A teenage girl with a dangerously inquisitive mind, is told of a hometown legend. Her curiosity leads her to the site of the legend: a mysterious shed isolated deep in the woods. A shed that may or may not be the home of the Jersey Devil.
Trailer
Director's Statement (The Cremer Brothers)
We chose Keep It in the Dark as our first production for practical reasons. It was one of the several ideas that we had
that could be done for little to no money. Artistically we chose it because of the tension and suspense we’d be able to create with the story. Woven throughout the direction and the writing is the theme of parenthood. It explores the idea of being too coddled versus being neglected. The two sisters are left alone without parental supervision and end up being put in a dangerous situation. The monster on the other hand refuses to leave the comfort of the well, choosing to remain at his mother’s side. There is a lot of yonic imagery used in the film to emphasize that point. The well is the monster’s womb. He lies deep inside where he feels safe until somebody invades that space by entering the shed, forcing him to rise from the well (birth). At one point Cat tries to cut the rope that the monster uses to keep himself safe (the umbilical cord). We never had any intention of showing the monster. Not just because it wasn’t in the budget but because the unknown is always scarier. Let the audience’s imagination run wild. If you let them fill in the blanks it will be filled by their own fears; their own nightmares. It will end up being their personal monster. What’s more frightening than that?
We were the entire crew during production with Herb running the sound and Joe doing the cinematography. We enlisted Travis Lemmons to score the film because he was somebody we went to high school with and knew he was more than capable of handling the job. We cast Grace Soriano through a local community theatre and she was eager to work on the film with us. Melissa Malone answered a casting notice we posted after our original actress backed out due to a scheduling conflict. We couldn’t have been happier with our actresses and we developed strong relationships with both of them, becoming friends and colleagues. We have sustained a great working relationship with them, having worked with at least one of them on every one of our productions. If we had not chosen Melissa and Grace our careers may have taken an entirely different path but luckily they came into our lives and we’ve been able to create beautiful art consistently because of them. Keep It in the Dark showed us the importance of preparation and relationships. It also confirmed that we could make films on our own.
Screenings & Official Selections
Awards & Nominations
Production Information
Year of Production
Duration
Genre
Camera
Ratio
Language
Budget
Filming Locations
2015/2016
12:15
Horror
Canon 6D w/ Rokinon Cine Lenses
16:9 (converted to 2:35:1)
English
$861.84
Vernon, NJ, USA
West Milford, NJ, USA
Photo Gallery
The Music of Keep It in the Dark
Facts
Keep It in the Dark was JoeBert Entertainment's first official production.
Production began on November 20, 2015 and wrapped on November 22, 2015.
The Cremer Brothers self-funded the project after two failed crowd-funding campaigns.
The shed was built in the woods on their (the Cremer Brothers) parents property in West Milford, NJ, where all of the exteriors were filmed. The interiors were shot at their cousin's home in Wantage, NJ.
The Cremer Brothers achieved the two dolly shots in the middle of the woods by using a modified wheelchair as a dolly and overturned metal studs fastened to wooden planks as the dolly track.
The cast and crew missed the film's premiere at the Passaic County Film Festival due to an illegible entry application. The Cremer Brothers had to pick up their awards two days after the festival.
Director Cameos: Joe is the man in the video being played online and Herb's voice can be heard in the same video. Joe also provided the snarls, growls, and roars for the Jersey Devil.
The Cremer Brothers made up the entire crew for the production.