The Beast Comes at Midnight

DM Shepard
5 min readMay 17, 2021

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A sneak peak at the history behind a indie werewolf film being shot in Tampa in summer of 2021

Michael McKeever standing in front of old carnival trailers at the Showman’s Museum. He will hunt down the werewolf terrorizing the Tampa area in The Beast Comes at Midnight

There’s a nebulous realm where myth meets reality. For some the line is bold and distinct. For others, it is a shadowy no-man’s land.

As we get older and the monster behind the mask or curtain is always a human, more and more of our innocence is stripped away and we come more jaded.

I think therefore people are naturally drawn to stories of the cross section between legends and the real world, where the lines blur and the possibilities are infinite.

It is this cross section that fascinates me about the new indie movie coming together in the modern metropolis of Tampa. It takes its roots in the mystique of the history of the carnival and the sideshow.

By a stroke of luck, I happened to be in the Tampa area visiting. Ed McKeever, one of the producers/creators of The Beast Comes at Midnight invited me to meet with him at The International Showmen’s Museum in Gibson to talk about their inspiration for the film. He and his son were touring The International Independent Showmen’s Museum in Gibson when they were inspired by the stories of the sideshow characters. In particular, “The Wolfboy”. This got them thinking, like all creatives do:

what if…

…there were some truth to the Wolfboy Legend?

…there were a real Werewolf in the Tampa Area, still at large?

…could a myth really be true

A chill runs down our spine when we find that little grain of truth behind a legend. Even in my own writing that ties in the legends of the Alaska interior, I have often paused in my research an rubbed down the hair standing upright on the back of my neck at some of the stories. We want them to be true…but at the same time, do we?

Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves: The Carnival History of Tampa

Carnivals have almost a duality. They can bring to mind a sense of joy. The smell of fresh popcorn and cotton candy. The thrill of a rollercoaster ride, or holding a sweetheart’s hand at the top of a Ferris wheel. But they have a darker connotation as well. Blink, and one can catch a glimpse of the shadows lurking behind the flashing lights and in between the bright colors of the tents.

I admit, I had no idea before this trip that Riverview, just south of the Tampa area had such a rich history in the realm of the carnival world. This area of Florida is a home and community for the live performance and carnival industry. Many retirees of the circus live in this area (which will also be a premise of Mr. McKeever’s movie). In fact, even the nice lady working behind the counter was third generation in the carnival industry. She told me that as a child, from the day school got out, until the day school started in September, they were on the road in the summers travelling with the carnivals and fairs.

The International Independent Showmen’s Museum

The Showmen’s Musuem is a treasure trove of an era that is slowly fading in our modern world of electronics. They have done a fantastic job of capturing relics of everything from the old carnival glass

prize carnival glass from an era before everything became cheap plastic

To the daredevil motorcycles spinning in a cage

A Harley Davidison 250 once used on the “Motor Drome” by stunt riders

Lovely ladies in glittering costumes

A showgirl’s ornate costume

And old-fashioned games and rides.

a preserved wooden ferris wheel from 1903

Old Horror Archetypes

Some of my favorite movies growing up were movies with kids, whether it was Standby Me, The Lost Boys, or The Monster Squad. The hero’s journey of kids tackling adult problems and overcoming them is a trope that used to be more popular in cinema. While we still see it in the big blockbusters like Harry Potter or the Hunger Games or IT, not as much in smaller horror or drama.

In McKeever’s indie werewolf film, The Beast Comes at Midnight, the young protagonist runs podcast based on true crime and conspiracy theories. Before long, he realizes that something supernatural is occurring in the Tampa area.

A werewolf is hunting humans every full moon.

But he is just a kid — and one who runs a show that feeds conspiracy theories.

You can guess how many adults believe him.

Would you?

He will find unlikely partners — like all heroes do. His ally’s character draws on Riverview’s history of circus and carnival: a sideshow fortune teller with a secret past — he once worked as a Cold War Era monster hunter.

I’m looking forward to this blend of old-fashioned monster-myth horror fun and unique history. This indie movie starts filming in the summer of 2021. Find out more about the film below:

About — The Beast Comes At Midnight

(1) The Beast Comes At Midnight | Facebook

And if you are in the Tampa area, definitely check out the Showmen’s Museum. It is well worth a stop.

About the Author

I pulled up anchor at 18 and joined the Navy’s Nuclear Power Program. A diagnosis of MS disrupted my dream of becoming a super spy, so I became a super electrical engineer instead. Through many twists and turns, I made my way north to Alaska. When I am not playing with live electricity, you can find me out at my off-grid cabin in Chicken, AK writing about my adventures. My horror novels The Dark Land and The Devil’s Valley are available on Amazon.

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DM Shepard

Electrical Engineer | Horror Author | Running wild far north of normal with a drone | MS Warrior |Turning 31 acres of Alaska Wilderness into an off-grid retreat