The Coming
Chicago, Illinois | Film Feature
Horror, Thriller
A psychiatrist in crisis seeks his salvation in a mysterious mental patient, one ultimately not to be cured… but destroyed. We have completed filming The Coming with an expert team of actors, designers, and crew. The footage looks incredible, but we need your help to turn it into a finished film!
The Coming
Chicago, Illinois | Film Feature
Horror, Thriller

1 Campaigns | Illinois, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $32,665 for post-production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
161 supporters | followers
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A psychiatrist in crisis seeks his salvation in a mysterious mental patient, one ultimately not to be cured… but destroyed. We have completed filming The Coming with an expert team of actors, designers, and crew. The footage looks incredible, but we need your help to turn it into a finished film!
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
THE STORY
Disgraced psychiatrist, Dr. Sam Allyn, lands at a West Virginia hospital that specializes in treating the Jerusalem Syndrome, a controversial condition where patients believe that they are living, breathing figures from the Bible. There he confronts Patient X, whose behavior is so volatile, so mysterious, so infectious that Sam begins to question whether she is really suffering from psychosis or from something far more terrifying– something not to be cured but destroyed. The Coming is a darkly comic thriller that pits good vs. evil, sanity vs. insanity, and has us questioning which one is which.
THE WORLD OF THE COMING
In the tradition of films like Get Out and American Psycho, The Coming is a psychological thriller tinged with comedy as much as it with the macabre. We have seen numerous incarnations of both Demon and Messiah told with the greatest solemnity. What is missing in the telling of this ancient antagonism of light and dark is the sense of humor that ultimately lends it a greater sense of humanity, and therefore, identification, surprise and thrill.
It is our aim to be SUBVERSIVE- to set up expectations using established genre conventions as foils for us to approach the concepts of “Good” and “Evil” from a completely new perspective. The settings and locations that populate the story will be likewise whimsical, haunting, living breathing creatures, possessed as they are, by the spirits of the characters themselves.
The Coming is a horror film, and it’s a dark comedy, but it’s also about US. About how quickly we demonize the other side today; it’s about our inability to see, as Mirabeth says in the film, that We Are One.
OUR VISION
The Coming is the second feature film created by Globe and Gimbal, an ongoing artistic collaboration between Seth Panitch (Writer/Actor) and Aaron Greer (Director). Beginning with Service to Man (2016), our mission has been to create compelling, relatable, entertaining stories about the incredible resilience of our interconnectivity, even under the duress of cultural, spiritual, and social divides. We believe our identities and best versions of ourselves are ultimately revealed through the experience of battling seemingly insurmountable crises alongside (or in conflict with) those of different social, political, or spiritual backgrounds.
The composition of our cast, our design team, and our crew reflects this desire to include all voices and experiences in the crafting of these stories. Ultimately, it is our mission to entertain – through drama, horror, and humor – without “borders.” Our stories, whether they take place in an HBCU Medical School in the turbulent 1960’s, or in a Psychiatric Hospital standing at the very mouth of the Apocalypse, will always speak to the universal need to discover ourselves in the reflection of others.
OUR PLAN & PURPOSE
We’ve been working on The Coming for over two years now. Refining draft after draft of the script, surviving numerous Covid delays, finding a wonderful production partner in ILLHIO films, and assembling an amazing team of actors, crew, and designers to shoot the film in Chicago earlier this summer. We have a mountain of incredible footage, but for this film to truly take shape, we need to take the same care with post-production that we did with the cinematography, locations, lighting, sound recording, casting, production design, and every other aspect of production.
Editing the film, enhancing the color, designing and mixing the sound, and adding special effects- all of this takes substantial funding. We will use the funds raised by this campaign to cover those post-production costs (i.e. to pay an editor, colorist, sound mixer, VFX artist, etc.), as well as to prepare the film for exhibition and distribution. Following the successful model of Service to Man, the exhibition stage for The Coming will begin with screenings of our movie on the film festival circuit, with campaign funds used to pay for festival entry fees, marketing (e.g. poster design), and associated costs.
Typical of independent film, many of the people working on this project have done so at well below their standard rates, in some cases working completely pro bono, out of love and support for this movie. Any funds raised beyond our set campaign goal will go towards renumerating people who have deferred payment, as well as expanding our marketing, film festival, and distribution efforts beyond the 10 festivals we've targeted for screening.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Film Festivals and Marketing
Costs $1,500
Festival entry fees, publicity poster and marketing for the film's exhibition.
Editing
Costs $10,000
The post for the film begins with the editing dept, this wishlist item helps take care of them.
Color-correction/VFX
Costs $14,000
This item takes care of our Colorist and Visual Effects Artist.
About This Team
THE FILMMAKERS
SETH PANITCH – Writer, Producer and Lead Actor (Sam Allyn)
Seth Panitch is a director, actor, screenwriter, and playwright. In 2008, Seth was invited to be one of the first Americans to direct a play in Cuba since the 1960s. He subsequently directed four stage productions in Cuba. He has also directed Off Broadway at the 59E59 Theatres, the Harold Clurman Theatre, the Samuel Beckett Theatre, and Urban Stages. His produced and published plays include Hell: Paradise Found; Alcestis Ascending; Dammit, Shakespeare!; and What’s Taking Moses So Long? His film work includes the award-winning feature film, Service to Man (2016), which he wrote, co-directed, and performed in as Dr. Feldman. In addition to his stage and screen work, Professor Seth Panitch is the head of the BFA and MFA Acting Programs at the University of Alabama.
AARON GREER – Director and Co-Producer
Aaron Greer is an award-winning filmmaker and media producer. He has directed numerous shorts and two independent feature films, Gettin’ Grown (2005) and Service to Man (2016), both of which have screened internationally and are distributed commercially. His work has been featured and won awards in festivals all over the world, including: the American Black Film Festival, the Tribeca Film Festival, the Sidewalk Film Festival, the Heartland Film Festival and the Tallgrass Film Festival. In addition to his production work, Aaron is an Associate Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s storied Department of Communication Arts.
MITCH FOWLER – Director of Photography
Mitch’s production experience spans over 300 feature-length, documentary, and short films, including the Academy Award-nominated documentary Murderball. Some recent projects include the documentary series Labeled, which endeavors to inspire and educate through the sharing of personal and intimate stories of people living with mental illness, Walking With Herb, a feature film starring Edward James Olmos, George Lopez, and Kathleen Quinlan, and The Heart Outright, a romantic drama currently streaming on Amazon Prime. In addition to his production work, Mitch is an Associate Professor at New Mexico State University.
RAHIM BRANCH - PRODUCER
As a multifaucted filmmaker and Co-CEO of ILL-HIO Films in Chicago, Rahim is an accomplished and passionate visual storyteller. After graduating from Cleveland State University he further enhanced his education while attending Columbia College of Chicago Film School. Rahim enjoys collaborating with other creative minds to produce exhilarating cinema. Most notable among his work is the comedy “Call Center” and the “The Untold Stories of Mild Sauce”.
DASHAWANA WRIGHT - LINE PRODUCER
CAMILLE KING - COSTUME DESIGNER
JUDY FEBLES - PRODUCTION DESIGNER
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
THE STORY
Disgraced psychiatrist, Dr. Sam Allyn, lands at a West Virginia hospital that specializes in treating the Jerusalem Syndrome, a controversial condition where patients believe that they are living, breathing figures from the Bible. There he confronts Patient X, whose behavior is so volatile, so mysterious, so infectious that Sam begins to question whether she is really suffering from psychosis or from something far more terrifying– something not to be cured but destroyed. The Coming is a darkly comic thriller that pits good vs. evil, sanity vs. insanity, and has us questioning which one is which.
THE WORLD OF THE COMING
In the tradition of films like Get Out and American Psycho, The Coming is a psychological thriller tinged with comedy as much as it with the macabre. We have seen numerous incarnations of both Demon and Messiah told with the greatest solemnity. What is missing in the telling of this ancient antagonism of light and dark is the sense of humor that ultimately lends it a greater sense of humanity, and therefore, identification, surprise and thrill.
It is our aim to be SUBVERSIVE- to set up expectations using established genre conventions as foils for us to approach the concepts of “Good” and “Evil” from a completely new perspective. The settings and locations that populate the story will be likewise whimsical, haunting, living breathing creatures, possessed as they are, by the spirits of the characters themselves.
The Coming is a horror film, and it’s a dark comedy, but it’s also about US. About how quickly we demonize the other side today; it’s about our inability to see, as Mirabeth says in the film, that We Are One.
OUR VISION
The Coming is the second feature film created by Globe and Gimbal, an ongoing artistic collaboration between Seth Panitch (Writer/Actor) and Aaron Greer (Director). Beginning with Service to Man (2016), our mission has been to create compelling, relatable, entertaining stories about the incredible resilience of our interconnectivity, even under the duress of cultural, spiritual, and social divides. We believe our identities and best versions of ourselves are ultimately revealed through the experience of battling seemingly insurmountable crises alongside (or in conflict with) those of different social, political, or spiritual backgrounds.
The composition of our cast, our design team, and our crew reflects this desire to include all voices and experiences in the crafting of these stories. Ultimately, it is our mission to entertain – through drama, horror, and humor – without “borders.” Our stories, whether they take place in an HBCU Medical School in the turbulent 1960’s, or in a Psychiatric Hospital standing at the very mouth of the Apocalypse, will always speak to the universal need to discover ourselves in the reflection of others.
OUR PLAN & PURPOSE
We’ve been working on The Coming for over two years now. Refining draft after draft of the script, surviving numerous Covid delays, finding a wonderful production partner in ILLHIO films, and assembling an amazing team of actors, crew, and designers to shoot the film in Chicago earlier this summer. We have a mountain of incredible footage, but for this film to truly take shape, we need to take the same care with post-production that we did with the cinematography, locations, lighting, sound recording, casting, production design, and every other aspect of production.
Editing the film, enhancing the color, designing and mixing the sound, and adding special effects- all of this takes substantial funding. We will use the funds raised by this campaign to cover those post-production costs (i.e. to pay an editor, colorist, sound mixer, VFX artist, etc.), as well as to prepare the film for exhibition and distribution. Following the successful model of Service to Man, the exhibition stage for The Coming will begin with screenings of our movie on the film festival circuit, with campaign funds used to pay for festival entry fees, marketing (e.g. poster design), and associated costs.
Typical of independent film, many of the people working on this project have done so at well below their standard rates, in some cases working completely pro bono, out of love and support for this movie. Any funds raised beyond our set campaign goal will go towards renumerating people who have deferred payment, as well as expanding our marketing, film festival, and distribution efforts beyond the 10 festivals we've targeted for screening.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Film Festivals and Marketing
Costs $1,500
Festival entry fees, publicity poster and marketing for the film's exhibition.
Editing
Costs $10,000
The post for the film begins with the editing dept, this wishlist item helps take care of them.
Color-correction/VFX
Costs $14,000
This item takes care of our Colorist and Visual Effects Artist.
About This Team
THE FILMMAKERS
SETH PANITCH – Writer, Producer and Lead Actor (Sam Allyn)
Seth Panitch is a director, actor, screenwriter, and playwright. In 2008, Seth was invited to be one of the first Americans to direct a play in Cuba since the 1960s. He subsequently directed four stage productions in Cuba. He has also directed Off Broadway at the 59E59 Theatres, the Harold Clurman Theatre, the Samuel Beckett Theatre, and Urban Stages. His produced and published plays include Hell: Paradise Found; Alcestis Ascending; Dammit, Shakespeare!; and What’s Taking Moses So Long? His film work includes the award-winning feature film, Service to Man (2016), which he wrote, co-directed, and performed in as Dr. Feldman. In addition to his stage and screen work, Professor Seth Panitch is the head of the BFA and MFA Acting Programs at the University of Alabama.
AARON GREER – Director and Co-Producer
Aaron Greer is an award-winning filmmaker and media producer. He has directed numerous shorts and two independent feature films, Gettin’ Grown (2005) and Service to Man (2016), both of which have screened internationally and are distributed commercially. His work has been featured and won awards in festivals all over the world, including: the American Black Film Festival, the Tribeca Film Festival, the Sidewalk Film Festival, the Heartland Film Festival and the Tallgrass Film Festival. In addition to his production work, Aaron is an Associate Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s storied Department of Communication Arts.
MITCH FOWLER – Director of Photography
Mitch’s production experience spans over 300 feature-length, documentary, and short films, including the Academy Award-nominated documentary Murderball. Some recent projects include the documentary series Labeled, which endeavors to inspire and educate through the sharing of personal and intimate stories of people living with mental illness, Walking With Herb, a feature film starring Edward James Olmos, George Lopez, and Kathleen Quinlan, and The Heart Outright, a romantic drama currently streaming on Amazon Prime. In addition to his production work, Mitch is an Associate Professor at New Mexico State University.
RAHIM BRANCH - PRODUCER
As a multifaucted filmmaker and Co-CEO of ILL-HIO Films in Chicago, Rahim is an accomplished and passionate visual storyteller. After graduating from Cleveland State University he further enhanced his education while attending Columbia College of Chicago Film School. Rahim enjoys collaborating with other creative minds to produce exhilarating cinema. Most notable among his work is the comedy “Call Center” and the “The Untold Stories of Mild Sauce”.
DASHAWANA WRIGHT - LINE PRODUCER
CAMILLE KING - COSTUME DESIGNER
JUDY FEBLES - PRODUCTION DESIGNER