When quarantine began, Paul and Raya relocated from their small LA apartment to their home in Big Bear Lake. To help Paul channel his energy, he started thinking of a film project they could shoot under the circumstances. Armed with filming equipment from a previous project, Paul wrote a script that suited the mountain setting and required a minimal cast—just the two of them in person, with Tracie Thoms and Eugene Byrd joining via FaceTime. The outdated décor of their “grandma-style” house and the vast forest wilderness provided the perfect backdrop for a psychological horror movie.
Filming became part of their daily routine, with Paul handling everything from directing to sound, lighting, and practical effects, while Raya assisted with special effects makeup and even helped work the camera. Despite the technical challenges, they enjoyed the creative problem-solving process, especially as Paul had to engineer elaborate rigs to film while also acting in scenes.
As Covid restrictions eased, they were finally able to film scenes with other actors, both in the mountains and in LA. Once the shooting was wrapped, editor Jim Holdridge helped refine the cut. David Hernandez was hired to create the immersive score. Producer David Ho worked tirelessly on final editing, post sound, picture, and as source music producer, collaborating with Paul to get the film ready for an audience.
