Anchor Bay Entertainment picks up Brutal Massacre a Comedy

Our friends at Anchor Bay Entertainment sent us some great news for the upcoming horror comedy “Brutal Massacre” from director Stevan Mena, here’s the details.

BURBANK, CA – Anchor Bay Entertainment, the renowned industry leader in horror programming, announced the acquisition today of the North American home media distribution rights to Brutal Massacre: A Comedy, the irreverent mockumentary chronicling the world’s unluckiest horror film production. Written and directed by Stevan Mena (Malevolence), Brutal Massacre: A Comedy is a hilarious look into the chaotic world of low budget independent filmmaking, as a once-successful horror film director tries to make his comeback vehicle. Boasting a veritable “who’s who” of legendary horror and contemporary comedy stars, Brutal Massacre: A Comedy delivers laughs in the best mockumentary tradition of This Is Spinal Tap and promises fans of horror and comedy a “Best in Horror-Show” performance!

Celebrating two genres, the cast of Brutal Massacre: A Comedy includes horror greats David Naughton (An American Werewolf In London); Ellen Sandweiss, Betsy Baker and Theresa Tilly, aka “The Ladies of The Evil Dead;,” Gunnar Hansen (the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre); and Ken Foree (the original Dawn of the Dead), paired with comedy stars Brian O’Halloran (Clerks, Chasing Amy); Gerry Bednob (The 40-Year Old Virgin, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story) and Vincent Butta (The Pick-Up Artist).

A late spring theatrical release is anticipated, featuring engagements in New York and Los Angeles. Fans can also expect a Special Edition DVD, promising extensive bonus features that really do go behind-the-scenes!

Brutal Massacre: A Comedy is becoming the next great cult horror film embraced by fans. Fangoria Magazine called the film “a Spinal Tap for horror filmmakers, a hilarious gift to genre fans!” while Kick Ass Horror Reviews declared “Brutal Massacre is creative, original, witty, hysterical, intelligent and one hell of an entertainingly funny movie that works for both horror fans and non horror fans alike.”

In the film, Naughton plays Harry Penderecki, a once heralded horror auteur who now finds himself on the outside looking in at Hollywood. Though renowned for such groundbreaking horror classics as I’ll Take the Ring Back and the Finger Too! and Sasquatch at the Mall, he hasn’t had a hit in a while and most in the industry have scratched his name off their “A” list.

But Harry isn’t completely down and out. He’s embarking on what he hopes to be his return to the big leagues with Brutal Massacre. Reuniting his longtime filmmaking team, Harry also has the entire production shadowed by documentarian Bert Campbell (Butta). But what starts as a successful convention appearance announcing the start of filming quickly devolves into a battle of Sisyphean proportions to capture even a single, usable frame of footage. Between incompetent special effects artists, temperamental actors, bad location advice, sexual shenanigans, on-set tragedies and the usual budget overruns, Harry struggles to keep his sanity while facing overwhelming obstacles to finish the picture and find himself at the top once again.

Brutal Massacre: A Comedy is a Crimson Films and LMB Productions presentation. The film was produced by Stevan Mena, Tom Bambard and Tim Bristoll, with Vincent Butta as Executive Producer. Co-producers are Chris Aurilia, Jerry Aurilia. Samantha Dark, Daniel McNulty, Peter Picard, Andrew Pizzo are the Associate Producers.