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The Collector's Chest

Winner of five awards including BEST FILM 2ND PLACE at the 2019 Richmond 48 Hour Horror Film Project. A young couple procures a mysterious chest, but there’s more to it than meets the eye.

  • Corbin Rowell
    Director
  • Steve James
    Director
  • Corbin Rowell
    Writer
  • Steve James
    Writer
  • T.J. Neveldine
    Producer
  • Corbin Rowell
    Producer
  • Steve James
    Producer
  • Heather Baker
    Key Cast
    "Lucy"
  • Liam Jones
    Key Cast
    "Christian"
  • T.J. Neveldine
    Key Cast
    "The Collector"
  • Ashley Reed
    Key Cast
    "Cha Cha Rodriguez"
  • Steve James
    Key Cast
    "Cha Cha's Dancing Partner"
  • Scott Rittwage
    Key Cast
    "Violinist"
  • Lisa Rae Ring
    Key Cast
    "Dancer"
  • Lowrie Fawley
    Key Cast
    "Waitress"
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    horror, suspense, supernatural, 48 hour film project, drama, eerie
  • Runtime:
    7 minutes 47 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    October 20, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    300 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Richmond 48 Hour Horror Film Project Screenings
    Richmond
    United States
    October 20, 2019
    Local premiere
  • Best of Richmond 48 Hour Horror Film Project Screenings
    Richmond
    United States
    October 27, 2019
    Best of Screening
    2nd Place Best Film, Audience Choice Group B, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Sound Design
  • Solstice: 4-Film Screening Event
    Richmond
    United States
    December 14, 2019
    Local premiere
Director Biography - Corbin Rowell, Steve James


Corbin Rowell is an up-and-coming filmmaker from Richmond, VA. He began directing music videos for the local acoustic rock band, NeVeRSeeN, in 2018. Rowell met Richmond filmmaker Steve James in early 2019, and has collaborated with him on five different film projects. One of those projects was a horror short film titled "The Collector's Chest", which he co-wrote and co-directed with James for the Richmond 48 Hour Horror Film Project. "The Collector's Chest" won five awards, more than any other film in the competition, including BEST FILM 2ND PLACE.

Rowell's directorial and screenwriting debut is "We Were Desperate", a post-apocalyptic short film about two men surviving in a zombie apocalypse. The film had its local premiere at the Grace Street Theater in Richmond, VA on December 14, 2019.

Currently, Rowell is writing the script for a Batman fan film titled "Batman: Dawn of Fear", which is scheduled to begin production in February 2020.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement


"The Collector's Chest" is a supernatural, suspenseful horror short film made for the 2019 Richmond 48 Hour Horror Film Project. This was my first time directing & editing a film for the 48 Hour Film Project. "The Collector's Chest" was voted into the "Best Of" screening for the competition, where it subsequently won more awards than any other film that year. Those awards include BEST FILM 2nd Place, Audience Choice Group B, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, and Best Sound Design.

As per the guidelines of the 48 Hour Film Project, our team had just 48 hours to write, shoot, edit, and submit this short film. We were assigned a genre (mad scientist or haunted object/toy), a character (Chico or Cha Cha Rodriguez), a prop (brick), and a line of dialogue ("The third time's a charm") that were included in the film as required. I was very excited and stressed since this was the first 48 Hour film I had ever directed. Despite the stressful situation, I managed to pull together an incredible team of very talented individuals who helped realized our vision for an emotional, supernatural horror film.

I believe the reason this film was so well received at the 48 Hour Horror Film Project was because of how it stood out among the rest of the films. While most of the other short films went for the gory, bloody, and slasher themes littered with jumpscares, we decided to go a different route. We set out to make a film that perplexed our viewers and leave them feeling uneasy. We created a suspenseful, atmospheric horror short with an ambiguous story that left viewers theorizing and drawing their own conclusions. Based on the feedback by the audience, friends, and family members, this film achieved that.

This film was a great privilege to be a part of. The 48 Hour Film Project can be stressful, but when you have an incredible team of hardworking and creative people, the filmmaking process becomes a lot more enjoyable and efficient.