The Strange Case of the BLUE MONKEY Crowdfunding Campaign.

Please note, my goal with this post is not to sling mud at Bill Olsen and Code Red DVD. I appreciate the efforts made by Bill's company, and plan to continue promoting their new Blu-ray releases when possible. However I do feel the need to draw attention to an unfortunate situation that I inadvertently became part of, and make sure to aid those that were affected by it.

Just over a week ago, yours truly shared THIS POST promoting a crowdfunding campaign started by Code Red DVD's proprietor, Bill Olsen, to raise money for an HD restoration of William Fruet's BLUE MONKEY. Days later, after receiving some negative feedback from people on social media (and the GoFundMe page), Bill canceled the campaign. Being one of the unfortunate donors of said campaign, I expected to be notified by Mr. Olsen at some point about the fate of my $30 pledge.

EXHIBIT A
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After about four days, I tried to contact Bill via private message on Facebook, sent an e-mail, and even attempted to hail him on Twitter, but to no avail. I politely inquired if my thirty dollars was going to be refunded, or if it was going to go towards the eventual Blu-ray release of BLUE MONKEY. While patiently waiting for any sort of reply, I visited the Code Red DVD thread over at the Blu-ray.com forums to see if any news could be found there.

While pouring through page after page of posts, (some of which took potshots at Code Red's head honcho) I eventually came across this exchange:

EXHIBIT B
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Yep, you just read all of that correctly: Bill Olsen claimed publicly that he did not create the account and didn't have access to the $400+ that was raised before the "mysterious GoFundMe organizer" shut the whole operation down! It is odd that Bill is trying to claim immunity from the short-lived campaign, especially when he had no problem promoting it weeks ago:

EXHIBIT C - Bill promoting the GoFundMe campaign.
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EXHIBIT D - Code Red DVD (presumably Bill?) retweets my BLUE MONKEY post.
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So here's what I've gleaned from everything I've read online: I'm assuming someone talked Bill into trying crowdfunding to pay for BLUE MONKEY's restoration. Having never attempted it before, he chose GoFundMe instead of IndieGoGo or Kickstarter. Bill then failed to put enough information on his GoFundMe page, resulting in criticism for the unintended "shadiness" of the campaign (and for the $30 price tag for the planned Blu-ray), so he became angry, and deleted the page.

Then instead of reaching out to donors, or rectifying the situation in any manner, Bill attempted to distance himself from the entire thing. His claim that he didn't start the account or have access to the money is questionable to say the least. And even if that were true, Bill clearly supported the crowdfunding endeavor (as proven by the above Facebook post and Retweet), so you'd figure he would take the time to get things sorted out. But as far as I can tell, nothing is being done, so what are the dozen or so donors supposed to do? Contact GoFundMe and get a refund immediately!

To accomplish this you have two options:
First, go to GoFundMe's REQUEST A REFUND PAGE and click on the CONTACT US button. From there, you'll have to fill out a form filled with drop-down menus. Here's a step-by-step:

• WHAT BEST DESCRIBES YOU? - I am a donor and I have a question about donating.
• PLEASE SELECT THE ITEM YOU NEED HELP WITH - I would like to refund my donation. You'll get an automatically generated "answer" with two buttons beneath it. Click on the I STILL NEED HELP button.
• Fill out the new form and follow the prompts.

Another option is to go to the REQUEST A REFUND PAGE, and click on the CONTACT US button. After that....

• Choose the I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT FRAUD, TRUST, AND SAFETY option from the drop-down menu. 
• After that select WHAT IS CONSIDERED FRAUD ON GOFUNDME?
• After you reach this point, click on the I STILL NEED HELP button.
• Fill out the form and use this link for the campaign PAGE URL: https://www.gofundme.com/restore-blue-monkey-1987
• Answer all the questions and follow the prompts and then send in your report.

You may be asked for "proof" during this process, so feel free to share this News Vault post (and/or any of the screen grabs above) as your evidence. If all goes well, you should have the money transferred back to your account within 3 - 7 business days (or sooner). Here's hoping everyone gets their cash back, and that we eventually do get a nice shiny Blu-ray of BLUE MONKEY later on down the road!

Help Fund the Restoration, and Blu-ray Release, of William Fruet's BLUE MONKEY!

CODE RED DVD TURNS TO HORROR FANS TO HELP RAISE FUNDS FOR A FULL RESTORATION OF WILLIAM FRUET'S LONG OUT OF PRINT CREATURE FEATURE!

UPDATE (03/20/2018): Having been unable to reach Bill Olsen via e-mail or social media, I had to take matters into my own hands and get a refund directly from GoFundMe. For the details of what happened with this abruptly cancelled crowdfunding campaign, and learn how you can get your money back, CLICK HERE.

UPDATE (03/13/2018): Apparently the crowdfunding campaign was canceled by Bill. I've reached out to him on social media to inquire about the status of the restoration, and to see if refunds are going to be issued to the people that donated! Stay tuned for updates!

Our bi-weekly WANTED ON BLU-RAY column has been doing quite well Vault Dwellers, and there are plenty of titles on the short list that I can't wait to shine a spotlight on. Imagine my utter surprise when one of those titles, BLUE MONKEY, suddenly popped up in my Facebook news feed just the other day.

It seems that Bill Olsen, the owner and operator of Code Red DVD, aims to bring this obscure creature feature to Blu-ray. But unlike his previous efforts in releasing Cult, Horror, and Exploitation classics, this time Bill is looking to crowdfund a high-def restoration of BLUE MONKEY! Just what is this mysterious "azure ape" film I keep mentioning?

Synopsis: A handyman working in an eccentric old woman's greenhouse comes into contact with a strange plant and ends up going to a nearby hospital after pricking his finger on the thornless flower. (We later learn it was more likely an insect bite.) Once he arrives in the ICU, he vomits up a rather large larvae, and begins to succumb to an illness that is liquefying his body from the inside out! Soon the disease is spreading throughout the hospital, leading to a government quarantine of the facility.

Trapped and desperately seeking a cure, the hospital staff fails to keep tabs on a group of precocious kids from the pediatric ward. The children find the insect that was birthed from the unfortunate handyman, and end up pouring a substance onto it (later found to be a growth hormone) that causes it to grow to gigantic proportions.

"HA! Your cans of RAID are now useless puny humans!"

Soon, the giant insect makes itself a nest in the utility tunnels beneath the hospital, and begins laying eggs. It's up to Dr. Rachel Carson (Gwynyth Walsh), Detective Jim Bishop (Steve Railsback), and an entomologist named Elliot Jacobs (Don Lake) to stop the creature, and find an antidote for the growing epidemic!

As for the film's misleading title, I've heard two reasons behind it: The first is that the movie was originally going to have a primate-like creature on the loose. The second is that the title (which was originally GREEN MONKEY, but changed because no one wanted people to equate this film with deadly AIDS-carrying monkeys) sort of refers to a creature that one of the kids in the film has nightmares about. Regardless, this movie has absolutely no monkeys in it at all!

The lack of colorful apes aside, if this Canuxploitation flick sounds enticing to you at all, then please consider pledging $30 ($25 for the Blu-ray + $5 for shipping) towards Bill Olsen's GoFundMe campaign for BLUE MONKEY's restoration! Let's work together to give this long-requested film a Blu-ray release worth owning Vault Dwellers! And if you're not too keen on donating any money, please share the crowdfunding page on Facebook and Twitter to help spread the word!

Todd "Killer" Wolfson's First Feature Film is Going to be BATSH!T Insane!

JUST BURIED PRODUCTIONS' NEW FEATURE-LENGTH FILM, "BATSH!T" NEEDS YOUR HELP!

About year ago, I did an Indie Filmmaker Spotlight piece on Todd Wolfson, who was just finishing up work on his third low-budget horror short, SPONGE. Todd's now stepping up his game and doing a feature film called BATSH!T, which was heavily inspired by EVIL DEAD II, BEETLEJUICE, A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, THE SHINING, LOST HIGHWAY, and other movies that helped usher in his deep-seated love for the Horror genre.

Synopsis: Felix is just an ordinary guy that's down on his luck. Shortly after losing his job, a typical trip to the pharmacy results in Felix accidentally dosing himself with a powerful hallucinogen. Unable to differentiate between fantasy and reality, he is about to go on a very strange trip! BATSH!T follows Felix's experiences as he interacts with his uncontrollable hallucinations over the course of forty-eight hours, both at home, and within the confines of Trundle Manor.

Crowdfunding Campaign Info: BATSH!T creator Todd Wolfson is currently trying to raise $2,500 with a GoFundMe campaign. Those funds will go towards special effects, make-up, props, catering, editing, and various BATSH!T-related perks! Rewards include: Screen credits, BATSH!T postcards, baseball caps, tickets to the film's premiere, a role in the film, posters, BATSH!T wine, and more! If you're interested in donating, CLICK HERE and be sure to share the campaign link on social media! To get a taste of what BATSH!T will be like, take a peek at the new teaser below.


If you liked what you saw, then definitely consider donating a few bucks to help Todd Wolfson and his crew complete the film! Visit BATSH!T's Official Facebook Page for behind-the-scenes photos, and continued updates on the film's status! Also be sure to subscribe to Todd's YouTube Channel and watch his previous short films!

We'll be keeping a close eye on this independent production Vault Dwellers, so stay tuned for further updates as BATSH!T is eventually completed and released!

Doc Terror Forever - JOIN US as We Celebrate James Harris' Legacy and Help Out His Family!

#DocTerrorForever

On April 13, 2017, my friend James Harris (proprietor of Doc Terror.com and HorrorSexy.com) lost his long battle against Ewing Sarcoma.

In the time I knew him, James was pure inspiration: A devout family man, he was passionate about all things Horror, and overflowing with positive energy. Jimmy's enthusiasm was infectious, and everyone (including Jimmy himself) truly thought that he was going to come out on top in the end.

But the tide suddenly turned a few weeks before his untimely demise, and now the world seems a bit darker without him. Jimmy was one of a kind - a diamond in the rough. He was the sort of person (and Horror fan) that the rest of us all aspire to be.

Since his passing, I've seen an enormous outpouring of love and sorrow on social media. It is absolutely incredible how many lives Jimmy has touched in his short time here on Earth, so it comes as no surprise that many are rallying to help his family and keep his memory alive!

Here is a list (thus far) of various folks in the Horror community that are doing special film screenings, art prints, t-shirts, and more to raise funds for the Harris clan. I'll try and keep it all updated and current as events are announced:

• Hudson Horror Show's Chris Alo hosted a late-night Italian Horror double feature on Saturday May 6th at the Empire South Hills 8 in Poughkeepsie, NY. The event featured TWO mystery Italian Horror films in 35mm! Between ticket, merchandise, and raffle ticket sales, a total of $2,000 was raised!
• Quiltface Studios' Chris Garofalo did a limited edition art print that pays tribute to James Harris and his love of Creepshow. It is now available HERE for a mere $20, and it is pretty damned cool - Jimmy would have definitely approved! Please pick one up because all money raised will be going to the Harris family! If you donated to the GoFundMe campaign to make this print possible, contact Danny over at The SHOCK Chamber with your mailing address to ensure that you get one!
• The gentlemen at Vinegar Syndrome did a silent auction, and the winner (who spent a whopping THREE-THOUSAND DOLLARS!!!) got themselves a single MASSIVE package that will include all of VinSyn's releases from May thru the end of the year (including all secret and limited titles), a film canister with a VS shirt, VS hoodie and other added surprises inside. Congrats to the winner - thank you for your generosity!
• For one week only, FRIGHT RAGS' did pre-orders for a Tribute tee to Jimmy "Doc Terror" Harris, designed by the uber-talented Jeff Zornow! The t-shirt was $20, the hoodie was $40, and every penny of that $2,000 going to Jimmy's family!
• The folks from Exhumed Films dedicated Ex-Fest: Part VII to James. The event took place at the International House in Philadelphia, PA on Saturday, April 29th!
• I've also heard that the folks that put on the Italian All-Night Splatter Fest at The Colonial Theater in Phoenixville, PA are dedicating their next big event in honor of Jimmy Terror. More details when I get them!
• Chad from The Horror Movie BBQ put together a charity raffle to raise money for Jimmy's family, comprised of three enormous prize packs donated by various companies, bloggers, and other do-gooders. In the end, a whopping $1,435 was raised! Congrats to the winners!
• On Friday, May 26th at 7:30 PM, The Alamo Drafthouse in Yonkers, NY did a James Harris Memorial Screening of CREEPSHOW!
• Danny "Mozz" Monserrate from The SHOCK Chamber started up a GoFundMe for James last March. CLICK HERE to visit the page and make a donation. 
• Dan Terr of Inked Up Merch will be selling more Doc Terror beanies and baseball caps to raise money for Jimmy's family. The first batch has sold out but more are now available!

Further details (and hopefully more new events) will be posted soon. In the meantime, explore Jimmy's legacy on the web:

DOCTERROR.COM - Jimmy's home base on the internet. Even as his health deteriorated, he continued plugging away at it.

HORRORSEXY.COM - Home of the HorrorSexy podcast and the short-lived HorrorSexy Web-mag.

DOC TERROR YOUTUBE CHANNEL - Those 8-bit Horror game previews James and Frank Browning created are to die for!

CINEPUNX INTERVIEW WITH DOC TERROR - Cool interview with Doc Terror!

Jimmy, it was a distinct honor to call you my friend. I miss you terribly, but hope that someday, in some way, our paths will cross again. Rest in peace my friend, and thank you for being a shining example for so many of us.