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🔥 This horror is scripted. Your goosebumps are not.
On a stormy night, a guilt-ridden teenager visits the mother of a recently deceased girl, seeking redemption, but as the night unravels, both are forced toward a devastating truth that neither is prepared to face.
"Nightfall" by Zac Villanueva
Starring Teri Hatcher (Coraline, Desperate Housewives)
Connect with the Filmmakers:
https://www.festivalformula.com/theslate/nightfall
https://www.instagram.com/zacv/
More About "Nightfall":
JAMES (18) drives through a violent rainstorm, rehearsing apologies to the dead girl in his passenger seat: MIA (18). She mocks every version of his confession, urging him to turn the truck around before it’s too late. James refuses. As their argument escalates, an oncoming flash of headlights reveals Mia exactly as he last saw her: bloodied, broken, and dead.
James arrives at the isolated home of ANNE (50s), Mia’s grieving mother, on the anniversary of her daughter’s death. Claiming he once knew Mia, James offers condolences and nervously accepts Anne’s invitation inside. Over tea, Anne recalls memories of her daughter and quietly blames herself for the fight they had on Mia’s final night alive. James admits he sees Mia everywhere he goes. But when he describes the exact outfit Mia was wearing the night she died. Anne suddenly realizes this stranger knows more than he should.
Alone in the bathroom, James breaks down and calls 9-1-1, confessing to the hit-and-run that killed Mia before hanging up mid-call. Searching for Anne, he finds her sitting inside Mia’s untouched bedroom. Anne then leads him deep into the rain-soaked woods, insisting Mia’s spirit is close. Overcome with guilt, James finally confesses the truth: he killed Mia and fled the scene. Anne forgives him. Shattered by her mercy, James runs blindly into the darkness as Anne races back toward the house. Moments later, James realizes he’s standing in the middle of a road. Headlights ignite in the distance. Anne speeds toward him in her truck and slams directly into him, killing him instantly. As police sirens echo through the night, Anne sits silently behind the wheel, finally reunited with the violence that destroyed her life.
Director’s Statement:
With NIGHTFALL, I wanted to bring the most compromised characters together and keep cranking up the pressure for 15 minutes straight. I love characters with secrets. I love ugly truths and badly timed confessions. And I especially love watching my characters squirm their way through the worst possible situations.
"Nightfall" Credits:
Cast:
Teri Hatcher
Emma Malouff
Guy Hershler
Producers:
Alessia Cruci
Steve Ewer
Zarye Wossene
Executive Producers:
Steve Ewer
Guy Hershler
Cinematographer:
Joseph Wise
Production Designer:
Taylor Woods
Editor:
Samuel Gill
Daniel Greis:
Composer
Sofia Cholewczynski:
Costume Designer
Casting Director:
Skyler Zurn
Art Director:
Emily Ward
Sound Designer:
Glenn Irish
1st Assistant Director:
Maya Raman
2nd Assistant Director:
Abby Engelman
Sound Mixer:
Alex Bologna
Colorist:
Jake White
SFX Makeup Designer:
Patrick Bradberry
SFX Makeup Assistant:
Olga Tarnovetska
VFX:
Gordon Horowitz
1st Assistant Camera:
Gracia Lu
2nd Assistant Camera:
Bernie O’Boyle
Gaffer:
Everd Rijzewijk
Key Grip:
Truman Waller
Best Boy:
Ian Rayburn
Grips:
Aaron Diaz
Byron Morse
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