Independent filmmaker J.M. Stelly, known for pushing the boundaries of the horror and thriller genres through films like Abacus, They Are Watching, and Call of the Void, has officially launched a GoFundMe campaign to support his next and most emotionally raw project to date: VESSEL — a dark, surreal, and emotionally gutting supernatural horror film that blends occult terror with psychological disintegration.
At its core, VESSEL is a film about grief, guilt, and the monstrous forms trauma can take. The story centers on Joseph, a pastor whose faith has withered after two unbearable tragedies: the disappearance of his pregnant wife, Mary, and the loss of their unborn child. As Joseph recounts the days leading up to Mary’s vanishing, it becomes clear that she was unraveling — haunted by forces deep within her and the home they shared.
In the present, Joseph is plagued by unexplainable voices, violent dreams, and the creeping suspicion that he is not alone. Reality fractures. Time folds in on itself. And Joseph is pulled toward a revelation more horrifying than he could imagine: that something dark, ancient, and hungry resides within the house — something that feeds on silence, grief, and faith itself. Something that wants to be born.
“VESSEL is a deeply unique and disturbing project. It’s about what happens when your mind becomes a tomb for the past, and how the very things you believed in can turn against you,” says Stelly. “It’s part psychological descent, part occult nightmare — and all rooted in real emotional pain.”
The film is casted with long time collaborator of Stelly, Jared Bankens (Call of the Void, Twisted Metal) and Jamie Nipe who has appeared in several of Stelly’s projects including “Conjure” the music video for sludge super group DOWN.
Stelly — a Louisiana-based filmmaker and founder of Anatomica Films — has spent his career creating boundary-pushing indie horror. He is currently represented by Rodrigo Moscoso of Zero Gravity Management, and has gained a following for his intense visual style and bold narrative risks.
Unlike films bound by studio interference or generic formulas, VESSEL is fully independent, and the GoFundMe campaign is key to ensuring the project can be realized at the level it demands.
While the initial ask is for 7,000 to cover the mere basics for the film, Stelly and company want to raise much more to expand on a film that is truly unique in its delivery.
“This isn’t safe horror. This is what happens when you take grief, faith, and the supernatural — and let them rot in the same space. We need help to bring this to life.”
The GoFundMe campaign is now live at:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/fund-vessel-a-deep-dive-into-trauma
