Since we've been talking about regional horror flicks in the Texas Horrors and Florida Horrors threads, I thought it might be a good idea to start a threat
for the rest of the country. First, I thought I'd post which states produced the most independent/regional horror and sci-fi flicks from the late 1950s to
the late 1980s (after which the genre was inundated with shot on video flicks, which I'm not that familiar with).
Now, I've included stuff that went straight to video, some early shot-on-video, and some stuff that might never have seen the light of day outside of a few screenings. My definitions of "independent" and "regional" might not pass muster with everyone, and I may have left out a few films (or included others that are questionable). I've included Troma flicks, for instance, but not AIP stuff, but that was a completely arbitrary decision.
In general, I'm counting films produced independent of a major or mini-major studio, where the director or producer actually lived in or near the state where they made the film. Some of these films were later distributed by established studios, but were produced independently.
I've been trying to dig up as much info for the horror and sci-fi films made in each state as possible, so I'll post lists for other states later.
After California, the states with the most horror films are obviously New York, Texas and Florida. From there down, the top regional fright flick producers are below. I've tried to note which films were shot on video (SOV), but I may have missed a few:
New Jersey - 23
Jersey presented an interesting case, as it's home to WAVE Productions, which appears to make "custom" horror films on video. Should these count? I didn't include them. Friday the 13th was distributed by Paramount, but produced as an indy (as far as I know), so I've listed it. There are a lot of Troma films below as well.
ALICE SWEET ALICE (1976)
BEWARE: CHILDREN AT PLAY (1989)
BLADES (1989)
CANNIBAL CAMPOUT (1988, SOV)
THE CHAIR (1989)
CLASS OF NUKE 'EM HIGH (1986)
CHRISTMAS EVIL (1980)
DOOM ASYLUM (1987)
DUNGEON OF DEATH (1989), WAVE Productions
FORCED ENTRY (1975)
FRIDAY THE 13TH (1980)
GHOUL SCHOOL (1990)
METAMORPHASIS: THE ALIEN FACTOR (1990)
MOTHER'S DAY (1980)
THE NAKED WITCH (1967), Andy Milligan
THE ORPHAN (1979)
THE PROWLER (1981)
RETURN OF THE ALIENS: THE DEADLY SPAWN (1983)
THE SHAMAN (1987)
SILENT DEATH (1983) - Produced and Directed by "Joe Chirichella." Chris Poggiali told me about this film, which had a VERY brief theatrical run in Newark, N.J. before vanishing
THE TOXIC AVENGER (1985)
VIDEO VIOLENCE (1987)
VIDEO VIOLENCE 2 (1987)
Pennsylvania - 16
I have not included George Romero's Laurel productions in this list -- should I?
THE 4D MAN (1959)
THE BLOB (1958)
BLACK DEVIL DOLL FROM HELL (1984, Chester Turner, SOV)
BLOODEATERS (TOXIC ZOMBIES, 1980)
THE CRAZIES (1973)
FLESH EATER (1988, Bill Hinzman)
GIRLS SCHOOL SCREAMERS (1986)
HEARTSTOPPER (1989)
SEASON OF THE WITCH (1972)
THE MAJORETTES (1986)
MALATESTA'S CARNIVAL OF BLOOD (1973)
MIDNIGHT (1982)
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968)
PRIMAL SCREAM (1987)
SPLATTER FARM (1987, SOV)
TALES FROM THE QUADEAD ZONE (1987, Chester Turner, SOV)
Connecticut - 12 films
Connecticut ranked high primarily because of the work of Del Tenney and Gorman Berchard.
ATTACK OF THE BEAST CREATURES (1985)
CURSE OF THE LIVING CORPSE (1964)
DEADTIME STORIES (1986)
DEATH COLLECTOR (1988)
DISCONNECTED (1983)
HORROR OF PARTY BEACH (1964)
THE HOUSE THAT CRIED MURDER (1973)
I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE (1978)
THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (1972)
PSYCHOMANIA (Violent Midnight, 1963)
PSYCHOS IN LOVE (1987)
WOODCHIPPER MASSACRE (1989, SOV)
Louisiana - 15
CRYPT OF DARK SECRETS (1976)
CREATURE FROM BLACK LAKE (1976)
THE DEAD ONE/BLOOD OF THE ZOMBIE (1961, Barry Mahon)
THE EVICTORS (1979)
MARDI GRAS MASSACRE (1978)
THE MONSTER AND THE STRIPPER (Ron Ormond, 1968) Or was this Tennessee?
MOUNTAINTOP MOTEL MASSACRE (1986)
NIGHT OF BLOODY HORROR (1969)
NIGHT OF THE STRANGLER (1975)
SCREAMS OF A WINTER NIGHT (1979)
TEEN VAMP (1988)
TERROR IN THE SWAMP (1985)
THE WACKY WORLD OF DR. MORGUS (1962)
VIDEO MURDERS (1988)
WOMEN AND BLOODY TERROR (1969, not really horror, but marketed as such)
North Carolina - 13
Most of these films were made by Earl Owensby or people who worked for him.
ALIEN OUTLAW (1985)
AXE (1977)
THE BODY SHOP/DOCTOR GORE (1973)
THE DARK POWER (1985)
A DAY OF JUDGEMENT (1981)
DEATH SCREAMS (1982, David Nelson)
FINAL EXAM (1981)
THE KIDNAPPED COED (1976)
KILLER! (1989)
THE MUTILATOR (1985)
ROTTWEILER (1982, Earl Owensby)
TALES OF THE THIRD DIMENSION (1984)
WOLFMAN (1979, Earl Owensby)
Arkansas - 10 films
Home of Charles B. Pierce and his clan.
THE BARBARIC BEAST OF BOGGY CREEK PART II (1985)
THE DAY IT CAME TO EARTH (1979)
ENCOUNTER WITH THE UNKNOWN (1973)
PSYCHO FROM TEXAS (1975 OR 1981?)
IT'S ALIVE (1969, Larry Buchanan)
LEGEND OF BOGGY CREEK (1972)
RETURN TO BOGGY CREEK (1977)
REVENGE OF BIGFOOT (RUFUS J. PICKLE AND THE INDIAN, 1979)
SO SAD ABOUT GLORIA (1975)
THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN (1976)
Wisconsin 10
Wisconsin ranks mostly because of Bill RebaneĀ
THE ALPHA INCIDENT (1978)
BLOOD BEAT (1985) - not sure about this one; possibly made by a foreign production company
BLOOD HARVEST (1987)
BLOOD HOOK (1987)
BOG (1983) - Made by Canadians?
THE CAPTURE OF BIGFOOT (1979)
THE DEMONS OF LUDLOW (1983)
THE GAME (1984)
THE GIANT SPIDER INVASION (1975)
INVASION FROM INNER EARTH (1974)
RANA: THE LEGEND OF SHADOW LAKE (1975)
Maryland - 7
THE ALIEN FACOTR (1978)
BLOOD CIRCUS (1985, the notorious "Santo Gold" film that is now lost)
CURSE OF THE SCREAMING DEAD (1982)
FIEND (1980)
THE GALAXY INVADER (1985)
NIGHTBEAST (1982)
NIGHT OF HORROR (1978)
Nevada - 8
The Oliver Drake films may be a little iffy -- I think Drake lived in Vegas, so I included them.
GODMONSTER OF INDIAN FLATS (1973)
LAS VEGAS BLOODBATH (1989)
LAS VEGAS SERIAL KILLER (1986, Ray Dennis Steckler)
LAS VEGAS STRANGLER (1968, Oliver Drake)
LOCH NESS HORROR (1981), Larry Buchanan
THE MUMMY AND THE CURSE OF THE JACKALS (1969)
VOODOO HEARTBEAT (1975, Charles Nizet)
THE RAVAGER (1970, Charles Nizet)
Now, I've included stuff that went straight to video, some early shot-on-video, and some stuff that might never have seen the light of day outside of a few screenings. My definitions of "independent" and "regional" might not pass muster with everyone, and I may have left out a few films (or included others that are questionable). I've included Troma flicks, for instance, but not AIP stuff, but that was a completely arbitrary decision.
In general, I'm counting films produced independent of a major or mini-major studio, where the director or producer actually lived in or near the state where they made the film. Some of these films were later distributed by established studios, but were produced independently.
I've been trying to dig up as much info for the horror and sci-fi films made in each state as possible, so I'll post lists for other states later.
After California, the states with the most horror films are obviously New York, Texas and Florida. From there down, the top regional fright flick producers are below. I've tried to note which films were shot on video (SOV), but I may have missed a few:
New Jersey - 23
Jersey presented an interesting case, as it's home to WAVE Productions, which appears to make "custom" horror films on video. Should these count? I didn't include them. Friday the 13th was distributed by Paramount, but produced as an indy (as far as I know), so I've listed it. There are a lot of Troma films below as well.
ALICE SWEET ALICE (1976)
BEWARE: CHILDREN AT PLAY (1989)
BLADES (1989)
CANNIBAL CAMPOUT (1988, SOV)
THE CHAIR (1989)
CLASS OF NUKE 'EM HIGH (1986)
CHRISTMAS EVIL (1980)
DOOM ASYLUM (1987)
DUNGEON OF DEATH (1989), WAVE Productions
FORCED ENTRY (1975)
FRIDAY THE 13TH (1980)
GHOUL SCHOOL (1990)
METAMORPHASIS: THE ALIEN FACTOR (1990)
MOTHER'S DAY (1980)
THE NAKED WITCH (1967), Andy Milligan
THE ORPHAN (1979)
THE PROWLER (1981)
RETURN OF THE ALIENS: THE DEADLY SPAWN (1983)
THE SHAMAN (1987)
SILENT DEATH (1983) - Produced and Directed by "Joe Chirichella." Chris Poggiali told me about this film, which had a VERY brief theatrical run in Newark, N.J. before vanishing
THE TOXIC AVENGER (1985)
VIDEO VIOLENCE (1987)
VIDEO VIOLENCE 2 (1987)
Pennsylvania - 16
I have not included George Romero's Laurel productions in this list -- should I?
THE 4D MAN (1959)
THE BLOB (1958)
BLACK DEVIL DOLL FROM HELL (1984, Chester Turner, SOV)
BLOODEATERS (TOXIC ZOMBIES, 1980)
THE CRAZIES (1973)
FLESH EATER (1988, Bill Hinzman)
GIRLS SCHOOL SCREAMERS (1986)
HEARTSTOPPER (1989)
SEASON OF THE WITCH (1972)
THE MAJORETTES (1986)
MALATESTA'S CARNIVAL OF BLOOD (1973)
MIDNIGHT (1982)
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968)
PRIMAL SCREAM (1987)
SPLATTER FARM (1987, SOV)
TALES FROM THE QUADEAD ZONE (1987, Chester Turner, SOV)
Connecticut - 12 films
Connecticut ranked high primarily because of the work of Del Tenney and Gorman Berchard.
ATTACK OF THE BEAST CREATURES (1985)
CURSE OF THE LIVING CORPSE (1964)
DEADTIME STORIES (1986)
DEATH COLLECTOR (1988)
DISCONNECTED (1983)
HORROR OF PARTY BEACH (1964)
THE HOUSE THAT CRIED MURDER (1973)
I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE (1978)
THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (1972)
PSYCHOMANIA (Violent Midnight, 1963)
PSYCHOS IN LOVE (1987)
WOODCHIPPER MASSACRE (1989, SOV)
Louisiana - 15
CRYPT OF DARK SECRETS (1976)
CREATURE FROM BLACK LAKE (1976)
THE DEAD ONE/BLOOD OF THE ZOMBIE (1961, Barry Mahon)
THE EVICTORS (1979)
MARDI GRAS MASSACRE (1978)
THE MONSTER AND THE STRIPPER (Ron Ormond, 1968) Or was this Tennessee?
MOUNTAINTOP MOTEL MASSACRE (1986)
NIGHT OF BLOODY HORROR (1969)
NIGHT OF THE STRANGLER (1975)
SCREAMS OF A WINTER NIGHT (1979)
TEEN VAMP (1988)
TERROR IN THE SWAMP (1985)
THE WACKY WORLD OF DR. MORGUS (1962)
VIDEO MURDERS (1988)
WOMEN AND BLOODY TERROR (1969, not really horror, but marketed as such)
North Carolina - 13
Most of these films were made by Earl Owensby or people who worked for him.
ALIEN OUTLAW (1985)
AXE (1977)
THE BODY SHOP/DOCTOR GORE (1973)
THE DARK POWER (1985)
A DAY OF JUDGEMENT (1981)
DEATH SCREAMS (1982, David Nelson)
FINAL EXAM (1981)
THE KIDNAPPED COED (1976)
KILLER! (1989)
THE MUTILATOR (1985)
ROTTWEILER (1982, Earl Owensby)
TALES OF THE THIRD DIMENSION (1984)
WOLFMAN (1979, Earl Owensby)
Arkansas - 10 films
Home of Charles B. Pierce and his clan.
THE BARBARIC BEAST OF BOGGY CREEK PART II (1985)
THE DAY IT CAME TO EARTH (1979)
ENCOUNTER WITH THE UNKNOWN (1973)
PSYCHO FROM TEXAS (1975 OR 1981?)
IT'S ALIVE (1969, Larry Buchanan)
LEGEND OF BOGGY CREEK (1972)
RETURN TO BOGGY CREEK (1977)
REVENGE OF BIGFOOT (RUFUS J. PICKLE AND THE INDIAN, 1979)
SO SAD ABOUT GLORIA (1975)
THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN (1976)
Wisconsin 10
Wisconsin ranks mostly because of Bill RebaneĀ
THE ALPHA INCIDENT (1978)
BLOOD BEAT (1985) - not sure about this one; possibly made by a foreign production company
BLOOD HARVEST (1987)
BLOOD HOOK (1987)
BOG (1983) - Made by Canadians?
THE CAPTURE OF BIGFOOT (1979)
THE DEMONS OF LUDLOW (1983)
THE GAME (1984)
THE GIANT SPIDER INVASION (1975)
INVASION FROM INNER EARTH (1974)
RANA: THE LEGEND OF SHADOW LAKE (1975)
Maryland - 7
THE ALIEN FACOTR (1978)
BLOOD CIRCUS (1985, the notorious "Santo Gold" film that is now lost)
CURSE OF THE SCREAMING DEAD (1982)
FIEND (1980)
THE GALAXY INVADER (1985)
NIGHTBEAST (1982)
NIGHT OF HORROR (1978)
Nevada - 8
The Oliver Drake films may be a little iffy -- I think Drake lived in Vegas, so I included them.
GODMONSTER OF INDIAN FLATS (1973)
LAS VEGAS BLOODBATH (1989)
LAS VEGAS SERIAL KILLER (1986, Ray Dennis Steckler)
LAS VEGAS STRANGLER (1968, Oliver Drake)
LOCH NESS HORROR (1981), Larry Buchanan
THE MUMMY AND THE CURSE OF THE JACKALS (1969)
VOODOO HEARTBEAT (1975, Charles Nizet)
THE RAVAGER (1970, Charles Nizet)
