McCurdy Point
Damariscotta, Maine | Film Feature
Horror
McCurdy Point is the story of a guy's weekend gone wrong. It lives somewhere between The Hangover and The Blair Witch Project. Only less funny than The Hangover, and more humanistic than The Blair Witch Project. We want you to like watching these characters and actually care when they're killed off.
McCurdy Point
Damariscotta, Maine | Film Feature
Horror
1 Campaigns | California, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $50,551 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
265 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
McCurdy Point is the story of a guy's weekend gone wrong. It lives somewhere between The Hangover and The Blair Witch Project. Only less funny than The Hangover, and more humanistic than The Blair Witch Project. We want you to like watching these characters and actually care when they're killed off.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
The Story
For his birthday, Kiel’s brother-in-law Ryan has taken him and their friends Christian and Joey to a cabin in Maine. Kiel’s brother Joey documents their trip on his camera. Their car game of “Marry, Fuck, Kill” slows as they go deeper into the state and are harassed by unfriendly locals. At the cabin, they’re met by the owner, Laird; a man who alternates between being simply eccentric and downright creepy. He gives a tour of his generational home, which was given to him by his grandmother Marion.
That night, the guy’s partying is interrupted by lights flickering, the house shaking and an inexplicable scraping. Before they can get too concerned with what the hell just happened, an exotic dancer that Ryan hired for Kiel shows up with her brother in tow. The siblings are as unsettling as all the other locals, more so when they hear Laird’s name in passing and realize they’re in Marion’s house.
The next morning, the guys go to Laird’s. Asking about the noises and scraping, he invites them in for a whiskey and tells them a haunting tale about his grandmother: that she had killed her husband and became convinced that by sacrificing transients and tourists to a dark spirit, she would live forever. While the story is chilling, the guys are convinced Laird is nuts, even after he claims to have watched his grandmother tear a man apart limb by limb.
During a game of “Two Truths and a Lie” on the boat, Kiel confesses that he cheated on his pregnant wife. The tensions between Ryan and Kiel are put aside when Kiel goes missing while tubing off the back of the boat. When the others run back to the cabin to call for help, Kiel is on the porch. Shell-shocked, he remembers being pulled underwater by something.
That night, Kiel, Christian and Joey sleepwalk to the dining room. They pull guns off the wall and play a version of Russian Roulette called The Devil’s Smile, just as Laird had described a game his grandmother played. When Joey is shot, the three wake up, only to find Ryan is missing. Rushing through the forest, they find him walking into the lake, just as Laird had described how Marion disappeared. They bring Ryan back to the cabin and as Christian heads upstairs to get some towels, the scraping is heard again. Joey lowers the camera under the table and we finally see Marion in a terrifying moment. Ryan rages at the ghost, intending to take an ax to her cabin, but is trapped in a tool shed that ignites. He burns alive.
Upstairs, Christian is brutalized as a closet door smashes his skull in. Kiel tries to bring his brother to the car, only to have his neck snapped and dragged back into the house. Joey runs through the woods to escape. Resting for a moment, he wonders what they did to deserve this. The question is unanswered as Marion pounces upon him and the camera dies.
Why Us?
As a group, we banded together to make this because we were drawn to each other's drive to just make something. We're a group of working professionals -- actors, writers, and directors -- who continually found ourselves auditioning, submitting scripts, or reels for gigs, and we want to create something without asking for permission. Which is ironic, since we're asking for your support.
Each of us has had our own individual successes, but we're banding together to create something bigger and better. We believe that colloboration is key and that the sum is greater than the parts. And let's be honest... if you're reading this page, we presume you're already a fan of someone involved in the project and not just trolling through Seed and Spark's website. But if you have happened to just stumble upon this page... WELCOME!
Why This? Why Horror?
The Short Answer: We Love Horror.
The Medium Answer: We Love Horror. Specifically the traditional ghost story.
The Long Answer: We Love Horror. Specifically the traditional ghost story. That being said, we undestand that we're working in a genre that is known to look a little... impoverished at times. We're looking to create an entry that will elevate the genre by using our backgrounds as actors to create a film with real moments, great acting, and characters you hopefully come to love, so that it actually matters when they inevitably bite it by the end of the movie.
A driving principal at every turn for us has been this: If the people online like the other people onscreen, we believe that the people watching will share that feeling. It's a stupid ethos to drive a horror film, and it's rare. And maybe it's stupid. We don't think so. Get on board. Because there's nothing worse than watching someone die in a horror film and thinking to yourself, "FINALLY!"
Where We're At Now.
As we submit this campaign to Seed and Spark, we're about 25 days away from principal photography, and we're SO EXCITED. The campaign is actually going to be overlapping with our shoot, which is... not advisable. We know. Doesn't matter. Get on board. We're making this movie. So... what an exciting opportunity for you to get updates WHILE THIS IS ALL HAPPENING.
What Will Your Contribution Do?
We've got a lot of people either donating their time and talent, or doing it at a cut-rate because they believe in us and they love our script. But that's not enough to get this thing made.
Your contribution will help us pay for things like airfare for our largely LA-based cast and crew to fly across the country. It will help us put up said cast and crew up in the woods of Maine. It will help us feed and pay those people so they do not starve, nor are they homeless when they go back to LA. And it will pay for some fun horror make-up and effects, which are pricey!
And... what if you make your goal? Or surpass it with a stretch goal? Great question. If we walk away from this campaign with more money than we anticipated, we'll have converstations we've tabled for now that cover licensing music, adding better visual effects, marketing, submitting to film festivals, and maybe we'll even be prepared for all the suprises we're going to encounter in post-production instead of selling our children's kidneys.
What Happens After?
First and foremost, we're going to have a party. We're going to have a screening for all the people who worked on the film. And for those of you who contributed at a party-invitation level.
Then we're going to send the film to all the various agents, managers, and gatekeepers we were frustrated with initially, and then ask them nicely if they want to buy the completed project. This will probably happen concurrently with us submitting to film festivals, which if we're being honest, is what we're looking forward to as much as making the movie. We love film festivals. We love seeing what other people are doing, and we love showing other people what we've done. And then, we're going to get this puppy streaming, even if we have to build our own platform.
COVID?
Never heard of it. Kidding. We're planning on doing all the things we need to in order to keep the cast and crew safe. We'll be using the same techniques we're used to in our theatres and on sets. Are we vaxxed? Yup. Boosted? Yup. Bivalent boosted. You know it! We'll be testing, re-testing, and creating a bubble.
We know it's a bit of a humblebrag here, but one of our producers has worked as a COVID compliance officer for SAG.
Want More?
Check out the full look book of our production design inspiration, and be sure to follow us @mccurdypoint for updates!
Spread The Word
Think this project is great? Thanks! Want to share it with your friends? WOW! Thank you!!
Feel free to copy and paste any of these messages to let others know what we're doing.
__________
I'm a big fan of the team behind the upcoming horror film McCurdy Point. I gave a little something something to their campaign on @seedandspark to help them reach their goal. You can do the same here.
__________
It's the spookiest time of the year, and I love horror films!
If you love horror films, join me in helping the team making McCurdy Point reach their goal on @seedandspark by contributing here.
__________
You owe me twenty five dollars for reasons we won't get into.
If you want to make things right, you'll contribute to McCurdy Point on @seedandspark here.
Do the right thing, Dad.
Thanks in advance for supporting our project!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Set the Scene! (Set Design)
Costs $1,500
The setting IS a character in this movie. We're shooting it in Maine--we want authenticity!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Did You Hear That? (Sound Design)
Costs $3,000
If a man dies in the woods, but it sounds stupid and horrible, is it scary? We don't think so!
Showing Up is Half the Battle (Travel)
Costs $3,200
We're flying actors from Los Angeles to Maine, but if they want Lobster, that's on their dime!
DCP (Required for Screening at Festivals
Costs $1,500
In order to submit our film to festivals, we'll need to deliver it in a Digital Cinema Package.
Please Don't Stop the Music! (Composer)
Costs $2,000
Let the tension build! We want our movie to sound haunting and beautiful. Enter the composer.
Continuity? CHECK!
Costs $1,000
We want our movie to make sense. Make sense? A great Script Supervisor will help!
Production Design
Costs $1,500
We want this to be pure escapism and purely terrifying. We need the world to look amazing.
Gaffer Time!
Costs $1,500
Did we mention we want this movie to look good? A great Gaffer will help us do just that.
What Did You Say? (ADR)
Costs $1,500
We'll do our best capturing all audio on set, but we want this thing to sound perfect.
Bring it Home, Baby!
Costs $3,000
It's one thing to get all your shots, but then you have to put it together. Editing is HUGE!
Camera
Costs $1,000
How else we gonna make this thing? This is the perfect camera for us at a great price!
Gotta Give us Props!
Costs $1,500
You know, those things in movies that the actors hold sometimes? We need some of those.
Location! Location! Location!
Costs $5,000
We wrote this movie to be shot in mostly one location, but that still costs something!
Lights, Camera, Action! WAIT--SOUND TOO!
Costs $4,700
There's nothing worse than a movie with bad sound. Especially a horror movie! Let's avoid that.
Lodging
Costs $2,500
We're flying in some amazing talent from LA to Maine and they need a place to stay!
Food!
Costs $3,000
I guess we should feed people! And not just pizza. But sometimes maybe pizza.
Transportation
Costs $800
Actors and crew need a way to get back and forth from set and thi is it!
Costumes
Costs $500
They say "the clothes make the man, but the costumes also (help) make the character!
Special Effects
Costs $2,300
We have a few things in the movie that will need that special FX pro touch.
Make Up!
Costs $1,000
We want our movie to be as scary as possible and for that, we gotta bring in the big guns!
Bring in the Talent!
Costs $8,000
We are friends with some GREAT working actors, who love us so much they'll ALMOST do it for free!
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
We're thrilled you've read this far into our project. Here's a bit about the people involved in our film:
- Jeremy Brothers (producer, writer, co-director) has worked as the Artistic Director of Improv Asylum, a host for The Moth, and is the creator of the touring theatrical show Sonja in Your City.
- Ryan Gaul (producer, writer, actor) is a main company member of The Groundlings and can be seen on Superstore, The Last OG and Between Two Ferns: The Movie.
- Kiel Kennedy (producer, actor) is a main company member of The Groundlings and an Emmy-nominated writer, whose work includes SuperMansion and Robot Chicken. He can be seen in the upcoming films Don't Tell Larry, and The Binge 2 and is currently writing on The Pile on for Prime Video.
- Joey Krulock (actor, director of photography) is an independant film maker, former collegiate wrestler, and the entrepreneur spirit at the heart of Krulock Films.
- Nick Paonessa (producer, co-director) is an award-winning film maker, actor, and the creative prinicpal at Canyon Drive Productions.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
The Story
For his birthday, Kiel’s brother-in-law Ryan has taken him and their friends Christian and Joey to a cabin in Maine. Kiel’s brother Joey documents their trip on his camera. Their car game of “Marry, Fuck, Kill” slows as they go deeper into the state and are harassed by unfriendly locals. At the cabin, they’re met by the owner, Laird; a man who alternates between being simply eccentric and downright creepy. He gives a tour of his generational home, which was given to him by his grandmother Marion.
That night, the guy’s partying is interrupted by lights flickering, the house shaking and an inexplicable scraping. Before they can get too concerned with what the hell just happened, an exotic dancer that Ryan hired for Kiel shows up with her brother in tow. The siblings are as unsettling as all the other locals, more so when they hear Laird’s name in passing and realize they’re in Marion’s house.
The next morning, the guys go to Laird’s. Asking about the noises and scraping, he invites them in for a whiskey and tells them a haunting tale about his grandmother: that she had killed her husband and became convinced that by sacrificing transients and tourists to a dark spirit, she would live forever. While the story is chilling, the guys are convinced Laird is nuts, even after he claims to have watched his grandmother tear a man apart limb by limb.
During a game of “Two Truths and a Lie” on the boat, Kiel confesses that he cheated on his pregnant wife. The tensions between Ryan and Kiel are put aside when Kiel goes missing while tubing off the back of the boat. When the others run back to the cabin to call for help, Kiel is on the porch. Shell-shocked, he remembers being pulled underwater by something.
That night, Kiel, Christian and Joey sleepwalk to the dining room. They pull guns off the wall and play a version of Russian Roulette called The Devil’s Smile, just as Laird had described a game his grandmother played. When Joey is shot, the three wake up, only to find Ryan is missing. Rushing through the forest, they find him walking into the lake, just as Laird had described how Marion disappeared. They bring Ryan back to the cabin and as Christian heads upstairs to get some towels, the scraping is heard again. Joey lowers the camera under the table and we finally see Marion in a terrifying moment. Ryan rages at the ghost, intending to take an ax to her cabin, but is trapped in a tool shed that ignites. He burns alive.
Upstairs, Christian is brutalized as a closet door smashes his skull in. Kiel tries to bring his brother to the car, only to have his neck snapped and dragged back into the house. Joey runs through the woods to escape. Resting for a moment, he wonders what they did to deserve this. The question is unanswered as Marion pounces upon him and the camera dies.
Why Us?
As a group, we banded together to make this because we were drawn to each other's drive to just make something. We're a group of working professionals -- actors, writers, and directors -- who continually found ourselves auditioning, submitting scripts, or reels for gigs, and we want to create something without asking for permission. Which is ironic, since we're asking for your support.
Each of us has had our own individual successes, but we're banding together to create something bigger and better. We believe that colloboration is key and that the sum is greater than the parts. And let's be honest... if you're reading this page, we presume you're already a fan of someone involved in the project and not just trolling through Seed and Spark's website. But if you have happened to just stumble upon this page... WELCOME!
Why This? Why Horror?
The Short Answer: We Love Horror.
The Medium Answer: We Love Horror. Specifically the traditional ghost story.
The Long Answer: We Love Horror. Specifically the traditional ghost story. That being said, we undestand that we're working in a genre that is known to look a little... impoverished at times. We're looking to create an entry that will elevate the genre by using our backgrounds as actors to create a film with real moments, great acting, and characters you hopefully come to love, so that it actually matters when they inevitably bite it by the end of the movie.
A driving principal at every turn for us has been this: If the people online like the other people onscreen, we believe that the people watching will share that feeling. It's a stupid ethos to drive a horror film, and it's rare. And maybe it's stupid. We don't think so. Get on board. Because there's nothing worse than watching someone die in a horror film and thinking to yourself, "FINALLY!"
Where We're At Now.
As we submit this campaign to Seed and Spark, we're about 25 days away from principal photography, and we're SO EXCITED. The campaign is actually going to be overlapping with our shoot, which is... not advisable. We know. Doesn't matter. Get on board. We're making this movie. So... what an exciting opportunity for you to get updates WHILE THIS IS ALL HAPPENING.
What Will Your Contribution Do?
We've got a lot of people either donating their time and talent, or doing it at a cut-rate because they believe in us and they love our script. But that's not enough to get this thing made.
Your contribution will help us pay for things like airfare for our largely LA-based cast and crew to fly across the country. It will help us put up said cast and crew up in the woods of Maine. It will help us feed and pay those people so they do not starve, nor are they homeless when they go back to LA. And it will pay for some fun horror make-up and effects, which are pricey!
And... what if you make your goal? Or surpass it with a stretch goal? Great question. If we walk away from this campaign with more money than we anticipated, we'll have converstations we've tabled for now that cover licensing music, adding better visual effects, marketing, submitting to film festivals, and maybe we'll even be prepared for all the suprises we're going to encounter in post-production instead of selling our children's kidneys.
What Happens After?
First and foremost, we're going to have a party. We're going to have a screening for all the people who worked on the film. And for those of you who contributed at a party-invitation level.
Then we're going to send the film to all the various agents, managers, and gatekeepers we were frustrated with initially, and then ask them nicely if they want to buy the completed project. This will probably happen concurrently with us submitting to film festivals, which if we're being honest, is what we're looking forward to as much as making the movie. We love film festivals. We love seeing what other people are doing, and we love showing other people what we've done. And then, we're going to get this puppy streaming, even if we have to build our own platform.
COVID?
Never heard of it. Kidding. We're planning on doing all the things we need to in order to keep the cast and crew safe. We'll be using the same techniques we're used to in our theatres and on sets. Are we vaxxed? Yup. Boosted? Yup. Bivalent boosted. You know it! We'll be testing, re-testing, and creating a bubble.
We know it's a bit of a humblebrag here, but one of our producers has worked as a COVID compliance officer for SAG.
Want More?
Check out the full look book of our production design inspiration, and be sure to follow us @mccurdypoint for updates!
Spread The Word
Think this project is great? Thanks! Want to share it with your friends? WOW! Thank you!!
Feel free to copy and paste any of these messages to let others know what we're doing.
__________
I'm a big fan of the team behind the upcoming horror film McCurdy Point. I gave a little something something to their campaign on @seedandspark to help them reach their goal. You can do the same here.
__________
It's the spookiest time of the year, and I love horror films!
If you love horror films, join me in helping the team making McCurdy Point reach their goal on @seedandspark by contributing here.
__________
You owe me twenty five dollars for reasons we won't get into.
If you want to make things right, you'll contribute to McCurdy Point on @seedandspark here.
Do the right thing, Dad.
Thanks in advance for supporting our project!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Set the Scene! (Set Design)
Costs $1,500
The setting IS a character in this movie. We're shooting it in Maine--we want authenticity!
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Did You Hear That? (Sound Design)
Costs $3,000
If a man dies in the woods, but it sounds stupid and horrible, is it scary? We don't think so!
Showing Up is Half the Battle (Travel)
Costs $3,200
We're flying actors from Los Angeles to Maine, but if they want Lobster, that's on their dime!
DCP (Required for Screening at Festivals
Costs $1,500
In order to submit our film to festivals, we'll need to deliver it in a Digital Cinema Package.
Please Don't Stop the Music! (Composer)
Costs $2,000
Let the tension build! We want our movie to sound haunting and beautiful. Enter the composer.
Continuity? CHECK!
Costs $1,000
We want our movie to make sense. Make sense? A great Script Supervisor will help!
Production Design
Costs $1,500
We want this to be pure escapism and purely terrifying. We need the world to look amazing.
Gaffer Time!
Costs $1,500
Did we mention we want this movie to look good? A great Gaffer will help us do just that.
What Did You Say? (ADR)
Costs $1,500
We'll do our best capturing all audio on set, but we want this thing to sound perfect.
Bring it Home, Baby!
Costs $3,000
It's one thing to get all your shots, but then you have to put it together. Editing is HUGE!
Camera
Costs $1,000
How else we gonna make this thing? This is the perfect camera for us at a great price!
Gotta Give us Props!
Costs $1,500
You know, those things in movies that the actors hold sometimes? We need some of those.
Location! Location! Location!
Costs $5,000
We wrote this movie to be shot in mostly one location, but that still costs something!
Lights, Camera, Action! WAIT--SOUND TOO!
Costs $4,700
There's nothing worse than a movie with bad sound. Especially a horror movie! Let's avoid that.
Lodging
Costs $2,500
We're flying in some amazing talent from LA to Maine and they need a place to stay!
Food!
Costs $3,000
I guess we should feed people! And not just pizza. But sometimes maybe pizza.
Transportation
Costs $800
Actors and crew need a way to get back and forth from set and thi is it!
Costumes
Costs $500
They say "the clothes make the man, but the costumes also (help) make the character!
Special Effects
Costs $2,300
We have a few things in the movie that will need that special FX pro touch.
Make Up!
Costs $1,000
We want our movie to be as scary as possible and for that, we gotta bring in the big guns!
Bring in the Talent!
Costs $8,000
We are friends with some GREAT working actors, who love us so much they'll ALMOST do it for free!
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
We're thrilled you've read this far into our project. Here's a bit about the people involved in our film:
- Jeremy Brothers (producer, writer, co-director) has worked as the Artistic Director of Improv Asylum, a host for The Moth, and is the creator of the touring theatrical show Sonja in Your City.
- Ryan Gaul (producer, writer, actor) is a main company member of The Groundlings and can be seen on Superstore, The Last OG and Between Two Ferns: The Movie.
- Kiel Kennedy (producer, actor) is a main company member of The Groundlings and an Emmy-nominated writer, whose work includes SuperMansion and Robot Chicken. He can be seen in the upcoming films Don't Tell Larry, and The Binge 2 and is currently writing on The Pile on for Prime Video.
- Joey Krulock (actor, director of photography) is an independant film maker, former collegiate wrestler, and the entrepreneur spirit at the heart of Krulock Films.
- Nick Paonessa (producer, co-director) is an award-winning film maker, actor, and the creative prinicpal at Canyon Drive Productions.