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Varmint

Stranded on the plains after a botched bank robbery, the infamous Denton gang holes up in a barn to wait out a rainstorm and plan their next move. Tensions rise upon the discovery of a strange young man left there to die, and loyalties are tested as an infectious force takes shape around them. When their shelter becomes inescapable, past sins come to light and paranoia turns to violence in this gunslinging Western horror.

  • Dana Kjeldsen
    Director
  • Dana Kjeldsen
    Writer
  • Dana Kjeldsen
    Producer
  • Ben Darby
    Producer
  • James Anthony Perez
    Key Cast
    "Diego Denton"
  • Ben Darby
    Key Cast
    "Ángel Velasco"
  • Dana Kjeldsen
    Key Cast
    "Moses Haley"
  • Ryan Swanson
    Key Cast
    "Virgil Wilkes"
  • Cara D. Pearce
    Key Cast
    "Hazel Beauchamp"
  • Julie Sweum
    Key Cast
    "Naomi Beauchamp"
  • Angel Rose Valentino
    Key Cast
    "Darius Ransom"
  • Parker Ridgley Jr.
    Key Cast
    "Samuel Bishop"
  • Andre Jones Jr.
    Key Cast
    "Augustus Boone"
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Genres:
    Horror, Western, Drama, Thriller, Action, History
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 53 minutes
  • Production Budget:
    10,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States, United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States, United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Dana Kjeldsen

Dana Kjeldsen is an actor, writer, and director based in Colorado. He has performed on regional and national stages since he was 17 and graduated with his B.A. in Theatre Performance from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, where he received the Outstanding Theatre Achievement and Student Directing awards. While his filmmaking journey started in college, he credits the inspiration to the informal but thorough cinematic education given to him by his movie-loving parents and horror-loving grandma. Previous directing credits include Sam Shepard’s Eyes for Consuela, Ivy Tyson’s On Air, the short film Die Forelle, and Great Dane’s first feature Babylon. He has also worked as an editor, stage manager, theatre teacher, script supervisor, makeup artist, and fight choreographer, and he can't wait to see what's next.

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Director Statement

Alongside an ensemble of cowboys, criminals, and ghosts, Varmint uses each character's history to consider the fine lines between cowardice and courage, trauma's effect on masculinity, and how we choose to make amends.

I want to play with the genre tropes of classic Western, horror, and single-location movies that inspired me as a young audience member (such as The Thing, The Wild Bunch, and 12 Angry Men), and if I do my job right, there will be some fun thrills along the way! But there's a deeper meaning imbedded in the heart of Varmint, one that asks us to seek the strength in forgiveness, to consider the lives of "the least of these", and to keep the lantern lit on a dark and stormy night.