Isolated on a wintery farmhouse, two brothers are trapped in a toxic cycle of trauma, violence, and cannibalism. As one reaches his breaking point, the other dominates and controls in the name of brotherly love. A deep bond forged through familial blood and pain, will the beastly cycle be broken?
Isolated on a wintery farmhouse, two brothers are trapped in a toxic cycle of trauma, violence, and cannibalism. As one reaches his breaking point, the other dominates and controls in the name of brotherly love. A deep bond forged through familial blood and pain, will the beastly cycle be broken?
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Story
Mission Statement
Isolation and its ability to perpetuate abuse is something many are unfortunately more familiar with from this last year, leading to a global mental health crisis. Sharing trauma, our mission is to be a voice for how excruciatingly painful it can be to break toxic bonds, eating you from the inside.About The Project
Brothers Beastly is a psychological horror film about two identical twin brothers isolated on an old family farmhouse somewhere in 1960’s rural Upstate NY. There, they are trapped in a cannibalistic familial tradition and increasingly poisonous relationship.
Henry is someone trapped. Trapped by his home, his childhood, and most importantly his brother. He wants nothing more than to end the cycle of violence and guilt, but lacks the strength to take action against the only life he’s ever known.
Ed is someone hungry. Hungry for total control of his brother and anything unfortunate enough to cross his path. He carries the responsibility of family tradition, and dominates with false brotherly love, viewing himself as the savior of their clan and his brother.
In this film, we examine their twisted relationship come to a breaking point as the deep primal forces that drive all of us come spilling out of the psyche and onto the screen, consuming us in an abject creeping terror.
Heavy Snow by Andrew Wyeth, 1967
Brothers Beastly is a story based upon abject trauma and emotional pain. Abuse by those closest that we trust most, a toxic bond reaching dangerous levels of depravity, and a relationship just as decrepit as an old family farmhouse. We were all trapped in 2020 and we’re still dealing with the mental health repercussions from the isolation surrounding COVID-19.
This film has been my greatest passion for 5 years. My passion only became stronger for it when the narrative started bleeding into my real life during the pandemic. It was only through my own disturbing and agonizing experience that I understood the importance of this story. Of what it takes to end a Beastly cycle, eating you from within.
I have suffered, grown, and continue to grow through personal effort and with the films I create. My goal is to be a voice for others trapped in cycles of abuse.
-Peter J. Hartsock
Writer Director of Brothers Beastly
Brothers Beastly storyboards illustrated by Peter
Fantasma House is a homegrown midnight movie production house that thrives on community— we are nothing without our audience. We’ve produced a collection of other short films hinging on the same themes as this project, whether it’s Optic Nerve, our psychedelic Giallo film dealing with mental health and post-traumatic stress, Daddy Knows Best a 50’s thriller taking on abusive relationships and gender dynamics, or our most recent Journey to the Innerspace, a silent film homage delving deep into the unconscious mind. Our previous projects have found great success on the mid-tier festival market, and we’ve been continually garnering accolades and reputation in this industry.
Brothers Beastly is set to be our biggest undertaking yet and we can’t do it without a community like you. The team at Fantasma House is just as passionate about film as you are, and our catalogue shows we’re ready to take on this ambitious project. To learn more about our previous work and join our community follow us at @FantasmaHouse, or check us out at fantasmahouse.com
To learn more about why the team of people making this project are the right ones for the job, check out our Team Page.
Posters of our previous films
Think The Shining meets The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Horror films from the 70’s are often referred to as part of the “Golden Age” of the genre, a time when boundaries were being pushed and innovative storytelling left us with a collection of films that have a classic quality to them. Picture the cold slow-burn atmosphere of The Shining meets the gruesome family of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Brothers Beastly pulls from these cinematic traditions, while incorporating contemporary trends in horror such as the recent development of the “Elevated Horror” genre. Such entries in this genre include the work of Eggers and Aster, creating films which aim to deeply emotionally upset and disturb you, while commenting on socio-philosophical ideas.
The Shining, Hereditary, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and The Witch
The script is written, pre-production is underway, and our fantastic team is assembled. Brothers Beastly is already in motion, and all we need now is your help. We’re aiming for a 3-day production in February 2022, and distribution in the latter half of 2022. We believe with Brothers Beastly we’d be able to take our experience from previous festival runs and target major festivals. This would include targeting general film festivals such as Sundance or TIFF through their Midnight curation blocks or through genre specific major festivals such as Fantastic Fest or Sitges.
Seed & Spark requires that we raise at least 80% of our goal for the project to be funded. We must reach this goal in 45 days or we don't receive any funds at all.
Your contribution will help Brothers Beastly come to life as a production, ensure fair compensation to our crew, and make certain the film has a successful distribution onto the festival circuit. Your contribution will help pay for:
- Cast and crew compensation
- Production designing and custom building our sets
- Renting proper film equipment
- Ensuring production goes smoothly
- Post-production process
How your contribution is used
Our goal of $13,000 will allow us to make Brothers Beastly, but reaching the following stretch goals will allow us to continue to perfect the vision of this film.
- At $15,000 we’ll have the ability to even further improve the production design of the film with period appropriate props and further detail in the custom sets.
- At $18,000 we’ll increase the compensation of our fantastic crew and be able to provide improved lodging and transportation options.
- At $20,000 we’ll be able to upgrade the budget to include an in-depth film festival and marketing strategy to help make sure all our work with Brothers Beastly succeeds.
Other ways to help:
Follow our campaign on Seed&Spark. It's 100% free and once we hit a certain number of followers we’ll get access to tons of perks, products, and services.
Stay connected and spread the word.
Follow and share our social media posts on Instagram and Facebook. Not sure what to say? Feel free to use this:
Join us in helping make @peterjhartsock's next @fantasmahousefilms horror classic, Brothers Beastly! Support them on @seedandspark
Send this campaign to someone you know. Text them, email them, or even call them! Anything you do to get our film out there is a massive help. Join us over at @FantasmaHouseFilms and let's do this together.
Our number one priority is always the health and safety of our cast and crew. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has created new challenges for the filmmaking process, but our team has already taken them on. Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have produced 2 Fantasma House short films and 4 music videos adhering to COVID safety best practices, creating our own COVID production manual approved by the local county Health Department. Brothers Beastly will be informed by our success with this health and safety process, and even further mitigate risk with a single location, single actor, and skeleton team.
Thank you for taking the time to look at our project, and thank you for supporting us. We’re ready to make this project, all we need is you.
Incentives
$15
Bologna
Something light to start us off, we're incredibly appreciative. Get a shoutout from the Fantasma House Instagram and a single digital recipe from Mama's Home Cooking recipe book.
Includes:
- an Instagram shoutout from Fantasma House
- a random digital recipe page from Mama's Home Cooking recipe book
- Seed and Spark Backer credits in the film
$25
Mince Meat
Up your caloric intake with something more. Receive a complete digital copy of Mama's Home Cooking recipe book, and try them out if you dare.
Includes:
- an Instagram shoutout from Fantasma House
- a digital copy of Mama's Home Cooking recipe book
$50
Meatball
Coming back for seconds are we? Leave feeling more full with a Fantasma House Sticker, a copy of the film, and more.
Includes:
- a Fantasma House sticker
- a digital screener of Brothers Beastly (after the festival run)
- a Crowdfunding Donor credit in the final film
- and all previous incentives
$100
Sirloin
Looks like meat's on the menu. Pig out with a personal thank younote from our director Peter.
Includes:
- a signed Brothers Beastly postcard with a personal note from the filmmaker
- and all previous incentives
$250
Ribeye
Satiate your apetite with something meatier. Receive a Brothers Beastly poster signed by the team, a custom digital storyboard book, and a special thanks credit on the final film.
Includes:
- a digital storyboard book
- a signed Brothers Beastly poster
- a Special Thanks credit in the final film
- and all previous incentives
$500
Rib Roast
Boy, you must be pretty hungry. Join our team with special access to the project including a day on set via livestream and a virtual Watch Party, as well as Associate Producer credits.
Includes:
- a day on set via livestream
- a virtual Watch Party and Q&A with the team
- an Associate Producer credit in the final film and on IMDb
- and all previous incentives
$1,000
Prime Cut
You must be starving. Eat well with a steak directly mailed to you in your new Fantasma House hoodie, as well as Producer credits.
Includes:
- a limited custom Fantasma House hoodie
- a steak mailed to you
- a Producer credit in the final film and on IMDb
- and all previous incentives
$3,000
The Family Dinner
Welcome to the family, you're one of us now. Join us for a two night getaway in a historic haunted house (transportation not included) and leave your mark with Executive Producer credits.
Includes:
- A two night stay and meat dinner in an Upstate New York haunted house
- an Executive Producer credit in the final film and on IMDb
- and all previous incentives
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Wishlist
Use the WishList to pledge cash and loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an incentive directly.
$15
Bologna
Something light to start us off, we're incredibly appreciative. Get a shoutout from the Fantasma House Instagram and a single digital recipe from Mama's Home Cooking recipe book.
Includes:
- an Instagram shoutout from Fantasma House
- a random digital recipe page from Mama's Home Cooking recipe book
- Seed and Spark Backer credits in the film
$25
Mince Meat
Up your caloric intake with something more. Receive a complete digital copy of Mama's Home Cooking recipe book, and try them out if you dare.
Includes:
- an Instagram shoutout from Fantasma House
- a digital copy of Mama's Home Cooking recipe book
$50
Meatball
Coming back for seconds are we? Leave feeling more full with a Fantasma House Sticker, a copy of the film, and more.
Includes:
- a Fantasma House sticker
- a digital screener of Brothers Beastly (after the festival run)
- a Crowdfunding Donor credit in the final film
- and all previous incentives
$100
Sirloin
Looks like meat's on the menu. Pig out with a personal thank younote from our director Peter.
Includes:
- a signed Brothers Beastly postcard with a personal note from the filmmaker
- and all previous incentives
$250
Ribeye
Satiate your apetite with something meatier. Receive a Brothers Beastly poster signed by the team, a custom digital storyboard book, and a special thanks credit on the final film.
Includes:
- a digital storyboard book
- a signed Brothers Beastly poster
- a Special Thanks credit in the final film
- and all previous incentives
$500
Rib Roast
Boy, you must be pretty hungry. Join our team with special access to the project including a day on set via livestream and a virtual Watch Party, as well as Associate Producer credits.
Includes:
- a day on set via livestream
- a virtual Watch Party and Q&A with the team
- an Associate Producer credit in the final film and on IMDb
- and all previous incentives
$1,000
Prime Cut
You must be starving. Eat well with a steak directly mailed to you in your new Fantasma House hoodie, as well as Producer credits.
Includes:
- a limited custom Fantasma House hoodie
- a steak mailed to you
- a Producer credit in the final film and on IMDb
- and all previous incentives
$3,000
The Family Dinner
Welcome to the family, you're one of us now. Join us for a two night getaway in a historic haunted house (transportation not included) and leave your mark with Executive Producer credits.
Includes:
- A two night stay and meat dinner in an Upstate New York haunted house
- an Executive Producer credit in the final film and on IMDb
- and all previous incentives
- Updates
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Current Team
About This Team
Peter Hartsock attended Syracuse University and graduated with a BFA in film in 2019. He then founded the genre production company Fantasma House and began making short films for festival distribution. His directing projects have garnered many accolades and include Optic Nerve, Daddy Knows Best, Journey to the Innerspace, and many music videos. Writer, director, producer, cinematographer, editor, production manager, gaffer, set designer, costumer, VFX artist. These are but a few of the hats Peter wears when crafting his films, giving him the versatility to take on any project.
A multi-cultural talent from Venezuela, Egypt and Italy, Gabriel is a 2019 graduate from Syracuse University’s Newhouse film program. Gabriel recently wrapped up production on a short film with Black Cub productions. He has also produced various commercial with budgets up to $50,000 dollars for Black Cub productions. In the past he has worked as a production coordinator for Evolution LA during which he worked on commercial for brands like Disney, Paramount, TBS, Cartoon Network, and Fan Duel. He has been part of the Fantasma House family since inception producing various commercial work and 5 short films with the company.
Aaron Poole is a classically trained actor originally from north of Toronto. Since appearing in "This Beautiful City" at TIFF '08 (a role that garnered him ACTRA's award for Best Actor and the first of two Canadian Academy nominations), his work has received many accolades. With roles that include cult horror, "The Void”, "The Empty Man”; and starring alongside Christoph Waltz and Liam Hemsworth in the Roku Original series "Most Dangerous Game”. Aaron's debut short as a director, Oracle, premiered at TIFF and Slamdance 2020, also winning the Grand Prix National at Montreal's Festival du Nouveau Cinéma.
Scott Sweitzer is a cinematographer based in New York City. He graduated from Syracuse University’s school of visual and performing arts in 2019 with a degree in Film. He currently works as a full time freelancer, shooting anything from documentary and narrative films to music videos and experimental pieces. His work takes a modern approach to classical shooting technique and tends to focus on the beauty hidden in the dark and strange corners of our world.
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