Boys' Night: A Wesleyan Horror Thesis
Middletown, Connecticut | Film Short
Horror
BOYS' NIGHT is a horror film project that uses conventions of the genre to engage in social commentary about college parties, gender dynamics and male complicity. The goal for the project is create a dual horror experience, where men leave the theater terrified and women leave vindicated.
Boys' Night: A Wesleyan Horror Thesis
Middletown, Connecticut | Film Short
Horror
1 Campaigns | Massachusetts, United States
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BOYS' NIGHT is a horror film project that uses conventions of the genre to engage in social commentary about college parties, gender dynamics and male complicity. The goal for the project is create a dual horror experience, where men leave the theater terrified and women leave vindicated.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
This thesis aims to use the horror genre to as a vehicle to explore male complicity in sexual assaults on college campuses. We often hear about men who commit acts of violence, whether it be physical, sexual or emotional, but it is only more recently that these conversations have included those men who stood idlely by. It is these men who are the target audience for this film.
Of course, anyone of any gender identification will be able to enjoy and take something away from the film, but its message is ultimately hyper-focused: complicity is a transgression worthy of severe judgement. Under this framework, the film strives to create a dual experience, one where different portions of the audience have differentiated experiences.
Cismen watching the film will be first reminded of the evil that can lie within their friends, only to then realize that they aren’t so innocent either. Non-cismale audience members will be confronted with an unfortunately recognizable scenario, which then flips on its head and becomes a vindictive, and hopefully empowering, experience.
To achieve these goals, BOYS’ NIGHT is situated firmly within the horror genre and that allows us to do a couple important things:
- Create a primarily visceral and physical experience. An experience that the audience can not easily distanced themselves from but is still satisfying in its aesthetic and conclusion.
- Construct an allegorical framework that allows the film to explore the unspoken and social dynamics between different groups in a critical manner.
- Design characters and settings with heightened qualities to make explicit the dynamics and tensions that the film wishes to showcase and on which it aims to comment.
BOYS’ NIGHT draws its narrative inspiration from movies like Get Out (2017) and Babadook (2014). Stylistically, the film will draw on tried and true cinematic horror tactics by playing with shadows, camera-angles, mise-en-scene and blood.
Our visual sources of inspiration are:
Cat People (1942)
The Seventh Victim (1943)
Suspirira (1977)
Hostel (2004)
The Babadook (2014)
Get Out (2017)
These visuals are only one component in a successful film and the sound design for BOYS’ NIGHT will be just as important.
Composed by a Wesleyan music major, BOYS’ NIGHT’s sound track will draw from such classics as Psycho (1960), The Excorist (1973) and Suspiria (1977) in order to support the other horror tropes of the film.
These facets of the genre are important as the aim of the film goes beyond creating a run-of-the-mill horror film; horror is particularly capable of showing the real-life horrors experienced by marginalized groups. In BOYS' NIGHT, we will utilize this faculty of horror by depending on its genre conventions and styles in order to create a film uses a complicit male subjectivity to address and highlight the experiences of survivors and thier trauma, while simulatenously providing a bit of justice.
I am so blessed, privileged and fortune enough to have the opportunity to make and direct this film. Since the moment I got to Wesleyan, I’ve been preparing and planning for when I would finally have the opportunity to prove my worth to my peers, my professors and to the wider community. A lot of ideas came to mind but once I came up with the idea of BOYS’ NIGHT, I’ve been fixated ever since.
As you can no doubt can tell, this film deals with extremely sensitive subject matter. While this subject matter is only heavily implied and never directly shown on screen, implication does not diminish impact. I am highly cognizant of the challenges involved with not only dealing with this subject matter but also doing so in a way that keeps my cast and crew safe and serves its larger vision of creating a better world with better men in it.
Our number one priority in production meetings, in rehearsal and on set will be the safety and comfort of everyone involved.
BOYS’ NIGHT isn’t worth making if this is not the case.
Thank you for taking the time to stop by and for checking out BOYS’ NIGHT! If you believe in the project, please consider contributing to the project to make our vision a reality.
With love,
Will
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Food for Cast and Crew
Costs $900
With over 21 crew members, 6 leads and 15 extras, we need to food to keep everyone happy and healthy
Lens! Oh Lens!
Costs $500
The best lens are the ones you rent (especially the 14mm) and the ones you insure!
Production Design
Costs $400
The setting is layered with motifs and symbols. We want art and furniture that fits the part!
Costumes for Extras!
Costs $200
Designed by a nearby artist and produced in Middletown, these shirts will make our setting grounded.
Blood! and Lots of It!
Costs $150
We got to slather the boys with ALOT of blood.
Lighting Equipment
Costs $200
We want our actors to be seen and drenched in beautiful colored lights!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
About the BOYS' NIGHT Crew
William Geraldo Maldonado, Writer/Director
Will Maldonado is a senior Film and Government Double major at Wesleyan University. He was born and raised in Western Mass.At Wesleyan, he has focused all energy to studying film and has worked in a variety roles on different student thesis sets (Sound Operator, Gaffer and Assistant Camera). Will never enjoyed horror movies growing up (except Night of the Living Dead) but last spring he took a class called Cinema of Horror and immediately feel in love. His absolute favorite horror movie is Suspiria (1977).
Charles Wudd, Executive Producer
Charles Wudd is an alumnus who majored in English and received a Certificate at Wesleyan University. He was born in Inner Mongolia, China and raised in several places around the world. As his single-parent father had a high-intensity job during Charles’ childhood, some of Charles’ most vivid and favorite childhood memories were watching classic movies and TV shows with his father during the latter’s rare free time. Charles once aspired to be an actor himself, performing in a variety of shows throughout his childhood. Friends and family are central to Charles’ value system, and he firmly believes that family is chosen and nurtured, not born and determined. He has been a close personal friend of Will for several years and was one of the people Will consulted about the script. Charles’ faith in Will’s vision and abilities convinced him to support Will’s project and become an Executive Producer. His favorite horror movies include Out of the Dark (1995), The Exorcist (1973), Scream (1996), and Psycho (1960).
Sherwin Yu, Producer
Sherwin Yu is a prospective film studies and economics major at Wesleyan University. He loves sketch comedy, playing basketball, and listening to hip-hop/R&B music; but above all, he loves a good movie. Sherwin is very excited to take on the producer role for “Boys’ Night”! He believes this project tackles a lot of prevalent topics and has a lot of narrative and aesthetic potential. His favorite horror movies are The Shining, Deep Red, and Identity.
Zach Brida, Producer
Kickstarting his passion for film at a young age by reading the backs of DVD boxes in Blockbuster, Zack Brida is the on-set producer of Boys Night. He’s excited to finally work on a horror film because every day feels like a waking nightmare to him -- his favorite horror movie is Mulholland Drive!
Josh Rode, Assistant Director
Josh Rode is a senior at Wesleyan University majoring in English and Film Studies. His academic interests have focused primarily on performance and dramatic writing in both film and theater. As assistant director for Boys Night, Josh is excited to work again in close collaboration with Will Maldonado, as they have previously worked together in production class and other thesis films. His favorite horror films are The Shining, Halloween and The Orphanage.
Candice Cirilo, 2nd Assistant Director
Candice Cirilo is a sophomore in Wesleyan University and a prospective studio art and film double major with a minor in Integrated Design, Engineering, and Applied Sciences. She has worked on film productions on campus and have recently started to branch out to acting both in film and in theatre. She’s excited to be working on a horror film because the one thing she loves more than her cat is watching scary movies and making herself too scared to go to the bathroom alone at night. Her favorite horror movies are Hereditary, Ju-On, Saw, and any and all really bad zombie movie.
Kela Sachs, Assistant Director, Acting Coach
Kela Sachs is senior Music Major, theater kid, and one of the Assistant Directors of Boys’ Night. Having worked on multiple film projects as an actor for Dir. Will Maldonado in the past, she’s over the moon to be stepping into her directorial shoes for the first time and to work with him behind the camera as an acting coach/director for the project! She’s too much of a wimp to seek out watching scary movies unless she’s peer pressured to, so her favorite horror film is The Babadook because that’s the last one she was forced to watch (she’s working on it).
Ale Lampietti, Director of Photography
Ale Lampietti is a Film and Italian Studies major at Wesleyan University and has worked with Will on various other student projects, including two theses. She and Will also took the Cinema of Horror class together. Basically, they are best buds who share a similar vision and love for horror. Her favorite horror films are Signs, Suspiria, and The Exorcist. She is incredibly excited to be working on this thesis film and to make Will’s scary vision come to LIFE!
Beatrix Herriott O'Gorman, 1st Ac
Beatrix goes by B because it's short and sweet and easy to remember. B has production designed and set decorated several short films and music videos. She ACed a senior thesis last year and is thrilled to be able to work closer to the camera once again and to be working with such a talented female DP. B hails from the Land of Eire and takes most of her visual inspiration from deep sea nature documentaries and 90s music videos. She's pretty terrified of all horror films but if she had to pick a favourite she'd go with either Jaws or The Love Witch (do those count??!).
Leon Ristov, Assistant Camera
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Leon Ristov is a prospective Film Studies major at Wesleyan University. In his home country of Macedonia, Leon has worked on a couple professional and student film sets as an actor and assistant director. Having made films since the age of 10, he has also helmed over 40 of his own projects as a writer, producer, director and everything in between. The last time he made a horror film was during his early years of filmmaking, and he is excited to see what his current perspective may bring to Will’s vision.
Annie Ning, Production Design
Annie Ning loves to inflict terror in the depths of the human soul, and she is very excited to do so with Hannah and Joseph. Most recently, she has worked in the Art Department of various independent films, including a psychological-thriller shot in the Canadian woods, where she lived out the plot of Cabin in the Woods. She also studies Film and English at Wesleyan University, with a minor concentration in 3D design. In her free time, she is the co-founder of Instagram lifestyle account @art.dept.memes.
Hannah Cooper, Production Design
Hannah Cooper studies Film and German at Wesleyan University. She’s worked on a handful of thesis sets over the past couple of years, but never on anything as spooky and scary as Will’s. She is both excited and nervous to bring Bellwitch to life with Annie and Joseph because she tends to be a big weenie when it comes to horror. However, Hannah did watch Scream recently and didn’t have a single nightmare after, so maybe there are more scary movies in her future.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
This thesis aims to use the horror genre to as a vehicle to explore male complicity in sexual assaults on college campuses. We often hear about men who commit acts of violence, whether it be physical, sexual or emotional, but it is only more recently that these conversations have included those men who stood idlely by. It is these men who are the target audience for this film.
Of course, anyone of any gender identification will be able to enjoy and take something away from the film, but its message is ultimately hyper-focused: complicity is a transgression worthy of severe judgement. Under this framework, the film strives to create a dual experience, one where different portions of the audience have differentiated experiences.
Cismen watching the film will be first reminded of the evil that can lie within their friends, only to then realize that they aren’t so innocent either. Non-cismale audience members will be confronted with an unfortunately recognizable scenario, which then flips on its head and becomes a vindictive, and hopefully empowering, experience.
To achieve these goals, BOYS’ NIGHT is situated firmly within the horror genre and that allows us to do a couple important things:
- Create a primarily visceral and physical experience. An experience that the audience can not easily distanced themselves from but is still satisfying in its aesthetic and conclusion.
- Construct an allegorical framework that allows the film to explore the unspoken and social dynamics between different groups in a critical manner.
- Design characters and settings with heightened qualities to make explicit the dynamics and tensions that the film wishes to showcase and on which it aims to comment.
BOYS’ NIGHT draws its narrative inspiration from movies like Get Out (2017) and Babadook (2014). Stylistically, the film will draw on tried and true cinematic horror tactics by playing with shadows, camera-angles, mise-en-scene and blood.
Our visual sources of inspiration are:
Cat People (1942)
The Seventh Victim (1943)
Suspirira (1977)
Hostel (2004)
The Babadook (2014)
Get Out (2017)
These visuals are only one component in a successful film and the sound design for BOYS’ NIGHT will be just as important.
Composed by a Wesleyan music major, BOYS’ NIGHT’s sound track will draw from such classics as Psycho (1960), The Excorist (1973) and Suspiria (1977) in order to support the other horror tropes of the film.
These facets of the genre are important as the aim of the film goes beyond creating a run-of-the-mill horror film; horror is particularly capable of showing the real-life horrors experienced by marginalized groups. In BOYS' NIGHT, we will utilize this faculty of horror by depending on its genre conventions and styles in order to create a film uses a complicit male subjectivity to address and highlight the experiences of survivors and thier trauma, while simulatenously providing a bit of justice.
I am so blessed, privileged and fortune enough to have the opportunity to make and direct this film. Since the moment I got to Wesleyan, I’ve been preparing and planning for when I would finally have the opportunity to prove my worth to my peers, my professors and to the wider community. A lot of ideas came to mind but once I came up with the idea of BOYS’ NIGHT, I’ve been fixated ever since.
As you can no doubt can tell, this film deals with extremely sensitive subject matter. While this subject matter is only heavily implied and never directly shown on screen, implication does not diminish impact. I am highly cognizant of the challenges involved with not only dealing with this subject matter but also doing so in a way that keeps my cast and crew safe and serves its larger vision of creating a better world with better men in it.
Our number one priority in production meetings, in rehearsal and on set will be the safety and comfort of everyone involved.
BOYS’ NIGHT isn’t worth making if this is not the case.
Thank you for taking the time to stop by and for checking out BOYS’ NIGHT! If you believe in the project, please consider contributing to the project to make our vision a reality.
With love,
Will
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Food for Cast and Crew
Costs $900
With over 21 crew members, 6 leads and 15 extras, we need to food to keep everyone happy and healthy
Lens! Oh Lens!
Costs $500
The best lens are the ones you rent (especially the 14mm) and the ones you insure!
Production Design
Costs $400
The setting is layered with motifs and symbols. We want art and furniture that fits the part!
Costumes for Extras!
Costs $200
Designed by a nearby artist and produced in Middletown, these shirts will make our setting grounded.
Blood! and Lots of It!
Costs $150
We got to slather the boys with ALOT of blood.
Lighting Equipment
Costs $200
We want our actors to be seen and drenched in beautiful colored lights!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
About the BOYS' NIGHT Crew
William Geraldo Maldonado, Writer/Director
Will Maldonado is a senior Film and Government Double major at Wesleyan University. He was born and raised in Western Mass.At Wesleyan, he has focused all energy to studying film and has worked in a variety roles on different student thesis sets (Sound Operator, Gaffer and Assistant Camera). Will never enjoyed horror movies growing up (except Night of the Living Dead) but last spring he took a class called Cinema of Horror and immediately feel in love. His absolute favorite horror movie is Suspiria (1977).
Charles Wudd, Executive Producer
Charles Wudd is an alumnus who majored in English and received a Certificate at Wesleyan University. He was born in Inner Mongolia, China and raised in several places around the world. As his single-parent father had a high-intensity job during Charles’ childhood, some of Charles’ most vivid and favorite childhood memories were watching classic movies and TV shows with his father during the latter’s rare free time. Charles once aspired to be an actor himself, performing in a variety of shows throughout his childhood. Friends and family are central to Charles’ value system, and he firmly believes that family is chosen and nurtured, not born and determined. He has been a close personal friend of Will for several years and was one of the people Will consulted about the script. Charles’ faith in Will’s vision and abilities convinced him to support Will’s project and become an Executive Producer. His favorite horror movies include Out of the Dark (1995), The Exorcist (1973), Scream (1996), and Psycho (1960).
Sherwin Yu, Producer
Sherwin Yu is a prospective film studies and economics major at Wesleyan University. He loves sketch comedy, playing basketball, and listening to hip-hop/R&B music; but above all, he loves a good movie. Sherwin is very excited to take on the producer role for “Boys’ Night”! He believes this project tackles a lot of prevalent topics and has a lot of narrative and aesthetic potential. His favorite horror movies are The Shining, Deep Red, and Identity.
Zach Brida, Producer
Kickstarting his passion for film at a young age by reading the backs of DVD boxes in Blockbuster, Zack Brida is the on-set producer of Boys Night. He’s excited to finally work on a horror film because every day feels like a waking nightmare to him -- his favorite horror movie is Mulholland Drive!
Josh Rode, Assistant Director
Josh Rode is a senior at Wesleyan University majoring in English and Film Studies. His academic interests have focused primarily on performance and dramatic writing in both film and theater. As assistant director for Boys Night, Josh is excited to work again in close collaboration with Will Maldonado, as they have previously worked together in production class and other thesis films. His favorite horror films are The Shining, Halloween and The Orphanage.
Candice Cirilo, 2nd Assistant Director
Candice Cirilo is a sophomore in Wesleyan University and a prospective studio art and film double major with a minor in Integrated Design, Engineering, and Applied Sciences. She has worked on film productions on campus and have recently started to branch out to acting both in film and in theatre. She’s excited to be working on a horror film because the one thing she loves more than her cat is watching scary movies and making herself too scared to go to the bathroom alone at night. Her favorite horror movies are Hereditary, Ju-On, Saw, and any and all really bad zombie movie.
Kela Sachs, Assistant Director, Acting Coach
Kela Sachs is senior Music Major, theater kid, and one of the Assistant Directors of Boys’ Night. Having worked on multiple film projects as an actor for Dir. Will Maldonado in the past, she’s over the moon to be stepping into her directorial shoes for the first time and to work with him behind the camera as an acting coach/director for the project! She’s too much of a wimp to seek out watching scary movies unless she’s peer pressured to, so her favorite horror film is The Babadook because that’s the last one she was forced to watch (she’s working on it).
Ale Lampietti, Director of Photography
Ale Lampietti is a Film and Italian Studies major at Wesleyan University and has worked with Will on various other student projects, including two theses. She and Will also took the Cinema of Horror class together. Basically, they are best buds who share a similar vision and love for horror. Her favorite horror films are Signs, Suspiria, and The Exorcist. She is incredibly excited to be working on this thesis film and to make Will’s scary vision come to LIFE!
Beatrix Herriott O'Gorman, 1st Ac
Beatrix goes by B because it's short and sweet and easy to remember. B has production designed and set decorated several short films and music videos. She ACed a senior thesis last year and is thrilled to be able to work closer to the camera once again and to be working with such a talented female DP. B hails from the Land of Eire and takes most of her visual inspiration from deep sea nature documentaries and 90s music videos. She's pretty terrified of all horror films but if she had to pick a favourite she'd go with either Jaws or The Love Witch (do those count??!).
Leon Ristov, Assistant Camera
Leon Ristov is a prospective Film Studies major at Wesleyan University. In his home country of Macedonia, Leon has worked on a couple professional and student film sets as an actor and assistant director. Having made films since the age of 10, he has also helmed over 40 of his own projects as a writer, producer, director and everything in between. The last time he made a horror film was during his early years of filmmaking, and he is excited to see what his current perspective may bring to Will’s vision.
Annie Ning, Production Design
Annie Ning loves to inflict terror in the depths of the human soul, and she is very excited to do so with Hannah and Joseph. Most recently, she has worked in the Art Department of various independent films, including a psychological-thriller shot in the Canadian woods, where she lived out the plot of Cabin in the Woods. She also studies Film and English at Wesleyan University, with a minor concentration in 3D design. In her free time, she is the co-founder of Instagram lifestyle account @art.dept.memes.
Hannah Cooper, Production Design
Hannah Cooper studies Film and German at Wesleyan University. She’s worked on a handful of thesis sets over the past couple of years, but never on anything as spooky and scary as Will’s. She is both excited and nervous to bring Bellwitch to life with Annie and Joseph because she tends to be a big weenie when it comes to horror. However, Hannah did watch Scream recently and didn’t have a single nightmare after, so maybe there are more scary movies in her future.