Filmmaker Statement

I recently had a feature I was going to direct fall through at the last minute, so I borrowed some film equipment, gathered up some friends and decided to make this short film instead. The genesis of HOWL AT THE DEAD lies in my own pets, whose uncanny behavior – from howling at vacant closets to fixating on corners – convinced me they possess a sixth sense. I guess didn’t think I had enough challenges in my life so I decided to make a no-budget film starring kids and animals. Jim Henson always said that FEAR is a healthy emotion for children to deal with. My desire was to make a fun gateway horror film that I would have loved as a kid and HOWL AT THE DEAD evokes the spirit of films I loved growing up such as FRANKENWEENIE, E.T. & POLTERGIEST. On the surface this short is a scary and fast-paced haunted house film… but on the foundation level, it’s about the deep emotional connections we as humans have to our pets.