Islas’ vampire “Night Fangs” hits retail outlets
as he gears up for winter shoot of horror film

As his lesbian vampire feature “Night Fangs” hits stores in the U.S. and the U.K., Ricardo Islas of Alpha Studios is gearing up for his next production.

The psychological horror “Lockout” is about man who moves his family to Wisconsin, where he sees something so scary that he blacks out and can’t communicate with other people,” Islas said.

“?Night Fangs’ appealed much more to younger audiences and fans of the genre,” he continued. “?Lockout’ should appeal to a broader audience.”

Islas is now hiring cast and crew and plans to shoot by February, “while there’s still snow on the ground,” here and at exterior locations in Wisconsin.

He’s in talks with Mark Harris (“Why Men Cheat”) to co-produce “Lockout.” Islas, who is an editor for Ch. 20, recently finished cutting Harris’ comedy pilot “Barber Shop Jokes Live in Chicago,” which Islas also shot.

New York-based Hart Sharp Video (“Supersize Me”) officially released the “Night Fangs” DVD domestically Oct. 11. It’s available online and making its way to retail outlets before the holidays. Lighthouse Video released the picture in the U.K. Nov. 21.

Islas credits sale agent Jeffrey Cooper of L.A.-based Cut Entertainment for securing distribution, less than a year after Islas began the project.

“I have no complaints,” Islas said. “There was an advance and it got released very fast.”

A founding member of the Chicago chapter of the National Association of Latino Independent Producers, Islas has directed a number of film and TV projects here and in his native Uruguay.

Mexican star Salom?n Carmona, who was executive producer and star of Islas’ thriller “To Kill a Killer,” is shopping that film in L.A. Islas shot “Killer” simultaneously in Spanish and English here two years ago to maximize its market potential.

See www.alphaflicks.com.