Thirst Trap
New Orleans, Louisiana | Film Short
Comedy, Horror
When a haunted tour guide turns into a vampire, she uses a dating app to source her victims—but the more she feeds, the emptier she feels. A story about the horror of modern dating that looks to female friendship as #relationshipgoals (23 mins).
Thirst Trap
New Orleans, Louisiana | Film Short
Comedy, Horror
1 Campaigns | California, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $11,270 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
125 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
When a haunted tour guide turns into a vampire, she uses a dating app to source her victims—but the more she feeds, the emptier she feels. A story about the horror of modern dating that looks to female friendship as #relationshipgoals (23 mins).
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Vampires aren’t real.
At least that’s what Lizzie thinks. As a French Quarter tour guide peddling hokey ghost and vampire stories to out-of-towners, she should know.
As far as Lizzie is concerned, the supernatural is as non-existent as her love life. Lizzie swipes tirelessly on dating apps in search of her special someone—or just a match who won’t immediately solicit her for a blow job.
So when a bat bites Lizzie’s neck during her nightly tour, she doesn’t let the weird bodily changes that ensue stop her from going on a date with her newest (and sweetest) match.
They hit it off until—to their mutual horror—Lizzie starts sucking his blood and cannot stop. Suddenly, she’s got fangs—and they’re stuck in the neck of real boyfriend material. Tragically, Lizzie kills her date, along with her shot at a relationship.
A need to feed
After almost eating her tour group, Lizzie realizes that she can swipe for victims on dating apps instead. Lizzie’s next match—a coercive sleazeball—shows her that some kills feel good.
As a vampire, Lizzie is bold, sexy, and popular on dating apps. She gluts herself on the blood of men who flock to her inbox, but meaningful connection proves more elusive than ever.
In spite of herself, Lizzie falls for one of her matches but must flee their date to avoid killing him. Hopeless, isolated, and officially undateable, Lizzie surrenders to her basest instincts.
A new (after)life!
On the brink of a reckless feeding frenzy, Lizzie sees a man drug a woman’s drink at a bar.
Filled with newfound purpose, Lizzie kills the man when he leaves the bar with his victim. To Lizzie’s surprise, the woman is pissed—and has fangs. Samille is a vampire too, and the would-be rapist was her dinner.
As she and Lizzie drain the man, Samille explains that she preserves her humanity through preying on registered sex offenders—a practice she calls “ethical feeding.” Vampirism has been lonely for both women, but they find solace—and joy—in each other.
To celebrate, they head to the French Quarter to feast on a douchey bachelor party that booked Lizzie’s haunted tour. As the women lure the men into the night, Lizzie’s thirst for connection is quenched, finally, by friendship.
(The Hunger, 1983)
Why You Need Thirst Trap, Now
Dating apps are painful. Laugh about it with us. Think critically about it with us, too. As we turn increasingly towards tech for social connection, Thirst Trap asks: at what price?
We're making Thirst Trap now because it's time to talk about the impact of dating apps on how we relate to one another in real life.
Thirst Trap also expands what a happy ending looks like for women. Stories about women often find resolution in romantic love (particularly with men), but the women of Thirst Trap find relational fulfillment through platonic intimacy with one another.
(Birdman, 2014)
A Different Kind of Vampire Movie
Strengthened by the combination of swipe-based apps and hookup culture, modern dating is uniquely vampiric in its attitude towards the commodification and disposability of human beings. In fact, studies show that dating app usage increases feelings of disposability and isolation.
Thirst Trap explores consumption, loneliness, and alienation—common threads in modern dating, but also traditional themes of vampirism—with a comedic touch, from the perspective of a millenial woman.
This woman is also experiencing vampirism for the first time, NOW—which makes Thirst Trap an adult coming-of-age story about finding one's place in relation to others and cultivating a sense of belonging.
(La La Land, 2016)
Our Game Plan: Filming, Festivals, and Beyond
Thirst Trap is ready to shoot.
After 2 years of development, we’ve got a stellar script, shotdeck, lookbook, director, producer, and key cast members attached to Thirst Trap.
Now we need the funds to make our production a reality.
Once we've secured financing, we can hire crew members, buy and rent equipment, book locations, dress our sets, mix our blood, and get production underway.
(What We Do in the Shadows, 2014)
Our Production Timeline
November 2022: Crew Up and Cast Supporting Roles!
Once we've secured funding, we'll be able to hire cast and crew members.
December 2022: Secure Locations, Design Sets, Custom Fang Fittings
We'll use our funds to book venues, buy what we need to decorate our sets, and schedule custom fang fittings for Lizzie and Samille.
January 2023: Filming!
We'll shoot the film in New Orelans in early January (before Mardi Gras!). In addition to feeding our cast and crew, we'll also need to provide KN-95 masks and daily COVID rapid tests to keep everyone safe on set.
February—March 2023: Post Production
We'll use our funds to hire an editor, colorist, and audio engineer—ensuring a fabulous final cut!
March 2023 & Beyond: Film Festival Applications!
What we raise will cover application fees for 2023 and 2024 film festivals.
Our Festival Plan
We want Thirst Trap to reach audiences far and wide—so we're heading to the festival circuit. We've set our sights on horror and comedy fests as well as broader festivals like The New Orleans Film Festival, SXSW, and Slamdance.
Thirst Trap is a short film that is built like a television pilot. We want to make a high-quality film that will have a shot at prestigious festivals because we think Thirst Trap could become something more.
Film festivals are amazing opportunities for networking and exposure. And vampire content is hot right now! With your help, we can create a sophisticated film that has the potential to catch the eyes of industry pros interested in developing Thirst Trap into a streaming series or feature film.
Be a Part of Thirst Trap!
Want to join our little coven? Here's how you can help make Thirst Trap a reality:
-
Loan or donate items, services, or locations. Got a bar or boudoir we could film in? Catering chops or extra grub to feed our cast and crew? An awesome costume collection? Help us out and we'll credit you or offer advertising for your business.
-
Contribute to our campaign. We need to raise 80% of our goal to get the green light.
-
Share our campaign. Social posts, DMs, texts, emails, carrier bat—whichever method you prefer!
-
Follow us on Seed & Spark. Click “follow this project” on our campaign page to boost our visibility on the Seed & Spark website.
-
Follow us on social media. Get behind-the-scenes footage, vampire movie reviews, morsels of New Orleans vampire lore, and more! Find us on Instagram at @thirst_trap.mov
FANGS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!!!
COPYPASTA ALERT—COPY, PASTE + POST TO HELP SPREAD THE WORD:
Dating sucks—let's make a vampire movie about it! Follow @thirst_trap.mov and support the film on @seedandspark at www.seedandspark.com/fund/thirst-trap
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cast & Crew
Costs $2,900
We need to cover meals as well as payment for our talented cast and crew.
Camera
Costs $1,500
We need a camera package and kit rentals.
Post-Production
Costs $1,500
We need to edit the film, license music, mix sound, and more.
Legal + Fees
Costs $500
We need to buy insurance to protect our production. We also need to cover bond + contingency fees.
Art Department
Costs $1,600
We need to hire a production designer and make purchases to decorate our sets.
Special Effects
Costs $1,000
This covers believable blood, biting bats, fangs, dead bodies, vampire transformations, wounds, etc.
Wardrobe, Hair, and Makeup
Costs $1,000
Lizzie's transformation is conveyed visually through her appearance. And she has many victims!
Lighting
Costs $500
To create our visual mood, we need a gaffer, grip, and and electric gear package.
Sound
Costs $500
We need a sound operator and sound kit to create a film with quality audio.
Festival Entries + Publicity
Costs $1,000
We need to pay application fees, shoot still photos, and design a press kit to get into festivals.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Lizzie Parmenter
Writer, Lead
Lizzie is a writer, actor, and director. Her pilot THE LIZZIE SHOW was selected to screen at the New Orleans Comedy Film Fest (2020) and WIFT-LA's Female Filmmaker Fest (2019). Her short film Soothing Practices screened at Backyard Film Fest (2019) and Weirder the Better Fest (2019). Lizzie is also a comic artist, and her comic strip Mouses ran monthly in Antigravity (a beloved New Orleans alt rag) for several years. Lizzie has been a dating app user for 9 years.
Sam Aguirre Kelly
Director
Sam has been directing music videos and short films for the past 8 years. His short film “HBD” was selected for the Cinema on the Bayou Film Festival and was an award nominee for Indie Short Fest. His short film “VREAL” was awarded second place at Backyard Film Fest (2019). When not directing, Sam runs his production company, Fast Friends, and works as DP and operator for other local productions. He loves to fish, cook, live, laugh, love.
Ruby Green
Producer
Ruby is a director, casting director, and producer. As head of Rudebelly Casting, Ruby has cast reality shows, commercials, music videos for Grammy-nominated artists, and more. Her debut documentary about the culture and history of Mardi Gras is currently in post-production.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Vampires aren’t real.
At least that’s what Lizzie thinks. As a French Quarter tour guide peddling hokey ghost and vampire stories to out-of-towners, she should know.
As far as Lizzie is concerned, the supernatural is as non-existent as her love life. Lizzie swipes tirelessly on dating apps in search of her special someone—or just a match who won’t immediately solicit her for a blow job.
So when a bat bites Lizzie’s neck during her nightly tour, she doesn’t let the weird bodily changes that ensue stop her from going on a date with her newest (and sweetest) match.
They hit it off until—to their mutual horror—Lizzie starts sucking his blood and cannot stop. Suddenly, she’s got fangs—and they’re stuck in the neck of real boyfriend material. Tragically, Lizzie kills her date, along with her shot at a relationship.
A need to feed
After almost eating her tour group, Lizzie realizes that she can swipe for victims on dating apps instead. Lizzie’s next match—a coercive sleazeball—shows her that some kills feel good.
As a vampire, Lizzie is bold, sexy, and popular on dating apps. She gluts herself on the blood of men who flock to her inbox, but meaningful connection proves more elusive than ever.
In spite of herself, Lizzie falls for one of her matches but must flee their date to avoid killing him. Hopeless, isolated, and officially undateable, Lizzie surrenders to her basest instincts.
A new (after)life!
On the brink of a reckless feeding frenzy, Lizzie sees a man drug a woman’s drink at a bar.
Filled with newfound purpose, Lizzie kills the man when he leaves the bar with his victim. To Lizzie’s surprise, the woman is pissed—and has fangs. Samille is a vampire too, and the would-be rapist was her dinner.
As she and Lizzie drain the man, Samille explains that she preserves her humanity through preying on registered sex offenders—a practice she calls “ethical feeding.” Vampirism has been lonely for both women, but they find solace—and joy—in each other.
To celebrate, they head to the French Quarter to feast on a douchey bachelor party that booked Lizzie’s haunted tour. As the women lure the men into the night, Lizzie’s thirst for connection is quenched, finally, by friendship.
(The Hunger, 1983)
Why You Need Thirst Trap, Now
Dating apps are painful. Laugh about it with us. Think critically about it with us, too. As we turn increasingly towards tech for social connection, Thirst Trap asks: at what price?
We're making Thirst Trap now because it's time to talk about the impact of dating apps on how we relate to one another in real life.
Thirst Trap also expands what a happy ending looks like for women. Stories about women often find resolution in romantic love (particularly with men), but the women of Thirst Trap find relational fulfillment through platonic intimacy with one another.
(Birdman, 2014)
A Different Kind of Vampire Movie
Strengthened by the combination of swipe-based apps and hookup culture, modern dating is uniquely vampiric in its attitude towards the commodification and disposability of human beings. In fact, studies show that dating app usage increases feelings of disposability and isolation.
Thirst Trap explores consumption, loneliness, and alienation—common threads in modern dating, but also traditional themes of vampirism—with a comedic touch, from the perspective of a millenial woman.
This woman is also experiencing vampirism for the first time, NOW—which makes Thirst Trap an adult coming-of-age story about finding one's place in relation to others and cultivating a sense of belonging.
(La La Land, 2016)
Our Game Plan: Filming, Festivals, and Beyond
Thirst Trap is ready to shoot.
After 2 years of development, we’ve got a stellar script, shotdeck, lookbook, director, producer, and key cast members attached to Thirst Trap.
Now we need the funds to make our production a reality.
Once we've secured financing, we can hire crew members, buy and rent equipment, book locations, dress our sets, mix our blood, and get production underway.
(What We Do in the Shadows, 2014)
Our Production Timeline
November 2022: Crew Up and Cast Supporting Roles!
Once we've secured funding, we'll be able to hire cast and crew members.
December 2022: Secure Locations, Design Sets, Custom Fang Fittings
We'll use our funds to book venues, buy what we need to decorate our sets, and schedule custom fang fittings for Lizzie and Samille.
January 2023: Filming!
We'll shoot the film in New Orelans in early January (before Mardi Gras!). In addition to feeding our cast and crew, we'll also need to provide KN-95 masks and daily COVID rapid tests to keep everyone safe on set.
February—March 2023: Post Production
We'll use our funds to hire an editor, colorist, and audio engineer—ensuring a fabulous final cut!
March 2023 & Beyond: Film Festival Applications!
What we raise will cover application fees for 2023 and 2024 film festivals.
Our Festival Plan
We want Thirst Trap to reach audiences far and wide—so we're heading to the festival circuit. We've set our sights on horror and comedy fests as well as broader festivals like The New Orleans Film Festival, SXSW, and Slamdance.
Thirst Trap is a short film that is built like a television pilot. We want to make a high-quality film that will have a shot at prestigious festivals because we think Thirst Trap could become something more.
Film festivals are amazing opportunities for networking and exposure. And vampire content is hot right now! With your help, we can create a sophisticated film that has the potential to catch the eyes of industry pros interested in developing Thirst Trap into a streaming series or feature film.
Be a Part of Thirst Trap!
Want to join our little coven? Here's how you can help make Thirst Trap a reality:
-
Loan or donate items, services, or locations. Got a bar or boudoir we could film in? Catering chops or extra grub to feed our cast and crew? An awesome costume collection? Help us out and we'll credit you or offer advertising for your business.
-
Contribute to our campaign. We need to raise 80% of our goal to get the green light.
-
Share our campaign. Social posts, DMs, texts, emails, carrier bat—whichever method you prefer!
-
Follow us on Seed & Spark. Click “follow this project” on our campaign page to boost our visibility on the Seed & Spark website.
-
Follow us on social media. Get behind-the-scenes footage, vampire movie reviews, morsels of New Orleans vampire lore, and more! Find us on Instagram at @thirst_trap.mov
FANGS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!!!
COPYPASTA ALERT—COPY, PASTE + POST TO HELP SPREAD THE WORD:
Dating sucks—let's make a vampire movie about it! Follow @thirst_trap.mov and support the film on @seedandspark at www.seedandspark.com/fund/thirst-trap
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cast & Crew
Costs $2,900
We need to cover meals as well as payment for our talented cast and crew.
Camera
Costs $1,500
We need a camera package and kit rentals.
Post-Production
Costs $1,500
We need to edit the film, license music, mix sound, and more.
Legal + Fees
Costs $500
We need to buy insurance to protect our production. We also need to cover bond + contingency fees.
Art Department
Costs $1,600
We need to hire a production designer and make purchases to decorate our sets.
Special Effects
Costs $1,000
This covers believable blood, biting bats, fangs, dead bodies, vampire transformations, wounds, etc.
Wardrobe, Hair, and Makeup
Costs $1,000
Lizzie's transformation is conveyed visually through her appearance. And she has many victims!
Lighting
Costs $500
To create our visual mood, we need a gaffer, grip, and and electric gear package.
Sound
Costs $500
We need a sound operator and sound kit to create a film with quality audio.
Festival Entries + Publicity
Costs $1,000
We need to pay application fees, shoot still photos, and design a press kit to get into festivals.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Lizzie Parmenter
Writer, Lead
Lizzie is a writer, actor, and director. Her pilot THE LIZZIE SHOW was selected to screen at the New Orleans Comedy Film Fest (2020) and WIFT-LA's Female Filmmaker Fest (2019). Her short film Soothing Practices screened at Backyard Film Fest (2019) and Weirder the Better Fest (2019). Lizzie is also a comic artist, and her comic strip Mouses ran monthly in Antigravity (a beloved New Orleans alt rag) for several years. Lizzie has been a dating app user for 9 years.
Sam Aguirre Kelly
Director
Sam has been directing music videos and short films for the past 8 years. His short film “HBD” was selected for the Cinema on the Bayou Film Festival and was an award nominee for Indie Short Fest. His short film “VREAL” was awarded second place at Backyard Film Fest (2019). When not directing, Sam runs his production company, Fast Friends, and works as DP and operator for other local productions. He loves to fish, cook, live, laugh, love.
Ruby Green
Producer
Ruby is a director, casting director, and producer. As head of Rudebelly Casting, Ruby has cast reality shows, commercials, music videos for Grammy-nominated artists, and more. Her debut documentary about the culture and history of Mardi Gras is currently in post-production.