Q&A: Connor Etter on The Lost Camp

Three boys sneak away from summer camp and find an abandoned town. What they don't know is that the town has a reason to be empty, and something still living there has a reason to be angry.

The Lost Camp runs 16 minutes. It earns its scares.

We talked to writer-director Connor Etter about abandoned places, the Holland, Massachusetts location that made the film possible, and the one scene that required a very specific casting solution.

Where it started

Where did The Lost Camp begin for you: the camp setting, the abandoned town, the three boys, or the vengeful spirit?

It began with the three boys. Each of the three boys were experiencing trauma, and it impacted them in different ways. In life, we all have moments where we struggle and it impacts us differently.

Why summer camp

Summer camp has a strong nostalgic feeling but can turn creepy fast. What made it the right backdrop?

Summer camp was the right backdrop because there needed to be a reason why the kids were out in the woods, near the abandoned village. Having a summer camp taking place nearby was the perfect way to make that happen.

Abandoned places

What drew you to sending young characters into a place with a hidden past?

Part of me likes history, just like I like horror. I've always been fascinated with abandoned places, and in the past I explored areas that were abandoned with friends just for fun. I was interested in sending the young characters into a place with a hidden past because that makes it easy for me to build up a story with suspense.

The spirit's intent

The dark spirit wants revenge. How did you think about what it actually wants?

The dark spirit wants revenge and closure. From the dark spirit's perspective, that is his primary purpose.

16 minutes, a full story

At only 16 minutes, the film has to build the world, the friendship, the mystery, and the scares very quickly. How did you decide what to show?

With only 16 minutes, I had to focus on character development and the main action scenes. I had to start the film with the characters finding the abandoned village when they are sneaking off. If this were a feature, I would have shown the village before it became abandoned, and I would have included scenes taking place at the summer camp itself.

The location

The film was shot in Holland, Massachusetts. How did that location shape the atmosphere?

The exterior scenes were shot in Holland, Massachusetts, because we needed to shoot at an area that could look and feel like an abandoned village. The location we shot in had some old, run-down buildings that are now in the process of being renovated. It was perfect. The location was also right by the water, which added to the creepy feel that I wanted.

Festival success

The Lost Camp has earned multiple festival wins and nominations. What do you think connected with audiences and judges?

I feel that the characters' personalities, along with the story itself, connected with the audience and judges at festivals. My film has been compared to the new IT films and Stranger Things because the characters were likeable. Audience members told me that they loved the characters.

Writing with Daniel Calvisi

You co-wrote the film with Daniel Calvisi. How did that collaboration shape the story?

Daniel Calvisi helped me develop a motive for the dark spirit. There needed to be a reason why he was targeting the three main characters, along with the other campers. Dan also helped me strengthen the dialogue and the plot as a whole.

The hardest scene

What was the hardest scare or scene to get right?

One of the hardest scenes to shoot was the scene where two of the characters merge into one. In order to do this right, so it would look natural when they merge, we wanted those two characters to look similar in the first place. We did this by having one of the actors play both the characters that ended up merging into one.

Before you press play

For someone discovering The Lost Camp on Relay, what would you want them to know?

I would want them to know that they are in for a treat. I wouldn't want them to know any more than that, because it's all about the element of surprise.

Horror

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Streaming now on Relay.