Two British Agents Encounter A Powerful Paranormal Being In The Sci-Fi Short 'The Winter's Club'

The Winter's Club is a remarkable sci-fi short film by Chris Stone, an independent filmmaker whose work we have long admired here at The 7th Matrix.

The short begins within the crumbling bowls of an abandoned neo-gothic building. Two British agents, Shaw (Rachel Shenton) and Shepard (Richard Jack), have been tasked with tracking down Winter (Lewis Brindley) - a powerful member of a group of genetically engineered humans who possess paranormal abilities.

While Shaw believes these beings to be extremely dangerous, Shepard holds a far more compassionate view.

When the duo finally catch up to Winter, he isn't at all what they expect. Their encounter with him reveals life-altering secrets that shatters the agents' worldview.

Originally an entrant in the 2013 Sci-Fi London 48 Hour Film Challenge, The Winter's Club is a prime example of Chris Stone's ability to make low budget filmmaking look and feel truly cinematic.

At a run time of just over four and a half minutes, Stone manages to craft a complete, compelling sci-fi narrative inhabited by characters you quickly become invested in. Major credit must also be given to the superb performances turned in by the cast.

Watch The Winter's Club here...

The Winter's Club is further proof all that is needed to craft an excellent science fiction film is a solid script, capable actors, and a filmmaker with vision and passion.

Discover more of Chris Stone's work by visiting his official web site ChrisStoneShowReels.com.

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Make sure to check out our podcast Eye On Sci-Fi. Join host and The 7th Matrix founder Rod T. Faulkner as he spotlights terrific indie SFF short films and web series.

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Visit A Restaurant Serving Souls In Transit To The Afterlife - 'Here We Wait' The Sci-Fi Webseries

In the intriguing sci-fi webseries Here We Wait, purgatory is a mysterious restaurant named "Here," a way station where souls of the newly deceased assemble before transiting  to their eternal destiny.

The focus of the 20-episode webseries is on the interpersonal relationships between Here's staff - souls from all walks of life, time periods, and ideologies - whose true purpose is to ease their spectral patrons' transition into the afterlife.

However, an unknown element has been introduced to Here, throwing the cosmic scales dangerously out of balance.

The staff must investigate the cause of this imbalance before catastrophe strikes.

Unlike dense, impenetrable sci-fi dramas that explore similar themes like Lost, The OA, and The Leftovers, Here We Wait is refreshingly straightforward and accessible.

There is no byzantine mythology to navigate, no murky plot twists and red herrings introduced in an attempt to seem pretentiously profound.

Here is purgatory; its staff are deceased souls ruminating on their previous lives while confronting an unknown future. 

Series co-creators Olivia Baptista and Diane Chen have populated their project with compelling and fascinating characters portrayed by a cast of  talented, charismatic young actors.

Watch the premiere episode entitled Siv:

As of this writing, 10 out of 20 episodes have been released, with new installments due each Tuesday.

You can watch Here We Wait using this link: herewewait.com

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Haywire: The Series - A Horror Story Where The Mundane Becomes Monstrous

Often the most bone-chilling horror stories are derived from tales of average people having to cope with extraordinary circumstances. 

Capitalizing on this fact is what has helped make Stephen King one of the world's most successful authors. 

Director Scott Klein has followed suit with his creation Haywire: The Series.  The result is a  very unsettling tale of a suburban community gone mad.

Insanity's Herald

This project has a very unique and compelling premise: one bright, sunny Saturday afternoon in the city of Monroe, NY,  an explosion of brilliant light occurs high in the sky.  

Everyone who witnesses this strange phenomenon immediately suffers a horrible side effect:  their minds becomes acutely fixated on the last task they were involved with.

No matter how routine or mundane the task is (walking the dog, mowing the grass, jogging, etc.), the victims are compelled to perform it over and over.  

What's even more bizarre? Those affected will become homicidal with anyone who attempts to interfere.

Those unaffected by the light phenomenon must deal with a world gone completely "Haywire."

The series follows various groups of survivors as they attempt to navigate their new, terrifying existence. 

A Disturbing Vision Well Executed

I found the compelling premise to be the chief selling point of this series. Director/Series Creator/Executive Producer Scott Klein has constructed almost every episode to end with a mini-cliffhanger, which gives the project a sense of forward momentum.

The acting is often wildly uneven, with some performers far more convincing than others. But as a whole,  the cast succeed in conveying a sense of disorientation, paranoia, and fear  essential in selling the central premise.

The makeup effects for the victims, or "raccoons" as they are referred in the series, is minimal yet very effective in serving as a visual cue for their madness.  

Another production highlight is the use of comic book inspired artwork for the fantastic opening title sequence.  

Kudos to the art team including pencils by Victor L. Castro, Jr., inks by Steve Hoveke,  coloring by Hassan Godwin, with lettering by Arlene So (who also is a series producer).

Finally

Haywire: The Series is an independent production of the Lights Out! Film Group.   

So far, two seasons have been completed - 19 episodes in total. This alone is quite an achievement for a sci fi web series produced with a limited budget.

 I enjoyed this ambitious series, and want to continue to explore the mysteries presented. My hope is there will be more episodes produced so the journey can continue. 

Below are two series previews: 

You have a few options for viewing the complete series:

On YouTube 

For more information about the production, please visit the official web site:  

Haywire: The Series 

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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.

Watch The Abandon courtesy of AllStars.org (click on image):

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