The Coming-Of-Age Supernatural Drama 'KELOID' Debuts

Going through adolescence is tough enough, but imagine if you began developing paranormal abilities you don't understand and barely control.

The new supernatural drama KELOID introduces the titular young character who is coping with learning he and his mother are truly different from other human beings.

Both Keloid (David Nixon) and his mother, Marielle (Aba Woodruff), are descended from a lineage of people who possess extraordinary extrasensory powers, including: telepathy, telekinesis,  teleportation, and electrokinesis.

Due to their powerful abilities, mother and son are forced to live a transient life for fear of being discovered.

The series opens as the family is enjoying a rare period of stability. However, a monumental event soon forces the duo to go on the run yet again.

Watch the premiere episode of KELOID here ...

Listen to our EYE ON SCI-FI podcast episode featuring KELOID!

Written and directed by Huriyyah Muhammad, KELOID deftly explores the feelings of alienation and confusion inherent in adolescence via the metaphor of emerging superpowers.

The web series was produced by The Black TV & Film Collective, a nonprofit - headed by Muhammad - dedicated to helping Black filmmakers and artists forge successful careers in film and television.

KELOID is a seven-episode web series, with new episodes released weekly on the official series YouTube channel.

To find out more about the production, visit the online home of The Black TV & Film Collective.

Note: we want to acknowledge the terrific web site The Blerd Gurl for cluing us onto this exciting project!

  Help Keep The 7th Matrix Independent and Ad-Free!

We also accept donations via Bitcoin using this address:

1EdGZQu1hcpzTYiTzoBD66bFC6ubH1pVL1

In Boost The Web Series - An Experimental Drug Grants Its Users Superpowers

Created, produced by, and starring Andrew M. James,  Boost: The Web Series is a sci-fi action-adventure story about an experimental drug that grants human beings extraordinary powers - but at a high cost.

This volatile drug, called "boost," was created by brilliant government scientist Victor Blaine (Shawn Byfield) for a rogue government agency only known as "Division."

During animal testing, Blaine discovers boost grants the subjects unusual abilities.  

After injecting the first human subject - an ex-con named Elliot Fox (Umar Shameem) - with the drug, Blaine observes boost creates an immediate dependency.

Withdrawal from the drug causes rampant paranoia and violently aggressive behavior.

After realizing Division has nefarious plans for its use, and fearing for the safety of his family, Blaine entrusts his research files to his close associate, Adrian (Chris James). Then he flees with the drug and its stabilizing agent.

Suddenly Adrian and his younger brother Drew find themselves targeted by Fox, who has been recruited by Division to apprehend Blaine at any cost.

Check out the series teaser trailer here ...

Watching Boost reminded me of some of the best action films of the 80s and 90s.

Like those films, it has a straight-forward, though engaging, plot, charismatic leads, and solid overall production value.

However, what impresses me most about Boost is it tells an entertaining story set in a diverse world.

Let's face it, web series, like most other media, suffers from being overwhelmingly whitewashed.

While strides are being made to tell stories including more non-stereotypical representations of minorities that go beyond mere tokenism, there is still much progress to be made.

Boost is definitely an example of movement in the right direction.  

Hit television shows such as Scandal, How To Get Away With Murder, and Sleepy Hollow have set a powerful precedent illustrating series starring Black actors - as well as having diverse casts - can draw huge audiences, because all people want to see complex depictions of themselves in well-told stories on screen. 

In the web series medium, it's my immense pleasure to add projects like Osiris, and now Boost, to the list.

Hopefully, this category will become far more crowded soon.

The first season of Boost is comprised of six episodes, all available for viewing on YouTube.

To learn more about the production, visit the official series web site Boost Web Site.

Help Keep The 7th Matrix Independent and Ad-Free!

Osiris The Series: A Sci-Fi Tale About The Man Death Rejects

Osiris The Series is a dynamic  10-episode sci-fi/action web series about a man the grim reaper refuses to claim.

His name is Osiris, and he wears immortality well. 

Over 300 years old and forever young, Osiris long ago discovered he can't die. No matter the injury, after exactly 37 minutes he is resurrected.

However, the source of his regenerative powers are a mystery, even to him.

While spending multiple lifetimes seeking the source of his immortality, he has accumulated a wealth of knowledge, as well as insight, into the human condition. 

The result is a man who revels in hedonism.  In fact, when we first meet Osiris, he has seduced a beautiful woman with the promise of sexual techniques he assures "can make her come in 14 seconds."   

Soon thereafter, he is sought out and engaged in spectacular fashion by an acquaintance who happens to be an F.B.I. agent.  

Osiris is called upon to use his vast intellect and unusual gifts to assist the F.B.I. in a mass murder investigation involving a powerful criminal overlord.  Complicating matters is an obsessed, sinister scientist who is relentlessly pursuing him in order gain the secret to eternal life.

Created and written by Donnie Leapheart for Pyramid Pictures, Osiris The Series is thoroughly entertaining and engrossing. 

Mr. Leapheart's script is smart, complete with razor-sharp dialogue.   For example, during one fateful encounter with a person from his past, Osiris observes "the dates may change but people don't."

Along with the terrific script,  the series also has a talented cast. The star, Brad James, gives a stellar performance.  He imbues Osiris with cockiness, intelligence, and swagger, while still keeping the character from becoming unsympathetic.  

It's quite a tightrope to walk, but Mr. James does so skillfully.  His layered performance reveals under Osiris' considerable bravado is a man weary of watching those he loves slip away. 

Mr. Leapheart wisely gives Osiris a vital anchor to his humanity in the form of his great, great granddaugther Paula Castleberry (Nicky Buggs) - a capable, no nonsense police detective.  She serves to ground Osiris with her honesty and tough love.

Many kudos must also be given to the production team for the slick look and sound of the series. The production quality is comparable to any show on broadcast television.    

Experience the official series trailer below:

To watch the series in its entirety, and to learn more about the production, please visit the official website: 

Osiris The Series 

Help Keep The 7th Matrix Independent and Ad-Free!

Always Night - The Sci-Fi Web Series Pilot Directed By Carl Weathers

As Always Night opens, we are introduced to an attractive, wealthy couple celebrating their fifth wedding anniversary.

Roger Banks, portrayed by veteran character actor Harry Lennix (Five Heartbeats, Man Of Steel, The Blacklist), is preparing an intimate dinner for his wife, Valerie ( Delila Vallot). 

Almost immediately we realize this couple is out-of-sync.  Roger spends most of the evening indulging in self-involved reflection, while the elegant Valerie seems detached and preoccupied. 

Superficially, it seems as if we are witnessing the dynamics of a couple who've grown emotionally distant.  

However, when Valerie ruminates about how perplexing it is “humans” have survived so long despite being so fragile, we soon realize something much deeper is amiss than a marriage in crisis.

Our suspicions are confirmed as Valerie reveals to an astonished Roger she isn't completely human, and most definitely not of this earth. 

Before she departs in an ethereal burst of light, she drops another bombshell:  she isn't alone, and things on earth are about to change. 

Like Roger, we are left to wonder what are the exact implications of her startling pronouncement. 

We want to know more. 

Witness the pilot episode of this compelling sci-fi drama for yourself:

Always Night is a web series pilot from BlackAmericanTV.Com. 

Written by Art Washington and Zachary Waterfire, with legendary actor Carl Weathers (Rocky, Predator) directing, this project heralds the arrival of a new, distinct voice in science fiction.

Help Keep The 7th Matrix Independent and Ad-Free!

The Abandon - A Tale Of Friendship And Survival Amidst Alien Invasion

The Abandon is the tale of five close friends- Kendall (Sterling K. Brown), Craig (Jordan Mahome), Dennis (Morocco Omari), Aaron (Jaime Lincoln Smith), and Jeff (Billy Eugene Jones) -  who embark on a hiking trip in the summer of 2012 only to find themselves caught in the midst of an alien invasion.

Written and directed by Keith Josef Adkins, an acclaimed writer and playwright whose credits include writing for the popular CW sitcom Girlfriends, the pilot for The Abandon is gripping. The dialogue and interplay between the characters feels so real and intimate, it's as if you are a voyeur.

Which brings us to the actors. These men have such chemistry, one has to wonder if they are as close off screen.  As circumstances continue to spin out of their control, their reactions make you feel their mounting anxiety and fear.

While the invading aliens do not appear in the initial episode,  this isn't a drawback due to  the clever way the plot has been written to clue the audience in as to what's happening.  Let's just say social media plays a pivotal role.

Below is the complete pilot episode:

Unfortunately, only the pilot episode was made.  

The Abandon was independently produced and efforts to raise capital, including a IndieGoGo campaign, were not successful enough to continue production.

That's a damn shame.

This project deserved a shot based on the vision and quality of the pilot episode, as well as the pedigree of the writers, cast, and crew.

But an even more important reason? To disprove the prevalent belief among entertainment executives that the only demographic for science fiction is white males.  Fans of science fiction are people from all walks of life - including Black people.  The purpose of  this project was to illustrate what the rest of us know to be true. 

There is always enough room for quality science fiction from visionary creators from marginalized communities. For more information about The Abandon,  please visit its official web site:

The Abandon

Help Keep The 7th Matrix Independent and Ad-Free!

We also accept donations via Bitcoin using this address:

1EdGZQu1hcpzTYiTzoBD66bFC6ubH1pVL1