A Look into “A Vengeful Soul”

A short thriller film titled “A Vengeful Soul” is currently in progress here at Concord University. Auditions for roles in the film took place on September 25 and 28 in the basement of the J. Frank Marsh Library.

    This film project is student-made as an Advanced Media project assigned by Robert Hoffman, Assistant Professor of Communication Arts. The assignment calls for the students to collaborate to create a creative film that could possibly be aired on West Virginia television. Everyone in the class is working on this 15-minute film. “A Vengeful Soul” will feature Concord students in the roles, and all the scenes will be filmed on Concord’s campus.

    Hoffman operated a video camera to record the individual auditions. Each person read the lines for a specific character. Concord freshman and music and theatre major Kiwanis Watterson felt good about her “Vengeful Soul” audition. “I’ve usually just done theatrical plays. I was kind of nervous doing my first short film audition,” says Watterson.

    The storyline for this film starts out with a social outcast named Augie Minton, who keeps a black notebook with a pentagram on the front. Some students notice Augie’s notebook, and they bully her about it, leading to his humiliation. During a moment of anger, Augie meets up with a strange old man promising Augie that his desired revenge will bring the bullies down.

    Joe Faidley, Concord senior and broadcasting and journalism major, is the writer and director of “Vengeful Soul.” This will be Faidley’s third script and the second of his film to be shown on Concord’s campus. His last script, also a horror film, was shown at Concord University last spring.

    Faidley has a strongly developed passion for film, and hopes to someday be a part of the film industry. Faidley has been keenly interested in horror movies ever since he was a child, and he considers horror to be his favorite movie genre. “If I could make money doing this, I’d be the happiest guy in the world. It’d be a dream to entertain people and get paid for it,” says Faidley.

    Faidley mainly aims to entertain the audience with this piece. “Ultimately, I’d kind of like to see it enter a film festival at some point to showcase the talent of everyone that’s involved,” he adds. Watterson also feels “Vengeful Soul” will be a good experience. “I’ve got high hopes for this film,” she says.

    When the film is completed, it will certainly be an achievement for Faidley and everyone involved. A date has not been set for the showing of “Vengeful Soul,” as it depends on when the film is completed. The group, however, will complete the film and show it before the semester ends. Faidley estimates early December as a release date.