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MOV Film helps bring Appalachian horror project “Something Beckons” to life

By Gwen Sour 4 min read

A whistle in the dark Appalachian woods would be unsettling under ordinary circumstances. While filming a horror movie about why people should not respond to strange sounds in the forest, it was enough to make writer and director Allison Haines consider running.

Haines and a local cast and crew are filming "Something Beckons," an independent horror project set in the Mid-Ohio Valley and inspired by Appalachian folklore.

The film follows a family of three spending the summer at a cabin when they encounter a threatening presence in the woods. Haines said the story draws from regional folklore and the so-called rules of Appalachia, including warnings about answering mysterious voices or whistles heard in the forest.

"Something Beckons" is being created as a proof of concept -- a shorter production intended to demonstrate how the story, special effects and atmosphere could work in a full-length film. Haines hopes to use the finished project to attract funding for a feature-length version.

Haines said their interest in filmmaking began with special effects, while a longtime fascination with cryptid stories and folklore helped shape the project.

"I wanted to be able to incorporate everything," Haines said. "I also really, really love cryptid stories and folklore, and it just felt like a great way to mash both together."

The Mid-Ohio Valley's wooded landscape provides an authentic Appalachian setting for the story. It also made a nighttime test of the film's special effects feel uncomfortably close to reality.

During the test, an actor was covered in mud and fake blood while the crew worked with a special-effects version of Baxter, a dog appearing in the project. While filming in the darkness, crew members thought they heard whistling in the woods.

The sound was eventually attributed to music coming from another home, but it briefly brought the movie's premise to life.

"I was focused on her, and then I hear, 'Was that a whistle?'" Haines said. "I was like, 'If it is, we're running.'"

The moment was especially unnerving considering the folklore at the center of the film.

"We are quite literally making a movie about why it is a bad idea," Haines said.

Filming outdoors and on an independent film budget has presented challenges beyond mysterious noises. Because the production relies heavily on natural light, changing weather can complicate the visual continuity between scenes.

A storm during one weekend of filming forced the crew to discard its planned shooting order and reorganize the schedule.

"Working around the weather -- we're working a lot with natural light, and so the continuity of the lighting," Haines said. "Last weekend that we filmed, it stormed like crazy. Having a plan of what scenes we were going to do in order kind of went out the window because of the weather, and we had to rearrange."

The production received assistance from MOV Film, the region's film commission. Erin O'Neill, the organization's director of strategy and community engagement and an actor in the project, said the commission helped Haines scout a location and connect with actors and crew members.

Some members of the production participated in a training session MOV Film held in March with filmmaker Kenny Chaplin, O'Neill said.

O'Neill said the commission was excited to help Haines bring an Appalachian story to life. The property's owners also allowed the production to film at the location for several days.

"It's going to be something that other filmmakers can see -- that it's possible to make films here in the area," O'Neill said. "We do have some really cool locations, and we do have the crews coming together."

MOV Film is celebrating its first anniversary this month. O'Neill said the commission does not finance productions, but helps filmmakers assemble crews, find locations and work with local governments.

"The film commission is here to put those parts and pieces and people together," O'Neill said.

Marietta City Council previously approved a memorandum of understanding designating MOV Film as the city's point of contact when productions are interested in filming there.

O'Neill said people interested in acting, filmmaking or other creative work can contact the commission to connect with others working in the region.

The commission previously assisted Stellar Films with "Road to Oklahoma," a documentary about the Jackson High School fishing team. O'Neill said "Something Beckons" is the first project in which MOV Film has been extensively involved.

Haines plans to submit "Something Beckons" to film festivals before releasing it publicly on YouTube or Vimeo. The first planned submission is to the Deadhead Film Festival in St. Albans in October.

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