A MOST ATROCIOUS THING

BoxFort’s debut feature film A Most Atrocious Thing is a genre-blending horror-comedy (or “zom-com”) that turns a cabin-in-the-woods scenario into a raucous thrill ride. Born from an ambitious pandemic project, this micro-budget indie has transformed into a festival sensation and budding cult favorite. It’s a wild, blood-splattered adventure packed with outrageous humor, heartfelt camaraderie, and DIY creature effects that have to be seen to be believed.

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From Lockdown Dream to Big Scream: The Production Journey

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Conceived during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, A Most Atrocious Thing truly began as a labor of love among friends​. A tight-knit group of recent Chapman University film grads – including Christian Hurley, Ben Oliphint, Dylan DeVol, Matthew Wassong, Bryan Taira, and Max Shepardson – rallied together to shoot their first feature (amidst a global shutdown) on a shoestring budget of just $5,000. With everyone wearing multiple hats (from writing and directing to acting and editing), the project became a crash-course in guerrilla filmmaking. Against the odds, the team’s creativity and passion shines through every frame. The resulting film doesn’t just transcend its financial constraints – as one critic put it, “it’s not simply a good micro-indie. It’s simply good.”​

 

On set, the camaraderie of the filmmakers translated into genuine on-screen chemistry. The story follows five college buddies on a final graduation getaway in the remote Colorado woods – portrayed by the filmmakers themselves – whose weekend of partying and hunting takes a gory turn after they unwittingly feast on tainted deer meat. The infection spreads, turning friend against friend in hilariously atrocious ways. Despite the over-the-top premise, Hurley and Oliphint balanced the chaos with real heart. As HorrorGeekLife noted, “this is the feature directorial debut of Hurley and Oliphint, who also star, and what they accomplished is impressive.”​

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Fueled by ingenuity, the team made the most of limited resources – crafting retro-inspired creature puppets, splattering buckets of fake blood, and even licensing a few familiar tunes. The result is a film brimming with “contagious behind-the-scenes zest" and the kind of offbeat charm that only lifelong friends could create.

 

Festival Run & Accolades

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After wrapping production, A Most Atrocious Thing began an exciting festival journey. The world premiere took place as a centerpiece screening at the 2024 Make Believe Seattle Genre Film Festival​, where the film played to an enthusiastic in-person crowd./ Festival programmers embraced its quirky style immediately, hailing the movie as “a wild and blood-soaked thrill ride… riddled with ample amounts of humor and heart”​. The premiere was a rousing success – so much so that A Most Atrocious Thing clinched the festival’s “Best of the Fest” honor​, a remarkable achievement for a debut feature. It also earned the “Spiritius Award” for its genre-blending creativity​, adding another feather in its cap.

 

Buoyed by this strong start, the film hit the road (and the virtual road) on the genre festival circuit. It made its UK premiere to delighted shrieks at the Soho Horror Film Festival’s 2024 edition​ and intimate screenings in New York and Los Angeles. Every screening seemed to confirm that this offbeat horror-comedy had struck a chord with audiences. What began as a backyard passion project was now garnering industry attention and accolades. The filmmakers’ “labor of love” resonated far and wide, proving that their tongue-in-cheek zom-com could hold its own alongside bigger productions.

 

Critical Reception

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Critics have largely fallen for A Most Atrocious Thing’s mix of schlock and sincerity, praising its inventiveness and sheer fun factor. Dread Central applauded the film as “micro-indie filmmaking at its most fun, frenetic best.”​

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In a review titled “Indie Filmmaking at its Chaotic Best,” the critic highlighted how the film “transcends financial constraints on account of sheer fun”​and delivers an “infectious undercurrent of goof” throughout. Far from living up to its self-deprecating title, the movie was deemed “ferocious, fun, [and] tender, … a loving ode to the kind of genre cinema we don’t get often enough these days. …It’s not atrocious at all.”​

 

Many reviewers have cited the film’s homages to horror classics and clever genre twists. With its remote cabin setting and evil contagion, several noted echoes of The Evil Dead and Cabin Fever – yet with a comedic twist all its own. HorrorGeekLife described it as “a cross between Evil Dead and Shaun of the Dead,”* praising the effective nods to Sam Raimi’s signature camera moves and the successful balancing act of gore and gags​. Likewise, 25YL celebrated the movie’s referential humor and palpable energy, calling the result “a clever, raucous, and entertaining piece of soon-to-be cult cinema, filled with fresh and funny dialogue”​. Even the film’s rough edges earned a fond appreciation: critics were charmed by the intentionally campy effects (yes, those red-eyed zombie deer puppets) and the film’s self-aware tone. “The core of A Most Atrocious Thing is guerrilla filmmaking… it’s ferocious, fun, tender, and a loving ode to [genre] cinema,” wrote Dread Central, adding that if this group makes another movie, “there’s no doubt I’ll be there, too.”​

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Audience Reactions

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General audiences have also responded with enthusiasm – and plenty of laughter (and screams). Horror crowds at festival showings hooted and cheered at the on-screen mayhem, embracing the film’s campy throwback vibe. Fans of Troma-style horror and stoner comedies in particular have found A Most Atrocious Thing right up their alley. One horror fan remarked that “one look at the trailer tells you exactly what kind of movie this is – a low-budget horror comedy made with love by people who love horror and comedy,” landing the film “somewhere between Evil Dead*,* Shaun of the Dead and Dude Where’s My Car for goofy fun.”​ For viewers attuned to this kind of gleefully gross, self-aware horror, the film delivers big entertainment value.

 

Several fans have taken to social media to declare A Most Atrocious Thing an instant cult classic, quoting favorite ridiculous lines and meme-worthy moments (the Nerf-gun montage and the “zombie deer” attack are fast becoming legendary). As one satisfied viewer noted, the movie “lampshades its failings, turning them into a shared joke,” making it easy to kick back, “smoke up, laugh along with it and enjoy the ride.”​

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In other words, A Most Atrocious Thing seems to be finding its target audience of genre enthusiasts, who appreciate exactly what this film dishes out: a gory good time with a big heart behind the horror.

 

Key Cast & Crew

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• Directors: Christian Hurley & Ben Oliphint (also co-writers and actors)

• Writers: Christian Hurley, Ben Oliphint, Dylan DeVol, Max Shepardson

• Starring: Ben Oliphint, Dylan DeVol, Christian Hurley, Matthew Wassong, Max Shepardson, Will Ammann, Bryan Taira, Grant Oliphint, Will Peters, Johnny Nordquist and featuring a special cameo by cult icon Lloyd Kaufman​

• Producer: Matthew Wassong (also co-star and BoxFort co-founder)

• Cinematography: Bryan Taira and Elliot Thompson

• Original Music: Max Shepardson

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The core team behind the film are the co-founders of BoxFort.TV fka Goofy Gang, a collaborative film collective.

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A Most Atrocious Thing is BoxFort Pictures' first feature-length production​

 

Release & Availability

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Fans can currently find it on major digital platforms – you can rent or buy it on services like Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV, or stream it for free (with ads) on select outlets such as The Roku Channel​ and Fawesome TV.

 

& for the collectors out there, it’s also available on physical media​, so you can snag a DVD/Blu-ray and proudly display this cult-worthy gem on your shelf!