It’s always nice when we see independently financed and released films get their first trailer to entice an audience. There is no “Bay-esque” flash cuts, no mysterious title cards, just some awesome action and intense sequences thrown together with dialogue reminiscent of Clerks and brought to us by @ThatKevinSmith. Yes. That’s how he’s credited.

That’s how to cut a trailer. And that’s exactly what we get in the very first trailer for Smith’s Red State, the film so indie that he’s releasing it to theaters himself. Here’s the premise for the writer/director’s first horror film to date.

Red State begins by following three horny high-school boys who come across an online ad from an older woman looking for a gang bang. Boys being boys, they hit the road to satisfy their libidinal urges. But what begins as a fantasy takes a dark turn as they come face-to-face with a terrifying “holy” force with a fatal agenda.

Instead of relying on archetypes and predictable formulas, Smith meticulously fashions all-too-real characters, utilizing exceptional performances (notably by Michael Parks) and an intelligent script. His realistic style gives the film an intimate feeling, heightening the terror to biblical proportions. Red State is a shocking new kind of horror film that aggressively confronts higher powers and extreme doctrines with a vengeance.

That’s right, you’ve got the man that brought us the line “snoochie boochies” giving us a religious thriller with a pretty stellar cast. Leading that charge is the legendary Michael Parks, along with Kevin Pollak and John Goodman as the two would-be heroes of the tale (at least that’s what we’re hoping).

Take a look at the trailer after the jump and be sure to hit your local arthouse when Red State hits it on October 19th.

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Welcome to another edition of  On the Radar where we delve into all corners of the entertainment, tech and geek Internets for news, views and whatnot that may have escaped our regular coverage during the week. Let is know if we missed something interesting.

Let’s get started!

• Just when you thought women were finally being portrayed equal to men in films, a supercut that shows just the opposite comes along.

• Will Ferrell’s new dramatic comedy Everything Must Go gets a trailer. We’re still trying to figure out what’s so funny about it.

• Amber Heard recently posted a picture of her on set of the new series The Playboy Club. That sound? That’s the sound of a million teenage boys’ heads exploding.

• Monsters Inc. is officially getting a prequel, titled Monsters Universtiy. Pixar has even hired a director.

• Timur Bekmambetov is working on a brand new spec zombie film about a little girl that slowly becomes a member of the living dead after over 6 months. We’re rooting for Rebecca Black to play the lead.

• Kevin Smith is auctioning off a bunch of his old props from several films in order to fun his newest film, Red State. Who’s got dibs on Shannon Elizabeth’s career?

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Kevin Smith can’t seem to get a break. Sure, things were great back when Clerks blew up and his deal with Mirimax helped him form a career. But between his issues with Dogma and the church, getting an audience for Clerks 2, the problems with getting Zack and Miri Make A Porno and the trouble with Cop Out,  the guy can’t seem to get a break lately in Hollywood.

Yesterday, Smith brought his newest project, the horror film Red State, to Sundance and had planned on a public auction for the film’s distribution immediately after the screening. He later decided that he was going to distribute the film itself to prove that the indie film world still held strong.

So, for a whopping $20, Smith bought the film from himself, and is now planning on taking the flick on the road with a very grassroots plan to get awareness and make back the film’s $4 million budget. From THR:

The film will go out via Smith’s SModcast with no marketing spend, though he said that he will talk to “any smart exhibitor” about potentially showing the movie.

“We are going to make our money back by going out on the road and going city by city,” said Smith. The tour will begin March 5 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City and make a stop at Midland Theater in Kansas City one week later.

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For the longest time, not much was known about Kevin Smith’s newest written film since 2008′s Zack and Miri Make A Porno, which is also the writer/director’s first horror film, titled Red State.

The cast was revealed a few months ago, with a pretty interesting bunch of names like John Goodman, Kevin Pollak, Stephen Root, and Michael Parks. And then we got this synopsis.

Red State begins by following three horny high school boys who come across an online ad from an older woman looking for a gang bang. Boys being boys, they hit the road to satisfy their libidinal urges. But what begins as a fantasy takes a dark turn as they come face-to-face with a terrifying “holy” force with a fatal agenda.

So you’re probably asking yourself what a writer director like Kevin Smith has to do with horror, but this film has allegedly been in his nerdy vault of a brain since the early days of View Askew.

Going along his grassroots style that made him famous 16 years ago, Smith released the very first teaser for Red State on his site, the Smodcast. Check it out after the jump, and catch the flick in theaters early next year.

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Kevin Smith may be in between major cult films at the moment, getting ready for his upcoming Jersey-set horror film Red State, but in the meantime, he’s been quite busy keeping his legions of fans happy with live performances.

In the last few months, Smith has created and built the popularity of LA’s SmodCastle, a small theater which is rent out to podcasters and his celeb friends for them to do small, intimate shows for the most die hard of fans.

Smith doesn’t have “small theater” in immediate future, though, as he’s just been booked at The Palms Las Vegas. Here’s the full scoop.

On the Novemeber 12th, after 9 years in holding funny guys “Jay & Slient Bob Strike Back” with a night full of fun and laughter in Las Vegas.  Funny man Kevin Smith is joined by longstanding partner Jason Mewes for a exuberant night of comedic laughter as they take a trip back to “View Askewniverse”.

On November 13th, get up-close and personal with one of Hollywood’s most gifted and hilarious filmmakers. See the raunchy, offensive, and convivial Kevin Smith for a Q&A that is sure to have you falling out your seat.

Tickets haven’t gone on sale through Ticketmaster just yet, but they will soon. In the meantime, check in at Smith’s View Askew site as more dates and events get announced.