Independent production company Deadbolt Films has officially launched a Kickstarter campaign for Baited, a visceral new found-footage horror feature blending internet vigilante culture with cosmic dread, and it’s off to a flying start, reaching over 65% of its goal in its first week!
Currently in production, Baited is directed by Gav Chuckie Steel (Preternatural) and produced by Jonathan Payne. The film is written by Thomas J. Campbell and Joe Butler, with cinematography by Benjamin Hamill.
Described as a “raw, immersive descent into paranoia, guilt, and something far worse,” BAITED follows a group of online vigilantes who expose suspected predators to a growing audience hungry for justice. When a previous sting ends in tragedy, the group fractures and is haunted by what really happened. A year later, they reunite to track their most infamous target, a man known only as Gregory. What begins as one final operation quickly spirals into something far more disturbing, as the group becomes trapped inside a shifting, nightmarish space where reality fractures and they realise they may no longer be the hunters.
Shot using a multi-camera approach, including handheld rigs, body cams, smartphones, and cinema cameras, Baited aims to deliver a grounded, claustrophobic experience that blurs the line between fiction and reality.
The film stars Isabel Salazar, Byron Collins, Benjamin Hamill, and Cora Jaine.
The Kickstarter campaign will support the next stage of production and post-production, while giving horror fans the opportunity to become part of the film through exclusive rewards and behind-the-scenes access.
“We’re making a film that feels real, uncomfortably real,” said the filmmakers.
“Baited is about guilt, consequence, and the danger of believing you’re on the right side of something you don’t fully understand.”
With principal photography already underway, the team is inviting audiences to help bring BAITED to completion and join a new wave of independent, boundary-pushing horror cinema.
Get involved by heading to https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tjcampbell/baited-a-found-footage-descent-into-cosmic-horror.
