Chasmic
Chicago, Illinois | Film Short
Horror, LGBTQ
A family drama disguised as an eldritch creature feature, CHASMIC is about the weight of familial guilt and generational trauma as two sisters reckon with a terrifying entity on their inherited central Illinois farm. Let’s tell a haunting, unexpected story that centers underrepresented characters!
Chasmic
Chicago, Illinois | Film Short
Horror, LGBTQ
2 Campaigns | Illinois, United States
10 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
$975
Goal: $25,000 for production
A family drama disguised as an eldritch creature feature, CHASMIC is about the weight of familial guilt and generational trauma as two sisters reckon with a terrifying entity on their inherited central Illinois farm. Let’s tell a haunting, unexpected story that centers underrepresented characters!
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
In an isolated house on a central Illinois farm, an incomprehensible creature stalks MILLIE HOLLOWAY. A badass farmer with a congenital upper limb difference, Millie is the homestead’s singular caretaker and drowning in its inherited debt.
Her sister ASH, a finance executive and transwoman, offers a lifeline: sell the farm.
Millie denies the offramp, unable to ask for help and trapped by generational responsibility.
Capitalizing on Millie’s loneliness, an inexplicable Chasm opens in the bedroom floor of her deceased father FINN. From its impossible depths, Finn’s voice calls to Millie - luring her toward the abyss with the promise of comfort. But by the time Millie realizes the truth it’s too late!
The wretched, root-like behemoth that’s been watching from the shadows reveals itself to drag her into the Chasm’s blackness.
CHASMIC poses a haunting question: Can we cut ourselves free from the roots of our family before they pull us under?
CHASMIC feels like a Chloé Zhao remake of ALIEN set on an Illinois farm. It’s hauntingly atmospheric and ironically claustrophobic.
Lurking beneath the story’s very human dramas is the inexplicable, uncanny, abyssal horror. Reminiscent of James VanderMeer’s “Annihilation”/Southern Reach novels, the entity at the core of the film is completely unknown, yet eerily familiar.
The feature length version of the screenplay was a finalist in Blumhouse, Sundance, and K Period Media’s Screamwriting Fellowship.
Though fiercely capable, MILLIE HOLLOWAY is isolated by the fear of perceived failure and stigma of past addiction, making her a prime target for the entity that claimed her parents.
A high-level financial executive living in Chicago, ASH HOLLOWAY is a transwoman who has meticulously constructed a successful, detached life far from her rural roots.
The TWISTED FIGURE that moves in the shadows is an eight foot tall knotted mass of rootlike tendrils, bark, veins, and the screaming faces of generations passed.
I’ve been a creature horror fan ever since I saw Alien when I was way too young to be seeing Alien.
The impetus for CHASMIC comes from a really foundational core for me. I’m a kid who was raised on a family farm, in Glasford, Illinois (where the movie’s set). After my grandfather died and the family made the decision to sell the farm, I felt a massive amount of guilt. I’d disappointed some uncanny, unnamed force - an amorphous creature of societal, generational, familial expectation.
This story and this script has been lovingly haunting me for the last 4 years. I always return to it in my free time, honing it as my comedic short film SAM WANTS HER SWEATER BACK has been on its festival run (screened at Oscar-qualifying fests and awarded “Best of Fest” selections 💁🏻♀️). With that wrapping up, I’ve been able to direct my obsessive focus at CHASMIC, garnering it and myself finalist status for Blumhouse, Sundance, & K Period Media’s Screamwriting Fellowship.
Disabled and trans people are rarely centered on screen, ESPECIALLY in the horror genre. As a transwoman myself, it’s my goal to elevate underrepresented artists in hopes of expanding the breadth of the stories getting told. From the hilarious to the heartening to the horrifying, we deserve to be on and see ourselves on screen.
As an able bodied writer/director, I’m proud to be in continued conversation with multiple state’s AgrAbility organizations and Telling the Story Project to ensure our film’s depiction of disabled farming is accurate and care-filled. You can learn more about these incredible initiatives here (Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin)
-Whitney (writer/director)
(If we don't reach 80% of our goal, then we lose it all.)
This queer & trans-made project is only possible with you!
There are a slew of ways to become a CHASMIC community member...
MAKE A PLEDGE
We're offering some truly delightful incentives (we're especially excited about the Autographed Movie Poster! designed by the one and only Marina Kozak)
SPONSOR A DEPARTMENT
Peep the Wishlist and sponsor an entire department!
LIKE, FOLLOW, SHARE
"Followers" are massively important for our placement on this site. Even if you can't be a financial contributor, "following" this campaign will make a huge difference.
Of course we have INSTAGRAM if you're into that sort of thing!
Spreading the word about the campaign would be indescribably appreciated!
Joining this community means you're an absolutely badass supporter of Chicago filmmaking and queer & trans artists up and down the call sheet.
We're so glad to have you!!!
*Specific projected costs can be found on the "Wishlist" page (based on 20k raised)*
STRETCH GOALS
20,000 is our bare minimum to shoot CHASMIC If we raise more:
+5K Everyone's wages increase!
+10K A high quality post production is completely covered!
We're a group of farm kids turned filmmakers.
WHITNEY CHITWOOD (she/they): Chicago-based writer/director, former horsegirl, and current grownup gay lady whose work centers queer, trans, and disabled characters without making their identities a central conflict. Raised in the theatre, Whit toured as a headlining comedian (#1 iTunes and Billboard Top 10 comedy album) before pivoting behind the camera in 2020. Their award-winning short Sam Wants Her Sweater Back (a Full Spectrum Features co-production) hit the festival circuit after scoring Seed & Spark's Mark Duplass Spotlight and has played Oscar Qualifying festivals. Whit is a 2026 Blumhouse/Sundance/K Period Media "Screamwriting" finalist, NewFest New Voices semi-finalist, and Atlas Ambassador for the Emmy-Winning Platform OTV.
MOLL JEAN NYE (she/they): Moll is a Director of Photography and media strategist with over 15 years of production experience spanning union crews and tech-sector leadership. As a queer storyteller, they bring intention, technical precision, and deep empathy to narrative, documentary, and commercial projects—including serving as the DP for the acclaimed short film Sam Wants Her Sweater Back. Grounded in a commitment to authentic and artful collaboration, Moll captures people and their unique experiences with a distinct, nuanced eye.
LOUISA ARSENEAU (she/her): Louisa Arseneau is a Chicago-based creative producer and filmmaker from the rural Midwest who approaches producing as a collaborative, structural, and deeply creative practice. Currently a Post-Production Producer at BluBird Post, she holds an MFA from CalArts and has guided projects to major festivals including Sundance, Tribeca, and Frameline. With a foundational background in sound design and editing, Louisa has curated multidisciplinary events like the CalArts Expo 2022 at Walt Disney Concert Hall and creates her own narrative, documentary, and experimental films. Her work is ultimately driven by the fractured notion of tangibility—embracing uncertainty while constantly reaching for connection through her art.
PARSONS TWESTEN (he/him): Parsons Twesten loves building worlds (and monsters) in screenplays, fiction, and film. Working in art departments, he’s helped bring to life the homes of hoarder aunts helping high school girls discover their bloody powers (Perpetrator, nominated for the Teddy Award and the Panorama Audience Award for Best Feature Film at Berlinale), run-down fast food restaurants (The Last Shift, starring Richard Jenkins), and historical reenactment villages crawling with killer pumpkins (Carved).
Just for stopping by and reading this far!!!
Even if you can't donate, a follow and a share go SUCH a long way (especially in how we get placed on this website).
Spread the word about this spooky-ass movie a slew of queer-ass Chicagoans are trying to make!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cast & Crew Wages
Costs $12,500
We gotta pay people! (To maintain a transparent, equitable workplace, we plan to set a consistent day rate for all positions)
Accessibility Features & Festival Submissions
Costs $1,500
We want this film to be enjoyed by everyone regardless of ability!
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Former horsegirl and current grownup gay lady, Whitney Chitwood (she/they) is a Chicago based writer/director who was raised by two theatre owner/director parents in small-town Illinois. She is a 2026 finalist for Blumhouse, Sundance, & K Period Media’s “Screamwriting” Fellowship; was a semi-finalist for NewFest’s 2026 “New Voices Grant”; and was selected by the Emmy-nominated OTV for their Atlas Ambassador program (2025) alongside her short film Sam Wants Her Sweater Back.
SWHSB premiered in April (MdFF, MSPFF, Provincetown Int’l, and more). A co-production with Full Spectrum Features (Desire Lines, Signature Move) it was selected as Best of the Fest (MdFF) and the screenplay received Seed & Spark’s Mark Duplass Spotlight and finished Top 10 in Cinequest’s Screenwriting Competition.
Currently, Whit’s queer anti-Western series Kid is in development with Anarchists United & Lilly Wachowski.
Prior to moving behind the camera full time, Whit toured nationally as a headlining comedian. Her debut album "The Bakery Case" premiered at #1 on iTunes and Top 10 on the Billboard Comedy Charts.
As an artist, Whit’s work always passes the hell out of the Bechdel Test and strives to center queer, trans, and disabled characters without queerness, transness, or disability being the central conflict, ideals integral to her production company Witch It Productions, LLC.
Chicago based cinematographer, Moll Jean Nye (she/they) has been capturing and shaping stories for more than 12 years. After honing their craft as a union camera assistant on projects ranging from Fox’s EMPIRE to Comedy Central’s SOUTHSIDE to indie films like SOUTHSIDE WITH YOU, Moll transitioned into the commercial world as a Director of Photography and collaborated with brands like MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART CHICAGO, TIME MAGAZINE, RED BULL, PERNOD RICHARD, and SOTHEBY’S (to name a few). Moll’s had the honor of being a go-to collaborator and director for organizations such as the NATIONAL PARKS SERVICE, MEALS ON WHEELS, BLACK ARTISTS RETREAT, and many more.
Regardless of the endeavor, though, amplifying voices and images of diverse people and ideas has always thrummed at the heart of Moll’s work.
Louisa Arseneau (she/her) is a Chicago-based creative producer and filmmaker from the rural midwest working across narrative, documentary, and experimental film. She approaches producing as both a creative and structural practice, grounded in close collaboration, formal experimentation, and care for a project’s full life cycle. She holds an MFA in Film/Video from the California Institute of the Arts.
Louisa is currently a Post-Production Producer at BluBird Post, where she partners closely with directors to guide projects through the finishing process. Her work has supported films premiering at major international festivals including Sundance, Tribeca, Palm Springs, Thessaloniki, BFI Flare London, and Frameline.
Her foundation in sound and editorial informs her work. She received Best Sound Design for Into the Emerald Sea at The Other Lens short film program and co-edited October Mourning, which premiered at the Cleveland International Film Festival. Her own film, Vanitas, premiered at REDCAT in Los Angeles. In parallel, she has curated multidisciplinary events, including serving as Creative Director for CalArts Expo 2022 at Walt Disney Concert Hall, curating the Community Unbound exhibitions during her undergraduate studies, and mentoring emerging artists through CSSSA.
Louisa's creative practice is driven by the fractured and fleeting notion of tangibility. She unashamedly doesn't know anything, believing certainty impossible, and yet continues grasping for it, creating as it falls through the cracks in her hand.
Parsons Twesten loves building worlds (and monsters) in screenplays, fiction, and film. Working in art departments, he’s helped bring to life the homes of hoarder aunts helping high school girls discover their bloody powers (Perpetrator, nominated for the Teddy Award and the Panorama Audience Award for Best Feature Film at Berlinale), run-down fast food restaurants (The Last Shift, starring Richard Jenkins), and historical reenactment villages crawling with killer pumpkins (Carved).
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
In an isolated house on a central Illinois farm, an incomprehensible creature stalks MILLIE HOLLOWAY. A badass farmer with a congenital upper limb difference, Millie is the homestead’s singular caretaker and drowning in its inherited debt.
Her sister ASH, a finance executive and transwoman, offers a lifeline: sell the farm.
Millie denies the offramp, unable to ask for help and trapped by generational responsibility.
Capitalizing on Millie’s loneliness, an inexplicable Chasm opens in the bedroom floor of her deceased father FINN. From its impossible depths, Finn’s voice calls to Millie - luring her toward the abyss with the promise of comfort. But by the time Millie realizes the truth it’s too late!
The wretched, root-like behemoth that’s been watching from the shadows reveals itself to drag her into the Chasm’s blackness.
CHASMIC poses a haunting question: Can we cut ourselves free from the roots of our family before they pull us under?
CHASMIC feels like a Chloé Zhao remake of ALIEN set on an Illinois farm. It’s hauntingly atmospheric and ironically claustrophobic.
Lurking beneath the story’s very human dramas is the inexplicable, uncanny, abyssal horror. Reminiscent of James VanderMeer’s “Annihilation”/Southern Reach novels, the entity at the core of the film is completely unknown, yet eerily familiar.
The feature length version of the screenplay was a finalist in Blumhouse, Sundance, and K Period Media’s Screamwriting Fellowship.
Though fiercely capable, MILLIE HOLLOWAY is isolated by the fear of perceived failure and stigma of past addiction, making her a prime target for the entity that claimed her parents.
A high-level financial executive living in Chicago, ASH HOLLOWAY is a transwoman who has meticulously constructed a successful, detached life far from her rural roots.
The TWISTED FIGURE that moves in the shadows is an eight foot tall knotted mass of rootlike tendrils, bark, veins, and the screaming faces of generations passed.
I’ve been a creature horror fan ever since I saw Alien when I was way too young to be seeing Alien.
The impetus for CHASMIC comes from a really foundational core for me. I’m a kid who was raised on a family farm, in Glasford, Illinois (where the movie’s set). After my grandfather died and the family made the decision to sell the farm, I felt a massive amount of guilt. I’d disappointed some uncanny, unnamed force - an amorphous creature of societal, generational, familial expectation.
This story and this script has been lovingly haunting me for the last 4 years. I always return to it in my free time, honing it as my comedic short film SAM WANTS HER SWEATER BACK has been on its festival run (screened at Oscar-qualifying fests and awarded “Best of Fest” selections 💁🏻♀️). With that wrapping up, I’ve been able to direct my obsessive focus at CHASMIC, garnering it and myself finalist status for Blumhouse, Sundance, & K Period Media’s Screamwriting Fellowship.
Disabled and trans people are rarely centered on screen, ESPECIALLY in the horror genre. As a transwoman myself, it’s my goal to elevate underrepresented artists in hopes of expanding the breadth of the stories getting told. From the hilarious to the heartening to the horrifying, we deserve to be on and see ourselves on screen.
As an able bodied writer/director, I’m proud to be in continued conversation with multiple state’s AgrAbility organizations and Telling the Story Project to ensure our film’s depiction of disabled farming is accurate and care-filled. You can learn more about these incredible initiatives here (Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin)
-Whitney (writer/director)
(If we don't reach 80% of our goal, then we lose it all.)
This queer & trans-made project is only possible with you!
There are a slew of ways to become a CHASMIC community member...
MAKE A PLEDGE
We're offering some truly delightful incentives (we're especially excited about the Autographed Movie Poster! designed by the one and only Marina Kozak)
SPONSOR A DEPARTMENT
Peep the Wishlist and sponsor an entire department!
LIKE, FOLLOW, SHARE
"Followers" are massively important for our placement on this site. Even if you can't be a financial contributor, "following" this campaign will make a huge difference.
Of course we have INSTAGRAM if you're into that sort of thing!
Spreading the word about the campaign would be indescribably appreciated!
Joining this community means you're an absolutely badass supporter of Chicago filmmaking and queer & trans artists up and down the call sheet.
We're so glad to have you!!!
*Specific projected costs can be found on the "Wishlist" page (based on 20k raised)*
STRETCH GOALS
20,000 is our bare minimum to shoot CHASMIC If we raise more:
+5K Everyone's wages increase!
+10K A high quality post production is completely covered!
We're a group of farm kids turned filmmakers.
WHITNEY CHITWOOD (she/they): Chicago-based writer/director, former horsegirl, and current grownup gay lady whose work centers queer, trans, and disabled characters without making their identities a central conflict. Raised in the theatre, Whit toured as a headlining comedian (#1 iTunes and Billboard Top 10 comedy album) before pivoting behind the camera in 2020. Their award-winning short Sam Wants Her Sweater Back (a Full Spectrum Features co-production) hit the festival circuit after scoring Seed & Spark's Mark Duplass Spotlight and has played Oscar Qualifying festivals. Whit is a 2026 Blumhouse/Sundance/K Period Media "Screamwriting" finalist, NewFest New Voices semi-finalist, and Atlas Ambassador for the Emmy-Winning Platform OTV.
MOLL JEAN NYE (she/they): Moll is a Director of Photography and media strategist with over 15 years of production experience spanning union crews and tech-sector leadership. As a queer storyteller, they bring intention, technical precision, and deep empathy to narrative, documentary, and commercial projects—including serving as the DP for the acclaimed short film Sam Wants Her Sweater Back. Grounded in a commitment to authentic and artful collaboration, Moll captures people and their unique experiences with a distinct, nuanced eye.
LOUISA ARSENEAU (she/her): Louisa Arseneau is a Chicago-based creative producer and filmmaker from the rural Midwest who approaches producing as a collaborative, structural, and deeply creative practice. Currently a Post-Production Producer at BluBird Post, she holds an MFA from CalArts and has guided projects to major festivals including Sundance, Tribeca, and Frameline. With a foundational background in sound design and editing, Louisa has curated multidisciplinary events like the CalArts Expo 2022 at Walt Disney Concert Hall and creates her own narrative, documentary, and experimental films. Her work is ultimately driven by the fractured notion of tangibility—embracing uncertainty while constantly reaching for connection through her art.
PARSONS TWESTEN (he/him): Parsons Twesten loves building worlds (and monsters) in screenplays, fiction, and film. Working in art departments, he’s helped bring to life the homes of hoarder aunts helping high school girls discover their bloody powers (Perpetrator, nominated for the Teddy Award and the Panorama Audience Award for Best Feature Film at Berlinale), run-down fast food restaurants (The Last Shift, starring Richard Jenkins), and historical reenactment villages crawling with killer pumpkins (Carved).
Just for stopping by and reading this far!!!
Even if you can't donate, a follow and a share go SUCH a long way (especially in how we get placed on this website).
Spread the word about this spooky-ass movie a slew of queer-ass Chicagoans are trying to make!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cast & Crew Wages
Costs $12,500
We gotta pay people! (To maintain a transparent, equitable workplace, we plan to set a consistent day rate for all positions)
Accessibility Features & Festival Submissions
Costs $1,500
We want this film to be enjoyed by everyone regardless of ability!
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Former horsegirl and current grownup gay lady, Whitney Chitwood (she/they) is a Chicago based writer/director who was raised by two theatre owner/director parents in small-town Illinois. She is a 2026 finalist for Blumhouse, Sundance, & K Period Media’s “Screamwriting” Fellowship; was a semi-finalist for NewFest’s 2026 “New Voices Grant”; and was selected by the Emmy-nominated OTV for their Atlas Ambassador program (2025) alongside her short film Sam Wants Her Sweater Back.
SWHSB premiered in April (MdFF, MSPFF, Provincetown Int’l, and more). A co-production with Full Spectrum Features (Desire Lines, Signature Move) it was selected as Best of the Fest (MdFF) and the screenplay received Seed & Spark’s Mark Duplass Spotlight and finished Top 10 in Cinequest’s Screenwriting Competition.
Currently, Whit’s queer anti-Western series Kid is in development with Anarchists United & Lilly Wachowski.
Prior to moving behind the camera full time, Whit toured nationally as a headlining comedian. Her debut album "The Bakery Case" premiered at #1 on iTunes and Top 10 on the Billboard Comedy Charts.
As an artist, Whit’s work always passes the hell out of the Bechdel Test and strives to center queer, trans, and disabled characters without queerness, transness, or disability being the central conflict, ideals integral to her production company Witch It Productions, LLC.
Chicago based cinematographer, Moll Jean Nye (she/they) has been capturing and shaping stories for more than 12 years. After honing their craft as a union camera assistant on projects ranging from Fox’s EMPIRE to Comedy Central’s SOUTHSIDE to indie films like SOUTHSIDE WITH YOU, Moll transitioned into the commercial world as a Director of Photography and collaborated with brands like MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART CHICAGO, TIME MAGAZINE, RED BULL, PERNOD RICHARD, and SOTHEBY’S (to name a few). Moll’s had the honor of being a go-to collaborator and director for organizations such as the NATIONAL PARKS SERVICE, MEALS ON WHEELS, BLACK ARTISTS RETREAT, and many more.
Regardless of the endeavor, though, amplifying voices and images of diverse people and ideas has always thrummed at the heart of Moll’s work.
Louisa Arseneau (she/her) is a Chicago-based creative producer and filmmaker from the rural midwest working across narrative, documentary, and experimental film. She approaches producing as both a creative and structural practice, grounded in close collaboration, formal experimentation, and care for a project’s full life cycle. She holds an MFA in Film/Video from the California Institute of the Arts.
Louisa is currently a Post-Production Producer at BluBird Post, where she partners closely with directors to guide projects through the finishing process. Her work has supported films premiering at major international festivals including Sundance, Tribeca, Palm Springs, Thessaloniki, BFI Flare London, and Frameline.
Her foundation in sound and editorial informs her work. She received Best Sound Design for Into the Emerald Sea at The Other Lens short film program and co-edited October Mourning, which premiered at the Cleveland International Film Festival. Her own film, Vanitas, premiered at REDCAT in Los Angeles. In parallel, she has curated multidisciplinary events, including serving as Creative Director for CalArts Expo 2022 at Walt Disney Concert Hall, curating the Community Unbound exhibitions during her undergraduate studies, and mentoring emerging artists through CSSSA.
Louisa's creative practice is driven by the fractured and fleeting notion of tangibility. She unashamedly doesn't know anything, believing certainty impossible, and yet continues grasping for it, creating as it falls through the cracks in her hand.
Parsons Twesten loves building worlds (and monsters) in screenplays, fiction, and film. Working in art departments, he’s helped bring to life the homes of hoarder aunts helping high school girls discover their bloody powers (Perpetrator, nominated for the Teddy Award and the Panorama Audience Award for Best Feature Film at Berlinale), run-down fast food restaurants (The Last Shift, starring Richard Jenkins), and historical reenactment villages crawling with killer pumpkins (Carved).