Horror Favourites – Brad Sykes

From cult directors Brad Sykes (Plaguers, Scream Queen), Todd Sheets (Goblin, Bonehill Road), Anthony Catanese (Sodomaniac, Girls Just Wanna Have Blood) and Tim Ritter (Truth or Dare, Killing Spree) comes the highly-anticipated final film in the cult hit ‘Hi-‘ trilogy, preceded by Hi-8 (2013) and Hi-Death (2018), HI-FEAR is coming.

An ambitious young illustrator is forced to create four of the most terrifying stories imaginable for a new comic book based on basic human fears. But with each story she creates, the stakes become higher and more deadly as she delves deeper into the nature of evil itself.

From producers Brad and Josephina Sykes (Plaguers, Camp Blood, Evil Sister 2), HI-FEAR arrives this summer on digital and DVD, complete with deliciously devilish bonus features including audio commentary and a making-of.

Horror Favourites – Brad Sykes

We spoke to Brad Sykes recently who told us all about his favorite horror film:

“If forced to pick my all-time favorite horror film (not an easy task), I would have to go with George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead. I first saw Dawn on VHS during the mid-80s, a rich time for the genre during which I saw a lot of great horror films first run in the theater while also discovering many 70s classics on video. This was the Golden Era of Gore, and though Dawn certainly had plenty of the red stuff, that wasn’t the only reason why the film made such a strong impression on me.

Dawn was the first horror film I saw that went beyond simply scaring or grossing out the audience. Clearly, Romero had more on his mind than just crafting an effective horror tale (though the movie has plenty of great jump scares – the bit with the ‘repairman’ zombie that jumps out from the mannequins always gets me!), and any kid growing up in the ‘80s could easily grasp that the Monroeville Mall was more than just a trendy setting – it was the perfect place to both satirize and explore the characters’ worst impulses.

Satire and black humor were not something I was used to experiencing in horror films, but even as a twelve-year old I appreciated the extra layers Romero added to his zombie sequel.

Dawn also boasted a truly epic, apocalyptic feel that I hadn’t encountered before, especially in lower budget horror films. At the same time, it had an earthy, handmade quality that I really grooved on – in fact, I would say that Dawn, and other Romero films like Martin and Day of the Dead, were largely responsible for my favoring indie horror over studio films then and now. Dawn was the first videotape I ever purchased, and the more I studied Romero’s work and personal narrative, the more I felt that I, too, could make movies if I worked hard enough. So, one could say that on some level, Dawn is responsible for my choice of filmmaking as a career path.

I had the opportunity to meet George Romero at a Fangoria convention in 2002, where I was promoting my film DEATH FACTORY, but the highlight was meeting George and letting him know how much his work has influenced my life. I still have the Creepshow DVD he signed for me that day. By doing this, I was able to pay direct homage to that film with my new horror anthology Hi-Fear, whose wraparound features an EC-style comic book that leads us into each creepy tale. I’d like to think that the inspirational spirit of Dawn of the Dead, and George’s other movies, lives on in my work and the films of many others.”

The Brad Sykes film HI-FEAR is on Digital now and DVD July 11 from Wild Eye Releasing.