The Project

What if your blind date is a vampire? What if your friends show up and make a mess of the whole evening? What if your date ends up in a graveyard? What if they figure out your secret?

Night Terrors: Blood Date on Trade Street is a fun horror feature film designed to showcase the talent, locations, and production value that Winston-Salem possesses - while we make a really fun movie and have a good time!

The movie begins on the set of Night Terrors - a weekly midnight movie showcase which is presenting the film Blood Date on Trade Street, a blind date with a vampire that takes some wild twists and turns.

Featuring well developed characters, clever dialogue, blood, fangs, and kills, plot twists and reveals, this movie has all of the laughs and scares you demand of a thoughtfully crafted horror/comedy. You’ll want to rewatch to catch all of the easter eggs, jokes, and gags that will take on new meaning once you’ve figured out who everyone really is!

The Cast

Night Terrors will feature the comedic acting and improv of Alexander Stone (Larry) and Erinn Dearth (Carrie) as they lead the studio team, supported by Dan Beckmann (Director). Blood Date on Trade Street will be led by Elise Kimple (Stacy) and Daniel Becker (Drake) and supported by Thao Nguyen (Randy), Evynn Rose Grignon (Linda), and Bailey Re’ (Date), along with several cameos and a cast of extras (that you can be a part of!) 

The Crew

This project will be filmed by an amazing local crew led by Writer/Director Chad Nance, Producer and Art Director Carissa Joines, and Producer Jason Levinson. Featuring the talents of local camera operators, grip & electric teams, sound and lighting designers, costumers, hair and makeup folks, and special effects masters, this project will put local crew members to work!

Locations

This movie is set to be filmed in locations that will be easily recognized by anyone who has been on Winston-Salem’s Trade Street, giving our community a chance to shine on the big screen.

Blood Date on Trade Street's leads Stacy and Drake start their date in the Silver Moon Saloon, then head to dinner at Finnigan's Wake, where they bump into some friends (Randy and Linda). The group then heads to the Bamboo Lounge for drinks. Our leads visit Major Tomms before heading back to Stacy's apartment. (Don't worry, we won't bloody these locations up too badly!)

The Night Terrors  Studio will be set up in Miller's on Trade, where Carrie and Larry will be doing their live show.

Why Horror

In the last ten years, horror has become the fastest-rising film genre, and its share of the US theatrical release market has more than tripled. While most genres are dominated by sequels, remakes, and reboots, horror still offers original, imaginative stories and characters. Horror is considered the perfect genre for independent film, because it can be produced relatively cheaply, it doesn’t rely on expensive big-name stars for success, it has a loyal fanbase, and the nature of its stories make the movies more enjoyable to watch in a communal setting. ( source )

But we didn’t just pick horror for business reasons. Writer/Director Chad Nance is a life-long fan of all things scary. His first real scare came at the Land of Oz theme park when the cowardly lion gave him his first jump scare - and he was hooked. Chad has woven his signature dialogue and authentic characters into a suspenseful, fun, scary script. The story takes twists and turns on traditional horror tropes, staying true to the elements that have made these themes the backbone of iconic horror films for generations.

If you liked Shaun of the Dead, Y2K, or Freaky, you're gonna love this film. Why Winston

Winston-Salem has set its sights on being a city of arts and innovation. We have a strong patron-arts scene, and some really innovative businesses have their roots here. But we’ve yet to find the entryway into truly innovative arts - the kind of art that can establish industry. We believe that film is the catalyst we’ve been looking for. It is an extremely collaborative art form, requiring writers, trained actors, highly skilled crew, lighting and sound specialists, lots of artists to create the sets, costumes, makeup and special effects, experienced editors and post-production teams, and support from financial, legal, insurance, and marketing folks. Films employ people from multiple disciplines and skill sets, and stream money into restaurants, bars, hotels, theaters and retail.

The Team & Community

Chad Nance and Carissa Joines have been supporting the arts and community of Winston-Salem for over 20 years. As owner/operators of Camel City Dispatch, they championed the community and the arts, promoting growth for local businesses and artists of all sorts. As their kids grew up and they transitioned into other media and marketing projects, they realized that their skills were a great fit for the film industry. But rather than pack up and move to LA or NYC, they stayed put and began documentary projects highlighting issues and celebrating successes close to home. Chad started writing screenplays again, and the couple began producing and filming short films with community partners - which is how they met Jason Levinson (who earned a MFA from UNCSA). A few projects later, Chad and Carissa asked Jason to join them in creating the infrastructure needed to attract film projects to the area. The first step - proving that a film can be made entirely in Winston Salem with folks local to the area - is what birthed the idea for this film. 

Why Now

Our community is ready. We want to create. To have fun. To show what we’re capable of.

Our team is ready. We have amazing actors cast, talented crew on board, and buy-in from local restaurants, bars, and retail for some locations that will give us terrific production value. Calico Bonnet Productions (Carissa and Chad’s company) will be providing all pre-production and post-production services and production equipment as well as their work on the project at no cost, which will mean that we need to raise about 35% of the total budget in order to make this film. That means we will be able to make a feature film that should cost $120k for just about $40k.

We're seeking support from individuals like you to raise $30k of that budget - and we  are committed to finding local businesses and organizations to supply the additional funds needed. Working together, we can reach our budget goals and make a fantastic film with the resources we have in our hometown. We can share some laughs and scares - and create jobs. 

You can join us! 

We have chosen to crowdfund for this film so we can get as many people as possible connected to the project. We know that our community believes in supporting art and innovation. So we want to collaborate with our friends and neighbors and create something we can celebrate together!

Your contribution means we can pay everyone who works on this film - and can earn you some cool stuff! Check out our supporter perks that include items from local artists, film props, and even on-screen opportunities. You can also collaborate with us with in-kind support from your business - just ask us how!

We’ve got some great events planned and a big premiere in the works, so be sure to subscribe and follow to stay in touch! (FB, IG, YT, website)

Help us spread the word!

If you think this is a great idea, and want to help us spread the word, just click on one of the share buttons at the top of this page. You can easily post to social media or create an email to share with friends. Or just copy the URL or share the video below.

Our pitch video (you can share it with friends via YouTube!)