Clemson University’s world cinema department is small but mighty. What it lacks in size, it more than makes up for in creative talent and determination.
“THE HEXED,” which premiered Thursday in the Watt Auditorium, was created by a group of world cinema students. A love child of 1990s and 2000s films like “Practical Magic” and “Scream,” the film follows the three Hawthorne sisters as they navigate their spellbinding lives and encounter sinister things.
“Last semester, I took a documentary filmmaking class with Professor Sokolow, and when researching local legends, I found the legend of Eliza Huger, who is deemed the ‘Witch of Clemson,’ or ‘Witch of Pendleton,’” film director Sharbel Feghali told The Tiger in an interview.
“I did some research, and she’s not actually a witch, but it’s a really interesting story. But I also, later that semester, did a documentary on the local band Tangerine Scene, the sister-sister rock duo. And these two ideas kind of merged together, and ‘THE HEXED’ was born,” Feghali said.
Some days were longer than others in the process of making the film, according to Feghali.
“There was one Saturday in February when we shot from 10 a.m. to 5 a.m. the next day. I left at 7 a.m. So worth it,” Feghali told The Tiger.
Kendall Powell, who is credited as a co-writer and one of the three Hawthorne sisters, spoke with The Tiger about what it was like to be on set.
“It was such a chaotic but lovely experience. I have never felt so immersed in an environment; the story building and the world building that they created on set with the cast and the crew was just otherworldly,” Powell said.
“I was definitely in my mind at moments, thinking, ‘this is so surreal,’ but it was an incredible experience, and truthfully, it helped us kind of get into the space where we were truly acting as our character,” she concluded.
“THE HEXED,” while inspired by the “Witch of Clemson,” found other ways to seep Tigertown into the film. The band Tangerine Scene wrote an original song, “Ritual,” that was included in the film, and the whole movie was shot on location in and around Clemson.
“When we had an idea for a short film about sister witches, we had the intention of Tangerine Scene writing the song for it. And that’s what happened,” Feghali said.
Little moments like this one are part of what made Feghali’s film pop on the screen.
Diana Wells, another co-writer and star, spoke about how the film taught her how to be joyful in art.
“You can be serious, but it’s art, and it’s human and it’s flawed. I think you can see the joy in the film, and that’s beautiful,” Wells told The Tiger.
“THE HEXED” itself is also beautiful. The colors are vibrant throughout, with the effort of the cast and crew shining through in the final product.
There are a lot of challenges and pitfalls in making a short film as a student; it often feels like it’s meant to be longer, you’re working with a low budget and time constraints and you also have, well, other homework.
As star Justus Tanner, who portrays the mysterious Jamie Graves, said, “You’re never comfortable on set, and if you are, then you’re doing something wrong.”
Thankfully, “THE HEXED” did a lot of things right.
You can watch “THE HEXED” on YouTube.
