Student makes horror film

By: Brooke Wertman/Staff Writer

Eerie music, an ominous setting, sinister characters, and an intriguing plot line: these are the elements that make up the suspenseful film “What Lies Beyond.”

The horror movie is the first foray into filmmaking for senior Jarrod A. Knowles, an information technology major. Written, directed, produced, edited and cast by Knowles, the film was his “vision brought to life.”

“What Lies Beyond” follows a group of 10 college students who are on a weekend-long camping trip to gather research for an ecology class, each competing for a $100,000 prize.

Tensions run high as the students begin to collect their data and detail the ways they would spend the prize money. As night falls, the dark forest seems to become threatening.

As the students gather for an evening of fun, they realize that one amongst them has gone missing and decide to brave the forest to search for him.

The rest of the film kept the audience on the edge of their seat as the bodies piled up; the audience members leaned together, clutching those around them, and screaming at the slightest sign of danger.

Frustrated with the current formula of horror films, Knowles began writing the film in 2008, wanting to deliver a scary movie with an accessible plotline that can be understood. “Films like ‘Saw’ use gore for no reason,” said Knowles. “I wanted to give the audience a reason. I wanted to show the world that you can do something on a small budget but still give them a story and a lesson.”

Originally written as a short film, Knowles eventually developed it into a full-length movie, and financed the entire project himself. Paycheck to paycheck, the movie cost Knowles a total of $6,000.

The film stars 10 University students, all of whom had to audition for their roles in the film. “We spent a lot of sleepless nights in the forest, but it was cool being part of something so ambitious,” said one of the stars, senior Andres Agudelo, who is studying international business and marketing.

“Jarrod had faith. Seeing his final vision made it all worth it,” said Agudelo.

“My favorite parts of creating the movie were filming the fight sequences and getting to work behind-the-scenes,” said Michel Milfort, a civil engineering major. Milfort has been friends with Knowles since the filmmaker began writing the script their freshman year, and also starred in the film.

“The makeup was great,” Milfort said, referring to the strikingly realistic blood and wounds shown in the movie. “All the gore was raw preproduction,” said Knowles. “There were no special effects. I wanted a raw look and a raw feel.”

After the movie, viewers crowded around the director and cast, eager to congratulate them.  “I feel like I have a vision I can bring out to people. Once I get the sound cleaned up a little bit more, I’m going to enter it in some film festivals,” said Knowles. “I’d really like to pursue film as a career,” he added.

“It’s a great example of making a lot out of a little,” said senior Carlos Acevado, an English major. “Let’s see what he does next.”