Bump In the Night

A thriller about a lesbian couple's relationship is put to the test when they are awoken by an intruder from their past attempting to break into their home.

Meowing is heard followed by a loud crash in the middle of the night causing Ana and Ziggy Cargot to wake up. The two get out of bed to clean up the mess and double-check that everything is alright when they find a man standing outside their patio door. Ziggy turns to alert Ana but when she turns back to the door the creepy man is gone and he is now standing behind Ana in the house and attacks her, strangling Ana in front of Ziggy. In an act to save her partner, Ziggy strikes Mason over the head making him crumble to the ground. Ziggy insists they call the police but Ana declines saying that by doing so their lives would be in danger. Ana identifies the man as her ex-boyfriend Mason and explains she was not a good person before meeting Ziggy. Ziggy goes along with the plan out of fear, confusion, and the blindsiding love she holds for her partner. Together they drag Mason's body outside and Ana instructs Ziggy to clean inside while she begins to dig. Ziggy heads upstairs and is greeted by a police officer at their door, following up about the alarm being triggered. Ziggy lies to the police to cover her own tracks but also Ana's. The two head back outside to bury Mason's body. Ana leaves momentarily to retrieve something when Mason wakes up while Ziggy is alone with him. Just in time Ana shows up and shoots Mason, ending the problem once and for all and protecting Ziggy. The couple attempts to bury Mason but can't due to the state of the ground, thus tossing him into a lake. As the sun begins to rise, the couple have a heart-to-heart over two cups of coffee.

  • Brooke Casal
    Director
  • Brooke Casal
    Writer
  • Jayden White
    Producer
  • Kayle Heyner
    Key Cast
    "Ana"
  • TahJoenae Hinton
    Key Cast
    "Ziggy"
  • Joshua Caleb Smith
    Key Cast
    "Mason"
  • Crystal Gorski
    Key Cast
    "Police Officer"
  • Winona Cruz
    Editor
  • Mitchy Dang
    Editor
  • Nguyen Ho
    Director of Photography
  • Matthew Macasieb
    1st Assistant Camera
  • Cullen Teas
    2nd Assistant Camera
  • Hails Joseph
    First Assistant Director
  • Charde Edney
    Script Supervisor
  • May Boger
    Production Design
  • Casserly Grace
    Wardrobe
  • Kimmy Barnard
    Hair & Makeup
  • Nate Shirah
    Gaffer
  • John Harris
    Grip
  • Dallas Dodge
    Grip
  • Ben Suarez
    Grip
  • Trent Fogleman
    Stunt Coordinator
  • Darby Christensen
    Sound Mixer
  • Jacob Bouie
    Sound Designer
  • Andy Freeman
    Composer
  • Melina Velleman
    BTS Photographer
  • Olivia Angelina Casal
    BTS Photographer
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Thriller, Horror, Drama
  • Runtime:
    8 minutes 20 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 1, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    7,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    RED
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Savannah College of Art & Design
Director Biography - Brooke Casal

Brooke Casal is a writer, director, and producer from the Bronx, New York. Having grown up watching classic horror films and true crime shows, Brooke enjoys directing within the thriller and horror genres. She graduated from Savannah College of Art & Design with a bachelor of fine arts with honors in June 2023. While at SCAD, Brooke made a name for herself as a producer having produced ten projects within her college career, one of which was the SCAD web series "All Hail Maukavas." She then fell in love with directing as well and had her directorial debut with "Bump In the Night."

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Director Statement

When I was younger, I learned that someone I cared about wasn’t who they said they were. It was a feeling of betrayal and hurt that I would never forget especially since I had never felt that way before. I remember days and years after asking myself the question: how far was I willing to go for this person I loved and cared about so much? Would I look past who they once were and keep them in my life or leave because my perception of them had shifted drastically?

In many ways, Bump in The Night asks the same question: how far are you willing to go for someone you love unconditionally? The story follows a lesbian couple, Analise and Ziggy Cargo, that has been together for years. One night they wake up and find there is a person outside their home, but it turns out Analise knows this person from her past and Ziggy has no idea what is going on. Throughout the film, Ziggy must repeatedly ask herself what she was willing to do for her partner and if she can look past this one night to keep everything they had previously.

After watching my film, I want the audience to ask these questions for themselves. Because Ziggy and Analise are in such a high-stakes situation, I want the audience to question what they would do in a situation such as theirs. This film is a thriller with strong themes of relationships and familiarity between those you care about. Even if everyone who watches this film cannot see themselves directly reflected in the characters, I hope they can place themselves in the shoes of Ziggy and Analise.