How To Make A Low Budget Horror Film

A year ago I set out to make a low-budget horror film. It’s a companion piece to a documentary about cult films and how they came to be. I’ve talked to several actors and filmmakers of cult films and even managed to get a few into my own film. It’s been a fun journey.

My film is called GOD DAM. I wasn’t allowed to spend more than $5000 creating it, and I succeeded. I cast friends (Most actual actors) and used my backyard and park near my house as the locations. My neighbors are used to me filming to having people dressed up and bloody going up and down the street didn’t seem to phase them.

I learned as much making this film as I did the bigger-budget movies I’ve produced. It’s a lot harder to make something look low-budget than you’d think. Practical effects you often only get one attempt at. You often want to go with the worst take to add to the bad-film vibe. You can’t spend too much time editing as it needs to look rushed.

The film is now off to festivals. I won’t know about most until this winter but two have already accepted it and another said they’d like to highlight it in their 2025 festival as I entered a bit too late for this year.

It has also inspired me to start my own low-budget film festival called THE TUFFEST. More on that to come.

This won’t be my last low budget as my wife and I now have a habit of drinking in the hot tub and spewing out cult title after title.

So be prepared, SHARKING LOT could be coming to a small screen near you.