'Kickstarting' a Horror Flick

Writer/director Jeremy Wechter is working hard to get his supernatural horror movie Evil Alive made. He’s got the cast, crew, location and the screenplay—he's just a little short in the budget department.

Oct. 6, Wechter will make the trip down the Turnpike to Red, White and Brew in Mt. Holly for a special fundraiser/raffle that he hopes will help get things off the ground.

The wine, beer and spirits shop will host live guitar music, a wine bar, a Q&A about filmmaking, movie trivia contest and several raffle items. It runs from 3:30 to 7 p.m. Saturday.

“Regardless of if you’re a fan of horror,” Wechter said, “it’s going to be a fun event.

A 1994 Cinnaminson High School graduate, Wechter graduated from the Tisch School of Arts at New York University. He remembers being artsy at a young age.

“I was always creative and liked drawing and painting,” Wechter said. “I always assumed I’d end up in that field. But the more I explored in college, the more I realized filmmaking was the thing for me.”

With quite a few screenplays, commercials and more under his belt, Wechter knew Evil Alive was the one he wanted to turn into a feature film.

“This was by far the fastest screenplay I’ve ever written,” he said. “It was just flowing out of me.”

People started to read the screenplay and were interested in what Wechter describes as its supernatural and psychological elements, which he likened to those of the TV show American Horror Story.

“It’s very human [and] character-oriented,” Wechter said. “It’s a very relatable horror movie. There's no movie like it.”

In addition to the Saturday fundraiser, Wechter also has a Kickstarter campaign and special online raffle with movie items like a Ryan Gosling-and-Michelle-Williams-signed Blue Valentine poster. Donors get their names in the movie credits.

“Filmmakers don’t’ have to rely on studios anymore,” Wechter said. “There’s an example of people helping out.”

Even Red, White and Brew is an example of the level of favors being tossed around to help Wechter get the film going. The joint is owned by a family friend, Stacey Blacker, who offered it up for the event.

“I was blown away by her generosity,” Wechter said.