Reveel Fright Fest Spotlights Horror Filmmaker Thomas Angeletti

Halloween is just around the corner and you know what that means — it’s time for scary movies! That’s why we’re so excited to tell you about our Reveel Fright Fest horror movie marathon.

The Fright Fest has over 70 horror flicks to stream from various genres and filmmakers. One of those filmmakers we are highlighting is Thomas Angeletti.

Thomas has made some fantastic horror films that are a part of Fright Fest like “For Ayizan” and “Aura Djinn Story.” We sat down with him to get the inside scoop on making those two horror films including some insights about bringing his terrifying ideas to life on screen.

We noticed that ‘For Ayizan’ and ‘Aura Djinn Story’ ended on a cliffhanger. Which makes us wonder: could these films be proof of concepts for a larger story in the future?

I wanted to leave the possibility open. I love the concepts for Aura Djinn Story and For Ayizan. But being an indie filmmaker, it makes it difficult to produce the films in full. Our goal was to leave the viewer’s imagination in charge for the time being.

How did you come up with the ideas for ‘For Ayizan’ and ‘Aura Djinn Story’?

When it comes to “For Ayizan”, the idea was born from the need to create a short film for a local film festival. One of the film’s requirements was to feature an Ohio landmark. It just so happened that co-writer Paige Hoover had a photoshoot at a really cool location the week prior.

Ira Cross, Paige Hoover, and myself went back to that same location and wrote the story on-site. As a Horror Film Fanatic, I want my films to explore a wide range of cultures and spiritual concepts. Voodoo is one that we felt needed more representation.

We decided to shift ideologies in Aura Djinn Story and focus on the Arabic Djinn. We wanted to add a twist to the traditional Djinn, and put its magical powers into an object.

This mirror, typically known for reflecting beauty, commences a trade with its victim. The mirror shines light on the true colors of each exchange, as an aura does, highlighting the values and lessons learned.

Were there any unexpected challenges on the production that you or the crew had to improvise to solve?

Most of the complications were budgetary. We had equipment that we needed to upgrade or replace, and at times that was difficult. So we had to use what was available to us and make it work.

Finding locations that are cool with making the types of films that we make is always a challenge as well. This requires a lot of phone calls, visits, and emails to convince people that they aren’t making a terrible decision by allowing you to film.

What led you to enter the film industry?

I actually grew up playing music, so that was my first form of storytelling. After some years of hard touring and not “getting anywhere”, I decided to take a break.

I then produced music for a while until I picked up a camera. I started in photography, then eventually started getting into filmmaking. I love bringing thoughts, actions, and emotions to life on a screen. I love challenging people’s thoughts and eliciting reactions from viewers.

What do you like most about creating horror films?

I love the diversity in horror. There are so many different ways and styles to tell a horror story. A horror movie can also embody elements of other genres of movies, whereas other categories sometimes have difficulty doing so. Plus, isn’t it fun to scare the hell out of people?

What vital lessons have you learned in your journey as a filmmaker?

I have learned so many important lessons as both a director and a director of photography. Planning, organization, when to step up and when to step back.

Balancing roles and truly learning the ins and outs of each job/responsibility is key to running a set. Knowing what your team needs and anticipating/preparing for all scenarios can be challenging but always worth it.

Lastly, there is debate over how to categorize certain intense, frightening films as either “horror” or “thriller” movies. For example, some view A Quiet Place as more of a science fiction thriller, while Alien is widely considered a classic horror film. What specific elements or criteria do you think distinguish a true horror movie from an intense thriller?

In my opinion, a true horror is meant to inflict some form of fear that keeps theme throughout the entirety of the film. As a thriller may play with your emotions and keep you on your toes, you shouldn’t have difficulty falling asleep that night.

“For Ayizan” is about Baron Phillippe. Down and out as his family’s farm is going into foreclosure, Baron meets Lizzy, who used to ride horses on his family’s farm. Baron takes her out there to see it one last time when everything goes wrong. Watch For Ayizan on Reveel

Aura Djinn Story follows Jenna as she purchases a mysterious mirror from a weird man one night. The next morning, her entire life changes. Watch Aura Djinn on Reveel