The Wild World of Ted V. Mikels

Who is Ted V. Mikels?

American filmmaker Ted V. Mikels holds a unique position as one of the most unconventional directors of exploitation cinema. Famous for his eccentric home life (he once lived with a harem in a castle with secret passageways) and promotional gimmicks (he was known for having nurses and ambulances on hand to assist "scared-to-death" moviegoers), Mikels is now considered a pioneering master of low-budget movie making.

Examples of Mikels' influence can be seen everywhere: from music (punk band The Misfits wrote a tribute song called "The Astro-Zombies"), to Mikels' film The Doll Squad being the template for the television series Charlie's Angels, to inspiring the look of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill.

2010 News Archive

December 2010

Ted V. Mikels film The Black Klansman now available for pre-order!

Coming soon to DVD is this suspenseful drama about a light-skinned negro who masquerades as a white man, joins the Ku Klux Klan and avenges the savage killing of his young daughter by the hooded murderers. Place your order now at Oldies.com or Amazon.com! Ships January 18, 2011.

November 2010

Astro Zombies M4: Invaders From Cyberspace now in development!

It was only weeks ago that we announced the DVD release of Ted's film Demon Haunt. Well, he's nothing if not prolific, and is now working on the next installment of the Astro Zombies series, Astro Zombies M4: Invaders From Cyberspace. Click here to watch the trailer!

October 2010

Meet Kevin Sean Michaels at Chiller Theatre Expo on Halloween weekend

Please forgive our late notice, but our webminion was readying her Halloween tricks, the details of which are best left to the imagination. Director Kevin Sean Michaels will be at the Chiller Theatre Expo convention in Parsippany, New Jersey this weekend, October 29 through 31. Please stop by the Hollywood Book and Poster table for plenty of Halloween-appropriate merchandise.

The Chiller guestlist this year is so long and eclectic we hardly know who to single out for mention here. But among many others, they include Zacherley, Bill Moseley, Debbie D (all seen in Vampira: The Movie!), Barbara Eden, Cheryl Tiegs, Peter Criss, LeVar Burton, Tom Sizemore, Leif Garrett, Patricia Quinn . . . heck, you'd better go look for yourself and marvel at the multeity. The guest list, schedules and all other info. are on the official site.

Have a fabulously frightening Halloween!

Demon Haunt ships in October

It was only weeks ago that we announced the DVD release of Ted's film Astro-Zombies M3: Cloned. Well, he's nothing if not prolific, and his new film Demon Haunt will be out on DVD on October 26! It is now available for pre-order from Oldies.com.

Meet Kevin Sean Michaels at Rock And Shock

Director Kevin Sean Michaels will be at the Rock And Shock convention, so stop by the Hollywood Book & Poster table and say hello! The convention takes place Friday, October 15 through Sunday, October 17 (that's this weekend!) at the DCU Center, DCU Convention Center and The Palladium in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Guests this year include Danny Trejo (Machete, Predators, The Devil's Rejects), George Romero (Night Of The Living Dead), Adrienne Barbeau (The Fog, Escape From New York, Swamp Thing), Bill Moseley (The Devil's Rejects, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, Vampira: The Movie), and many more. Check out the official site for all the details that make Rock and Shock one of the most exciting shows in the northeastern United States.

Meet Astro-Zombies crew and buy Mikels merch at Spooky Empire

Blue Heron International Pictures, which worked on Ted's latest release, Astro-Zombies M3: Cloned, will have a table at Spooky Empire's Ultimate Horror Weekend. The convention takes place October 8 - 10 in Orlando, Florida. There will be plenty of Ted V. Mikels merchandise available.

Spooky Empire’s Ultimate Horror Weekend is fast becoming one of the most popular horror events in U.S. with fans coming from all over the world to attend. The place is sure to be filled with some of the most well known names in horror, as well as some amazing horror writers and artists! There will be unique seminars, live music throughout the weekend, some of the best tattoo artists in the world, independent filmmakers and their films, one of the largest dealer rooms packed with merchandise from movies, tv, and music, Special FX Artists, Costume Contest, Hearse and Creepy Car Show, Spooktacular Stunt Show, Celebrity Charity Poker Tournament, pool parties, classic movies, and many other surprises to be announced. Be sure to check out the official website for all the details!

September 2010

Meet director Kevin Sean Michaels at Monster-Mania

The Wild World of Ted V. Mikels will have a booth at Monster-Mania, so be sure to stop by and meet Kevin Sean Michaels in person. The convention takes place September 17 - 19 in Hunt Valley, Maryland (near Baltimore). If you don't have fun at this convention, you're already dead! Monster-Mania provides horror film fans an opportunity to meet the biggest names in horror history, get autographs, participate in Q&A sessions with the stars, shop their large dealers' area and watch films until 2AM.

Convention guests this year include Robert Englund, Linda Blair, Kane Hodder, and too many others to list here. Be sure to check out the official website for the full guest and events lists.

Astro-Zombies M3: Cloned now available for pre-order from Alpha

Astro-Zombies M3: Cloned, produced and directed by Ted V. Mikels, will be released by Alpha New Cinema on DVD on September 28, 2010. Kevin Sean Michaels served as creative consultant and even painted some of the zombie heads from green to flesh color! The third film in the Astro-Zombies series, Astro-Zombies: M3 Cloned is destined to go down in history as an exploitation Sci-Fi classic.

Read more on our film page, then pre-order from Oldies.com, for shipment on September 28, 2010!

Latest press

Lurid Be Thy Name
Astro Zombies, Blood Orgies and Corpse Grinders - Ted V. Mikels reflects on six decades of low-budget sensational cinema.
by Dave Alexander

Even at age 81, Ted V. Mikels' reputation continues to grow as a maverick filmmaker with a taste for the truly bizarre. Muscular and sporting his trademark curled moustache and animal tooth necklace, the DIY writer/director/producer/editor/actor has always been a showman. From a near-Hollywood career as a child actor, to work as a stuntman and cinematographer in the '50's, to decades making his own micro-budget movies, he's always had a sense for the sensational (for a time he lived in a castle with a harem of women who would appear in his films).