What does it take to sell a haunted house? One determined real estate agent finds out the hard way in Michael Chaves’ The Maiden.
The Maiden is the story of a real estate agent (Alia Raelynn) who is pushed to the edge as she struggles to close on a mysterious estate. As she goes about her business, she begins to discover that this house is not as deserted as it seems – and a very powerful and evil presence is working against her. The closer she gets to the sale, the more dangerous things get. Can she close on the house before its too late?
Michael Chaves wrote and directed the original short. The story was inspired by the real estate crash a few years ago. “I was fascinated by how corrupt it was,” said Chaves. “I’ve always loved haunted house stories, but I wanted some kind of a twist. I started wondering ‘what happens before the young family moves in? How was someone able sell something so evil?’
The film was shot on location in Los Angeles at the famous Beckett Mansion. Chaves produced the short with his family and close friends. He enlisted his high school best friend Tristan Nyby to shoot it. Michael’s wife, Dina Buglione, did the casting. His next door neighbor David Moore and Lynda Pribyl produced it with Chaves.
“We wanted to anchor it in reality, so we shot primarily with natural light,” said Tristan Nyby, Director of Photography. “Especially for a thriller/horror, the power is in believing this is real. The house had such an amazing structure that it shaped the light really beautifully.”
Michael Chaves is a commercial director who has worked with clients such as Sony, AT&T, Ford, Vodafone, Miller Light, and Disney. He is currently developing a feature treatment of The Maiden.
For more information please visit http://www.the-maiden.com.
Indie Scene Magazine 