Childhood friends bond over a love for film, now they premiere their own, 'Blood Moon'

FRAMINGHAM — While growing up in Framingham, Ethan Charles and Caleb Spilios bonded over a shared love of sci-fi and horror films.

Now 21, they're premiering their own movie, “Blood Moon,” at noon Sunday at Maynard’s Fine Arts Theatre Place.

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In the film, an otherwise normal Oct. 30 night turns harrowing as the sky morphs to red and all must fight to survive.

“Blood Moon” follows the character Will — played by Caleb Easton — and his friends' journey toward survival.

The plot is a continuation of the duo’s first film, and start of the saga, "Drowning in Pennsylvania."

"Blood Moon" was originally a short film Spilios wrote in 2015 and shot over the span of a weekend in 2017. He and Charles decided to scrap that and turn the 30-page script into a 95-page script and nearly 90-minute film.

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Spilios wants the audience to grasp the character’s feelings of hopelessness and fear.

“The film is about this crazy, sci-fi event but I think what grounds it is taking that crazy, overwhelming feeling (teens feel) and exaggerating it to a point where it’s kind of alien,” he said.

The way people communicate and work together to overcome obstacles is another theme that underlies the film, Spilios said.

“The friend dynamic is a very fun part of the film,” said Charles.

Three years in the making

This is their second film premiering at the Fine Arts Theatre — in 2019, the duo released “Drowning in Pennsylvania."

“Blood Moon” was selected to be screened at the 2021 Boston Sci-Film Festival and the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival in Portland, Oregon.

“Blood Moon” was three years in the making — the same amount of time it took Spilios to write the script.

“It was hard, from start to finish… 48 hours before we were supposed to start production we almost all quit. We weren’t sure we were going to be able to get our budget or any of the cameras in time,” said Charles.

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Spilios said producing "Blood Moon" was one of the hardest things he’s ever done. He and the crew were shooting from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. for 21 days.

“Our sleep schedules were destroyed and I lost like 12 pounds,” Spilios said.

The duo’s perseverance and desire to rise to all challenges is what pushed them to finish “Blood Moon.”

Once they conquered those early challenges, COVID-19 came into the picture and greatly slowed the film’s post-production. In April 2020, Spilios moved his editing set-up to his garage where he and other crew members wore masks and edited in the hot space for eight hours.

“It just sat and sat until we felt it was ready to show to everybody,” said Charles.

With Charles and Spilios attending the Sudbury Valley School in Framingham and growing up in the area, a few of the filming locations were in the city — one of which was Nobscot Convenience.

Shoestring budget

While working on a budget of $15,708, Spilios and Charles rented all of their equipment from LensProToGo in Concord.

Financing came from their personal bank accounts, money from a Kickstarter for their previous film, and a few private investors and businesses. A Kickstarter campaign for "Blood Moon" has raised a little more than $7,000.

“We’re seeing that people believe in us and care about it (the film) and take us seriously… it makes it all worth it,” said Spilios.

Spilios took visual inspiration from his favorite '70s and '80s sci-fi and horror films so viewers will be immersed in a retro feel like that of director Alex Cox’s “Repo Man” and works of filmmaker John Carpenter.

In order to replicate that aesthetic and highlight the underlying sense of mystery, Spilios shot on anamorphic lenses — which changes the dimension of an image in one axis to give a wider viewpoint and unique look — rather than the common spherical lenses.

“There’s just something about that era, that time and the way it all looked (that) I just love,” said Spilios. “There’s something really satisfying about sitting down and watching a fun, fast thriller that’s not overly complicated or trying to do too much.”

The saga was made under the duo’s production company — Three27Productions, created in 2018.

“We would always make stuff at and outside of school and as we got older, it naturally progressed to a point where we felt like we actually needed to create a vessel for our work,” said Spilios.

In the spring of 2018, the duo wanted to make a “bigger film” — the birthplace of the concept for “Blood Moon” — and developed the company to be taken more seriously and “less like friends just hanging out and shooting things,” said Charles.

'Always loved sci-fi'

Since he was 8, Spilios has been a filmmaker. “The Threatening Light From Space” — release date yet to be announced — was Spilios’ first film directed and shot on his iPod touch.

The sci-fi, thriller, and horror genres always piqued Spilios’ interest since his dad showed him “Night of the Living Dead,” by George Romero, at age 6.

“I’ve always loved sci-fi and horror films, and not just for the reason that they can be super-visual and have these amazing spectacles and massive worlds,” Spilios said. “I’ve always liked the way they’re used as a metaphor to talk about other things. … it’s a very engaging way to talk to the audience.”

Since they met as 8-year-olds, Spilios and Charles would watch at least two movies every time they hung out — so it was only natural they started creating their own.

Shortly after starting their company, the pair became a trio with the addition of Robin Glass, 21, director of photography. With Spilios being stretched thin by directing and writing, Glass came in at a good time. Glass also helps with preproduction and film planning.

Charles works in front and behind the camera as actor, producer and marketing manager for Three27Productions.

Prior to his debut as Jack in “Drowning in Pennsylvania,” Charles had only acted in a few elementary school productions and did not consider himself an actor.

In “Blood Moon” Charles plays the “shy geek and nerd,” known as Carter.

“He (Carter) has the knowledge of the whole mystery of the film. He, at some points, tries to be a grounder or moral compass,” said Charles.

From a writer’s point of view, Spilios said Carter is a crucial character who aids the audience’s journey throughout the film in several ways.

“He comes into himself in the film…(and is) forced into a position where he has to become more confident and use whatever knowledge he can,” Charles added.

However, Carter was not a prominent character in “Drowning in Pennsylvania.”

Without giving away spoilers to the saga, Spilios said, “If you watch both films back-to-back, and pay attention there’s definitely a pretty significant connection (to Carter).”

Spilios hopes the audience has fun, gets scared and enjoys uncovering the film's cultural subtext.

“It allows people to escape a little bit,” he said. “I wanted to get cerebral and have a lot of things you can chew on… if you don’t you can still just have a good time (watching).”

Sunday's “Blood Moon” premiere starts at noon and is followed by a Q&A forum with Charles, Spilios, as well as other members of the cast and crew.

Audience members can also purchase snacks, beverages and some “Blood Moon” merchandise at Sunday's event at the Fine Arts Theatre Place, 19 Summer St., Maynard. General admission tickets are $20; for those 13 and under, tickets are $10. For more information and tickets, visit https://tinyurl.com/mr2bna42

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Sci-fi, horror film "Blood Moon" premieres on Aug. 7 in Maynard