Phoebe, a member of a Catholic cult, has had enough. After a life of obeying church elders and behaving as she's been told, she decides it's high time to explore forbidden territory and have the ultimate unorthodox experience that would leave the clergy aghast - a threesome.

With a hunger for rebellion and a wish to explore a different side of herself, Phoebe logs on to a dating app in quest of spending an evening as a couple's third. Instantly, she matches with Ron and Vera, a stylish, modern couple who seem to know what they're doing.

Upon entry to the house, Ron and Vera lay down the charm, treating Phoebe as if she is God's gift from heaven. For the first time in her life of sexual purity and restraint, Phoebe feels desired. But what starts off as an exciting evening, full of mystery and possibility, slowly unravels into a nightmare when the couple's 8-year-old son walks in on them, demanding something to eat. Unfortunately for Phoebe, Ron and Vera are the type who will do anything to satiate their child's needs.

"But wait,"

*record scratch*

"Why this story? Why now?"

Good question...

Women are often discouraged from being "bad". Being "bad" means embracing behaviors and decisions that might be disapproved of by societal standards, even if it means being seen as unlikable or the "bad guy". But being the bad guy in someone else's story doesn't mean we aren't the good guy in our own. This story explores the complexity of setting boundaries and how the line between "good" and "bad" is often blurred (if there even needs to be a line at all).

The horror genre is perfect for portraying women in ways they are often discouraged from being in the real world: messy, dark, flawed, and neither good nor bad. In horror, women can be loud, angry, assertive, defying traditional norms that often dictate women should be accommodating and emotionally restrained. This break from societal expectations allows women to see their raw, “ugly” sides on screen, validating those parts of themselves that are often suppressed and criticized.

And the answer to "why now"? To put it simply, the genre is hungry for more stories written, produced, and directed by women. Each of the projects below offers a unique perspective on horror, shaped by the directors' and writers' lived experiences as women. These stories avoid eroticizing or exploiting the deaths of female characters, bringing a fresh approach to the genre.

One early Monday morning, I thought of an idea of a not-so-sexy situation gone wrong. And that's when Sam Fox (our multi-talented director, co-writer, and stylish queen) and I got down to business. Three months later on one sunny June day, our 20-person cast and crew filmed nine entire pages of quirky, campy fun. But the thing about films is that the work doesn't stop after the final shot, it continues well into post-production.

This involves not only editing, but also color correction, sound mixing and designing, music composing, graphic design, paying for festival submissions, and paying back deferred payment to our director and co-writer. Any additional donations above our goal will go towards recouping some of the costs spent on production.

These steps to finishing our film are necessary and required if we are to submit OPEN WIDE to the next film festival season. All of your support will go directly towards these steps to push OPEN WIDE closer to Opening Night.

LARA REPKO (Producer, Co-Writer, Phoebe)

Lara discovered her love of producing when she wrote and starred in her first one-woman show, LEAVING PRINCE CHARMING (Encore Producer's Award winner the 2019 Hollywood Fringe Festival). Recent acting credits include Lisa in the horror short film THE DEEP (Directed by Benji Gillespie and written by Leland Douglas) and Millie in her first self-produced short film, MR. ABRAMS (Directed and co-written by Emily Lerer). Lara is passionate about creating female-driven narratives that explore feminine desire, self-image, and rebellion.

SAM FOX (Producer, Director, Co-Writer)

Sam blends highly stylized imagery, music, and psychedelia with horror and genre cinema via her production company, Foxy Films. Sam wrote and directed BAD ACID (winner of Best Director at Nightmares Film Festival, Best Production Design at both FilmQuest and Be Afraid, and Best International Film at Phenomena Festival 2021). In 2023, Sam teamed up with MovieMaker Magazine to make the absurd horror-comedy, FCK'N NUTS (Fantastic Fest, Beyond Fest, Brooklyn Horror, and won Best Midnight Short at FilmQuest, Best Horror Comedy at Flickers Rhode Island, and jury prize at Knoxville Horror). Sam is an executive producer along with Desiree Staples on Heidi Weitzer's comedy feature MY DIVORCE PARTY (ft. Rumer Willis), winning Audience Award for Best Feature at the Beverly Hills Film Festival. She is a producer on Britt Lower's CIRCUS PERSON (Tribeca Film Festival, Best of Festival at Catalyst 2021, and the Audience Award at Nashville Film Festival). Sam's new horror comedy THE BLUE DIAMOND (ft. Barbara Crampton) premieres Fall 2024.  



JACK MCDONALD (Director of Photography)

Jack McDonald is a cinematographer with an MFA in Cinematography from AFI Conservatory, and a BFA in Film & TV from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. His cinematography credits include MOTHERWITCH – a folk-horror feature film currently in post-production. His AFI thesis film, FISHMONGER, premiered at Fantastic Fest and Sitges and was nominated for Best Cinematography 2024 by New Filmmakers LA. Other work includes COFFEE SHOP NAMES (streaming on HBO MAX, played at Tribeca, winner of Best Comedy at Palm Springs ShortFest). Additional DP credits include EMBRYO, PICNIC AND A LITTLE MUTINY, RATED R, SKETCH, BUG BITE, LATE SUMMER DREAM OF FLYING, which premiered at CAMERIMAGE. Previously, Jack worked as Gaffer and Key Grip on the Safdie Brothers' GOOD TIME and Chloé Zhao's THE RIDER.

DESIREE STAPLES (Field and Associate Producer)

Desiree is an actress, filmmaker, and producer experienced in feature films and television. She produced CIRCUS PERSON (Tribeca NOW 2020 showcase selection, winner of Best of Festival top achievement at Catalyst Content, Audience Choice Award at Nashville Film Festival, and Severance's Britt Lower's directorial debut). Staples' dramedy pilot IT'S WHAT SHE WOULD HAVE WANTED was a prestigious selection in the 2021 Tribeca Creators Market and winner of Best Ensemble Cast at the Catalyst Film Festival. Staples executive produced and is the lead actress of the comedy feature film, MY DIVORCE PARTY, directed/written by Heidi Weitzer, and stars opposite Rumer Willis. MY DIVORCE PARTY won the Audience Award for Best Feature Film at the Beverly Hills Film Festival. Staples stars as the lead in Sam Fox's sci-fi/horror short film THE BLUE DIAMOND opposite Barbara Crampton. Additional Producing credits include Sam Fox's FCK'N NUTS and TAKE ME TO TARZANA (distributed by Gravitas Ventures and a Gold Remi Winner at Worldfest Houston). Her comedy pilot, THE INFLUENCERS, which she co-created, starred in and produced, has screened at over 25 festivals around the world. You can see Staples appear in EVERYONE IS DOING GREAT on HULU and IN THE CUT on BOUNCE TV.

Supporting a crowdfunding campaign is a big deal but rest assured, you're in good hands. You see, we've already shot the entire film, which means you better believe that we mean business about getting our film to the finish line. The team has worked on all sorts of incredible projects involving HBO MAX, HULU, Apple TV, and film festivals such as Tribeca Film Festival, Fantastic Fest, Beyond Fest, and more. With our level of experience and exposure from previous projects in the industry, we know that we can get Open Wide in front of the right audience with your support.

Click on the Incentives and Wishlist buttons (hint: they're linked at the top of the page) to see what areas of support we're looking for the most. If you're able to contribute to or share our project with others, it truly would make a huge difference!

With all that said, thank you so much for taking the time to check out our campaign. Your support, whether through financial contribution or simply sharing our project, means the world to us. Creating fresh, unconventional, and unexpected films is something we're passionate about. With your help, we can do just that with OPEN WIDE. Thank you for being a part of this journey we'll see you at our first screening!

ETHAN DANIEL CORBETT (Ron)

Ethan is a Los Angeles native actor known for his positive attitude and goofy personality. He first found his love for acting when he was on the set of "Dennis The Menace" visiting his father, who worked at Warner Brothers Studio. Today he is known for playing a variety of roles with a wide range. Most notably, Dracula in MONSTER MASH (Apple TV), Wyatt L'hiver in VOODOO (Hulu), Angel Cregar in HEADLESS HORSEMAN (Apple TV) and now Ron in OPEN WIDE to add to the list. More recently, Ethan will be seen in the World Premiere of FACES at the Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal. Ethan is so thankful for the OPEN WIDE team and getting to work with the illustrious Sam Fox again was an absolute pleasure. As always, "I love Jazz".

ASHLEY SMITH (Vera)

Ashley is an actress, musician, and internationally known model. Her recent work includes movies A DESERT which premiered at Tribeca Film Festival and OFF RAMP which won Best Feature at Chattanooga Film Festival. She has studied under many notable coaches in NYC and LA including Sheila Grey and Sharon Chatten. When she isn’t acting, she is making electronic punk music for her band TRASHWORLD. Currently she is living between Los Angeles and London and has her eyes set on Theatre acting in London.

MADONNA YOUNG-MAGEE (Grandma)

Madonna is a graduate of NYU and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. For 35 years she taught acting at Cal State Fullerton and AADA. From 2001-2005 she was the Chief Academic Officer for the Hollywood campus of AADA. Since retiring in 2014, she has returned to acting professionally and has had guest star roles on CRIMINAL MINDS, BETTER THINGS, AMERICAN HORROR STORIES and GRAND CREW.

WOLF HOMME (Timothy) 

This was Wolf's first time on set, ever! He did an amazing job and we are so proud of him and know he will continue to be a rockstar on whatever set he walks on to.

Check out our incentives and wishlist items for ways you can support OPEN WIDE!