A Texas 'Homecoming' Premieres in San Marcos

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Homecoming 2The high school homecoming queen competition was stiff for Claire and her friends in the 2010 horror movie Homecoming. There could only be one winner. Those who survived the first movie return to face the same masked murderer in Homecoming II, which premiered Saturday at the Embassy Suites Conference Center in San Marcos.

Last year, Dorell Anthony and fellow Texas State University - San Marcos alumni Terissa Kelton and Caleb Straus began collaborating cross-country on the independent, low-budget movie Homecoming II.

The trio had recently graduated from Texas State when Anthony became inspired to write the sequel to Homecoming.

Anthony wrote his first feature-length screenplay, Homecoming, in 2004, during his sophomore year at Oakwood High School in Oakwood, Texas. He said he wrote the script as a form of therapy after his aunt died.

"It's weird to think that I wrote a horror script where many people die after my aunt died," he said.

Anthony said he collaborated with Texas State writers and playwrights to revise and update the original Homecoming script. The entire Homecoming cast and crew consisted of Texas State alumni.

Homecoming II executive producer Terissa Kelton met Anthony as a Texas State Alphi Psi Omega theatre fraternity member. She said she and Anthony became "quick" friends, and he asked her to critique the Homecoming script.

Kelton said she thought the Homecoming script was "great" and became a fan. Her own short film debut, Myra, screened at the Homecoming II premiere. Kelton is also an actress, who starred in the Austin-based independent production company Twitchy Dolphin Flix's films Turkey Day, Wedding Night, Abram's Hand, Look At Me Again and the 2011 Metropolitan Film Festival's honorable mention, Snatch 'N' Grab.

In Homecoming, Kelton plays Katie, the main character Claire's friend and homecoming queen rival. She described her character in Homecoming II as the "everyday girl, kind of popular and rude." Claire's mysterious past slowly comes to light as the homecoming queen candidates are brutally murdered ... including Katie. Kelton said even though the weather was cold and she was covered in fake blood, her onscreen murder was fun to film.

Anthony said Kelton was cast in the role of Katie because of her resemblance to the character. He said he did not intend for Kelton's character to die, and was "heartbroken" when the scene was filmed. However, he said a lot of close friends die in the movie.

Anthony himself appears in a small role in both Homecoming movies as Shawn Roberts.

Anthony moved to New York City in August 2010 to pursue acting. He appeared in the off-Broadway play Nobody Heard Me Cry, about a teenager's struggle with depression.

"Everybody heard me cry in that production," he said. "Everyone has one bad show that they do."

Anthony said he locked himself in his room for a week to write Homecoming II. After re-writes from Kelton, the script was finished three months later.

Straus, Homecoming II director, said he joined the film's team before he read the script. He said he was familiar with the first movie because crew members approached him and asked for his advice on independent, low-budget filmmaking.

Kelton said the Homecoming II budget was less than $500. She said she utilized IndieGoGo, an online global fundraising platform, to gain support for the movie.

Straus previously directed the apocalyptic thriller It's Over through his Austin-based independent multimedia production company, Snout Productions. The trailer for the movie's sequel, The Storybook, screened at the Homecoming II premiere.

Straus said Homecoming II is darker and edgier than its predecessor -- it's a story about "really damaged people going through horrible things." The character development interested him in the project, and he and Anthony wanted the Homecoming II audience to care about the characters.

The Homecoming series was filmed on location in San Marcos at Wake The Dead Coffee House, Cedars Restaurant and the Texas State Strahan Coliseum and Music Building.