A terrific review from 'Cinema Crazed'

It's nice when somebody sends you an email saying they've reviewed your film, you read it and think, 'Great; they got it. While he makes some great points about possible improvements, the reviewer is very complimentary about the fundamentals of the film - story, pacing, acting, etc. I particularly like the quote, 'The Jackson brothers are a talent waiting to be discovered, and while the flaws here are technical only, I can’t wait to see what they’ll do with a big budget'. If you want to check out the complete review, click here.

'When Evil Reigns' meets Inside Film Magazine

Check out this month's issue of Inside Film Magazine for a mention of 'When Evil Reigns' alongside genre luminaries such as 'Wolf Creek' and 'The Undead'.

Congratulations to Tim Kroenert, a genre afficionado and a great bloke, for including us in the article. We'll post the relevant quote/s when we get our hands on them.

To subscribe to IF Magazine or find out what else is in the issue, click here.

'When Evil Reigns' DVD on sale now!

The DVD contains the uncut movie plus over 2 hours of special features, including:
* Audio commentary by directors Luke and Alix Jackson and producers Ian Seymour and Tim Clark
* Deleted and extended scenes
* Bloopers
* SFX and Visual FX featurette
* SFX makeup documentary with Alix Jackson
* Extra disk containing the movie with English subtitles for the hearing impaired

To buy the DVD, visit the 'When Evil Reigns' shop by clicking here.

People magazine reviews 'When Evil Reigns'

Recently, we were surprised to be contacted by Australia's 'People' magazine, who wanted to review the 'When Evil Reigns' for their DVD Review section. While it's short, the piece really demonstrates Dan Lennard's enjoyment of the film. Thanks to Dan and the publishers for supporting the local indie film scene!

To save you the possible embarrassment of having to go into your local newsagents and pick up a copy of the magazine (as you explain, red-faced, that you're buying it for the articles) you can read the review by clicking the image below.

Alix Jackson featured in a film and TV industry night

The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance is Australia's largest union for performers and artists.
On the 19th of September, the MEAA organised a night to promote the idea that, as a performer/artist, you have to be prepared to 'make your own fun'. Who better to speak, then, than Alix, the main driving force behind 'When Evil Reigns'?

Speaking after established actors and filmmakers, Alix described the highs and lows of no-budget filmmaking, inspiring and amusing both audience co-panelists. It was a terrific night, and we're sure it will be the first of many such talks/workshops for Alix.

Pictures will be provided as soon as they're available.

Two reviews for 'When Evil Reigns'

It's always interesting to see what different people will make of the film. The following two reviews are a good case-in-point, with each reviewer expressing completely different views as to the overall success of the film. If you've watched 'When Evil Reigns', take a look at the reviews and see what points you agree or disagree with. We'd love to know your thoughts.

(Click an image to read the review.)

Digital Retribution interviews Luke and Alix Jackson

One of our favourite websites for movie reviews is Australia's own 'Digital Retribution'. They claim to be the experts when it comes to 'horror', 'exploitation', 'cheese' and 'sleaze' downunder, and - take it from us - they are. Where else can you read a review of the latest horror computer game, followed by one of a genre 'classic' such as 'Zombie Holocaust'?

Interested? Then check out the site. While you're over there, you may notice the banners in the top right-hand corner of the page, advertising some big-name movies and games. According to the webmaster, the banner for 'When Evil Reigns' is right up there in terms of clicks per visitor. Chalk one up for the little guy! Read our complete interview by clicking here.

'George' the car - in memoriam

Bill Mortimer, who played Andy in 'When Evil Reigns', was kind enough to lend us his car on a number of occasions throughout the production. We used it to haul equipment to and from set, and as a featured extra; you may recognise it if you've watched the film.

Unfortunately, after surviving the on screen epidemic apocalypse relatively unscathed, 'George' was stolen in our nation's capital and left abandoned and torched by the roadside. You can check out the damage below.

Thank you, George. We know that, wherever you are, you will go on battling the 'Infected' for all of us.

Inpress reports: 'Slasher on the cheap'

Melbourne's Inpress magazine has given 'When Evil Reigns' a glowing review. According to reporter Tony McMahon, the movie is 'a refreshing, resourceful and, let's not forget the most important part, downright scary melding of the epidemic and slasher horror sub-genres'.

He goes on to say that, 'With characters you actually care about (rare for a horror film), a super scary location, and a great score by Ryan Granger, this local no budgeter stands up comparatively well against classics of the genre like 'Night of the Living Dead' and the obviously much more expensive '28 Days Later'.'

It was fantastic to talk to Tony, who clearly has a real love for the horror genre, and the article is already generating interest from the wider Melbourne community about the imminent release of 'When Evil Reigns' on DVD. If you'd like to read the rest of the article, click here. If you'd like to learn more about how to order 'When Evil Reigns' on DVD, click here.

'When Evil Reigns' wins at MUFF 2006!

'When Evil Reigns' was proud to be associated with this year's Underground Film Festival here in Melbourne.

We were surprised (and delighted) to receive an award. And what an award: 'Most Gratuitous Use of Violence'!

More free stuff

To celebrate our upcoming screening at the Melbourne Underground Film Festival (see the post below for details) as well as the imminent release of our DVD on August 15, we have decided to provide our loyal visitors with some more wallpaper. In order to set it as your desktop background, simply click on the size you want and, when the image is in full view, right-click and choose 'set as background'. Enjoy! And encourage onlookers to check out the website for themselves.















Download wallpaper: 800x600

Download wallpaper: 1024x768

Horror-Fanatics.com reports: 'What happens when evil reigns'

Now that the DVD release date has been set for August 15, it's great to see some of the horror community's websites starting to promote 'When Evil Reigns'. Check out the info available at horror-fanatics by clicking the link above, and keep checking this space for more 'When Evil Reigns' news and reviews, including a terrific interview we just did with the editors of an exciting new digimag entitled 'Atomic Threat'.

Melbourne Underground Film Festival screening confirmed!

That's right.

If you missed out on the premiere of 'When Evil Reigns', or if you caught it the first time around and want to see it again, we're going to be making an appearance at M.U.F.F. With International guest Lloyd Kaufman (Director of 'The Toxic Avenger' series) and a raft of exciting Indie events, it looks like the festival's going to be terrific ... and we're thrilled to be part of it.

'When Evil Reigns' will screen at The Spanish Club, 59-61 Johnston Street Fitzroy, on JULY 16, at 5.00pm. Phone 9417 4059 for bookings. We'd recommend you get there at least fifteen minutes early to make sure you get a seat ... and remember to leave time for parking.

From the official brochure: Dir. Luke and Alix Jackson | 92 mins. | 2006 | Horror | Australia
”Friday the 13th” meets “Night of the living dead” in this Aussie horror film made on a $5000 budget. A mismatched group must lock themselves inside and fight off the murderous hordes attacking the building in this homage to slasher flicks and epidemic classics! Needless to say, a chilling and terrifying time is guaranteed for all!

Sounds great, huh? See you there!

Download free stuff

We've received a number of requests, over the last couple of weeks, for copies of the DVD. Well, the DVD hasn't been released just yet, but in the meantime we'd like to give you something to tide you over.

Our first offering is some wallpaper that you might like to adorn your computer screen with. Just click the relevant size below, and you will be taken to a page containing the image alone. Place your mouse over the image, then right-click and choose 'Set as background'. When you minimise the windows that are currently open, you should be looking at this handsome image from your favorite no-budget horror movie:



Download wallpaper: 800x600

Download wallpaper: 1024x768

Think a friend would like this wallpaper? Use the little letter icon below this article to inform them that they can get it here!

The Melbourne Premiere is a hit!

After a couple of months of planning, the Melbourne premiere is now over ... and it went even better than we'd expected. As Mark Smith reports for Horrorscope, '...An entertained crowd laughed and jumped in delight as the film played out, cheering on the various deaths.'


On a cold night, at a venue that was described politely by a close friend as 'a little out of the way', 'When Evil Reigns' premiered to an overwhelmingly postive response. And, with friends, family, and members of the burgeoning Australian Horror community there as we viewed the film on the screen for the first time, how could we feel anything but supported?


Thank you from the filmmakers to everybody who contributed.

To read 'Horrorscope' editor Mark Smith's complete write-up of the premiere's success, click here.

Let's put this in context

Some of you may have already seen this: when visiting the ABC News Online homepage this afternoon, I noticed this shot selection on the right-hand side of my screen. It's cool for a number of reasons.

Firstly, we've actually finished the film; here's the proof. That's still kind of hard to believe.

Secondly, it's great to see Shannon's face plastered on the ABC News Online homepage. He represents everything that was great about making this film: for no promise of reward or even recognition, he showed up time and time again, to stand under hose-induced 'rain' and basically do whatever we asked of him ... and he never complained. I'd work with him again anytime.

Third, as you can see, the story about 'When Evil Reigns' falls directly below an image of the delightful Mrs Spears. To put into context the time involved in making 'When Evil Reigns', I'll say this: when we began writing the script, Britney Spears' song 'Hit Me Baby' had just made Number 1. That's right; then a little-known, ex-Mickey Mouse Club star, Britney's first song accompanied us throughout the writing process and into production. And now we meet again.

Whether Britney's been a blessing or a curse for the production, I'm still not sure.

ABC News Online reports, 'When Evil Reigns: horror on a budget'

There's something incredible about seeing your name in print, particularly when it's associated with a project you love.

This morning, I woke up to find that Gary Kemble from ABC News Online had posted his article entitled 'When Evil Reigns: Horror on a budget'. My brother Alix and I spoke to Gary a couple of weeks ago, and were really happy with the perceptiveness of his questions (being a horror fan, he wanted to know all the things about the film that we, as horror fans, wanted to tell him). And the result doesn't disappoint. Read the article to see our reflections on the filmmaking process, and learn what we advise you to do (and not do) when making your own film in 'Alix and Luke's 10-step film school'.

If, after reading the article, your interest in the film is piqued, you will be happy to know that there are still tickets left for the premiere on the 13th of May - this Saturday - the details as below.

When: Saturday 13th May.
Where: McKinnon Secondary College theatre, Melways reference 68, G10.
Cost: $10, with all proceeds contributing towards the 'mastering' of a DVD for distribution.
To book: Email Alix with the number of tickets you would like at whenevilreigns@optusnet.com.au

We look forward to seeing you there!