Experiencing Interruptions?

Hardly Romantic

Sam and Jess are throwing their friend, Katie, the 21st birthday party of a lifetime. But, when nobody shows up to the party, it seems the evening is doomed to be another typical girls night in. Everything changes when three beautiful young men knock on the door with booze and party favors. The already drunk girls get drunker still, and it isn't long before they've drank themselves unconscious. What follows is an unrelenting, tense, and psychological massacre worthy of Sade himself.

  • Sweeney Gray
    Director
  • Sweeney Gray
    Writer
  • Ace Brewer
    Producer
  • Sage Rose Buchalter
    Key Cast
  • Alex Miskin
    Key Cast
  • Trisha Clark
    Key Cast
  • Andrew Gomez
    Key Cast
  • JaNell Garcia
    Key Cast
  • Nathan Peterson
    Key Cast
  • Becky Nutt
    Key Cast
  • Andrew Gomez
    Director of Photography
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Genres:
    Horror, Comedy
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 5 minutes 9 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 24, 2016
  • Production Budget:
    10,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    4K digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    4:3
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Sweeney Gray

Writer/director, Sweeney Gray, was originally born in Bakersfield, CA. He currently owns Buddha Haüs Studios in Denver, CO, and specializes in the production of original horror and sci-fi films. Before opening Buddha Haüs, he played his own original music with the rock n roll band, The Dead Side. Sweeney studied musical theatre at Colorado Mesa University, and has extensive performance experience across the country since age seven, playing beloved roles such as Cogsworth in Disney's Beauty and The Beast, and Eddie in The Rocky Horror Show. He is also a trained SFX artist, pianist, bassist, opera singer, editor, dog trainer, and more. "Hardly Romantic" is his first feature length film.
Sweeney spends his spare time enjoying life with his partner, Stephen Ace Brewer, and 2 dogs, Trunks and Regina. He is also an avid gamer, from Dark Souls to Catan.

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Director Statement

A movie is much like a murder. Some are planned meticulously over time; some are born in an unforeseen burst of passion.
I had been living in a tour bus for almost 7 months playing bass guitar/piano in a rock n roll band. There were 4 of us and 2 dogs. We had no electricity, no water, and, of course, hardly any money. We had been surviving solely on the kindness of friends and strangers, hoping to sell enough CD's each night to make it to the next gig. Though the band had very little, we all felt alive, and each city held new people and new perspective. We met hundreds of kind and supportive individuals, and I gained a new respect for The American people.
That's why I found it so hard to stomach the 372 American mass shootings in 2015. Where the hell was all this hate coming from? I suppose, HARDLY ROMANTIC is my answer to that question.
It started as scribbles in between gigs... The open road whispered tales of despair, glory, life, and death... and people would shout them if you would listen. Scribbles became scenes, and the screenplay slowly transformed into a tale of friendship, youth, terror, religion, and trying to find your voice in such a deafening society.
The tour ended, and I bought a studio with my fiance in Denver, Colorado. With the proper space and time at our fingertips, we realized that we could bring HARDLY ROMANTIC to life.
Our team came together from around the entire country with nothing but a common dream and a love for movies. We raised a quick $10,000, bought a GoPro, flew in all the actors, collected a soundtrack from unsigned American bands we had met on tour, and shot the film in 5 days. It is beyond humbling that this group of talented, amazing people believed in my silly little script, and put forth what they did for this project. It was an act of creativity and passion so many people could only dream of.
I hope you enjoy watching Hardly Romantic as much as we enjoyed making it.

Cheers,
Sweeney Gray