The Theta Girl
First-time filmmakers Chris Bickel and David Axe have teamed up as Barron Perter Productions to make The Theta Girl, a thought provoking and entertaining horror/thriller that pays homage to 60s pop art films, 70s revenge flicks and 80s slashers. Bickel is directing and editing from a screenplay by Axe, and they’ve taken to Indiegogo to raise the final $7,000 they need to make the film a reality.
From the Indiegogo page: “We already have $10,000 to make the film with a mostly volunteer cast and crew. We’re trying to raise at least another $7,000 so we can compensate the cast and crew and boost our production values.”
Bickel is a staff writer for Dangerous Minds, a former writer for Maximum RocknRoll, and a musician and founding member of South Carolina punk bands In/Humanity, Anakrid, Guyana Punchline (and others), and he curates the Nickelodeon Theatre’s 
Low Brow Cinema Explosion, a monthly Columbia film program devoted to showing (what their Facebook page best describes as) the “tackiest of the tacky, the vulgarest of the vulgar and the basest of the base.”
Axe is the founder and editor-in-chief of War is Boring, a journalistic website devoted to covering the history, culture and politics of war. He describes The Theta Girl as “a psychedelic, existentialist thriller with drugs, orgies, badass women protagonists and a batshit soundtrack” that touches on existential themes of truth, meaning, God, and reality, as well as lots of nudity and stabbings.
The film’s press release promises “an existential sex/drugs/rock’n’roll movie with buckets of blood, lots of writhing bodies and a completely insane soundtrack” that will also pass The Bechdel Test.
The Theta Girl is scheduled to be shot entirely in Columbia, South Carolina starting in December, 2016 using regional talent that includes Victoria Donofrio, Darelle Dove, Shane Silman, and Quinn Deogracias.
The movie also boasts a soundtrack featuring music by Matthew Akers, Slasher Film Festival Strategy, Anakrid, Ian Deaton, They Say The Wind Made Them Crazy, Debbie and the Newgenics, Hand Over Fist, and Joe Buck Roberts.
As a way to showcase some of the talent of The Theta Girl (as well as practice and break in their film and editing equipment), Bickel and Axe created a brilliant, Jack Hill-inspired grindhouse trailer for what they hope will be their second film – Teenage Caligula!
All of the cast featured in that trailer are attached to appear in The Theta Girl as well.
The Theta Girl is in its final days of crowdfunding on Indiegogo, but you can still snag a number of perks including downloads, DVDs, soundtrack CDs, credits, featured props, and more. Watch the pitch video and check out the perks on Indiegogo HERE, and be sure to also like the film on Facebook HERE.
Personally, I’ll support anyone trying to do weird shit in the South, and I can’t wait until my DVD arrives!
Ryan Stockstad is a Los Angeles filmmaker with a passion for horror, documentary and experimental cinema. He has written articles for HC Magazine, Mostly Harmless Magazine and various blogs and websites. He has lectured on topics as diverse as low budget filmmaking, short story structure, and the influence of the Spanish Civil War on surrealist cinema. He hosts new episodes of Pop Culture Beast's Halloween Horror Picks every Monday, Wednesday and Friday in October.