Keep Watch

When Patrick returns to his childhood home in the wake of his father's death, he must escape from the ghost of his father that haunts the East Tennessee wilderness around him.

  • Kevin Keck
    Director
  • Kevin Keck
    Writer
  • Kevin Keck
    Producer
  • Mason Mecartea
    Key Cast
    "Patrick"
    Terrifier 3
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Horror, Thriller, Appalachian Gothic
  • Runtime:
    8 minutes 1 second
  • Completion Date:
    November 14, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    7,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States, United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States, United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Film Fest Knox
    Knoxville, TN
    United States
    November 14, 2024
    World Premiere
    Elev8tor Pitch - Third Place
Director Biography - Kevin Keck

I was born north of Knoxville, Tennessee, in a little town in the shadow of the Great Smoky Mountains. After making homemade short films throughout high school, I moved to Orange, California, where I attended Chapman University and graduated with a BFA in Film Production in 2018.

For nearly a decade, I have had the pleasure of screening films at multiple national and international film festivals on four continents. For an East Tennessee boy, it has been a truly humbling experience to see these stories and films enjoyed and honored with awards. I hope to use my content to break down stereotypes and misunderstandings. I want to portray underrepresented and diverse cultures, like the Appalachian region I call home, honestly and intimately.

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Director Statement

What if the loved ones we've lost could watch us while we grieve them?

What would they do? What would we do?

Keep Watch is an Appalachian Gothic tale that dives head-on into themes of grief and estrangement. With a small cast and crew, I wanted to create a sandbox in which each creative on the project could create freely. In this way, we've made a patchwork quilt of performance that speaks to the variety of stories and folklore still to be explored in Appalachia and East Tennessee. Nothing spoke to me about the complexities of death and dying in rural America quite like this simple ghost story, and I hope you'll take a few minutes to watch it.