The legend of Faust concerns a 16th-century German scholar and magician who, disillusioned with his lack of progress, enters into a pact with the devil—ultimately condemning his soul to eternal damnation in exchange for a period of satanic servitude. 450 years later, give or take a decade or two, this classic cautionary tale captured the imagination of Canadian filmmaker/writer Craig David Wallace, who—along with co-creators Charles Picco and Anthony Leo—applied the legend to a contemporary scholar (high school student) and magician (stoner metalhead guitarist) in pursuit of knowledge and power (to command the respect of his fellow students and ultimately get laid). The result is the Canadian comedy/horror TV series TODD AND THE BOOK OF PURE EVIL.
Riverview Hospital sits on a palatial mountainside overlooking Coquitlam, B.C., just outside of Vancouver. Dedicated in 1904, the place was built as a psychiatric facility designed to house British Columbia’s mentally ill populace. It was originally intended to accommodate 1800 patients, but its population soon increased to more than 4600. Over the years, many a lost soul dwelled within the numerous structures that dotted its 244 acres of wooded landscape.
• J.T. Petty’s S&MAN (pictured) arrives on DVD and Blu-ray October 12, but New York-area residents will have one last chance to see it when it plays a week’s run in Brooklyn.
Ever since George A. Romero’s NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD first sparked horror fans’ love affair with the zombie, the walking dead have lumbered (and run!) into all facets of popular culture, most notably the video-game world. From UK company Quicksilva’s ZOMBIE ZOMBIE for the ZK Spectrum computer in 1984 through such staples as Capcom’s RESIDENT EVIL and even non-horror games like the CALL OF DUTY series, the undead have been unavoidable, and in 2006, Capcom decided to take them in another direction with the open-world slaughterthon DEAD RISING.
One of the first in the recent round of 3-D fright features to go before the cameras, the Angela Bettis-starrer SCAR is now repping another milestone. It’ll be the first movie released via video-on-demand in the dimensional process.
The heroine of Steven R. Monroe’s I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE remake (played by Sarah Butler) exacts some painful retribution in a new not-safe-for-work clip. See it after the jump!
Tonight at midnight, legendary metal band Cradle of Filth will debut its latest video at this website. The clip is for the new song “Forgive me Father (For I Have Sinned)” from Cradle’s album DARKLY, DARKLY, VENUS AVERSA.
DAWSON’S CREEK? Nope. Greg McLean hasn’t directed a film since 2007’s ROGUE, but the Aussie director is going back behind the camera to lens a follow-up to his well-received 2005 film WOLF CREEK.
The Telluride Horror Show (running October 15-17 in the Colorado city), co-sponsored by FANGORIA, will play host to the world premiere of TWISTED TALES, by director Tom Holland (pictured). The filmmaker behind such classic entertainments as FRIGHT NIGHT and CHILD’S PLAY (not to mention the writer of PSYCHO II and THE BEAST WITHIN, among others) will be in attendance to screen his new series of short TALES FROM THE CRYPT-esque shockers.
Beginning today, the eight-film 
Marc Gras’ documentary TROMA IS SPANISH FOR TROMA is having its world premiere on Friday, October 8 at 6 p.m. at the 2010 Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival.