LOGLINE
An imaginative young boy must confront a nightmarish monster that lives in the basement and cannot be seen by his parents.
SYNOPSIS
Mikey, 10, stays up late watching a horror movie alone in the basement. He is summoned to bed by his mom and forgets to turn the lights off. When he is sent back downstairs to finish the deed, Mikey confronts a nightmarish monster that lurks in the darkness.
ARTISTIC STATEMENT
Haunted Basement explores one of the most universal childhood fears: being afraid of the dark. To a child, even the most comfortable suburban house can be transformed into a surreal nightmare world at night when all the lights turn off. A subtextual theme that runs through our story is the struggle to not lose your imagination as you age. Mikey’s parents cannot see the monster. They quickly reject its existence because they no longer believe in monsters or fantasy. Even though Mikey is frightened by the monster, by the end of the film he realizes what a gift it is to be able to see it.
KEY CREW
A.J. Serrano and Hailey Choi - Producers, Writers, and Directors
A.J. and Hailey met five years ago while working as video editors at Complex Networks. They instantly connected over their enthusiasm for filmmaking and amusement parks. Together they are drawn to stories about young characters who aren’t afraid to explore the dark and eerie corners of life. This shared passion fueled the making of their first short horror film as a creative duo, Night Train (2024). The short is about two teenage boys who dare each other to ride the NYC subway through a ghost station in the dead of night. Night Train premiered at The Lower East Side Film Festival in May 2024 and finished its international festival run in San Francisco at Another Hole in the Head. Along the way, the short won the Audience Award at The 50/50 Horror Film Festival in Los Angeles in October 2024.
ACCOLADES
The The Gotham Film & Media Institute fosters the development, production and promotion of hundreds of feature and documentary films a year. Learn more about us or become a member
