Over the last 4 years, we’ve always done it all out of our own money – saving up cash to buy the cameras, equipment, props, effects, costumes, food, train tickets, etc. for all the films we’ve done.

As we’ve stated on our Kickstarter, we’re looking to reach beyond the edges of our bank balances for Carnival of Sorrows. We’re aiming to acquire some of the funding for the film not just from people on Kickstarter for what’ll be on screen, but also industry-types for the post-production and behind-the-scenes costs. As such, we need to have something that shows off a wide selection of what we do in a neat package.

Hence… presenting our first ever Great Escape showreel! Featuring a selection of our favourite moments from our films, plus sneak peeks at both upcoming Gabriel Cushing stories ‘The Stool of the Damned’ and ‘Mrs. Briary’s Scullery’ and future short film ‘Relaxation’ (which are also the first three films we’ve shot on the Red One camera we’re using for Carnival of Sorrows!)

Please take a look and let us know what you think of it – we really appreciate your feedback!

>> Next part 10th June

Old school demon hunter Gabriel and his assistant Melanie take on a cursed carnival troop intent on stealing the souls of the living.

Visit the Kickstarter Project Page!

Gabriel Cushing at the Carnival of Sorrows is the third web series outing for the intrepid demon hunter Gabriel Cushing and his assistant, Melanie Lancely.

The eight parts follow Gabriel and Melanie as they work to uncover the dark intentions of a cursed carnival troop who prey on the souls of the living. Several unexplained disappearances draw them into an investigation, and as they delve deeper they reveal the carnival’s disturbing past and frightening portents of its future. Their every step hounded by demonic clowns, terrifying beasts, freakish living dolls and other twisted creatures, they must hurry to unlock the secret to stopping the troop forever.

Following in the tradition of Gabriel Cushing vs the Zombie Vampires and Terror of the Killer Carnivorous Coat, Carnival of Sorrows will combine good old fashioned horror with thrilling action and adventure and a twist of humour.

This Kickstarter will generate the funds we need to shoot and produce the series. The money we raise here will go directly towards what you see on the screen, while our own investment and private funding sources will cover the behind the scenes expenses.

Filming is scheduled to take place over the month of August 2013 with several supporting mini-shoots to provide additional material. Total on set time is estimated at this stage to be 20 days, including 16 within the main August shoot.

Development of the props, costumes and special effects make up will take place in the two months preceding the shoot.

Following the shoot, the post production phase will commence. Video and audio editing, music scoring, digital effects and rendering will take place over an extended time frame with an anticipated completion date of August 2014. The final release date for episode 1 will be October/November 2014, with DVD and download rewards going out at around the same time.

Rewards and Stretch Targets

Visit our Kickstarter Project page to read the full story. You can also find out about all the rewards, updates and stretch targets.

To help you get a grip on what you get with each reward, we’ve included a graphic below which shows exactly what’s included at each level. We’ve also included a few FAQs to help clarify certain aspects.

On Saturday, there’s a screening of Gabriel Cushing vs the Zombie Vampires, the complete eight part web series. See it on the big screen! (No additional ticket costs; all expo visitors can watch).

The weekend also sees the release of Gabriel Cushing: A Fright at the Opera, the demon hunter’s first comic book adventure. Gabriel and Melanie, investigate some mysterious happenings at a theatre and discover a resident banshee with a vengeful streak, but how can they put an end to her reign of terror so the production can go ahead?

Perhaps most exciting of all is the launch of our new Kickstarter project which will raise funds to produce the next big web series; Gabriel Cushing at the Carnival of Sorrows. Look out for more posts on this over the coming week.

The Expo will also be an opportunity for fans to get their hands on all the latest Great Escape and Hellbound Media publications, including fiction anthologhy Great Escapes, Volume 1, horror anthology Shock Value Blue, and Hellbound Media’s new collaborative project, Slaughterhouse Farm, a dark and gory tale of horror.

After hours on the Saturday we’ll also be arranging a Bristol meetup for anyone who wants to come along and share a few drinks. The venue for the meet up will be announced a litttle closer to the time.

Facebook users can join the event page here.

We look forward to seeing you there, so make sure to say hi.

Rise of the Cushing-verse

The intrepid demon hunter made his debut appearance in our short film Terror of the Killer Carnivorous Coat in October 2011. When we shot the film back in 2009, we had no idea how many more stories Gabriel would have to tell. A year later he returned to battle vicious Zombie Vampires in the sleepy town of Little Easton. There he met his new partner in supernatural crime fighting, Melanie Lancley.

Gabriel fends off the Killer Coat, Ka with the scissorfix.

2013 will be a big year for Gabriel and Melanie, starting with their first comic book appearance in Fright at the Opera. Then, this winter, the duo returns to the screen in a new web series featuring multiple short stories. Also later this year, watch out for Gabriel’s first appearance in a novel; Mime.

While all this is going on, we’ll be hard at work producing Gabriel’s next big adventure, Carnival of Sorrows. This third web series will be the most ambitious yet, and you can get involved along the way. Starting in May, we’ll be running a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for the shoot and we’ll be offering some great rewards for our backers, including digital downloads, DVDs and merchandise, some unique items from the shoot, and opportunities to be involved with the shoot itself. Make sure you follow, like or subscribe to keep up to date, do it now and you’ll also earn an entry in the giveaway.

Part of the cover art for Fright at The Opera (Artwork by Amrit Birdi)

Fright at the Opera – Released May 2013

Gabriel Cushing stars in his first graphic novel adventure! The occult academic is called in to investigate the supernatural events occurring at the Palace Theatre as it prepares for an all new show. Soon he uncovers the murderous intentions of a Banshee, whose rage is directed at the cast, crew and audience.

Will Gabriel, and his friend Melanie Lancley, be able to stop the Banshee’s horrific assaults?

Co-published with Hellbound Media, the new story by Mark Adams is illustrated by Amrit Birdi and lettered by Nikki Foxrobot. You can read a preview here on The Great Escape right now, and the full comic will go on sale from the 11^th May at Bristol Comic Expo, as well as by mail order from The Great Escape or Hellbound Media websites.

Strange Encounters – Coming Winter 2013

Horrific demons! Sadistic ghosts! Suspicious stews! Cursed furnishings! Gabriel Cushing and Melanie Lancley return in a series of short horror adventures. The monster hunting pair continue their investigations into the eerie and the unnatural, encountering all manner of new threats. “Strange Encounters” features actions, horror, humour, blood, violence, twists, turns and terrifying, other-worldly villains!

The second web series for Gabriel Cushing features separate stories by writers Mark Adams and Matt Warner, and sees Gabriel battling new and mysterious forces. Shot over several short shoots this year, the series follows Gabriel as he pursues his quest to fight evil and protect people. Meanwhile Melanie learns a lot about the supernatural under Gabriel’s tutelage.

Gabriel (David Curtis) and Melanie (Sam Herbert) on the set of Strange Encounters. Check out Gabriel’s new bag.

Carnival of Sorrows – In production Summer 2013

Gabriel and Melanie unearth an age old curse, trapped souls and mysterious deaths, but as they dig deeper they find themselves the target for a collective of powerful new foes; a troop of damned carnival performers bent on returning to the land of the living.

If you’ve been following the adventures of Gabriel Cushing so far, join in the production of series three by supporting our Kickstarter Campaign in May and June. We want to make this the biggest and most exciting adventure to date and you can help make it happen!

Follow or like us to get regular updates on the production. Plus, we’ll bring you a bigger update with more details in May, so stay tuned.

Mime – Paperback and eBook Coming Winter 2013

Journalist and paranormal investigator Elliot is on a mission against evil after his brother’s death at the hands of an unknown supernatural force. He seeks out both true stories and hoaxes and reports them in Weird News. When he starts investigating a series of bizarre and seemingly unrelated deaths, he draws the attention of something altogether more dangerous than his normal ghosts and fortune tellers. Out of his depth and on the run, Elliot searches for the only person who can help; Gabriel Cushing. Together they follow the leads left by generations of demon hunters before them to discover a way to defeat the deadly Mime.

Written by Chrissey Harrison, and set between the events of Terror of the Killer Carnivorous Coat and Gabriel Cushing vs the Zombie Vampires, Mime fills in a gap in Gabriel’s past and introduces a new hero of the Cushing universe; Elliot Cross. After vanquishing his nemesis, Ka, the killer coat, Gabriel feels his duty is done, but fighting alongside Elliot opens his eyes to a wide world of evils to be fought, and if he doesn’t take up the fight, who will?

Use the widget below to earn entries for actions like following us on Twitter or Facebook. You can earn even more entries by tweeting and posting on each and every day of the giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Why? Well it’s a writing competition about comic conventions and we have two lined up for May 2013. Bristol Comic Expo on the 11th/12th May and MCM London at the end of the month (yep, that’s right, we’ll going to the big one this time!) . So we’d like to give everyone a longer opportunity to celebrate the convention events by getting involved.

If you’ve already submitted an entry and would like to use the extra time to do some more work on it, go for it! Just resubmit your story with a covering note. For those of you rushing to get finished, you can stop panicking. Or, if you haven’t started yet and want to take part, now you can.

The criteria are simple; submit a prose short story of 1000-3000 words set at or featuring a comic or other convention or expo. Your story can be any genre! Prizes include publication in Great Escapes, Volume 2 and a cash prize for first place. Visit our Competitions Page for all the details.