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Happy New Year!

Since the very first edition of the original Phantom Lake Almanac (the title of this newsletter before becoming the Mihmiverse Monthly in August 2011), the January issue has served to provide an in-depth look back at all the significant Mihmiverse-related events that happened during the previous calendar year.

In honor of such a long-held tradition, we take this opportunity to revisit all the exciting Mihmiverse-related happenings in calendar year 2022!
 

After being out of print for a few months, all Mihmiverse double-feature Blu-Rays were finally re-stocked in February!

Also, "The Phantom Lake Kids in The Beast Walks Among Us" was nominated for a Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award for Best Independent Film of 2021! It was the seventh Mihmiverse film to be nominated for this prestigious award after "Terror from Beneath the Earth," "Attack of the Moon Zombies," "House of Ghosts," "The Giant Spider," "Danny Johnson Saves The World," and "Weresquito: Nazi Hunter."
 

Writer/director Christopher R. Mihm finished editing "The Phantom Lake Kids in The Day the Earth Abruptly Almost Ended." He signed off on the film's official poster design less than a week later!

After a long period of unexpected writer's block and a bandying about of ideas with his kids, Mr. Mihm suddenly felt inspired and began work on the script for his next film! However, the title was not revealed until the following month.
 

The biggest Mihmiverse news in April was the official announcement of the film slated to follow "The Phantom Lake Kids in The Day the Earth Abruptly Almost Ended," a "flying saucer attack" film entitled "Annihilate All Humans!"

In "Annihilate All Humans!," the world is under attack by flying saucers and only top scientists Dr. Edwards (Mike Cook) and Dr. Gabriel (James Norgard) can put an end to their unearthly aggression! Unfortunately, they have no idea it's even happening because they've been kidnapped by General Castle (Mark Haider) and taken to a remote cabin in the deep woods for some unsolicited rest & relaxation! Can our heroes find their way back to civilization in time to stop the alien menace, or will the seemingly unstoppable space invaders succeed in their quest to ANNIHILATE ALL HUMANS!?

Contribution credits went on sale the same day as the announcement—and they are still available for purchase through this newsletter! For each $20.00 donation, all contributors will be entitled to having a single name* of their choosing listed in the contributors section of the closing credits of the film and a customized, frame-able document certifying their contribution!

IMPORTANT! Physical media copies of the finished film are NOT automatically included with a basic contribution. If you would like to be guaranteed a DVD or Blu-Ray of the film when it is released, you MUST order it separately (with the purchase of at least one credit)!

Credits can even be given as gifts! Imagine the looks on the faces of your loved ones when they find out their names will be immortalized on the silver screen!

"ANNIHILATE ALL HUMANS!" INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTOR CREDITS

NUMBER OF CREDITS ($20 each) 12345678910 *ON-SCREEN CREDIT(S) Separate credits by commas, & or "and."  DVDS (+$10 each) none12345678910 BLU-RAYS (+$20 each) none12345678910 Is your mailing address outside of the U.S.? (All non-U.S. mailing addresses will be charged a shipping premium for physical media.) noyes SOLD OUT

The official trailer for "The Phantom Lake Kids in The Day the Earth Abruptly Almost Ended" was also released in April. Check it out below!

   

After a small Covid-related hiccup (just a potential exposure and, thankfully, no one came down with it!), principal photography of "Annihilate All Humans!" began on May 20th! The first scene to be shot included three of the main characters, all of whom are familiar faces to Mihmivites everywhere: Dr. Edwards (played once again by Mike Cook), Dr. Gabriel (James Norgard), and General Castle (Mark Haider). As proof, check out the cool behind-the-scenes photo below snapped by the first lady of the Mihmiverse, Stephanie Mihm!

The Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award winners were announced and "The Phantom Lake Kids in The Beast Walks Among Us"... took second place for Best Independent Feature behind a vampire film starring scream queen Barbara Crampton called "Jakob's Wife." It was the Mihmiverse's best showing since it won in 2013 for "House of Ghosts!" Lastly, advance tickets for the world premiere of "The Phantom Lake Kids in The Day the Earth Abruptly Almost Ended" went on sale at the end of the month!
 

Publicly, June was a quiet month in the Mihmiverse. However, behind the scenes, a large number of things were in motion to get everything ready for the big "The Phantom Lake Kids in The Day the Earth Abruptly Almost Ended" world premiere scheduled for the end of July! Advance tickets continued to sell at a steady pace and the DVD & Blu-Ray of the soon-to-be-released Phantom Lake Kids film became available for pre-order. Phantom Lake County is known for its share of strange occurrences, from monster attacks to alien invasions. However, things will never be the same when, after experiencing inexplicable earthquakes emanating from a local system of caves, the area is overrun by grossly mutated creatures of unusual size, a phenomenon that may point to the return of a long-since-forgotten menace! Thankfully, the Phantom Lake Kids (Danny & Evelyn Johnson and their friends Billy Blue, Butch, and Chip) are "on the job" and determined to solve the real mystery: what's the deal with Butch's magic hat?

The disc contains a high quality digital transfer of the film and several exclusive special features, including a blooper reel, two photo galleries, a feature-length commentary with writer/director Christopher R. Mihm, English subtitles, and much more! The Blu-Ray even includes the 2009 Mihmiverse feature film, "Terror from Beneath the Earth!"

Feature Run Time: 1 hour, 16 minutes. Black & White, Widescreen, NOT RATED.

$9.99 (DVD) / $19.99 (Blu-Ray) (+$4.99 shipping & handling)
format:	DVDBlu-Ray

	Check here if the shipping address is outside of the U.S.
	Check here to include writer/director Christopher R. Mihm's autograph
NOTE: Autographs require removal of a disc's protective plastic wrap. By selecting this option, you agree to allow us to do this!

— — —

Also in June, the Mihmiverse crew continued to shoot scenes for "Annihilate All Humans!"
 

JULY

For the first time since "Queen of Snakes" held its world premiere in April of 2019, a live, in-theater premiere was held for a Mihmiverse movie!

On July 27th, "The Phantom Lake Kids in The Day the Earth Abruptly Almost Ended" debuted at the Heights Theater in Columbia Heights, MN...and the event was a SMASHING SUCCESS!

With Covid still an ongoing issue and because of a general feeling of "rustiness" in regards to big events, writer/director Christopher R. Mihm was admittedly worried about how the night would go. Several concerns anxiously spun through his mind, including fears of extremely low attendance or an inability to remember exactly HOW these premieres are supposed to work! Luckily, his (and the entire cast's) apprehension quickly dissolved when the event was not only better attended than expected, but everyone in attendance happily adhered to the masking requirements of the screening AND seemed to REALLY enjoy the movie itself!

Attendees laughed, gasped, jeered, and cheered at all the appropriate moments and, based on our small—and blatantly unscientific—survey of premiere-goers, everyone had an amazing time! Early reviews called the movie a "hilarious and fitting end to the Phantom Lake Kids saga" and, according to more than one person, it's one of the very BEST Mihmiverse films to date!
 

AUGUST

August tends to always be a quiet month in the Mihmiverse, and 2022 was no exception, at least in regard to "public facing" events.

The month did turn out to be rather consequential in the Mihm household, though, as most of the members of the family tested positive for Covid, again putting principal photography of "Annihilate All Humans!" on hold.
 

SEPTEMBER

Once the afflicted members of the Mihm family made a full recovery, principal photography of "Annihilate All Humans!" resumed in September. While taking the break from filming, however, writer/director Christopher R. Mihm used the time to edit scenes which had already been shot. He provided the following still (complete with finished special effects) to the Mihmiverse Monthly newsletter.

In it, we can clearly see a landed flying saucer and a figure walking away from it. We still have no idea who this person/creature is, but it's definitely a thrill to be granted such an explicit idea of the level of retro-cheesy-goodness the film is aiming for!

 

OCTOBER

October began with a post on Facebook from a member of the Wisconsin-based band, Ratbatspider, about a song found on their recently-released new album. The song is called "Phantom Lake County" and it's a fast-paced, heavy rock tribute to the Mihmiverse!

It's a quick nugget of awesomeness and worth a listen. Check it out below!

— — —

Writer/director Christopher R. Mihm was a guest at the Lake Charles Film Festival in Louisiana and, aside from hanging out with a bunch of very cool people, being treated like a rock star, and eating a TON of Cajun food, he was presented with an "Indie Film Achievement Award" in the form of the pirate-themed statuette pictured here!

Why a pirate, you ask? For those who are unaware, the port of Lake Charles (which is located roughly 200 miles from New Orleans) is famous for being the place where the legendary privateer Jean Lafitte allegedly hid his ill-gotten treasures on the Contraband Bayou, a large bayou which runs through the area.

Needless to say, Mr. Mihm had an amazing time and was very excited to receive such a prestigious award! He has reportedly put it on his shelf next to the Rondo award he won for Best Indie Feature for "House of Ghosts!"

— — —

Finally, the 2023 Mihmiverse 12-month wall calendar went on sale at the end of the month! This year's theme highlights the REAL stars of the Mihmiverse: THE MONSTERS, with each month featuring stylized images of the creatures which inhabit the films of the writer/director Christopher R. Mihm. AND, every calendar will be personally signed by Mr. Mihm himself!

As in previous years, this Mihmiverse-inspired wall calendar was released in EXTREMELY limited quantities and have been selling VERY well! We have only a handful left and, since it's already 2023, they are now on sale!

U.S. Residents $18.99 — ON SALE! (+$5.99 shipping & handling)

Outside U.S. $18.99 — ON SALE! (+$19.99 shipping & handling)

 

 

NOVEMBER

November ended up being a month of fits & starts, as illness and scheduling issues continued to plague the "Annihilate All Humans!" shoot!

Still, given that this is the first Mihmiverse movie to be filmed since the start of the Covid pandemic using actors who aren't related to him, writer/director Christopher R. Mihm wrote the script to accomodate this exact potentiality. So, while principal photography has only two scenes left to film, Mr. Mihm has spent his time diligently editing the new movie and filming the large numbers of special effects shots required for the film! As such, things are still on schedule for a release later this year!

Adding to the filming delay (albeit from a positive perspective), Elizabeth Kaiser, who is best known to the Mihmiverse as the actor behind Danny & Evelyn Johnson's older sister Alice (and Mr. Mihm's step-daughter), gave birth to her first child in November. Ms. Kaiser and her beautiful baby girl currently live in the Mihm house, and this has added another, rather interesting wrinkle into the filming schedule of the latest film. Regardless, mom and baby are doing well and her new grandparents are beside themselves with nervous excitement at the arrival of this little bundle of joy!
 

The final month of the year brought calm and quiet to the Mihmiverse in general—but not so much in the Mihm household!

With the usual madness of the holidays and the new addition to the extended Mihm family, things behind-the-scenes have been extra hectic. Regardless, everything appears to be going well and Mr. Mihm has already brainstormed an idea (which is slowly becoming a tentative reality) involving a script which revolves around a scientific expedition in Antarctica being menaced by an evil, mutated penguin! It's just as ridiculous as it sounds and, let us say, we're here for it! Stay tuned!


After a tumultuous year, 2023 has finally arrived and with it, a sense of cautious optimism that this new year will be filled with lots of Mihmiverse-related wonder and joy brought to you by the leader in indie-retro-monster-cinema!

We pray that this new year is filled with peace and good health for everyone, and writer/director Christopher R. Mihm hopes to be able to safely do more live screenings, events, and appearances in the coming months.

Remember, life is short, so make a point to never take ANYTHING or ANYONE for granted! The staff of the Mihmiverse Monthly wishes you a happy and safe new year filled with cheesy, black-and-white monster movies, love, friendship, and much success!  

The latest episode of the Mihmiverse Monthly Audiocast has arrived!

This month, host writer/director Christopher R. Mihm says a happy goodbye to 2022, talks about delays in finishing principal photography of "Annihilate All Humans!," and explains why it's taking so long to add "The Mihmiverse Holiday Special" to the Drive-in Monsters Mihmiverse Roku channel!

Also included: The next installment in "An Oral History of the Mihmiverse," and the latest edition of "Atomic Tales," a monthly short story from the author of "The Canoe Cops vs. The Mummy," Stephen D. Sullivan!

To download an .mp3 of the audiocast, click HERE, visit archive.org where the file is stored or download it free from Apple Podcasts!

Otherwise, if you'd like to listen to the episode right from this browser window, click the play button on the player below!

The Mihmiverse Monthly Audiocast is hosted by writer/director Christopher R. Mihm and is focused specifically on what's going on RIGHT NOW in the Mihmiverse. In addition, Mr. Mihm will discuss the monster movie-making process, touch briefly on the future of the 'verse, pontificate on random subjects, and be joined by guests from within and without the Mihmiverse. PLUS, each episode will include something unique you won't find anywhere else!

Welcome to the Mihmiverse Monthly feature where we talk to YOU, the fans! Every month, we choose a random Mihmivite and ask them a few Mihmiverse-related questions in an attempt to get to know them better and find out what they REALLY think about the films of Christopher R. Mihm!

Remakes, the Sequel!

I had so much fun putting together last month's Trivia Corner, I decided to offer a second set of "Remake Mania!" First is a list of cheesy horror and sci-fi film titles, and the years of the original release and the remake. The second list names the main star of each version.

This batch is a bit harder to match than the last...so you'd better know your cheese or you might not be able to slice it!

6. "Village of the Damned" (1960-1995)

F. Jimmy Hunt - Karen Black

Kronos (1957)
Directed by Kurt Neumann
Starring Jeff Morrow and Barbara Lawrence

A flying saucer crashes into the Gulf of Mexico, and from it emerges a giant, seemingly unstoppable machine. The strange, "little-cube-on-top-of-big-cube-with-legs" robot trudges across the countryside and methodically drains the Earth of all its electricity, one power plant at a time. Jeff Morrow plays a scientist (He always does!) in charge of stopping the hulking metal monster before it sends humanity back to the dark ages -- literally! As if that weren't enough, he also has to fight off an alien-possessed lab director, protect his beautiful (and brainy) girlfriend and stop the governments of the world from destroying everything by pointlessly attacking the monstrosity with their ineffective atomic arsenals! This film has all the trappings of a great 1950s science-fiction film including evil aliens, a preposterous end-of-the-world scenario, atomic bombs, giant robots, perfect-for-the-era special effects and wonderful over-the-top performances. Though working with a relatively small budget, director Kurt Neumann (who also directed the 1958 classic "The Fly") does a great job of taking a rather ridiculous and trite premise and making something very original out of it. Highly recommended!

If you're like most people these days, you tend to stream your favorite TV shows and movies, particularly because it's way more convenient and you have access to them in more places! Did you know there are now several places to stream the entire Mihmiverse catalog?

From the movie that started it all, "The Monster of Phantom Lake," to its musical offshoot, "The Monster of Phantom Lake: The Musical!," and "The Phantom Lake Kids in The Day the Earth Abruptly Almost Ended," everything you need to "visit" the denizens of Phantom Lake County is available for your streaming pleasure!


The ENTIRE filmography of writer/director Christopher R. Mihm (including the recently-released "The Phantom Lake Kids in The Day the Earth Abruptly Almost Ended") is available through the Mihmiverse Vimeo VOD portal!

Every film is presented using the same ultra high-quality renders used for the official Blu-Ray releases and actually feeds video content to the Drive-in Monsters Roku channel. Most importantly, the Mihmiverse Vimeo VOD portal is the ONLY PLACE to legally own the films digitally!


Retro-style monster movies from the wild & weird imagination of cult filmmaker Christopher R. Mihm! From giant, rampaging spiders to alien invasions and bug-eyed horrors, the Drive-in Monsters channel includes the entire catalog of Mr. Mihm's films, exclusive extras, and long lost special features originally released on currently out-of-print physical media! Explore the worldwide, underground cult phenomenon known as the "Mihmiverse" and enjoy the rebirth of the golden age of "drive-in cinema" with the Drive-in Monsters channel!

As of right now, the channel is free... but, that most likely will not last forever! So make sure to enjoy the Drive-in Monsters Roku channel while it's still completely free of charge!


Most of the films of the Mihmiverse are available on Amazon Video. Sadly, as Amazon continues to revise and rewrite its policies, they have downgraded the entire Mihmiverse catalog from "available with Prime" to rental only. Though this wasn't entirely unexpected—given the way the service has been slowly ridding itself of the films of Christopher R. Mihm—we CANNOT guarantee they will still be there on any given day! So, if Amazon is your preferred place to watch the Mihmiverse, enjoy it while it lasts!

NOTE: Amazon has barred writer/director Christopher R. Mihm (and MANY other independent filmmakers) from adding any new films to their service. As far as we have been able to figure out, the service is taking a more "curated" approach to its catalog and, unfortunately, does not have any more room for the cheesy goodness of the Mihmiverse! Therefore, if you're interested in watching the newest films of the Mihmiverse, we highly recommend checking out the Mihmiverse Roku channel, Drive-in Monsters!

Mihmiverse DVDs & Blu-Rays are now available at SaintEuphoria.com, the online home of the films of Christopher R. Mihm. In addition, exclusive movie posters, collectibles and other merchandise are now in stock. Everything is available in extremely limited quantities, so get yours today before they run out!