With just 7 minutes and $6,000 in the budget to tell the story, Douglas Wicker (Bang the Drum: The Life & Death of a Small Town Music Scene, Bad People) deals with a family’s trauma by way of mysterious creatures that they’re been worrying about since grandfather first saw them fifty years ago. Now, it seems as if those things — whatever they are — have returned.

The best part of seeing this as part of the Chattanooga Film Festival was getting to see Wicker interact and explain more of the film, including behind-the-scenes shots. He said that the film is “a love letter to films with amazing folklore and creature biologists like Alien and Pumpkinhead, but also channeling a lot of emotional conflict and concepts I’ve struggled with in my life.”

He also discussed how the run time didn’t allow him to do all that he wanted to do, as he saw the first act as the setup, the second as a rescue mission and the third as a full-blown siege film. I’d love to see him expand this story and get to make this as a larger and longer film, because what is in this short has enough for three movies worth of effects-driven horror.

You can get a back half half price badge to watch all of the awesome movies at the Chattanooga Film Festival and see them until 6/29!  Get yours right here!