Currently Crowdfunding: ‘Fall Break ‘18’

Seven years after the crowdfunding campaign for Fall Break ‘18 first surfaced, the project remains a vivid snapshot of late-2010s indie horror nostalgia. The film was pitched as a love letter to 1980s cinema, with creators Tristan Peach, Jessica Johns, and Brad A. Kinnan leaning into John Hughes suburban malaise, Jason Voorhees-style slashers, and the synth-heavy soundtracks that defined the era. The story follows Matt, still haunted seven years after his younger brother’s death, who heads into the desert with girlfriend Barbara and a rowdy crew hoping for distraction. Instead, past trauma collides with present danger when strange, violent events force him to confront what he left behind.

The production promised practical creature work from veteran effects artist Dwight Roberts, whose credits already included New Nightmare, Killer Klowns from Outer Space, and Gremlins 2. Up-and-coming makeup artist Sophia Aguayo was attached to deliver the kind of grotesque body horror that rewards repeat late-night viewings. The soundtrack was positioned as a centerpiece, recruiting contemporary synthwave acts Ollie Wride, Michael Oakley, The New Division, and Missing Words to build a score that could stand on its own outside the film.

Production Status Update

Extensive searches across film databases, crowdfunding platforms, and festival listings have not turned up any completed feature, theatrical release, or streaming premiere under the title Fall Break ‘18 or any close variant. No official updates from the core team or backers have appeared since the original 2019 announcements, and no festival screenings or distribution deals have been documented. The absence of concrete follow-through leaves the project in archival limbo, typical of many ambitious indie campaigns that stall between fundraising and principal photography.

Synthwave Soundtrack Legacy

While the film itself has not materialized, the music component has continued to echo through the retro-synth community. Michael Oakley released new material including the track “Prologue,” which features contributions from Missing Words. Recent music videos for several of these artists were directed by Brad A. Kinnan, keeping the visual and sonic language of the original pitch alive even without a finished movie. Ollie Wride has stayed active in the scene with ongoing collaborations that reference the same 1980s palette the project once celebrated.

80s Horror Homage in Contemporary Indie Cinema

The influences cited by the Fall Break ‘18 team—John Hughes coming-of-age beats, practical slasher kills, and pulsing synth scores—continue to surface in independent horror. Filmmakers working outside studio systems still mine the decade for its mix of neon aesthetics and teenage dread, often pairing those references with modern production tools. The project’s approach sits squarely inside that ongoing conversation, where practical effects and period-accurate sound design serve as shorthand for both nostalgia and genre credibility.

Key Crew Career Trajectories

The three principals behind the campaign have each maintained careers in Los Angeles since the original pitch. Brad A. Kinnan expanded DYNMC Creative into DYNMC Films in 2022, a banner focused on socially conscious features, while continuing to direct and edit music videos and commercials. Jessica Johns has kept her base in stand-up and screenwriting, with the project serving as her credited writing and co-creating role. Tristan Peach has sustained a lifelong acting career across theater and film while remaining active as a writer and producer on additional projects.

Brad Kinnan

Founder of DYNMC Creative, the director and cinematographer built a steady commercial and music-video practice before the Fall Break ‘18 campaign. Co-founding DYNMC Films in 2022 shifted his focus toward narrative features with social impact, yet he has continued directing and editing music videos and commercials through 2025 and into 2026.

Jessica Johns

A stand-up comedian first and screenwriter second, Johns brought a darkly comic perspective to the project as writer and co-creator. She maintains an active LA-based career in comedy and writing, keeping her multifaceted profile distinct from other writers who share the name.

Tristan Peach

A working actor since childhood, Peach expanded into writing and producing with Fall Break ‘18. He continues balancing acting credits in theater and film with ongoing writing and production work in Los Angeles across comedy, drama, and horror projects.

The original campaign positioned Fall Break ‘18 as an affectionate throwback that could deliver both creature-feature thrills and a self-contained synth soundtrack. Even without a finished film to date, the project’s documented ambitions and the continued activity of its attached artists and crew keep its 1980s-inspired blueprint visible in the broader indie landscape.