PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Gino McKoy’s debut film Lumina will make you fear what’s in the sky. We all know something has to be out there, but what happens when it finds Earth? Lumina is a terrifying take on abduction, alien attacks, and more. This film could have easily made a Sci-Fi channel afternoon movie, and that’s not bad.
“During my recovery, I found solace in writing LUMINA. I wanted to see the psychological effectof losing someone to an alien abduction. How would it affect the people who knew that person,what would they do? I embarked or shall I say I went down the rabbit hole of conspiracies and alien abductions but I came out of it much more informed. Normally a topic like this is met with ridicule and laughter and, in some instances, passive-aggressive behavior toward people who claim to have experienced this phenomenon.” ~Gino McKoy
Sypnosis
Patricia (Sidney Nicole Rogers, Heaven Sent) is a fee spirited soul gets an invite to a parrty to celebrate old times, hosted be Alex (Rupert Lazarus, Requiem 2018). The party takes a quick gut punch when Alex’s ex girlfriend shows up. With the intentions of introducing everyone to his new love Tatiana (Eleanor Williams Underworld: Rise of the Lycans 2019). The party crumbles away into survival as the group are visited by a giant and angry light in the sky.
Once the group realizes Tatiana is missing, the world delves into chaos quickly. The fun is instantly over when Alex catches something on his ex’s phone about Tatiana and the group disbands in anger. A few months later they go looking for the truth as Alex is a completely different human being. He has a tinge of madness when he explains how to find Tatiana. Everyone once again, is ready for the long haul and finding their friend. Mistakes are made and lead to a good push about working together.
The group travels through time and space amidsts beautiful landscapes and eerie hallways through a space craft. With the government and more are on the hunt for them. The group is on the run constantly,can they make it out alive?
What impressed me the most was how dedicated the crew was to keep pushing during the height of COVID-19, avoiding tragic accidents and having to recast with minimal time. A lot worked against the dream, and you can not tell. Everyone was so bouncy and vibrant; then they saw something traumatic and aged in that short time. It was honestly the perfect gateway into my mind.
Usually, I wouldn’t say I like horror movies that rely on reality too much that aren’t found footage. However, the crew saw an opportunity and opened that can of worms for me. I was sucked right into it, and one main reason is the belief that pushed this entire story. How would you explain it best when you are convinced that aliens exist? I would imagine that if they had landed, this would be what we would be looking at an entire otherworldly universe. Are we ready for life on other planets?
The movie was shot entirely in Morrocco, which leads to some of the most visually stunning backgrounds I have ever seen. Lumina impressed me in a lot of ways that I never really gave notice of with other movies. I appreciated this movie much more than modern mainstream horror movies; no one puts this much passion into a big box horror anymore; independent, passionate people are taking over with the help of social media and streaming technology. Great stories can be told with a lot less hassle.
Lumina has imprinted itself on my brain; I’ll always be afraid to look up into the sky, and I see myself as more of a Homer Simpson abduction style. Many people genuinely believe something is out there, and I love seeing the passion for its advocacy.
“We shot during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic from October 2020 to January 2021 in Morocco. Before shooting, our fellow producer almost died in a plane crash in the Colorado mountains while he was on his way to visit us in Los Angeles. The problems snowballed, from an unscrupulous service producer in Morocco to losing my entire cast and having to recast in one week, to my DP being locked in the UK and unable to travel because of the second wave of COVID, to myself, almost dying of food poisoning in Marrakech during pre-production. LUMINA was a movie within a movie or the equivalent of shooting 10 Hollywood films.” ~Gino McKoy
Ultimately, Lumina can shred your nerves straight down to the bone. Maybe the sad setting throughout, even before the abduction, upset me? Or perhaps it was a broken man we all see searching for that lost love in our lives. The question is, how far would you search for that love again? Would you search the ends of the earth and beyond for it? Lumina changed my perspective on the idea of abduction. I never thought this far into an alien invasion, but I feel more informed that there is something else beyond the stars.
“Vindication for those ridiculed about their alien abduction stories happened in 2024 with the US congressional hearings of three former military officials under oath. LUMINA is about the
journey of a group of friends trying to find the truth and true storytelling at its core. If you are not emotionally attached to the characters in a movie, then it’s not worth watching or telling that story. Movies are emotions; through those emotions, we hope to find the truth and enjoy living in that moment in time.” -Gino McKoy
The film is slated to be released in theaters on July 12th, 2024, and you don’t want to miss it.
