The Luring is a psychological thriller meant for true horror fans who like a little weird in their films. It's a twisted film but a fun watch and is now on Amazon starring Rick Irwin, Michaela Sprague, Daniel Berkey, Molly Fahey, Gavin Bergman and Henry Gagliardi.
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Logline: A man tries to recover a lost memory by returning to his family’s Vermont vacation home where an unspeakable act took place.
Tagline: Escaping a nightmare only means you’re still in one.
When I was a kid I watched a short film called “The Red Balloon” which was made in 1956. It had a profound impact on me. I just remember the film being extremely moody and for some reason it scared me. My 6 year old imagination just ran off somewhere dark. I thought, 'what force is controlling the balloon exactly?' The balloon had this life of its own and I was frightened by the thought that this object could lure this kid, or me...I had a chance to shoot a feature film in a house that my family used to own. I wanted to write a script that was dark but fun to watch. I also wanted to disturb myself a little bit also because I'm a little bit twisted and anything to do with kids and evil forces scare me. I also wanted to say something about relationships, sexual power, dominance and submission, lies and goodbyes. I hope you enjoy the film, it's on Amazon Prime Video to rent or purchase. The ending is deliciously evil.
Synopsis: Garrett tries to recover a lost memory that took place during his tenth birthday at the family's secluded vacation home in Vermont. Unbeknownst to him, a dark and unspeakable event occurred that left him in a non-responsive state, a condition diagnosed by a psychiatrist as dissociative amnesia—a memory loss triggered by a traumatic event.
Now in his early thirties, Garrett is desperate to uncover the truth hidden within his fractured mind, but he will soon realize that some memories hold secrets he wished had remained buried. As he embarks on this journey, his always overly optimistic girlfriend, Claire, is focused on making this a romantic getaway to strengthen their relationship.
However, their idyllic escape takes a nightmarish turn as Claire begins to hear strange noises and is haunted by terrifying visions that originate from her nightmares.
Simultaneously, Garrett becomes entangled with a mysterious woman named Jennifer, who appears in the dead of night, masked and enigmatic, leaving him captivated and bewildered
A strange tall man shares conspiracy theories with Garrett that could bring him great harm unless he takes drastic measures. A red balloon and a toy truck seem to appear before every murder, as if used as bait by a vindictive and hellish force.
In this surreal and mind-bending psychological thriller, the boundaries between nightmares and reality blur, and the web of lies and manipulation tightens, culminating in a catastrophic and deeply disturbing conclusion.
I want to thank everyone for your support. This film took a lot of hard work to produce and it takes a village so Thank You!
More info: amazon.com
The Luring poster
The Luring (official trailer)
Teaser video The Luring (Claires trailer)
I always wondered what force was behind the balloon? This stuck with me so when I got the opportunity to shoot a film I remembered this short film and that was the inspiration for The Luring
There are a few Easter eggs in The Luring
Me at video village on set for The Luring which was shot in Vermont
Screenshot from The Luring
Screenshot from The Luring. Jennifer is a wicked character but a lot of fun to watch. This was the first scene we shot with the actress
The shoot was 22 days, half of them were at night
(L to R) Amanda McGrady, Christopher Wells and his dad Roderick Wells whose paintings are in the film
We even had a steadicam opperator Lisa Sene
Me discussing the next shot with my awesome AD Michael Toscano
Amanda setting up the next shot at the Kingdom Taproom in St. Johnsbury Vermont
The house where it all took place. What evil lurks...?
Rick and Dan share a laugh before action at the Kingdom Taproom in St. Johnsbury Vermont
