HOLLER: Midwestern Gothic Horror-Western Makes Its Final Kickstarter Push

MoreHorror.com -

Independent filmmakers Devin Smock and Samuel David are closing in on the finish line for HOLLER, a character-driven horror-western set amid the backroads, fields and forgotten places of rural Illinois.

Years after the dead overran the country, Ray Holly has survived by withdrawing from what remains of humanity. His days revolve around routine, whiskey and isolation—until he encounters Sydney, a pregnant young woman attempting to make her way home. Ray reluctantly agrees to guide her across a Midwest inhabited by the undead, desperate survivors and the remnants of a world that no longer makes sense.

Although zombies remain a persistent danger, HOLLER is less concerned with the origins of its apocalypse than with the damaged people still living through it. The story explores grief, guilt, survival and the frightening possibility of needing someone again after losing nearly everything.

Smock and David are producing the feature through Jacksonville, Illinois-based Subterranean Sound & Vision with a small independent cast and crew. Approximately 60 percent of principal photography has already been completed, including major dramatic scenes, exterior sequences and practical-effects work. The filmmakers estimate that only ten production days remain.

The newly released official trailer runs just under 90 seconds and was assembled entirely from footage shot for the feature, offering an atmospheric first look at the film’s bleak rural landscape and intimate approach to post-apocalyptic horror.

The Final Push

The filmmakers have launched HOLLER: A Midwestern Gothic Horror-Western on Kickstarter to fund the remaining production block.

The campaign’s $6,000 base goal covers two essential expenses: $4,500 for cast and crew and $1,500 for lodging. At the time of publication, the campaign had already passed that initial target, with more than $6,100 pledged by 33 backers. Funding remains open through October 23, 2026, giving horror fans an opportunity to help the production move beyond principal photography and into post-production.

Additional funding will strengthen the final shoot and support the following stages:

• At $7,500, the production can cover meals, transportation, rentals and added production support.

• At $10,000, funds can begin going toward sound editing, final mixing and color grading.

• At $12,500 and beyond, the filmmakers can address key art, captions and other accessibility materials, festival deliverables, submissions and marketing.

This isn't the first wave of support behind HOLLER. A 2025 Kickstarter raised $5,355, while private investors later contributed approximately $15,000. That funding allowed the filmmakers to assemble their team and shoot the footage now visible throughout the new campaign and trailer.

Rewards for the current campaign begin at $5 and include production updates, digital stills, posters and screening invitations. Higher tiers offer signed physical posters, finishing-crew credits, screenplays, set visits, screen-used props and Associate or Executive Producer credit.

Smock and David plan to complete the film and begin submitting it to festivals in 2027. For the filmmakers, HOLLER is also an opportunity to demonstrate what regional artists can create outside the traditional production hubs when local talent, businesses and communities come together behind an ambitious project.

Please support independent horror films so our community can keep hearing creative voices through the media we love.

Visit the Kickstarter campaign to help this Midwestern nightmare reach the finish line.