End of Days: CFHS student films sequel

Morrissey filming a scene. (Lucia McNeal photo)

The demon everyone fears is returning to the big screen. That’s right, Nazzrack is back. He’s returning with a vengeance and a legion of evil doers led by Devilin Grey to back him up. Mary Blackwell and Isaac Nolan are the only ones who can save the world from his wrath. It’s the comeback everyone has been waiting for in an epic film guaranteed to make everyone bite their nails in suspense.

Senior Carrsan Morrissey began work on his sequel to Horrible Things earlier this summer and plans to release the movie sometime this fall, showing at 220 East as well as several other locations. Morrissey began to film this sequel, Horrible Things: End of Days, on Aug. 2. He is incredibly excited to release his next film in this horror series. “Not to brag, but the sequel takes things to a whole new level,” Morrissey said.

Horrible Things: End of Days takes place about a year after the events of Horrible Things. It begins as Mary Blackwell and Isaac Nolan discover reports of a mysterious group, led by Devilin Grey and carrying links to the demon Nazzrack, attacking major cities. Grey’s group plans to bring Nazzrack back and help him rise to power, eventually taking over the world. The stakes are incredibly high as Mary Blackwell and Isaac Nolan attempt to stop Nazzrack from his reign of terror.

Morrissey’s dream of a second Horrible Things film came true this summer as he enlisted several of his friends as actors and crew for Horrible Things: End of Days. The film features several old characters as well as new ones. Returning to the screen as antagonists are Nazzrack (CFHS alum Josh Ochoa), Sammoht (senior Luke Wheeler) and Yessromm (former CFHS student Maddie Laing). Returning protagonists are Mary Blackwell (junior Lexy Abbas) and Isaac Nolan (CFHS alum Evan Fairbanks). A brand new antagonist is Devilin Grey (senior Erik Mueterthies), who calls himself “prophet of the one called Nazzrack.”

Morrissey said the characters are better than ever, and thanks to the makeup work of senior Alli Klocke, they look more frightening than ever. “[Alli] is very good at what she does, which will be very evident when you see the film,” Morrissey said, “Most of all, though, my actors’ performances in this movie are astounding.”

The cast of characters. (Lucia McNeal photo)

The movie was filmed in several locations, mainly at Morrissey’s house and The Heart of Darkness in Waterloo. The filming began on Aug. 2 and took place over several consecutive days. The longest shoot took Morrissey and the cast six whole hours to film. “It was a very grueling week for all involved, but it was fun,” Morrissey said.

The anatagonist Nazzrack, played by Josh Ochoa. (Lucia McNeal photo)

This is the second and final Horrible Things film to be created. Morrissey wanted this film to be more of a “real, gritty story of survival” as opposed to the previous film, which was more of a dark fantasy movie. He also delves further into the characters’ development, and the movie is on a much larger scale than its predecessor, as well as a longer length. “I’m going to be frank; this is a dark movie. I want audiences to be on the edge of their seats every second. I want them to cover their eyes when things get scary, feel sadness when the characters deal with the tragedies of Nazzrack’s war, and most importantly, I want them to have to suffer through Mary Blackwell’s ordeal with her,” Morrissey said.

Although this is Morrissey’s final Horrible Things film, this is by far not his last production. He wishes to pursue film as a career for the rest of his life, as it is his passion. Morrissey particularly enjoys horror because it is “the most freeing and creatively-stimulating genre,” so many more horror films are expected from him. He is planning to move on to other projects soon and hopes his audience will keep their eyes and ears open for his next production. The truth of the matter is, Morrissey is completely dedicated to film. “I put all of myself into my films. I devote 110 percent of my time, effort and thought into making the best movie I can. It is my passion, and I will do anything it takes to become the best at it that I can,” Morrissey said.