GRAVEYARD STORIES
GRAVEYARD STORIES 2
GRAVEYARD STORIES 3
LLOYD KAUFMAN - "THE HOST"
JIM O'REAR - "THE STORYTELLER"
GEORGE STOVER - "THE CARETAKER"
MEL HEFLIN - "BELLADONNA"
| "Graveyard Stories" is a series of three (currently) Direct-To-DVD hosted horror anthology movies; released through "Moonlight Films".
The first DVD (2017) is hosted by Lloyd Kaufman as "The Host" and Jim O'Rear as "The Storyteller".
From IMDB: Stanley Lloyd Kaufman (born 30 December 1945 in New York City, New York, USA) never really wanted to make movies, he wanted to work in Broadway musicals. During his years in Yale he was introduced to "B" pictures and the works of Roger Corman. Lloyd later got the opportunity to executive-produce a short movie made by a fellow student. The film, called "Rappacini", got him even more interested in movies. He bought his own camera and took it with him to Chad, Africa, were he spent his summer. There, he shot a 15-minute film of a pig being slaughtered. That was his first movie, and was the birth of what was later to become known as Troma Films. He showed the footage of the squealing pig being killed to his family, and their reaction to it made him wonder if making movies that shocked audiences would keep them in their seats to see what would happen next.
He wanted to be a director right then and there, so he got a couple of friends at Yale and made his second movie, The Girl Who Returned (1969). People loved it, and he went straight to work on other films, helping out on projects like Joe (1970), Rocky (1976) and Saturday Night Fever (1977).
Lloyd put in a lot of long, hard hours in the film business, just to be in the credits and to get money for his next project, a full-length feature. It was a tribute to Charles Chaplin, Harold Lloyd and the classic era of silent-film comedy. Even though Lloyd hated the movie when it was completed, people seemed to love it. He formed a studio called 15th Street Films with friends and producers Frank Vitale and Oliver Stone. Together, they made Sugar Cookies (1973) and Cry Uncle (1971), directed by John G. Avildsen. A friend from Yale, Michael Herz, saw Lloyd in a small scene in "Cry Uncle" and contacted him to try to get into the film business. Kaufman took Herz in, as the company needed some help after Oliver Stone quit to make his own movies. Michael invested in a film they thought would be their biggest hit yet, Schwartz: The Brave Detective (1973) (aka "Big Gus, What's the Fuss?"). It turned out to be a huge flop and 15th Street Films was ruined. Lloyd and Michael owed thousands of dollars to producers and friends and family members who had invested in the picture.
Lloyd, trying to find a quick way to pay off the bills, made The Divine Obsession (1976), and with Michael formed Troma Studios, hoping to make some decent movies, since they only owned the rights to films they thought were poor. They were introduced to Joel M. Reed, who had an unfinished movie called "Master Sardu and the Horror Trio". The film was re-edited and completed at Troma Studios (which consisted of just one room) during 1975, re-titled and released in 1976 as Blood Sucking Freaks (1976) (aka "Bloodsucking Freaks"). It was enough of a success to enable them to pay the rent so they wouldn't lose the company.
Lloyd later got a call from a theater that wanted a "sexy movie" like The Divine Obsession (1976), but about softball. The resulting film, Squeeze Play (1979), used up all the money Troma had earned from "Bloodsucking Freaks" and, as it turned out, no one wanted to see it--not even the theater owner who wanted it made in the first place (he actually wanted a porno movie). Just when things looked their darkest, they got a call from another theater which was scheduled to show a film, but the distributor pulled it at the last minute. Troma rushed "Squeeze Play" right over, and it turned out to be a huge hit. Lloyd, Michael and Troma eventually made millions from it, and had enough money to buy their own building (which remains as Troma Headquarters). Troma then turned out a stream of "sexy" comedies-- Waitress! (1982), The First Turn-On!! (1983), Stuck on You! (1983)--but there was a glut of "T&A" films on the market. Lloyd noticed that a lot of comedies were being made and decided to make one, but much different than the rest. After reading an article that claimed horror movies were dead, Lloyd got the idea to combine both horror and comedy, and Troma came up with "Health Club Horror"--later re-titled and released as The Toxic Avenger (1984), a monster hit that finally put Troma on the map.
Lloyd Kaufman and Troma have become icons in the cult-movie world, and Troma has distributed over 1000 films. Lloyd has continued his career as a director in addition to producing, and Troma has turned out such films as Monster in the Closet (1986), Class of Nuke 'Em High (1986), Combat Shock (1984), Troma's War (1988), and Fortress of Amerikkka (1989), and Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead (2006), which follows an army of undead chickens as they seek revenge on a fast food palace.
From IMDB: Jim O'Rear (born in Cordova, Alabama, USA) has been involved in the entertainment industry for over thirty years, beginning his career on tour as The Youngest Professional Magician and quickly transitioning into the world of film and television. Trained in New York at The American Academy Of Dramatic Arts, Jim has worked steadily as an actor, stuntman, and special make-up effects artist on such projects as Star Trek 4, Stephen King's The Boogeyman, ABC's Nashville, Lethal Weapon 3, NBC's Fatal Encounters, The Dead Matter, Fall Of The House Of Usher, A Christmas Carol, Mortal Kombat: Conquest, and many more. Wanting to get some of his own ideas onto the screen, Jim successfully moved into the area of screenwriting, selling a number of horror-related screenplays, including The House Of Pain, Hayride Slaughter, Vampyre Tales, Wolfsbayne, The Deepening, and Scream Farm. Jim's writing also includes several novels and paranormal books including "Tennessee Ghosts," "Mortuary Of Madness," "Hollywood Paranormal Films," "Traveling In Tennessee," and the how-to autobiography "Magic, Monsters, And Me." Jim continues to work on several films per year, recently completing the critically-acclaimed and award-winning films The Hospital 1 & 2, Camp Massacre, and the sequel to the 1973 horror classic Don't Look In The Basement 2. As if that isn't enough, Jim continues to write for horror publications all over the world, consult for film projects internationally, and is the founder of Celebrity Ghost Hunters.
From IMDB: George M. Stover, Jr. (born 3 July 1946 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA), is a native of Towson, Baltimore County, Maryland. He got his start in local TV commercials and films, especially acting in early John Waters' work (before Waters became famous). Acting, however, was only George's side job for many years. He worked in Maryland's government almost all his adult life, carving out an odd acting career while remaining loyal to living in Maryland. George had the best of both worlds: the stability and benefits of working for the government, but also a creative outlet for acting. Living a double life for many years, George can be found acting in off-beat films that mostly go straight to Video (or these days, DVD). Now retired from his government job, George has more time to enjoy his off-beat movie roles, which allow him to release his well-honed sardonic sense of humor.
"VHS": A young woman (Katie Harbridge) receives a mysterious tape in the mail and fails to heed the warning that by watching it, she could in fact become another resident of the graveyard.
"Slay Bells": On a cold Christmas Eve, a woman (Patti Danner) ventures out into the night to buy some eggs, despite reports of a bloodthirsty killer that may be on the loose.
"Frank": Deron Morgan stars as a down-and-out meat packing plant worker who decides to wreak havoc on the lives of three people when they snub his party invitation.
"Eye of the Serpent": When a young scientist (Tara Bixler) is wrongly accused of malpractice and then is accidentally infected by radiated snake venom, she uses her newfound abilities to seek revenge!
From IMDB: Mel Heflin is known for "The Figure" (2017), "Natasha Nighty's Boudoir of Blood" (2020) and "Carlos Dunn's Katherine" (2015). She has been married to Jack Carver since 22 February 2011. They have one child.
The following is a promo for "Graveyard Stories": "Graveyard Stories" - trailer from The Professor's Scary Clips on Vimeo.
The following is a clip from "Graveyard Stories 2": "Graveyard Stories 2" - opening clip from The Professor's Scary Clips on Vimeo.
The following is a clip from "Graveyard Stories 3": "Graveyard Stories 3" - opening clip from The Professor's Scary Clips on Vimeo. |
LINKS
 Internet Movie Data Base "Graveyard Stories" |
 "Moonlight Films" |
Internet Movie Data Base "Lloyd Kaufman" |
Internet Movie Data Base "Jim O'Rear" |
Internet Movie Data Base "Graveyard Stories 2" |
Internet Movie Data Base "George Stover" |
Internet Movie Data Base "Graveyard Stories 3" |
Internet Movie Data Base "Mel Heflin" |
 YouTube "Moonlight Films" |
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