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April turned out to be a very quiet month in the Mihmiverse, as writer/director Christopher R. Mihm continued to refine the scripts for his next movie, "The Wandering Creature (and Other Tales)!"
According to Mr. Mihm, the biggest difficulty in making an anthology is that, even though it's technically only one film, it's made up of a collection of shorter stories, so the approach to a project of this type is more akin to making multiple movies at the same time! Apparently, he has yet to internalize this because this is the same issue he came up against while making his 2014 faux-double-feature film, "The Late Night Double Feature!" Fear not, Mihmivites, for we've been assured that everyone's prolific cheesy-micro-budget-B-movie-maker is up to the challenge and attacking it with gusto!
Most of the individual scripts for the project are done, and therefore, pre-production has officially begun! This means, of course, that the project desperately needs contributions from fans like you!
In the next great Mihmiverse film, writer/director Christopher R. Mihm takes a stab (pun intended) at an anthology movie in the vein of "Twilight Zone: The Movie," "Trilogy of Terror," and "Creepshow," albeit in his signature retro-B-movie style! In a series of linked, short tales-of-horror, an unmanned spacecraft returning from the asteroid Vesta breaks-up upon re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere and scatters sample containers across Phantom Lake County! Not-so-unexpectedly (particularly for a Mihmiverse movie), contact with the mysterious, otherworldly contents of these canisters create a whole host of terrifying creatures like mushroom monsters, killer garden gnomes, and more! Can the local population survive such shocking encounters, or will this be the end of all life in Phantom Lake County!?
As has been reiterated year-after-year, the Mihmiverse is only made possible by contributions from fans like you. And, as this new project enters the pre-production stage, now is the time when the Mihmiverse needs contributions the most!
For each $25.00 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! 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!
A single credit is defined as the name of one (1) person or corporate entity. Any credit requiring the word "and," an ampersand (&), and/or a comma (except when part of a legal company name) will constitute multiple credits and MUST BE paid for separately. Contributors have NO SAY in the decisions or actions taken by anyone involved in the actual production of the film and are NOT entitled to ANY possible future profits earned by the film, derivative works, and/or merchandise created for or featuring elements from the film. Becoming an contributor does not entitle the participant to ANY ownership WHATSOEVER of the finished film or associated elements.
NOTE: Physical media copies of the finished film are NOT included with contributions. If you would like to receive DVDs and/or Blu-Rays of the film when it is released, you MUST pre-order them separately. We reserve the right to refuse any credit we deem inappropriate. All refused credits will be refunded.
If you would like to contribute to "The Wandering Creature (and Other Tales)," go HERE!
EXCLUSIVE PATREON CONTENT OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!
A new mini-series set in the Mihmiverse is in the works! Inspired by writer/director Christopher R. Mihm's award-winning 2024 mockumentary, "The Wad: The True Story Behind the Phantom Lake County Chewing Gum Disaster" and classic reality show "Cops," "Phantom Lake P.D." will be coming exclusively to the Mihmiverse Patreon!
This series of faux-documentary shorts will follow Sheriff Hayes (Michael Kaiser) as he deals with the uniquely comical challenges he and his small-town police force face while attempting to keep the peace in Phantom Lake County! Viewers will be treated to appearances by familiar faces, strange phenomena, shenanigans galore, and, of course, encounters with otherworldly creatures and monsters!
The project is currently in the planning & scripting phase, and hopes to begin filming in mid-summer. Ideally, Mr. Mihm would like to release the first "season" of six episodes later this year around the holidays. Once the first season is completely mapped out, the plan is to make contributor credits available to you, the fans. Again, this first-ever Mihmiverse TV series will ONLY be available to Mihmiverse Patreon "Basic Monster Members," so if you want to be able to watch the forthcoming mayhem, make sure you join!
"THREE BAD GIRLS WHO FIND A GUN AND BECOME VAMPIRES!"
 |
It's hard to believe it's already been two months since the release of the latest Mihmiverse film, "Three Bad Girls Who Find a Gun and Become Vampires!" Since its debut, the film has garnered a ton of positive praise and thrilled audiences across the globe! If you haven't seen it, you're missing out on one of the most fun Mihmiverse movies to date. The film is currently available to own and/or rent, both on physical media and digitally.
In writer/director Christopher R. Mihm's ode to "teensploitation" films of the 1950s and the cinematic oeuvre of the Coen Brothers, three female juvenile delinquents obtain a firearm and, just for the thrill of it, start robbing the fine folks of New Berlin. Unfortunately, their crime spree takes an unexpected turn after they mug and nearly murder the gambling-addicted pastor of the local church—who turns out to be an immortal, blood-sucking creature of the night! Hijinks ensue when the vampiric padre hires a pair of hitmen to help him retrieve his stolen cash and seek revenge against the three bad girls responsible!
Both DVDs and Blu-Rays of the film contain a high quality digital transfer of the film and several exclusive special features, including a blooper reel, photo galleries, feature-length commentary with writer/director Christopher R. Mihm, English subtitles, and more!
Feature Run Time: 1 hour, 16 minutes. Black & White, Widescreen, NOT RATED.
Don't forget that, in addition to being able to purchase the newly-released Mihmiverse film, "Three Bad Girls Who Find a Gun and Become Vampires," on DVD and Blu-Ray, it's also available to watch (and own) on both Vimeo and Patreon!
In fact, the entire Mihmiverse catalog is available digitally for rent and/or own at the Mihmiverse's Video On-Demand portal at Vimeo and through the Mihmiverse Patreon! AND, as a special bonus, every paying member of the Mihmiverse Patreon is given FREE access to the entire catalog (except, for a limited time, the latest release) as one of the perks!
To check out the "Three Bad Girls Who Find a Gun and Become Vampires" digital release page on Vimeo, go HERE!
To check out the Mihmiverse Patreon, go HERE!
JOIN THE MIHMIVERSE PATREON
Do you love the films of writer/director Christopher R. Mihm? Do you want to help ensure that the Mihmiverse continues to survive and thrive into the foreseeable future?
AND do you want to experience exclusive Mihmiverse content? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you absolutely
MUST join the
Mihmiverse Patreon!
The
Mihmiverse Patreon is fully sanctioned and personally curated by writer/director Christopher R. Mihm. Every "
basic monster" member is granted access to a treasure trove of Mihmiverse-related stuff, including recurring audio content like
An Oral History of the Mihmiverse and
Bad Poetry Wednesdays, behind-the-scenes photos and video, first-look news, the ability to watch the entire Mihmiverse catalog, and hosted content like live interviews and film watch-alongs—with more being added all the time!
PLUS,
members will have opportunities to have their voices heard with online surveys, live chats, and interactive events!
The "indie movie biz" is a tough one, and it's getting more difficult to maintain every year. Thankfully,
Patreon is the answer to helping alleviate some of the strain modern filmmakers and artists find themselves under in this increasingly chaotic creative environment. If you're a true fan of the cinematic world writer/director Christopher R. Mihm has created, we highly recommend you join the
Mihmiverse Patreon today!
THE MIHMIVERSE MONTHLY AUDIOCAST
The latest episode of the
Mihmiverse Monthly Audiocast has arrived!
This month, host writer/director Christopher R. Mihm provides updates on the
Queen of Snakes (Stephanie Mihm) and her recovery following the car accident in January, talks about the difficulty in making an anthology movie, explains how this year's April Fool's joke was
NOT a joke, and gives more information about the first Mihmiverse "TV series," "
Phantom Lake P.D.!"
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!
The
Mihmiverse Monthly Audiocast is now hosted, free to the public, at the
Mihmiverse Patreon! To download an .mp3 of the latest episode or to listen online, go
HERE!
Flora, Fauna, and Frightmares!
Spring has sprung... and Mother Nature is in full bloom. Unfortunately, there may be evil lurking in those flowers and plants! This month, we're featuring six servings of cinematic salad that prove it! If you can match the films with their plot points and information, you'll earn the title of "Grim Gardener."
FILMS:
1. "The Thing from Another World" (1951)
2. "The Woman Eater" (1958)
3. "The Little Shop of Horrors" (original version) (1960)
4. "Konga" (1961)
5. "The Day of the Triffids" (1963)
6. "
Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" (1978)
PLOTS & INFO:
A. The lesson learned from this film: Never feed plants with enormous growing powers to a baby chimp.
B. A plant needs human flesh to survive. Jack Nicholson has a small role.
C. This one features a mad scientist, a flesh-eating tree, and a serum that brings the dead back to life.
D. It's a comedy featuring rampaging fruit.
E. An unusual meteor shower leaves almost everyone blind and at the mercy of plants that feed on people and animals.
F. A bloodthirsty organism attacks a remote arctic outpost.
Scroll to the bottom of the Mihmiverse Monthly for the answers.
— Mike Cook
In this column, we'll be digging through old issues of the
Mihmiverse Monthly and
Phantom Lake Almanac (which was the original name of this newsletter!) and presenting interesting bits and pieces from the past! After all, this newsletter has been around since the release of "
The Monster of Phantom Lake" back in 2006, so there's a
LOT to choose from!
This month, we go back to February 2019 for a column entitled
The Retro-Spective in which the late Mihmiverse super-fan, Michael Cross, discusses classic mid-20th-century cinema, breaks down the many tropes inherent in those films, and links them all back to the films of writer/director Christopher R. Mihm.
"Space, Rockets, Astronauts and Cave Women on Mars!"
Welcome back to
THE RETRO-SPECTIVE. Each month, I look back at some classic '50s and '60s sci-fi and horror films that provide the "backdrop" for the Mihmiverse. This month, we discuss films that deal with space travel, female aliens and the astronauts who fear, love and/or battle them.
The 2008 Mihmiverse film, "
Cave Women on Mars," is a loving tribute to the "battle-of-the-sexes-in-space" genre. It has deep roots in the golden age of science fiction. Here's an (admittedly) incomplete list of the films that make up the "
Cave Women on Mars" "family tree."
 | | "Cat-Women of the Moon" (1953) |
|
1953's "
Cat-Women of the Moon" finds a group of astronauts discovering the last eight survivors of an ancient civilization of Moon Women. Living in a cave with the last of the moon's breathable air (and two giant moon spiders) the Cat-Women sport black unitards, beehive hairstyles, and elaborate cosmetics. Knowing they only have so much air left, the Cat-Women plot to steal the astronauts' ship and travel to Earth to, naturally, conquer it. The Cat-Women have special powers, specifically telepathic abilities and the power to transport themselves from place to place. How will our brave astronauts foil their evil plan? I would tell you, but that would ruin the fun!
1956 brought us "
Fire Maidens of Outer Space." This time, a group of astronauts find the last surviving members of an ancient civilization (all female, of course) on the 13th moon of Jupiter. Duessa, the leader of the aliens, is determined to hold the Earth men captive to be used as mates. There is a monster (you can see the zippers!), a plot line involving the aliens being an Atlantean colony, and some really bad acting. It ranks high enough on the "so-bad-it's-good" scale that "
Mystery Science Theater 3000" used it for an episode.
Next, we jump ahead to 1968 and end up with "
Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women." This one gets complicated. Originally a Russian film, it was re-purposed for American audiences with extra footage added courtesy of Peter Bogdanovich, director of the multi-Academy-Award-winning "
The Last Picture Show." He left his name off the final product, but it only takes one viewing to understand why. Roger Corman was the producer and hired Boddanovich to add extra "production value" (read: attractive women) to the film. Bogdanovich hired Mamie Van Doren and a handful of blondes specifically because he thought the women of space should be blonde. This time, Venus is the home to our ancient tribe of women. The astronauts kill a monster, the monster turns out to be their god, and the women try to kill the astronauts. Amazingly, the Academy completely overlooked this film!
There are several other sci-fi films that deal with a society made up either entirely of women or with woman as the dominant sex, and they usually wish to do harm to male astronauts or capture them for breeding purposes. Looking back, it's clear this was because, at the time, Hollywood's idea of a woman's place wasn't very evolved. Still, through a modern lens, these films can be a lot of fun to poke fun at!
That brings us to "
Cave Women on Mars." Here's the official synposis of the film: "It is the future. 1987. Great scientific advances have allowed mankind to achieve that which previously only existed in speculative fiction: space travel. But, on the eve of humanity's first manned mission to the red planet, no amount of speculation could adequately prepare us for the unexpected discovery of...
CAVE WOMEN ON MARS!"
This film is a real treat for Mihmiverse fans. A great cast of returning regulars and some fresh new faces make "
Cave Women on Mars" a "must see!" Daniel R. Sjerven and Josh Craig play the intrepid astronauts. There are two tribes of cave women: The (good) blonde tribe led by Brooke Lemke and Alana Bloom and the (evil) brunette tribe led by Rachel Grubb and Emily Fradenburgh.
The always wonderful Stephanie Mihm plays the mysterious High Priestess with Elizabeth Kaiser as her Acolyte. Ms. Kaiser turns in what is probably her best performance in a Mihmiverse film.
Is there a monster? Of course there is! Michael Kaiser once again plays the creature and I, for one, always look forward to seeing him.
The film is purposely tongue-in-cheek fun from beginning to end. Mr. Sjerven is always great as a stalwart hero and Ms. Lemke plays the strong leader perfectly. Ms. Grubb (one of my favorite Mihmiverse actors) is wonderful as the evil leader of the dark haired tribe. It is no wonder Mr. Mihm keeps bringing her back for more movies. She always gives us a great performance and, I have to say, she looks great in her black leather cave women outfit!
The plot takes some great turns I wouldn't dare give away, but it has everything from action to romance! If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend you immedately go to
SaintEuphoria.com and pick up a copy! You will be glad you did!
Til next month, "Ignore Meat. Follow Steve!"
— Michael J. Cross
CLASSIC MOVIE OF THE MONTH
The Giant Behemoth (1959)
Directed by
Eugène LouriéStarring
Gene Evans and
André Morell
In what is basically a cheap knock-off of "
The Beast
From 20,000 Fathoms" (which was also directed by Eugène Lourié),
"
The Giant Behemoth" concerns an overgrown lizard (created,
of course, by the dumping of atomic waste into the water supply...which sounds vaguely familiar...)
that is terrorizing a familiar locale, this time London. The acting and
directing are wonderfully B-grade but extremely fun. The special
effects fare slightly better, with the stop-motion title creature
created by the man who brought us the original "
King Kong" to
life, Willis H. O'Brien. Overall, it's a passable and fun film and, if you're a fan of giant monster movies, this one is definitely worth a look!
Highly recommended!
— Christopher R. Mihm
If you're like most people these days, you tend to stream your favorite TV shows and movies, particularly because it's more convenient and you have access 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 newest release, "
Three Bad Girls Who Find a Gun and Become Vampires," 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 "
Three Bad Girls Who Find a Gun and Become Vampires") 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 one of the
ONLY PLACES 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!
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!
The Trivia Corner answers: 1-F, 2-C, 3-B, 4-A, 5-E, 6-D
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