The Interloper

The Interloper is the third official episode of Season 1 and was released on August 22nd, 2018. It was directed by Aidan Chick and produced by Mathew Cherfane with Josh Reid and Santo Messina as assistant directors and producers. The cast featured Jacob Del Angel, Mathew Cherfane, and Aidan Chick. The film follows a young man, Noah, in the year 2007, as he is stalked by a mysterious being.

Plot
On July 19, 2007, Noah, a teenage boy from Pennsylvania, rides his bike to a nearby park. There, he spots a strange figure staring at him. The figure has no face and is wearing a suit. Noah decides to leave but sees the figure again, this time staring at him as he rides his bike away from the park.

On a road in a forest, Noah stops his bike and attempts to call his friend, though he doesn't pick up. Noah presumably sees the figure again, and tries to ride away, but can't. After kicking the chain lose, Noah is able to move again and rides down the road to an abandoned municipal building. There, the world flashes white as the figure appears again. Noah quickly absconds.

Later that night, Noah calls his friend Ian on the phone and asks him to ride over. Ian does so, but on the way there, he encounters a strange noise emanating from a nearby radio tower. Then, outside Noah's house, the figure appears again. Noah pulls Ian inside, and the two quickly take shelter in Noah's bedroom. There, they discuss the figure.

They then turn on the local news, the Channel 7 line, though the last main broadcast had ended. However, an emergency alert interrupts the line. Suspiciously, this interruption is hijacked, displaying disturbing text and a video feed showing the outside of Noah's room. The two boys look outside, and standing there is the figure. After locking the bedroom door and shutting the window, Noah and Ian relax and wait out the night by playing the GameCube.

In the morning, Noah retrieves his phone and notices that the figure is gone. He walks back upstairs, where he then asks Ian about his encounter with the figure the night before. Ian tells Noah about the radio tower, and so Noah decides to investigate. Ian tags along, though the two soon find out that Ian's bike is missing. Noah tells Ian to grab a spare, and the two then head out. At the tower, Noah and Ian discover that the gate leading to it is locked. They agree to head to a second tower, the Channel 7 tower.

At the Channel 7 tower, another mysterious signal turns the entire world into a strange black and white environment with the figure once again staring at the boys. Noah and Ian abscond. Outside the tower, Noah tells Ian to leave in an attempt to protect him. Noah rides home as twilight sets in. At home, Noah finds that a plethora of strange objects have been scattered across his kitchen. A futuristic laptop is sitting on the countertop. Upstairs, there are even more objects scattered throughout the bedroom.

Noah looks outside and spots the figure again. He closes the blinds and sits down. Meanwhile, at the Channel 7 South Broadcasting site, a manager is woken up by the ringing of a telephone. A man from the Institute of Theoretical Technology and Development is on the other end and warns that Channel 7 must comply with governmental orders. He also asks that Channel 7 broadcast another emergency alert notification. Back at Noah's house, Noah is lying on the bed, attempting to contact Ian.

Another emergency alert broadcast plays, and Noah looks out the window once more to spot the figure standing there. Noah takes shelter under the sheets of his bed. An ominous red light flashes from the TV screen as the bedroom door opens on its own. The figure stands there. Noah hides under the covers. The figure edges closer to Noah, and eventually, Noah slips into a gateway. Strange shapes flash before his eyes. Alien noises emanate from all directions.

This gateway is likely caused by Ian as he tries to contact Noah. The cell phone rings, causing the figure to disappear into another dimension. Noah wakes up in the normal dimension and calls Ian. Ian says he doesn't remember anything, and outside, the sun is shining. Noah then calls his parents. This time, they pick up. Noah sighs in relief. Meanwhile, in the alternate purgatory dimension, the figure stands, ominously.

Cast and Crew

 * Aidan Chick - Director/Producer, plays Channel 7 Night Manager and Dad
 * Mathew Cherfane - Producer, plays Noah
 * Jacob Del Angel - Plays Ian
 * Josh Reid - 1st Assistant Director
 * Santo Messina - 2md Assistant Director

Production
Production officially started on August 2, 2018. This day was spent getting all of the shots of the Interloper and b-roll inserts. At night, the scene with Ian and the radio tower was shot. Extra lighting was required to obtain the look of this scene. Santo Messina was involved with production on this day.

On August 4, 2018, production continued. Almost all of Noah's scenes were shot on this day. The opening scene at the park was filmed as well as the end scenes. Josh Reid was involved with production on this day. Finally, the production was wrapped up on August 20, 2018.

8 scenes were shot on this day, including all of the dialogue scenes. Scheduling filming times became increasingly more difficult with this short film due to vacations and other priorities.

Music
Most of the music was either original tracks or courtesy of Kevin MacLeod. The credit song, "Red Eyes", was performed by Zombie Hyperdrive.

Reception
The Interloper was praised for its clean and smooth cinematography, set pieces, and aesthetics. Many enjoyed the costume design of the Interloper itself. However, one major critique of the film was with the acting by Jacob and Mathew. Much like Lake Shore Drive, many thought the acting felt forced or unnatural in some aspects. Furthermore, many critics felt as though the story was somewhat lackluster and the ending somewhat confusing, though that was the original intention of the ending. Also, many people thought that the horror aspect was overall lacking.

Marketing
Much like the previous short film, The Interloper was well advertised to the public through the use of social media such as Instagram and Twitter. Production was documented on these platforms, too. At the time of release, teaser videos and promotional artwork was released, further driving audiences to watch the film. Arguably the most effective marketing tool was the use of Channel 7, a separate YouTube account created to market the film. It featured short, analog horror films in the same vein as "Local58". These short films contained backstory and lore for The Interloper. Channel 7 eventually amassed over 1,000 subscribers, making it one of the largest Tempest Films channel.

Trivia

 * One of the inspirations for The Interloper was a strange man wearing business attire at a local park during the production of Lake Shore Drive. This figure appeared again on the first day of filming for The Interloper and was caught on tape.
 * The aesthetic was inspired by Stranger Things, Local 58, and early internet creepypastas.
 * The dimensional gateway at the end is likely a reference to the Stargate from 2001: A Space Odyssey.
 * At one point, Ian is shown playing the GameCube. The game in the background is Super Smash Bros Melee on the stage Big Blue.
 * During the dimensional purgatory sequence, the character Rigex can be seen in the background. Rigex is from another internet series.
 * Also during the dimensional purgatory sequence, a calendar titled "July 3005" can be seen on the refrigerator with logos for the Institute of Theoretical Technology and Development and Project Mono next to it. In the bedroom, a script for The Interloper can be seen in the corner.
 * The manager in the title sequence of the film was actually played by Brandon Chick.
 * Two Channel 7 episodes appear in The Interloper: "Emergency" and "Final Broadcast".
 * In the scene with Noah talking on the phone to Ian, a Channel 7 newscast can be heard. It states that Maximart had been bought out by Viacorp and that a 13-year-old boy was killed in an accident.
 * One of the most prevailing theories is that the Interloper is actually the 13-year-old boy killed in the accident.
 * Another theory is that the Interloper is actually Noah from another dimension.
 * The Interloper has the ability to hijack signals and broadcasts.