CINEMA EPOCH ANNOUNCES “LOVE SPELL” AND “DARK PLACES,' TWO WILDLY CONTRASTING VISIONS FROM DIRECTOR GENO MCGAHEE The prolific filmmaker will follow a romantic comedy with occult horror   For Immediate Release:   Cinema Epoch, the acclaimed distributor and studio behind such cult hits as Samurai Cop 2: Deadly Vengeance and Mad Cowgirl, will distribute the next two films from the company’s longtime collaborator Geno McGahee. The prolific director of Scary Tales, Rise of the Scarecrows, and their sequels will stay in familiar turf for the horror movie Dark Places, set to begin filming in September. Before that, however, he will take a detour into romantic comedy with the just-wrapped Love Spell, scheduled for release in late 2025.   Written by frequent McGahee collaborator Brent Northrup, Love Spell is not without a touch of the supernatural elements familiar to fans of the director's work. In it, a popular filmmaker [MAURICE CLARK LAFS, Scary Tales: Dark Walker] sets out to make another movie when a filmmaking rival [PHIL GODECK, A CHRISTMAS INVITATION] brings a curse upon the set. The cast members soon find themselves literally becoming their characters and romance turns up in unusual places. Chaos is everywhere, battles erupt, and it's a race against the clock to lift the love spell.    "It was an amazing opportunity and a more comfortable experience than I ever could have asked for. I miss it every day and I'm very thankful for the friendships I've formed and the education I've received on set,” says Jake Tyler, one of the stars of Love Spell. Writer and Producer, Brent Allen Northup, noted that “"I'm very proud to have produced this XPosse Productions film. It's magical!"   Xposse Production’s latest addition, Lindsey DeLand stated that “I’m officially known as Clipboard now on and off set by my cast and crew, Leslie Clipboard to be exact. We’re basically a bunch of insane, like-minded weirdos who had a shit ton of fun making this awesome movie. I may be the newbie on set, but I feel like I’ve already known these people for years.”   Dark Places will involve a different kind of magic. Written and directed by McGahee, this film concerns a young college student [LINDSEY DELAND, Natalie Parker] conquering her anxiety and social awkwardness to take on a killer Satanic cult that is butchering townspeople.   “Love Spell was a great experience and is a unique film, giving a behind-the-scenes view into indie film in an amusing way,” says McGahee. By contrast, “Dark Places is a film that brings twists and turns and mystery. I’m very excited about it. It’s about an introverted college kid that uncovers a Satanic cult on a killing spree at her school. As she digs deeper, she comes face to face with the cult and the many secrets it holds. It’s a wild screenplay and I’m very eager to shoot this in the fall. It’s very much influenced by movies like Race with the Devil and Devil’s Rain.”   “Geno McGahee’s unique blend of horror, humor and drama makes him a strong visionary in today’s homogenized world of cinema. With Brent Northup’s strong writing that captures the human condition and angst, it’s a winning combination,” says producer and Cinema Epoch founder Gregory Hatanaka.   About Geno McGahee: Geno McGahee is a Massachusetts filmmaker responsible for Evil Awakening (2001), Rise of the Scarecrows (2003), Family Secret (2009), Scary Tales (2014), Lone Gunman (2013) Sickle (2015) and Scary Tales: Last Stop. McGahee has been behind the camera since the age of 12, filming skits with friends before making his first feature film, Evil Awakening. McGahee has gone on to make many hit indie films including A Christmas Invitation (2022), Fatal Justice (2023), Deadly Western (2023), Scary Tales: Dark Walker (2024) and has also been writing other films such as Amityville Cop (2022) and Amityville Emanuelle (2023). He owns and operates his own website, created in 2006, Scaredstiffreviews.com has become a popular site with over a million unique viewers a month readership.   About Cinema Epoch: Founded by veteran distributor Gregory Hatanaka in 2001, Cinema Epoch has become a boutique distribution label for cult classics like the 1959 House on Haunted Hill and 1981's Private Lessons, as well as the works of acclaimed international directors like Claude Chabrol and Linton Semage, and obscurities like Takashi Miike’s Gozu and Sonny Chiba’s Yellow Fangs. Cinema Epoch continues to bring an eclectic mix of entertainment to new generations of audiences around the world. The company distributes feature films to the theatrical, DVD and digital markets. In addition to presenting genre films to audiences, it also plans to release a slate of international arthouse films under its Cinema Epoch Classics label. Partners include Amazon Video, ITunes, GooglePlay, TubiTV, Hulu, Vudu, Comcast, Showtime, XBox and MVD Visual. The company also produces a slate of original film productions annually; previous originals include Hatanaka's own Samurai Cop 2: Deadly Vengeance, the cult hit starring Matthew Karedas (Samurai Cop) and Tommy Wiseau (The Room); and Mad Cowgirl, starring Sarah Lassez (Nowhere), Walter Koenig (Star Trek), and James Duval (Independence Day, Donnie Darko). Learn more at http://cinemaepoch.com  Marketing Macabre - a horror public relations company created to give independent filmmakers an affordable alternative. We focus on the importance of publicity to gain momentum and we work with some of the biggest genre websites in the world. Our mission is to get your project in front of your audience, the horror public - the most devoted fan base in all of entertainment.    https://www.marketingmacabre.com/