Genre favorite Tiffany Shepis (Victor Crowley, “Star Trek: Picard”) will make her found footage debut in The Case Study of Walter Briggs.
Fangoria reports that the horror film is now in production, with The Butcher Brothers’ Mitchell Altieri (The Hamiltons, April Fool’s Day 2008) directing from a script he co-wrote with Jacquelin D. Hayner.
It follows a nursing student assigned to document an elderly dementia patient whose rare moments of clarity begin to suggest unsettling recollections tied to an infamous serial killer. As her investigation intensifies, so does her obsession, drawing her closer to a truth that may put her in danger.
Robert Donavan (Attack of the Unknown) and Sadie Scheufler also star.
“This is my first foray into found-footage filmmaking, and it’s a completely different beast,” says Shepis. “I used to think this style might be easier, but the reality is quite the opposite — limited camera angles often mean limited coverage. That puts a premium on performance; you have to get it right from the very first take, because it might be the only one you have.”
Frequent Altieri collaborator Jeffrey Allard (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2003) produces alongside Shepis, Alex Newberry, and Ricardo J. Santos.
“Bringing love — and filmmaking — back to Northern California feels like a homecoming,” adds Altieri. “This is where we shot The Hamiltons and The Violent Kind, and now it’s the backdrop for The Case of Walter Briggs. There’s an incredible depth of locations and talent here. Working with Tiffany Shepis and Jeff Allard, I’ve developed a creative shorthand that makes even the most challenging projects feel seamless.”
“The Case of Walter Briggs is an ambitious found-footage horror thriller that also plays like a dark drama, which is a combination that really drew me in,” says Allard. “Tiffany Shepis always delivers, and working with Mitch again is always a great time. This marks our seventh film together, and each one has been vastly different from the last—yet all have found their own kind of success. When I first read the script and saw the vision for the cast, I knew Walter Briggs would be something special.”
The Case Study of Walter Briggs marks Shepis’ fourth collaboration with Altieri and Allard, following 2010’s The Violent Kind, 2017’s The Night Watchmen, and 2020’s Star Light.
