ABOUT THE FILM
HOMECOMING tells the story of RACHEL STRAYER (Becca Scott), a mother grieving over the loss of her missing son, JOSH (Henry Rhoades). One year after JOSH’S disappearance, RACHEL’S life is in stasis and her ex-husband, MARK (Bryan Langlitz), is moving on. During her first night without MARK, RACHEL receives unwanted guests, leading her to a shocking conclusion about JOSH.
With practical VFX reminiscent of Close Encounters and jump scares straight out of Signs, HOMECOMING is as much a psychic manifestation of RACHEL’S trauma as it is a cautionary tale about refusing to let a loved one go once they’re gone…
“On the anniversary of her son’s abduction, a group of home-invaders deliver Rachel Strayer some unsettling news…”
GOOD TIME SOCIETY
HOMECOMING was produced in collaboration with our friends at GOOD TIME SOCIETY (founded by our lead actress, Becca Scott, and co-founded by producer Jake Michels). They are a production company that creates community driven gaming content focused on inclusivity, comedy, and creativity.
The GTS crew gave us abundant resources, cast, and encouragement to complete this labor of love. We adore their work, so be sure to follow them online!
PROCESS
Selections from our pre-production work and shoot.
STORYBOARDS
PITCH DECK
BEHIND THE SCENES
Directors’ Statement
With HOMECOMING, directors GARRETT JOHNSON and BEN NICHOLSON sought to combine cosmic horror with a gut-wrenching tale of parental grief and loss. The film’s otherworldly visuals and extraterrestrial scares were an attempt to make their protagonist’s ‘close encounter’ as much about psychic trauma as it was a terrifying experience with the beyond.
HOMECOMING needed to be a film that was equal parts horror and heart. Fog, creepy lights, and gangly humanoids emerging from the shadows provide shock and awe, but the real horror always comes from something familiar. In this case, GARRETT and BEN tapped into their own parents’ anxiety over child abduction growing up.
With the emotional arc of a missing child in place, GARRETT and BEN turned to the practical VFX and cosmic visuals in films like Alien, Signs, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Using the tensest moments from these sci-fi classic, they distilled their favorite scenes into a taut, ten minute journey through the darkest corners of a mother’s grieving mind.