Deer Park High School students returned to the UIL state film competition this spring with their short film, When Night Falls. The film takes place on Halloween night in 2016 and follows a group of teens who decide to cut through the woods for a spooky walk home after trick-or-treating—but quickly discover they’re not alone.
The suspenseful short film stars Deer Park High School seniors Malori Koenig-Dela Cruz, Terrance Smith, Mya Castro and Emily Little, along with June Aston, Jose Perez, and Deer Park High School graduate Reece Hamby. It was created by the Deer Network’s Luke McKinley, Cesar Renteria, Alejandra Acosta, Alyssa Ferrell, Donny Perez, and Gage Zabala.
The film’s producers began developing the project in the summer of 2021. It was put into production in December and completed in January 2022. It went on to be selected as one of six state finalists in the 2022 UIL Young Filmmakers Festival this past February.
Watch the behind-the-scenes documentary below:
Comments
I LOVE THIS! I was in theater at Deer Park HS from 1966-1968 and loved UIL competition. There wasn’t an opportunity for Short Film back then….. or at least not that we knew about. What a great experience for all these students. So many career options are waiting for you. Follow your passion and you will succeed. Many of my Deer Park classmates did just that and have been extremely successful. Proud of y’all, Deer Park!