Independent horrormeister Leif Jonker (pictured) splattered onto the scene back in the late ’90s with his vampire epic DARKNESS. And he’s still fighting the good fright, busy on new projects and also presenting a pair of genre fests in his home state of Kansas.

One of the flicks he’s working on is a long-mooted follow-up to his debut feature. “I’ve been approached by two companies about possibly making DARKNESS 2, and we’re actively kicking that around to shoot next year,” he tells Fango. “We’ve also been approached about doing an HD transfer of DARKNESS for a Blu-ray to be released for the movie’s upcoming 20th anniversary, and are trying to work those details out now.”

DARKNESS fans have a new piece of memorabilia to snap up: an official T-shirt from the Rotten Cotton gang, with the design seen above and available to order here. Beyond DARKNESS, Jonker has another project cooking: “I’ve been offered a job directing a new zombie film that is currently in development, with plans to also shoot next year.” Stay tuned for more details on that one as they come to light.

Jonker is also been showcasing classic horrors of the past at his KS festivals. Currently running is the October at the OldTown Horror Movie Festival, taking place at Wichita’s OldTown Theatre Grille (353 N. Mead). Attractions include the original theatrical cut of William Friedkin’s THE EXORCIST, tonight at 7 and 10 p.m., followed by Lucio Fulci’s ZOMBIE, Monday-Tuesday, October 24-25, and Sam Raimi’s THE EVIL DEAD Monday-Tuesday, Oct. 31-November 1; see a trailer below. Look for details of the filmmaker’s second fest—which will host a new look at an old classic, among others—at this site soon. DARKNESS will also be shown at the Kansas City CreepFest on Saturday, Oct. 29; see more details on that show, which also showcases Sean Tretta’s THE FRANKENSTEIN SYNDROME (with star Tiffany Shepis in attendance) and Patrick Rea’s NAILBITER, here. 

---

News - Latest