The Gourd, the Brad, and the Ghostly is one of those Horror movies where an aficionado of the genre (And even casual viewers) should see the time left after the supposed “resolution” and immediately have all the alarms in their head sound as an involuntary “Oh no!” escapes their lips. The remake of The Ring with its’ 3 different drawn out/equally horrifying endings after the kid’s all “Why did you let her out of the well?” comes to mind and while The Gourd, the Brad, and the Ghostly from director Jillian Terwedo-Malsbury and writers Rob Knoll and Annie McGrath isn’t as terrifying it’s definitely chilling in its’ own right.
It’s Halloween and the “Brad” of our story (Played by David J. Castillo) has just finished carving a pumpkin but as he’s about to light it the dang thing is nowhere to be found. That’s because it’s slipped off the window sill and seemingly killed someone on the street below! As Brad begins his descent in the elevator to see what happened on the street and (hopefully) take responsibility for the accident, he’s not only met with a cast of characters in colorful costumes designed by McGrath along the way (Cuz Halloween!) but also the unintentional victim (Hauntingly played by Elester Latham) partially wearing “The Gourd” of the title and made all the more “Ghostly” thanks to make up and special effects specialist Jake C. Barber. Where is Brad actually going? And what fate awaits him when he eventually arrives at his destination? There’s only one way to find out and that’s by catching this A Christmas Carol meets Pet Sematary short during Salem Horror Fest!
The Gourd, the Brad, and the Ghostly debuts at SATV Studio as part of the 2024 Salem Horror Fest “Wicked Shorts” program and will be screened during both weekends. For more information on the flick and the rest of the “Wicked Shorts” films, head here. For more from Salem Horror Fest, including info on all the screenings and events happening this year, be sure to follow the socials by heading here, here, and here.