Creepy Cool Animated Western Horror Short Film TERROR IN THE VALLEY

Here’s a great animated horror short film titled Terror in the Valley, which is described as being, “Good ole fashioned campfire horror.”

The story is set on a cold desert night, “a drifter and his dog make camp, but eerie sounds stir the dark, and ancient creatures crawl from the shadows.”

The film was written, directed, and animated by Mike Pappa, who says, the film is “hand-drawn and dripping with atmosphere.”

This short film is shared in collaboration with the FilmQuest Film Festival, where we are looking to expose some of the great indie genre films and shorts that filmmakers are creating.

I’ve included an interview with the filmmaker below along with the short!

What was the inspiration for your film? How did you come up with the idea?

I was looking to get back into 2d animation, and wanted to do a simple-yet-atmospheric short with a jump scare. All of that combined with my love for Westerns and the supernatural.

Tell us about yourself. What is your background? How long have you been a filmmaker?

I'm a filmmaker with a 2D animation and production design background with an affinity for all things science fiction and the supernatural. When I'm not writing/directing, I'm storyboarding for feature films, commercials, and music videos. I directed my first live-action short, Frankie, in 2011. Since then I have directed five more shorts.

What inspires you to work within genre cinema and tell these kind of stories?

For this particular project, the rocky landscape around me(I live in Chatsworth, California) and my love of the pulp-filled Westerns. I love the fantastical, whether it's the supernatural or awe and wonder. The creatures and worlds that this kind of filmmaking allows, inspires me to tell these kind of stories.

What was your favorite part of the filmmaking process for this project?

Creating the layouts/shots. Second, was seeing it all coming together.

What are you most proud of with this film?

The atmosphere and mood of it.

What is a favorite story or moment from the making of the film you'd like to share? 

I enjoyed performing the song that the man drunkenly sings in this.

What was your most challenging moment or experience you had while making your film?

Animating the human character with all of his detail. Especially after not having animated for many years.

If it did, how did your film change or differ from its original concept during pre-production, production, and/or post-production? How has this changed how you'll approach future projects as a result?

For this film, I storyboarded it out first. Then I created an animatic with those boards. There was never a script. The character design evolved. A lot more organic/loose than I had ever done before. As i went along, a lot of the timing changed, new shots were created or completely redone, and I created a new look for the second half of the film. Lots of going back and fixing, hahaha. Any future animation projects will be heavily finalized before a frame is animated.

Who were some of your collaborators and actors on the film? How did you start working with each other?

This was a solo project.

What is the best advice you've ever received as a filmmaker and what would you like to say to new filmmakers?

Keep making things. Create and write what you wanna see, not what you think is popular.

What are your plans for your career and what do you hope this film does for it? What kind of stories would you like to tell moving forward?

Moving forward, I have begun another animated short--this time will be a proof of concept. All while still continuing to write live-action features and creating their concept and illustrations for pitches.

What is your next project and when can we expect to see it? 

Im currently working on a short animation(as i mentioned in above question). Dark fantasy. Work permitting, Id love to have it complete in under a year.

Where can we find more of your work and where can interested parties contact you? Do you have a website or YouTube/Vimeo channel?

https://www.youtube.com/@mikepappa website: https://mike-pappa.com/ instagram: mike_pappa_

Bonus Question #1: What is your all-time favorite film?

Ill give you four favorites: Raiders of the Lost Ark, Alien, Empire Strikes Back, Secret of the Nimh

Bonus Question #2: What is the film that most inspired you to become a filmmaker and/or had the most influence on your work?

ET