BOO! It's me - Matthew Scott Montgomery. I'm a queer actor and writer living in Hollywood. You may know me from social media or Disney Channel - I was on shows such as Austin & Ally, Shake It Up!, and most recognizably Sonny With a Chance/So Random!
I am really passionate about HORROR, most specifically with queer protagonists. I've written my dream (OR NIGHTMARE) horror slasher thriller called Howdy, Neighbor!
It's a modern-day stalker film that's campy, sexy, sometimes silly, and extremely scary. It has a colorful cast of queer characters who support one another - there's even a beautiful interracial love story amidst the horror. The TERROR they experience in the film is in no way, shape, or form a result of their queerness (let's make more films like that please!).
As a writer I've had sold-out runs of plays in California including my annual Halloween play SPOOK NIGHT, as well as my award-winning play Dead Boys, which ran for two years in several theaters with a grant from the city of West Hollywood for Excellence in LGBT Storytelling.
I'm also working with my dream director Allisyn Snyder (you may remember her as Zora on Sonny With a Chance, or as Heather in NBC Peacock’s A.P. Bio). She's a really exciting DOPE storyteller and I love her nasty, bone-chilling, genius vision for what we will create.
Allisyn has over twenty years of experience in the entertainment industry and has worked both in front of and behind the camera, wearing every hat you can imagine. Allisyn and her team at Watch The Footage (WTF) Productions do it ALL - master indie filmmakers who use everything they've got to innovate and stretch every dollar. I starred in a 2017 short horror film she wrote and directed titled Weeji, which gained distribution through Fun Size Horror. In 2019, Allisyn’s psychological thriller titled Nasty Habits was selected at over sixty film festivals, taking home 30+ accolades including Best Director at Block Island Film Festival, and Best Female Director at Independent Shorts Awards (YEAH YOU READ THAT RIGHT). I've always said she's the coolest person I know, extremely hard-working, and great at thinking outside of the box when working with a limited budget.
Howdy, Neighbor! will be shot in the style of "screenlife," a film entirely told through phones, computers & social media, like the movies Unfriended (2014) and Searching (2018). Howdy, Neighbor! will put you right into the heart of the story, experiencing first-hand terror through the phone screen of our main character, Benjamin, who is being harassed and stalked by an obsessed fan. The audience will witness intimate phone calls and see the barrage of harassing texts arrive in real time. As the story escalates and evolves, he quickly realizes that locking the door just WON'T be enough. (Think Single White Female 2021 with a queer cast and modern tech!)
We are ready to make the next great horror movie, but we need your help turning this into a reality! We want to make Howdy, Neighbor! as fresh and as smart as we can. Your contributions will go towards paying our incredible cast and crew, renting locations that fit the needs of the script, equipment, meals, and a whole lot of fake BLOOD. The closer we get to reaching our fundraising goal, the more freedom we will have to bring our creative vision to life without budgetary limitations.
We have some spooktacular perks depending on the level of gift - a special thanks in the credits, a signed script cover, exclusive behind-the-scenes sneak peeks, a personalized signed poster, and even having your name incorporated into the film!
Every dollar helps, and we couldn’t be more grateful! Also, one of the best ways to contribute is to spread this campaign - that in itself is a massive help! Be a part of the Howdy, Neighbor! family and help make our SCREAMS come true! Thank you so much! xx MSM