DEATH CURSE
The man behind the mask (and the zipper!)
The first shot-on-video epic by Michael W. Johnson and Kevin
K. Smith (aka Stevin Kassle). Timing out at a mere 20+ minutes, it was nonetheless
the beginning of a partnership that has lasted for over 15 years and spawned
nearly 20 films!
Shot entirely in ONE day with a group of friends as the cast and crew and
edited on a video camera with sound effects created by Smith and a friend
manning a microphone in Smith's basement over the course of about 8 hours,
the film is little more than an experiment. The plot, a total rip-off of the
Friday The 13th films has the killer wearing a hockey mask and the action
takes place at the infamous Camp Crystal Lake (largely due to the fact that
an actual Crystal Lake is located not far from the duo's headquarters)!
The video made it's premiere on Halloween of 1986 and to everyone's surprise
was an enormous success despite it's derivitive plot and gonzo style editing
and effects. To this day Johnson and Smith employ these elements (albeit on
a much grander scale) to create a sense of realism that has become a hallmark
of the low-budget, SOV community and has secured their place as pioneers of
the genre.
Whad'ya want? Some beer? Or some pussy? (taste's like
chicken)
One of my personal favorites - if only because of the opening song performed by Savatage; this movie was made
during a time when Mike and I were having some issues and we went our seperate ways for a year or two,
but there is a raw appeal to the movie that harkens back to the days of DEATH CURSE
and those were the times when we were hungry and put it all out there!
MEAT'S MEAT (and man's gotta eat)
The plot centers around a group of cannibalistic restaraunteurs who want to obtain the recipe for
a local man's BBQ sauce, but he isn't willing to co-operate!
Reminiscent of "The Texas Chainsaw Maasacre" and "Last House On The Left", this film pulls no punches in
it's realistic portrayal of death and deparavity, and is one of the best films produced during a time
when Nightmare Productions and Gore-Met Video were operating as seperate entities!
This film deserves to be seen, but has not been available for distribution
due to the fact that there is no way we could afford the royalties
on the music we "borrowed" for the soundtrack...
The Smell Of Death
What started as a leisurely afternoon drive ...
In 1989, Michael W. Johnson and Kevin K. Smith parted company due to
artistic differences and vowed never to work together again...
but they were both full of passion to produce and direct films, and as avid fans of
erotic horror they continued to develope scripts independently.
In 1989, Michael W. Johnson and Kevin K. Smith parted company due to
artistic differences and vowed never to work together again...
but they were both full of passion to produce and direct films, and as avid fans of
erotic horror they continued to develope scripts independently.
THE SMELL OF DEATH was Mike's first S.O.V. effort and his homage to the 'zombie' genre.
As luck would have it, Johnson and Smith overcame their differences and
reunited in 1991 and Smith (who had aquired a professional editing studio in 1990)
re-edited and re-scored the movie and it has since become a cult favorite
and one of the most requested of their earlier films.
THE SMELL OF DEATH was Mike's first S.O.V. effort and his homage to the 'zombie' genre.
As luck would have it, Johnson and Smith overcame their differences and
reunited in 1991 and Smith (who had aquired a professional editing studio in 1990)
re-edited and re-scored the movie and it has since become a cult favorite
and one of the most requested of their earlier films.
Tortured Soul - The Beginning
Ike wants to be just like his older brother Stevie... a deranged serial killer
When the mentally ill Ike discovers what his big brother
is up to in his spare-time, he longs to persue the same hobby and follows in
Stevie's footsteps ... For an unfortunate few, that involves torture, rape,
murder and necrophilia ! ! !
This is the first chapter in the groundbreaking series that predated films
such as the SOV classics The Last Broadcast and The Blair Witch Project by
more than a decade, and prompted underground fanzine Film Threat Video Guide
to scream ' God forbid TORTURED SOUL 2 '
Tortured Soul II - Ike and Mike
This time they're out for revenge ... against each other!
Mike is released from jail after being falsely accused of
murder, but as he tries to resume a normal life, he finds himself in the middle
of an unbelievable chain of events that once again make him the prime suspect
in a grisly series of deaths that include his friends, family and the cop who
arrested him the first time...
The second chapter in the series features a cameo appearance by Kyra Schon
who starred as Karen Cooper in the original 1968 version of Night Of The Living
Dead. TS2 was Kyra's first and only film after NOTLD!
Tortured Soul 3 The Willing Flesh
The first one shocked you, the second one made you scream ...this one will KILL you!
Mike is recovering after his battle with Ike, the retarded
serial killer who murdered Mike's friends and family and set him up as the perpetrator
of the crimes. Still haunted by visions of the horrible events, Mike is startled
to find out that Ike's body was never recovered and a determined detective vows
to get to the bottom of the mystery and solve the case once and for all.
When an eerily similar series of murders occurs at nearby Craven College,
a beautiful co-ed (Stephanie Beaton) who is fascinated with serial murders
decides to track Mike down to interview him for her thesis and quickly becomes
infatuated with him. But when her roommates begin to disappear, Mike is again
the prime suspect.
The third and final chapter in the trilogy is the most gruesome and sexually
charged film in the series and a must-see for fans of erotic horror!
DEADBANGERS
They like their music on ten, and their women six feet under!
When an unseemly group of metalheads get bored with the shows and the music scene in general, they begin to look elsewhere for their kicks. Inspired by their favorite band, and angered by the inane rantings of a local talk radio evangelist, the solution seems simple...
and now Jennifer, Barbara and Molly are about to meet a fate worse than death when they encounter... DEADBANGERS!
In the tradition of gore classics such as Nekromantik and Lucker, The Necrophagus, DEADBANGERS takes you on a dark journey into the mind of the necrophile in an unflinching depiction of love after death!
Original music composed and performed by Kevin K. Smith and THE CORPSE FUCKERS
Watch it with someone you hate!!!
POSSESSED BY EVIL
A Shocking tale of Horror that takes you beyond Fear!
In 1997, after the success of TORTURED SOUL and TORTURED
SOUL 2 producers Michael W. Johnson and Stevin Kassle decided to do a remake
of one of their very first films - THE DEVIL'S PLAYGROUND -
The script had always been a favorite of theirs, but due to the bugetary
constraints that plagued them in the early years, the original film lacked
many of the elements they needed to allow them to get their films to a wider
audience ie; quality editing, original music and - most importantly - actresses
who would shed their clothes for the cause (they actually filmed their first
nude scene for the Devil's Playground, however the footage was lost and never
recovered).
Sticking closely to the original concept, Possessed By Evil included an original
score by Kevin K. Smith, make-up EFX by Nate Corteau and lots of naked women
who would die in horrible ways. (The film also includes a now notorious blood-squirting
vagina scene!)
Available only from Gore-Met Video and Nightmare Productions