What Beckons in the Wood (Horror Short Film)

A thief who has taken whatever he wanted his whole life finally meets something willing to give. 1930s. Edgar runs through a dying forest with hounds behind him and stolen money in his fist. He loses it all in the fall, and what he finds instead is a table set alone among the trees, a small bright bell, and something crowned and cloaked that knows his name. It offers him a trial, and at the end of it, everything he believes he is owed. What Beckons in the Wood is a short horror film about pride, and about the particular kind of ruin that comes from getting what you asked for. CAST Edgar, Jordan Donaldson The Creature, Jesse Josephic The Woman, Aréanna Kroll The Narrator, Eric Lee CREW Written and Directed by Timothy Medina and Jeremy Kessler Produced by Timothy Medina and Jeremy Kessler Director of Photography, Kent Mast Film Editor and Colorist, Caleb Tyson Visual Effects, Timothy Medina Music by Cory Rosen Sound Design, Josh Joyce Audio Recording, Ethan Scott Grip, Caleb Tyson and Elijah VanHanxleden Makeup, Chloie Kessler Behind the Scenes Photography, Timothy Medina Behind the Scenes Video, Collin Proctor Special thanks to Bolivar and Caroline Medina for the use of their home and land. Filmed on a Sony FX3 with Blazar Mantis 1.33x anamorphic lenses Made by Stump & Root Co., a creative studio in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. If you want to see how we approach story for brands the rest of the time, that work lives at stumpandroot.co. © 2026 Stump & Root Co. All rights reserved. #shortfilm #horrorshortfilm #folkhorror #indiefilm #sonyfx3 #anamorphic