{"id":44655,"date":"2026-07-15T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/?p=44655"},"modified":"2026-07-15T08:26:22","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T12:26:22","slug":"scares-sinclair-and-community-support-the-making-of-dayton-based-horror-film-gaunt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/tartan-news\/2026\/07\/15\/scares-sinclair-and-community-support-the-making-of-dayton-based-horror-film-gaunt\/","title":{"rendered":"Scares, Sinclair and community support: The making of Dayton-based horror film ‘Gaunt’"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Kira L. Wilson, originally from the outskirts of Los Angeles, is now a full-time actor, producer and director<\/a> of independent films in the Dayton area\u2013and her most recent project, \u201cGaunt,\u201d was partially filmed at Sinclair College.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Kira L. Wilson on the set of “Gaunt.”<\/strong> CONTRIBUTED<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Wilson loved performing as a child, but abandoned this passion after feeling the pressure of auditions in her teen years. It wasn\u2019t until her early forties that a friend suggested she take a role as an extra in a movie being shot in Wilmington, Ohio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt literally snowballed,\u201d she said. \u201cThat one particular instance, a chance, weird thing that just happened, it opened everything up very quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since then, she has produced and appeared in dozens of films and TV shows. She transitioned to directing with her 2025 short, \u201cIn Between the Lines,\u201d which premiered at the annual competition Winterfilm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A film festival was also where she met the writer of \u201cGaunt,\u201d Canadian-based Mike Ede<\/a>, who had already won an award for the script.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The film centers around the main character Lawrence, who wakes up after an operation to a \u201cNurse Ratchet\u201d-type character wheeling him out of the surgical suite and into an old area of the hospital where, according to Wilson, \u201che is not supposed to be.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The opening scene of the film was shot using Sinclair\u2019s health sciences facility. It was the last scene to be filmed, after 12-hour overnight shoots on a reportedly haunted set in Lancaster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Behind the scenes of “Gaunt” in Sinclair’s health sciences building. <\/strong>CONTRIBUTED<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Behind the scenes of “Gaunt” in Sinclair’s health sciences building.<\/strong> CONTRIBUTED<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe physically wrote this scene into our script because when I did my tours of the locations or potential locations, I fell in love with Sinclair,\u201d she said. \u201cThe health sciences building is just incredible\u2026 Everybody just couldn\u2019t believe that we got such an amazing location.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She said viewers can expect plot twists and supernatural themes in the film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThings are not really as they seem,\u201d she said. \u201cThere are things going on that can\u2019t be explained, and [Lawrence] thinks that he might know what it is, but he had to get in and investigate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wilson has always been drawn to horror in her filmmaking. After enjoying the genre as a child, she gravitates to the supernatural side of horror instead of slashers or \u201cpsycho-killer movies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thrive on the thrill of being scared,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd over the years, I\u2019m not scared by much. So the things I am scared of, I like to make movies about things that make me afraid.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The crew of Gaunt, comprised mostly of dedicated volunteers. <\/strong>CONTRIBUTED<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The production of \u201cGaunt\u201d has been fueled by community connections, mainly Wilson\u2019s peers in the independent film industry such as Lisa Grigsby, the executive director for FilmDayton<\/a>. The creators also held an IndieGogo campaign which, despite being on a tighter deadline than planned, achieved their funding goal ahead of schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The film crew was made up largely of volunteers, some traveling four to five hours from home for overnight shoots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe had a few people sprinkled in from Pittsburgh and Columbus, and we had somebody come all the way up from Kentucky, so we were very blessed,\u201d she said. \u201cWe had an incredible team put together to make \u2018Gaunt\u2019 happen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having wrapped up shooting, \u201cGaunt\u201d is entering its post-production editing stage, with hopes for an early September finish. Wilson said there will probably be a small watch party once completed, then the film will be kept under wraps until it is released at festivals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To learn more and follow the process, readers can follow Wilson on Instagram at @acting_like_kira<\/a> and check out the \u201cGaunt\u201d Instagram page at @GauntFilm<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hannah Kichline, executive editor<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check out more from The Clarion:<\/p>\n\n\n