Gentrification may seem like an odd topic for a horror film, but I guess with the right level of creativity, anything’s possible. Director Xavier Coleman is raising cash on Kickstarter for his short White Knuckle, which you can read about below.
Synopsis:
A horror-whodunit short film about a serial killer targeting the newcomers of a neighborhood undergoing gentrification.
When a serial killer begins targeting the gentrifiers of a dwindling, historically Black neighborhood, three young adults attempt to determine the murderer’s identity…before they’re next.
Jay and Rich are an early-20s Black American sister and brother duo who recently moved in to a beautiful, Brownstone Brooklyn neighborhood where the film is set. Having been raised in a predominately white, wealthy suburb, the siblings yearn to have their new home provide some insight into their Black cultural identity.
Troy is an early-20s white male, the child of one of the first white families to reside in the neighborhood in decades. Upon returning home from his college studies, Troy discovers that the community has undergone more rapid gentrification than expected, and that his parents have sold their house as a result.
The bulk of the film unfolds over the course of an evening as Troy arrives at Jay and Rich’s new brownstone to view one of the floors up for rent. The meet-and-greet soon turns into an impassioned conversation about the changing neighborhood and the serial killer who’s recently begun stalking it. Unbeknownst to Jay, Rich and Troy, the killer may be closer than they think…