Experiencing Interruptions?

Red River Road

A family of four isolating against a pandemic virus that spreads through the internet and robs you -- often violently -- of your ability to perceive reality, begins to unravel when they suspect one or all of them might be infected.

A slow-burn psychological thriller shot entirely under Covid lockdown with a real family serving as the entire cast and crew.

  • Paul Schuyler
    Director
    The Tuna Goddess, Runner, BOMB
  • Paul Schuyler
    Writer
    The Tuna Goddess, Runner, BOMB
  • Jade Schuyler
    Producer
    The Tuna Goddess, Runner, BOMB
  • Paul Schuyler
    Key Cast
    "Steven"
    Give or Take, They Are Mine
  • Jade Schuyler
    Key Cast
    "Anna"
    Cowboy Drifter, Runner, They Are Mine
  • Quinn Schuyler
    Key Cast
    "Wyatt"
    The Jethroverse
  • Shaw Schuyler
    Key Cast
    "Sean"
    The Jethroverse
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Genres:
    Horror, Suspense, Psychological Drama, Family Drama, Psychological Thriller, Sci-Fi
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 30 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    June 7, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    10,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.40:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Grimmfest
    Manchester
    United Kingdom
    World Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Provincetown International Film Festival
    Provincetown
    United States
    July 10, 2021
    Northeast Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Stony Brook Film Festival
    Port Jefferson
    United States
    July 23, 2021
    Long Island Premiere
    Winner: Spirit of Independent Filmmaking Award
  • Portland Horror Festival
    Portland, OR
    United States
    August 5, 2021
    Northeast Premiere
    Official Selection - Closing Night Film
  • Phoenix Film Festival
    Phoenix, AZ
    United States
    August 20, 2021
    Southwest Premiere
    Official Selection
  • A Night of Horror
    Sydney
    Australia
    September 7, 2021
    Australia
    John Wiggins Spirit of Independent Filmmaking Award
Director Biography - Paul Schuyler

Paul Schuyler is a prototypical film brat. That kid who grew up with a Super-8 camera in one hand, and a video camera in the other, turning living rooms into sound stages, back yards into back lots and friends and relatives into actors. He studied at The School of Visual Arts in NYC, where he took advantage of their hands-on approach to master every aspect of production. After graduating, he moved Los Angeles and cycled through a quick succession of production jobs before he raised the money to shoot his first feature-length film, WASTED, which saw a limited theatrical run in LA, but didn't find commercial distribution -- all too common in the days before streaming.

Disappointed, but undeterred, he joined The Beverly Hills Playhouse as a director, where he was privileged to study with BHP founder, the late Milton Katselas. Determined to “crack the code” of acting from the inside out, Paul eventually succumbed to the acting bug himself. A life changing event, followed quickly by a second life changing event: directing his future wife and creative partner Jade, in A Streetcar Named Desire

Outside of filmmaking Paul has been many things: a VP of marketing for a software startup. An accomplished musician. A chef and restaurant owner. A small business owner. A dad. A triathlete. An actor.

Film credits include: Rapid Fire, Wasted, BOMB, Runner and music videos for TwelveHourMary, Tori Amos and Pat Benatar. As an actor he has appeared on stage in Lone Star, Driving Miss Daisy, 39 Steps, On Golden Pond, Boundless, Flowers in the Desert and the premiere of The Tuna Goddess, which he co-wrote with Jade. Screen acting credits include They Are Mine, BOMB and the upcoming Give or Take.

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Director Statement

When the going gets tough, make art.

I was prepping to direct the film version of our play The Tuna Goddess when the first COVID lockdown happened. As anyone remotely involved in film knows, momentum is everything on a project. We had names attached, money committed, dates set. But the reality started to clarify almost immediately: with an August start date, there would be no way to safely shoot our film. And, even if there were guidelines for shooting safely—which were still months away from being set—it wouldn’t be the film we wanted to make.

That’s a bitter pill to swallow. To fall short just inches from the finish line.

Faced with the prospect of being stuck in our house for an unknown period of time, feeling sorry for ourselves, I hit upon a very simple idea: what could we shoot here with just the four of us? We’re all experienced actors; I have everything on hand to shoot, cut, score and mix a film.

That night I woke from a sound sleep with Red River Road playing in my head like an internal movie. Over the next 10 days I basically transcribed that movie to the page and we had a script.

What started as an exciting and intriguing prospect to my family quickly became an endurance test of their collective patience toward me as the cold hard reality of how much work and heavy lifting would be required hit home.

But we’re nothing if not tenacious. And, with a few bumps and bruises (both physical and emotional) to show for our trouble, we made our movie.

We're excited to get Red River Road out into the world. Our mission was to try and make some sense of the weird world we suddenly find ourselves in, and entertain along the way.

We hope you enjoy watching as much as we enjoyed creating it!