A Deer in the Woods
A Deer in the Woods is a feature-length horror/thriller/dark comedy which follows a group of amateur film students who set out to make a horror film in a secluded cabin in the woods. Harper, an aspiring actress, has signed on to Director Cyrus Wakefield’s horror project as an understudy. However, when Abby, the lead actress, mysteriously disappears, Harper is given the opportunity of a lifetime to star in her first movie. But, when Harper arrives to the secluded cabin, she begins to notice that Wakefield and members of his crew are hiding something sinister. As Harper tries to survive the night, she slowly starts to uncover the truth: that she may be trapped in a horror film herself.
A Deer in the Woods is the first feature-length film from writer/director/producer Wyatt Bumbarger along with many other members of the talented cast and crew. As Penn State students, we decided to create a learning opportunity for ourselves and challenge our filmmaking abilities by working on a full-length film. We also sought to make a film that could create a community experience by screening it locally for the Central Pennsylvania area. Our team plans to submit the film to festivals and competitions as well so that we can make valuable connections and open doors within the film industry.
Pre-production for A Deer in the Woods started in March 2021, shortly after a previously planned project had to be scrapped due to COVID. Thanks to our resilient crew, a new script was created, additional characters were cast, and production started in May 2021. Filming concluded in November, with A Deer in the Woods set to release at The State Theatre on Thursday, April 28th at 7pm with a short Q&A session afterwards.
To stay updated on the film’s release, follow @aditwfilm on Instagram and Facebook.
The Penn State students behind A Deer in the Woods need your help to cover the costs of film festival submissions and travel expenses to film festivals. Please consider donating to the link provided below.
CAST
Emma Parks as Harper
Theodore Rosenblum as Cyrus Wakefield
Shane Troxell as Eli
Lance Joos as Josh
Carrie Zurliene as Claire
Daniel Tracht as Jesse
Chaney Belle as Abby
CREW
Wyatt Bumbarger – Writer, Director, Producer
Chris Alderfer – Director of Photography
Matt Nickolaus – Editor, Gaffer
Tusha Pham – Producer
Nikolai Sunday – Assistant Director
Brian Ellis – Composer
Jeff Brady Jr. – Lead Production Coordinator
Shawn Coulter – Production Coordinator
Marco Falcucci – Production Coordinator
Nolan McCormack – Production Coordinator
Mike O’Brien – Production Coordinator
Kyle Raynor – Production Coordinator
Abbrielle Tuel – Production Coordinator
Katie Bagley – Assistant Editor
Paige Taylor – Assistant Editor
