Private Project

Don't Let the Light In

For Sarah, it was just a job that started off like any other babysitting gig. But Sarah wasn’t the normal babysitter, and Jack wasn’t quite the normal boy that he appeared to be. He has a secret, a secret that he keeps trying to share, if he could only find someone to listen to him about the monsters in his room. As the night goes on and things start to turn from cute and harmless to creepy and haunting, Sarah can’t help but wonder… what if he’s telling the truth? What if there are monsters in his room?

Because sometimes there really are things out there that go bump in the night in here. Sometimes there really is something very scary under your bed. And sometimes, just sometimes, there really are monsters hiding in your room. But even monsters are afraid of something. So remember, don't close your eyes, don't open the door and DON’T let the light in, because if you do… then the darkness can get out.

  • Jaysen Buterin
    Director
    Kill Giggles; The Corner; Between Hell and a Hard Place; The Gospel According to Booze, Bullets & Hot Pink Jesus (short film trilogy); The Decapitator
  • Jaysen Buterin
    Writer
    Kill Giggles; The Corner; Between Hell and a Hard Place; The Gospel According to Booze, Bullets & Hot Pink Jesus (short film trilogy); The Decapitator
  • Duane A. Sikes
    Producer
  • Ginia Stiefel
    Producer
  • Darren W. Conrad
    Producer
  • Tom Gore
    Producer
  • Brett Mullen
    Producer
    Bombshell Bloodbath
  • Matthew B. Moore
    Producer
    Hatchet County
  • Rebecca Larken
    Key Cast
  • Will Garrett Davis
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    9 minutes 5 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    December 29, 2015
  • Production Budget:
    1,500 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • MystiCon Independent Film Festival
    Roanoke, VA
    February 27, 2016
    World Premiere
    WINNER Best Thriller (Short)
  • Cape Fear Independent Film Festival
    Wilmington, NC
    March 11, 2016
    North Carolina Premiere
    Best Horror Nominee
  • Mad Monster Party 2016 Film Festival
    Charlotte, NC
    March 26, 2016
    WINNER Best Horror Award
  • Twister Alley International Film Festival
    Woodward, OK
    United States
    May 7, 2016
    Oklahoma Premiere
    OFFICIAL NOMINEE, BEST MIDNIGHT SHORT FILM
  • Crimson Screen Horror Film Festival
    Charleston, SC
    United States
    May 14, 2016
    WINNER Best Director (Short Film)
  • Killuride Film Festival
    Myrtle Beach, SC
    United States
    May 21, 2016
    OFFICIAL NOMINEE: Best Actress; Best Horror Short
  • ConCarolinas Short Film Festival
    Charlotte, NC
    United States
    June 4, 2016
    WINNER Best Suspense Award; OFFICIAL NOMINEE: BEST ACTOR
  • Fantasmagorical Film Festival
    Louisville, KY
    United States
    July 30, 2016
    Kentucky Premiere
    WINNER: BEST OLD SCHOOL HORROR AWARD; CREEPY FILM AWARD
  • Scares That Care Film Festival
    Williamsburg, VA
    United States
    July 23, 2016
  • GenreBlast Film Festival
    Culpeper, VA
    United States
    August 20, 2016
    OFFICIAL NOMINEE: Best Horror Short; Best Director Short; Best Poster Short
  • Austin Revolution Film Festival
    Austin, TX
    United States
    September 23, 2016
    Texas Premiere
    OFFICIAL NOMINEE: Best Child Actor Short; Best Horror Short
  • Halloweenapalooza Film Festival
    Ottumwa, Iowa
    United States
    October 1, 2016
    Iowa Premiere
  • Wreak Havoc Film Festival
    Greensboro, NC
    United States
    September 30, 2016
    Greensboro Premiere
    OFFICIAL NOMINEE: Best Actor; Best NC Film
  • Cine Scream 2016
    Greensboro, NC
    United States
    October 16, 2016
  • Nightmares International Film Festival
    Columbus, OH
    United States
    October 22, 2016
    Ohio Premiere
    Official Nominee: Best Cinematography (Short Film)
  • Halloween International Film Festival
    Kill Devil Hills, NC
    United States
    October 29, 2016
  • Sick Chick Flicks Film Festival
    Cary, NC
    United States
    November 5, 2016
    OFFICIAL NOMINEE: Best NC Film
  • Fright Nights Film Festival
    Louisville, KY
    United States
    November 26, 2016
    Spirit of Fright Night Award
  • Geek Short Film Festival
    Charlotte, NC
    October 22, 2016
  • Native American Film and Video Festival of the Southeast
    Columbia, SC
    November 16, 2016
    WINNER: Best Horror Film - Short
  • Grindhouse Planet Film Festival
    Leicester
    United Kingdom
    November 27, 2016
    UK Premiere
  • Zinema Zombie Fest
    Bogota
    Colombia
    December 2, 2016
    South American Premiere
  • Days of the Dead Film Festival
    Atlanta, GA
    February 5, 2017
    Georgia Premiere
  • Westmont Frozen Film Festival
    Westmont, IL
    February 18, 2017
    Illinois Premiere
  • Rainy Season Showcase
    Atlanta, GA
    March 18, 2017
  • iHorror Awards
    Online Voting
    FINALIST
  • Bare Bones International Film Festival
    Muskogee, OK
    April 21, 2017
    Rising Star Acting Award for Will Garrett Davis
  • Red Phoenix Underground Film Festival
    Western PA
    May 27, 2017
    Pennsylvania Premiere
  • Days of the Dead Film Festival
    Indianapolis, IN
    July 2, 2017
    Indiana Premiere
  • Windy City Film Festival
    Chicago, IL
    June 30, 2017
  • Fort Worth Indie Film Showcase
    Fort Worth, TX
    July 14, 2017
  • Days of the Dead Film Festival
    Louisville, KY
    September 3, 2017
  • filmSPARK
    Raleigh, NC
    September 16, 2017
  • Horror In The Hills Film Festival
    Gatlinburg, TN
    October 14, 2017
    AWARDS: Best Sound; Best Editing.
  • Big Fandom Greenville Film Festival
    Greenville, SC
    November 18, 2017
  • Days of the Dead Film Festival
    Chicago, IL
    November 19, 2017
  • Rendezvous Film Festival
    Amelia Island, FL
    United States
    September 21, 2018
  • Steel City Underground Film Festival
    Linz
    Austria
    March 9, 2019
    Austrian Premiere
Director Biography - Jaysen Buterin

Writer. Director. Actor. Musician. Drummer (wait for it…). Model. Artist. Canvas. Columnist. Proudest Papa EVER. And as Creative Director of the straight jacket-tested/doctor-approved Mad Ones Films, from Greensboro North Carolina, Jaysen Buterin's mission has been to show the unbridled kaleidoscopic creativity just waiting to be unleashed when the inmates are finally allowed to run the movie-making asylum. More comfortable behind the camera as the writer/director of the award-winning "Tarantino meets Twilight Zone" sin-soaked short film trilogy, "The Gospel According to Booze, Bullets & Hot Pink Jesus," the on-the-road killer thriller, "Between Hell and a Hard Place," or the sinister stay-at-home horror hits of "Don't Let the Light In" and "The Corner," he's also at home in front of the camera, acting in such frightful and delightful films as "Knob Goblins," "Loop," "Hybrid," "Born Again," "Mama's Boy" and "Identity Thieves". Currently Buterin and the Mad Ones are working on their very first feature-length film, the coulrophobia-courting/clown killing goodness of "KILL GIGGLES"!!!

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