A Micro-Budget Horror Narrative Built on Collective Trust
Created with a micro-budget, a tight crew, and a commitment to collective responsibility, FINAL GIRL leans fully into intensity — both in front of and behind the camera. Built under extreme physical, logistical, and time constraints, the project transforms limitation into narrative force, reworking the “Final Girl” trope through obsession, excess, and dark humor.
Below, artist and creative force Kayla DiVenere walks us through the process in her own words — from assembling a tight-knit crew to surviving overnight forest shoots, and from micro-budget problem-solving to weaponized catharsis.
A Tight-Knit Crew Built on Shared Responsibility
From the outset, this project was shaped by a deliberately small team — one where collaboration wasn’t optional, but essential to survival, both creatively and logistically.
“A total of four people, including myself as the ‘final girl’, made up the core crew working hands-on each day, which meant we operated with a very small, tight-knit team.
In addition, two others provided support on the backend and with extra hands as needed. While the crew was small, every person played a key role with lots of hands-on problem-solving.
The project came together through shared responsibility, strong collaboration, and a great deal of trust, patience, and camaraderie, with everyone contributing equally to bringing the vision to life.”
From Brainstorming to Blood-Soaked Dawn
The production process unfolded across long days, minimal infrastructure, and an all-hands-on-deck mentality — from concept development to post-production.
“The project was completed over three 12-hour shoot days, including one overnight shoot in a pitch black forest in the middle of nowhere with no service.
The process began with a month of brainstorming and planning, during which the four of us met regularly to develop the concept and organize the shoot.
Because the team was small, everyone contributed and collaborated across all areas of production, including gear rentals, location scouting, props, wardrobe, lighting, and shot planning. We all took on multiple roles and put our heads down until everything was perfect.
After wrapping the final 12 hour all-nighter shoot at 6am, we got breakfast sandwiches at Mcdonalds with blood soaked clothes to celebrate before moving quickly into post-production to complete the edit in under 48 hours.”
Producing at the Edge of Capacity
Working with a micro-budget and no separation of roles pushed the team into constant adaptation — physically, creatively, and mentally.
“The biggest challenges were the limitations of time, money, and sheer physical capacity. We produced the entire video with a micro-budget and only four people on the ground, which meant there was no separation of roles, everyone was everything, all at once. We were performers, lighting crew, set designers, prop masters, craft services, and clean-up, often switching tasks mid-scene just to keep things moving.”
“The overnight forest shoot pushed everything to its limits. There was no power, no electricity, and no infrastructure, just one car that we used to charge batteries and attempt to run a fog machine that constantly failed.
We spent the night running back and forth to keep equipment alive, shooting whenever we had power, and adapting on the fly when things broke or stopped working. It was exhausting, chaotic, and unpredictable, but the intensity of the process and passion of the project is embedded in the final result.”
A Final Sequence That Refuses Containment
Asked to choose a favorite moment, DiVenere points to a sequence where vulnerability transforms into something feral and irreversible.
“The final sequence is my favorite moment. The final girl draws the knife from her own body slowly, deliberately, as if pain has become secondary to purpose. Blood replaces fear.
In her weakest moment, something sharper takes over: obsession, resolve, survival. The reveal of the blood-soaked chainsaw isn’t heroic or clean, it’s feral.
The scene becomes a brutal catharsis, where female rage is no longer contained or aestheticized, but weaponized, raw, intimate, and irreversible.”
Turning the Final Girl Trope Inside Out
Rather than offering a conventional moral, the video leans into excess, obsession, and dark humor — subverting familiar genre expectations.
“Don’t fuck with the final girl.
Beyond survival, the video plays with obsession, the need to be the last one standing not just physically, but emotionally and romantically.
We turned the classic Final Girl trope on its head, where the Final Girl is stalking the serial killer, not the other way around.
The horror is heightened to the point of excess, intentionally flirting with absurdity, and I hope viewers catch the dark humor embedded in that fixation.”
Looking Toward the Festival
The conversation closes with an openness to connection — and the possibility of bringing this work into a shared, in-person space.
“I would love to attend and connect in person if scheduling allows.
Festivals are one of my favorite environments for meeting fellow artists, filmmakers, and collaborators, and I always value the opportunity to build real creative relationships when I’m able to be there.”
Watch the music video below.
CREDITS
Final Girl Actress: Kayla DiVenere
Director of Photography: Kalama Epstein
Director: Maddy Murden
Editor: Maddy Murden, Kalama Epstein, Kayla DiVenere
Concept: Kalama Epstein, Maddy Murden, Kayla DiVenere, Will Murden
Actor: Will Murden
Coloring: Kalama Epstein
Producer: Maddy Murden, Kalama Epstein, Kayla DiVenere, Will Murden
Special thanks to: Tony Gardner and Bryan Christensen for special effects props at Alterian Inc
Producer’s Assistant: Daniel DiVenere
