scores again with the second addition to the Godkiller series by giving us more of everything we wanted. They’re clearly improving with every stroke of this magnificent series. Another cliffhanger has brought me to my knees with anticipation and I again cannot wait for the next volume to come out. This DVD earns every bit of the 4.5 grade I’m giving it. And you owe it to yourselves to watch it. 4.5/5″ (–Ryan Miller, EuroCultAV) The dark, unrated film pioneers a new style of animation called ‘illustrated-films,’ developed by Pizzolo with his producing partner, Emmy-winner Brian Giberson. Utilizing sequential art by illustrator Anna Muckcracker, the illustrated-film adds 3D CGI, motion graphics, elaborate sound design, and dramatic voice performances for an edgy, sophisticated, intricately detailed new form of animation. Danielle Harris told iF Magazine “it’s more like moving art than animation, with very good writing.” Upcoming illustrated-films from Halo-8 include Tim Seeley’s Loaded Bible, Ben Templesmith’s Black Sky, and Pizzolo’s upcoming giallo The Long Knives. Godkiller: Walk Among Us is the epic story of a boy on a quest to save his dying sister. Based on the comic book Pizzolo created with Anna Muckcracker, Godkiller takes place in a dark-future after economic collapse, after nuclear holy war, and after Earth is colonized by alien races. Tommy and his kid sister Lucy live in an orphanage in one of the few remaining city-states, but Lucy is critically ill and desperately in need of a new heart. Tommy’s odyssey to find a new heart for his sister begins when he follows an organ-stealing prostitute named Halfpipe out of the city-state and into the savage borderland known as Outer City. “A horrific yarn of apocalypse, quantum physics, culture jamming & conspiracy theory.” (–Wired) About the GODKILLER You-Demand-It Theatrical Tour High-res stills available for easy download at Halo-8 media kit About Halo-8 Entertainment |
Indie sci-fi/horror animated film GODKILLER (which Bloody-Disgusting called “an instant hit”) has added eight cities to its You-Demand-It Theatrical Tour, while word has come down from VOD partner Gravitas Ventures that nearly all the major cable-VOD providers have selected Godkiller for their summer programming, insuring the film will be available in over 75 million homes starting May 25th. “Now that’s just ridiculous,” said writer-director Matt Pizzolo. “I set out to make a movie for misfits, lunatics, and sociopaths… based on the response, I can only say it’s refreshing to see so many crazy people are in positions of influence. Our weird little mind-bomb will be invading a lot of homes this summer.” The next set of theatrical cities are: The VOD carriers supporting Godkiller include Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox, Charter, Verizon, Cablevision, DirecTV, Dish, RCN, Insight, Mediacom, Bresnan, Suddenlink, Rogers, Videotron, Sasktel, Cogeco, Shaw, Telus, and more; as well as digital carriers Amazon, Apple iTunes, Playstation Network, and Xbox Live. To make room for the ongoing You-Demand-It tour (which continues to book additional cities), Godkiller’s DVD/Blu-ray street date has been pushed to July 20, 2010 (coinciding with Godkiller events at the San Diego Comic Con). “Theatrical events offer a shared experience for the core audience and VOD makes it super accessible and inexpensive for casual viewers, so that makes DVD & Blu-ray more of collectibles… with that in mind we’re going to use the extra time to make the DVD & Blu-ray extra awesome,” explained Pizzolo. The twisted, sci-fi/horror adventure about a teenage boy’s odyssey to find a new heart for his dying sister in a post-nuke wasteland of fallen gods, organ-stealing hookers, and sex-addicted technowizards, Godkiller was directed by award-winning filmmaker Matt Pizzolo (Threat) with illustrations by Anna Muckcracker and music by Alec Empire and Atari Teenage Riot, starring genre-heroes Lance Henriksen (Aliens), Danielle Harris (Halloween 4, 5, I, II), Bill Moseley (The Devil’s Rejects), Nicki Clyne (Battlestar Galactica), Tiffany Shepis (Night of the Demons), alt-culture icon Lydia Lunch (Hardcore), and rockstars Justin Pierre (singer of Motion City Soundtrack) and Davey Havok (singer of AFI). “An instant hit.” (–Theo Scheresky, Bloody Disgusting) “A horrific yarn of apocalypse, “Intriguing… mixes dark visuals, graphic violence, profanity and a speed metal soundtrack into an oddly alluring post-nuclear holocaust.” (–John DeNardo, SF Signal) “An adventure through a frightening, violent post-apocalyptic landscape.” (–Michael Gingold, Fangoria) [From Episode 1 review] “Matt Pizzolo’s tale of love, death, and organ harvesting; all set in a disgusting post apocalyptic wasteland. Looks as fantastic as you can expect… it’s hard not to give this a 9/10!” (–Chip Parton, Sins of Cinema) [From Episode 1 review] “I can’t stand motion comics… however, I was somehow drawn to Godkiller’s comic aspect. The only word I can use to describe Godkiller’s tone is grimdark. The episode’s grim-darkness is clear, but not over applied, with all kinds of crazy organ-stealing, brutality and cannibalism, murder, and prostitution. I cannot wait for more of this.” (–Ryan Miller, EuroCultAV) [From Episode 2 review] “Halo-8 scores again with the second addition to the Godkiller series by giving us more of everything we wanted. They’re clearly improving with every stroke of this magnificent series. Another cliffhanger has brought me to my knees with anticipation and I again cannot wait for the next volume to come out. This DVD earns every bit of the 4.5 grade I’m giving it. And you owe it to yourselves to watch it. 4.5/5″ (–Ryan Miller, EuroCultAV)
The dark, unrated film pioneers a new style of animation called ‘illustrated-films,’ developed by Pizzolo with his producing partner, Emmy-winner Brian Giberson. Utilizing sequential art by illustrator Anna Muckcracker, the illustrated-film adds 3D CGI, motion graphics, elaborate sound design, and dramatic voice performances for an edgy, sophisticated, intricately detailed new form of animation. Danielle Harris told iF Magazine “it’s more like moving art than animation, with very good writing.” Upcoming illustrated-films from Halo-8 include Tim Seeley’s Loaded Bible, Ben Templesmith’s Black Sky, and Pizzolo’s upcoming giallo The Long Knives. Godkiller: Walk Among Us is the epic story of a boy on a quest to save his dying sister. Based on the comic book Pizzolo created with Anna Muckcracker, Godkiller takes place in a dark-future after economic collapse, after nuclear holy war, and after Earth is colonized by alien races. Tommy and his kid sister Lucy live in an orphanage in one of the few remaining city-states, but Lucy is critically ill and desperately in need of a new heart. Tommy’s odyssey to find a new heart for his sister begins when he follows an organ-stealing prostitute named Halfpipe out of the city-state and into the savage borderland known as Outer City. “A horrific yarn of apocalypse, About the GODKILLER You-Demand-It Theatrical Tour High-res stills available for easy download at Halo-8 media kit About Halo-8 Entertainment |
Pizzolo here… so at all our events people ask me when they’ll be able to see Godkiller in their local theater. We’d intended to give Godkiller a theatrical run, but the truth is we just didn’t know how the illustrated-film format would play theatrically. Whenever I would show segments of Godkiller to friends/contacts at theaters & film festivals who played our previous films, they’d always say: this is awesome, but seems like it’s best for the web not for theaters. Well, certainly we’re excited about distributing Godkiller on the web and digital downloads & streaming of the episodes have greatly supported this project, but I always felt there was a chance it could work in theaters as well because we really built it to be cinematic… and the experience of watching a film in a theater is just different than watching it online. Sometimes I enjoy seeing a movie on different platforms just to get the different experiences. There are movies I’ve seen in theaters, on TV, and online where I really love it in one place but not so much elsewhere, or it just affects me totally differently depending on where I see it. It’s a cliche, but sometimes the medium really is the message.
Seeing a movie in a theater overwhelms the senses in a way that TVs and computer monitors don’t, so especially when I’m trying to plunge you into an insane world like Godkiller then a theatrical setting is amazing. Also, watching a movie in theaters is such a shared, community experience… you get to see all the suckers who can’t handle the madness and walk out… everybody left in the theater at the end are true lunatics that you should either introduce yourself to or avoid at all costs.
But that only works if, y’know… the movie is actually a good theatrical experience. And we just didn’t know if Godkiller would work in theaters.
The first sense I had that this may truly work in theaters is when Alec Empire screened episodes 1 & 2 at the Berlin Film Festival. The response was great… which is a good sign, but Berliners are into some weird shit so we couldn’t be sure…
The debut screening at C2E2 in Chicago was the ultimate test for us… it was screening to a comic book audience, which seems like a slamdunk except comics fans are notoriously protective of sequential art so they’d be no pushovers to accept illustrated-films. Also, Chicago is not NY or LA… it’s actually part of America. NY thinks it’s its own continent and LA think it’s it own world, so screenings in NY or LA don’t really mean much as far as the rest of the country goes.
Well, the C2E2 screening was a big success. I didn’t hear (directly or through hearsay) a single complaint about watching the format in the theatrical setting… everyone really seemed to dig it and any critiques were cinematic in nature… we’re still figuring out how to balance the world-building a comic book requires versus the heavy-exposition a film hates, so there was a scene in the middle where a few people felt it was too expository–that was a great critique, because it means to me that the format works cinematically and so we need to keep the world-building stuff in the comic but treat the illustrated film like… well, a film. It may sound obvious, but this is a new thing we’re building here so every piece of feedback is critical in making this work.
Anyhow, the good news is that the C2E2 screening was a smashing success and we’re confident now that we can roll out Godkiller in theaters… of course, that’s easier said than done. A lot of great indie theaters have been shut down or assimilated into mini conglomerates in the past few years, so it’s tougher and tougher to book indie theatrical runs (even the arthouse theaters are packed with screenings from mini-major “specialty” distributors). A lot of people have suggested we do something like Paranormal Activity’s early theatrical run, but that “You Demand It” campaign was about demanding Paramount book screenings in particular cities… we don’t have a sugar-daddy like Paramount that we can demand shit from. We actually have to get things done ourselves. Well… not really, ourselves… if you want to demand it, then you have to help us.
So… we are launching the GODKILLER You-Demand-It tour — but instead of just going on a website and clicking “play this movie in my town,” if you want Godkiller to come to your town then we’ll need you to get off your ass and help by promoting the film locally. That means helping us find a local theater, getting out flyers at local shows, getting posters up around town, etc. You all demand we work harder than everybody else to make crazy shit for you, well we demand you work harder to support our crazy shit than just clicking a button on some tour booking website. Fair enough?
We would love for Godkiller to come to your town and scramble the brains of you and your friends & neighbors, but we can’t do it alone… we need your help. If you’re ready, willing, & able to drag your whole town down the rabbit-hole with us, then hit up Maddy (maddy -at- halo8 -d0t- tv) and she’ll get you the gear to wreak havoc on your town.
Non serviam- Pizzolo
 Ben Templesmith (30 Days of Night) and Matt Pizzolo (Godkiller) unveiled new projects during the “Halo-8: Illustrated Films & Comics” panel at the C2E2 comic con in Chicago. They were joined on the panel by producer FJ DeSanto (The Spirit movie, upcoming The Shadow movie). In addition to unveiling new projects and previously unseen art, the panelists discussed illustrated films and the digital future of sequential art with moderator Mark L. Miller aka Ambush Bug (comics writer for Aint It Cool News).
“It’s all about convergence,” said Templesmith during the panel. “It’s about words and pictures and movies and new ways of visual storytelling.” Clarifying the difference between ‘motion comics’ (which tend to repurpose existing comic books) and ‘illustrated films’ (which utilize new art created with the medium in mind), Templesmith said “the new frontier is doing original material and adapting to the medium properly rather than just backtracking and trying to make it work.” “Halo-8 is a film company but we’re all comic book geeks, and a few years back we thought it would be cool to integrate comic book sequential art with film to make a new format that’s as sophisticated and large-scale as illustration while utilizing the dramatic storytelling of cinema… basically so we could make huge epic movies for weirdos,” said Pizzolo, who serves as President of Halo-8 as well as a creator. “It was important to us that the illustrations be created with this in mind from the get-go, because we want the art to retain its sophistication and integrity. We designed the format so the pace is driven by the audio: film actors delivering dramatic voice performances and elaborate music and sound design, that way you can really appreciate the sequential art the way you can in a comic book.” “No one else, as far as I know, is doing this from the starting point of ‘it’s going to be both a film and a comic,’ that marriage is creating something really fresh” said DeSanto. “I think this is really ahead of the game in terms of world-building. It’s this really careful application of how to bring new worlds into existence.” During the panel, Templesmith unveiled his new project BLACK SKY and Pizzolo unveiled his new project MEDUSA: YEAR ONE. Both projects are designed to be illustrated films as well as comic books. Templesmith described BLACK SKY as: So far, all I can say is sort of Band Of Brothers…but with SQUID. ( Well, Cthulhu-ish ideas and my love of all things tentactular ) Yes, it’s a war comic. Want to get all emotional and down and dirty with it. Not exactly comedy in the vein of Wormwood… It’s post apocalyptic. It deals with a small group of soldiers, as the human race is reduced to relatively low tech solutions to claw back their planet, the new religion that drives them on to this goal in the face of hopelessness…and all the stuff that comes from such things. Many horrific and hopefully, some touching “tales from the front” in many ways. And of course, they’ll end up being players in a major event that may define the now generations long conflict. Lots of action but with an actual point to it I hope, rather than an excuse to simply draw “cool” things. Humans are such frail things. Squid, not so much. Pizzolo described MEDUSA: YEAR ONE as: It’s a re-envisioning of the Medusa origin. The starting point is Ovid’s version of Medusa where she’s a beautiful Greek maiden unjustly toyed with and cursed by the gods, not simply a monster from the start. So she’s the protagonist, and even though it will be a tonal shift from my recent stuff it’s still gonna knock you on your ass. It’ll mix the vengeful aggression of BRAVEHEART with the doomed romance of TITANIC… but y’know if TITANIC was badass and Kate Winslet was tearing people to shreds and throwing them overboard. This will deal with Medusa’s defiance of the gods and the love story of two regular people fighting back against a corrupt power structure. Most of the stuff I’ve been doing lately is really racy and edgy so this will change things up a bit, but since it’s all about defying gods it’s a pretty straight line from GODKILLER and LOADED BIBLE… even THE LONG KNIVES with its tagline “God hears your screams, he just doesn’t care.” Apparently I have god issues. |
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| After the panel, Halo-8 debuted the complete GODKILLER illustrated film (starring Danielle Harris, Lance Henriksen, Bill Moseley, Davey Havok, Lydia Lunch, Justin Pierre, Nicki Clyne, Tiffany Shepis, Katie Nisa) to a riveted audience.
“This screening was a real test for the illustrated film format,” said Pizzolo. “None of us knew if it could hold an audience in a theatrical setting for a full 80 minutes or if this was only suited for episodic viewing on digital devices. The screening beat my expectations. Not only did the audience stay engaged for the whole thing, but everyone I spoke to said they loved watching it in a theater, they enjoyed it more than they expected to, and they’re looking forward to seeing what we do next. Plus, they bought DVDs and t-shirts, which is always a good sign.” |
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The panel also showcased a series of previously unseen sequential images from THE LONG KNIVES (created by Matt Pizzolo and illustrated by Ana Ludeshka) and art from LOADED BIBLE (created by Tim Seeley), two illustrated films currently in production.
Introducing THE LONG KNIVES, Pizzolo said “this was written as a bare-knuckled revenge movie, but I got real worried that the brutality of Act 1, which drives the revenge plot, would be mistaken for torture porn. The solution came by making a huge leap in style to a giallo aesthetic. Ana Ludeshka’s art is ethereal in a Tim Burton-esque way, so it made perfect sense to move from there into an Argento/Bava style. I think this creates a unique duality that really sets it apart. The last thing I want is for this to be perceived as torture porn, because in torture porn the brutality is an end in itself whereas here it’s a critical component of a deeper story. We’ll show you some of the really brutal Act 1 images and you can see how they look through Ana’s more surreal lens.” |
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| While showcasing images from Tim Seeley’s LOADED BIBLE, Pizzolo pointed out “this is a bit of an experiment to see if we can make an illustrated film from an existing comic or if it’ll just be a motion comic. It’s a nuanced difference, but it’s important to us. Tim completed three issues that were released by Image Comics before we joined forces with him for the the illustrated film, but in order to run feature length the film requires at least three more issues… so we’ll be working with Tim to design those new issues for the illustrated film as well as the comic. So it’ll be a fun experiment to see how all this shakes down.” | ||||||||||||
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About Halo-8 Entertainment Halo-8 Entertainment (www.halo8.tv) is a Hollywood-2.0 movie studio using bleeding-edge strategies to create and distribute daring new films and lifestyle videos. Recent releases include the megapopular animated series Xombie: Dead On Arrival (which Bloody Disgusting called “one of the best online animated series to date”), the legendary NY hardcore documentary N.Y.H.C. (which Cinematical called “smashing… a terrific, well-told, engaging story”), the award-winning hardcore-punk thriller Threat (which Urb Magazine said “makes ‘Kids’ look like an after-school special”), and the campy, interactive horror-DVD-game Slumber Party Slaughterhouse: The Game (starring Tiffany Shepis, Joanna Angel, Melissa Bacelar, Masuimi Max). Upcoming releases include the erotic-art documentary The New Erotic (featuring XXX-auteurs Eon McKai, Kimberly Kane, Dave Naz, Jack The Zipper, Alejandra Guerrero), and the iconoclastic hero’s journey Godkiller (which Wired called “a horrific yarn of apocalypse, quantum physics, culture jamming, and conspiracy theory”). |
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right-click or control-click
on the above links to download the file |
We’re excited to present a free 10-minute preview clip from chapter 2 of the audiobook GODKILLER: SILENT WAR.
SILENT WAR is the prequel novel to the comic book/illustrated film series GODKILLER: WALK AMONG US.
This clip takes place during a violent protest on Wall Street and is pulled from the 30-minute chapter 2 audiobook included on the GODKILLER: WALK AMONG US Episode 2 DVD. It hit stores earlier this week and you can order the DVD here.
The SILENT WAR clip is posted as a downloadable m4a file (works the same as an mp3) and can be downloaded here. [right-click or control-click on that link to download the file]
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| GODKILLER Episode 2 DVD Details & Box Art Debuts Halo-8 Entertainment has unveiled the box art for Episode 2 of its GODKILLER: WALK AMONG US ‘illustrated film’ series, written and directed by award-winning filmmaker Matt Pizzolo and starring Danielle Harris (HALLOWEEN 4, 5, HI, HII, HATCHET 2), Lance Henriksen (ALIEN VS PREDATOR), Justin Pierre (singer of MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK), Tiffany Shepis (THE VIOLENT KIND), Bill Moseley (THE DEVIL’S REJECTS), Nicki Clyne (BATTLESTAR GALACTICA), Katie Nisa (THREAT), Lydia Lunch (Richard Kern’s HARDCORE), and Davey Havok (singer of A.F.I.). The DVD hits stores on January 26, 2010 and is available for pre-order here. The trailer is posted on Halo8.tv and available for easy embedding. GODKILLER Episode 2 is a limited-edition shortform DVD that makes innovative use of the transmedia storytelling style by including digital comic book PDFs and a serialized prequel novel (as both an audiobook MP3 and an e-book PDF) on the data portion of the DVD. With a suggested retail price of $9.99 (and marked down from there by many internet retailers), the limited edition episodic DVDs are a unique method of bringing GODKILLER to its core audience as each segment is completed. THE DVD INCLUDES: - A beautifully mastered widescreen presentation of GODKILLER: WALK AMONG US Episode 2 (30 mins); - High-resolution, digital PDFs of the Godkiller comic book issues 3 & 4 (68 pages); - Chapter 2 of the brand new prequel novel GODKILLER: SILENT WAR included on the DVD as an MP3 audiobook, an e-book PDF, and an audiobook that is playable right through your DVD player (33 mins). DVD: Region 0 Available for Preorder at |
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| About the GODKILLER: WALK AMONG US DVD series: GODKILLER is slated for a limited theatrical release in late March 2010, but Halo-8 has put together an innovative release campaign that brings the episodic nature of comic books to DVD. The first episode was released on October 6th 2009, after Halo-8 was forced to delay the street date when retail orders exceeded studio expectations. GODKILLER Episode 1 quickly became its distributor’s all-time fastest selling release. GODKILLER’s innovative release schedule : October 6th 2009: EPISODE 1 limited edition, shortform DVD January 26th 2010: EPISODE 2 limited edition, shortform DVD March 30th 2010: Day & Date – THEATRICAL PREMIERE of full feature, EPISODE 3 limited edition, shortform DVD May 25th 2010: FULL FEATURE DVD & BLU-RAY The GODKILLER illustrated film is part of a transmedia world including comic books and serialized novels. About the Illustrated Film GODKILLER: WALK AMONG US is the epic story of a boy on a quest to save his About the Serialized Novel GODKILLER: SILENT WAR is the story of the end of civilization as we know it. In the near future, 17 year old Joe Junior and his girlfriend Bee run a speakeasy in the basement of an abandoned NYC church where they serve narcotic drinks to underagers while providing sanctuary and black-market employment to draft dodgers. When Joe is recruited by an armed cult of populist assassins, he is thrust into a secret world of international cabals, alien conspiracies, and the countdown to Armageddon. About the ‘illustrated film’ format The ‘illustrated film’ Pizzolo, illustrator Anna Muckcracker, and animator Brian Giberson are creating for the adaption mixes elements of anime, radio drama, video games, and motion comics. Utilizing the original artwork from the comic book, the ‘illustrated film’ adds motion animation, visual effects, elaborate sound design, music, and voice-acting performances. Pizzolo explained “when we decided to make an anime adaptation of the comic book, I couldn’t see how a traditional animated approach would do justice to Anna’s incredibly lush and detailed illustrations. It made perfect sense to adapt the medium to suit her art, rather than vice versa.” Halo-8 has recently announced upcoming illustrated film adaptations of Tim Seeley’s LOADED BIBLE and James Farr’s XOMBIE: REANIMATED. |
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Godkiller stars Danielle Harris, Bill Moseley, Tiffany Shepis suit up
to support film’s fashion line
- Genre icons model for indie studio’s new branded apparel division -
Los Angeles, CA, November 24, 2009 – Genre-stars Danielle Harris (Stake Land, Halloween franchise), Bill Moseley (Devil’s Rejects), and Tiffany Shepis (The Violent Kind) are pulling double duty as actors and now models for Halo-8‘s innovative and experimental animated film series Godkiller, which has quickly established itself as the fastest selling title in the indie studio’s four-year history, driven by fast-paced physical DVD sales and the company’s top digital sales to date. The racy, bleeding-edge film’s crossover appeal has positioned it as the flagship brand for Halo-8′s newly minted apparel division H8LA, and its stars have shown their commitment to the project by going the extra mile and modeling Godkiller clothing. The photos are live now at www.halo8apparel.com “It’s been an amazing experience to work with so many talented and accomplished actors on Godkiller, and the fact that they continue to support the film in such unique ways is really exciting,” said Godkiller writer-director Matt Pizzolo. “Everything that’s happened with this project has been a surprise to me, especially how it’s been blessed by so many incredible performers… but what’s even more surprising is how awesome all the actors are as people and how much fun they are to work with.” Godkiller debuted on October 6, 2009 with the first in a series of three shortform episodic DVDs. Its street date was delayed when retail orders so greatly surpassed expectations that the studio was forced to delay release in order to fulfill demand. Godkiller’s upcoming release schedule is currently slated as: The stylish, post-nuke, adult-animation series Godkiller features voice performances by Davey Havok (singer of A.F.I.), Danielle Harris (Stake Land, Halloween franchise), Bill Moseley (Devil’s Rejects), Lance Henriksen (Alien vs Predator), Nicki Clyne (Battlestar Galactica), Tiffany Shepis (The Violent Kind), and Justin Pierre (singer of Motion City Soundtrack). About H8LA Halo-8 President Matt Pizzolo enlisted stylist Aubrie Davis (formerly a manager at Hot Topic and H&M stores) to join the team as Creative Director and launch the apparel division as an extension of Halo-8′s edgy brands.
“Aubrie is ridiculously talented with a great visual eye and a dynamic sense of style that more than compensates for my complete lack of style,” said Pizzolo. “I had high expectations for her to do something completely off the chain with the H8LA line, and I’m beyond pleased with this launch. We’ve got some really cool announcements and additions to the site coming in the next few weeks, so it’s only gonna get more awesome from here.” “When Pizzolo asked me to take on this project I didn’t think twice about it. It’s rare to be a part of something that doesn’t compromise its artistic integrity,” said Davis. “My motivational drive for H8LA has been Halo-8′s DIY approach. With the majority of companies only caring about the bottom dollar it’s comforting and inspiring to work with people who stand behind their product with such passion. H8LA will embody these principles. It will expand into a fashion brand of rad threads (whether you’ve seen the titles or not) that can stand on its own, doesn’t hold back and is not afraid to take risks by pushing the envelope. It’s an amazing thing to be a part of.” The H8LA line will utilize a hybrid distribution model: high quantity designs for major retail and limited edition designs for boutiques. A new Godkiller line will debut with episode 2, and additional lines based on other existing and upcoming Halo-8 properties will debut throughout 2010. Halo-8′s History of Innovation Halo-8 has made a name for itself as an innovative and risk-taking indie studio. Its first release in January 2006, the award-winning urban thriller Threat, featured an innovative DVD release with commentary tracks of DJs spinning records in sync with the movie and a Music That Inspired The Movie mashup CD of hardcore and metalcore bands versus breakcore artists with contributions from iconic bands including Minor Threat, Gorilla Biscuits, Youth of Today, Atari Teenage Riot, and Agnostic Front as well as younger artists Glassjaw, Alec Empire, and Killswitch Engage. Since then, Halo-8 has innovated on a range of media formats from fitness videos with selectable music to horror DVD-games. The company has also taken risks by championing embattled projects such as the animal rights documentary Your Mommy Kills Animals, which currently holds a 91% rating on Rotten Tomatoes but has been nearly buried by a team of high-powered Washington lobbyists acting on behalf of the animal testing industry. More recently, Halo-8 championed the offbeat animated series Xombie: Dead On Arrival, compiling the series that had been freely available online into a full-length DVD. The gamble paid off, with Halo-8 now in production on the illustrated-film sequel Xombie: Reanimated and a live-action Xombie adaptation in development at DreamWorks by Kurtzman/Orci (Transformers 1, 2, Star Trek reboot). The Godkiller release is no less innovative and risk-taking with its experimental format, non-traditional distribution style, and politically radical content. The limited-edition shortform DVDs include non-video special features such as digital comics, e-books, and prequel audiobooks on a ROM portion of the DVD. Godkiller’s apparel line is simply another extension of the sprawling brand, which also includes printed comic books, a planned graphic novel spinoff, and an upcoming series of urban fantasy novels. The Godkiller episode 1 DVD is available now at stores including: - Amazon.com $9.95 Or get the limited edition DVD with cover art by Tim Seeley at: - Hot Topic $9.99 The dark, unrated film pioneers a new style of animation called ‘illustrated-films,’ developed by Pizzolo with his producing partner, Emmy-winner Brian Giberson. Utilizing the comic book’s sequential art by illustrator Anna Muckcracker, the illustrated-film adds 3D CGI, motion graphics, elaborate sound design, and dramatic voice performances for an edgy, sophisticated, intricately detailed new form of animation. Danielle Harris told iF Magazine “its more like moving art than animation, with very good writing.” Upcoming illustrated-films from Halo-8 include Tim Seeley’s Loaded Bible and James Farr’s Xombie: Reanimated. The illustrated-film format was recently profiled in Wired Magazine. The trailer is posted on Halo8.tv and available for easy embedding. About the GODKILLER comic book series & illustrated film DVDs: GODKILLER: WALK AMONG US is the epic story of a boy on a quest to save his dying sister. Based on the comic book Pizzolo created with Anna Muckcracker, Godkiller takes place in a dark-future after economic collapse, after nuclear holy war, and after Earth is colonized by alien races. Tommy and his kid sister Lucy live in an orphanage in one of the few remaining city-states, but Lucy is critically ill and desperately in need of a new heart. Tommy’s odyssey to find a new heart for his sister begins when he follows an organ-stealing prostitute named Halfpipe out of the city-state and into the savage borderland known as Outer City. Godkiller mixes unforgiving brutality, quantum physics, conspiracy theory, and secret history for an iconoclastic hero’s journey like none before it. About the GODKILLER prequel novel: GODKILLER: SILENT WAR is the story of the end of civilization as we know it. In the near future, 17 year old Joe Junior and his girlfriend Bee run a speakeasy in the basement of an abandoned NYC church where they serve narcotic drinks to underagers while providing sanctuary and black-market employment to draft dodgers. When Joe is recruited by an armed cult of populist assassins, he is thrust into a secret world of international cabals, alien conspiracies, and the countdown to Armageddon. [Godkiller: Silent War is a sci-fi/urban-fantasy novel that will be released as a serialized audiobook on the Godkiller: Walk Among Us dvds] |
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Artwork and web-previews of the comics are available by request. |
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About Halo-8 Entertainment Halo-8 Entertainment (www.halo8.tv) is a Hollywood-2.0 movie studio using bleeding-edge strategies to create and distribute daring new films and lifestyle videos. Recent releases include the megapopular animated series Xombie: Dead On Arrival (which Bloody Disgusting called “one of the best online animated series to date”), the legendary NY hardcore documentary N.Y.H.C. (which Cinematical called “smashing… a terrific, well-told, engaging story”), the award-winning hardcore-punk thriller Threat (which Urb Magazine said “makes ‘Kids’ look like an after-school special”), and the campy, interactive horror-DVD-game Slumber Party Slaughterhouse: The Game (starring Tiffany Shepis, Joanna Angel, Melissa Bacelar, Masuimi Max). Upcoming releases include the erotic-art documentary The New Erotic (featuring XXX-auteurs Eon McKai, Kimberly Kane, Dave Naz, Jack The Zipper, Alejandra Guerrero), and episode 2 of the iconoclastic hero’s journey Godkiller (which Fangoria called “a genre-star-studded opus”). |
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Pizzolo announces FREE Godkiller Blu-rays for purchasers of the standard-def DVD due to the Blu-ray’s postponed street date.
As reported today on MTV Splash page, we’ve picked up the documentary on enigmatic, iconic comics writer Grant Morrison and we here at Halo-8 are officially geeking out.
The wait is almost over! The full-length animated feature film GODKILLER will premiere at Chicago’s C2E2 immediately following the panel “HALO-8: Illustrated Films & Comics” on Friday April 16th at 7:45pm.
Halo-8 has unveiled a preview clip from episode 2 of the illustrated film GODKILLER, which streets today January 26th as a limited-edition shortform DVD. The clip features Dr. Mulciber (Lance Henriksen) tasting the blood of Tommy (Justin Pierre) and having an epic psychedelic trip in the process.
Wired Magazine did an awesome interview with Matt Pizzolo about Godkiller and what the heck the difference is between “illustrated films” and “motion comics.” They also debuted a new Godkiller preview clip we’ve embedded on this page.
Halo-8 has unveiled a brand new preview clip for the illustrated-film Godkiller, whose first episode comes to DVD this Tuesday Oct 6th. The clip is a monologue sequence where Dr. Mulciber (Lance Henriksen) explains his use of sex-magic to solve crimes.
dying sister. Based on the comic book Pizzolo created with Anna Muckcracker, GODKILLER takes place in a dark-future after economic collapse, after nuclear holy war, and after Earth is colonized by alien races. Tommy and his kid sister Lucy live in an orphanage in one of the few remaining city-states, but Lucy is critically ill and desperately in need of a new heart. Tommy’s odyssey to find a new heart for his sister begins when he follows an organ-stealing prostitute named Halfpipe out of the city-state and into the savage borderland known as Outer City. GODKILLER mixes unforgiving brutality, quantum physics, conspiracy theory, and secret history for an iconoclastic hero’s journey like none before it.
