Table of Contents
Three Key Takeaways
- Mitch Glass’s Death Red blends folklore and horror with a unique cursed paint concept rooted in personal haunted house experiences.
- The film’s production was a rapid, low-budget labor of love that leaned heavily on creative problem-solving and innovative visual effects.
- Glass envisions expanding "Death Red" into a larger mythology-driven horror narrative, emphasizing the power of object-centered storytelling.
Mitch Glass, writer and director of the chilling short Death Red, brings a fresh take to horror with a story about a cursed paint that awakens trapped souls.
Featuring performances from Kelsey Tuma, Jordan Tortorello, and Joseph Lopez, this film was produced alongside Ryan Sadler and Brad Rundblade, with Sadler also serving as director of photography.
Selected for FilmQuest 2025, Glass’s film innovatively blends folklore with a grounded, eerie atmosphere that challenges genre boundaries.
What drew you to make this film? Why this story, and why now?
I spent part of my childhood growing up in an old Victorian house in southern New Jersey, a place with a long history of strange happenings. My family and I, along with previous tenants, experienced things we could not quite explain. That early brush with the uncanny drew me to horror films, and directors like M. Night Shyamalan and John Carpenter became lifelong inspirations. I had always wanted to make a haunted house movie, but I struggled to find a fresh angle. With Death Red, the idea clicked: what if the house itself was not haunted? What if you could turn any house into a haunted house... with paint? That thought led me to Richard Barker, a character born from imagining what terrible act could curse a color forever. I have always loved stories where a simple action, whether a name, a ritual, or a phrase, summons something terrifying, like Candyman or The Ring. With Death Red, our version is simple: use the paint, say the phrase, pay the price. We shot the film in just two days with a crew of six and a shoestring budget. It was a true labor of love, and I speak for everyone when I say we are proud of what we created together. More than anything, we hope this is just the beginning of the Death Red story.
What surprised you most about the filmmaking process this time—creatively or logistically? Was there a moment on set or in post that completely changed how you saw the story?
When you're doing low budget films, there are more surprises than you could want! We had equipment fail, locations fall through - all of the normal things that come along with filmmaking.
Is there a moment in the film that feels the most you—something only you could have made?
I think a little of all of it, as I mentioned before I lived in a haunted house as a child and all of those experiences kind of helped shape this idea.
What was the hardest creative decision you made while making this film?
We were torn between two locations, both were great but we ultimately went with the one in the film because I felt like it had more character. It turns out - if we had shot in the other location I don't think it would've worked out as well.
"With Death Red, our version is simple: use the paint, say the phrase, pay the price."
What do you hope audiences take away from your film?
I hope they leave wanting more - this is a proof of concept short film, so if we're able to get enough people excited, maybe we'll get an opportunity to tell the larger story.
How has this film shaped or shifted the kind of stories you want to tell next?
"Death Red made me realize how crucial strong lore is - audiences don’t just want scares, they want mythology."
The cursed paint and Barkner’s backstory resonated because they felt real, specific, and unsettling. That’s shaped what I’m chasing next: horror stories where the object has weight, the world has rules, and the mystery deepens the fear.
What’s a tool, technique, or resource that really helped you during production?
I'm lucky to have some really talented friends in the VFX world, my friend Brian Skvarla really helped bring this short to the next level with VFX that we'd never be able to afford otherwise. There are about 50 VFX shots in this short, hopefully you won't noticed most of them!
Independent filmmakers often rewrite the rules out of necessity. What do you think is the greatest strength of independent filmmaking, and how did you lean into that on this project? Is there a lesson or breakthrough you’d share with others navigating this path?
"The greatest strength [of indie filmmaking] is just being boxed in and being FORCED to come up with creative solutions for things."
What does it mean to you to have your film selected for FilmQuest, one of the world’s top reviewed genre film festivals?
I've tried with three other films to get into FilmQuest because I've always heard how great it was. I think having that FilmQuest laurel on your poster really helps legitimize your project. It's so clear that Jonathan and everyone at FilmQuest really care and are passionate about sharing films with the world and getting exposure for the filmmakers. I'm so happy we're part of the FilmQuest family.
FilmQuest celebrates the majesty and might of genre filmmaking across fantasy, horror, sci-fi, action, thriller, western, kung-fu, and beyond. How does your film fit within—or push the boundaries of—genre storytelling?
Death Red lives in the horror space but pushes it by treating the curse like a contagious idea - something that spreads visually, not just supernaturally. It’s grounded, eerie, and asks what happens when folklore meets science.
Where do you see this film going next?
I hope to play at a few more festivals, and hopefully it leads to a feature film version of the story!
At the core of all my work is a desire to thrill, unsettle, and leave audiences asking questions.
Cast & Crew
- Mitch Glass — Writer, Director, Producer
- Ryan Sadler — Producer, Director of Photography
- Brad Rundblade — Producer
- Kelsey Tuma — Lead Actor
- Jordan Tortorello — Actor
- Joseph Lopez — Actor
