Happy New Fear!

2010 was mostly awesome ~ among the highlights... Short shocker 'Simone' was unleashed by the good folks at 386 Films to a slew of favourable reviews and awards, not least the Audience Choice: Best Short Award at Shockerfest (well done cast & crew!). Horror/thriller feature 'Panic Button' went into production in Cardiff with the dynamic Movie Mogul Films crew, and is now in post-production. Supernatural horror feature 'The Reformatory' was optioned by the wonderful producers at Freeze Frame Entertainment (keep an eye on www.thereformatorymovie.com for updates on this exciting project). My fiction got some (in)decent exposure thanks to ebook editions of my short stories, and I made a couple of sales to paying markets too. Dark Mills and Abertoir both thoroughly rocked my world (cheers to Marcus and Gaz and their brilliant teams). And a really cool way to round off 2010 came in the form of an interview by Keri O'Shea for the brilliant Brutal As Hell (my thanks to Keri and Marc). Now it's time to look forward to 2011, when I hope to have such frights to show you... Dear readers, I wish you all the bloody best ~ see you on the other side!

FREE Festive Fear!

Seasons Bleedings dear readers, I have a gift for you. Please share it with family/friends/followers.


TINSEL is a creepy Yuletide tale that will give you festive chills, and warns of the dangers faced by curious children who sneak downstairs in the dead of night... to squeeze their Christmas presents beneath the tree.


You can download 'Tinsel' as a FREE ebook from Smashwords. (all formats including Kindle, text file for your PC/Mac etc)


"Frazer Lee gives us a Christmas present nobody would ever want in 'Tinsel'. Don’t look up the chimney..." (Mathew F. Riley, Bookgeeks.co.uk)


'Tinsel' was first published in 'Read By Dawn 3' from Bloody Books.

Frazer Lee interview goes Straight2DVD

Movie blogger extraordinaire, Maarten Bouw, has posted a new interview with yours truly at his blog 'Straight2DVD'.


I urge you to check out his blog, because (other than a Z-lister like me) Maarten has posted interviews ranging from well-known movie celebrities to porn stars - in addition to his wide-ranging DVD reviews. You'll find dozens of goodies in the sidebar.


Thanks again to Mr Bouw for his excellent questions!

The Reformatory

THE REFORMATORY 'Bad behavior will be corrected'...

(but good behavior will be rewarded - see below!)

A few links for supernatural horror feature project The Reformatory have surfaced on the interwebs, and I just wanted to share them with you guys.

Kickstarter offers you the chance to 'get involved with The Reformatory' and you can also show your support at Indiegogo. You can check out a teaser trailer and see some background info on the project at both these sites. If you wish to get involved (and help the project into production!) there are a series of reward schemes ranging from cast-signed photos right up to premiere tickets and the chance for a walk-on role.

Listen, I don't want to twist your arm off about this. But please do visit the links, and if you're suitably impressed by The Reformatory's potential then please also consider digging deep to help out...

There is also a Reformatory Twitter feed, Facebook presence, and Official Website - all chock full of haunted all-girl reformatory school wickedness.

Thank you for your kind attention schoolmates. Now get back to writing those lines: "I must not die of fright, I must not die of fright..." Heh.

HOW ELSE YOU CAN HELP:

FORWARD, SHARE, YELL, SCREAM AND TELL ALL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT THE REFORMATORY - THANKS!

Panic Button - behind the scenes and teaser on telly!

ITV Wales has a report from the set of horror/thriller Panic Button which also includes the teaser trailer for the movie. Probably accessible by UK viewers only, the footage starts around 2mins into the clip. Enjoy! And do post your thoughts in the comments below, would love to hear what you guys think. Here's the vid link: http://www.itv.com/wales/the-wales-show44832/

Slew of Simone awards/interviews/reviews!

Congrats to the Simone cast & crew!

Short shocker SIMONE scooped a couple of awards this Hallowe'en season.

The Shockerfest 2010 audience bestowed the film with the honour of 'Audience Choice: Best Short', so huge congrats to the cast and crew who worked their asses off on this movie production.

If that wasn't enough cause for celebration, Reel Terror Festival 2010 named Simone as the rcipient of their special 'Best Girl on Girl-who-turns-into-a-monster Action' Award. Way to go ladies, well done! You can watch the awards ceremony here.

A couple more Simone interviews/reviews have surfaced on the Interweb too - hit up the 386 Films website for links.

Elsewhere, Anne Billson gave ON EDGE a mention in her cool article about movie dentists on The Guardian website. The tooth is out there...

Red Lines in the Dead Of Night

Last October, groovy London film society Crystal Palace Pictures screened my short 'On Edge' before the main feature ('Let The Right One In') and I did a Q&A, with some really excellent questions from the film buffs in attendance.

This time around they are showing the Ealing classic 'Dead Of Night' - a portmanteau of chilling stories from a time when the mere suggestion of atmospheric chills was enough to frighten the wits out of cinemagoers. If you haven't seen this gem, I suggest you seek it out. Or the ventriloquist's dummy will seek you out...

I'm 'Dead pleased' (...sorry for the awful pun) that my short 'Red Lines' will play before the main feature tonight. And if there are any 'Q's, I'll hopefully be providing some 'A's. See you there, if you dare.

'Dead Of Night' clip: http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/index/?o_cid=mediaroomlink&cid=214012

(UPDATED) Ill Met By Kindlelight

UPDATE (Dec 2010): Please DO NOT purchase "Ill Met By Moonlight" as the author's contract with the publisher is over and the publisher Ghostwriter Publications is no longer authorized to sell this work.


The author will not be paid if you purchase this ebook!


You can read the full contents plus more stories in the collection "Urbane and Other Horror Tales" - all for the same low price, please go to Frazer Lee's author page at: http://www.amazon.com/Frazer-Lee/e/B002L2PVAE or http://www.amazon.co.uk/Frazer-Lee/e/B002L2PVAE Thanks.

==== original post follows====

I'm sure you're familiar with the penny dreadfuls of yesteryear, also known as 'chapbooks'.

Well, dear reader, this new-fangled 21st century ushers in the era of the 'eChap'... and with it, the digital publication in Kindle format of 'Ill Met By Moonlight'.

My volume in the Ghostwriter Publications eChap series also includes the story 'Pendragon Rising' and the ebook download is available now from Amazon.com, Amazon UK and Barnes and Noble.

I'm new to the (already very crowded) ebook arena but if this one's a success you'll no doubt see more of my titles published in pixels.

So if you do pick one up, I'd be very grateful if you could scribble a quick Amazon review, click on the 'star rating', recommend it to your friends/groups, or anything at all to spread the word, thanks!

Always good to try new things... and on that note, Horror Reanimated just published a very interesting article, by Donna Condon of Piatkus, on how authors may have to 'adapt or die' in the current publishing climate.

The Reformatory optioned

Ahh, October, season of mists. Autumn leaves swirling across pumpkin-orange skies with the promise of Hallowe'en tricks, and treats, to come. Well, one treat came early. Inktip.com just broke the news that LA-based producer Lamese Williams of Freeze Frame Entertainment optioned my horror feature screenplay 'The Reformatory'. More info as it comes, meantime here is the news link.

Panic Pics

Push the Giallo panic button!

The Movie Mogul Films crew is now 2 weeks into the PANIC BUTTON feature film shoot in Cardiff, Wales, and the first stills have been released from the set.

FANGORIA magazine was the first to pick up the story, with this fantastic coverage from Fango scribe (and all-round legend) Michael Gingold.

Horror Channel UK also covered the story (the channel is currently gearing up for a Dario Argento season - not to be missed) and all-new UK horror magazine Scream ran the pictorial on its official website (first issue of the print publication is out Oct. 11th)

Count-ing the nights
'til Hallowe'en

Short shocker SIMONE also gets some love, with a mention (and DVD link) in the Fango article, and an upcoming review in Shock Horror Magazine (which has a gorgeous Christopher Lee cover for its Hallowe'en issue, out in print Oct. 4th).

Last but not least, check out this excellent review of the Simone DVD, courtesy of M. Patterson at brutalashell.com.

Okay, enough media-whoring, back to work...

Feeling Panicky?

Want to appear as an extra in horror/thriller feature Panic Button? Available for a Wales, UK shoot? Then the producers would like to hear from you. Make contact via the Panic Button movie Facebook Group - and good luck!


Can't be there in person? Here are some details (from www.panicbuttonmovie.com) about making a webcam cameo appearance in the film:

"Fancy a brief appearance in an exciting new horror / thriller movie? We are looking for webcam videos to feature as part of a montage sequence in Panic Button.

The sequence will show people of all ages and ethnicities using the internet as a means of communication in their daily lives. So whether you are at home, at the office, in the library or out and about we are interested in using your clip!

We will need your written consent to use the clip in the film or, if you are under the age of 18, we require the written consent of your parent or guardian.

If you are interested then please contact us by email at: panicbuttonfilm@gmail.com"

Dark Mills Festival - Post Mortem

Enjoyed a fantastic time at the Dark Mills Festival on Saturday, my thanks to the organisers and the many wonderful filmmakers, performers and creatures of the night I had the pleasure of meeting there.

Saw some great bands including a hilarious, irreverent set from Joe Black. Was fun to get a band's eye view of the crowd, and if you look carefully, you just might spot crazed serial killer Jason Voorhees. He was no doubt waiting for some horny teens to start making out in the portaloos so he could get busy with his machete...

The movie tent had a few technical difficulties (bright sunlight being a particular problem early on) but these were soon worked out and the short film line-up ran on into the night, including the UK Premiere (indeed, the European Premiere!) of Simone, and screenings of On Edge and Red Lines. Great to see them in pride of place among stilt-walking goth chicks and fire-eating acrobats.

A real treat was seeing the exhibition in the crypt (sadly hidden away beneath a sprawling retail park - local councillors, sort some funding out for this historical site already!) including fanboy-shiver-inducing Excalibur armour by Terry English and gorgeous artworks by Chris Achilleos, Graham Humphreys and Bonnie Baker.

The night was topped off by a surprise appearance, and impromptu gig at Electric Dreams, by ADAM ANT. I've been an avid Ant fan since the ripe old age of 10, and it was lovely to meet him at long last. His brief set included a fabulous rendition of Car Trouble - and a cool bubblegum popping percussion technique.

So you could say he's still very much a 'pop' star.

I know, I know. I'll get my coat...

Panic Button cast announced

My first ever post on this here blog was to announce horror/thriller feature project PANIC BUTTON - about a group of young social networkers who win the trip of a lifetime aboard a private jet. I was hired to write the screenplay by the producers at Movie Mogul Films, and since then the project has gained momentum with support from Film Agency Wales and a healthy internet buzz/Facebook following (ironic, given the film's message about the dangers of social networking!) Well, news just in from the Mogul camp that the cast for movie is confirmed! And you can check out the faces and names at the official Panic Button website. Really looking forward to see how they bring their characters to life. To follow the progress of the movie, check out the Panic Button Facebook Group. And remember to keep your seatbelts loosely fastened at all times - it's sure to be one hell of a ride....

SIMONE looks bloody good on DVD!

Word just in that SIMONE will be unleashed on DVD from September 1st, 2010.
Orders are being taken at http://386films.com/dvd_simone.html and the DVD contents are as follows:

• Original unrated version of the short film, plus over 70 minutes of bonus features:
• Audio Commentary with Mike Long & Joops Fragale
• Behind the Bitch - Featurette
• Pre-Production Blabbing with Joops Fragale & Mike Long
• On-Set Interview with Mike Long & Joops Fragale
• Seeing the Music: SIMONE Theme
• SIMONE in Pictures
• Poster Art
• The Clapper
• Original Trailer
• 386 Films Trailers

And if you wanna catch Simone in all her gory glory on the big screen, she opens the Horrorfind Weekend Film Festival, PA USA on Sept. 3rd and receives her UK premiere at the Dark Mills Festival London on Sept. 5th.

ebook: Urbane and Other Horror Tales

My horror anthology 'Urbane and Other Horror Tales' is now published in an ebook edition via Smashwords.com.


Available in Kindle (.mobi), Stanza (Epub), Sony Reader (LRF), Palm and PDF formats. 


The ebook contains 8 tales, with 3 previously unpublished, including an exclusive flash fiction bonus story, 'Half/Life'.


You can sample or purchase ($0.99) the ebook here: http://smashwords.com/b/21752.


If you like what you read, please spread the word to your friends, followers and networks, thanks!

'SIMONE' hits Hollywood!

Short horror film SIMONE hits Hollywood at the Carnival of Darkness 2 film festival, October 2010. Congrats to director Joops Fragale, producer Michael Long, stars Jennifer Ward and Erin Cline - and the entire cast & crew. The film was adapted from my original screenplay 'Hair of the Dog' and is an atmospheric cautionary tale about the howling horrors of 'the morning after the night before'...

Other confirmed upcoming screenings include Dark Mills Festival of Gothic Arts and Alternative Culture (September 2010, London UK) and Horrorfind Weekend Film Festival (September 2010, MD USA)

You can check out more from production company 386 Films at their official site, http://www.386films.com, which includes links to their Twitter & Facebook feeds for updates. Cheers!

Dark Mills Festival

The Dark Mills Festival of Gothic Arts & Alternative Culture takes place in London, September and features bands, theatre performances, film screenings and seminars/Q&As, exhibitions, merchandise stalls and much more. Movie screenings will include works by yours truly and I'm excited to be part of an event that includes such luminaries as Bob Keen, Michael Armstrong, Terry English, Chris Achilleos, Tony Hickox and the lovely Barbie Wilde, all curated by the inimitable Professor Patricia MacCormack.


Keep an eye on the official website for updates on this fantastic event: http://www.darkmillsfestival.com

Vote Red Lines!*

Openfilm 'Get It Made' Contest

This cool online short film contest (supported by Hollywood star James Caan) will award $250,000 in feature film funding to one lucky winner. The Top 6 films (by user votes) will go to a Judging Panel. Voting ends July 31st 2010.

My entry is supernatural school detention shocker 'Red Lines', featuring Hellraiser icon Doug Bradley. The film won Best Short & Director at Fearless Tales Genre Festival USA and gave legendary director Tobe Hooper (and I quote) "the total creeps". If you'd like the film to have a chance of going feature-length, please vote* for it here:

http://www.openfilm.com/videos/red_lines

*Apologies, there's a brief free signup required to vote. And before I get accused of vote rigging, please note there are tons of other movies to vote for on the Openfilm site :-)

Announcing ‘PANIC BUTTON’ – British social networking horror/thriller (feature film).

Tagline: ‘Putting your life on-line can have deadly off-line consequences’. Chris Crow (‘Devil’s Bridge’) is directing (from my screenplay), John Shackleton is producing for Movie Mogul Films.

Online Press Release: http://www.pitchengine.com/panicbutton/new-feature-film-“panic-button”-to-be-a-warning-to-all-social-network-users/60070/

Images: http://www.pitchengine.com/brands/panicbutton/images/60070/PanicButtonpostcard.jpg http://www.pitchengine.com/brands/panicbutton/images/60070/panicbutton2.jpg

More images/content at Official Website: http://www.panicbuttonmovie.com

Viral website (spoof social network ‘All2gethr.com’ used in the film): http://www.all2gethr.com

Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=208800284215&ref=ts