OREGON, USA — A Portland filmmaker is celebrating his movie making it to a national platform more than two years after filming it.
Rollyn Stafford wrote and directed the dark comedy, 1 Dead Dog. The movie is about two brothers who are serial killers. They travel to Black Butte Ranch, near Sisters, Oregon and find a squatter in their vacation house, who is also a serial killer.
Stafford's crew of 14 people spent two weeks in an Airbnb together during filming in October 2019.
"We just became a close family," Stafford said.
Soon after production wrapped, the pandemic began.
"We were expecting to do a huge festival run," Stafford said. "But because of COVID, it sort of fell off the radar."
However, the movie is now complete and available for rent and purchase through Amazon Prime Video.
"So happy people can see it now finally!" Stafford said.
Stafford explained the pandemic dealt a huge toll on Oregon's arts and film industry, and the impact is ongoing.
"We're still all looking for work," he said.
On a tight budget of about $40,000, 1 Dead Dog made it to the finish line. It included actor Mark Patton, who starred in 1985's Nightmare on Elm Street 2.
"A wonderful cult horror film," Stafford said.
Stafford said he is thankful for the national platform and hoping it pays off for his crew.
"We did it all for the love of the job," Stafford said. "We all worked incredibly hard, and I'm more proud of that than anything else."