FEARnet and Sam Raimi?s Ghost House pictures first original series, Devil?s Trade is just about ready for prime time. I spent a day on the set of Devil?s Trade and was able to talk to a few of the major players associated with the production and see them all put to work. This is a FEARnet exclusive. This is the first time you?re hearing from the cast and crew of Devil?s Trade and we?ve also got the first batch of stills for you as well.

In Devil?s Trade, three teenagers incur the wrath of a deadly curse when one of them purchase a presumably harmless wooden cross at www.devilstrade.com. After a series of ominous events, they set off on a race to return the cross to its rightful owner and avoid their own morbid fates.

I spent the day at a low rent motel in LA, where three rooms had been comandeered by the cast and crew, two for prep and monitor, one for shooting. I?m not going to go too much into what I saw, but it was pretty FX intensive. Between shots I spoke with three of the main actors and writer Ben Ketai for their thoughts on shooting for the web and horror films in general.

Ginny Weirick plays Anna and she?s no stranger to the world of horror, she starred in Ghosthouse Pictures Grudge 2 online shorts. A theatre major from San Diego, Weirick was also featured in the season premiere episode of Entourage.

She describes the shoot as ?scary and creepy? and appreciates the fact that Devil?s Trade presents situations that can ?happen to anyone, including hallucinations and the mind playing tricks on you.? Weirick describes herself as a horror fan, but not hardcore and cites Poltergeist and A Nightmare on Elm Street as a few of her personal favorites.

Born in Florida, Michael Conti (Darren) has been in LA for a little over a year and has recently completed a pilot for NBC. Conti describes the set as ?laid back and professional.? When it comes to Devil?s Trade, he says fans should really appreciate the FX and the fact that ?the film takes a mental approach to it?s scares.? He continues to tell us, ?Horror is a difficult genre to master? Conti then adds, ?and I don?t like films within the genre that try too hard, Devil?s Trade will really appeal to fans of the genre looking for something fresh.?

Ed Canossa plays Jim and he just completed filming on Cheerleader Massacre 2. He?s been acting since the 3rd grade and tells us that there is great synergy amongst the cast and crew on set. He?s not necessarily a fan of the genre, but he really enjoys acting within it. When asked what he feels they are delivering to fans of the genre with Devil?s Trade he replies, ?Pleasure, pure fucking pleasure.?

Ben Ketai wrote the online Grudge shorts for Sam Raimi?s Ghost House pictures and jumped at the chance to write Devil?s Trade. Ben explains how he and director Toby Wilkins have a strong working relationship together, and sees Devil?s Trade as a true cliffhanger series.

?The challenge is in crafting this 20 minute piece at a pace that keeps them hanging on,? Ketai continues, ?We?re filming at a hectic pace, it?s difficult, but fun. We?re trying to pack as many scares and as much character development into these 20 minutes that we can. We want you to care about these characters 3-5 minutes at a time, and then we put them through hell. There are challenges in the horror genre in general, but it?s even more difficult when you have such a short time to work with.?

Ben tells us that he feels people need to care and feel for these kids in order for thw whole thing to work. He wants viewers to be on the edge of their seats, waiting to see what?s next. An on again off again fan of the genre for years, Ben tells us that ?Ghost House helped me to rediscover my love for horror.?

The first episode of Devil?s hits the web on 6-6 at 6PM, when Darren can?t resist buying a ?cursed? wooden cross.