No Such Thing As Ghosts: Scream Fan Film

Sponsored feature: After Dark TV

No Such Thing As Ghosts is a new Scream fan film by Arturo Rivera of After Dark TV. In the short film, a woman receives a visit from Ghostface after her roommate moves out.

A Q&A with writer/director Arturo Rivera

Congratulations on the release of your new short film No Such Thing As Ghosts! Why a Scream fan film and what makes yours stand out from the others?

Thank you! What makes my film stand out amongst the others is I tried to give it an actual ’90s vibe. From the colors, music, and overall feel. When I first saw the original Scream as a kid it had shock value with simplicity. I tried to recreate that.

Of the four Scream films, which one inspired you most when creating this short? Any specific scenes you used as reference?

Definitely the first one. At the time we were so used to the original slashers that had an occult type mystique. They were very supernatural. Scream gave us someone that could very well be your best friend, gets angry over something you unknowingly did, and take vengeance. From the moment Scream opens up you wonder who the killer is. I used the opening scene as a reference. To me, that set the tone for a new classic.

From the moment Scream opens up you wonder who the killer is. I used the opening scene as a reference.
—Arturo Rivera

What can you tell us about your Ghostface? Does he/she/they have a motive?

I kind of left it to the imagination whether there is a motive or not. The audience sees Becca throwing out a box of her ex-roommates belongings which kind of automatically links the killer to being the roommate but the identity is never revealed. Leaving the floor open for the story to develop.

What was the biggest challenge during the filmmaking process?

The biggest challenge would be shooting the film in just a few hours on a budget of $100. I wanted to challenge myself to see what I could come up with on the fly. I’ve worked on bigger productions but I felt like keeping this fun, but having limitations, and really getting that vintage style look. I didn’t want to get overly serious by having a lot of money spent and feeling the pressure to deliver. I just wanted to have fun and I think that is what is missing in movies these days. Remember why you fell in love with movies in the first place and not getting caught up in the rat race of trying to make the next big studio hit. Just have fun and scare people.

We’re left on a cliffhanger at the end. Do you have plans of making a part 2?

I’m definitely thinking of making it longer with a solid story. I think fans deserve to see Ghostface more. Let’s have fun!

What are you most excited about with the new Scream film on the way in January? Anything you’re specifically hoping to see?

I’m excited to see the opening kill. We haven’t seen Ghostface in a while so they are going to do epic fan service on that first scene I just know it. I’ll be sure to get an extra large popcorn so I don’t have to get up. Plus Ghostface might be in the bathroom lol!

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