A message from the editor
The Indie Digital Buzz is a new feature from Monsters at Play and Horrorview that allows our readers to get the inside scoop straight from the source in the world of indie horror. I felt that indie horror was an untapped medium and not given the proper respect it surely deserves. Yes, there are those indie horror flicks out there that are slapped together in a heartbeat and passed off as quality cinema, while they remain complete and utter garbage. Then there are those who really enjoy the craft of filmmaking and pour their heart, sweat and tears into each production. Most of these people work normal 9-5 jobs and make movies on the weekend as a hobby. They spend little money on these flicks and they make little money from them, but the films speak for themselves. I felt our readers could benefit from some inside knowledge including anecdotes from the indie movie set and info on upcoming titles that may be of interest. I hope you enjoy reading these articles as much as I have. Expect to see 3 or 4 of these a month, enjoy!

...and don't forget, Beware the Monsters!!!
Lawrence P. Raffel, Editor-in-Chief, Monsters at Play

Introduction
The idea of this column is to bring to light some of the great independent movies that are coming to DVD. Now when I say independent, I am not talking about movies that were financed by Tom Hanks or Drew Barrymore or any other high profile celebrity. No, none of these. I am talking about the people who slave over a script for months or years, finance the project them selves or through family and friends, shoot it themselves, and sometimes act in the project. These titles have budgets that would not even cover catering on one day of a Hollywood movie. A typical budget on a true independent project could range from $100 to $500,000 and they've been shot on anything from VHS to 35mm film. The thing that sets these movies apart is the amount of love, blood, sweat, tears and dedication that goes into an independent production. The hard work is evident when the finished project is viewed.

A lot of these great movies are coming or are already out on DVD. I have an inside track to quite a few of these titles and I really hope to open some eyes and draw in new fans to these fantastically entertaining movies.

There have been great strides made in recent years in the distribution of these titles. Sub Rosa Studios has been able to get titles like these all over the world and in many major retail stores. The Internet and sites like Monsters at Play are another major reason why indie movies are gaining popularity at a terrific rate. These factors coupled with the fact that the current slew of indie moviemakers grew up in the age of the camcorder make the recipe of success definite.

I have 15 years experience in the independent movie scene. I have performed the duties of everything from grip to director. Each week I would like to share a story with you about my time in the scene. This story may be about something that happened on the set or during any stage of the production process. I feel as if I have a lot to share with budding filmmakers and fans in general. In addition to my story I will also bring to light a few of the great indie titles that are on DVD.

A Story from the Set: "Lynch those Freaks!"
I had landed a sweet location in the middle of nowhere for a movie called ICE FROM THE SUN. The location was perfect, an old abandoned house that had electricity and running water. The house sat next to a huge barn and was surrounded by acres and acres of land. This was going to be the major location for the movie and the cast and crew would be able to stay at the home for days while we shot.

We sent a production design crew out to the location about a week before the rest of the cast and crew were to arrive. The design crew had to create numerous sets so it made sense to send them out to build ahead of time.

The cast and crew arrived on set on a Saturday morning. Eric Stanze (director) and I were the first to arrive. When we pulled up to the home we noticed that the head production designer (Tommy Biondo) had taken an old beat up piece of plywood and painted the saying "Welcome to the decadent of the DAMNED!" He also had hung cow bones from the sign. Eric and I laughed and did not think anything about it.

The first night of shooting was in the barn. We had a scene in which the bad guy beats the piss out of a girl in front of the girl's husband. There was screaming and banging ringing throughout the rolling hills that surrounded the location. Once the shoot was over the girl exited the barn naked and covered in karo syrup blood.

The next morning the phone at the location rang, it was the owner of the property and she asked us what the hell we were doing. She said that there was a church camp about a mile down the road from where we were shooting and the locals at the camp organized and planned to come out to the location and lynch us. We were in the middle of nowhere, hundreds of miles away from our hometown and now some hillbillies wanted to lynch us.

We kept things quiet there for a while, hoping that the situation would just pass over. After some anxious hours things did calm down and we finished the shoot, thankfully without being lynched.

Featured Title this Week: TRUTH OR DARE? A CRITICAL MADNESS

Sub Rosa Studios has announced the DVD release of the Tim Ritter classic, TRUTH OR DARE? A CRITICAL MADNESS. TRUTH OR DARE? was one of the very first movies produced for the home video market only, back in the mid-eighties. Tim Ritter was only 19 years old when he made this movie. Current Backstreet Boy, A.J. McLean has a cameo role in this slasher movie. McLean plays a small boy who slits his wrist in front of a group of friends who dare him to do so during a game of truth or dare. It is priceless!! Also, Ritter's commentary track reveals an interesting backstory about how the studio discovered how old director Tim Ritter was and immediately decided that he did not know what he was doing. They took most of the control away from him half way through the movie. After the movie was finished shooting, the studio contacted Ritter and told him that he was fired. Ritter had to sue to get his credit back as writer and director. At the time, he only successfully regained the writer credit. Proper Ritter writer/director credit was restored on this cut for the DVD release.

The TRUTH OR DARE? DVD is chocked full of extras including; audio commentary with Tim Ritter, Allen M. Richards (b-independent.com) and Mitch, a prison guard that had nothing to do with the movie. During this commentary Ritter tells in detail the entire story about the studio and his age. Very entertaining stuff! There are also preview trailers of other Ritter movies on this DVD as well. This is a must see.

TRUTH OR DARE? A CRITICAL MADNESS: DVD DETAILS

Directed by: Tim Ritter

Run time: 84 minutes

Layer Format: DVD-9

Audio: Dolby Digital

Picture Quality: The DVD has been encoded flawlessly. Because of the age of the source masters, the picture quality does struggle in parts. But overall, it is a great viewing experience.

Facts: This is the uncut, letterboxed special edition of the movie.

Extras: Audio commentary, preview trailers, behind the scenes featurette, and film facts.

Easter Eggs: None

What the critics are saying:

"Will numb you in its brutality!"
-Movies Unlimited

"Call me sick, but I had to rewind and watch it again!"
-B-Independent.com

"...makes SCREAM look like ALICE IN WONDERLAND."
-Flipside Movie Emporium

In the next edition of THE BUSTERFACE INDIE DIGITAL BUZZ I will talk about bathing in a river and I will also cover some of the older indie titles that are already out on DVD. Until then, Busterface saying... youdontneedgoddamnhollywoodtomakeafuckingmovie