i just filmed a horror movie

a blog post by Chelsea Beller

I have been obsessed with horror movies and Halloween for as long as I can remember.

I don’t know what it is about horror movies— I just love them. I love the safety of the thrill. I like to take risks from the safety of my couch. I enjoy yelling at the screen and telling those stupid teenagers not to go in there. I take great pleasure in gathering my friends together, with piles of snacks and pillows and blankets, and plopping in front of the tv with the only intention to be scared by it.

There came a point in my obsession that I thought to myself, why don’t I write a horror?

Well, because there’s so much to live up to. There’s Carpenter and Argento and Craven and Fargeat. How can I compete? But also, maybe that’s the wrong frame of mind. Why would I be competing with the greats when I’m only starting out? How about I just put all of that aside? Just write a horror movie. (Maybe make sure it’s halfway decent.)

So, I came up with a simple idea. (Keep It Simple Stupid) Write a horror about two young women alone in the woods. Simple enough. I would be one of the women, so I’d only have to ask one of my actor friends to act alongside me. I had a crew from my last film project, so that was done. All that’s left to do is film the damn thing.

Oh yes, it was that easy.

It took the better part of a year. For one reason or another, the odds were against us. The camera broke, then the camera broke again, then the location was occupied by leaf blowers, then the camera was still broken, then this, then that. It felt like a horror movie. Just one bad thing after another.

Well, the day was upon us. Just about. Only, the night before our director called out sick. But, she gave us the green light to go on without her. She had faith we could it and frankly, so did I. Nothing was going to stop us now. I asked my co-star if she could bring her director boyfriend and boy did he rise to the challenge. He was spectacular. The whole crew was spectacular. Coming up with one idea after the other, collaborating seamlessly- it was teamwork at its best.

Now all that’s left to do is edit. Thank the stars my co-star is also the best editor I know. (Liz Sorkin. Look her up. You won’t be sorry.)

I still can’t believe it. I mean, I guess I have to see how it turns out, but you know what, the hardest part as a producer is now over. I just get to revel in the feeling that we did it. We succeeded. I went to bed with the biggest smile on my face that night. As a writer, a producer, and a horror babe, I could not be more proud of myself.

Now, onto the next…