Boo! (2011)
The tale of three trick ‘r treaters who come across a fabled funeral home, said to be the haunted home of a ghostly clown, one spooky Halloween night.
During the end of my college career, one of the many part-time jobs I had was working at a small, independently owned video store.
Behind the store was a seasonal Halloween attraction, the Harris Haven Funeral Home. I was fascinated with this place. Every year, this place would be packed with people looking to experience the haunted house, many of whom traveled from out of town.
In reality, it’s just a warehouse-turned haunted house, but the facade is spectacular. I knew I had to get it on film.
I enlisted the help of my frequent collaborator, Adam Orton, to direct and score the film. I wrote the characters to suit my cast, made up of my niece and nephews, who I had wanted to put in something for quite some time.
We ended up shooting the film over three of the sweatiest days in Iowa history, with almost no money, calling in favors from everyone from local crew to the Iowa Film office to my high school drama department.
Shortly before production, my lead actress contracted head lice.
On the second day of shooting, her dad had her in the car to get her haircut, not thinking about continuity. Luckily he remembered before they got to the salon, and I had to rewrite
The third night (also known as The Night of the Mosquitos), we were fighting to keep our five-year-old awake, and to get our shots done before the thunderstorm rolled in.
Filmmaking is fun.
BOO! would make its official premiere at the 2011 Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival, where it won the Gold Eddy for a Student Short Form.
The following year, the film would be showcased in the deadCENTER Film Festival, the Fear No Film – Utah Arts Festival, and the Iowa Independent Film Festival.
BOO! was nominated for Best Supernatural Short at the 2012 Midnight Black International Festival of Darkness.
