Festival Darling Horror Short ALLERGIC OVERREACTION Will Make Your Guts Churn!
In the mood for some gut-churning horror mayhem? Give the festival darling horror short Allergic Overreaction a spin below!
Synopsis:
When Scott brings cookies to his friend’s annual weekend-long Freddy vs Jason fest, he unwittingly gives Dave an allergic reaction. And what was supposed to be a fun time, turns into a night of uncanny horror!
Allergic Overreaction is written and directed by Zachary Eglinton; the short film stars Matt Mercer, CB Mullen, Ace Marrero, and Andrew Nathaniel Morris. Nick Novotny is the director of photography, Brandon Walz composed the score, and Kate Klein did the makeup/special effects.
Director’s Statement:
This is a love letter to slasher flicks. My friends and I hold a Freddy vs Jason fest every year where we watch every single Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street. I love friendship. But I also have this great fear of friends not being there for you till the end. The ones that might abandon you at the first sign of trouble.
I gave the cookies with the peanuts to a friend that I have a bit of a tumultuous friendship. He was allergic to nuts and I had known this previously, but forgotten it by the time I gave the cookies. I thought I might have killed him after he disappeared for a solid day after the Freddy vs Jason fest. I was ready to be turned in by my friends. They’d never believe me. They’ve seen the fights. They’ll think I did it on purpose. He plays Dave in the movie. Turns out it was tree nuts he’s deathly allergic to, but that didn’t stop me from creating The Wheeze. I mean after I mentally prepared for a lengthy murder trial and possible life imprisonment for murder.
The film is special to me because those friends I fear would abandon me, didn’t. They all came together and made this crazy thing with me and it’s just the most fun thing I’ve done with filmmaking. They were all so supportive and everyone really knocked it out of the park. Kate Klein (sfx) came on and knew exactly what I was going for and she helped shape this new villain, Nick Novotny did a bang up job with such a limited budget and it looks great. Brandon Walz made such a wonderful score and created this soundscape that really encapsulates that ‘pit of your stomach feeling’. And the actors really added an authenticity to the friendships portrayed on screen. I loved what they all did, the little nuances. We played at a bunch of festivals and we took home the Best of Fest award at Panic Fest. It’s been a great experience.
People seem to be really responding well to it. It’s dark. It’s funny. It’s got thrills and some chills. It doesn’t take itself too seriously and most people get that. I also saw someone post that it provoked that we all need to be aware of the food allergies of our friends, and respect them. I really loved that. I love that in this short about friends turning on each other, it provides this sense of urgency that we should be better to each other.
I’m working on the script for an Allergic Overreaction feature film. There’s more story to tell and I would love to dig deeper into it. I’m working on a few other projects as well. One other feature and a bunch of shorts. Hopefully, 2021 is more productive than 2020 let us be!
What do you think of Allergic Overreaction? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram! You can also carry on the convo with me personally on Twitter @josh_millican.
