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You know spooky season has officially arrived when a film makes your pulse spike like a jump scare — even if it isn’t technically horror. Sean Decker’s guerrilla short Rendezvous isn’t about masked killers or supernatural hauntings, but it’s dripping with the kind of danger, dread, and adrenaline horror fans crave. Decker is no stranger to that world. For years, he’s been a recognizable voice in the horror community: journalist, screenwriter, and tireless champion of the genre.
Shot without a single permit on the nocturnal streets of Los Angeles, Rendezvous stars indie scream queen Sarah Nicklin (V/H/S Halloween) as a car thief tearing through the city in a souped-up Ford Focus ST. The project was fueled by rebellion, risk, and what Nicklin calls “survival filmmaking.”
“There’s nothing like racing through the streets in a real car, in real time, with everything on the line,” she tells us. But the chaos of a no-budget, no-permits shoot meant the real scares came from the city itself. Director Decker recalls nights lost to catastrophe: “We lost one night to a fire on the 110, another to a marine layer so thick it felt straight out of a Carpenter film.”
Horror Blood in Its Veins
Horror DNA runs deep in Rendezvous. Emmy-winning cinematographer Will Barratt (Frozen, Hatchet) shaped the nightscapes, editor John Fitzpatrick (The Boys, Supernatural) brought the ride together, and Joseph Bishara — the maestro behind The Conjuring and Insidious — laced the film with a pulse-pounding score. His synth-driven soundscape (accompanied by songs from Perturbator, Skeler and Tokyo Tears) carries Bishara’s signature unease, reimagined for a
neon-noir car chase.
Sarah Nicklin (V/H/S Halloween), a familiar face in the indie horror scene, anchors the film with both grit and vulnerability. “One of the trickier parts of this film, because it was shot so spontaneously, was maintaining emotional continuity,” she admits. “Since it started as a passion project and grew as we went, I didn’t have the full blueprint on day one. Some of the choices I made early didn’t line up once the story evolved, so the challenge became finding ways to bridge those moments and keep it coherent for the audience.”
Her horror background gave her the physical edge needed for the role. “Since I work in horror a lot, the roles are usually very physical, running, fighting, scrambling to survive. That experience translated well here.” Nicklin even found herself laughing at the absurdity: “When we shot the close-up inserts of me shifting, the car was parked in the driveway, and I was sitting there making ‘brrrrrrr, brrrrrrr’ sounds with every clutch and gear change.”
Survival Filmmaking
The film’s micro-budget — less than $4,000 — forced Decker and his crew into constant innovation. “Everything was a trade-off, and every step demanded resourcefulness,” he says. But the passion paid off. Nicklin sums it up best: “This wasn’t just another car film, it was survival filmmaking.”
That spirit, risk, rebellion, and ingenuity are exactly what horror fans have always embraced. Decker himself sees it the same way: “Rendezvous was born out of pure adrenaline and creative rebellion. The passion and talents of this cast and crew blew me away. They jumped into the chaos with me, and I’ll be forever grateful.”
What’s Next?
Decker hopes this short is just the beginning. “In a perfect world, someone would back a feature version, because I’ve got ideas for expanding the universe, a stylized noir love letter to car culture, with a strong, empowered woman at its center. And of course, that woman would be Sarah.”
For fans of Bishara’s sonic nightmares, Nicklin’s physical ferocity, and Decker’s community-rooted passion, it’s a reminder: horror isn’t just about monsters. Sometimes, it’s about the fear of the street swallowing you whole. Rendezvous is now available on YouTube. Be sure to check it out!
Be sure to check out actress Nicklin in V/H/S Halloween on 10/03 premiering on Shudder!
