Where a night so foggy not even the moon’s light shines through is coupled with an eerie silence from being three miles away from the nearest road, the perfect stage for a horror film is set.
“Along the Creek Road” is a short film inspired by true events, about the disappearance of three children in the city of Oaksville and an investigative journalist’s attempts to bring peace to the tragic mystery 15 years later. As she seeks to uncover the story, an interviewee shares that he has a connection to the missing children’s whereabouts and his terrifying secrets begin to unravel.
Serg Garcia, writer, co-producer and alumnus, spent two years writing to create the perfect story that shows the horrific and creepy sides of humanity. Garcia said he was inspired by multiple events he came across during his research, including cases of child disappearances in the 1940s and cult related events from the Charles Manson cases.
“I tried to make it show that these things can happen,” Garcia said. “That’s what gets me horrified, the true aspect of horror films. That this type of horror does exist in the world.”
Learda Shkurti, executive producer and alumna, was a teaching assistant in one of Garcia’s courses while they were both students. Shkurti said she has always appreciated Garcia’s work and joined this project because she truly believes in his creative vision.
“I don’t love horror movies, but I like things that can make me feel something and things that make me feel like ‘oh god, I didn’t know that I could feel that’,” Shkurti said. “So something like a creepy movie like this I think can resonate with anyone even if they don’t really like horror movies.”
The film crew consisted of a compilation of Texas State students and alumni who simply share a passion for filmmaking. Despite their young age and the fact that for many it was their first time working on a set, the filmmakers and actors worked together to develop a professional atmosphere.
Xavier Alvarado, actor and public relations senior, plays the main character, Cherokee, in the film. He said his favorite part of working on the film was getting to know the other people and learning how to balance creativity and professionalism alongside them.
“I even stayed late one night just to talk with another set member and we had a great conversation about creativity, just brainstorming, getting out of creative blocks,” Alvarado said. “She made a great point to me that if you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room. You get around a set and you’re surrounded by so many people you can get a little intimidated, but you learn from that and you learn from the people around you.”
The film is currently in the post-production process, which consists of editing and submitting the film to multiple festivals. Until the film has been judged at film festivals, it will only be viewable by those who make a donation. The film crew of “Along the Creek Road” is hosting its wrap party and fundraiser at AquaBrew on Feb. 11.
More information about the film can be found at https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/along-the-creek-road-short-film-movie-horror#/