An East Tennessee State University alumnus is bringing Appalachian horror back to the big screen with a new independent film that showcases the talent, creativity and storytelling traditions of Northeast Tennessee.
Timothy Altonen, a technician in ETSU’s Department of Media and Communication, is one of the filmmakers behind “Stranger Tales from Appalachia”, an 85-minute horror anthology featuring three stories involving zombies, the Devil and UFO conspiracies.
Filmed entirely in Northeast Tennessee with a local cast and crew, the movie was produced for less than $10,000 and took approximately five years to complete.
For Altonen, the filmmaking journey began during his time as an ETSU student in 2005, when he was given the freedom to explore filmmaking while studying traditional video production.
During his final semester, Altonen helped produce a 30-minute short film for his capstone project, which premiered at Johnson City’s former Real to Reel theater.
“Seeing my work on the big screen for the first time was really what did it for me,” Altonen said. “And after that, I was totally hooked.”
The new film follows the success of the original “Strange Tales from Appalachia”, released in 2018. That film won Best Feature Film at the Mad Monster Party Film Festival and eventually received worldwide streaming distribution.
However, Altonen said the sequel was never originally planned.
The first story, “TrailDead”, began as a feature-length zombie film in 2021. Production challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic forced the filmmakers to rethink the project, eventually turning it into a shorter film and inspiring the anthology format.
The finished movie includes “TrailDead”, a zombie survival story; “Set the Woods on Fire”, inspired by traditional Appalachian folklore; and “Blacklight”, a found-footage horror story involving UFO conspiracies.
Altonen said one of the biggest challenges of independent filmmaking is coordinating a cast and crew who often volunteer their time while balancing jobs and other responsibilities.
“We don’t have the money, but we certainly have the time,” Altonen said. “It took us five years to produce this movie.”
Beyond the challenges of production, Altonen wanted the Appalachian landscape to play an important role in each story.
“We wanted to really set these stories in Appalachia where the mountains really felt like a character,” Altonen said.
The film received a special community screening on Oct. 15 at the Jackson Theatre in Jonesborough, presented by the Highlands Horrorfest Roadshow. The event also helped support the organization’s New Blood Film Fund, which assists future filmmakers in the region.
For Altonen, seeing the finished film on the big screen was especially meaningful after years of work.
“It meant the world to me to complete this project and share it with the local community,” Altonen said.
Now, Altonen and the filmmakers are looking toward film festivals, hoping to build on the success of the original movie.
Altonen said the team has already begun submitting the film to festivals, particularly those associated with horror conventions. Because many fall festival submission deadlines had already passed when the movie was completed in October, the filmmakers are focusing on upcoming spring events.
The goal is to spend the next six to 12 months screening the film at festivals before pursuing streaming distribution, potentially by late summer 2027.
Altonen also hopes his experience will encourage ETSU students interested in filmmaking to pursue opportunities, regardless of their experience or financial resources.
“I would say just do it,” Altonen said, encouraging aspiring filmmakers to volunteer on independent productions, gain hands-on experience and build connections within the industry.
He emphasized that completing a project is one of the most important lessons a filmmaker can learn.
As for the future, Altonen said another installment is already being developed. Tentatively titled “Strangest Tales from Appalachia”, the project could begin production in 2027 and complete the horror anthology trilogy.
“We don’t need massive budgets. We don’t need Hollywood or Atlanta and those high-end sorts of productions to make good films here,” Altonen said.
