In search of horror movies with black main characters? Well check out this new film on June 2nd by Filmmaker Taylor Ri’chard of 3rd Fathom Films
The horned creature that lurks in the corner of your room; the skeleton white skin of its long, bony hands. Its razor-sharp fingernails trace your throat as it stares into your face with demonic, black eyes. You struggle to move, to scream, to get away from this monstrous witch that has risen from the flaming pits of hell—but you’re frozen in fear, paralyzed inside your own trembling body, unable to escape from the grasps of its filthy claws. This is the power that it holds over you. It has sunken into your nightmares, pulling you from the realms of reality and terrorizing you in your helpless state of sleep. CAUCHEMAR.
Finally, a movie about sleep paralysis.
Filmmaker Taylor Ri’chard of 3rd Fathom Films has captured the raw horror that encompasses the experience of sleep paralysis. In his latest film, Hallowed Be Thy Name, he explores the legendary Cajun monster known as Cauchemar. “Being from Louisiana, I grew up around a lot of folkloric tales. Cauchemar is the story of a witch that causes sleep paralysis. The way the story is told is very rooted in that old, Southern Gothic style. You’ll see a lot of those influences when you watch the film.”
Superstition, magic, and bad decisions bring the audience into a small town in rural Georgia, where 17-year-old Devin is forced to move after his parents’ ugly divorce. He meets Skylar and Mick, who quickly befriends him introducing him to the town’s dark secrets.
Ignoring all warnings, the trio venture into a forsaken cave thought to be haunted by local townspeople. Together they awaken Cauchemar, a folkloric demon that wreaks havoc on all it encounters.
Ri’chard’s love of the horror genre and his upbringing throughout the 1980s and ’90s has inspired many of the terrifying elements included in Hallowed Be Thy Name. “I grew up in the 1980s enjoying films created by top writers like Wes Craven with iconic characters like Freddy Krueger and Jason. Those films would have a slow push-in and then a reveal of the monster. I incorporated a lot of that energy in this new film. It’s not a lot of, ‘Boo! I gotcha!’ There aren’t many jump scares. I use a lot of elemental horror when building a scene.”
Based in Atlanta, Ri’chard is the talented creative force at 3rd Fathom Films and an executive producer and film director. With his start as an Associate Producer on the Academy Award-winning HBO documentary, Murder on a Sunday Morning, Ri’chard has established himself in the industry with two feature films, The Final Project, and the latest, Hallowed Be Thy Name.
“I hope that everyone that watches the film enjoys it and gives us feedback online. It comes out June 2nd, 2020 on all streaming platforms.” As the COVID-19 pandemic has prevented the movie’s release in theaters, Hallowed Be Thy Name will be available to audiences on all major Video on Demand digital networks nationwide. These networks will include Xfinity by Comcast, Spectrum, AT&T U-verse, DIRECTV, Cox, Dish Network, Verizon, and Frontier.
The film will also be available on iTunes, Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, VUDU, Google Play, YouTube, Microsoft Store, FandangoNow, and Vimeo. “We are excited that the film will still receive a nationwide distribution and can be enjoyed anywhere on cable, streaming, and other digital platforms. We are also pleased to announce 3rd Fathom Films continues to develop and produce fresh content.
We are working on a non-horror feature film that will hopefully go into production after the COVID-19 emergency is over.” For now, Ri’chard recommends that the best way to watch this film is with popcorn, snacks, and a drink. “My suggestion would be: Turn all the lights off. Find the best TV, with the best sound. Park yourself there and dive into the story.”
The upcoming film is produced by Gentry Parks, edited by David Bergen and Andrew Cook, with cinematography by Torin Penwell. The film stars Collin Shepard, Alissa Hale, and Bryen Lenis. For more information about “Hallowed Be Thy Name” and 3rd Fathom Films, please visit the social media pages @hallowedbemovie (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter).
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