Liability

When three sudden deaths befall members of a small law firm, Karen Dunmore begins to suspect that they may be retribution for a terrible crime and its subsequent cover-up. Fearing for her family’s safety, she desperately tries to convince her husband and his associates to take action. But will it be too late?

  • William R. Coughlan
    Director
  • Robin Brande
    Writer
  • William R. Coughlan
    Writer
  • Pam W. Coughlan
    Producer
  • Jennifer Massey
    Key Cast
  • Nick DePinto
    Key Cast
  • Jesse Achtenberg
    Crew
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Thriller, Drama, Horror
  • Runtime:
    8 minutes 58 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 2, 2010
  • Production Budget:
    800 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.85:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • 48 Hour Film Project
    Washington, DC
    United States
    May 5, 2010
    World Premiere
  • TIVA Peer Awards 2010
    Washington, DC
    United States
    November 13, 2010
    Gold Award: Editing - Fiction | Silver Award: Directing - Fiction Short | Silver Award: Scriptwriting - Fiction Short | Bronze Award: Independent Short
  • Paura Festival Internacional de Cine de Terror
    Valencia
    Spain
    January 25, 2017
    European Premiere
  • Indiana Comic Con Film Festival
    Indianapolis, Indiana
    United States
    April 14, 2017
    Indiana Premiere
  • Horror Avenue Film Festival
    Mattoon, Illinois
    United States
    July 15, 2017
    Illinois Premiere
  • Tampa Bay Comic Con Film Festival
    Tampa, Florida
    United States
    July 29, 2017
    Florida Premiere
  • San Francisco Comic Con Film Festival
    San Francisco, California
    United States
    September 1, 2017
    California Premiere
  • Movie Night at the Evening Star Cafe
    Alexandria, Virginia
    United States
    February 25, 2018
    Virginia Premiere
Director Biography - William R. Coughlan

William R. Coughlan is an award-winning screenwriter and director, and founder and CEO of independent video production company Tohubohu Productions, LLC. He worked for several years with The Advisory Board Company (and its offshoot companies, CEB and EAB) in Washington, D.C., where he began as a graphic designer before creating a full-service in-house video and multimedia department, and then eventually moving into the ranks of creative department management. In addition, he provides creative oversight for the global public affairs firm EGA, is the Creative Director of Jabberwocky Audio Theater, and served for several years on the Board of Directors for TIVA, the Television, Internet, and Video Association of DC, Inc., filling the roles of Treasurer and Vice President before finishing his tenure as President. He also enjoys acting, voiceover performance, design and illustration, editing, animation, and writing autobiographical comments in the third person. He is the illustrator of the therapeutic workbook Stories for Children with Problems & Wishes, has provided schematic graphics for several HBS case studies, designed the acclaimed Protégé clay poker chip line, served as the Critic at Large for the online literary magazine Inkblots, has been a judge for both the TIVA Peer Awards and the Emmy Awards, founded and co-hosted the long-running Tohubohu Producer Podcast, and is an accomplished animator and ambigram artist. He currently resides at a secret compound in Northern Virginia.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Though horror films tend to be a staple of the independent film scene (thanks to their comparatively low production cost and specialized screening and distribution opportunities), before “Liablity” I had never made anything remotely approaching “horror.” And even when presented with this opportunity, I wanted to go more for psychological horror than the bloodier films that are more common in the “grindhouse” or home-video arenas. Not that those can’t be extremely entertaining (and I may yet tackle one in the near future), but for this project we’d committed to nothing more intense than a PG-13 level of violence — which constrained our “splatter” potential. So working with screenwriter Robin Brande — herself not renowned for horror writing — we crafted a story that leaned more heavily on suspense over shock. In weaving a tale of supernaturally enforced justice, it seemed all too appropriate to set our story around a law firm — a business ostensibly concerned with justice, but one that succumbs (at least in this case) all too readily to the needs of immediate self-interest. Fundamentally, we wanted to at least invite the question of whether those who cover up a crime after the fact share equal culpability with those who initially commit it. Ultimately, whether we succeed in conveying that message or not depends most heavily on the performances, especially those of leads Jennifer Massey and Nick DePinto — and in that respect, I think we more than succeeded.