The Sluagh - A Short Story

At the early age of 6 years old, I would run home after school so that I wouldn’t miss an episode of “Dark Shadows,” a daytime soap opera about vampires, witches and werewolves. My fascination with horror TV and films has never waned. One of my favorite TV programs growing up was Rod Serling’s “Night Gallery” from 1969. I decided that it was time to attempt a Night Gallery-esque short story/film of my own and wrote “The Sluagh” based on an old Irish folktale. I had written the script, but then needed to get willing participants to portray the characters in the story. Ireland Reed, my dear friend’s grand-daughter, was my first choice as the lead character, Dani. She had no previous acting experience, but her positive attitude and unwavering determination was key. Gwen Kirk as Grandma was also critical. I knew no one could play that character better than her. It did take a little convincing as she’s not a huge fan of horror films, but after listening patiently to my sales pitch she said, “I’m in.” I had to get some extra gear which included a mirror-less Fujifilm X-T3, drone, gimbal, external recorder and microphone. It was quite the learning experience since I was the director, writer, editor, camera-woman, and stylist. That’s what it is all about…trying something new and learning from it. Are there things I wish I would have done differently? Absolutely. Learning from some of my mistakes will only make the next project that much better. A big thanks to all my wonderful friends and family that participated in this fun and exciting project. I couldn’t have done it without you!