After Dark Films
Founded in 2006 by film producer/director/writer Courtney Solomon and real estate and textile financier Allan Zeman, After Dark Films is a leader in independent film finance, production and acquisition of genre films for theatrical release.
After Dark is perhaps best known for its creation and execution of After Dark Horrorfest® – 8 Films to Die For® (
www.horrorfestonline.com). Debuting in 2006, After Dark Horrorfest ® is a one week national film festival that celebrates all areas of the horror genre. In its first year, Horrorfest became the first film festival in history to break into the Top 10 at the US national box office, grossing over $2.5 million. Additionally, Horrorfest has attained popular success beyond the box office with over 1.6 million DVDs currently in circulation through distribution partner Lionsgate.After Dark's initial film release was the US box office success An American Haunting (2006), written, directed and produced by Courtney Solomon. An American Haunting opened at the #2 spot on the US box office charts, and maintained its position for four weeks.
Subsequent releases include The Abandoned; Skinwalkers, starring Jason Behr, Rhona Mitra and Matthew Knight; Captivity, starring Elisha Cuthbert and directed by Oscar-nominee Roland Joffe (The Killing Fields), and Frontier(s), directed by Xavier Gens (Hitman). Building upon the success of Horrorfest®, After Dark Films developed a second series in partnership with Syfy and Lionsgate entitled, After Dark Originals, "A New Brand of Fear", which debuted in late 2010.
After Dark Originals, "A New Brand of Fear" – The 8 Films
‘SECONDS APART’
Synopsis: Judging by their privileged background, no one would ever guess that Seth and Jonah are serial killers, psychotic twins with extrasensory powers and a diabolical agenda. Damned from the moment of their births, the brothers possess a gruesome talent for telekinesis – a power they use in the most horrific ways imaginable. As fellow students meet gory fates, the local law enforcement begins to suspect the twins’ connection to the depraved murders. What started as a jealous rage escalates into a supernatural showdown – pitting brother against brother, evil against evil.
Executive Producer: Courtney Solomon
Director: Antonio Negret
Starring: Orlando Jones (Beyond a Reasonable Doubt), Edmund & Gary Entin
Only to Rent: W/c Oct 24 Buy on DVD: W/c Nov 7
‘HUSK’
Synopsis: When a murder of crows smash into the windshield of their car, causing it to crash, a group of college-aged friends find themselves stranded beside a desolate cornfield. With night falling, cell-phone service unavailable and the nearest town many miles away, they head into the fields in search of help, noticing a farmhouse in the distance. But instead of sanctuary and assistance, they discover that something bloodthirsty and evil resides in the corn.
Producer: Courtney Solomon
Writer/Director: Brett Simmons
Starring: Wes Chatham (In the Valley of Elah), Devon Graye (Showtime’s Dexter), CJ Thomason (Transformers) and Australian actress Tammin Sursock (nominated for an Emmy in 2008 for her role on The Young & the Restless)
Only to Rent: W/c Oct 3 Buy on DVD: W/c Oct 17
‘SCREAM OF THE BANSHEE’
Synopsis: When a college Professor opens up a strange, ornate box discovered in the basement of a University, she and her students hear a horrifying scream belonging to that of a bloodthirsty banshee. They think nothing of it, until that scream begins to haunt all that heard it in strange and surreal ways. According to Irish lore, if you hear a Banshee scream, you will die - which is what starts happening to them one by one, as the creature starts taking their lives…
Producer: Courtney Solomon
Director: Steven C. Miller
Starring: Lauren Holly (What Women Want) and Lance Henricksen (Aliens, The Terminator)
Only to Rent: W/c Oct 17 Buy on DVD: W/c Oct 31
‘FERTILE GROUND’
Synopsis: Emily and Nate Weaver leave the city for the rural comfort of Nate’s ancestral
home in the country. Once there, Emily is plagued by horrifying visions and haunted by the ghosts inhabiting their isolated new home. When Nate’s behaviour undergoes a strange and fearful metamorphosis, Emily fears she might be the latest target in a murderous tradition.
Executive Producer: Courtney Solomon
Writer/Director: Adam Gierasch
Starring: Leisha Hailey (The L Word) and Gale Harold (Desperate Housewives)
Only to Rent: W/c Oct 10 Buy on DVD: W/c Oct 24
‘PROWL’
Synopsis: Amber dreams of escaping her small town existence and persuades her friends to accompany her to find an apartment in the big city. When their transportation breaks down, Amber and her friends gratefully accept a ride in the back of a semi. But when the driver refuses to stop, and they discover the cargo is hundreds of cartons of blood, they panic. Quickly panic turns to terror when the truck disgorges them into a dark, abandoned warehouse where blood-thirsty creatures learn to hunt human prey, which the friends realize, is what they now are.
Executive Producer: Courtney Solomon
Director: Patrik Syversen
Starring: Bruce Payne (Dungeons & Dragons, Passenger 57)
Only to Rent: W/c Sept 26 Buy on DVD: W/c Oct 10
‘51’
Synopsis: Due to political pressure from the American public, the Air Force has decided to allow two well-known reporters limited access to the most secretive base on the planet. But when one of the base’s "long-term visitors"
exploits this unprecedented visit as a chance to liberate himself and his fellow alien captives, Area 51 turns from a secure government base to a horrifying destination of terror.
Producer: Courtney Solomon
Directed by: Jason Connery
Starring: Bruce Boxleitner, Jason London, John Shea, Vanessa Branch and Rachel Miner
Only to Rent: W/c Nov 7 Buy on DVD: W/c Nov 21
‘THE TASK’
Something diabolical is taking place on the set of THE TASK, a new reality show in which players complete terrifying missions within the confines of an abandoned prison, hoping to win a hefty cash prize. As six young students explore their new environment, malicious spirits make their presence known in the most gruesome ways imaginable. The contestants become unwitting pawns caught at the centre of a blood-soaked night of terror. Only one girl survives to tell the tale…
Producer: Courtney Solomon
Directed by: Alex Orwell and starring Texas Battle (Coach Carter, Final Destination 3)
Only to Rent: W/c Oct 31 Buy on DVD: W/c Nov 14
* PROMO ENDS DECEMBER 31ST 2011 @ 11:59pm