Dwellers is an American found footage horror film written by, directed by, and starring Drew Fortier.[1] The plot of the film follows a documentary crew who eventually go missing while uncovering the truths behind the disappearances within a homeless community.[2][3] The film stars Drew Fortier, James L. Edwards, and Douglas Esper as themselves.[4][5]

Dwellers
Directed by	Drew Fortier
Written by	Drew Fortier
Produced by	David Ellefson James L. Edwards
Starring	Drew Fortier James L. Edwards Douglas Esper
Edited by	Drew Fortier
Release dates	February 2021 (2021-02) (Mad Monster Party) October 12, 2021 (2021-10-12)
Running time	80 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$0

Cast

• Drew Fortier as Drew
• James L. Edwards as James
• Douglas Esper as Doug
• Omar Baig as Dotani
• Rick Jermain as Detective Jenkins
• Dustin Boltjes
• Mitch Lafon as Mitch Lafon
• Jeffrey Hatrix as Serious Hobo
• Tharasa DiMeo as Sewer Hobo
• David Ellefson as Ellefson
• Isabelle Fox as Mr. Hands

Production

Production was held over five non consecutive days in the summer of 2019 with a budget of zero dollars.[6] Included locations are: Barberton and Cleveland, OH., Chicago, IL., Indianapolis, IN., and Nashville, TN.[7][8]

In August 2019, the poster and teaser trailer were released for the film which includes a voiceover by Mitch Lafon from Rock Talk with Mitch Lafon as well as the Nine Inch Nails song The Day the World Went Away covered by Indie rock band The Foxery.[7]

In November 2019, the full trailer for the film was released which features a cover of the Nine Inch Nails track We're in This Together performed by Ajna Cova .[9][10]

According to a Q&A panel held at Rue Morgue's Frightmare in the Falls convention, David Ellefson and Drew Fortier explained that the film will be a gritty Cinema verite experience with the story being told through the documentary being filmed as well as the behind the scene footage that the Drew character insists on being shot. Dwellers is described by Fortier as being heavily influenced by the films The Blair Witch Project and C.H.U.D..[11]

Premiere

In February 2021, Dwellers had its world premiere at the Mad Monster Party horror convention in Concord, North Carolina. The film's producer David Ellefson along with writer, director, and star Drew Fortier were in attendance for the event where they were presented with the Best Horror Feature award from the event's film festival.[12]

Reception

Dwellers has received positive reviews amongst horror film critics including JoBlo.com who concluded that, "Drew Fortier's passion for the genre is ever-present, and I'll raise a drink to that type of love as it was integral to my youth as well. It's clear that Dwellers is a labor of love and working within some stringent limitations makes me appreciate the end result more. Drew, Doug, and James have good chemistry, with a few funny moments giving me the notion that these guys are friends in real life. With a sh*t load of cameos, It may be safe to say this is the heavy metal edition of The Blair Witch Project."[13]

In April 2022, Dread Central included Dwellers on their 4 Subterranean Features To Pair With 'C.H.U.D.' list which describes the film as "It’s a better sequel to C.H.U.D. than the one we got, which, granted, isn’t a high bar. But I digress. There’s a good bit of heart and fun throughout the film, which you know always resonates with me."[14]

Awards

• 2021 Mad Monster Film Fest. Winner of Best Horror Film.[15]
• 2021 Bridgefest, Canada. Winner of Best Horror Film.
• 2021 Screamwriting Festival. Winner of Best Horror Film.[16]
• 2021 Vegas Movie Awards. Winner of Best Horror Film and Best Producer.[17][18]
• 2021 Five Continents International Film Festival. Winner of Best Horror Film and Best Makeup.[19]
• 2021 LA Sci-Fi & Horror Festival. Winner of Best Actor (Drew Fortier).
• 2021 The Thing in the Basement Horror Fest. Winner of Best Director (Drew Fortier).[20]
• 2021 Hollywood Blood Horror Fest. Winner of Best Documentary.[21]
• 2021 Horror Bowl Movie Awards. Winner of the Most Disturbing Scenes Award.[22]
• 2021 B Beside the Seaside. Winner of Best Comedic Sidekick (Douglas Esper).
• 2021 Crypticon Film Fest Minneapolis. Winner of Most Shocking Indie Film.
• 2021 Crypticon Film Fest Kansas City. Winner of Most Shocking Indie Film.
• 2021 National Independent Film Association (NIFA). Winner of Best Micro Budget Film.
• 2022 Rome International Movie Awards. Winner of Best Documentary Feature, Best Director (Drew Fortier), and Best Actor (Drew Fortier).[23]
• 2022 White Unicorn International Film Festival. Winner of Best Horror Film.

Nominations

• 2021 Houston Horror Film Fest. Nominated for Best Feature Film, Best Actor (Drew Fortier), Best Supporting Actor (James L. Edwards), and Best Special Effects-Feature.[6]
• 2021 Anatolia International Film Festival. Nominated for Best Drama/Thriller/Horror Feature Film.
• 2021 Five Continents International Film Festival. Nominated for Best Editing, and Best Screenplay.[24]
• 2021 Horrors4You. Nominated for Best Ensemble Cast.[25]
• 2021 The Thing in the Basement Horror Fest. Nominated for Best Feature Film.[26]

Release

Dwellers was released on Blu-Ray and Digital on October 12, 2021.[27]

References

External links

• Dwellers at IMDb 
• Official Website

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