Cain Rose Up - Screening

On April 9th Cain Rose Up premiered with 10 other films in a special screening for the graduating seniors of Occidental College. Our 800 person theater filled up within minutes of the doors opening and audience members had to be turned away at the door because the theater could not accommodate any more attendees. I was shocked, my producer (Madison Murphy) told me before we started that her dream was to have the theater fill to the point where people had to sit on the floor. Well, that's what happened.

At 8:15 we walked on stage and did our intro. 10 minutes later the films started. Cain Rose Up was 7th in the lineup with no other horror film to be shown that night. As soon as my first song began the crowd silenced. There was a feeling of uneasiness from the very get go. I've seen the film countless times so my attention was on the crowd. I was very curious to see how they responded to the piece. About 5 minutes in the silence became eerie. I couldn't figure out if people were engrossed in the piece or bored. It was super tense for me. Then came the final scene. As it builds I could feel people edging on their seats. They were hoping that this was a big setup and that the twist would be that Curt doesn't pull the trigger. How wrong they were. As soon as the first shot pops off the silence was broken. I have never been in a theater with that many people gasping at once. It wasn't a scream but a sound of utter shock. It was a very powerful moment for me because it was what I was hoping this film would achieve times 10. Absolutly unbelievable.