Horror Scene on the Rise in a Very Unlikely Place!

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A small group of filmmakers had made the near-impossible feat of making indie films possible in Manchester Tennessee by using some cost-cutting measures and using community support this past year. If you do a quick Google check online you'll see that for a long time the only real film made in Manchester Tennessee that reached over into the science fiction and horror genre was John Carpenter's Starman. This 1984 film told of an alien that took over the body of a dead man only to then start a relationship with the man's widow. It wasn't until the late 80's that more genre films were being made in and near this small area that is now widely known for the yearly Bonnaroo concerts. Thanks to the method of using video like you'd find your old home video's on, horror director Donald Farmer, was the originator of genre films in the area until around 2012 when horror bloggers Chuck Conry and Ryan Grooms started filming their own movies. Since then we've seen a bit of a boom for low to no budget movies.

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"We had to have something to do in the meantime.", said indie horror producer Adam Tate. He produced Conry's debut film title, Morbid. A film about a man in a mask that kills teens in Grundy County Tennessee. The film was made for around $500 and is very much like the classic horror slasher Friday the 13th, only on a much lower scale. When asked how it's been filming these types of movies in a place, not at all known for them Conry was quick to reply with a smile before stating "For people who get horror no explanation is needed, but for people who don't, no explanation will do.". "It helps that we pretty much do this in our backyard", said actor and director Ryan Grooms. He started out helping with Conry's movies and is now working on his own films. These directors had started out filming these movies in their backyards but have only just recently branched out to film at the local police station and other businesses. A sign that this one foreign idea for such a small town is started to grow on the people around the area.

The secret to being able to do such a thing as filmmaking seems to come with the power of the internet. These directors are using Youtube videos, friends who will work for free, and an almost gorilla style method to makes these movies happen. "I'm just happy nobody has been shot yet", said Jordan Broadway. He's a local man and friend of some of the filmmakers who have been witness to these movies being shot in and around the area, often times without proper permits.

Creit 2018 Grundy Nation Films

Since Conry filmed Morbid in 2012 and 2013 he has gone on to film another movie titled, Door 1 of the 5 Doors to Hell. Each film has been properly picked up by indie film labels for distribution. This has inspired other such films as Korey Jordan's Chicken's Blood that is filming at the time of this article and Grooms' Savage Gulf, which is nearing completion. The local horror buzz has also started local horror podcasts like The TN Horror Basement Podcast. A show that features Manchester Locals Jimmy Epps and John Leroy. "We just want to help spread the word in the genre we love.", said Epps. The podcast has been going for around two years and has featured none-local celebrities on their show like Adam Greene, Bill Mosley, and more B-movie horror legends.

"I made movies on film, but nobody wants to talk about them.", said local indie horror originator Donald Farmer. He is a man that every local horror enthusiast looks up to, but even he finds it funny that it's only his shot on video and blood filled films that anyone seems to have interest in. In a lot of ways, it was his stuff before Conry's that spawned the local scene today.

No matter who started what or when the cool thing is a local area like Manchester Tennessee now has a horror scene that seems to be continuing to grow as more and more people see what others are doing and proceed to try their hand at something horror related themselves. "I just want to make something people remember, for better or for worse.", Conry said with a laugh. A statement that we all can relate to in some way or another. Here's to hoping more eye's in the horror world turn in this direction and the low budget start is just that, a start for all those involved.